-- Chapter 4 --

When the warm night air had sufficiently dried us off, Sam and I gathered our clothes and got dressed. She gave me a playful grin before taking off at a run over the hill. I chased her across the short grass and caught up with her just before she reached the rings.

She laughed as I grabbed her around the waist and spun her to a stop. As we stepped onto the ring platform, she looped her thumbs over the back of my belt and tilted her face to mine in clear invitation.

I happily obliged, lowering my lips to hers. My hands roamed her back as I lost myself in her kiss. When we parted, I barely noticed that we had been transported back into the underground tunnels.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" came a nearby voice.

We looked over to find Jacob leaning nonchalantly against a wall, his arms crossed over his chest.

Sam groaned. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Next time you take my daughter out," Jacob said, shaking a finger in my direction. "You better have her back at a decent hour."

"Are you finished?" asked Sam.

Jacob grinned. "Not even remotely."

"Honestly, Selmak. Can't you do something about him?"

Jacob chuckled but lowered his head, and Selmak looked up at Sam. "I must admit I find your father's preoccupation with your love life to be quite intriguing. Perhaps his methods lack a certain subtlety, but I do not disagree with his motives. Both you and Doctor Jackson deserve to be happy."

I squeezed Sam's shoulder as she leaned into my side.

Selmak paused, and then smiled. "Your father insists that he is indeed subtle. Perhaps the word has a different meaning on your world."

Sam snorted. "Yeah. Subtle like a heart attack."

Selmak's head bowed, and Jacob snickered into his chest for a moment before looking up at us. "Can you blame me for being excited that I was right about you two?"

"Yes," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "You're the oldest and wisest among us, and it was a mistake to question you. Now, if you'll excuse us..." She grabbed my hand and practically dragged me down the corridor.

"Good night, kids!"

"Night, Jacob," I called over my shoulder.

When we arrived in our sleeping chamber, we pushed our cots together in its most private corner. I did my best to ignore the few Tok'ra who walked past the open doorway.

"So," I said softly as Sam snuggled up next to me under the covers. "Who's going to tell Jack?"

She wrinkled her nose adorably. "I think you should. You've known him longer."

"I hardly think that matters after everything the four of us have been through. Besides, you're his second in command."

Sam shifted, pushing herself up to a seated position. One of her fists hovered near her chest, and she looked at me expectantly.

I stared at her. "You're not serious."

Her only answer was a grin, so I sat up and readied my own fist.

"One, two, three."

Damn. With a gleeful laugh, Sam cut up my paper-hand with her scissor-fingers.

"Best two out of three?"

"No way. I won fair and square."

I gave her the look I usually reserved for Janet when she was being unreasonably stubborn about releasing me from the infirmary.

Sam laughed. "That's not fair," she said with a gentle shove to my shoulder.

"Oh, fine." I sighed melodramatically, flopping down to my pillow. "I'll tell him."

"Thank you." Her hand stroked down my chest and over my stomach, reaching toward areas that couldn't be properly explored in a place with no doors. "How ever shall I repay you?"

I captured her hand in mine. "Now who's not being fair?" When her other hand started to wander, I grabbed it too and pulled her down on top of me. "Sleep now. Payment later. When we're somewhere we won't be disturbed. For a very long time."

The kiss she gave me was full of promise. "I think I like the sound of that."

Over the next few days, I finished my translation of the text on the Ancient device. When I told Sam the purpose of the device, she wasn't happy. Not because the device was useless – quite the opposite, really – but because she still hadn't managed to get it to work.

"There," she said as she finished taking it completely apart and putting it back together again for the third time. "Try it now."

I pressed some of the buttons around the domed top, but nothing happened.

Sam's fists clenched in her lap, her knuckles turning white, as she scowled at the device. I sat down on the floor behind her, pulling her to lean back between my legs. My fingers worked the knotted muscles in her shoulders, though I couldn't resist nibbling at her neck as they did so.

"Mmm," she murmured. "That's nice."

We were getting used to the constant presence of various voices from the corridor. Now though, one particular voice caused Sam's body to tense under my hands.

"Have the Tok'ra decided what this moon shall be called?" Teal'c asked from somewhere that wasn't too far away.

I pressed a final kiss to her shoulder before scooting out from behind her. She gave me a grateful smile as I pulled my notebook into my lap and tried to look like I was working.

"Actually, we haven't," answered Jacob as they stepped through the open doorway. "We're not in the naming business, really. Every other base we've established has already had a name, but since this moon wasn't part of the stargate network and there's no intelligent life..." He shrugged. "We haven't got around to it yet."

"Hey guys," said Jack. "You ready to go?"

Sam scowled her frustration at the device. "Not quite, sir."

"I have been meditating on possible names," Teal'c said to Jacob.

"Oh? Do tell."

"There is a legend of which I am fond. It describes a moon, forested much like this one, and orbiting a gas giant."

"Yeah," said Jack, pointing at the ceiling. "Did you guys see that thing in the sky? Or have you spent the whole time holed up in here underground? It's very cool."

I tried not to react as Jack crouched down behind me, leaning over my shoulder to peer at my notebook. He knew exactly how much it annoyed me, and I refused to give him the satisfaction. One of these days, when he wasn't armed, I'd plant a sloppy kiss on his cheek. That ought to get him to quit.

Teal'c continued, clearly as happy to ignore Jack as I was. "This legendary moon was home to a band of people who rose up against the oppression of dark and evil lords, ultimately defeating them with the help of warriors from afar."

"Sounds perfect," said Jacob. "What was it called?"

"It was known as the forest moon of Endor."

Jacob chuckled. Sam smothered a giggle behind the back of her hand. Jack gave her a funny look. He turned his gaze on me, and for a moment, I thought he was going to smile. Then he stood up and looked at the device.

"So," he said, giving it an obvious once-over. "This is the thing that's had you two so excited, is it? What's it do?"

I pushed my glasses up to see him more clearly. "Based on the writings, it appears to a tool used to teach people about the stargate. How it works, how they were made, that kind of thing."

"How they were made?"

Sam grimaced. "Yes, sir. Which is why it's so frustrating that we can't get it to work."

"Knowing you two, you haven't stopped over the last couple of days for so much as a snack. You losing your knack?"

"Actually," I said as Sam and I stood up. "We did take a few breaks here and there." I was pretty sure I wasn't imagining the blush on Sam's cheeks. Hopefully mine weren't doing the same thing.

"Did you?" Jack smirked at me. "Will wonders never cease?"

"See, Jack. The thing is..." My voice trailed off as I searched for the best way to explain the situation.

"You two are an item."

I blinked and glanced at Sam. She seemed as surprised as I was for a moment, but then she uttered a resigned sigh and shook her head.

I turned back to Jack. "How did you—"

"I told you," he interrupted with a wicked grin. "I know everything. About time you two figured it out, that's all I can say."

Teal'c smiled at us, bowing his approval.

I was torn between being grateful I didn't have to tell them anything awkward, and being disappointed that Sam wouldn't owe me any 'payment'.

"So," said Jack, waving his hand at the device. "Did you two actually work on this thing at all? Or did you spend all your time—"

Jacob cleared his throat.

"...talking," finished Jack. He still hadn't lost his smirk.

"I've tried everything I can think of," said Sam. "There's no reason it shouldn't work. Everything seems right."

"Well, if you can't get it, you can't get it. There was bound to be a day when you wouldn't be able to fix something."

"I'm not ready to give up just yet, sir."

"We've got a ship in orbit, and it's going to take three weeks to get it home." His eyes moved back and forth between me and Sam. "I'll give you another two days before we leave."

"Colonel, I'm not sure you understand how important this information could be. To know how the stargates were built..." Sam gave me a desperate look. "We need more time."

I rubbed my hand against her back in a soothing circle. She needed to relax. We had two whole days to convince Jack that we needed more time. It wouldn't be a problem.

Jack sighed and pursed his lips as he looked over the device again. "Have you tried percussive maintenance?"

Sam's eye twitched. "I really don't think hitting it is the solution, sir."

I was tempted to tell Jack about Sam's earlier frustrated outbursts, but I had a feeling she wouldn't appreciate it.

"Are you sure that is wise, O'Neill?" asked Teal'c.

"Why not? It worked for the Fonz." Jack turned to the device, flipping up his collar. With the side of his closed fist, he gave it a little bop.

And the damned thing lit up.

Sam and I watched, dumbfounded, as holographic symbols began scrolling through the air over the device. It looked like a list of stargate addresses.

Jack turned back to us, his face shining with a delighted grin. He thrust two thumbs up at his sides. "Ehh!"

We were so never going to hear the end of this.

To be concluded...
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