Chapter Two

Although he would have never let her realise it, Jack was inwardly trembling in fear. The words hovered on his lips, waiting to be spoken, for whatever consequence they would bring. There had never been this kind of pressure before.

Ah, hell with it.

"I was thinking of you, Sam. I was always thinking of you, and Kerry knew it. That's the real reason she broke off with me. She knew that she wasn't the one I was looking for."

The words hung in the air, waiting to be absorbed, realised. Jack found himself unable to look away from her,

Her lips trembled ever so slightly and, as the silence continued, Jack wondered if he had said the wrong thing. Maybe this was the wrong time; she was so overwhelmed still with the death of her father. Maybe he was pushing her, but damn it, he'd waited eight long years! He wasn't turning back now!

Still, in the brief moment before she spoke, he considered taking it back, shrugging it off as though it were nothing. Just as he was about to open his mouth to speak, she beat him to it.

"Jack…" it came out an abortive whisper, caught in her throat by emotion. "Don't do this to me. Don't tell me this if you don't…"

She broke off. A solitary tear rolled down her cheek. Swallowing deeply, she lifted her eyes to meet his.

"Sir…Jack. For the last eight years I kept myself reserved from you, telling myself that I could leave it alone and it would go away. When I met Pete, I thought it was my out. He was sweet, and charming, and seemed to really care about me. And I really tried to love him, Jack, but there was always something missing. It took until today for me to realise what it was."

She faced him squarely now. "I split up with Pete today, Jack. And you know what the worst part is? The worst part is that he knew. He knew all along that there was something else, someone else, in the way. But I couldn't do that to him anymore. So I made him go. Then I came to you. I came to tell you how I feel."

Her eyes closed briefly, a pained look crossing her face. When she opened them again, her face was set. Ever the military officer, Carter was ready for whatever the General threw at her.

In a gesture of softness she wouldn't have expected from him, the General gently took her hand. But this wasn't the General. Right now, he was Jack, and he loved her so desperately he was having trouble finding the words to tell her.

"Samantha." Her name slipped over his lips with a soft growl. She sighed gently, under her breath. It had been a long time since anybody had called her by her full name.

"Look at me," he said gently, slipping a large, callused hand under her chin and lifting it until her eyes met his.

"I have waited a long time to tell you this, and now that I'm being promoted, I'm close enough to be allowed." He paused, and then spoke again, his voice a low rumble. "I love you, Samantha Carter. I have for a very long time. You are always in my thoughts. Every time I think about losing you, I'm afraid. It took me a long time, but when you came to me and told me you were going to marry Pete, I knew that I couldn't let you go without letting you know how much I care about you."

Their faces were mere inches apart by this point; their breath mingled warmly in the cool night air. He ached to reach out and touch her, but dared not.

Her words were a whisper, a light breeze on his skin, music in his mind. Her voice had always been a sanctuary, a warm presence in his heart. Her voice had soothed him on many an occasion. When he had been Jonah, it was Thera's soft, gentle tones that calmed him in the night, helped him to find sleep when his mind was restless from a day of hard labour.

"I love you too, Jack. That's why I couldn't marry Pete. I love you so much."

That was all he needed to hear. With one hand, he lifted it to cup the side of her face, stroking his fingers over the smooth skin of her cheek. He read her features like a blind man, tracing gentle fingers along her jaw, feeling her soft hairs tickle his thumb as he stroked the small, delicate rim of her ear. She shivered slightly under his touch, a movement that sent a thrill thorough his entire body.

"Holy buckets, Carter, you don't know what you're doing to me," he growled.

Her large sapphire eyes were gentle, innocent as the gazed back at him.

"I have an idea, Sir." She trembled under his touch. For a moment he was surprised. This was Major Sam Carter, whom with he'd gone into battle, sometimes very certain that they would not come back, and she'd always come out swinging. Rarely had he seen Carter cry, she'd always had that stiff upper lip that made her seem so strong. Today had been the first time he'd really seen her fall apart. He'd been there, to hold and comfort her when she needed him, and when she'd thanked him for being there for her, he'd replied, with more emotion than he could hold back, "Always."

She inched her face closer to his now, her breath soft against his skin.

"Will you kiss me, Jack?"

He needed no urging. Lifting his other hand to cup her face, he brought his lips to hers, in a kiss so light she wasn't quite sure if she had imagined it or not.

"Jack…"

"No." He pressed a finger to her lips. "Samantha-" she shivered slightly at the sound of her name rolling over his lips "-don't say my name as though I'm your CO and you're my 2IC. I'm a man, Sam. I'm just a man who's been waiting the better part of eight years for you."

"Jack…"

This time is was a gentle sigh, a caress on his ears. It was the voice of the woman who would be his lover.

Cupping her face in his hands once again, he kissed her feverishly, urgently, all pretences of gentleness gone. This was Carter, for crying out loud, and she was here, in his arms, after all these years. He revelled in the feel of her lips against his, the sweet taste of her mouth. He grazed his fingers over her face as her arms came up to coil around him like velvety soft ropes. She felt his body harden against hers as his lips explored hers.

Questing, probing, he ran his tongue along the contours of her upper lip. She moaned softly against him and parted her lips to allow him access. He explored her mouth slowly, languorously, drinking in her scent, her taste. Slowly, hesitantly, she mimicked his actions, intertwining her tongue with his. A low growl escaped him as he wrapped his arms around her and drew her closer, crushing her body against his.

After what seemed an eternity, they slowly pulled apart.

"Jesus, Carter." He muttered. "It was certainly worth the wait. How do you do this to me?"

"It's a knack, Sir," she whispered, her old cockiness coming through.

He silenced her with a hard kiss. "No "sir". Not tonight..."

He stood, bringing her with him. She was shivering as he slipped an arm around her, drawing her close.

"Let's go inside, Sam."

She smiled up at him. "You know, I always liked hearing you call me 'Carter'. It's all you've called me for the last eight years."

He shrugged, then sobered. "You OK with this, Carter? Cause I don't do one-nighters."

She grimaced. "Oh, for crying out loud!" Pulling his face down to hers, she whispered, "Neither do I."

That was all Jack needed to hear. Hand in hand, they walked back to the cabin.

TBC…