Man of Mystery

by trupi & sg-1fanintn

Author's Note: trupi and I thank those of you who have sent e-mails or reviewed this story here on the site. Thanks, too, to those who have placed this story on their alerts list. I enjoyed working with a collaborator, and I'm so glad trupi dreamed this story idea! Now, we return to a certain cabin in Minnesota, where our favorite pair are enjoying an evening together. Sugar alert: happy ending on the way!

Chapter 3

They hadn't done much more stargazing...at least…not through the telescope. The power of that kiss, on top of the words they had already said to each other, drove them to the chaise lounge, where they snuggled, kissed and got better acquainted with this new facet of their relationship. For his part, Jack wanted nothing more than to make love to her right there on his roof, but he kept himself in check. There was plenty of time for that later. He didn't want to rush her. Besides, for now, this was new, and it was very, very good.

Sam was on her side, pressed up next to Jack, his strong arms around her, one of her arms across his waist. She was overwhelmed again by how right this felt. Somewhere deep inside, she knew that these were the arms meant to hold her through whatever life brought her way; that this was the man who more than any other, respected and treasured her. Why only Jack O'Neill could make her feel this way, she didn't understand, but it didn't matter. She felt safer and more at ease with him than with any other man she had ever known. And after trying to fit the role of "girlfriend" her previous partners had expected of her, the acceptance of Jack's unconditional affection was a powerful thing.

Sam was overcome by the door that had opened for them. Suddenly, the regs that had restrained them for so long had been pushed away. Suddenly, they were free to express the feelings they had held in check all these years, and she was relishing it. Without even realizing it, her hand began to caress his strong, firm torso. Sighing, she reveled in how good he felt under her touch, how wonderful it felt to be lying in his embrace, how much she wanted to…

"I'd like to say I'll give you like…the next two decades to stop that," he murmured, "but if you don't stop, we're both going to be naked in about five minutes. And while I personally find that idea very, very hot, I can't stop thinking about all those satellites above us taking pictures, and I just don't think it would be a good idea to show up for my first day at work to find my bare ass posted in the break room at the Pentagon."

She giggled—why was she giggling so much tonight? He turned on his side and pulled her to him, and she was confronted with the proof of his words. She looked at him wide-eyed, and he grinned. "Sam, you should know by now what you do to me." His lips claimed hers in a deep, intimate kiss, as his body pressed up to hers. Instinctively, she responded, pressing against him, feeling their shared passion, wanting more…

One of his large, strong hands slipped down to cup her backside, drawing her closer. She pulled her mouth away from his to gasp, as a wave of passion threatened what little self-control she had left. He was moving to unbutton her jeans when she managed to say, "Naked…Pentagon…" and his hands stilled.

He softly chuckled before gently stroking her neck. "God, I want you," he murmured.

"Me too," she responded breathlessly.

Jack looked deeply into Sam's eyes before placing a kiss on her forehead. Then, with a sigh, he sat up and rubbed his face, still determined not to coax her into something for which she wasn't ready. "Ok, that's the hardest thing I've had to do in awhile." After a moment, he slowly stood, walked over to the edge of the deck and put the telescope and tripod away. Turning back to her, he held out his hand. "Come on. Let's go inside. I have an idea."

Smoothing down her top, she nodded. At this point, she would follow him anywhere, without question. But then again, that's what she had been doing for the past eight years.

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When they arrived in the living room, Jack moved to the stereo and loaded a disc into the system. As the soft music started playing, he turned to her and bowed, a smile in his eyes. "May I have this dance?"

She giggled…again…and stepped into his embrace. Harry Connick, Jr., was singing in the background:

Are the stars out tonight?
I don't know if it's cloudy or bright
'Cause I only have eyes for you, dear.
The moon may be high
But I can't see a thing in the sky
'Cause I only have eyes for you.

I don't know if we're in a garden
Or on a crowded avenue
You are here, so am I
Maybe millions of people go by
But they all disappear from view
And I only have eyes for you

She had expected to be held close, but she hadn't expected him to actually know how to dance. However, it was clear that the man leading her around the hardwood floors wasn't just shuffling his feet. She concentrated on following his lead at first, but he made it so effortless for her that soon, she was just gliding along with him.

When the first song ended, he looked at her sheepishly. "Need another explanation?"

"As to how the toughest CO I ever had just happens to know how to dance?"

"Yeah," he replied, as the next song began and he pulled her close.

"After everything else I've learned tonight, no…I don't think so. I just have to remember," she murmured into his ear, "that Jack O'Neill is a man of mystery, and that nothing with you will ever be routine. After all, it never has been."

He chuckled, and she hugged him tighter as she felt his laughter reverberate through her body. They continued that way for several more minutes before he pulled back from her at the end of a song. Sliding his arms down hers, he took her hands in his. "Sam…I…"

"I love you, Jack." Sam gasped. Had she said that out loud?

Her words stopped him cold…and then the smile started to spread across his face. Sam was blushing and biting her lip, her eyes glued to the floor.

"Uh…that's what I was about to say," he murmured. He let go of one of her hands to reach out and gently lift her chin until she was looking him in the eye. She saw that his eyes were glistening. The realization made tears form in her eyes too. "In fact, I was going to say that I've loved you for a very long time…" Jack placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before pulling her close. "Great…now that we have all this figured out, I'm moving."

"Ya know, somehow, I'm not worried about that. We've survived much worse things than a 2,000 mile separation."

"We'll make it," he agreed. "We've wanted this too long to fail." He started to say something else, but hesitated.

"What is it, Jack?"

His determination not to proceed was finally broken by their last joint confession. He decided to go ahead and ask. "Sam…any chance I could convince you to stay in my room with me tonight?"

"I don't think you could convince me to stay anywhere else."

Smiling, he pulled her into a tight embrace before leading her down the hall.

---

Rain was pounding down on the cabin's tin roof when the phone rang. Jack reached out to answer it, but found himself restrained by an arm across his mid-section. Gently lifting it, he rolled over and picked up the receiver as the phone rang for the fourth time.

"O'Neill," he muttered sleepily.

"Jack, are you still asleep?" Daniel asked.

"Well, I WAS…" he said.

"Sorry, Jack, but I wanted to let you know that it'll be one more day until Teal'c and I can get there. The Jaffa are organizing their high council, and Teal'c sent a message that he won't be back here until tonight."

"Yeah…thanks for letting me know, Danny." Jack spoke softly to avoid disturbing Sam, who was still sound asleep.

"I'm sorry, Jack. I know you wanted us to be there to help cheer Sam up. How's she doing?"

Jack glanced over at the woman beside him in bed. She was turning toward him, and she let out a low sigh as her sleeping body again located his. Again, he spoke softly. "Sam is…good, Daniel. Better than I expected, in fact."

There was a pause before Daniel spoke again. "Jack…why are you whispering?"

"I'm not awake yet."

"Sam is there in bed with you, isn't she?"

Silence.

"She is, isn't she? This is great, Jack! I mean, as long as it's serious."

"What do you think, Daniel? I mean, really…"

"Of course, of course it's serious. What else could it be? Wow, wait 'til I tell Teal'c!"

"Daniel!" Jack was having a hard time keeping his voice low.

"Oh, right…not a word, Jack, not a word. I understand. Ok…gotta go. We'll call tomorrow when we're about an hour away."

"Great…thanks, Daniel." Jack clicked the off button and slipped the phone back into its base. Glancing beside him, he studied the contours of Sam's face, and smiled as he remembered the events of the night before. He gently pushed a lock of hair off her face. Then, settling himself back into place beside her, he put his arms around her as she snuggled into him, and he thought how content he felt.

The rhythmic sound of rain falling on the roof was making him drowsy. There would be no fishing today, he thought. Might as well sleep in for awhile. Sam stirred then, moving her head into the crook of his neck and tightening her hold on his waist. He closed his eyes, silently sending thanks to whoever had sent this woman into his life, and decided to go back to sleep until she awoke. Although the weather would keep them inside all day, he was confident they would find something to do.