Early the next morning, Sam awoke to the delightful feeling of not being alone. She moaned softly as she stretched out her limbs, bumping into the sleeping figure beside her. She propped herself up on an elbow and laid there staring at Jack for a long time.
Their night together had been everything she had imagined and more, as sappy as that sounded to her own internal ear. Sam was as satisfied and well-loved as she had ever been, more so even than she had imagined was possible. She reached out to gently stroke his cheek with her free hand.
The action was enough to stir Jack from his slumber, and he managed to peek at her through one heavy-lidded eye. "Sleep well?" he asked, his voice thick and husky in the early morning hour.
Sam smiled in response, nodding her head. She leaned over to drop a soft kiss onto his lips, the action prompting a groan from her partner.
"As much as I'd love to stay here and explore that thought further, I'm afraid we've got that briefing to attend in…" Jack paused and turned his head to glance at the clock on the nightstand beside the bed. "… an hour. Gives us just enough time to shower, get dressed, and get to the base."
Sam grinned now. "You know, we could save time by showering together."
"Somehow, I don't think that would save time," Jack replied. He pulled her close and kissed her thoroughly. "Still… it's not a bad idea…"
Sam threw the covers back and got out of Jack's bed, padding naked through the room to his adjoining bathroom. "I'm hitting the shower now, either way. Join me or don't, it's up to you," she called over her shoulder.
Jack continued to lie in bed for a moment longer, savoring the image of Sam walking nude through his bedroom. If someone had told him a week ago that he'd be here doing this, he'd have told them to plant themselves in the nearest loony bin, and yet… here he was. Making love to the woman of his dreams, waking up beside her, being teased by her. It was too good to be true, and Jack had to wonder what the consequences would be down the road. After all, nothing good comes free and easy.
As he got out of bed, it slowly occurred to him that perhaps they had paid the price already, with the eight years of forgoing this very relationship for the sake of duty. It certainly hadn't been an easy task, to put it mildly. Eight years was a long time to wait, with little more than a faint hope of something more on a distant someday. Maybe someday had finally arrived, and they were simply getting what was due to them after all this time.
Jack grabbed a couple of towels as he heard the water turn on. By the time he entered the bathroom, hot steam was pouring out from behind the shower curtain, and Sam was inside. He set the towels down and pulled the curtain back; steam filled his vision for a moment, then the form of Sam began to materialize before him. She was standing beneath the downpour of hot water, and he was pretty certain he'd never seen such an incredibly sexy sight. He stepped inside to join her, closing the curtain behind him.
Sam turned around, presenting her lovely backside to him, and Jack grabbed a sponge, lathering it up. He moved in close to Sam and began gently scrubbing her back. She moaned in appreciation, causing Jack to groan in response.
"If you don't stop being so damn sexy about this, we're gonna be late to that briefing," Jack told her fiercely. His tone, though, was belied by his gentle actions as he continued scrubbing her down. Sam turned around then, wrapping her arms about Jack's neck and pulling him impossibly closer.
Jack almost dropped the sponge as his body immediately responded to her nearness. The heat, the water, and her very presence were almost enough to have him climbing the walls. It was amazing, he thought, how desperately he wanted the release to come so soon after finding it last night.
Sam pressed her mouth into his as Jack worked the sponge between them, somehow finding the presence of mind to continue his task of scrubbing every inch of her clean. As her slick body slid against his, Jack groaned again, nearly dropping the sponge once more.
Sam lowered her arm and snaked a hand between them, relieving Jack of the sponge. She lathered it back up with the soap and began administering to his needs, starting with his back and working her way slowly around to his front. When she reached his most sensitive places, he had all he could stand. He grabbed her hands, lifting them high above her head as he pushed her back, under and through the water, until she hit the back wall of the shower stall.
Jack reached down and pulled one of her legs high, up to his hip. He then slowly guided himself into her as his mouth found hers through the pelting hot water. A small sound of approval rumbled from deep within his chest as she brought her other leg up so that he was entirely responsible for supporting her weight.
They quickly established a strong rhythm, bumping and grinding together in that dance as old as time. Lips and tongues and teeth clashed as they moved together beneath the downpour of water, the heat and friction driving them both mad with desire. Their tempo built up quickly, and before long, Jack was pounding into her with jerky spasms as his release overcame him.
Sam let her legs drop down slowly, finding them a bit rubbery after that particular activity. She looked at Jack with a sultry smile, and Jack brought his mouth back to hers for another deep and passionate kiss. As he pulled away, though, something akin to worry seemed to fill his eyes.
"That probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, Sam. We didn't exactly think about… protection." Jack looked quite apologetic and contrite.
Sam offered him a small but reassuring smile. "Well… I am protected against pregnancy… I get that shot every few months, and I'm not due for a while. As for diseases… well, we get tested pretty frequently for everything under the sun and then some, and I came up clean last time I was checked."
Jack let a sigh of relief escape. "Me too. And for the record, the last check happened to be after Kerry left the picture."
"So we should be fine." Sam pulled him back to her for another kiss, then she shivered as she realized the hot water had run out. "We'll be late if we don't get a move on, though." They got out of the shower and dressed in relative silence.
They got into Jack's newer SUV and headed for the base with hardly a word exchanged. It wasn't till they reached the parking garage that Sam finally spoke. "We should tell Daniel and Teal'c…about us."
Jack turned his gaze to her, an unreadable expression on his features. "Are you sure?" he asked gently.
"I'm sure they'll figure it out pretty quickly, especially if you decide to go through with your resignation."
"I've been thinking about that, and… I think I'll be making a call to the President about it before we head out to the cabin. I'll be resigning my commission effective immediately today."
Sam blinked a couple of times before she could think of a response. By that time, Jack had climbed out of his truck. She quickly followed him, holding her tongue as they passed through several security checkpoints. The next time she spoke, they were alone in an elevator heading deep inside the mountain.
"Are you sure you're not going to regret—"
"The only thing I regret is the fact that it took us eight years to reach this point."
"Well, all things considered… I don't know how we could have made it work any sooner."
"Maybe not sooner… but maybe without those other complications." It was as close as Jack would get to admitting how deeply her relationship with that other man had hurt him; somehow, though, Sam knew instinctively what was going on in Jack's mind and heart. She reached out and laid a hand on his arm.
"Well, as you said… Let's not dwell. We're here now, and that's what really matters." Just then, the elevator's bell chimed, signaling their arrival at their destination. Sam removed her hand and followed Jack out of the small compartment.
Jack stopped off at his office, leaving Sam to go into the briefing room ahead of him. They weren't late, quite, but Daniel and Teal'c were already in the room waiting for them.
"Hey, Daniel, Teal'c," Sam said in greeting.
"Hey, Sam…" Daniel was reading some papers and only barely looked up to acknowledge her before he returned his attention back to his papers. That lasted for only a moment, though, before he was looking back at Sam. "You certainly look happy today."
Sam blushed, looking away for a moment before answering him. "Yeah… it's amazing what a good night's sleep will do for you."
Teal'c tipped his head to one side, as if in minor disbelief, but said nothing.
"So… what're you reading?" Sam asked him.
"Uh, it's some stuff on a dig in Giza that just uncovered some very interesting artifacts…" Before he could continue, Jack walked into the room, commanding everyone's attention.
"So, Daniel, I understand we have some interesting developments on the Giza front?"
Daniel nodded enthusiastically. "I think you'll have to see it to believe it yourself."
"Just what are we talking about here, Daniel?" As usual, Jack's patience with the man was limited.
"Well… I think we have a ZPM. But that's not the most interesting part." Daniel passed a sheet of paper to Sam, which she glanced at before she slid it along to Jack. As he took it, their fingers grazed, sending a tiny frisson of electricity shooting through to the very core of her. She just managed to keep the blush from forming on her cheeks.
Jack looked at the paper blankly, not really reading it. "Just come out with it, Daniel."
"There was a video recorder buried with the ZPM—buried for the last five thousand years, Jack. A modern video camera, complete with a video… and that's all I can say. You'll have to see it to believe it."
A short while later, the team was gathered in Sam's lab watching the video. Sure enough, there was a recording, one made by the four people in the room, apparently. Sam was enthralled, Daniel was delighted, Teal'c was captivated, and Jack… well, Jack was confused.
"Is that correct?" Sam asked after the video finished playing.
"If it is, we don't do anything?" Jack asked.
"Apparently, nothing we did affected the timeline." Sam's mind was whirling a million miles a minute as she digested the information presented in that video.
"But we didn't do anything!" Poor Jack was still confused.
"Not yet. Apparently, we were going to. Two weeks from now. But now we don't have to."
"Excellent! That's it. I like it!" Jack exclaimed.
Daniel and Teal'c nodded and turned to leave the room.
Sam started to pick up the box containing the ZPM. "Ok, I'm going to get this up to the lab for analysis."
Jack stopped her and picked up the box. "No! I'll take it. There's a whole room full of geeks up there just dying to get their hands on this." He paused and offered her a wry grin. "You've got packin' to do."
Sam smiled after him as he walked away.
"Packing? You going somewhere, Sam?" Daniel asked the question from just outside Sam's lab. At her nod, he came back in. "Where you headed?"
Sam shifted, slightly uncomfortable. Then Teal'c walked back in the room, and she figured she may as well tell them now. "Um… I'm going with the General… up to his cabin in Minnesota."
Daniel blinked twice, his eyes widening with each movement. Teal'c simply allowed a small smile to play at the corner of his lips.
"Really? Umm… what about… your wedding? Isn't that coming up in a few days?"
Sam took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly before answering. "No. I called off the wedding, Daniel. I couldn't marry Pete, not when I still have such strong feelings for…someone else."
"Jack." It wasn't a question, but Sam nodded in response. "I see."
"Hey, why don't you guys join us?" Jack's voice startled them all.
"Uh, we wouldn't want to… intrude. I'm sure you guys need some... some time alone together…"
"Indeed," Teal'c added as Daniel trailed off.
Jack looked over to Sam for her input. A quick but silent conversation seemed to pass between them before Sam finally spoke up. "No, really, I think he's right. You should join us. Make it a team event."
Daniel's gaze passed back and forth between them for a moment. "I've still got a ton of stuff to catalog from the Giza dig. But maybe we could join you later?"
Jack smiled. "Sure. We'll be there all weekend."
Daniel nodded. "All right, why don't we plan on meeting up on Sunday. That'll give you two some time and we'll still be able to do the whole team thing." Daniel's expression shifted then into one of concern. "Uh, Jack… what about… you know, the whole regs issue? I mean, isn't that the big reason you two stayed apart for so long?"
"We found a way around the regs. In fact, I just phoned the President about it before the briefing. He wasn't thrilled, but he agreed. As of today, I'm resigning my commission. I'll be running the SGC as a civilian."
Daniel's eyes widened. "Oh. Wow. That's… are you sure?"
"Yes, Daniel. I'm very sure. Never been more so."
"And you're okay with this?" Daniel said to Sam.
"Well, there aren't too many other options for us. Not unless I want to transfer off of this base—which I have considered, by the way. Now that the Goa'uld threat is pretty much wiped out, along with the Replicators, maybe it's time for some changes. Eight years is a long time on the front line."
"Well… It sounds like the two of you have a lot to talk about… Are you sure you want us to come up to the cabin?"
Jack nodded, as did Sam. "I think we're all overdue for some some 'team bonding' time," Jack said, his fingers waggling in the air. "What better way to do that than fishing?"
Since it seemed to be a rhetorical question, no one in the room answered.
Daniel finally nodded his head. "All right. Sunday it is." Teal'c nodded as well, and the two of them left Sam's lab. Jack remained behind.
"That went… well, I think."
Sam smiled. "Could've been much worse."
"Teal'c didn't seem too surprised," Jack mused.
Sam frowned. "Daniel did."
"He didn't know you'd called off the wedding. Why didn't you tell him you called off the wedding?"
"I just never had the chance." Sam busied herself with putting away the video.
"I see." Jack strolled across the room, stopping just in front of her. To keep himself from pulling her into his arms, he jammed his hands into his pockets. "Well… I've cleared off my schedule for the weekend. You about ready to get out of here?"
With a bright smile, Sam nodded her head. "Let's go fishing," she said, delighting Jack with her unabridged enthusiasm.