Hey! See! I told you there was hope :D
Hopefully next one won't take this long.
Enjoy!
M.
Chapter LVII
July 22th, 2005
SGC
"Colonel Carter to General O'Neill's office," the PA system announced, and Sam blanched.
"Hey, you were asking why he was hiding, now he is calling you," Janet grinned. "You'd better get your ass there ASAP."
"Yeah, see you later." She said and strolled towards the elevator to get to Jack's office.
After the night she ended up at his home, worried about him having spent his day in jail and ending up sleeping in the comfort of his arms, she felt he would shy away from her, or avoid her, or something equally awkward, but none of that had happened on his part. The awful truth was that since Pete's incident, her relationship or lack thereof with Jack became awkward. Mostly because she made it weird, and she knew it.
The following day, Sam sought Will's help to get over the fact that a chubby cop overpowered her the moment he tried to force himself on her. Her training alone should have been enough to deal with him, and all her super-powers were an add-on few women had. Yet Pete had almost gotten her.
Sam discovered then that she needed Will's help to understand she wasn't weak only because that had happened to her. Her mother had told her the same, but somehow it didn't dawn on her until it came out of Will's mouth.
"It's because she's your mom. She's supposed to tell you stuff like that. We both know it comes from her experiences, but you might subconsciously feel it's her job to make you feel better." Will said, and she had raised an eyebrow.
"She told you about her.. hm… experiences?" Sam asked curiously.
"It was worse than pulling teeth," Will chuckled. "She was utterly worried about you, and about consequences. Then she felt she needed to come clean with me about her own case, not that she needed to. She said if her experience was useful, then I should use it. So, now you also know, I'm not disclosing information without consent." He winked.
Will was far easier to deal with than the other shrinks she had met in her life. However, it was one thing to re-learn how to deal with her feelings and self-wallowing with his help, another thing altogether was knowing it all happened in front of Ashley and Jack.
Sam remembered when, after a touchy visit with Will, she had sat on a bench in the Sanctuary front garden. Ashley had popped in out of the blue a while later. They sat in silence until her sister snorted and said "Can you imagine trying to explain to the police how you beat him to a pulp after you broke the handcuffs with no effort at all?" Sam snorted then, fully aware that that wasn't at all what had happened. But, could've if she had her head straight then.
Suddenly, they were both laughing hard, and that was it. That was how Ashley dealt with their situation. Although, Sam was sure Will was also involved in the easiness in which she took it.
Now, Jack…
After the incident, Jack had avoided her to give her the space she needed. A little later, he had sought her out for a talk or just to keep her company. Finally, after that talk in his garden just over a week earlier, they had been somewhat back to normal. Even with all the lawyerly things and work going on at the same time.
She wondered if when she had gone to his home and told him more than she was supposed to as they sat on the swing set in his backyard had been what caused the current situation. She hoped not, because each remaining crinkle in their relationship had seemed to evaporate in the hug he had given her.
Truth was, she was utterly at a loss when, five days after she had disclosed her most personal secret, he had started to avoid her like the plague.
Sam shook her head to get back to the present and noticed she was already at Jack's office. From his smaller office, Walter nodded her in. Now that she was about to face him, a knot settled in the pit of her stomach. Sam wondered why he would want her there, after working so hard to avoid her. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door and waited.
"Enter," Jack called. Sam had to take another breath before she opened the door and took a step in. "Carter! Please, come on in and close the door behind you."
The General didn't seem angry, or even aware they were in an awkward situation. 'Maybe,' Sam thought, 'it is all in your head, Samantha.' But then again, he only had eyed her for a second when she entered. Then, he shuffled things in his desk, too occupied even to notice she was still standing. He picked up one, reading it only to lower it back and continue his rearranging of folders in the chaotic mess over his desktop.
"Sir, why am I here?" Sam asked once she couldn't deal with the intrigue anymore. He looked up from the folder he was perusing and frowned.
"Why aren't you sitting, Carter?" he asked.
"You never told me I could?" she said. Jack frowned.
"Take a seat, Carter. I will be with you in a sec. I need to find something. I know I had it here when I called." He huffed, throwing the file in his hands down and grabbing another one that looked exactly the same.
"Can I help you search, sir?" Sam offered.
"Ack! You don't even know what I'm searching for!" he chuckled. Then he grabbed another folder. His eyes brightened, and he grinned. "I knew I had it!"
"Found the one?" Sam asked, and Jack smirked, locking gazes with her.
"Yes, a few years ago," he winked and whispered in a tone she knew he only used with her. Sam blushed. "This got here for you early this morning, I'm sorry I just called you, things have been a bit hectic for me," Jack apologized with his adorable crooked smile. "Seems I've been rushing from one thing to the next for the past few days."
"What is it, sir?" Sam asked, grabbing the folder he was passing her. Jack rolled his eyes.
"Isn't it obvious? It's a folder, Carter," he joked.
"I know it is a folder, but what is in it?" Sam huffed, rolling her eyes. "Sir," she added, then making him chuckle.
"Well, if you don't open it, you won't know, Carter!" Jack added cheerily. But contrary to his happy status, Sam's expression changed to one of disappointment and sadness once she read the file.
"I didn't ask for reassignment, sir. Have you?"
"Nope," he said. 'Not really, it was your mom actually,' he thought, but his expression didn't betray his thoughts.
"But, out of the blue, after what just happened weeks ago, they are reassigning me?" Sam frowned in confusion. "Sir? Am I not doing a good job as SG-1's CO?"
"You are doing an excellent job, Carter."
"Then, why?"
"The universe is quiet now. The brass believes they could exploit your brain better at Area 51," Jack explained. "I know it's kind of sudden. Your reassignment starts when you leave the SGC today."
"But it says here I'm not expected there until August 1st," she pointed out.
"I guess they also decided you needed some rest, Carter," he grinned.
Sam frowned, there was a sadness overwhelming her. It was the end of an era. She wouldn't be Carter of SG-1 anymore, and for some reason, that hurt. Then there was the fact that he was smiling stupidly at her, as if he knew something she didn't or as if he… maybe he was happy to get rid of her after all?
"Are you okay there, Carter?" Jack asked, noticing the several emotions going through her face. The hurt one bothered him the most.
"Yes!" She said a bit too quickly, and he looked at her. She sighed and shook her head. "No? I'm not sure, sir. I guess I never thought this moment would come. I never considered doing anything that wasn't part of the SGC," she admitted. Jack grimaced.
"Been there, done that!" Jack chuckled. "It's the end of an era, or something equally important, Carter. You've done well here, we both did. But all positions come to an end at some point. It's already incredible that we managed to be here for so long as we were."
"I guess," she chewed her lower lip. "I'm not sure I want to do this, sir. "
"Oh, come on, Carter! You will have heaps of fun dismantling all those little pieces of tech as you always wanted to but never had time to do."
"But Daniel won't be there to help me with translations, Teal'c won't be there to give a weird view of what it could be and you…"
"I won't be here either, Sam," Jack whispered.
"What?" She asked in surprise.
"Look, I trust you more than I trust in myself. I'm sharing something with you; no one knows this yet. I will announce it on Monday, along with the news of your departure to 51."
"What are you talking about, sir?" She frowned in confusion as Jack handed her another folder. "Whoa, sir. This is amazing, from August 1st, you'll be the Head of Homeworld security!"
"Yeah, isn't that crazy?" He nodded.
"I believe you'll do an amazing job there, sir," Sam grinned.
"I think the same of you. Anyhow, I called you to save you from awkward goodbyes without understanding what's going on. As I said before, the moment you step out of the SGC today, you will be Sam Carter, Area 51," he grinned. "It doesn't mean you shouldn't be here when we break the announcement. So, I'll expect you to be here on Monday at 1100, dress blues on, to have your official reassignment announced and the obvious farewell lunch after that." Jack laughed at the grimace she made over his last comment.
"Is the lunch necessary, sir?" she scrunched up her nose.
"Who knows? As things are, we might celebrate another change by then," Jack said, and Sam frowned again.
"Is there anything I need to know, sir?" she asked, wondering who else would be reassigned. He shook her head.
"No, Carter," he added. "You can tell your family if you want to. I'll bet your parents will be thrilled to know you won't be in peril somewhere halfway out in the universe."
"Yeah…"
"Okay, I need to get back to work, Carter. This paperwork mess won't solve itself before August 1st, 2005. And I really need to do them before I leave here today," he grimaced.
"Yeah, I guess I have some stuff to finish, too," she added sadly. "This seems so definitive," she whispered.
"For now, it is," Jack said. "Until the next change comes," he shrugged.
"Yeah, There's that too, I'll see you later, sir."
"Later, Carter.
The moment his door was closed, Jack smiled. It seemed to him she hadn't connected the dots, most likely for the mourning process. He had been there several times. Each time they reassigned him, it was like losing a part of his life, and it took some time to accept it. It only was worse in situations like the SGC, where, because of the security levels, most people never left once they were inside the program.
Jack shook his head and checked his watch. It was almost time to go, and that was one reason he had called her. He picked up his internal phone and dialed the number of lower levels' surveillance. When they confirmed Sam was back at her lab, he grinned and dialed her lab.
"Carter," her voice came on the other end of the line sounding sad, Jack grinned.
"It's almost time for you to go home, Carter. I'm packing up now, can you meet me topside in 10?"
"I thought you had plenty of paperwork left to do, General," Sam said.
"I need a rest, Carter. I have been reading the whole damn day! Besides, I want to give you something I left in my truck," he added, knowing that it would raise her curiosity.
"Sure, sir. I need to save some of my work, then grab what I'm taking home with me, and I'm free."
"You shouldn't take work home, Carter. You are on vacation," he rolled his eyes, even knowing she couldn't see him.
"Right! I'll see you in ten, sir."
"Cool!"
Ten minutes later, Sam could swear her heart was beating in her throat as she approached Jack's truck. He was leaning against it, and her mouth watered at the sight. Jack was in his civvies that only added to his appeal. He looked at her, and she felt something stir in her body by the sheer number of things he was saying with his eyes. A brief memory of being trapped behind an invisible wall appeared in her mind's eye, and she shuddered.
"Sir?" she croaked out, sounding needy and husky at the same time. He held her gaze for a while longer until she felt compelled to take one step closer.
"Since the announcement won't be made until Monday, can you follow me in your car?" Jack whispered, his voice sounding strained and raspy to his ears. They were close enough that he only needed to take half step to have her in her arms.
Sam frowned at his request but searched his eyes and then nodded. Luckily, her car was parked two cars away from his. He waited to hear her door close, and then he jumped inside his truck and drove it to the exit. He saw the headlights of her car following him.
They drove slowly, putting several dozen miles between the SGC and their location. It seemed they drove for hours, but it was only twenty minutes later that Jack's turning light blinked right. Sam followed his lead, only to stop in one of the many viewpoints available across the Colorado mountains.
"This way, let's go for a walk," he said once Sam got out of her car and looked at him, completely confused by the turn of events. Jack walked away slowly, allowing her to follow him. He stopped when he knew no one would spot them.
"This view is breathtaking," Sam said as she observed the sky change colors from the bright blue to a darkening orange as the sun slowly descended. She was hyper-aware of his presence and had issues not feeling things when they were both so utterly alone, and there weren't uniforms to hide behind.
"Sam," Jack said. His chest was almost touching her back. The way her name sounded from his lips sent shivers down her spine. She turned around to watch him and found herself closer than she thought she was—inches apart from him, close enough that she could feel his breath on her face.
"Oh, Sam," he whispered again, his breath mingling with hers and wickedly tickling her lips. "I know you must be feeling the loss of this reassignment," Jack said, and then he smiled fully. "I can't. Sam, I feel ecstatic to know they reassigned you." Pain flashed in her eyes, and he flinched. She closed her eyes then.
"You are ready to get rid of me, aren't you?" Sam whispered, trying to hold off the pain and tears. Thinking she must have spooked him out on that last conversation they had a few days ago in his backyard. After all, he was a master of keeping his emotions at bay. But hadn't he just said he found 'the one years ago' back in his office? While looking at her as if she was the person he was talking about? She wondered.
"No, never! How can you be so smart and not know how much you mean to me?" He asked, caressing her cheek. "How important you are? Sam, don't you see, by the time we went out of the SGC gates, you were not under my command anymore. Although unannounced, you are under Area 51 CO."
"But you have your reassignment orders to Homeworld," she frowned.
"Not until August 1st, 2005," he pointed out with a big smile on his face.
"I don't get it," she said. It was more like she didn't want to get it, too afraid she would be mistaken.
"I'll explain everything later," Jack said. His other hand also found her face, and he brought her head upwards a bit, her eyes closed under the sheer amount of desire and love she had seen in his.
"May I?" he asked, conscious of her past. Not wanting to force her into anything, he waited until she nodded almost imperceptibly before his lips were lowered softly over hers.
Sam whimpered when his warm lips collided with hers in a soft caress. Forgetting all about chains of commands, regulations, and complex past relationships. The moment his lips touched hers, something ignited inside her. She clung to him, kissing him deeply like she had always wanted to but had never dared to before.
Somehow the kiss didn't remind them of those shared moments of Jonah and Thera. Yet, it made them forget everything else but the feeling of the warm lips moving in time with their own. It was a kiss like they hadn't had before, full of promises that, after all this time, seemed likely to be fulfilled. Sam heard herself moan against his lips, and as a response, he pressed her tightly against him, bringing goosebumps and a trail of fire as his hands lowered down her neck and towards her back.
They were so enthralled by each other they didn't notice Ashley appearing near them. She grinned widely at their teenage-like show. They didn't hear her clear her throat and, most definitively, didn't feel the change of scenery until minutes later when a small bug crawled on Sam's leg and startled her out of her kissing haze.
Jack chuckled against her lips at her muffled yelp, but the movement she did got his attention. So, he took a step back and looked down, glaring at the small lizard that was now climbing his pants. Sam chuckled at him, grabbed the insignificant creature, and lowered on a rock nearby before she finally noticed it. Flowers and tons of plants that weren't there before.
"Oh, Jack?" She said, turning around with a frown.
Jack had a sheepish smile that was utterly endearing. His lips were swollen, his hair was tousled, and his eyes were twinkling in merriment. He nodded to the side, and she noticed it then, her mother's cabin down at Hollow Earth.
"How?" she asked, taking a step towards him. Feeling self-conscious of the way he was looking at her, she could feel her swollen lips, and she just knew her hair was sticking up at odd angles. A gust of wind made her notice her shirt was not only out of the skirt she was wearing but up enough to show some skin. She blushed under his gaze. He cleared his throat.
"I had some help," he whispered, she blushed. She figured that help most likely meant Ashley, and they hadn't even felt her around. Jack saw the blush and wondered how far it went. His eyes darkened even more before he stalked the distance between them.
"Oh, God," she let out before he cradled her in his arms again. He hissed sexily when her hand found the way under his shirt, and they started a slow walk towards the house.
They managed to get to the porch, only tripping a couple of times, and somehow still dressed. She collided hard against the door and whimpered in pleasure, bringing her legs up against his waist. He groaned as he found he needed to separate from her enough to open the door.
She lowered her legs back to the floor and pouted at him. Jack thought he had never seen someone pouting, and looking as sexy as she did. Opening the door quickly, he had her in the same position as before in no time, this time against the wall inside the house. She chuckled against his lips and extended her arm enough to close the door beside them.
Lips collided frantically, clothes crumpled—some fell to the floor, some were just awkwardly scrunched out of the way—it didn't matter to them. Not after so long, so many years of pent up tension. They kissed, they panted, they moaned, dancing the old song to their rhythm. Neither lasted long before they were screaming each other's names.
They fell into an awkward silence, his face hidden in her neck and her legs slowly lowering down. Both awfully aware of how bad it was, how fast they came, and how this one didn't come close to a decent sex session.
But then again, the other hadn't lasted long either.
Sam was the first one to laugh. Kissing her cheek once, Jack followed soon.
"Holy Hannah, that was bad," she said between fits of laughter.
"Hey, I'm old, and you know it!" Jack defended himself, only making her laugh harder.
"I was talking about me!" Sam added, looking down at herself.
Her shirt was scrunched up. Her bra was pushed somewhat down. One side of her skirt was tucked somehow under her panty and showed that her thigh now had a lovely red print of Jack's hand. For some reason, she only had one shoe on. Her laugh became stronger.
"What?" Jack asked as she looked at him. His pants were trapped at his ankles. His shirt was open and missing some buttons. The tight undershirt he liked to wear was pushed up, showing half of his abdomen.
"Nothing," Sam tried to stop herself from laughing, but she couldn't, "I'm afraid you will trip if you try as much as to take a step, Jack." She said. He looked at her intently, and she blushed again. "I sure look a mess," she said, but his eyes darkened once more.
"What?" it was her turn to ask. The laughter gone, replaced for a fresh wave of desire.
"I made this mess," he said proudly, touching her softly. She sucked her lower lip.
"You better lose those shoes, Jack. There's so much more mess you can do," she whispered.
"Yes, ma'am," he said while caressing her face with his hand. He looked at her as he got rid of his shoes. With little thought, he freed himself from his pants, and then he smirked. "Now, tell me, Carter. How should we make a bigger mess?"
"I'm sure you have some ideas, sir," she whispered saucily.
"Oh, Samantha Carter, I love you," he said, capturing her lips again.
July 22th, 2005
Underground Sanctuary
"Mission accomplished, ma'am," Ashley grinned, making a perfect military salutation before she plopped herself on the chair in front of her mom's desk.
"By mission accomplished, you mean?" Helen asked, curious about what had transpired on that topside mountain. Ashley chuckled.
"I found them so into each other they didn't even notice I was there. Can you believe they didn't notice they weren't topside anymore when I left?" Ash giggled.
"Let's hope her latest experience with a man doesn't scare her away from him," Helen said.
"Oh, based on what I saw, the lady isn't scared at all."
"Good," Helen smiled.
"Yeah, they both deserve it," Ashley agreed. "So, what's the plan now?"
"We try to organize a wedding she doesn't know is coming, and the General has to make her accept his proposal," Helen said. There was a knock on her door before Jacob's head popped inside. "Come on in, Jacob. We were just talking about the new couple around."
"So, he didn't screw it up?" Jacob asked with hopeful eyes.
"Nope, or at least, not the part where he kisses her senseless," Ashley said with a theatrically romantic sigh. Jacob covered his ears quickly.
"That's my daughter you are talking about!" he said with a half-disgusted face. "I don't want to know what Jack does with my baby girl in their free time," Jacob finished, embracing himself. Both Magnus women shared a look before they laughed at him.
"I've recruited Jacob to help us plan the wedding, Ashley. I have some ideas of what she wants from my conversations with her during her previous attempt to get married," Helen said with a scrunched up nose.
"You know, I can't believe it happened around this time of the year," Jacob said, and Helen grinned knowingly.
"Why? What's so special about it?"
"They met for the first time on July 27th, 1997," Jacob answered.
"And that's exactly why the wedding is supposed to happen then," Helen explained.
"You knew?" Jacob frowned.
"Well, when the General told me the date he wanted to get married, I was curious. I learned then that they recalled him to active duty on July 26th, 1997. They reassigned Samantha to the SGC on the morning of the 27th. I also know that the first meeting didn't take place until midday," she finished.
"I'll be damned! General O'Neill ended up being all fluff inside," Ashley shook her head, amused.
"That's why he relates with your mother so well," Will said from the couch where he was sitting. "They are both all fluff inside."
"If you are quite done mocking my fluffiness," Helen said, shaking her head. "We have little time left. We should finish our planning."
July 22th, 2005
Helen's cabin. Hollow Earth.
Sometime after testing the wall, and some furniture that got in their way, they had reached the bedroom. Like the last time they were there, the place was perfectly kept -or it was before they entered it and abused it.
Sam stretched on the bed, immediately feeling the way Jack's hand curled possessively around her back. She sighed and looked up. She moved from being on top of him to search for her watch or something that would tell her how long it was since their new relationship had started. Then she noticed it. There was an envelope between the lamp and the clock.
She moved to pick it up, laying across Jack's stomach and forcing a huff out of him.
"Whatcha doin', Carter?" he wheezed. Sam grinned.
"Aha!" she said as she picked up the envelope between two fingers and brought it to her.
"What's that?" Jack asked as he saw something off-white passing close to his nose. She sat and helped him to get comfortable against the headrest. She gave him the envelope then, and he frowned in confusion as he looked at it.
"I think it's from my mom," Sam said, pointing to the curvy lettering that she had seen several times.
"It's for us," Jack said, after reading the 'Samantha & Jack' on the envelope.
"Duh," Sam rolled her eyes. "Open it!" She grinned.
"Why don't you?"
"I thought you'd know what it was about?" she offered.
"I don't have the slightest idea," he said, opening the envelope and taking the letter out. "Samantha & Jack, I hope you have enjoyed yourselves here. This place holds a lot of memories for me, all of them happy, and thus, I'm offering it to you both. Consider it a home away from home, if you want it. Enjoy it, Magnus. PS: All furniture is brand new ;)" Jack lowered the letter and turned around, confused. "Is it just me, or did she just gift us this house?"
"I think she did," Sam laughed. "Nice to know we not only got a house, but we christened it too," she said, wriggling her eyebrows playfully.
"This is not exactly what I had planned, you know?" Jack whispered, embracing her shoulders and bringing her close to him.
"Really? So this 'just happened'?" Sam asked, amused.
"What can I say? You are quite addictive, Miss. Carter. All those years of you torturing me with being my 2IC and so damn untouchable added up." She kissed him then, and when they parted for air, she pecked his lips. "See, addictive," he grinned.
"You are not so bad yourself, Mr. O'Neill," she said. "But, before you touch me again, we both could use a shower and some food. I'm positively starving."
"You know," Sam started almost an hour later when they were having some post-midnight snack they couldn't possibly call dinner because of the time. "If I recall correctly, you mentioned having to bring work home?" Jack was about to take a bite of his omelet when he froze, his fork halfway to his mouth. He looked at her with bright eyes and a crooked smile that melt her. "What? Do I have something on my face?" Sam wondered.
"No," Jack shook his head. "You just called this home."
"Are you getting all sappy on me, General?" Sam joked, but her eyes betrayed her words. Jack saw the happy tears in her eyes, even if they never got out.
"Never," he added earnestly. "Now, to answer your question, I completed everything urgent and left everything that could wait in a nice pile."
"Until Monday?" Sam shook her head. Jack leaned forward and waited for her to do the same.
"Until the next SGC CO," Jack whispered, and Sam chuckled. "I'll only be there on Monday to let you go. You know? I couldn't miss the end of an era."
"I'm not sure I want to face Daniel, Teal'c, and Janet after that happens," Sam confessed.
"They will understand, Sam. They know how our lives are supposed to be. They knew all along about this thing between us and were supportive of it, even when we weren't."
"What about us, Jack? What do we do now that we tasted the forbidden fruit?" She questioned.
"We make it work, Sam," he stated.
"I haven't said this to you because I'm scared of what it means for us," she said, inhaling deeply. "Jack, I… I love you more than words could ever express."
"Then, it's a good thing we never really needed words to speak to each other, right?"
"Indeed."
"I want to kiss you so badly, Sam. But I need you to eat first. Otherwise, your mother will kill me for starving you," Jack grinned, searching for her hand and entwining their fingers. Sam scrunched up her nose.
"Yeah, and as anticlimactic as it might be, I'm famished," Sam grinned. Jack used his other hand to grab a bite.
"I guess I might be old, but I still can work out an appetite," he wriggled his eyebrows.
"You aren't that old," she rolled her eyes at him. "Speaking of old people, you think we should check-in with my mom at some point?" Jack cringed.
"Yeah, we should. I was supposed to let the Doc know where in the world you want to go during this week so she can work her magic," Jack confessed as he waved the finger of his free hand when he said magic.
"Her 'magic' is longevity, not some kind of woo thing," Sam rolled her eyes. "Maybe mine too."
"I for once won't mind having you looking exactly like a few moments ago," he added, making her blush. "Anyway, that won't answer her question. Where do you want to go?" he asked. Sam grinned, she leaned forward, and with a mischievous smile she said, "back to bed to know what else this USAF General can do."
"Samantha Carter!" Jack said as he spluttered his drink. "I never thought you were this outspoken!"
"I'll blame it on the short time we have," she shrugged as she took her last bite, and then she stood up and straddled him. "Maybe I can show you what an abnormal woman can offer," she grinned before his fork clanked loudly against the plate, and her lips collided with his once more.
July 23rd, 2005
Cheyenne Mountain Complex.
"Daniel Jackson," he answered his phone, utterly surprised it was ringing at all.
"Uncle Daniel?" It was Cassie's voice. "Do you know anything about Uncle Jack or Auntie Sam?" She asked a worried tone in her voice.
"Not since Sam came to say goodbye last night. I saw Jack yesterday, noon-ish," he provided.
"Huh, that's weird," Cassie said.
"What is?"
"I tried calling Aunt Sam, but she didn't pick up her phone. I tried Uncle Jack's. He is also not picking it up," she trailed off.
"You think?" they both asked at once, and then they both realized how stupid it sounded.
"Sam's probably at the Sanctuary," Daniel said.
"Jack most likely muted his phone to avoid calls from the base," Cassie justified.
"Yeah, that sounds like them," Daniel agreed.
"I know, right?" Cassie said before she started questioning Daniel about him and her mom.
July 23rd, 2005
Underground Sanctuary
When Helen raised her eyes from the document she was reading, she felt a bit anxious. Her office was overcrowded, to say the least.
Ashley and Kate were sitting in a loveseat going through centerpieces and flowers, and Helen couldn't suppress an amused smile as to who Jacob had confided in to pick those. They only had to get some options sorted so she could choose, but still, it was a funny image. The girls were frowning at the names of the flowers before googling them to see what they stood for, before either crossing them off or leaving them on the list.
Jacob was on his ninth call of the day, trying to get guests sorted without telling them what exactly they were coming to see, or why this thing was happening in an undisclosed location on Wednesday.
Will was ordering clothes and meals from a list of providers she had gone through at the dawning of the day. Henry, God bless him, was getting the security ready for the event.
Nikola was doing his best not to complain as he went through venues and their limited wine, spirits, and "that God-awful-extra-sugary-beverage-you-like-to-call-soda" supplies, all the while muttering under his breath that it would be easier if they had just gotten a wedding planner from topside.
Helen was stuck dealing with a Sanctuary crisis that couldn't have come in at a better time.
Ashley looked up then, feeling the eyes of her mother on her.
"You think he proposed yet?" Ashley asked.
"Well, with what I know of their history, the situation you witnessed, and what I would do in their place," she grinned mischievously. "I'm sure they didn't get to the proposal part yet." From his corner, Jacob whimpered.
"Hey, that's my virgin and naïve daughter you are speaking of there," he said. "I'd rather keep her image just like that." Helen laughed at him.
"That's one reason I didn't want to get married way back when marriage was a duty," Helen muttered.
"What was?" Will asked, intrigued.
"The fact that after the honeymoon, everyone would know you had sex," Helen grinned, receiving two pleading looks from the fathers of her daughter. "Not that having a child wasn't proof enough," she finished with an amused shrug.
"I'm going to keep pretending you don't even know what that word is, mom," Ashley grimaced.
"Yeah, Doc!" Kate shouted, her eyes crossing paths with Will's and Nikola's, and her mind provided her with images she didn't want to have. "God, I'll need some bleach for my brain. Just so you know, Doc, I'm not glancing up until this conversation is over and forgotten," she added, looking down to the paper on her hands and stubbornly remaining with her eyes cast down.
"Ack! Can we please change the subject!" Nikola complained, sharing a mortified look with Jacob Carter. Helen gave them an amused smile. "Smile all you want, Helen. You know far well I'm not a prude, but there are some images I don't want in my head. So, I'm blaming whatever mental illness I get after this on you."
Her phone rang then, and Helen focused once again on solving the issues at hand, while everyone else went back to their tasks.
July 23rd, 2005
Helen's Underground cabin.
Sanctuary City.
"Try to touch me again, Jack O'Neill, and I will have to kill you," Sam warned with a bright sated smile on her face as she snuggled close to Jack's warm body.
"I thought you liked it," he chuckled, and Sam sighed as she felt his chest rumbling against her back.
They both figured out they enjoyed spooning together, and it wasn't because of mind-stamps or anything else but them. Sam also figured Jack was good at spooning when he found, with not much of a thought, a way to place his arm under her neck and still get space to keep his blood flowing.
"Ugh, yeah, a bit too much. But I'm overloaded now," Sam confessed as she grabbed Jack's hand tangling their fingers together. She brought it close to her heart.
Jack chuckled at her predicament and knowingly placed a kiss on the crook of her neck. One that immediately sent a shiver through her very alive nerve endings. She gasped for air, and Jack took it as a sign to continue with his exploration.
His free hand that was resting on her thigh, crept up, raising a line of fire as his roughened hand softly moved. Sam took a deep breath and shuddered. The very tips of his finger grazed almost ghostly the side of her breast, and she let out a soft moan he knew was orgasmic.
"Really?" Jack chuckled, his breath tickling her ear.
"Ugh, do not mock me," she whispered, taking deep breaths. "I told you I'm overloaded." He outright laughed at her.
"Hey, it is not fair!" Sam smiled with her eyes closed. She was still trying to come down from her high and very much enjoying every second she spent with him. "You'll see when it's your turn," she warned.
"I can't wait," Jack said with a husky tone so low and passionate that it had her moaning.
"How can you be so… energetic?" Sam asked, turning around in his arms. "Weren't you oh-so-old?" Jack shook his head, amused at the use of his lame excuse.
"Years of pent up energy?" He offered, and she chuckled.
"Well, put it back in Jack! I can't take anymore," she giggled. "I need to sleep. You need to sleep," she said again.
But when his hands caressed her back, she didn't even stop to think about how overwhelmed and overloaded she was from finally being able to do everything she wanted to do and then some with the man she loved. So, she kissed him, and as they got lost on each other again, she flipped them with a smirk.
"Now, it's your turn."