Chapter Three

Darkness greeted them as Jack opened the door to the house, Sam tucked closely against his side. She nuzzled into him as he fumbled with the doorknob.

"Holy buckets, Carter," he managed. "You keep that up and we'll never get inside. At this rate we'll stay out here 'til morning. "

She laughed softly. "That'd be OK. At least we wouldn't have to worry about Daniel and Teal'c."

At that, Jack finally managed to ease the door open. A gentle squeak had them both tensing. That would be just what they needed, for Daniel or Teal'c to come out and see them like this. It wasn't as though they would have been surprised, true, but for now, that could wait.

Jack didn't risk turning on a single light as they stole through the house, careful not to bump into anything as they went. Down the hall they went, slipping like ghosts past the doors of the guest bedrooms. The unspoken verdict was that only two of the rooms would be occupied this night.

Only when they were safely in the master bedroom with the door closed firmly behind them did Sam and Jack breathe a simultaneous sigh of relief.

Sam giggled suddenly, a little-girl sound. "Why do I feel like a teenager, sneaking in through the back door?"

"You tell me." He brushed past her gently, reaching out to dim the lights. When he turned back to her, she had her arms wrapped around herself, as though she was cold. Jack walked back to her and pulled her into a strong embrace. She cuddled against him for warmth. She was trembling, ever so slightly, within the circle of his arms.

With a gentle motion, Jack cupped Sam's face in one hand, forcing her to look at him.

"Carter, you OK with this?"

It wasn't the question he'd intended to ask, but that was alright.

Her eyes were fixed on his, drinking in their warmth and … was that love? Love for her, shimmering brightly in his deep brown eyes.

She cleared her throat gently, then spoke in a voice so soft it was nearly a whisper. "I'm OK Sir … Jack."

She lowered her eyes. "To be honest, I'm a little scared. I guess I'd gotten used to the fact that after waiting eight years, all this would ever be is a dream, something I could hope for and fantasize about but never have. Now it's real, and I don't know what to do first. I'm about to break some serious regs here, and that scares me because I honestly don't care!" Her eyes were nearly purple in the muted light. They locked on his, twin suns burning into his soul. He could drown in those eyes...

She spoke again, and her voice was velvet-covered steel, strong with resolve. Jack felt a stirring deep inside. He liked this side of Carter, the ass-kicking, don't-mess-with-me soldier. He found himself watching her mouth, fascinated as she spoke. "Here I am. I'm about to make love to my CO, and I don't give a damn. I don't care about the rules and regs, or the consequences. I don't care if they demote me to airman and have me scrubbing toilets. It's worth it. I regret nothing"

He felt her hands on his back. Her fingers danced lightly over the smoothly muscled shirt-encased skin, each touch sending a shock through his entire system.

Jack looked down at her. Her skin glowed in the soft light, and her eyes seemed to glitter, mirroring the emotion within. How he wanted this woman. "I love you, Sam Carter, and I want nothing more right now than to make love to you."

Her eyes were challenging him. "Then do it."

His other hand came up to caress her other cheek. Cupping her delicate face in both hands, he kissed her deeply, probing her mouth with his tongue. She reciprocated in earnest, pressing her body against his and deepening the kiss. Her hands drifted down his back to settle on his rear. He did have a nice butt.

What followed was something beyond anything either of them had ever known. It was eight years of love and need releasing itself in the purest way possible.

"That was amazing."

For a moment he was silent. When he spoke, his voice was thick with emotion. "YOU are amazing, Sam. For crying out loud, I've been in love with you for eight years!" His gaze softened. This was a Jack O'Neill she's never seen before.

"And in all of those eight years, I could never have imagined it being like this."

Her eyes never left his. "You love me?"

He lay down, putting his arm around her and tucking her body in next to his. "Yeah, I do, Sam. And I've had it with these stupid regs keeping us apart. Screw the regs! I'll retire if I have to."

She raised an eyebrow, questioning.

"Kerry," he said, and she winced. He saw her expression change. "No, it's not like that. She's the one who told me to retire, so that I could finally be with you, like this."

She snuggled up nest to him. "I suppose I owe her, and Pete, too. He knew," she said, in response to his questioning glance. "He said he always knew, but he hoped that, when I accepted his proposal, I was leaving it – and you – behind. I couldn't … I can't."

She lifted herself slightly, to face him. "I love you, Jack O'Neill, and if you can't retire, then I will. This job isn't worth what it's costing us."

They lay silently for a moment, each pondering what the other had said. Then, without speaking, they moved at the same time, getting up from the bed and heading to the washroom.

They stood under the water together. Jack stood behind Sam, his arms wrapped around her, as the hot water beat against their still-sensitive skin.

They carefully dried each other off, still without speaking, then, arms wrapped around each other, headed back to bed.

Daniel lay awake, unable to sleep. It had been impossible to ignore what was happening in the master bedroom, as quiet as they had tried to be. He had lain quiet through it all, happy in the fact that his two best friends had finally found each other. He had watched them, both privately suffering for wanting the other. When Sam had gotten together with Pete, Daniel had known the wrongness of it, but Sam had seemed happy, who was he to interfere?

When it came to Jack and Kerry, as private as Jack had tried to be, Daniel knew better. Kerry was a young, beautiful woman, and Jack was trying to lose himself in her, to forget Sam. Apparently, Kerry had also known better.

A light tap interrupted his thoughts. The door creaked open to reveal a very large, pyjama-clad shadow.

"Teal'c?"

"Daniel Jackson. May I enter?"

Daniel sat up, fumbling for his glasses. "Sure. Turn on the light, willya?"

Teal'c did, and sat down. "Daniel Jackson, are you aware of what has transpired? Colonel O'Neill -"

Daniel cut him off. "I know, Teal'c, and it's about time too."

Teal'c inclined his head slightly. "Indeed." He stood up. "I will take my leave, then. You require more sleep. I will kalnorim. Though I no longer require it, I find that the action of it calms me."

"You sure?" Daniel asked. "I can't sleep, Teal'c. If you want to talk, I'm all ears."

He tried not to laugh as Teal'c moved to stare at the side of his head, a questioning look on his face.

"Let's start with 'catechisms'."

TBC…