I may not be able to update over the next few days as I'm flying home for a visit. Sorry folks!
Awkward didn't begin to describe this situation. Neither Sam nor Jack moved an inch. It was as if they were frozen. Fortunately, Jack had arranged it so that one of the furs was between them so they could avoid skin-to-skin contact. He knew it was the only way to survive this.
Jack figured he should be the one to make the first move; he was the commanding officer. How to go about it was the question.
"Sir?" she asked softly. The waiting was killing her.
"Car – Sam, let's drop the Sir okay. That really kinda creeps me out."
"Uh okay …." She didn't think she could call him 'Jack' – that just made this too real.
He lay there not moving until finally, with a silent groan, he rolled onto his side and looked at the woman beside him. He just hoped they were going to pull this off.
"Alright, let's get this show on the road!" He moved over and put his arm around Sam, the fur in between. Okay, step one – that definitely wasn't going to be enough. Even through the 'blanket' he could tell Carter was as stiff as a board. If she felt anything like him she was terrified. He had to do something to ease the situation.
"Sam, you know we don't have to do this if you don't want?"
"Yes we do S – uh. If we don't then I think 'Igor' is going to cause trouble. I'd much rather do this with you than …" She couldn't continue – the thought was too horrible.
"What? You don't relish being Mrs. Igor? Just think of the benefits."
"Benefits?" She lifted her head to look at him, well aware of what he was doing but willing to go along with it.
"Why sure. You'd uh – probably have your pick of meat."
"Yum!"
"Hey, don't knock it! I expect he'd provide you with furs – doesn't every woman want a fur coat?"
"Absolutely, that was always at the top of my list. And don't forget the jewelry Sir."
"Oh yeah! I'm sure he'd give you really big rocks! You'd be the envy of the cave."
"Except they would be … well, rocks. I was thinking more of diamonds."
"Wow, you expect an awful lot. But don't forget, you'd have an amazing place to live. The 'ambiance' is indescribable."
"That's for sure. I haven't yet been able to find words that adequately describe the 'ambiance'."
"A real fireplace Sam!"
"Okay, I'll give you that."
"A pot."
"Yes, a pot is good."
"The neighbors are – entertaining."
"Not the kind of entertainment I'm interested in."
"No?"
"No."
"Well, we mustn't forget the clothes! You gotta admit these guys know fashion."
"Oh yes, naked men – great fashion statement!" Suddenly however, that last thought brought her back to their present predicament. She was very well aware of the naked man lying right beside her.
As both of them stopped talking Jack suddenly realized the cave was totally quiet. That was unusual, to say the least. Usually by this time the couples in the tribe were going at it fiercely. Curious, he moved the fur down and peaked out – what he saw was seriously creepy. Every eye in the place seemed to be on him and Sam. They were all waiting for the 'consummation' to take place. That was just wrong – and – wrong. He quickly pulled the fur blanket back over their heads.
"What is it?" she asked curiously.
"Nothing – just an early night for everyone I guess. Must have a big hunt planned for tomorrow or something."
"Oh." She lay there quietly, wondering what was next.
"Sam?"
"Yes." She replied nervously.
"Are you ticklish?"
"Ticklish? I guess. I don't really know – I mean, no one has tickled me since I was a kid. Why?"
Suddenly, without warning Jack hoisted himself up and reached around her and started to tickle her. At first she was so surprised she didn't respond but then ….
"Ack … stop that!" She started to laugh. He was a very good tickler. Pretty soon she was screeching with laughter and rolling around under the blankets. At one point she flipped over on her stomach, trying to get away from his hands. He immediately straddled her and kept on tickling.
"Stop it Sir", she gasped, barely able to speak. "JACK!" she finally screamed. She couldn't take much more. With that he stopped and flopped down on top of her, the fur blanket still strategically placed.
Both of them were panting, although Carter was still chortling through her gasps. Jack reached up and carefully looked out again. The cave people were starting to move around, now ignoring the strange new couple. He looked over and caught the eye of the old crone who had a big grin on her face. She nodded at him – obviously a universal sign. He winked back at her, not sure if she'd know what he meant, but she seemed to understand. He rolled off Sam onto his side and looked at her.
"Well, that wasn't so bad, was it?" he said, a pleased look on his face.
"What? What do you mean Sir?" she asked, confused.
"We got through that okay."
"Through it? You mean – that's it? But you were tickling me. I don't think that's what they had in mind."
"Sam, as far as they were concerned I wasn't tickling you. They couldn't see what was happening but your screams added a great touch."
She sat up part way, holding the blanket up to her chest. "Do you mean they think we – that we – that …?"
"Yup – they think we just did the naughty."
"The naughty Sir?" she laughed although she still felt slightly stunned.
He grinned at her. "Would you rather me use some other word?"
"No, no that's fine. I just can't believe that they bought that."
"I told ya, it was those screams Major. I gotta say, I didn't know you had it in you!"
"Yes, well I think you deserve some credit too Colonel. You certainly know how to tickle."
He lay back down, looking very pleased with himself. He'd turned what could have been a stressful and potentially damaging (to his relationship with his Second) episode into something that had actually been kind of fun. Yup – it had definitely been a good idea.
"Sir?"
"Yeah Carter?"
"Do you think once will be enough? I mean, won't they expect us to continue doing this?"
Ah Shit!
They fell asleep soon after although Sam had been a bit surprised that the cave people suddenly decided to 'get active'.
"I thought you said they were sleeping Colonel."
"Yeah – you probably woke them up with your screams Carter."
The next morning, when they woke up, Jack realized he was going to have to retrieve his pants which he'd carelessly thrown away. Seeing that Sam was still asleep he made a strategic dive for them and put them on. He found Sam's panties and brought them back for her (did that make him feel weird!). Strangely, he couldn't find her BDU pants. Maybe she'd put them somewhere?
"Thank you Sir", she mumbled, seeing her panties beside her. She reached under and put them on and then began to look for her pants.
"Uh Colonel, have you seen my pants?" She was sure she'd just tossed them a little ways away.
"No Carter, I couldn't find them." She got up then, holding one of the blankets over her, and looked around. They were nowhere to be found.
"Uh Carter." He was frowning over to one side of the cave.
"Yes?" She looked up at him.
"I think I've found your pants." He nodded in the direction in which he was looking. There, over to the side, were two of the men, each with one half of her pants. They'd tied them around their waists like a belt.
"Oh damn!" she said. Now she was the one going around half naked. It made her feel terribly vulnerable.
"They really seem to like stealing our clothes."
"I expect they've never seen cloth before. They only have leather garments."
"Yeah, well I wouldn't mind so much if they weren't so intent on ripping them to shreds!"
"I know." She sighed and then spoke. "I guess I'll have to sew myself something. I really don't want to walk around in my underwear."
"Oh, I don't know, you look kinda -" He stopped, realizing that commenting on how someone under his command looked in her underwear was probably overstepping the bounds.
"Kinda?" she asked.
"Cute Major. Kinda cute." What the hell! They'd just spent the night naked in the same bed pretending to have sex. He didn't think his complement was going to make that much of a difference.
"You too Sir."
"Huh?" His mind had been wandering so he wasn't sure what she was talking about.
"You look kinda cute in those – uh pants – too Sir." She grinned. She really did like the way he wore those things. When – if – they got out of this situation it would be a memory she'd cherish.
"Thanks, I guess. You know though Carter, if you ever breathe a word about this to Daniel ….?"
"I know, you'll have to shoot me."
"You got it Major, you definitely got it!"
Things seemed to get better for a few days after their little 'tickle routine'. Sam received a number of congratulatory looks and giggles from the women. Some of them were quite crude in the compliments about her 'mate'. She just wished it wasn't so awkward – she would have loved to tease the Colonel about some of the things the women said about him!
Jack too was getting a lot of slaps on the back and what he took to be ribald jokes. These cave men were nothing if not crude. He figured it was best to seem to go along with things but in reality he wanted to pound some of their Neanderthal heads in after some of the things they'd implied about Sam.
Igor was still being his obnoxious self. He'd seemed to calm down a bit after the fake consummation, but still threw dark glances towards Jack. The Colonel was sure, if he was ever alone with this guy, that there'd be trouble. For some reason he'd made an enemy of the man.
What was more bothersome was the fact that Igor kept looking and staring at Sam. Fortunately she'd managed to pilfer some leather and had made herself a little mini skirt. This time he didn't say anything but he had rarely seen anything so sexy. He'd had to hide under the blankets when he'd first seen her in it.
With Igor around he stayed pretty close to Sam. They tribe had started to let them roam around a bit outside, although they still kept an eye on them. Sam had even gotten to go berry picking with the women. It was a huge relief being outside. He didn't know if he could have taken much more of the cave. It was both claustrophobic and smelly. Getting out and breathing fresh air made him feel way better.
His arm and shoulder were much improved. It wouldn't be long before he could take the sling off and begin to use it. He didn't know if he'd be up to hunting anytime soon but knew he'd have to before too much time passed. The tribe couldn't afford to keep non-contributing members.
The one thing he and Sam had worried about since the beginning was their guns. They'd both been carrying weapons when they were captured but neither of them had seen any evidence of them since arriving at the cave. They hoped that they were lost because the cave people could do serious damage with them.
Unfortunately they were found, and by the last person they would want to have them. Igor and two of the other men had gone out to try and find some game. Jack was sitting at the fire just watching Sam as she cut up some meat for their nightly stew. He heard a commotion and looked up just in time to see his least favorite cave-man enter with a P-90 in one hand and his pistol in the other.
"Crap", he said as he slowly stood up.
"What is it Colonel?" Sam looked up from the cook pot.
"Igor got a hold of our guns." She stood looking at the man who was glaring back at them. The cave man knew, somehow, that Jack was frightened of this latest development.
Jack could see the man's dirty teeth as he smiled at Jack and began to swing the P-90 around. He threw the pistol over to the side where another man immediately picked it up.
O'Neill could feel his heart begin to beat faster as some of the tribe began to gather around Igor, fascinated by the object in his hands. It was when a few of the children ran up and tried to grab the barrel that he knew he had to act.
"Colonel!"
"I know Sam. Watch out. I'm gonna try and get it back."
"Be careful Sir."
"Don't worry Major. You keep your head down."
He slowly walked over to the man with the gun, trying to look as least threatening as possible.
"Hey Igor!" he smiled, knowing the man couldn't understand him. "Wanna give me my gun?" He kept walking closer. Igor swung the gun up and pointed it at Jack who immediately stopped. Fortunately, the cave-man didn't know about the trigger and was holding it by the base.
"That's dangerous." He kept speaking softly and matter of factly as he approached. Without warning Igor swung it around so that it was pointing at the crowd of people.
One of the younger children reached up to grab it and ended up hanging on the barrel. Igor let out a grunt and swung the child up. God, thought Jack. This is a disaster waiting to happen.
He knew if he attempted to take it away there could be serious trouble. Instead he tried to appear pleasant. "Hey, want me to show you how that works?" He tried to explain his words with gestures. Igor narrowed his eyes and kept swinging the gun around. The other man with the pistol was looking down its barrel, his hands on the handle. Jack had to look away – visions of the man blowing his head off in his mind.
He finally reached out and looked questioningly at the large man. Please, just give it to me moron, he thought to himself. Instead, Igor grunted and pounded the gun into the ground, handle first. Just as he did that his hand must have slipped because without warning, the gun went off.
The sound inside the cave was incredible – as were the falling rocks and dust from the ceiling. There were screams and yells and generally mass panic amongst the tribe. Igor dropped the gun and ran, terrified by the noise. The man with the pistol threw his away and also ran.
Sam and Jack rushed over and grabbed the guns, both thankful that no one was hurt. Picking them up they glanced around and saw groups of the cave people huddled in the corner.
Jack glanced over to where Igor was standing and knew that, while the man had hated him before, now he had a very serious enemy. Igor had been humiliated in front of the whole tribe and the Colonel knew his life was in grave danger.
They took the guns to their fire pit area and quickly took out the bullets. Keeping them hidden in their bedding they put the weapons up against the wall where they were in plain site.
Turning, they saw the tribal elder walk over. He was concerned about his people. Jack tried to explain that the weapons were now okay but that they had to stay with him. With a considering look the elder finally nodded but looked sternly at these two new members of his tribe. He worried about them.
He then motioned for Jack to follow him and tried to explain, using grunts, words and gestures, something to the Colonel. Unfortunately, he wasn't quite sure what he meant although he had an idea it was to do with Sam.
The next day a large hunting party went out. They were after serious game! The elder had approached Jack and had touched his shoulder but shook his head when he saw Jack's grimace. The newcomer still wasn't ready!
The men were gone for quite a few hours so Jack and Sam spent the day sitting outside. They'd thought about escaping but there were a few of the younger men still remaining. With their guns they probably could have forced their way out but neither of them wanted to hurt these people who had taken them in and looked after them. They figured they'd leave when Jack was completely better.
It was getting close to evening when they could see the hunting party return. They were carrying something and at first Jack thought it was an animal. Soon, however, they could see that it was one of the cave people. As they approached it became obvious that he was either dead or injured. The fact that the others were walking slowly seemed to indicate that it was too late for the man.
A shrill scream rent the air and one of the women rushed out and over to the man, whom they laid on the ground. She threw herself on his body, crying and wailing in grief.
Sam looked down, saddened by what the woman was going through. She could see that the man had been mauled to death, his body ripped and covered with blood. She began to feel sick until two arms circled around her and held on tight. Leaning back she let herself sag into the Colonel. His arms offered her the comfort she needed right now.
That evening the tribe met around a campfire outside, the body of their fallen comrade wrapped in furs and placed on wooden stilts. Underneath a fire was lit - his body was to be cremated.
The elder said some words and then the people began an eerie kind of chant. The entire time the cries and moans of his mate could be heard in the background.
Sam realized, as she sat watching this ritual, that no matter who the people, no matter how primitive, they still loved and they still grieved. The woman was inconsolable.
Later that week the people were again gathered together, this time around the inside fire. Neither Carter nor O'Neill could tell what was going on. Nothing bad had happened, as far as they could tell, so they sat there quietly, curious as to what was occuring.
A younger looking man sat nervously beside the chief and seemed to be the butt of jokes and laughter from the other men. Eventually the chief stopped them although he appeared to be grinning.
A few minutes later there was some noise and a group of the women approached, pushing forward another woman who went over and sat beside the nervous man. She looked warn and pale and Sam realized, with shock, that it was the woman who had recently lost her mate.
There was more movement and one of the women approached the man and handed him a bowl. He turned to the recent widow and, to the surprise and shock of the two Air Force officers, began to feed her. When he was done the crowd 'cheered'.
"Sir – I think they just got married."
"Yeah, I think you might be right Carter." Well, this seemed to confirm that that's what this ceremony was about.
"Isn't it kind of soon? I mean, her husband just died a few days ago."
"I expect that in a society like this there's not time for grief. The women probably need a male protector and since there's a shortage of women as soon as one becomes available she's taken."
"That's disgusting!"
"No, not for them. I doubt if there's much room for widows here, except maybe the old lady. You said it yourself Sam, the women are needed to have children. And look at her – I don't think she's upset. She seems relieved. It must be difficult in tribes where there aren't enough men. A woman alone in this society would have it rough."
She looked over and realized the Colonel was correct. The woman didn't look happy exactly, but she certainly wasn't objecting to her fate. It really was the only way they knew how to live.
"So what happens now?" she asked. "Do you think they have a reception and dance?"
The Colonel smirked. "Oh probably. I wonder if they'll have an open bar?"
"In your dreams Colonel."
"Yeah", he sighed deeply. "Definitely in my dreams!"
Without warning the new 'bridegroom' grabbed his wife and turned her around. He then forced her down on the ground, on all fours, and, without too much trouble, whipped off her leather 'thong'. Before Jack and Sam could blink he began to have sex with her right in front of everyone.
"Oh my God!" They'd almost gotten used to seeing this but never had it been in front of a whole crowd of watchers. Usually the couples at least stayed in their own areas.
As the grunts and movement continued both the humans tried to look elsewhere. The rest of the tribe looked on with expressions of satisfaction.
"I guess couples are supposed to consummate their marriages in front of everyone." Jack murmured, still keeping his face turned away. He received a frown from 'granny' and wondered if it were considered rude not to watch. What a strange society.
When the couple had finished – to very loud sound effects – and stood up, the crowd again cheered.
"That's probably why they thought we were strange", Sam whispered. "They must have expected us to do … that", she pointed to the young couple.
"Probably." He felt really uncomfortable with this conversation.
"It'd be hard for a modern couple to be so – so open about it." Sam was trying to sound clinical and matter-of-fact about the whole thing – otherwise she'd be so embarrassed she'd want to die.
"No, I'm afraid that's the last thing it would be." He muttered again.
"Huh?'
"Hard Major – hard!"
She couldn't help give a startled giggle, although she could feel herself turn slightly pink. When the crowd started to dissipate she was relieved and turned back towards her bed.
A loud shout, followed by grunts and a few words stopped her movement. She turned around and could see that the rest of the crowd had also stopped. Their favorite – Igor – was speaking angrily to the Chief, pointing towards Jack and then to her.
"This isn't looking good Carter", he whispered in her ear. No, she thought, this definitely wasn't good.
As the talking went on it appeared as if the tribe members were beginning to take sides. Most of them seemed to be agreeing with Igor although a few of the women and one or two of the younger men seemed to edge towards Jack and Sam.
"Any ideas?" he asked.
"No Sir." She couldn't follow the quick hand signs. It worried her, however, when the Chief seemed to nod at Igor who looked triumphant. She was even more worried when the crowd split open, leaving a clear path to where she and the Colonel were standing.
He reached over and took her hand. Bending down he spoke softly. "I don't know what's happening, but we'd better watch out." She nodded.
Igor walked towards them, still looking pleased with himself. When he arrived he reached out and grabbed Sam, jerking her towards him. Jack immediately responded by trying to pull Carter back. She felt like they were playing tug-of-war and she was the rope.
Igor spoke wildly and turned to look at the Chief, who nodded. He then tried to pull Carter towards him again. At that moment the crone rushed up and slapped Igor's hand. He quickly withdrew it but spoke harshly to the old woman who spoke right back to him. She then turned towards the Chief and spoke rapidly. The old man shook his head and she argued more strongly. Finally he spoke one sharp word and she stopped. With an apologetic look towards the couple she shrugged and stepped back. She'd tried but clearly the decision had been made.
"Sir?" Sam's voice sounded scared. She suddenly realized what this was about. They were giving her to Igor.
"I know Sam. I'm not going to let it happen."
"What can you do?"
"If I have to I'll kill the bastard." Igor had again approached and reached out for Sam. This time it was she who slapped his arm. He roared and tried to grab her but Jack stepped in the way.
A ferocious fight instantly broke out between the two men. Igor was the stronger, there was no doubt. Added to that was the fact that the Colonel still had to favor his shoulder, although it was getting better. On the other hand was the fact that the Colonel was highly trained in combat techniques, which, without his weakness, would have given him the advantage. As it was, they were pretty evenly matched.
The fighting went on for what seemed like a long time. Sam had tried to edge her way to their fire to get one of the guns but she was stopped by some of the men who held her tightly. She was the prize and they weren't about to let her escape.
Never had she feared the outcome of a fight more – except for the one years ago on an early mission when she had fought for her honor. This time she knew that if the Colonel lost it would mean her rape. She could barely breath from the fear.
She grimaced as the Colonel took a terrible hit to the gut. His loud grunt, and the fact that he fell to his knees, showed how painful it must have been. He got up quickly though and returned the favor. Igor also dropped down to the ground after taking a direct punch to the stomach.
As the fighting continued both of the men began to sport bruises and cuts. The tribe had grown quiet although a few of the younger ones were taking sides and had begun to cheer their 'man'. It looked like there was even some betting going on. She guessed it was universal.
The men were on the ground now, wrestling more than fighting. They soon rolled out to the mouth of the cave, followed by the crowd of watchers. The ones holding her dragged her with them. They didn't want to miss the show.
She could tell that Jack was weakening. He was definitely favoring his right arm and shoulder. She hoped he hadn't done any serious damage. She was really frightened that he'd lose or, what was worse, that he'd be killed. Nothing was worth that.
It all changed in a second. It seemed clear that Igor was winning. He was the stronger and wasn't as winded. He had a grin on his face now and was just playing with the Colonel. So sure was he that he was going to win that he turned and gave Sam an evil little grin. That was Jack's chance. He reached out and grabbed a small rock that was sitting by his left hand. As Igor looked away he rolled over and smashed the rock into the side of the cave-man's head. Without a sound Jack's opponent sank down, unconscious.
There was a stunned silence among the cave-people. A moment later those men who had backed the Colonel let out a small cheer. They were very much in the minority.
Sobbing, Sam ran up to the Colonel and knelt down.
"Are you alright Jack?" She looked him over quickly, reaching out and touching him.
"Ow! Watch that Carter." He tried to sit up but was finding it difficult. She reached behind him and helped him sit. She glanced around and saw one of the young men who seemed to be a Jack supporter and gestured for him to come and help. Between the two of them they got him to their bed. Laying him down she ran and got some water and rags (some of their former clothes) and began trying to clean him up.
"Where are you hurt Sir?"
"Everywhere Carter." he gasped as she hit a tender spot.
"Really?" God, she hoped he was going to be okay.
"Sam, I'm fine. I'm bruised and sore but there really isn't anything too bad. He was strong but had lousy technique. I think I was able to dodge most of the bad hits."
"Are you sure? You're not just saying that Sir, are you. It's important that I know what's wrong."
"No, I'm not just saying that Carter. I expect I'll feel like crap for a few days and I'm definitely going to be stiff, but I really don't think there's anything too bad. He didn't get me in the head which is what I was worried about. His fists are pretty big."
She sighed in relief, finally believing that he wasn't hurt too badly. He was right, he'd be terribly sore but okay. She gave him some water and then covered him with the furs. The best thing for him was to rest.
"Go to sleep Sir."
"Kay", he answered groggily. He then seemed to rouse himself. "Stay with me okay. I don't want that guy getting near you."
"I will Colonel although I don't think he's in any shape to do anything right now. He's still unconscious." She could see some of the women trying to clean him up over on the other side of the cave.
When Jack was finally asleep she sat back wearily. She looked at her hands and realized she was shaking. Everything suddenly caught up to her and she wanted to cry. A noise beside her caused her to look up and see the old woman take a seat beside her.
The crone looked at Jack for a moment and then turned towards Sam. She shook her head, looking tired and despondent. Sam knew she had to figure this out. Using gestures, and a few of the simple words they'd picked up, she asked the woman what had happened. It took awhile but by the end she knew.
As the old woman walked away Sam looked down at the Colonel and closed her eyes. She'd have to tell him – but God knew what they were going to do about it.
He slept for a couple of hours and woke up with a groan. She gave him some water and then fed him a bit of stew. He was so stiff it was hard for him to even eat. After a few bites he shook his head – he wasn't very hungry.
He glanced at Sam and realized she wouldn't look him in the eye. At first he thought it was because of what had happened but then he figured out that she was hiding something from him. Neither she nor Daniel was ever good at that. He could always ferret out what they were thinking.
"What is it Major?" he asked gently. She just shook her head, refusing to look at him.
"Come on Sam – you have to tell me you know. Is it about what happened with Igor?"
She nodded and finally looked up.
Before she had a chance to talk Jack began. He was pretty sure he knew what this was about.
"The Chief said Igor could 'have you' because we haven't" he gestured between the two of them. She nodded and looked down. Finally, with a deep breath she lifted her head.
"Yes. I guess he said you weren't doing your 'duty' and that it was bad for the tribe. He claimed there's something wrong with you and that it's up to him to take me and impregnate me."
"But what about our 'show' the other night?"
"The old woman tried to argue our case with that but he claimed the tribe had no way of knowing if anything had actually happened and anyway, it was only the once."
"Damn!" he groaned. He'd worried about that. They should have continued to do their little 'pretend sex' show. "So what now?"
"The old woman said that with Igor out of it we have another chance but we're going to have to really 'prove' we're doing it. I think she means no blankets – and probably more than once." She started to break down at that point, the tears streaming from her eyes. Jack struggled to sit up but finally was able to reach over and put his 'good' arm around her.
"It's okay Sam, we'll work this out."
"How Sir? They've even taken our guns." He looked over to the wall and swore. She was right – they were missing.
"The bullets?"
"They're here but they won't do us any good."
That was true but at least no one would get hurt.
"What are we going to do Colonel?" she cried. She leaned into him. "I don't want to be raped!"
"You're not going to be Major"
"So what will we do?"
"It's up to you Sam. I don't see any way out of this other than us – uh – doing it. But it has to be up to you." As he said those words he felt terrible –as if he was proposing to rape her himself.
"What about you?" she asked in a small voice.
"Whatya mean?"
"Well, this is a difficult for you as for me. It's not like you want this to happen. I don't want to force this on you."
What to say, he wondered? He had to be so careful here but knew some form of honesty was required. Pulling back a bit he reached under Sam's chin and lifted her face until she was looking at him. He then began to speak.
"Sam, listen carefully. You know that I'd never do anything to hurt you. I would never, ever have done or said anything to harm your career or to make you feel uncomfortable. I'm your commanding officer and I have a responsibility to you – and to the Air Force regulations. But this situation we're in – it's not one that anyone would have ever thought up in their wildest dreams. This is outside any normal combat or POW situation. But there's something I want you to know." He paused and took a deep breath, terrified about what he was going to say.
"I feel awful about this situation. I don't think either of us is happy at what's happening. Being forced into sex isn't something that I like and I'm sure you hate it. But", here he paused again, wondering if this was a big mistake, "I don't want you to think for even a second that I wouldn't want you if the circumstances were different. I care about you Sam and the thought of 'making love' with you is something that's – that in different circumstances would be – wonderful." He stopped and looked down, hoping he hadn't freaked her out. He also hoped she understood what he was trying to say.
If he were being totally honest here he would simply have said that he was in love with her and there was nothing he wanted more than to make love with her. He couldn't do that, however. It would put way too much pressure on her and would make her uncomfortable.
Suddenly, without warning, he felt her arms go around him and she leaned into him.
"Thank you Jack", she murmured into his chest. "Please, will you make love with me."
He leaned forward and kissed her head. "With pleasure ma'am. With pleasure."
Ooooh, as the lust and tension build – I leave you in another evil place! (Sorry!)