Chapter Ten
A Kiss is a Terrible Thing to Waste

Sam sat in her lab, typing away at reports on her computer. The lights were dim, the glare of her screen illuminating her features more than the overheads. She frowned in deep concentration; so absorbed in her work was she that she didn't hear Jack come in, closing the door behind him.

"Whatcha doin'?" he asked softly as he reached her station.

She started, looking up in surprise. "Just finishing up my reports on P3X-749," she answered quietly. "What brings you by?"

"Oh, you know… the usual… boredom..." he tapered off, still a bit uncertain how to approach the subject foremost on his mind.

"Boredom, sir? You must have at least as much paperwork, if not more, than me."

"You know me and paperwork…" Again, he faltered. This was such uncharted territory for them; he really didn't know how to proceed. And yet, proceed he must, for he was no longer willing to keep everything locked up. They had made some pretty serious promises during this mission, and he was going to make damn sure they were kept. "So…. How 'bout them Noggraans?"

Sam smiled. "They are pretty amazing… and true to their word. They've already shared more technology with us than most of our advanced allies. That super-cannon I helped them engineer? We're getting half a dozen of them to be strategically placed all over the planet. We may never have to worry about a Goa'uld invasion again."

Jack smiled back at her. "Yeah, I heard something about that. Hammond's got a science team going out with the diplomats first thing in the morning." He grabbed a stool and sat, picking up a rectangular something and absently fiddling with it. "So how much longer you gonna be?"

"I've got at least a couple hours worth of reports to fill out... why?" Her features filled with curiosity.

"Thought maybe we could go out… for dinner or something…" Why, he wondered, was this suddenly so difficult?

Sam frowned, uncertainty replacing curiosity in her eyes. "Dinner, sir?" She swallowed hard, slightly nervous for no good reason.

"Dinner, drinks, some honest conversation…" Jack trailed off, giving her a good waggle of the eyebrows.

Sam sighed, raking a hand through her short tresses. "I guess we're due that last part…"

"Overdue, if you ask me," he said with a soft smile. "If you're not ready—"

"I'm ready," she interrupted. "Or I will be once I get these reports done." She paused, letting a slow smile fill her face, lighting up her eyes. "After all, we've had seven years of prep time."

"Yeah…" Jack set down the something he'd been fiddling with and stood up. "Well, I'll let you get back to your reports… come find me when you're done?" She nodded, and Jack found himself nodding back. "Guess I ought to go get started on my paperwork…"

Sam allowed a small chuckle to slip past her lips. "I'll look for you beneath the piles of files when I finish up." Jack nodded and moved to leave the room. "Sir?" He paused and turned back to face her. "It's good to be home," she said, smiling just for him.

That smile had him weak in the knees and even a bit choked up. He couldn't find his voice suddenly, so he just nodded, smiling back. He turned and left her lab without another word. Sam laughed softly as she turned her attention back to her computer and her reports. She was suddenly very eager to get her paperwork finished.

They met up at a small restaurant off the beaten track. It was quaint and cute, and Jack swore they served the best tortellini this side of Italy. They were sitting across from each other at a small round table, both wearing small, nervous smiles. The atmosphere there was warm and cozy; a small candlelit Chianti illuminating their faces in the soft glow of the flame. They had finished eating some time ago, but they had yet to start the long overdue conversation that was playing on each of their minds. Jack was absently fiddling around with his napkin, folding and unfolding it over and over.

"So…." Sam began for the umpteenth time.

"A needle pulling thread…" Jack replied with a slightly bigger smile.

She giggled. "Very cute, sir."

Jack sighed. "You know, you're going to have to get used to addressing me by my given name if this relationship is to go anywhere."

"Sorry… habit." Sam's eyes grew wide and bluer than he'd ever seen. "Relationship?"

Jack gulped, suddenly very, very nervous. "Well, yeah… isn't that why we're here?"

She nodded slowly. "Yeah, it is. Sorry… it's just going to take some getting used to, I suppose."

Jack nodded in understanding. "It's one thing to profess your undying love in the heat of the moment… but quite another to live with the day to day reality of it all."

The beginning of a smile played at the corners of her mouth. "Undying love?"

"Oh yeah," he replied with a big grin. She blushed, thrilling Jack to no end. "If seven years of denying and repressing can't kill it, nothing can."

"I like the way you think." She reached across the table to touch his hand. He went completely still in an instant. "So where do we go from here?"

"Las Vegas?" He suggested with an impish grin. Sam frowned at him. "Reno?" She frowned even deeper.

"What is it with Nevada?" she asked cautiously.

"Expedient marriage licenses," he said slowly, that wolfish grin still playing in his eyes.

Sam's eyes grew wider than ever. "Marriage?" she whispered.

"All the way, Sam. Remember?" He turned his hand over and entwined their fingers together.

"I remember," she said softly.

"Once in a lifetime, you find someone… heaven sent for you…" Jack winced, realizing how corny he sounded even to his own ears; he took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, before continuing on. "I thought I had that once… but what I shared with Sara can't even begin to compare with all that you and I have shared. When I'm with you, I feel… alive. Whole.

"There was a time I thought I'd never feel anything again," he continued. My whole world was dark, dull, and dreary. Then you walked in the door and my whole world was turned upside down… and somehow, upside down became right side up, and the world started making sense again." Jack stopped for a moment, his hand squeezing hers for a brief second. "I owe it all to you, Samantha Carter."

Sam stared at him, taking time to digest his words. "I don't think you owe me anything. I feel like I owe so much to you… I'd say we're probably about even on that score."

Jack shook his head, but he didn't argue the point. "I don't want to waste any more time," he said softly.

"Me either," she replied. "We've already wasted too much."

"Definitely." He pulled her hand up to his lips and he tenderly kissed each knuckle. A small moan escaped Sam's lips in response to his touch; Jack grinned.

"Seven years is a long time to wait," she added.

"Too long," he agreed.

"But what choice did we have? The only way we could stay together was to not be together…"

"But the worst is over now," Jack said quietly. "We may not have won the war yet, but we have finally achieved our primary mission: find the means to defend Earth from its intergalactic threats."

"I suppose we have," she said with a bright smile.

"So if anyone deserves a bit of happiness, it's us, right?" The smile on Jack's face was truly heartwarming.

"Yes, sir," she replied. "But do you think the rest of the world is going to see it that way?"

"How many times have we saved this world?" Jack asked.

"I've lost count," she admitted.

"Me too," Jack confessed. "But I'd wager its enough for a once-in-a-lifetime favor from the President."

"What sort of favor?"

"The 'screw the regs, you deserve to be together' sort of favor.

"Screw the regs? Just how far do you think that's gonna fly?" she asked with a light smile.

"All the way to the altar," he replied with a sly smile.

"You are certainly tenacious, I'll give you that."

"You're just discovering this now?" Jack pulled her hand close to his chest, his expression suddenly very sober and very serious. "I need you, Sam. Right here, I need you. You have become my life, my salvation…" Jack trailed off, not altogether comfortable speaking so boldly of such deep emotions.

Sam's eyes were sparkling now with unshed tears. Her lips formed a small "o" as she blew out a soft sigh. "I'm right here, Jack. I always will be," she said, pressing her hand into his chest and feeling the pounding of his heartbeat. She could have sworn it was beating in perfect synch with hers.

"You always have been," he responded. "Marry me, Sam."

She smiled, that brilliant, million megawatt beam that always lit up his heart and soul. "Nothing in the entire universe would make me happier," she answered. Jack smiled, the biggest, happiest smile she'd ever seen grace his features. He leaned across the table, reached out and clasped Sam's face between both hands and pulled her close to him. Their lips met across the table in a soft kiss.

The world stopped spinning, time stood still as they finally crossed that line they had been treading for far too many years. The world flipped upside down and turned right side up again as they enjoyed the newfound freedom to explore one another in this endless embrace. It was a kiss full of hope and joy, promising love strong enough to last a lifetime.