"So where are we?" Jack asked Sam as they pulled up to her house.

"This is my place. I need a few things before we head to your house Sir." She told him as she opened her front door. She'd driven his truck figuring it was unlikely he could have folded himself into her tiny Volvo easily even without his leg in a cast.

"Nice house." He said politely, looking around to see if he could remember anything about being here. She'd told him her name was Sam, but somehow it felt wrong on his tongue like there was something else he always called her. Something somehow more personal, intimate. "Hey, is that important?" He said, waving at the blinking light on her answering machine.

"Oh, no. I already know who it is. Nothing urgent." She said dismissively. Pete had left her a few messages on her cell too and she'd finally texted him that she was still hip deep in a work related issue and didn't have time to talk to him yet. He had not taken it well and she'd ignored him after the third demanding text that she call him.

Jack looked suspiciously at her but shrugged then went to wander the house and eventually found himself looking at the photos on her mantle while she got a bug-out bag loaded. He knew some of the people. He recognized Daniel and Teal'c though he still struggled to put names to their faces in spite of them assuring him they were his best friends. There was a woman with brown hair that looked familiar in a photo with Sam but he couldn't think of her name either or the girl behind them. Another was of himself with an older man, shorter than him, both of them in dress blues. They were smiling as though they shared a private joke with whoever was taking the photo. "Dad?" he said softly.

"My dad. but yah, you usually call him dad too." She told him coming around his shoulder. "That one is my brother Mark, you met him once when he was visiting dad and me. You barbequed him some hot dogs."

"I did?"

Sam nodded and squeezed his arm. "It will come back to you eventually sir."

Jack huffed out a sigh. "What if it doesn't?"

"You just recognized my dad. It will come back." She said with conviction. "Ready?"

"Sure." He gave her blinking answering machine a curious look then followed her out.

"Sir, I'm going to have to go to the grocery store. You don't have anything to eat in the house." She told him after cleaning up his science experiments in his fridge.

"Can't we just order take out?" he asked her with a frown.

"I suppose one night of Chinese food won't kill you. I'll cook dinner tomorrow." She grabbed the menu off his fridge and started dialing the number.

"You know what Chinese food I like?" he asked her mystified.

"Of course sir." She told him smiling and started speaking to the employee that answered the phone.

He looked at her as though he was tying to understand something. Jack shook his head and turned to the coffee maker to start a pot.

"They should be here in about half an hour or so." She told him as he finished making the coffee.

"Good. So why do you know what my taste in take out is?"

"Same reason Teal'c and Daniel also know sir. We used to all be on the same team."

"We aren't now though."

"No sir."

Jack sighed. "Why aren't you calling me 'Jack'?"

"Um, habit?"

"Not at home it wasn't." he told her, not knowing how he knew that.

Sam ducked her head in guilt. "No, you're right." She admitted.

"So, why are you acting… formal?" he said with a frustrated swat at the air with his hand.

"I, well I guess it's because you don't remember who either of us are or our working relationship and I don't want to give you the wrong impression?"

Jack had been slowly inching closer to her during the conversation until he was close enough to lean in if he wanted to. "I don't think I have the wrong impression Sam." He told her looking at her lips then back up to her eyes.

Sam swallowed nervously and turned away a little. "I think you might sir." She whispered.

"I think what I'm feeling is very mutual Sam." He said as his hand rose and stroked her cheek.

"It doesn't matter. You made it clear this isn't what you want and when you get your memory back you are going to remember why."

"What if I don't want to remember why." He told her looking into her eyes intently. "What if this feels right and I was stupid before."

She shook her head and moved away a little. "You made me move on sir." She told him sadly.

"You're seeing someone." He deduced.

Sam nodded her head a couple times and she wouldn't look at him.

Jack sighed. "So I'm an idiot."

Her head snapped up and she looked at him. "No. Sir, you were trying to protect me. It could be years until…"

"Until what Sam?"

Sam shook her head and looked away. "It doesn't matter sir. You made it clear you didn't want to be with me." She turned away and looked down at the counter but her hand that had been flat was now curled into a fist.

"I think I made a mistake, Sam." He told her firmly.

The doorbell rang and Sam headed for the front door. "That's probably dinner sir." She said, sounding relieved. This was going to be a long night if he kept wearing down her hard earned defenses this way.

Sam opened the door to reveal Pete standing there looking annoyed. "Pete?" she asked, somewhat flabbergasted.

"I called your work, they put me through to someone named Daniel who said you had come here. What's going on Sam? Whose house is this?"

"Hey Sam, after you get the food, could you help me with this coffee cup? I can get it poured but I can't seem to get it back to the table without sloshing it on everything including myself." Jack told her as he came around the corner with a coffee stain on his sweatshirt and looking embarrassed by his failure. "Oh. You aren't the delivery guy." Jack said not knowing why he knew this wasn't his usual take out delivery guy for Chinese food.

"No sir, this is my boyfriend Pete. I'll help you with the coffee in a moment, why don't you go sit down?"

"Why are you in your sweats at your boss's house on a Saturday night when we had a date?" Pete demanded.

"Because he's got a head injury and can't be left alone until he's medically cleared and I canceled our date three days ago." Sam said, with a frown.

"And that's your job because why?" Pete demanded.

"Because he's my friend Pete, and I told you I was busy with work stuff. It shouldn't matter what that stuff is."

Pete looked Jack up and down, taking in his leg cast and crutch as he hobbled away down the hall. "He looks fine to me."

"Pete, he needs someone here until he can take care of himself. I drew the first straw. Daniel will take over in a couple days." She didn't tell him that she'd taken the initial round because at first he'd become violent with everyone but herself. He'd recognized her voice.

"And I'm just supposed to go along with this?"

"Yes Pete, because this is the job. It's my fault he's injured so I take first watch." She said but her voice wavered a little admitting her guilt.

"You guys have medical staff." Pete told her.

"Who are not equipped to handle a bored man who can't physically do his job but who otherwise doesn't need to be in the infirmary." She hissed at him. "Haven't any of your people been injured badly enough that your squad needed to help them out or do you guys only get injured while you are married to someone?"

"That's not fair Sam." He hissed back.

"He needs me right now Pete. Go home." She ordered him.

"Fine but this isn't the end of this."

"Yes it is Pete, because I'm not negotiating his wellbeing just because it inconveniences you."

"I'll be in town until Monday night, then I have to get back to Denver. If you need me, you know where I'll be."

"I know Pete, and for what it's worth, I'm sorry. This wasn't something I could have planned for."

"A heads up would have been helpful Sam." He told her as he walked away to his car.

Sam sighed heavily and slumped as she shut the door only to jump in surprise that Jack had come up behind her.

"That's your boyfriend Carter? I think you can do better." Jack told her firmly and swung around to stump off to the couch.

She looked at him eyes wide. "You remembered." She said, surprised.

"Remembered what?"

"That you call me Carter."

"I do?"

"Yes sir. Almost all the time."

"Huh." He said noncommittally.

"You were exasperated and it just came out." She said excitedly.

Jack glared at her though. "I should be. Why are you dating that guy?" he demanded. "Even if I did push you away, why that guy?"

"He's not usually like that sir." She told him softly.

"No?" He'd turned and stumped back to her "You can do a lot better Sam. You don't need to settle just because things didn't work out for us."

"I'm not settling. My brother set us up. He's nice. Usually." She hedged.

"He drinks Cold Duck from a box." Jack told her in disgust.

"How did you-?"

"I was bored waiting for you to load your bag." Jack admitted. "There's a bottle of perfectly good Chablis in your fridge that hasn't even been opened."

"I know. You gave it to me." She admitted.

The doorbell rang again and this time it was the delivery kid. "Hey Sir. Got your usual. Good to see you again Sam." The skinny kid told her grinning.

"Thanks Yao." She said smiling. "Have a nice night."

"You too ma'am."

"Our usual Carter?" He drawled at her which made Sam blush a little. "So us ordering Chinese in isn't something we rarely do." He had her trapped by the door, unable to get around him and his crutch with the food in her arms. "We have dinner together enough that the delivery kid knows your name and expects to see you."

"Sir, we've been friends a very long time." She tried to hedge.

Jack leaned in. "I may not have my memory back Sam, but I have some very vivid memories of the taste of your skin. How silky you are inside." He told her, his face inches from hers. "I don't think I'd be getting memories back that I didn't already have."

Sam let out a shuddering breath. "Carolyn told me not to lead any of your recollections but we really need to talk about this because…" She swallowed. "Jack, we need to sit, and, I'll tell you." She looked into his eyes, her blue eyes pleading with him.

"All right." He told her backing off. "Don't forget my coffee."