Chapter 18

Sam woke as dawn broke softly in the room. Jack slept peacefully on his back, all remnants of his nightmare erased. Sam loved watching him sleep. She could stare openly at the beautiful lines and planes of his face. The deep vertical ridge in his brow; the long, lush eyelashes; his thin lips, slightly parted; his silver brown hair mussed and sticking out at mad angles. Sam smiled, he was so handsome, and finally, finally hers. His inability to talk about his nightmares didn't worry her. They had all developed their own ways of handling the aftermath and side effects of the jobs they'd chosen. He wasn't hiding secrets. He was just coping the way he knew best. It was enough for Sam that Jack welcomed the intimacy of the physical comfort she offered.

Jack opened his eyes and caught her staring at him. A blush climbed up Sam's throat and stained her cheeks, but she refused to look away. "Morning Handsome."

"Handsome?"

"You'd better believe it, Flyboy."

Jack groaned. He hated that expression, but it seemed somehow less juvenile when Sam said it - more sexy, and he could definitely do sexy first thing in the morning with Sam Carter.

However, his body wasn't going to cooperate until he settled a bit of morning business. Jack pushed up to sit on the side of the bed and moved toward the open bathroom door. Sam leaned back into the pillows and watched him walk away, bare assed and buck naked. Yep, the Man had a fine back end. Taught, fuzzy cheeks in lovely proportion to his lean hips and long, long legs. She had never suspected she'd become fixated on a man's rear, er, ass-ets, as it were, but then most of the feelings she had for Jack ran to new and unexpected territory.

Sam briefly considered waiting for him, but changed her mind - her body was clamoring for her to fulfill her own morning rituals. She slipped off the bed and into the bathroom after Jack.

He was standing at the sink, toothbrush running quick strokes over his teeth. He didn't have a problem kissing Sam with morning breath, but figured as long as he was there, he might as well get minty-fresh.

Sam took care of her own business with a shy glance at Jack. She'd spent years in the field with him, so it wasn't like they'd never been around each other in tight quarters, but it was the first time they were sharing a bathroom as lovers, naked as they day they were born - not just "Patroling the Perimeter" while one of them ducked behind a convenient tree. Sam found the sharing intimate and more comfortable than she would have anticipated.

When she was done, she bumped his hip with her own, reaching out to wash her hands before she picked up her own toothbrush. Jack stopped her from reaching for the toothpaste. He had a devilish look in his eyes as he took off the cap, squeezed a generous amount on to his tongue and leaned down to kiss her. Sam had never cared much for the taste of toothpaste, but as Jack's tongue swept into her mouth, stroked along her teeth and twirled with her own, she reflected that it might have been because she'd never tasted toothpaste in quite this way. It was intoxicating. After a few moments, they broke apart, both flushed. Sam jammed her toothbrush in her mouth and quickly finished brushed her teeth before she turned to spit and rinse. Oh, yeah, she was definitely going to enjoy learning to share a bathroom with him!

Siler was grumbling to himself as he ran one of Colonel Carter's gate diagnostic programs. He was convinced Harriman had messed with the dialing program, but he couldn't prove it and Walter was playing dumb to his pointed questions. If he couldn't fix the glitch soon, he'd have to call Colonel Carter on vacation and that was a prospect he didn't relish. The woman brought new meaning to Workaholic and he didn't want to be the one responsible for interrupting her down time - especially since she was with the General, and if the General found out he crashed her time away . . . well, the thought just didn't bear thinking. Siler was quite sure O'Neill would find covert and pointed tortures for him, suitable to the 7th Level of Hell. Everyone on base knew "The Situation" and knew they were at the General's cabin, fishing. The rest of SG-1 was with them, but still, the betting Pool was seeing activity like never before.

"Crap." The current diagnostic just wasn't getting it done. The glitch was minor and the Gate still worked, but Siler couldn't allow the discrepancy to wait until the Colonel came back. If the shit hit the fan while she was gone, he'd be in the hot seat. "Double crap." Walter was evading all inquiries, but Siler was convinced the man was responsible. He leaned out from under the dialing console, careful of his head. It wouldn't do to get hurt now. "Walter, are you sure you didn't mess with it?" he yelled.

"No, I didn't mess with it." Walter was right at his shoulder, just behind Siler and Siler jumped, not expecting him to be so close, and slammed his head into a chair. "Why don't you call Colonel Carter and ask her what you should do."

Siler rubbed his head. He was sure Harriman had set him up so he would have to call Colonel Carter. He wasn't sure why, and when he found out, he'd get the man back for it in spades, but for now there was nothing for it - he was going to have to call her and beg her assistance. Siler had no doubt she'd be able to walk him through the solution over the phone - the woman was just that amazing - but he still hated to do it.

"Alright, I'll call her, but if General O'Neill has plans to torture me because of this, I'm telling him it's your fault."

Jack was doing unspeakably sensual things with his lips to Sam's fingers and the palm of her hand when a ring issued from the pile of rumpled cloths next to the bed. Sam groaned, both from Jack's ministrations and the interruption to them. The ringtone was one she'd programed specifically for Siler's number. She knew he was having a problem with the Gate, but just at that moment, she was having a hard time caring.

The ringing continued and Jack growled at the interruption. Lifting his lips to her ear, he bit gently on the outer shell before asking, "Anyone you know?" He then licked and and softly suckled the lob.

Sam was trying to pull together her scattered thoughts. Siler. She had to help Siler. "It's Siler . . . He's probably got a problem with the Gate." Sam's eyes were half closed and hazed over with desire. She struggled to open them and rolled over to grope for her forgotten jeans. She managed to find her phone and flipped it open before it went to voicemail. "What, Siler?" It wasn't her usual greeting and her voice was a bit rough.

Siler was a bit taken aback, but trooped on. It was too late to turn back now. "Ah, Colonel Carter, there's a problem with the Gate and the diagnostic program's not fixing it."

"Run it down for me, Siler." Sam knew she sounded vague and distant, but she couldn't summon enough will to focus her thoughts. Especially since Jack had licked his way from her ear to her breast and was currently swirling his tongue around her nipple. Clearly, he was not going to stop for a simple Gate diagnostic call. Sam managed to focus half her mind on Siler, as she asked questions and offered suggestions, mapping a clear solution for his problem. The other half of her mind was busy controling her breathing and quelling the urge to groan, as Jack moved down her body, pausing to lick, bite and suckle inch after inch of skin. The Man was pure, sinful evil and he had no intention of stopping. Siler and the Gate be damned. If it had been a true emergency, he'd have received a call and lacking that, nothing was going to prevent him enjoying every naked inch of Sam.

It took a good 10 minutes on the phone and more willpower than she thought possible, but Siler finally had the problem solved. The last few minutes, Sam hadn't done much more than grunt replies to his questions. She was immensely relieved when he told her the dialing program was back on track and she didn't even bother to say good-bye. She just slammed the phone shut and threw it across the room before she grabbed Jack's head, which had come to rest between her thighs. Every thought and sensation now focused completely where he was nibbling and nudging her clit with is nose. His fingers were busy caressing lazy circles around her entrance. Teasing and withdrawing as she thrust her hips for greater contact. All thought of the SGC, the Gate and Siler wiped clean from her head.

Jack lifted his head and slid up Sam's body, coming to rest between her welcoming thighs. The tip of his penis slipped through her dripping folds before pausing at her entrance. Need was clawing its way up his spine, but he held himself back, enjoying the building urgency and the look of raw desire in Sam's heavily lidded gaze. Sam pulled her knees high toward her chest, angled her hips and gripped his firm rear, driving him to sink fast and deep into her welcoming body.

Time suspended as they thrust and withdrew, bringing their bodies closer and closer to completion. Panting and gasping, they held tightly to each other, lost in the swirling, clawing grip of hunger. Jack could feel Sam's inner muscles pulling and sqeezing him with each hard stroke. He was desperate to hold off until she came and he focused his will on keeping his own release at bay.

Sam was so close. Jack was slamming into her, lodging himself at the entrance to her cervix and dragging his body across her clitoris with each thrust. He leaned down and whispered urgently, "Come Sam. Now." It was an order with which Sam was more than happy to comply. Her body exploded and her inner muscles spasmed, clenching around Jack's penis. Jack threw his head back and growled deep in his throat, burning need shot from his balls straight up his spine, before shooting back down and erupting in powerful waves of orgasm. Sam held him as he thrust heavily into her, milking him with her inner contractions before he stilled. Both rode the exquisite aftermath of perfect completion.

Jack moved to Sam's side and both groaned at the loss as he slipped out of her. Sam was dreamily caressing Jack's back, still lost in the euphoria of his lovemaking. "Will it always be like this, do you think?"

Jack grinned and couldn't resist smirking, "This mind-blowing, you mean?"

Sam smiled and allowed him his ego. "Yeah."

Jack looked up and met her eyes, suddenly serious. "I don't know. I've never felt anything like this before. Every time, I can't believe it's real. That you're real."

"I'm real, Jack and I'm yours. Now and always. Believe it." Sam leaned up and lightly brushed his lips, sealing her promise.

Jack closed his eyes, reveling in the knowledge that she was his. He grinned again and pulled back before he buried his head in her belly and blew a huge raspberry. "Last one in the shower makes breakfast!" Laughing, he dove out of bed and raced to the bathroom.

Sam grinned as she climbed more slowly from the rumpled sheets. The man was such a contradiction and she was enjoying getting to know these previously hidden dimensions. She wasn't worried about breakfast, she knew he'd never let her cook.

Siler was puzzled. The Gate was working perfectly and as he'd predicted, Colonel Carter had solved the problem in no time flat, but she'd acted very strangely on the phone. If he didn't know better . . . No, he wasn't going to follow that train of thought. Eeewwww. He was definitely not going down that path! Still, if his suspicions were correct . . . more money in the Pool was in order. He went off to find Walter.