'Sam'
The use of her first name sent a tingle down her spine, it was rare for him to call her anything but her rank or her surname.
'You have everything you could want now, your big brain is overthinking this... don't you think?' He smiled, attempting humour to mask his sadness.
'That's the problem sir, it's not everything' she replied, her eyes lowered.
Jack moved around her desk, closing the space between them with a few short steps. Sam was still seated her eyeline hit Jacks middle lapel with the newly planted Generals Star shining at her in the dim whirring light of her lab.
Jack didn't answer immediately, he'd considered for many years the possibility of having a life with Sam. He spoke softly 'What is it you want Sam?' He moved his right hand towards hers, grazing her fingers with his, barely a touch.
Before she could answer he dug around in his pocket and pulled out a small black egg shaped device that looked of Asgard origin.
Jack grinned at Sam's questioning gaze.
'A little personal gift from, Thor' Jack stated, looking pleased with himself. 'He said that one day we would probably need it'
'We?' Sam asked.
Jack smiled, he gripped Sam's hand tightly, pulled her to her feet and activated the device. It was a transporter beam, taking them from the depths of the SGC in a flash of Asgard light and depositing them in a place that looked oddly familiar.
Sam looked around, trying to get her bearings. It was dark. Of course, they were still on Earth but somewhere surrounded by trees. She could see the gentle swaying against bright moonlight that shone through the windows. They were at Jack's cabin.
'Sir, i think someone might notice that we've beamed out of the SGC'
'Don't worry Carter, i told Walter that i was expecting Thor to drop by - i'll check back in by 7am so they know not to go on alert'
Of course, Sam glanced back down at her watch - it was just past 00:40am, barely ten minutes had passed since they started talking about the ring.
'What are we doing here, sir?' Sam asked
'I thought maybe we needed an opportunity to talk, alone' He replied, releasing her hand. 'Beer?'
'Yes, please Sir'
'Let's drop the Sir shall we?' He flicked on the lights and walked towards the small kitchen to retrieve two beers.
Sam nodded, taking in her surroundings, the moonlight was pooling through the windows so she walked towards the decked terrace - feeling a slight chill in the air she pulled a blanket from a nearby chair and wrapped it around her shoulders before taking a seat.
Jack joined her, passing the cold beer and sitting down.
Sam was looking up at the moon, it was a full moon and it's light bathed the landscape, framing the trees in their view. Jack watched her silently, taking the opportunity to observe her relaxed and beautiful, with no distractions and for this moment no need to save the world.
This was about to be the most important conversation that they would ever have.
