Sam awoke to an empty bed. As the memory of the night's events returned she threw back the duvet and all but dived out of bed and down the hall into the kitchen. Jack O'Neill stood with his back to her preparing a ridiculously large breakfast. Silently she snuck up behind him, wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed his neck. Surprised by the unexpected attack Jack spun around and grabbed her wrists before realising what he'd done. Sam gasped at his strong grip and then laughed as an embarrassing blush flooded his features. Jack smiled sheepishly.
"I, uh, guess I'm gonna have to get used to this. It's … been a while." He said before leaning down and planting a tender kiss on her lips. Sam, however, had other ideas. Her arms snaked around his neck and pulled him closer to her before devouring his lips.
"Guys! Please, at least not before I've had my coffee!" came a rather sleepy voice from the doorway.
Oh if looks could kill….
"Daniel? Do you mind?" Jack retorted but Sam at least had the decency to look embarrassed.
"Morning, Daniel!" She stepped away from Jack and retrieved four mugs from the cupboard. "Coffee?"
Daniel mumbled in response and took a seat at the table.
"Jack? Teal'c and I were saying last night that we wouldn't mind going into town tonight to see that rodeo show that we saw on the way up here."
Jack smiled.
"That sounds like a great idea, Daniel! Actually I suggested to Sam last night that we should go into town. 1900 sound good?"
"Sure, whatever time suits you guys." Daniel glanced around. "Where is Teal'c?"
Jack looked at Sam, who was just as clueless as he was, and shrugged.
"Maybe he's-" BANG! "… gone for a stroll."
The three remaining members of SG-1 just glanced at each other before-
Oh, crap!
"TEAL'C!"
………………………………………………………………………
SG-1 practically sprinted out of the back door of Jack's cabin just in time to see Teal'c holding up a dead bird. From the looks of it Jack would say it was a loon.
Jack stared in disbelief.
"Teal'c, buddy, put the duck down and step away!"
"Teal'c, what the hell did you do?"
Teal'c looked confused.
"I was merely attempting to 'fish', Daniel. O'Neill's method seemed most inefficient and so I assumed that an explosive inserted into the water would be more efficient." He stared at the loon. "Obviously the explosion was more effective than I expected."
Jack sighed in relief and walked towards him.
"Ah, Teal'c, I think you missed the point of fishing, buddy. Listen, why don't you leave the loon and come and get some breakfast."
"As you wish, O'Neill. I am in need of nourishment." And with that he bowed his head slightly and went inside the cabin leaving the remaining members of SG-1 standing dumbfounded on the lawn. Jack was the first to speak.
"So, crispy duck, anyone?"
……………………………………………………………………
"So, what's the plan, guys?" Jack asked as his truck pulled into the car park.
"Well, Teal'c and I thought we'd go to the rodeo and then to the bar next door. You guys …?"
"We're going for dinner at my buddy's restaurant. Got reservations for 1930."
"No problem, we'll just meet up later." Daniel smiled. "Have fun!"
"Thanks, Daniel. You too!" Sam replied as Daniel and Teal'c headed for the rodeo.
Once they were out of sight, Jack offered his arm to Sam and nodded towards the restaurant.
"Miss Carter? Would you do me the honour of joining me for dinner?" Jack said in his best Cary Grant impression.
Sam smiled and took his arm.
"Lead the way, Sir!"
……………………………………………………………………..
Sam looked up from the menu to take a glance around the restaurant. Who would've thought that a small town in rural Minnesota would have had a 4 restaurant to its name? Jack noticed her attention had fallen off the menu and gave her a questioning glance.
"I was just wondering how you found a place like this in a town so small?" Sam inquired.
"Ah, it belongs to a friend of mine." He replied. As if on cue a man in a business suit approached the table.
"Jack O'Neill! My, my, it's been too long! How've you been?"
Jack chuckled.
"Good thanks. Yourself?"
"Oh, just great! I don't believe I've met this enchanting lady before…"
"Oooh! I, urm, wouldn't let her hear you call her that outside of this restaurant!" Jack said lightly, "Patrick O'Neill, meet Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter!"
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ma'am." Patrick enthused as he kissed Carter's hand.
"Uh, likewise!" Sam said, feeling a little flustered by his attention. "O'Neill, huh?"
"Patrick here is a… distant cousin of mine." Jack explained.
"Ah!" Sam mouthed and quickly nodded her head.
"Anyways, enough of the chit chat! Can I take your order?" Patrick asked.
Once they'd ordered, Sam smiled at Jack and he grinned in return.
"So, Sam, ah… what do you do for a living?" As soon as the words had left his mouth Sam burst out laughing, causing Jack to grin even more. From that moment Jack O'Neill made it his mission in life to make Sam Carter laugh like that at least once a day.
………………………………………………………………….
Once their meal was finished, they exited the restaurant and went out into the cold. Sam shivered involuntarily and Jack wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
"Come on, I've got something to show you!" He exclaimed as he lead her into what looked like a converted barn. The doors opened and all became clear. The inside was decorated like a saloon bar but there was a large space in the middle for a dance floor and the area around it was covered with tables. On the stage in front there was a live band underneath a banner with the words 'Harry and the Hillbillies' on it.
"Excuse me for a second!" Jack said before bouncing off towards the bar and having a few words with the bartender.
From where she was Sam couldn't quite make out their conversation but after a few moments the barman nodded and disappeared into the back room. Jack returned to stand next to Sam and proposed that they sit down at one of the tables. He didn't, however, pull her chair out for her which pleasantly surprised her. Whenever she'd been on a date with Pete, he'd always insisted on pulling out her chair for her and taking her coat and generally treating her like some kind of fragile Stepford wife. Nice as that maybe be every now and then, it wasn't Sam Carter's style. Sam shrugged off the memory as Jack brought their drinks to the table. He was also carrying two roses in his hand; one red and one white. He almost coyly held them out to her.
"They're, um, -"
"Symbolic of us, I know."
"Actually I was going to say 'they smell nice' but hey, whatever!" Jack said with a smirk. "Know a lot about roses, huh?"
"Not really. Just that red + white unity. Or something."
"I like the sound of that!" Jack announced before standing and holding his hand out to her. "Care to dance?"
"Yasureyabetcha!" Sam exclaimed and stood up as she and Jack headed for the dance floor.
The band began to play a slow song and Jack carefully wrapped his arms around Sam's waist as she placed her arms around his neck and rested her head in the crook of his neck. For several songs they just swayed lightly to the music, neither one wanting to let go of the other. Finally Sam pulled away from him so that she could look him in the eye.
"Pinch me." She whispered.
Jack did a double take. Of all the things he expected to come out of her mouth that was not one of them!
"Excuse me?"
Sam smiled lazily.
"I just want to check… that this is real. No … alternate realities, no clones, no evil twins."
Jack chuckled.
"Last time I checked I was me and neither of us is wearing leather so, nope, no evil twins!"
Sam suddenly got a strong urge to kiss him so she did. After several minutes Sam broke the kiss, her lungs working overtime to pay back the oxygen debt. Jack looked like he'd been hit by a train.
"Wow! Where did that come from?"
"Let's just say that leather… does more for you than it ever did for the cow!"
The corners of Jack's mouth turned upwards at that.
"Right back atcha, Carter!"
……………………………………………………………..
"I've been thinking. About the wedding." Jack glanced up from his drink.
"And? Don't say it… you want us to elope to 'Vegas, right?"
Sam straightened up.
"Well, actually…"
Jack stared in shock and shook his head.
"You can't possibly be serious?"
"Well, think about it, it makes sense! I mean, I've got to report to Nellis in three days and it's only a few hours drive from Las Vegas. Plus, you don't have to wait weeks for a marriage licence and there are plenty of venues to choose from."
"Next you're going to be telling me that you want Elvis to marry us!" Jack joked and then turned serious. "I thought you'd want a white wedding, you know, the whole enchilada."
"Well, I do, eventually, but we don't exactly have time to plan it, do we? Besides, as long as we're married I don't particularly mind where just as long as it's soon."
Jack smiled.
"You want 'Vegas? Alright, we'll go to 'Vegas… under one condition."
"What's that?"
Jack rolled his eyes.
"We have a HUGE chocolate wedding cake!"
Sam laughed at the delighted kid-in-a-candy-store look on Jack's face.
"Deal." She pulled him out of his seat. "It's getting pretty late. Teal'c and Daniel will be wondering where we are. Let's go find them and head home," Sam turned around with a twinkle in her eye, "I don't believe I've finished my dessert yet."
"But you had that massive…" Realisation dawned upon him and he promptly shut up. "Yes, Ma'am!"
…………………………………………………………………..
Where to next? Vegas, of course! That is if you want me to. You know what to do, just hit that little purple button!