Chapter 7

It wasn't that the day hadn't been nice, because it had. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy his company, because she did. It wasn't that she wanted to go home, because she definitely didn't. It was just hard to be around him; the sting from Sam's words was still lingering, much to her dismay.

He had spent the majority of the day trying to lift her spirits and she did really try to have a good time, but all she could muster was a strained smile, at most and he was trying not to take it personally because he knew she was hurting and his dumb ass jokes weren't actually funny. He wouldn't laugh at them, either. He just wanted to see her like she was yesterday - happy.

He took her back to the lake for a while, and they each spent the time there doing their own things. He was fishing and she sat at the dock by his side, feet dangling in the cool clean water, reading a book. He tried to get her to go swimming, but she insisted that she was too tired, the best known excuse a woman could give. He didn't push her, but he went swimming himself in hopes she would join him. She didn't.

Lunch had been a little better. Cassie had called and the effect was immediate on Janet. Jack even got to speak to Cass for a minute or two, which made him realize just how much he missed the girl. Janet promised to make dinner for him and her once they got back so they could catch up. It wasn't long, though, until she was quiet and sullen again.

"Janet," he said a little more loudly than he intended, causing her to look up from her book with big doe eyes,"let me take you out to dinner."

He saw her put on that strained smile again and he frowned. She saw his frown, and frowned as well. They were silent for a minute or two as he looked at her pointedly, and she finally sighed.

"Looks like I don't have much of a choice, do I?" He caught a slight glimpse of a smile, but it faded quickly.

"Nope, you don't." He said this with a smile on his face.

She sighed, shut her book, and stood. "Are you hungry now?" He asked.

She shrugged. "I could eat now or later."

He nodded slowly. "We'll leave in an hour. Sound good?"

She nodded and they both smiled. She started to walk down the dock back up the cabin, but turned around.

"Thanks."

He raised his hand, seemingly disregarding her comment, but he smiled broadly. He watched her journey back up to the cabin and pulled out his cell phone.

"Carlo? It's Jack. Table for two for tonight, please."

Almost an hour later, right on the dot, Jack was in the living room, waiting for Janet. He told her the restaurant was a nice place and he wasn't lying. You know that if Jack O'Neill dons a pair of khaki dress pants and a white button, he's not kidding around. He left the top three buttons of his crisp dress shirt undone and his sleeves were rolled up, for it was summer and he didn't have to be as conservative as he usually did. This wasn't a work function.

He was lounging on the couch, flipping through a near ancient issue of National Geographic with one hand, when she came out. He looked her up, starting at her feet to tip of her head, and was speechless. She was clad in an black sheath dress that was tight in all the right places and showed almost the entirity of her little but perfect legs. He noticed she wasn't wearing pantyhose. Her hair was down around her face, just brushing her shoulders, and she wore a little more makeup than usual.

"Damn," Jack said, letting out a low whistle. She smiled shyly. He couldn't tell if she was blushing or if the rosy pink gracing her cheeks was just her make up.

"Oh, stop." She said this with a smile on her face. As a sudden afterthought, she added, "Is this okay?"

"Janet," he made his way over to her and put his hands on her bare shoulders, "it's perfect."

She nodded and stepped out of his grasp, grabbing her purse off of the coffee table. She went to reach for her phone, but he swatted at her hand.

"Ah ah ah. Leave it. I told Cassie we would be out for dinner for a couple of hours."

She still reached for the phone. "But what if-"

"I'm serious. Leave it. Everything will be fine, okay?"

She stopped reaching for her cell, but she didn't look happy about it. "Your house, your rules."

"I knew you'd see it my way!" He beamed.

Once they pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, Janet couldn't help but smile. It was an upscale, authentic little italian restaurant. She hadn't been out to a nice dinner in ages. Usually when it was her and Cassie, she cooked; the same could be said about her and Sam. She was usually the one that made dinner most nights, and to be honest, she couldn't remember the last time she had been somewhere this nice. It had definitely been over a year.

They both got out of the car and made their way to the front double doors. As soon as they walked in, it was clear that Jack had been coming here for many, many years.

"Jack, my boy! It is too great to see you," said a smaller Italian man with a full beard and mustache, tanned skin, dressed in a suit and tie. Him and Jack clasped hands and pulled each other into a quick hug. She watched Jack's face, his friendly expression, and she couldn't help but smile, too.

"Hey, Tony."

"And who is this beautiful lady?" Tony asked, looking down at Janet. That smile was still on his face.

"This is my friend, Janet." She held her hand out to shake Tony's hand, but he encapsulated her into a fierce hug. She laughed nervously and hugged him, a little taken aback, but happy, nonetheless.

"It is very nice to meet you, Janet. Let me lead you to your table." He motioned for them to follow. "Jack hasn't brought a date here in ages!" He pulled out Janet's chair for her and Jack took the seat opposite her.

"Tony, this is not a date. Two friends just having dinner together."

"Oh, yes, just friends. My mistake," he said as he pushed Janet's chair in and winked at Jack over the top of her head. Jack sent him back a defiant stare and Tony laughed. "And what would you like to drink?"

"A Guinness for me."

She quickly scanned the menu. "I'll have a glass of water and a glass of any white wine you would recommend."

"A lady that knows what she wants. Very nice. Your drinks will be out in just a minute. And once again, Janet, my name is Tony, and it has been a pleasure to meet you." He clapped a hand on Jack's shoulder and then made his way back to the kitchen.

Jack watched Janet across from the table as she read the menu, her teeth grazing her bottom lip, fingernails tapping on the table rhythmically, but so softly he had to strain to hear them. Pieces of auburn hair were caressing her eyelashes, causing her to blink several times before pushing them away. He couldn't help but notice how well she fit into this part of his life or how well she fit into any part of his life, now that he thought about it. It just felt right being here with her.

He had never taken anyone from the SGC here before. This was such a private place for him, and now that he thought about it, Sara was the only other person to every accompany him to this restaurant. He cared for his coworkers, very deeply, but it was important to him to have something separate from them. When you spend all of your days with the same three or four people, it is nice to have a place to just get away from the ordinariness of every day life. This is what this restaurant represented for him - somewhere he could go to get away from his all encompassing work life. And he hadn't thought twice about bringing Janet here. She was the one person he wanted to share this with.

"So," she said, closing her menu and flashing him a smile. It hadn't taken her long to notice that the entire restaurant was comprised of couples. She winked and leaned forward, arching an eyebrow. "You come here often?"

He laughed easily and openly which made her smile wider. "Never with a friend as good as you." Janet silently noted that he called her a friend before a coworker, and felt her stomach lurch when she realized the subtle frustration she was felt that she was just a friend. The sudden realization startled her. It really did. Sure, she had been attracted to him for quite some time, but it never really bothered her that they were just friends. Friendship was always more important than whatever else could exist between them. She was always perfectly fine with admiring from afar. Until now.

He leaned in, mimicking her previous movements, and she could feel herself blushing very deeply. Even her neck was radiating heat. She smiled awkwardly, but he didn't seem to notice. She was thankful that Tony came back with their drinks before she could trip over her tongue that felt like it weighed more than it should.

They both placed their orders, both pasta dishes. She found herself drawn to a younger couple over Jack's shoulder that were sitting on the same side of the booth and constantly touching hands. It made her think of how her and Sam used to do that when they first started seeing each other. Even though they had to drive a good distance to get to a restaurant in a town where they knew they wouldn't run into anybody, it had felt so nice to feel the other woman's leg and arm pressed against her on their dates. She blinked quickly and returned her focus on Jack and found him staring at her, his eyes glassy and dark. She smiled at him, already forgetting about Sam. No wonder Tony had thought they were a couple. They sure as hell looked like one.

She blinked and look down at her hand that was suddenly covered by Jack's much larger one.

"Janet?" He asked, his hand warm and heavy atop of hers. "I've been saying your name for almost a minute."

She shook her head, her hair bouncing a bit, and laughed tightly, but she didn't remove her hand. "I'm sorry, my mind must have wandered. What were you saying?"

Jack could tell something was up, but this were neither the time, nor the place, to ask her about it. He didn't want to do anything that would wipe that smile off of her face. He realized that it was probably strange to her, the way he was looking at her. After further inspection, the way he was looking at her wasn't much different from the rest of the men in the room with their respective women. A few of them were even looking at Janet that way. One directly behind her kept sneaking glances at her back and legs, and he wasn't the only one. Jack felt jealousy pit from his stomach and make his throat tighten. He didn't remove his hand from hers until their food came.

They ate and then settled into small talk, both ordering a second round of drinks, then a third round, and she began to feel the alcohol go to her head. She caught herself actually giggling at Jack's jokes, a sure sign that she, Janet Fraiser, was more than a little drunk.

"It's getting late." He stated simply, and she looked around the restaurant. Only two other couples remained.

"Oh, you're right." He motioned for the check, and she dug around her purse for her wallet. "Let me pick up half of this-"

She felt his hand on hers, and when she looked up, he was giving her a look that anyone could read. A look that said don't you dare pull your wallet out of your purse, Janet. "I got this."

His eyes were so dark, probably as dark as hers, and he didn't look away for several seconds. When she felt the heat begin to pool between her thighs, making her uncomfortably warm and sensitive, she knew she would be having sex with the Colonel tonight. No doubt about it.

"Want a drink?" He asked as he poured one for himself. He was tipsy. Scotch on the rocks. Smooth. Strong. He looked over from the kitchen at her and she nodded as she practically fell down onto the couch in front of her. He knew she had to be tipsy, too. The car ride had been silent, aside from the radio playing. He knew she could see him watching her the majority of the ride home, but she didn't look at him once. He thought something had been wrong - he still did. He poured an identical tumbler and brought both drinks into the living room, sitting across from her on the loveseat.

When she heard the glasses clanking on the table, she opened her eyes. He could tell she was chewing her lip. He held up his glass in the air. She understood what he was going for and they clanked glasses before drinking. He sipped his slowly while she threw her head back and swallowed it all in one gulp. She winced, wiped her mouth, and then smiled at Jack slowly.

"Everything okay?" He asked, then took another sip of his drink. Her eyes were glassy and her skin was rosy, a fine layer of sweat on her forehead. He knew she was drunk before she even opened her mouth.

"Everything's fine." She gave him a thumbs up and leaned back against the couch again, smiling. He finished off his drink and realized that he was probably just overanalyzing the situation and hoped she wasn't thinking about Sam.

"I'm drunk," she said, giggling and smiling infectiously.

He smiled back at her. "Good."

She stood up, swaying slightly. She straightened after a few seconds and put her hands on her hips. "Are you?"

"A little." She frowned down at him and swatted her hair out of her eyes.

"Well, while you're making yourself another drink, I'll put on some music."

Jack laughed and stood, grabbing both of their glasses. He watched her browse through his cds while he poured himself some more and a much smaller, watered down drink for her. She fumbled with the cd case, but eventually got it, and did a little dance when she got it to actually play the disk.

She stood in the middle of the living room, swaying her hips in a practiced way, her eyes closed, when he heard a familiar Heart album pour through the speakers. She didn't open her eyes but held out one of her hands when she heard him coming. He drank half his drink before taking her hand. It was warm in his.

"I love them," she said, her eyes still closed. He laid a hand on her lower back, pulling her in close. She opened her eyes then, startled, and fell against his chest. She smiled up at him before taking a step back and putting her hand in his. "Sorry."

"Don't be."

They swayed silently together until Jack realized they weren't really moving at all. Just holding onto each other. "Janet."

She looked up, her big brown eyes golden in the light above them, her hair a beautiful red, Ann Wilson's voice pouring from the speakers. Before she had a chance to protest, he pressed his mouth against hers gently and she responded immediately. Her grip on his hand tightened and she moaned softly into his mouth, a sound he would remember for the rest of his life, even if he never heard it again.

He kissed her harder, his one hand leaving hers to snake up into her hair, attempting to pull her even closer, even though that was impossible. He trapped both of her hands against his chest and they continued kissing until she had to break for air.

"Wow," she whispered, her voiced thick with alcohol and desire. He could feel her hands shaking lightly against his abdomen. She reached up on her tippy toes and kiss him again, but he pulled his head away.

"Wait." Her brow furrowed. He sneaked a glance down the front her dress all the way down to her toes and then back up to her face and took a deep breath. "If I kiss you again, Jan, I don't think I'll be able to stop. I won't be able to control myself. Do you know what that means?"

Without an answer, she pulled his head down, their lips touching, and he pulled her towards his bedroom.