A/N: The beginning of the end. Or, what I like to call 'Grand Entrance of big, round, ring thingy made out of a metal no one can name'!
"Captain O'Neill," General West said politely, nodding once. "Thank you for joining us. This is Dr. Langford. She will be working with you on this project."
Sam smiled politely and nodded in greeting to the older woman. "Doctor."
"Captain. I've heard a lot about you," the grandmotherly woman said with a smile.
"All good I hope."
"Of course."
General West took control of the briefing again, "Dr. Langford's father found a device in the late 1920's that you two will be studying." He handed Sam a file, "Here's the facts. What the Joint Chiefs want to know is what this thing does."
Sam nodded, "I'll do what I can, sir. Thank you for this opportunity."
"Dismissed," General West said, getting up from his chair and leaving the two women to start on their project.
Dr. Langford smiled again at the younger woman, "You can call me Catherine. My father was always Dr. Langford to me."
"I'm Sam. To tell the truth, whenever I hear 'Captain O'Neill' I feel like I should be looking around for my husband."
"Let's get started then," Catherine said.
Jack knocked on the door to the lab his wife was working in. Sticking his head in he found his wife and an older woman studying some blue prints like they held the key to life on Earth. "Hello?" he said lightly as he walked in, "Is this a bad time to steal my wife away for lunch?"
Sam grinned at her husband, "What are you doing here? Why aren't you at Anderson?"
Jack shrugged as he kissed her cheek lightly, very aware of the older woman watching them closely, "I got the afternoon off and decided to kidnap you for lunch before taking Charlie and Maggie to the zoo."
His wife glared at him, "You're going to take Charlie out of school? When he has a test today after lunch?"
Jack looked at his wife innocently, "He's doing it now. I called his teacher and asked her if she could arrange it so I can get him after lunch."
Sam scowled at her husband, "How long have you been planning this?"
He pretended to think for a moment, "A couple hours. So, lunch?"
Sam rolled her eyes at her husband, "Do you only ever think about your stomach?"
"Is that a trick question?"
Sam glared again, "First you have to say hello to my new researching partner, Dr. Catherine Langford. Catherine, this is my rather rude husband, Colonel Jack O'Neill."
Catherine smiled warmly at the younger man as he stuck out his hand, "Hello, Colonel."
"Doctor, please, call me Jack. My wife is obviously very fond of you and I tend to trust her judgment on these things."
"You can call me Catherine, then, Jack. I hope we can become friends."
Sam smiled at her new friend, "You should get some lunch, too, Catherine. You've waited this long to see what this thing can do – a few more hours won't hurt."
Catherine smiled wistfully, remembering her own true love that had died years before. Ernest had died in an accident somehow related to this device … well, if she could wait forty-five years for some answers; forty-five minutes more weren't going to do any harm. "I will, Sam. I just want to check on one last thing first."
"Don't work through lunch, Catherine, it's not healthy," Sam warned good-naturedly. Little did the older woman know how many times Sam was tempted to do just that when faced with a puzzle to solve.
"I won't, Sam. Don't worry."
Jack grinned at his wife as they walked down the hall of the Pentagon, "You know that you're a hypocrite, right?"
Sam glanced at him before squeezing his hand tightly once and letting go, "Like you're not, Mr. Do-As-I-Say-Not-As-I-Do?"
"Hey! That's not the same."
"Yes it is."
"Is not!"
"Is."
"Not."
"Is."
"Not."
"Is."
"Not."
"Is, too. And if you keep this up you're so sleeping on the couch for the rest of the week, mister!" Sam sent a playful glare at her husband.
"But it's only Monday!" Jack said, horrified by the punishment he knew very well she would inflict on his poor soul if he tried to fight his way out of this one.
Sam grinned, "All the more reason to let me win."
"You're an evil woman."
"Yes, and you're an ass. But I think I'll keep you." Jack mock glared at his wife as they passed a supply closet both knew was hardly in use.
"Hey, Sam?"
"Hmm?" the woman asked, glancing at her husband of nearly ten years.
"C'mere." Without another word he pulled her into the supply closet and locked the door behind him.
"What are you doing, Jack?" Sam asked, half of her thinking that this was his best idea since he proposed, the other half knowing that it was a very bad idea and anyone could walk in at any time.
His mouth descended upon her prone neck as his fingers made quick work of her regulation top. "Seducing you," he whispered seductively.
Sam moaned, "Oh, good. Just making sure we're on the same page here."
A/N: Sooo? I decided to get back to the Sam/Jack fluff most of you are reading this for.