(A/N) I'm trying to keep them in character, but if I don't just yell at me. Thank you sooo much for the reviews! I'm doing an epilogue for those of you who would like to see how everything turns out. This one is a sort-of date seen. wink wink evil grin.
Sam sat in shock, staring at Jack. "Sir?" She asked hesitantly. Jack looked up at her after a moment, face void of all emotion.
"Not now, Carter!"
Daniel stirred and moaned a few feet away from Sam. He muttered something under his breath and stumbled away from them.
"Sha're," he whispered and, taking her in his arms,he began to cry. Sam called his name, but he was too absorbed in his grief to notice. He continued to rock back and forth and chant in abydonian. Jack got up and walked over to him, the effects of the zat blast already fading.
"Daniel," he said softly, "Let me see." Jack checked Sha're's pulse twice. "Daniel, she's alive."
"Alive?" Daniel asked. Looking down, he noticed for the first time her breathing. Jack nodded and wordlessly handed him a gag andsome ties. Daniel finished tying her seconds before she woke up and started struggling.
"Colonel! Teal'c is fine. Captain Thompson is alive, but he needs medical attention. Major Sandstrom...he's gonna wish he wasn't for awhile."
"Marrieti has bruised ribs, Kursch is unconscious but breathing," Jack called. "Hey, T, grab Sandstrom. Carter, help Marrieti to the gate and watch Sha're. Daniel, grab Thompson." Accepting their orders without question, the others followed Colonel O'Neill out of the room.
They filed into the cargo hold, keeping watch for any jaffa patrols. Jack dialed the Alpha site, and as the last of them stepped through the shimmering event horizon, he looked around him one last time.
'Another close call for SG-1,' he thought, and carried Kursch through the gate.
"Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter to the briefing room," Walter's voice said over the intercom.
Sam looked up fromher experiment. 'What now?' she thought. It had been two days since their mission. MaybeDaniel had had some trouble finding the Tok'ra for Sha're.Nevertheless, she stopped her experiment and walked down the SGC corridors. As chance would have it, she met Jack in the elevator.
Jack looked at her and grinned. "Been avoiding me, Carter."
"No more than the poor SF's you've managed to scare the crap out of," came her witty response. He feigned shock.
"Who me? I would never...Ok maybe. You still admitted to avoiding me." Sam was saved from answering by the elevator doors sliding open. They walked in silence to the briefing room, then across to General Hammonds office. The general saw them there.
"Come in. Close the door. Sit down." Sam and Jack looked at each other.General Hammond started. "It has come to my attention that the two of you have decided to resign only two d-"
"WHAT!" Jack and Sam yelped in unison. They glared at each other.
"However, I have decided not to accept your resignation." As they stopped glaring at each other and looked at him, he continued, "You see, it has also come to my attention that you two resign because of certain personal feelings towards each other."
"Doh! This is so not the conversation I thought I'd be having when I tried to retire this time," Jack said thoughtfully. Then he noticed General Hammond and Carter staring at him and shut his mouth.
"How does that work, sir," Sam asked, ''If you thought we had feelings for each other, wouldn't you have us transferred or something?" Her heart sank when General Hammond nodded.
"Usually, except for the fact that you killed countless Goa'uld, save the world on a monthly basis, and haven't broken the regs once in six years. The president loves that record. He waived the fraternization reulations in your regard." The bright redphone on his deskrang as soon as he finished. Sam and Jack listened to the one-sided conversation and avoided each other's eyes.
"Hammond. Yes, Mr. President, they're right here. I just told them. Yes, seven hundred dollars. You cheated. Thank you, Mr. President." General Hammond hung up the phone, apparently pleased with himself.
"SG-1 has two weeks down-time. Dismissed." He went back to his paperwork. Sam and Jack stood up and walked to the door. Stopping on the threshold, Jack turned around.
"General...did you bet on our...love life?" Jack asked. General Hammond smiled.
"Yes, Jack, and I got three hundred dollars out of losing. The president cheated."
"Sweet!" Jacksmirked and walked to the door where Sam was waiting. "Let's take a walk, Carter."
"Sir...where are we going?" Sam asked tentatively. Jack slowed.
"My office, Carter," he said proudly. He had made Daniel show him where it was yesterday. When they arrived, Jack took a seat and motioned for her to do the same.
"So," he began, "I'm not one for talking, so I'll make it short. Why?"
Sam tried to look like she didn't know what he was talking about.
"First your body, now your career. Why? Me?"
Sam looked away and refused to meet his eyes. Jack's patience ran out.
"Look at me, Carter! For cryin' out loud, if you don't love me, say so! You know how I feel!"
"You want to know how I feel, Jack? Fine!" With that, she walked around the desk and kissed him hard on the mouth. The force of her jumping into his lap sent them toppling over backwards.
Jack grinned down at her. "Pick you up at eight. Formal."
"Yessir!"
After the initial shock wore off, Janet had a very important question to ask of Sam.
"What are you going to wear?"
This simple, innocent question sent Sam and Janet into their wardrobes to search for the perfect outfit. After three hours of combining their womanly forces, they found the perfect weapon.
It was a slinky, lowcut, sleeveless,little black dress that Sam had hidden at the back of her closet. The dress had an open back that dipped downto the small of herback. Janet threw fabric glitter all over the front and didSam's makeup in lightblue. Sam wore diamond earrings and a silver locket around her neck.
Twenty minutes till 'fail safe', Janet left Sam to mess with her hair and debate over her date until he arrived.
knock knock
Sam steeled herself before she opened the door. When he knocked again, she threw open the door and stared.
There on her front door step, stood Jack O'Neill, in his dress blues, holding a bouquet of pink roses. Sam and Jack openly stared at each other for at least five minutes before Sam blinked and laughed nervously. Jack grinned and handed her the flowers.
"Shall we?" Jack asked, opening the car door for her and all but skipping around to the driver's side.
"Where are we going, sir?" Sam was nervous. He hadn't smiled like this since the time he got away with super-gluing Daniel's desk and artifacts to the ceiling. Poor Daniel...scratch that, poor her.
"To hell if we don't change our ways," was all he said.
"Been there, destroyed that." Jack laughed and thetension between them eased up.
Sam couldn't concentrate. Jack was looking at her like he wished she was on the menu and she was sooo not hungry anymore. She would rather sit there and drool over him, but unfortunately he was watchingher and drooling probably wasn't a big turn-on.
Sam looked up to ask what he was ordering and caught his smoldering gaze. He didn't look away, just looked towards the door, then back at her. Sam smiled; she was all for it.
Jack stood up and Sam did the same. No talking. Placing his hand in the small of her back, he guided her to the door.
Resisting the urge to jump him right there in the parking lot, she sat down in the car and rode in silence all of the way to his house. Jack reached over and put his hand on her leg, sending shivers up and down her spine. Then he spoke for the first time since the restaurant.
"Are you sure about this, Carter?"
"Yes, sir," was all she had to say to have him jumping out and opening her car door.
Jack pushed her up against the wall and started tokiss her as soon as they stepped through the door.
"Please, sir, I have to hear you say it," Sam mumbled against his lips. Jack growled.
"I love you, Sam. Always have, always will." Then Jack went to work on her neck and she could barely get out an 'I love you too' before she couldn't speak at all.
As they made their way to the bedroom, Sam smiled. There would be no sleeping in this house tonight.
(A/N) I never really thought there would be lengthy declarations of love, not for those two. This idea just wouldn't let go, so I hope you liked it. Thank you everyone who reviewed. It made my day and I took all of your comments to heart. Thanx bunches. Next up is the epilogue; it will be how I think they would run SG-1 and a familywith Sha're alive and lotsa little babies running around; Jack deserves another chance at fatherhood.