A/N: Writing fluffy chapters is always a slight struggle for me, I'm definitely much better with whumpy angst, so this chapter appears later than I hoped it would, but I hope you're going to enjoy it.

Thanks to Byrhthelm for correcting my mistakes.

CHAPTER 3

She couldn't help smiling when the consciousness slipped back into her mind in the morning. She carefully stretched and moved closer to the man she was lying beside, resting her head on his chest and breathing in the familiar scent, which was so uniquely his. She realised that he was awake as well, when he immediately wrapped his arm around her shoulders and placed a gentle kiss on top of her head. Neither of them was ready to get up yet, though and they just lay there in silence for a moment longer.

It wasn't like they have never snuggled together before; whenever they shared a tent off-world, no matter how much distance was between them in the evening, they would always manage to get close at some point during the night. It was more than just a couple of times that they woke up with one of them spooned behind the other or in the same position that they were lying now. Now, however, it was the first time that it didn't cause them any awkwardness, as it always would whenever they were both aware that it happened, and they didn't need to act as if it has never taken place. They could simply enjoy this closeness.

If there were still any doubts left in her mind about the decision she had made on the previous evening, they completely vanished. It was as if a huge weight of her feelings for him was lifted off her shoulders; the importance of keeping them locked up in the farthest corner of her heart so that nobody, including the man in question, would know about their existence had evaporated. It seemed to have gotten even worse, even more difficult during the last couple of weeks – or actually months, since they were reliving the same day for at least three of them – and being here now, with him, she suddenly felt free. What she felt for him wasn't a burden anymore, quite the contrary; it was the base of happiness, which was filling every little corner of her heart. If anything could convince her that choosing to take a risk and explore those forbidden feelings was the right thing to do, it was definitely the way she felt in that moment.

She was aware that it was just the tip of an iceberg for them, although now that they were on a certain path, it was easier to consider all the circumstances. They would soon have to face the reality of their lives and there was a lot standing in their way, their job being the biggest matter of all. In the glimmer of consciousness last night, she asked him what they would do with their situation; they were two officers of the United States Air Force, serving not only in the same base but even in the same team, and if it wasn't bad enough, he was directly her CO. He made it clear that he believed it would be best to keep it quiet, at least for some time and she had to agree with him, despite the consequences it could bring. She also found it funny to think about her opinion about the women, who had affairs with their bosses, finding it the easiest way to get to the top. She has never really tried to hide it, doing her best to prove that women weren't in any way worse than men and could do the same thing as well, if not better than them. If by some accident, they were found out, she would not only be labelled as one of them – no, she would be famous as the most pathetic of them all. The real truth, the fact that she was as far as it was possible from doing it for career advancement, wouldn't matter and the rumours circulating around the SGC about the two of them certainly wouldn't help – it would probably end up being their confirmation. It surprised even her, but the longer she thought about it, the more she realised that she didn't really care – the choice she had made could turn out to be the best in her entire life and she was entirely happy with it.

"You know, I can almost see all these wheels turning in your head, Carter… What are you thinking about so intently at such an hour of the day?" his voice brought her back from her reflections and they shifted, so they were both lying on their sides, his head propped-up on his hand, putting just enough distance between each other to be able to look at the other's face.

"Well, this." she said, and the way she spoke the word left Jack with no doubts that she was speaking about everything that had changed between them during the last twelve hours.

"Any regrets, second thoughts?" he asked, feeling his stomach clench into a tight knot.

It was something he feared the most about this sudden turn of events - that she would wake up in the morning and realise that she had made a mistake. Even though he knew that she wasn't the sort of person to constantly change their mind, he was still worried that it could happen this time and it scared the hell out of him. The moment he walked out of her lab he knew, that one way or another, nothing was ever going to be the same between them again. He dreaded the thought that she would push him away, but he now knew that it wasn't the worst case scenario; the thought of her succumbing into her heart's desires, which he was aware now were the same as his, only to walk away at the first opportunity was even worse. He wouldn't try to stop her if it was what she wanted, as he cared about her strongly enough to let her go if it would make her happy. He didn't dare to call the feelings he had for her love, even though he was aware that if he wasn't already, he was very close to getting there, but he was absolutely certain that if his worries came true, it would be a blow to his heart, from which he wouldn't be able to recover.

It was, actually, what terrified him the most – the thought of losing her. If it was her decision to leave, he would at least have the awareness that she was well and happy, but considering what they were doing, there was also the constant possibility that she could be taken away from him by their enemy. He was certain that this time, he wouldn't be able to move on and the possibility of getting over it was completely nonexistent, how much could one person take, after all? Even after all these years, he has never gotten over Charlie's death, and in fact his divorce with Sara as well, although the latter was something he had actually managed to, in a way, move on from. The fact that his feelings for Sam developed was the best indication, and he knew that Samantha Carter was not only his opportunity for a second chance, but also the only person, who could help him leave this part of his past behind for good. But he was still afraid of the thought of committing himself to her, scared that it would be taken away from him or that he would do something to screw everything up once again, knowing that it would destroy him.

Sam's brows furrowed when she saw the frown appear on his face and she started to wonder what he was thinking about. She was sure it was nothing good, considering the gloomy expression in his eyes, and she felt slightly surprised, considering that she hadn't yet given him an answer to his question. She reached out and touched his face, feeling the rough stubble on her skin; he blinked, realising that he drifted off a little when he saw her questioning gaze, her slight concern clear in her eyes.

"No, Sir. I have absolutely no second thoughts about it." she finally answered, smiling a little and he let out a breath, which he didn't even know he was holding.

"Seriously?" he snorted, rolling his eyes. The way she looked at him left let him know that she had no idea what it was about. "Carter, you're lying naked in my bed and you still call me 'Sir'?" he asked and a corner of his mouth moved up a little, when he noticed her blush.

"Ugh, sorry... Habit, I guess…" she explained, now understanding his reaction perfectly. It was definitely one of those situations, when she could forget about the etiquette, although she found it a little strange to think about him differently than Colonel O'Neill, who he always was for her.

"You will have to drop it, then. I will have to get over it on the base, during missions and when we're amongst people, who would found it strange if you suddenly switched to calling me Jack, but other than that I want you to use my name."

"Does that mean that you will use mine, then?" she inquired and saw him shrug in response.

"Carter is your name, and besides, I like it. Honestly – how many people call you that?" he asked and she knew what he meant. It was pretty much his special, sort of affectionate name for her, one used only by him just like it was with Danny for Daniel and T for Teal'c. She was Sam to her friends, and Major to the rest; the man in front of her was the only one calling her Carter and as much as she loved hearing him use her first name, she grew quite fond of it. 'Sam' coming from his lips was a very rare occurrence, one that happened only when he had something truly meaningful to say, and it always made her heart skip a beat. She had to admit that it would be somewhat strange if he suddenly switched to it, as if it would suddenly lose its meaning.

A smug smile made its way onto his face, when he guessed what she was thinking and he gently touched her face, tenderly caressing her cheek while he looked into her eyes. Those deep, expressive blue eyes, which had haunted his dreams for a long time now, were certainly his favourite of her assets, even if only one of many. He doubted that there was anyone who would disagree with him if he said that this woman had any number of qualities. For a start, she wasn't only breathtakingly beautiful, but also extremely intelligent, and he could only wonder how in the world he had been so lucky to have attracted her. He was convinced she could have any man she wanted, and yet for some strange, inexplicable reason, it was him she chose – an old, battered soldier with a difficult past, which he would never be able to fully leave behind. There was no way he would ever do anything to actually deserve her, but he was certainly going to try.

"So, have any plans for your day off?" he asked, his heart filling with hope.

Even though just on the previous day he wasn't really looking forward to having a day off, he would much rather go on a mission so that he could take his mind off certain things, now it could turn out to be an advantage. If only she was free and agreed, he could get to spend the whole day with her, instead of just some short time in the morning before she would have to leave.

"I was thinking I could use the free time to finally try and figure out what is the device that SG-4 had brought from P3S-977 and how it works. With everything going on recently, I just didn't have the opportunity to…" she stopped, when she saw him frown and hold up his hand, preventing her from saying anything else.

"There's no way I'm letting you spend such a beautiful day as it seems today is going to be bricked up in your lab playing with another one of your doohickeys." he said. He had checked the forecast on the previous day and knew that it was supposed to be warm and sunny, and if the rays of sunlight coming to his bedroom through the window were any evidence, the meteorologists were right. "My plan was to go on a hike in the Cheyenne Mountain State Park. It would be nicer if you came along."

Sam chuckled, shaking her head. She had never thought she would use the word 'cute' to describe him, but the way he was looking at her in that moment, with a pleading expression in his brown eyes and a hint of smile on his lips. It was almost as if she was looking at the little boy, who was silently begging her to accompany him and she knew she was in trouble; how on earth was she supposed to say no, when he was looking at her like this? Not that she actually wanted to turn down his invitation, she was eager to spend the day with him, but if he ever realised what sort of effect this gaze had on her, she would be in deep trouble.

"I'd love to go." she eventually said and his lips widened into a huge grin. "I've been planning to go there ever since I moved to Colorado Springs, but I never really got around to do that."

"Come on, Carter, you've got to be kidding! Are you saying that you've lived here for over three years, work under Cheyenne Mountain, yet you have never went on a hike in the park?!" he exclaimed, obviously shocked by her revelation and she only nodded, blushing a little. "Well, now that I think about it, I shouldn't be that surprised… With the fact that you prefer spending your free time stuck under a mountain and playing with mysterious alien devices to enjoying the clear air, peace and freedom of Northern Minnesota, relaxing on a dock with a fishing rod in your hands, I should have guessed that you hadn't gone to explore the beauty of this area."

"Hey, I wanted to! It's not my fault that we spend way more time on other planets than on our own, and when we aren't off-world we're usually on base anyway, ready to go through the gate as a back-up or on a rescue mission if the situation requires it!"

"Well, you will catch up on everything you missed during the last three years, I'll make sure of that." he said, leaning closer and brushed his lips against hers in a gentle kiss before getting out of the bed. "Now, let me take a shower and while you take yours, I'll fix us some breakfast. Trust me, Carter; you won't regret joining me on this little trip!"

She smiled, seeing the way his eyes were shining with excitement and got out of the bed herself, looking around in search of her clothes. It was a much more difficult task than she thought it would be. Jack could only grin, when he heard her shout to him did he have any idea where her bra was; she would probably never going to find out how on earth it got behind a small cabinet on the way to his bedroom. She looked outside the window in the kitchen, while she prepared coffee for both of them; she was surprised how comfortable she felt at his place, as if her being there in the morning was the most casual thing in the world. She was quite sure they wouldn't have a lot of days like this one – and even then, they could be recalled to base at any moment if they were needed – but she had a feeling that life with Jack O'Neill as something more than her CO would be exciting and was looking forward to discovering just how much.