AN: italic text represents memories.

Chapter 2

Again he kissed his wife on the head and drew her closer into his embrace. Jack was now sitting properly on the bed next to his wife, leaning against the headboard. Sam was leaning against her husband, looking slightly less disheveled but still just as exhausted. Even after all this time she still reveled in his touch, the fact that he was hers, that she could lie in his arms, without breaking any rules, without worrying what the base gossips would have to say. She was married now. Even if they wanted to, there was nothing anybody could do about it.

They had fought the regulations … and won. They had won. After eight years of trying to suppress their feelings, worrying about the rules. Having each other so close but still just far enough away that the other was unattainable … just out of reach. Those regulations had kept them apart for eight damn years! If they had known it would be so easy to get them to reconsider the regs they would have done it years ago … well 'easy' might be putting it … lightly. In fact 'easy' would be totally sugar coating the whole experience! But the point was that they had won! The regulations were changed; Jack was still in command at the SGC, Sam was a member of SG-1 alongside the old bunch, Daniel and Teal'c, and now the newly appointed Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell. Originally Sam was supposed to lead SG-1 but after finding out she was pregnant she suggested Cameron be brought in to the position of commanding officer, formally anyway. Sam and Cameron really shared the role of leadership when it came to the day to day interplanetary exploration front but when it came to paperwork, luckily for Sam, Cameron got the heavy end of the load.

Sam was smiling to herself as she unconsciously nuzzled closer into her husbands arms. She was remembering her first date with Jack …

They had been having a picnic in one of the many parks at Colorado Springs, they had been there since 1200, it was now 1800 and Jack was lying back on the rug that they had spread onto the grass, Sam had her head resting on his chest. Jack was aimlessly playing with the hair at the back of her neck and she was tracing inconsequential patterns on his abdomen with her index finger. She closed her eyes and deeply inhaled his musky scent.

"Hmmmm. This is nice."

"Hmmm," was all the reply she got, but she didn't mind. She merely lifted her head and kissed him. Jack was not taken by surprise; he didn't even open his eyes. He just kissed her back, deeply. It was intense; slow, sensual as he gently prised her mouth open with his and slipped his tongue inside her willing mouth. The slow movements of his tongue massaging against hers was all that was needed for her release a low, throaty moan against his mouth. Whoa! The things that man could do her!

They separated and looked into one another's eyes. Jack lifted his hand and brushed back the hair that had fallen around her brow, tucking it behind her ear he placed his hand against her face. "I love you, you know"

She smiled and down for a quick kiss. She pulled away after a second and looked back down into her lover's eyes, a smile playing at the edges of her mouth. "I know, and I love you too."

This time the hand that had moved from her cheek to the back of her head pulled her down for another intense kiss that, if she was standing, would have made her weak at the knees!

Goose bumps erupted over her body; she wasn't sure if it was because of the kiss or because of the fact that the temperature had been slowly dropping for the past half hour.

"You cold?" Jack attentively asked the woman in his arms.

"A little," Sam replied with a small shiver.

Jack's left hand felt around on the ground next to him until he had located what he was looking for. He lifted his leather jacket and placed it over Sam. Without even opening her eyes, Sam simply buried her face further into Jack's neck and inhaled his scent, in which she was now fully encompassed; God he smelled good!

"Thank you," was her only reply as she felt her eyelids get heavier and began to drift into sleep. If it had been anyone else she was with, not that she could imagine being with anyone else, but if she was she would have forced herself to keep her eyes open and stay awake, but with Jack … she didn't care; she was one hundred percent comfortable with him and she felt so safe in his strong arms. Hell, if they were surrounded by a dozen Jaffa with nothing but a nine mil between them, and he held her like he was now she would have felt safe. God she loved that man.

Dr. Lam's voice brought her out of her memories as she flicked open her eyes; she hadn't even noticed that she had closed them. "Sorry General, but I'll have to kick you out now. My patient needs her rest; besides Sam should try and sleep while the baby is and now she's finally out …". The young doctor was looking into the crib at the end of Sam's bed, she readjusted the blanket covering the child and looked at the couple lying on the bed before her. Jack had made no attempt at getting up, so she merely gave him her best 'You better do what the hell you're told' look and said, "Don't force me to make that an order, General."

"Oh for cryin' out loud. I'm goin'," Jack responded, shifting so that Sam was now comfortably resting on her pillows rather than on his chest. Lam walked to the other side of the Infirmary to give the couple a moment alone. Now standing he leaned over and kissed his wife on the forehead. "I love you."

He walked to the end of the bed and looked down into the crib, a smile appearing on his lips as he did so. "Love you too bubba," he said, brushing a gentle finger over her cheek. He looked from his daughter back to his wife.

"I'll be back in a couple hours; bring Danny and T to see the newest member of SG-1," – he nodded toward the sleeping child; Sam couldn't help but smile at his comment. "Rest up. I'll be back soon." Again he approached his wife, then placed a gentle kiss on her lips, and once again tucked a few small pieces of hair behind her ear "I love you."

"I love you too. Now go. Before Carolyn beats you to death," his wife replied with a tired smile across her face.

Jack placed another kiss on her mouth and left the Infirmary. Sam's eyes followed him until he was totally out of sight. She smiled to herself and sighed. She had to admit, she was exhausted. She slid further down under the covers and rolled onto her side. Closing her eyes she resigned herself to her exhaustion, and drifted back to her memories of that afternoon in the park …

TBC…