A/N - Thanks for all the reviews and encouragement. For some reason, this chapter was difficult to write. I had difficulty hearing it. I hope I managed to do it justice.

Chapter 16

Sam felt like she could slip the bonds of gravity. Light and airy, her feet seemed hardly to touch the ground. While her heart seem to flutter, held firm by the confines of her body, her soul was soaring, pitching and rolling, spinning and looping with joy. She giggled, unable to contain her happiness, and grabbed Jack's hand, urging him into a sprint the final few yards to the cabin.

Jack allowed Sam to pull him along. He was feeling a bit delirious himself. Delight and relief vying for top spots in the Mood-O'-Meter. Eight years of longing, the last mixed with quiet despair, were finally over. They were together and better still, she had said yes to his proposal. He hadn't meant to propose with such a complete lack of planning and finesse, but Sam didn't seem to mind and she'd said yes, after all.

Sam slowed to a stop at the porch leading to the cabin. She was panting lightly and a mile-wide grin was plastered to her face. Delight danced in her eyes as she swung Jack around and planted a quick kiss on his lips. Startled and a bit off balance, Jack gripped Sam's shoulders and pulled back. His eyes were dark and sparkling, a matching grin lit his face. "Just so we're clear about this, you said yes, right?"

"Yasureyoubettcha!" Sam flushed and giggled. She felt euphoric with a deep and boundless joy. Sam gazed steadily into Jack's eyes; her grin began to melt as her eyes became smoky and serious. "Yes, Jack." Sam reached up and caressed Jack's jaw, before she drew him down to meet her lips. "Always."

"Cool." Jack still couldn't believe his luck, but knew better than to question it further. He held his life and happiness in his arms and he wasn't ever letting go. Jack kissed her again and on impulse, swung Sam into a dip. She clutched his shoulders to secure herself and kissed him back with all the fervor she'd displayed when he'd done this in the time loop. When the kiss ended and he righted them, they were both breathless, joy and euphoria swiftly transformed into desire. Jack reached down and scooped Sam into his arms and headed into the cabin.

Jack was very glad Daniel and Teal'c had done them both the considerable favor of making themselves scarce and briefly weighed their consideration against Daniel's untimely phone call, as he contemplated letting his friend off the hook for interrupting his proposal. It was a brief contemplation before Jack snorted, the idea of tormenting Daniel was just too good to pass up, the fodder rich for the picking.

Sam looked at him with doggie-head-tilt question and Jack laughed as he carried her to the bedroom. "I am so all over Daniel like white on rice for his bad timing."

Sam sighed. She'd lived through eight years of his and Daniel's friendly and sometimes not-so-friendly ribbing. But this time, she felt compelled to defend Daniel. "They did leave us alone. You've gotta give him that."

"Ah, but I don't Carter. I don't. I know T would have told him not to call. He's always had my back, but I'm not letting SpaceMonkey off on this one. It's just too good to pass up. I can dine on this for months! He interrupted my proposal!" Jack tried for dignified ire, but the smirk was killing the image.

Sam rolled her eyes and tried one last time. "But he didn't know you were proposing. You didn't even know you were going to propose, did you?"

Jack's smirk slipped a fraction before he shrugged as he placed her on the bed. "So? His timing still couldn't have been any worse. I am so hanging him out on this one." Jack kissed her and grinned, "and nothing you say is going to change my mind, so give it up Carter!" Jack kissed her again before dragging his lips along her jaw, stroking down her neck to lick and bite lightly at her pulse point.

Sam groaned, "Giving up, Sir." She was putty in his hands, she thought. The Man could have told her he was planning to shave his head and become at Tok'ra host and she wouldn't have cared, as long as he kept up his sweet assault of her body.

"Brain turning to mush, Carter?" Jack smirked again. He loved the way Sam lost her ability for rational thought when he touched and stroked certain spots. It made her seem so much more attainable, that he could make her big brain run to incoherent babble. And he was taking great pleasure in discovering the location of each patch of flesh. He'd found the one at her pulse point the first time they'd made love, but had since discovered the nape of her neck, the inside her elbow and the base of her spine. He was determined to find every last one, especially the ones she didn't even know about.

"Yes, Sir. Mush." Sam moaned. The Man was good. She'd never have made eight years if she'd known he could make her feel this unbelievably good. Nothing in her experience had prepared her for Jack O'Neill. He was a passionate, caring and considerate lover. He was also adventurous and innovative. A magician with his hands, lips, tongue and body and he played her like a musician plays a fine instrument.

Jack took his time worshiping Sam's body. He celebrated her beauty and her lithe, lush form. Jack had considered himself to be a passable lover. He was considerate and caring, but no woman had ever called from him the depth of passion and desire to explore as Sam. It was as if the two of them were created for each other. Jack felt as if he'd never fully functioned until he'd made love to Sam. She was truly his soul's mate. Together they were more than the sum of their parts. Here in her arms, nothing else mattered. Not his age, their ranks or his past. In her arms there was only the present and their potential future.

Hours later, they lay spent and replete, dozing lightly as the sun began to fade. Jack woke first and pulled Sam closer to his chest, snuggling her deep into his embrace. Sam stirred and smiled her contentment.

"Jack, would you mind if we were married here?"

Jack glanced down at her, "here?"

Sam nodded her head against his chest and looked up at him. "Here. I can't think of any place more beautiful than here and I don't want a big wedding, Jack. If it's alright with you, I'd just like to have the guys, Cassie and General Hammond. I want my family there, but I don't want anything bigger, unless you do?"

Jack shifted so he could look at her. "I'm fine with a small wedding, Sam, but this is your first time. Are you sure you don't want anything bigger?" Jack refrained from mentioning that she and Pete, well, really Pete, had planned a much larger affair.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I could have had that, Jack, but it's not what I really wanted. Marrying you is all that matters and for that all I need is you and our family. I don't want anything else. Are you okay with having the wedding here?"

Jack nodded. "You're right, I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather say our vows. This place means so much to me and now . . . I can't think of a better place." Jack pulled Sam into a fierce hug. It meant the world to him that she loved his cabin as much as he did. That she wanted to be married here brought him a deep sense of completion. This would be their cabin now.

"Do you think we can get General Hammond to perform the ceremony? Ship captains still have the authority, but do you think we can get the General to do it?"

"I thought you would want George to give you away."

"No, I'd like to ask Teal'c to do that. I assume you're going to ask Daniel to stand with you and I'd like Cassie to stand with me. That sort of leaves Teal'c out of it unless I ask him to escort me and you know he's set himself up as my protector over the years. It seems fitting."

Jack nodded agreement. He knew Teal'c felt it his duty to safeguard all of them, but Carter most of all. He knew the big Jaffa would be honored to escort Sam and it seemed the most fitting of roles.

"I'm sure if we have to, we can get George presidential authority to perform the wedding. You know we'll have to invite the President, don't you? I doubt he'll come, but he has a lot to do with our being allowed to be together. We can't ignore sending him an invite."

Sam laughed. "You're kidding, right? Invite the President of the United States?" Sam saw Jack was serious. "You're not kidding, are you? He won't really come, will he?"

Jack grinned. After all the years she'd dealt with those in supreme authority, both alien and domestic, and Sam still got nervous at mention of the President. "Like I said, I doubt it, but we'll have to invite him."

Sam blew a sigh of relief. "I hope not. I'd be too nervous to say my vows."

"Ah-ah! We can't have that. Small wedding it is. George to officiate, Teal'c to escort you and Daniel and Cassie as attendants. Sounds perfect to me. When ya wanna do it?"

"As soon as we can arrange it. I don't want to wait anymore, Jack. We've waited eight years and you're moving to Washington. Do you think we can make it happen within the month?"

Jack was surprised, but heartened to hear she wanted to be married before he moved to DC. "Whatever it takes, Sam. We'll make it happen, if I have to get Walter to coordinate everything. Now lets get some dinner."

With the preliminary plans for marriage completed, the two scooted out of bed and made their way to the kitchen for a light meal before settling in to watch a movie. Life was good and only getting better.