"Margaret, I need to have a talk with the President, please make an appointment as soon as he can receive me". Jack told his secretary as soon as he entered her office and pick up the files on the tray waiting for his signature.
"Any subject to be mentioned, General?", she asked while dialing her counterpart at the Oval Office.
"Tell them it's personal and urgent", he said before closing the door to his office.
Lifting both her eyebrow, Margaret started the phone call and they both went through both men agenda to spot an opening. Tomorrow at 19:00 was the only possibility. It was set. She went to inform the General and found him quite pleased with the result.
"Good, that is fast enough, thank you" he said.
President Hayes was putting down the phone when Jack entered his office.
"Jack!", Hayes said with a smile in his face. "What is my favorite General doing here that is apparently so urgent and personal that my secretary put the Ambassador of Pakistan waiting for another two days?", he asked as both men move to sat on the couches in the middle of the room.
"Mr. President, thank you for receiving me in such short notice", he thanked.
"My secretary really didn't give much option", he said with an amused smile. "So get on with it. I'm curious".
Jack took a deep breath and joint his hands like in a prayer. He couldn't disguise his nervousness not matter his black ops training. Too much was at stake. He was real afraid to have a heart attack or a brain aneurism in the Oval Office. Apparently Hayes realized that.
"Jack is everything ok? You don't look well. Is Samantha ok?", he asked genuinely concerned now.
Hearing his wife name only manage to get Jack more nervous.
"Whatever it is, man, you can tell me. You know that, Jack", The president was between getting him a glass of whiskey or calling the secret services.
"Mr. President, I'm going to be absolutely honest with you and then you decide what to do. I really screw things up with Sam this time. And I don't know if my marriage is going to survive but I cannot lose her. She's the love of my life and I can't imagine living without her…", Jack's voice faltered for moments.
"What the hell have you done, Jack?", he asked carefully now.
"I cheat on Sam, Mr. President", Jack admitted lowering his face in shame.
"WHAT?!" Hayes almost jumped out of his chair and immediately a secret service agent entered the room hearing the president scream but he dismissed him with a hand.
"You did what?!" he asked again.
"I had an affair while Sam was on the Hammond in these last two weeks. It's over now of course but she found out and things are not well". His voice was so low that Hayes had trouble hearing him.
"Well I would be surprised if they were. Hell I'm surprised you're still alive", he said going to get them a drink. This definitely was a talk that need Dutch courage. He poured a generous amount for both of them and got back to the couch.
"What the hell were you thinking, Jack?! Cheating on Samantha?" For Christ sake! You don't get better than that, man…" he said drinking a little.
Jack look at the glass in his hand. That was an indisputable true. You didn't get any better than Samantha Carter-O'Neill.
"I wasn't thinking, that was the problem, Mr. President. At least not with the right body part", he added blushing a little.
"Who is she?"
Hayes was curious now.
"She's a CIA agent I had already met while I was at command of SGC. Her name is Kerry Johnson. She's was the liaison officer with SGC when we were after the Trust, now she's involved in international money laundering".
"And you shag her?" The president look was of purely disappointment.
"Yes, Sir", he confirmed.
"And Sam found out?" he asked again to confirm.
"Yes, she caught us in the act, as a matter of fact", Jack admitted.
"Holly fuck", Hayes left out.
"Yeah, it was not my best moment". Jack almost drank the entire glass as a shot.
"I would say that again". Hayes put his glass on the table. "So what do you want from me? Because I imagine that there's something about this meeting and that major clusterfuck thing you've put yourself into…", Hayes look at him expecting a clarification.
"Well, Sir, it is about the gala…", Jack started.
Hayes eyebrow were a stellar impression of Teal'c.
"The gala?", he repeated confused.
"Yes, Sir. I would like to take Sam to the gala as an opportunity to mend things and spend time with her but she will only come with me if she's absolutely sure Ms. Johnson is not there. And she's probably going to get an invitation so you can see my situation…" Jack eyes continue firmly at the empty glass in his hand.
Hayes started to put the dots together.
"So you're here to ask me…?" Oh he was going to make the man beg. Really was.
Jack swallowed a couple of times before answering.
"I'm here to beg you not to invite Kerry Johnson so I can have a chance to save my marriage, Sir. I know you don't have any obligation to do anything and this is a personal problem and that I'm already imposing my problems and it's completely out of line but I'm really asking, Sir. Please I can't lose Sam, Sir", he said and this time Jack look directly at the President's eyes.
Hayes knew that Jack loved his wife but he also never expected him to confess that he had cheated on her. He adored Samantha. Not only as an officer but as a person who always had put her country needs upfront her personal life, including the love for the man sitting in front of him. That was what was so surprising. After watching their forbidden love story evolve to their marriage, Hayes would bet his life that theirs was a bullet proof marriage but apparently he had been dead wrong.
"That's a big favor to ask, Jack", he said slowly.
"I know but I'm desperate, Sir", he admitted.
"Yes apparently you are", he said with a sight.
For a couple of minutes, the Oval Office was silent while the two men were apparently lost in their own thoughts. The President was the first to speak.
"Ok, Jack, I'm grating you that big favor but only because I don't think Samantha should be punished because you couldn't keep it in your pants. I have to say I'm very disappointed with you", his voice was not of a friend but of his Commander-in-Chief.
Jack almost stood at attention and salute as he heard those words.
"Thank you, Sir. I can tender my resignation if you should think necessary. In fact, I have it with me". Jack hand went to his chest pocket of his jacket but Hayes shook his head.
"That won't be necessary, General", he said formally. "Just make sure that this situation won't repeat itself and Samantha is properly treated. I'll tell you if my wife finds out you'll be running to the next planet available and I'm not sure you'll be able to come back to Earth. I'm doing because of Mary, you know.
"Yes, Sir. I know Mrs. Hayes is very fond of my wife", Jack admitted.
"I would say that is a little more than that. She really considers Samantha her close friend. Let's pray that she never finds out what you did to her, Jack. Mary can be a force of nature, much like your wife although in not a so lethal form, pray the Lord.
"Yes, Sir." Jack knew that Mary Hayes was the force behind every political step of her husband but also the person he turned to when he need advice.
"Tell Samantha she has my personal assurance that she can come to the gala and there won't be unwanted guests", he said going back to his desk.
The meeting was over and Jack knew it.
"Thank you again, Sir, and my apologies for what is worth", he said waiting to be dismissed.
"You can go, General". Hayes waved his hand, Jack salute and left.
At the townhouse, Sam was busy checking some schematics about the repairs on the Hammond with her laptop on the couch. She was so lost in calculations and equations that when Jack entered she didn't even notice.
"Hey", he said putting his briefcase on the floor.
She continued to quickly punch the keys of the laptop without even looking at him. He knew she hadn't heard him. Approaching slowly not to frighten her he stopped next to the couch and pick one of her barefoot making her almost jump.
"What the hell, Jack!", she said annoyed.
"I could have been a burglar, Sam. You didn't even notice me coming in", he said releasing her foot.
"We have an alarm and I can defend myself just fine" she argued looking back to the screen.
Both things were true but he still wanted to give her the news.
"Hayes says hello", he said knowing that would catcher her attention.
Her fingers continue to move but at a slower pace and she still didn't look at him. "Really?"
"Yes, I have a message to you", he said and then left the living room. Oh she would be bad in right about 10 seconds. Jack started to count in his head. Ten, nine, eight, seven…
"JACK!", she yelled from the living room.
Six, five, four… Jack was in the bedroom taking his dress blues when she appeared at the door.
"Why did you leave?! What's the message?!", she asked watching him putting his dress blues carefully in the closet. He was just in t-shirt and boxers and to her immense frustration she blushed.
"What?", he asked going to the bathroom and closing the door.
Sam could either wait at the bedroom door where she stood or enter the room. To her surprise she heard the noise of water running. He was going to shower. He was infuriating sometimes! Frustrated she left the room and returned to the lifting room. She could wait.
Jack took his time at the shower, shaving and brushing his teeth. Then he put some sweatpants and an old Air Force t-shirt and went downstairs. His wife was still at the computer, tapping at a fast speed. Ignoring her he went to the kitchen and started preparing dinner. Sam heard the noises coming from the kitchen but didn't move. Apparently they were having some sort of duel and she was not willing to play. So she continued to work.
After a couple of minutes, Jack went back to the living room and sat on the couch picking up the remote. Although not exactly next to her, he was close enough to her feet to touch them if he wanted. And he really wanted. Picking up a news channel he took out the sound and start to caress her right foot. She briefly looked at him and continue to tap on the laptop but didn't move her foot. Her white skin started to feel very, very hot.
"Want to know what the message is?", he asked feeling her silky skin.
Struggling with obvious concentration problems since he had his hand in her foot, Sam tried to look indifferent.
"If you want to tell…", she said continuing to type. She would have to correct all the mistakes she was doing right now but he didn't know that and she wasn't sharing.
"The president wants you to know that you can go the gala and don't have to worry about unwanted guests" he said quoting Hayes words.
Hearing that Sam stopped typing while Jack continued his massage to her right foot. It was heavenly but he didn't need to know that either.
"Is that so?", she asked, her frown a little more pronounced than usual.
"Yes, so we have a date in two days, Mrs. Carter-O'Neill". He was cautious to use her hyphenate surname.
"It appears so", she said getting back to the schematics although at this point she could be playing Tetris it would be the same. Her heated core was also not helping her keep things cool.
"Also dinner will be ready in 10 minutes" he said looking at his watch.
"I'm not hungry", she said between her teeth.
Jack picked her left foot and started the massage. She typed even faster, making more mistakes than she could remember doing her entire life. She really hoped that she wouldn't orgasmed from his foot massage because that would be very embarrassing. But she was trying her best to kept from groaning.
"I would be surprised if you said you are", he said with a smile.
She had to control herself not to smile too. And moan.
"Nevertheless we are having dinner", he said with determination.
She stopped typing again.
"Says who?", she asked.
"Carter you need to eat. Lunch is not enough, no matter how lovely it was. You are too thin again. Do you want me to call Dr. Lam?" he asked looking at her.
She blushed several shades of red. He would do that, she knew. And she couldn't avoid it. She knew she had lost weight while aboard the Hammond but taking command sometimes meant skipping meals and she had a long history of doing that.
"Ok", she murmured without looking at him.
"Good. I don't want you to get sick and back to Colorado stuck in the infirmary during your leave time. I suspect you don't either". The foot massage continued and now had started to go a little higher. She was getting hotter by the second. He loved her skin and was famishing to feel it. However as soon as she felt his hand on her calf, she closed her laptop and retreat her feet from the couch losing the touch from him. It was too close before she was too far-gone to care.
While they ate, Jack kept giving her long looks as if he was deciding to say something but giving up at the last moment.
"What is it, Jack?", she asked finally.
He drank the rest of his beer as gaining courage.
"I want to ask you something but I'm afraid", he said honestly.
"Ask and I'll answer. If you don't ask I can't answer", she simply said.
"You might get mad", he said starting to peel the label from the beer bottle.
"Ask the question, Jack", she said again.
"I would like if you moved back to our room again, just to sleep together", he added quickly blushing.
Sam stared at him for a couple moments like he had spoked in Russian.
"What?", she managed to say.
"I knew you would be mad", he said picking a piece of paper and not looking at her.
"You want us to sleep together?", she asked trying to process the question in her brain.
"Forget I asked", he said throwing the bottle to the trash bin.
"Why?", she asked quietly.
Jack looked at her like a teenager with a crush.
"I miss you. I know I don't have the right to ask you that but I decided to tell you what I feel and that is what I feel. I miss you in our bed. That's the reason", he admitted.
Well apparently their marriage was entering the phase of feelings admittance. That was a novelty especially because it was starting with Jack and Jack that didn't do feelings. Ever. She was intrigued to say the least.
"Just sleep?", she asked curious.
"Just sleep, I won't do anything, I promise", he guaranteed feeling his hopes getting higher.
"Hamm…", she said non-committal.
He looked at her for a few moments and sighted resigned. It had a been a dumb idea but he was really missing her and if they didn't start telling each other what they were really feeling, their marriage was never going to stand a chance. And he wanted to continue married to Sam. He went to the living room again and pick the paper trying his luck at the crosswords. Seeing him in the couch with his reading glasses, Sam felt her heart tight. He looked adorable and so kissable. It was a bad idea but if he was willing to make an effort she also had to put her weight. She wanted their marriage to function. Approaching the couch, she stopped where he was lying.
"Ok", she simply said.
With the reading glasses in the bridge of his nose, Jack looked at her with a wide smile.
"Really?", he asked thrilled.
"Just sleep, Jack", she said.
"Yes of course, just sleep. Thank you, Sam. I'll behave", he said getting up.
"We'll see", she said and went upstairs.
Feeling like dancing in the room, Jack shouted a silent "YES" after she climbed the stairs. He quickly closed the doors and lights and followed her. She was already in their room has she already never had left, on her side of the bed, on her PJs and getting inside the soft sheets. Jack went to the bathroom to pee, washed his hands and sat on the soft mattress, on his side.
"Thank you for doing this, Sam", he said again.
"Good night, Jack", she said turning off her lamp.
"Good night", he said as he lay in the bed and tried not to touched her.
Fortunately, their bed was large enough for them to sleep without touching and each one was carefully away from the other. He could hear her breathing and knew she was not sleeping the same as she knew he was not asleep. Both were too nervous to sleep. After two hours, they were both wide awake and Sam was seriously considering going back to the guestroom.
"For crying out loud!", Jack finally said turning the lamp on.
Sam with her back to him turned and look at her husband who was with both hands in his face.
"Maybe it's better if I go back to the guestroom. Otherwise we won't sleep, Jack", she said trying to reason with him.
"Let me try something, if it doesn't work you can go", he asked softly.
"What?", she asked carefully.
"Nothing we haven't done before, Sam. Just to sleep", he said extending his arm and pulling her to him.
Without real resistance, Sam sighed and went to him, her head nestled inside his arm. His free arm rested underneath his head. It was one their usual sleeping positing in bed. The only difference was that before she always had a hand or arm protectively over his chest. Not this time but it was as closest has they were since all this god dam clusterfuck had begun. He really wasn't complaining.
"You're ok with this?" he asked quietly looking at the ceiling.
His warm body close to hers, his smell, his skin, just him being there was doing things her brain was now clearly instructing her body to not follow but the latter was being a lousy student and her heart was literally throbbing at her ears. Her whole body fell like jello and she thanked that she was lying in the mattress. Only her steel will prevent her hand to go to his chest and caress it like she so wanted it.
"Yes" she said barely in a whisper.
They both stood there, hearts racing and both trying to keep for caving in what their bodies were really asking: each other. After a serious talk with her brain Sam started to list the periodic table in her head in an effort to calm herself. Jack's breathing was also more relaxed and when she ended she noticed he had fell asleep. Very carefully she put her hand on his chest and felt the steady thump of his heart. She was asleep seconds after.