So, here we are! Number 5 of 5.
Thank you for all of the lovely comments, I've really appreciated each and every one. It's so lovely to read your thoughts.
This one is actually very low on angst... I hope that you enjoy it.
Heads up, the rating has changed to mature.
The party is just about finishing, Jack watches as the last few people either head towards the exit or towards the lift to their rooms. Hammond had been kind enough to commission a fancy party to celebrate his move to Washington. He would have been happy with everyone at his house for a barbeque and beer but Hammond had assured him that he deserved more. The hotel was lavish, the ballroom was elegant and big enough to fit everyone in that wanted to come, his backyard certainly wouldn't have worked.
He'd spent a fair amount of time this evening thinking about just how many people had turned up, sure, he had expected SG1, Walter, a few of the staff he'd spent time with since becoming CO of the base but almost every team had shown up, all personnel – apart from those still on duty. He was touched. It made the thought of leaving them all that little bit harder.
He'd tried to keep his speech light, funny and short but he couldn't leave without thanking them for everything that they had done and continue to do on a daily basis. He couldn't speak to them all without mentioning those how had fallen in battle. He couldn't leave without the people of the SGC knowing just how much he would miss them. His voice had cracked, he'd recovered quickly and he knew most people would have missed it. He couldn't help feeling an intense sadness as he addressed them for the last time.
As the night went on he'd started feeling more apprehensive about his big move. He didn't want to SGC behind, or SG1, he wasn't ready to fully give them up. He understood why he had to go, he did, but he wasn't ready.
The people of the SCG had been his entire life for such a long time, they had kept him sane, they'd kept him alive, he didn't want to say goodbye. He thinks for a moment of the man he was when he'd returned to the SGC after their mission to Abydos, he was a shell of his current self. The SCG and the Stargate programme allowed him to find his feet again, to feel again. It had given him three of the greatest friends he could ever have hoped to find and it had given him hope.
He's barely seen his team all night, he wanted nothing more than to find them and share a drink or two. He'd seen all three of them throughout the evening, several times he'd made a beeline for some of them but had been caught by someone wishing to say goodbye.
"Sir, another?" The bartender asks, pointing to Jack's empty glass.
"Why not?" He tilts his glass, welcoming the whiskey. He'd been on beer all night, but a whiskey or two wouldn't hurt. He takes his time to drink it before thanking the man and heading towards the lift.
The members of SG1 had been insistent about staying in the hotel and spending the morning together before he has to fly off so he'd agreed. He'd stupidly agreed to share a room with Daniel, who, as always left his booking to the last minute, so last minute that there were no rooms left. He'd stupidly told Daniel that the room he had booked had two double beds and just like that he had a roommate. At the time he'd complained but now, as he enters the lift he's glad.
He's glad that he gets to spend a few more hours with the younger man, with his friend. Daniel has always been a great source of comfort to him, comfort and irritation, but mostly comfort. He had dealt with heartache in a way that Jack never could, facing it head on and building a life around it. He'd fought passionately for everything that he believed in. Jack, in his last private conversation thanked him, Daniel had asked what for, and Jack had simply smiled, he knew what for, for saving his life all those years ago. Seconds later Jack had left him. He'll miss listening to Daniel's ridiculously long stories about rocks and myths. He'll miss Daniel.
As he exits the lift he starts to think about Teal'c, and just how much Teal'c has changed since their first meeting. He has softened, mellowed. He thinks about the amount of responsibility the Jaffa had carried in his first few years. He had fought alongside SG1 but Jack knows that it took time for him to really feel like a part of the team. Jack watches now, the way he interacts with Daniel and Carter and he knows that SG1 saved Teal'c, just as it had saved him. It saved him from a life of hell and gave him a life of freedom. It allowed him to free his people. He will never be able to thank Teal'c for taking a chance on him all those years ago but he hopes that Teal'c knows that without him none of it would have been possible. He'll miss Teal'c wisdom and integrity, he'll miss hearing him say 'indeed' and he'll miss his quiet comfort in times if difficulty. He'll miss Teal'c.
Jack opens the door to the hotel and stops. He can't help but let out a laugh. Daniel is passed out on top of the covers, lying diagonally across bed, still fully dressed. That's not completely surprising; Daniel never could handle his drink. What is more surprising is the rather large jaffa in his bed, fast asleep under the covers. He stares at his two team mates and is instantly jealous that he missed watching this unfold, he then wonders where the hell he's supposed to sleep. He thinks about getting into bed with Teal'c but he already takes up more than half of the bed, he'd get no sleep. He look across at Daniel who is spread eagle on his bed and knows that's a non-starter.
He takes one last look at them before stepping out of the room and closing the door. After a few moments he decided to call a car. He can get home, have a few hours and then come back in the morning for breakfast with the team.
Jack thinks for just a second about knocking on Carter's door, directly across from his, before deciding that it's a bad idea. He'd been surprised to see her wheeling a small suitcase into her room, teasing that maybe she is a girl after all. He remembers seeing her in her dress just hours later, having to pull himself together, floored by just how stunning she looked.
He's been trying not to think about how much he's going to miss Carter. It's hard enough to say goodbye to Daniel and Teal'c but her? He doesn't know where to start. He thinks about all of the things he'll miss about her, her technobabble, the way her eyes light up when she comes up with a new way to save the world or blow something up, her smile, he loves her smile.
He grins when he thinks about their first meeting, she was so desperate to prove herself, to show him that she should have been on that first mission. She was a pain in the ass. He doesn't know when he stopped thinking of her that way, but he remembers that pretty soon in he started looking forward to seeing her, to hearing her talk about things that he would never understand. He thinks about when he realised that it was more than just an attraction, the moment that she begged him to leave her, to save himself, that moment that he realised that he couldn't. He remembers having to confess his feeling in front of a room full of people, before he'd even truly managed to understand them for himself. He remembers the times that he thought he'd lost her, to death, to Pete.
Those years had been hard, sometimes too hard. There had been times when he'd thought about retiring, but he was frightened about what would happen if he didn't put up the fight against the Goa'uld, no point retiring if it means the world will end. He doesn't think for a second that the war was won because of him but he knows that he would never have had a moment of rest knowing that the war was going on while he was sat at home with his feet up.
He'd thought about throwing caution to the wind, about turning up at her door and telling her that he couldn't do it anymore, that he couldn't go on without knowing how it felt to love her, to be loved by her. But she was destined to be so much more than a women who slept with her CO. He's also come to realise that as much as he feels for her and as much as she may feel for him, she deserves more. She deserves someone younger who can give her everything that she wants.
He isn't sure where he stands with Carter now, but he knows that he admires her more than he could even begin to describe. He is so proud of the officer that she has become, of the person she has become. He knows no one more compassionate than her. He knows that she'll do incredible things. He thinks back to the Captain who had offered to arm wrestle him and he smiles. She's come so far and even if he can't love her like he wants to he's happy to watch from the side lines as she conquers the world.
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone and begins to dial. "It's O'Neill," he starts, trying to speak as quietly as he can. "I need a car-" he stops, hearing the person on the other end asking him to repeat himself. "It's O'neill. I need a car- Can you hear me?" he asks, slightly louder. "Hello? Hello?" He hangs up, clearly irritated and lets out a deep breath. "Piece of crap," he mutters, shoving his phone back into his pocket.
"Sir?"
He looks up, surprised to see her exiting the lift, walking towards him. She's carrying her heels in her hand.
"Carter, I thought you were asleep? You left the party an hour ago," he winced, now she would know that he'd noticed her leaving.
"I got stuck with Dr Lee," she sighed, stopping when she reaches him. "He's just spent the last hour trying to convince me that he could be the perfect for SG1. One too many beers. He finally agreed to tell the cab driver his address when I promised I'd think about it." She rolls her eyes.
"What are you doing out here?" she asks, with a frown. "Are you locked out?"
"Uh, something like that." He steps towards his door and opens it, encouraging her to take a peek inside. She steps towards the door frame, a huge grin spreading across her face. She is stood next to him, almost close enough to touch him.
"Daniel is such a lightweight…But Teal'c?"
"Surprising right?" Jack asks, watching as she nods. He loves how amusing she's finding this. "I'm gonna miss this," he mumbles, unable to stop the words as they tumble out of his mouth.
"We're going to miss you," she speaks softly. She takes a small step backwards and rests her head on his shoulder. She never allows herself moments like this but he's about to leave, they deserve a moment of comfort.
His arm encircles her waist and he pulls her closer. It begins to dawn on him just how much he doesn't want to leave them, her.
"I liked your speech." Sam had watched, struggling to stay composed as the realisation that he was leaving sank in and then she'd heard it, a tiny crack in his voice. This was just was hard for him as it was for her, for all of them. "I like that you included Janet," she tells him, her arm coming to rest on his, her thumb gently stroking his hand. She smiles as she remembers his words about Janet and 'huge honkin' needles'.
He tightens his grip on her for just a second before letting go and stepping away from the doo, she follows his lead. He takes one last look at Daniel and Teal'c before closing the door.
"I'm gonna go downstairs, see if I can phone for a car," he gestures to the lift.
She doesn't want him to go. She wants to tell him that he can stay with her.
"Night Carter," he rasps, leaning forward to place a kiss on her cheek. He hesitates for just second before pulling back and heading towards the lift. He takes a couple of steps, hating himself for wanting more than he can ever have. He stops as he hears her voice.
"Sir…"
It takes just three steps from each of them before she's in his arms; he holds her against his chest tightly and she clings to him as though he's her only source of life. Her shoes fall to the ground. He feels her lips on his cheek, then again at the corner of his mouth.
"Carter," he whispers, unsure if he is warning or encouraging her.
Sam presses her lips to his, its soft and light, testing his reaction. His hand gently trails across her back. Her hands curl around the back of his neck, deepening the kiss, daring to move against his mouth. She gasps as he meets her kiss with his own, suddenly becoming an active participant rather than a stunned witness, he wraps his arms around her waist pulling her flush against him.
She moans into his mouth as his hands roam across her back and hips, she can't believe that this is finally happening. Suddenly his lips are gone, wrenched from hers. He rests his forehead against hers, he's still holding her against him. He's takes a moment, struggling to catch his breath. "Carter…" he whispers, closing his eyes, trying to compose himself. "This is a bad idea." He unwraps himself from her body and takes a step away. He watches as her shoulders sag, embarrassment beginning to creep across her features. "Not because…" he shakes his head, this isn't because he doesn't want her, he does.
"Jack," the use of his first name catches him off guard. "We've paid our dues; we've tried to move on from this." She takes a shaky breath. "I don't want to leave it in that room anymore."
"Carter, I'm an old man-"
"I know who you are, I know what I want." She has no idea where this newfound confidence is from but she won't give up, not now, not after waiting for such a long time.
Again, he takes a step away. "I should go." He wants her more than he's ever wanted anything in his life but he's so afraid of disappointing her, of letting her down. "You deserve better," he admits, knowing that after eight years she deserves complete and total honesty. He wants her to have a life that's he will love, kids, a white picket fence, everything he isn't sure he can give her.
Sam says nothing, taking in what he has said. After a few moments she takes a step forward, her fingers trails across his cheek, her thumb strokes across his cheek bone. "There is no one better," she speaks softly, there is no trace of anger or confusion in her voice. She understands why he feels this way but she needs him to know that he is wrong. "No one."
Sam reaches out, opening her hand, encouraging him to take it. "It's time."
"It's time," Jack repeats slowly, moving towards her. His fingers reach for hers and in seconds they're intertwined.
Sam squeezes his hand, an act of reassurance as they move towards her hotel room. He steps behind her she unlocks the door. As it clicks open she turns to him, she steps into the room and gently pulls him in. The door closes behind them.
~SJ~
They take their time. Sam had once thought that their first time together would be frantic but it's anything but. She had pushed to get them to this point but as soon as the hotel door was closed, as soon as he'd accepted that this is exactly what she wanted, he'd snapped into action, stripping her of her clothes, easing her down onto the bed and climbing on top of her.
He moves above her with ease, kissing , touching and tasting every inch of her body.
When he finally pushes into her she can't help but moan into the crook of his neck. Her fingers dig into his shoulders as he gives her time to accommodate to his size. He cups her cheek and presses his forehead against hers, "Carter," he exhales and leans down to capture her lips. He can't believe that they're finally here. He wants to savour every second.
"Jack," she gasps against his mouth, her hands slide to his neck, pulling him impossibly closer, kissing him with a fierce passion, sliding her tongue into his mouth. She rolls her hips, she's ready.
He follows her lead, pulling out almost completely before pushing back in. He groans as she whimpers and tightens her grip on him.
He has never felt like this before.
They move together as though they've been doing this for years. Eventually she wraps her legs around his waist, desperate to feel even more of him and cries out as a wave of pleasure surges through her. His rhythm falters and with one hand he steadies himself against the headboard as she clenches around him. Her breath comes in urgent gasps as his thrusts quicken and he grunts as he slides in and out of her body.
He knows that she is close but he might be closer so he reaches between their bodies and can't help but smile as she bucks against his hand.
"Jack," she cries out as she threads her fingers through his hair. "Yes," she presses her lips into the crook of his neck, her moans are muffled as she feels the familiar pull of pleasure. In just seconds she's tightening around him, practically whining as he moves within her. He follows quickly and calls her name as he stills and pushing her hips into the mattress. "God, Carter!" He exhales, collapsing on top of her and captures her lips with his.
Her fingers skim his bare back, his neck and thread through his hair, she can't stop touching him. She can't believe that it's finally happened.
"That was..." he exhales, unable to find the words to describe what has just happened between them.
"I know," she kisses him again, certain that she'll never get tired of feeling his lips against hers. "I know."
~SJ~
Daniel grumbles as he drops down next to Teal'c and across from Sam and Jack at the breakfast table the next morning.
"Mornin'" Jack smirks, delighting in Daniel's hangover. Daniel grunts in response and downs a glass of water.
"Shut up." He looks up with a frown, "Where did you sleep last night?"
"Well, seeing as you and Teal'c had a sleepover in my room I had to go home. I just got here before you guys came down." It's almost scary how easily the lie tumbles out of his mouth.
"Why didn't you just share with Sam?" Daniel moves the food in front of him around the plate, he misses the brief look of panic that flashes across Sam's face.
"Thought about it, didn't want to wake her. Didn't seem fair that ruin her sleep because you ruined mine."
"Again, I apologise O'Neill." Teal'c offers. He had apologised and explained what had happened as soon as he had seen O'Neill, Colonel Carter had joined them moments later.
"I just can't believe that you got drunk, and I missed it!" Jack huffs.
"What?" Daniel asks, only to be interrupted as Sam and Jack's mobiles begin to ring. They excuse themselves from the table.
"You weren't drunk," Daniel turns to Teal'c.
"No, I was not."
"So why did you…" Daniel trails off, suddenly his eyes widen. "You wanted him to go to Sam? You slept in his bed so that he couldn't." Daniel is stunned by his friend's revealing nod. "Teal'c!"
"I will not apologise."
"No, I don't think you should. It's just a shame that he didn't take the bait. Typical Jack, I can't believe he went home."
"Indeed," Teal'c nods, careful not to reveal anything but Daniel frowns.
"Wait a minute… He didn't go home?"
"O'Neill told us that he went home."
"But you know something, I know you Teal'c, you're hiding something." He freezes, his eyes wide. "Did he? Did they? Oh my God."
"Sorry, minor emergency," Jack returns and slides back into his seat, "Carter's sorting it." He reaches for his juice, stopping as he meets Daniel's stare. "What?"
"Uh, nothing. I just… I'm sorry that we ruined your night, that's all." There are so many things that he wants to say but now isn't the time. He doesn't want to embarrass them, he knows that they'll tell him when the time is right.
"Don't worry about it, you didn't," he shoves as spoonful of cereal into his mouth. "I had a good night," he tells his friends, unaware that they know exactly how good a night he'd had.
He had spent hours learning Carter's body, learning what made her unravel, what made her moan and fall part in his arms. He'd had barely any sleep, instead choosing to kiss, touch and taste the woman that he had wanted for years, he'd never felt more energised. She'd moved underneath and on top of him multiple times during the night, her groans, gasps and whimpers spurring him on, encouraging him. He'd never had a night like it.
They'd promised that this was the beginning of their life together, rather than a way of saying goodbye. He'd held her as she'd slept, unable to believe that he could ever be this lucky.
He'd been hard pressed to leave her bed this morning, tearing his lips from hers as she reminded him that they weren't ready for anyone to know yet. He'd been at the table for just a few minutes before Teal'c had joined him.
When Sam comes back to the table she assures them that everything is fine. Daniel begins to speak, he can't quite believe that Jack is leaving today. She feels a sinking feeling in her stomach but tries to smile through it, his fingers skim hers under the table, a gentle squeeze to reassure her that they will be okay.
She returns the sentiment, her fingers tightening around his. They'll be more than okay.
I would love to know what you think. X