When Sam woke up the next morning, the events of the previous night came flooding back to her. "Ughh" she groaned to herself. What was I thinking? Jack's your CO! She thought back to how she held him while he grieved, and then how she had reached up and brushed her lips against his forehead. He held you too, remember. That embrace was definitely not one-sided, she told herself. Despite feeling embarrassed by her her actions, she felt the return of those all too familiar butterflies in her stomach, and a warmth spreading under her skin. Rolling over onto her stomach, she buried her face into her pillow and let out another groan.

"Carter is that you? You awake?" She heard Jack's voice, muffled by the closed bedroom door. Sitting up, and swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she took a deep breath calming herself down, and smelt the rich aroma of the breakfast Jack was frying up.

"Uhhh, yes sir! Just...Just getting dressed!" Flipping over the pancakes, Jack grinned to himself as pictures of his 2IC undressed floated around in his head. "Whatcha thinking about sir?" So caught up in his non-regulation thoughts that he hadn't heard Sam coming out of the spare bedroom. He turned around and saw her standing there in the bright morning sunshine, dressed in a pair of well worn jeans and a soft tank top. Her question still hanging in the air, she could feel his eyes roaming over body, and she fought back the blush that was creeping up her face.

"You know how I feel about you in tank tops Major," he said, his voice husky, a smile playing on his lips. Despite her best efforts Sam could feel her blush deepening, but she returned his smile bashfully. After about a minute of awkward silence, Jack raised the spatula in his hand. "So uhhh breakfast is ready. Hope you're hungry."

Although breakfast was eaten in silence, the awkward tension from before was completely forgotten. No words were spoken while they ate, but every few moments their eyes locked and many an unspoken word were exchanged in their depths. No matter how high and strong they built their emotional walls, and hid behind their professional masks, they could always read each others true feelings in their eyes.

Eventually though their plates were empty. "That was delicious sir."

Jack offered her a warm smile. "Anytime Carter." He got up and started clearing the table.

"Sir can we talk?" she asked as he was putting the last dish into the sink. Jack nodded and followed her out onto the dock. The sun was warm, heating up the worn wood of the dock, as she sat down, letting her feet dangle off the edge. He sat down on the dock next to her, staring out over the water, as he waited for her to tell him what was bugging her. Sam too stared out at the sunlight dancing on the water's surface, trying to gather her thoughts. Eventually Jack heard her let out a deep breath, and he knew she was ready. "I'm tired of pretending," she said softly, not taking her eyes off of the lake. "Pretending that this..." her eyes caught his briefly, before returning to the lake, "...doesn't exist. Trying not to need you... hiding how I feel, it's getting harder, and it only gets me so far. I'm not an idiot..." she smiled when she heard him laugh quietly, "...I know the regulations, and I know how important it is for SG1 to stay together especially with all of the threats that we're currently facing. But sir, being here ...everything that happened yesterday...breakfast this morning...I see what I'm missing...and what I want. And it tears me up inside knowing what I can't have."

Jack had been quietly listening to everything that she had been saying, and his pulse quickened at her sudden admission. He wasn't an idiot ether and he knew how they both felt about each other. "Who say's you can't have it?" Sam's eyes widened at his words, and she quickly turned her gaze from the lake to his chocolate brown eyes. "Carter, on a daily basis, I see you get shot at, blown up, tortured...you name it. And yet I have to stand by as your CO...I have to sit and watch as Dr Frasier stitches you back together..." his voice dropped a few decimals, "...and as you mourn over lost friends, when every fibre of my being wants to reach out and touch you...hold you." He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. Speaking about his feelings had never been his strong point. "Sam," he said gently as he placed his hand over hers. "I have spent so long trying not to care for you." He smirked, and pointed a finger at her. "But you, Major, don't make it easy. With your big blue eyes, and your smile..." Sam looked down, a blush spreading across her cheeks, but Jack's grin faded. "How can I pretend to be just your CO, when you're lying comatose in the medical room?"

Sam looked back up at him, hearing concern in his voice. "I'm not the only member of SG1 whose nearly died a few times."

"No you're not," Jack said, his eyes serious. "But you're the only one I can't live without." Jack stood up, pulled Carter to her feet, and took her other hand in his. "Carter this weekend, we definitely crossed some lines...but I don't care. If Daniel leaving has taught me one thing, it's just how unpredictable our missions are, and at the risk of sounding cliche, how short life is. I know what I said a year ago, but I don't want to keep all of this in that room anymore. Not when I could lose you on a mission tomorrow."

Sam's heart was racing. She hadn't really thought past what she had wanted to say to him, and hearing him mirror her own words and feelings, she felt those butterflies doing somersaults in her stomach, and a tingle running down her spine. Taking a few small steps, she closed the distance between them, and allowed him to pull her into his arms. She inhaled his scent, as she rested her head against his chest, wrapping her arms around him. "I didn't want to leave it in the room back then," she mumbled into his shirt. "I just didn't see that we had another option."

Eventually Jack pulled back, and placing his hand on her cheek, he let his fingers flutter over her cheek bones, behind her ear, and then trace the edge of her jaw bone. Sam closed her eyes at his touch, trying not to gasp at the fire that burned where his skin touched hers. Jack's fingers grazed over her lips before coming to rest on her neck. He pulled her face slowly towards his, his eyes never leaving hers, watching for any signs of hesitation. Seeing no resistance in her eyes, Jack placed his lips against hers. Sam felt the temperature in her body rise even higher as his soft lips moved against hers, and his large calloused hands held her gently. She moaned softly into his lips, and moved her hands up behind his neck, fingers running through the hair at the base of his head. Any rational thoughts she had quickly fled her mind. "The regulations..." she breathed in between kisses.

His voice was deep and husky as he spoke, "don't care." Sam gasped as he trailed kisses down her neck and grazed his lips over the soft, tender skin between the base of her neck, and her shoulder. Jack smiled at the sound, "I've been wanting to do that for a very long time Major," he said, running his lips back up to hers. He kissed her now, long and passionately, letting everything that he'd been hiding away, pour out of him. Sam responded in kind, running her tongue enticingly over his lips. He willingly granted her access, deepening the kiss, as he moved his hands from her neck to wrap his arms around her and pull her as close to him as possible.

Eventually the need for air became overwhelming. The two were panting as they broke apart, resting their foreheads against each other. Once they had caught their breath, Sam leaned back slightly in his embrace, her hands sliding from his neck, splaying across his chest. "What happens next sir?" Jack eyes sparkled, and the corners of his mouth lifted in a grin. Sam gave him a sarcastic look, but smiled back. "Seriously sir."

"Carter, we just crossed some major boundaries. The least you could do is drop the sir."

"Jack. What do we do now?"

He sighed. "I could ret-"

"You even think of retiring, and I'll microwave all your Simpsons dvds."

Jack feigned shock. "You wouldn't." Sam glared at him, and he sighed, pulled her back towards him, and tucked her head under his chin. "Well I'm not having us reassigned to different teams." Silence fell between them as they held each other. After a few minutes, he pulled back and held her in front of him, hands firmly on her arms. "It'll be okay. We're SG1 right?" Sam nodded. "And we've saved the planet like a million times right?" Sam's smile widened as she nodded again.

"Not quite...but yes," she said, eyes twinkling as she teased him.

"Then it's solved." He ran his hands down her arms, and took hold of her hands, interlacing their fingers. "Carter I don't care if I have to call in every marker I'm owed, we will find a solution. We always do." His thumbs caressed the backs of her hands. "Besides we seem to have a knack for getting ourselves out of very tricky, near-impossible situations."

Sam gave him one of her rare, mega-watt smiles, that she saved just for him. "Sounds like a plan to me sir...Jack."

"Good," he grinned. "Because I wouldn't mind doing this again," he said softly as his lips brushed against hers. "Or this..." his lips brushing against hers again, lingering against her soft skin.

"Mmmm," she sighed against him. As she reached up to kiss him back, a cool breeze broke through the perfectly still air, blowing right over them. Sam's eyes followed the direction of the breeze as it blew out over the lake. "Daniel?" she whispered.

Jack smiled, somehow knowing their friend was watching over them. "I take it you approve then?" he said, looking up at the sky. The breeze blew back across them, sending a slight chill down Sam's spine. Both Sam and Jack smiled as they watched the breeze blow through the wind chimes on Jack's porch. "We miss you Danny-boy," he said, and the wind responded, blowing once more through the wind chimes before fading away in to morning air.