Chapter 5

"That was a lot of fun. We'll have to go back before we leave."

Janet looked at him. She was just about to apologize for her crude behavior down at the lake. The walk back made her realize that she had just been so comfortable in Jack's presence the past day and a half and she was just trying to work through her feelings for Sam. She had to keep so many parts of herself hidden in her just recently ended relationship. Her fun side definitely came out today and she hoped it hadn't jeopardized their friendship.

"Damn. If the guys at the SGC knew you ran naked off of cliffs…" He trailed off, smiling at her and going inside. He decided not to let his all to sudden feelings of desire for his doctor to interfere with the dynamics of the trip; He still wanted to have a good time in her company. He could push these suddenly strong feelings away for the time being.

She shrugged and made her way into the house, as well. She wasn't going to dwell on what she had done if Jack was joking around about it and grinning. He didn't seem like he needed an apology, but she still wanted to give on to him later in the evening.

They had spent the majority of the day at the lake and both pretty worn out from it. When she got inside, Jack was lying on his back on the couch, drinking a beer. He raised his hand in acknowledgment.

"You wore me out today." He said, finishing the beer and setting the empty bottle on the table.

She smirked. "Same here. My muscles are just plain tired. And I'm sunburned!" She pulled away the shoulder of her tee shirt to show a substantially pink burn line. He noticed her nose was pretty pink, as well.

"There's aloe in the bathroom cabinet if you need it later."

She nodded and barely stifled a yawn."I am going to go make my bed and lie down - You should do the same."

He nodded and said he would probably just stay out here on the couch because it was just too damned comfortable to move. She laughed and said he couldn't bitch to her if he got a kink in his playful, usual banter had returned and that put Janet even further at ease with what she had done. Regardless, what the hell had she been thinking?

Jack quickly fell into a deep sleep on the couch, snoring slightly. After Janet got out of her still somehow damp clothes, she did the same. The clean sheets felt refreshing on her burned skin and she slipped into sleep faster than she imagined she would.

Almost two hours later, Jack was the first to awaken, precisely for the reason she said he couldn't bitch about. He sat up, a little disoriented - He had been sleeping too hard and now he had a headache. He ran a hand through his short salt and pepper hair and made his way to the bathroom for some ibuprofen. He hated waking up with headaches. It was the absolute worst.

On the way to the bathroom at the end of the hall, he sneaked a peek into Janet's room to see if she was still asleep. He was surprised she left the door open, especially when he took in her state of undress. She was half under the covers, lying on her stomach with her right half atop the blanket. He winced at the stark burn lines the covered her body and felt the urge to run his hands over every single one of them, followed by his lips.

He shook his head and was about to close the bedroom door when she woke up and looked directly at him with a small smile on her lips. "What time is it?"

He thought she might have been feigning sleep. He couldn't help but stare as she kicked the rest of the blanket off and stretched languidly. She couldn't help but smile wickedly because she caught him staring.

"Uh-"

"Like what you see?" She asked, standing up in front of him, and he couldn't tell if she was joking or not. She laughed at the overwhelmed expression on his face and before she could even blink, his lips were on hers and his hands were on either side of her face, holding her firmly in place. She didn't offer up any resistance and kissed him back immediately. Neither of them could think about anything except for the kiss and when he pushed her backwards until her legs hit the bed, she was aware that he was still fully dressed.

"Wait," she said between kisses as she fell gently back onto the bed, "clothes." She tugged at his tee shirt as she fell and he pulled it over his head and tossed in behind him onto the floor. He was still standing and she let her eyes roam his chest and shoulders.

He looked down at her, so much desire in his eyes that it genuinely surprised her. She had not expected him to react like this, but she was in no way, shape, or form complaining. She had been longing for this moment for many years, the main reason that Sam had ended things with her. She had let it slip in casual conversation one night that she had imagined what it would be like to end up in bed with the Colonel, and of course Sam never let her forget it. She had tried to explain to Sam that just because she had thought about it did not mean she would ever act on it, but clearly that hadn't been a good enough answer for her lover at the time.

She watched intently as his hands worked the buttons on his shorts, and before she knew it, his shorts and boxers were pooled around his ankles on the floor. She let an involuntary gasp; Of course she had seen him naked below the waist before, but never like this. This was even better than what she had imagined. She inched back on the bed until she was completely on it and propped herself up on her elbows for a better view.

He didn't give her much time to admire his manhood and he was soon pressed on top of her. She dropped to her back and felt his chapped lips at her ear. "Please tell me to stop."

She was sure that he could feel her heart against his chest, that's how hard it was beating. He began to nibble on her ear lobe, then drew a line of featherlight kisses down her jaw. When he finally pressed their hips together, she moaned loudly, and cried, "Please, don't stop."

He growled, and she was sure a similar sound erupted from her throat, as well. She could feel himself position the tip just at her opening and he looks up into her face. His brown eyes were darker than she had ever seen them and his nostrils were flared. She gave a slight nod and he pushed himself deep within her, and then -

She jumped awake in bed, sweat soaking the sheets. She looked up at the ceiling and closed her eyes again, realizing that all was just a dream. A damned good dream, at that. Her blanket and top sheet were tangled around her legs and her hair was definitely a hot mess. She fanned her face with her hand as got out of bed and shut the door quietly, going over to her bag to change in looser, less constricting clothing than earlier today.

Jack was awake on the couch when she made her appearance back into the living room. "Ah! Sleeping beauty awakens!"

She smiled sheepishly at him and ran a hand through her somewhat tamed hair. "I didn't mean to sleep so long."

He laughed and put down his book. "Yeah, you were out. I was going to wake you, but decided against it."

She stared at him, trying to read if he saw her in the state she was in when she awoke, just like at the beginning of her dream. He smiles innocently at her and decides that he probably didn't or he would have said something - That's just the way that Jack O'Neill was.

He turned to watch her in the kitchen over the top of the couch. "How's the sunburn?"

She hadn't been to aware of the sunburn, still pretty flustered over her dream, but she did feel hot and her shirt was feeling scratchy against her back. "Not too bad, except on my back. You know, I haven't been sunburned in years…"

"Come here."

She looked over at him and he was holding the aloe bottle; she hadn't even heard him leave. Damn Black Ops training.

When she sat down on the couch next to him, she thought about how she was going to get her shirt up over her back while keeping some modesty and not revealing anything. He's seen you naked, stupid. She let out a long breath and just shucked her shirt off all together and held it in her lap. So that aloe wouldn't get on it. Yeah.

Well, that's one way to do it. Jack squirted a green blob of aloe into his hand and spread it over her back, hoping his calloused hands didn't irritate the sunburn more than it already was. Her light sigh of relief informed him that his hands were probably fine.

He tried his damned hardest not to look at the curve of her breasts or the bumps of her spine or the way her hair was shining fire red in the light again. No, Sir ree. He didn't dare acknowledge how soft her skin was on her delicate back or how her breasts swayed slightly with each deep breath she took. Focus on the task at hand, Jack.

He was having a difficult time at keep these newfound feelings caged. Not newfound, he reminded himself, just newly acknowledged. He hated that they happened at such an inconvenient time, though. She had just broken up with Sam. He was not about to be a rebound thing, or a fling, or whatever. Not his style.

Janet looked at him over her shoulder, her brows furrowed in confusion. That's when he realized his hands were simply resting on her back, not rubbing the aloe in or do anything at all, really.

"You okay back there?" She asked, a smile forming on her lips.

He shook his head, trying to get rid of the thoughts once and for good. "Uh, yep. Done."

She thanked him as she pulled her shirt back on. Jack knew he should have told her to wait for the aloe to to dry but her fully clothed was probably in the best interest for them both.

XXXXXXXXXX

Some time later after they ate a dinner of chicken and rice, the retired to the deck that overlooked the lake. The sun was setting and Janet really couldn't remember having such a wonderful day in some time. She had nothing to worry about, nobody to fix, and no one to impress. That's probably one of the things she liked most about the Colonel - she never felt as if she had to impress him, or make him laugh, or anything like that. She always had to be a mother for Cassie and when she was with Sam, she had to be what Sam wanted her to be - a submissive, agreeing lover that always gave and never took. It was exhausting for her to keep up with all her roles.

"Penny for your thoughts?" He asked, keeping his eyes out on the sunset over the water.

"Only a penny? Come on, Colonel, I think my thoughts would at least be worth a nickel."

He laughed. "How's a dollar, then?"

She smiled and ran a hand through her hair. She knew he was waiting for her to explain about Sam, but she also knew he would never push the issue. Part of her really didn't want to tell him, because that meant she would have to tell him exactly why Sam had left her. She was perfectly fine without him knowing.

"Just trying to wrap my head around things. You know. Sam." She sighed, and he continued to gaze outward. "I just can't believe I stayed with her for so long."

He finally looked over at her to see her shaking her head, her hands in her hair. He reached over a dropped a hand on her shoulder, not too sure of what else to do. She looked up at him and he could tell she appreciated the gesture, as small as it was.

"Sometimes," he started, putting his feet up on the railing, "you need to be out of a situation before you realize just how wrong it was, you know?" She nodded, still with her hands in her hair.

The sat in silence for a while, and then he asked, "You know, Doc, there's gotta be more to it than her just leaving you because you like everyone."

She laughed at his bluntness. "Well, yeah. There's a little more to it.." She trailed off, looking over at him.

He nodded slowly, silently asking her to continue. He was intrigued.

She closed her eyes and figured now was a better time than any to tell him. "The issue was that I was interested in men, too, but one person in particular."

He raised his eyebrows. "I see. Do I, uh, know this lucky guy?"

She groaned and mumbled her answer so he couldn't hear her.

"What was that?"

"I said," she scrunched up her nose, "it was you."

He blinked once, then twice. She winced.

He had definitely not been expecting that. He ran a hand over his mouth.

"What was that?" He said, half joking, half in disbelief.

She laughed too quickly out of nervousness. "I wasn't going to tell you but I figured.."

Now that he got over the shock, it was definitely not a bad thing that she had feelings for him, considering how strong the feelings he was having for her were becoming. He just wasn't sure how to act this point. It was too soon for anything he had in mind, though now his imagination was running ramped and it made his chest tighten to think that she cared for him.

She mentally berated herself as she watched many different expressions cross his face. Damn it, damn it, damn it!

She stood up, attempting to make her way inside, too embarrassed and flustered to continue with the conversation, when she felt his hand on her forearm, pulling her onto the love seat he sat on. She plopped onto the wooden seat beside him ungracefully and he draped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close, only in a slightly-more-than-friendly manner. You know, subtle.

She let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding and they sat in silence for a few minutes.

"I'll give you twenty dollars for your thoughts right now. In cash. On the spot."

He laughed and she could feel it rumble through his chest. She let her head rest against his shoulder even though she was still tense.

"No need. I'll give em to you for free." He paused. "Just funny how things work out sometimes."

She looked up at him, hoping for him to elaborate, but he didn't. He did pull her closer, though, and laugh again.

Things were quiet for some time before he spoke again. By this time it was dark, and they were gazing up at the stars. "I'm glad you told me."

She took her head off his shoulder. "Really?" Her voice was quiet and small.

"Really."

For the rest of the night until they went inside and slept in their separate beds, Jack pointed out constellations to Janet. He was pretty sure she knew the constellations, that was definitely something Sam would have shown her, but he showed her anyway.