Part 2

"Make yourself at home," Sam said, as she unlocked the door to her house. He stepped inside, thinking how long it had been since he had been there. Too long. Where had the last year gone? He sat the pizza box on the coffee table, then removed his jacket and his tie. He was kicking his shoes off when she returned from the kitchen, a familiar brown bottle in her hand. "Guinness?" she asked, as she held out the bottle to him.

He grinned and accepted it. "What about you?"

"I'll be right back. I'll get some plates and pop this in the oven for a couple of minutes…..unless you want some now."

"I'll wait for you."

"Ok." Box in hand, she headed for the kitchen. He leaned back into her couch and took a long swig from the bottle. Maybe the Guinness would calm his rattled nerves. The discussion ahead had been a long time in coming, and he didn't want to screw it up. For once in his life, he needed to be able to discuss his feelings. Hmm…..he took a deep breath and another long drink from the bottle.

Just then, she reappeared…and she had removed the leather jacket. He gazed at her in faded jeans and that pink tank top. "Sweet," he thought to himself. She was carrying a bottle of Guinness and the pizza box, topped with plates and napkins.

"Oops, forks!" she exclaimed as she sat down on the couch, and started to return to the kitchen when he reached for her wrist.

"Carter…Sam…it's pizza. C'mon, who eats pizza with forks?"

She grinned and leaned forward to open the box. "Fine."

The next 20 minutes were filled with tomato sauce, cheese, assorted toppings and small talk. She told him what was going on in the lives of SGC personnel. He talked about Washington and how frustrating his job was. Finally, the conversation turned to the day's events, and the scenarios they had come up with as they discussed the last nine and a half years.

"Who would have imagined Mitchell as commander of the Enterprise?" she quipped. "Although he's finally coming along."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about the way that worked out. I never meant for him to end up with your command. You had earned it. You're a national treasure, ya know it? I haven't felt right about that since it happened."

She blushed. "Don't blame yourself. I didn't mean to stay at the SGC, remember? I left, and if hadn't been for the Ori, I wouldn't have gone back. I had changed my priorities, moved on…"

For us, he thought….for the us that got delayed again…..

"Jack?"

He snapped back to the present. "I was just thinking about why you moved on…and I was feeling guilty about that too."

"I don't know why." She laid her hand on top of his, the touch warming some long unreached spot in his soul. "There was more to my decision to leave SG-1 than clearing the way for us to find out what we wanted. There was Cassie too. She may be a strong kid, but she really needed someone after Jan died. I was the only appropriate person, Jack. I was her mother's best friend, the first person she trusted here. If I hadn't cleared some space in my life for her, who would have?"

"Again, maybe that should have been me," he muttered, guilt returning. He stared down at the hand she had laid on top of his. How could that slight, casual touch set his heart racing? Moment of truth.

"Jack, everything that happens isn't your fault! Sometimes, people you care about make their own choices. You're not responsible for everything!"

He looked at her, the deep blue pools of her eyes calming him, making him feel…confident somehow. "Thanks," he muttered, his voice cracking a bit. He cleared his throat. "Thanks," he said, more strongly this time, his eyes riveted on hers. "Sam, something's gotta give."

"Well, first, you have to stop blaming yourself for everything that goes wrong with--."

"That's not what I mean. We need to talk."

She took a deep breath and glanced down at their hands, then slowly looked back up at him, before speaking softly. "I know. This…situation…has gone on way too long." She slowly exhaled, and he thought to himself how nervous she looked.

"All right, Jack," his brain said. "Time to step up to the plate. She's not going to do it. Just spit it out."

"Sam, I love you…and I think you love me. If I'm wrong, tell me now, and I'll shut up." She just sat there, gazing at him. He looked for a sign, any indication of what he should do or say next. "Sam? God, say something…"

"I…I kinda liked listening," she said softly. "I just never thought I'd hear you say that." She reached a hand out to cup the side of his face. He saw tears welling up in her eyes. When she spoke again, her voice was little more than a whisper. "I just never believed this moment would actually come."

She didn't get the chance to speak again, because the next thing she knew, his arms were around her, pulling her closer, his lips were on hers, and she felt herself sinking into his embrace. Time seemed to stop, and there was only this feeling and that sensation, as he cradled and caressed her. All she wanted to do was to hold on to him and keep this moment going as long as she could.

Suddenly, he pulled back, and she opened her eyes, desperately seeking the touch of the lips she had wanted on hers for so long. She was startled to see him looking at her intently, as his hands moved up her arms to her shoulders. "What?"

"You never answered my question."

"Question?" She tried to focus, but couldn't.

"Do you love me?"

She shook her head and smiled. "Do you even have to ask?" She lifted a hand to caress his face, her thumb running across his lower lip. "Of course I do."

"Then marry me," he said, his tone serious.

She gave him a slow grin. "That's a little fast, isn't it?"

"You call 10 years 'fast'?"

She paused, realizing he was serious. "I guess I never thought about it that way. Of course, there's very little I don't know about you…unless you leave your dirty laundry lying around."

"If I do, I'll reform," he said, a little exasperated. "Back on topic. Will…you…marry…me?" She thought about the Air Force, their jobs, the SGC… "Stop thinking," he said, giving her shoulders a gentle shake. "Just give me an an--….."

"Yes," she grinned. "Yes." She reached out to twirl her arms around his neck and leaned in for a kiss. She was surprised when he pushed her back. "What…."

"Not what," he said. "When?"

She looked slightly confused. "When what?"

"When will you marry me?"

"Jack, we have plenty of time to decide that."

"No, we don't," he grimaced. "If we wait, something will happen. I want to do it right away."

"Now?"

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow. We'll go to Vegas. Let's do this before anything stops us. I'll work it out with the President afterwards. If he doesn't like it, I'll retire, and that'll be that."

"Tomorrow?" She was incredulous. She thought things out. She wasn't quick to make personal decisions. She felt off-balance.

Sensing her uncertainty, he pulled away from her, sank back against the couch and drew a hand across his face. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't pressure you. If you want to wait awhile, ok. I just thought…"

"No, I think you're right," she interrupted, a look of resolve crossing her face as the equation in her mind was suddenly completed. "Why wait any longer? We've waited too long. Let's do it tomorrow. Vegas will be fine…Vegas will be an adventure."

"But no friends or family. You probably want that. You've never been married before."

"We'll have a reception later. This is about you and me. Nothing else really matters, does it?"

"Not to me."

"Then it's settled," she smiled as she stood up.

He had never heard sweeter words in his life. She watched as he grinned and rose to join her. He took her hand, his other cupping the back of her neck as he placed a quick kiss on her lips. "That's what I wanted to hear."

Still holding his hand, she took a step away from the couch. "Where ya goin'?" he asked.

"After all these years? Where do you think?"

"You mean…."

"I do. Guess you didn't need that hotel room after all."

"Guess not." He gave her one of those patented smug Jack O'Neill looks, and her stomach fluttered. She smiled in return and led him to the bedroom. Once there, she stopped halfway between the door and the bed and turned to look at him, suddenly feeling shy. He could see the longing in her eyes, and it started an ache deep inside him. Leaning down, he kissed her gently as his hands found her waist. The next thing she felt was fingers against her skin, as the sweet little pink tank top was gently pulled over her head. He kissed her more urgently as his fingers nimbly slid up to open her bra, and it fell to the floor.

Her fingers were undoing the buttons on his shirt, and watching, he ran his hands up and down her spine as he waited. Moments later, she was pushing the shirt off his shoulders, and his chest was bare too. Both gasped as they moved together again, skin against skin for the first time.

Rational thought was gone as they shed the last of their clothing. Somehow, they found the bed, although Sam couldn't remember how it happened. That thought was quickly forgotten, however, in the wave of sensations that followed, as she and Jack finally gave in to the feelings they had held in check for so long. Sam felt a tremendous flash of pleasure as Jack first entered her, and at the intrusion, her eyes flew open to find him gazing at her intently. "Ok?" he asked. She nodded. "Good," he said softly. His lips captured hers in a gentle kiss before his mouth descended to her neck. She let out a moan as he began moving inside her and heard him chuckle in response. Then, everything else faded away except for the movement of his body with hers and the words he whispered. She struggled to wrap herself tighter around him, the pleasure so intense that she wondered how she could possibly live through it. This man, her mentor, her trusted friend, her comrade, her for so long unrequited love…her soulmate…made love to her with such skill and emotion that she wanted nothing more than to stay where she was forever.

Then, suddenly, in a white hot explosion, she was flying over the edge, and she heard herself calling out his name. His pace intensified, and he groaned her name before collapsing on top of her. She was out of breath, and so was he, and both panted as they relaxed in the afterglow of their actions. "No," she whispered, as he began to lift himself from her. "Stay." He complied, and she held him tightly, not wanting this to end. They remained that way for several more minutes, until she realized she was falling asleep.

She nudged him slightly, and he rolled to his side, cupping his body to make a place for her. "C'mere," he muttered, as he drew her to him. She nestled into the space, feeling content as his arms wrapped around her waist. The last thing she remembered before she fell asleep was the feeling of his breath on her neck.