It was still fairly early in the morning by the time Sam and Jack finally hit the road to Minnesota. They enjoyed a great deal of pleasant conversation over the course of the long drive. They had considered flying out, but decided that the lengthy road trip would be a pleasant diversion after all the time they'd spent cooped up inside Cheyenne Mountain.
During the sixteen-plus hour drive, they took the time to get to know each other on a deeper and more personal level than they had been allowed under their previous professional relationship. Jack told her all about how he'd grown up in the wilds of Minnesota, how he developed his love of all things hockey, and how he came to join the Air Force in spite of being raised in a very pacifistic family. Sam told him all about growing up a military brat, the ways she would torment her older brother during their childhood years, and why she followed in her father's footsteps and joined the military rather than writing her own ticket in the civilian world.
They shared the bad along with the good. Jack told her about some of his black ops work, the stuff that wasn't still deeply classified, anyway; Sam told him about how difficult her teenage years had been after her mother's untimely death. Jack even opened up to her about his son and his former marriage, and Sam let him in on how hard it was for her to live up to her father's expectations and demands. She told him about her early dream of being an astronaut and how honored she was to be have been able to be a part of the Stargate program. He told her that he'd wanted to be a professional hockey player in his youth and how that dream had been lost when he realized what a difference he might make in the world through working in the military.
Sam and Jack also enjoyed the freedoms of their new relationship as lovers; Sam often found herself reaching across the cab of Jack's truck to touch him, to hold his hand or simply run her fingers through his hair, which always made Jack smile. Jack, too, had a hard time keeping his hands to himself, and just as often found himself reaching out to touch Sam, which naturally brought a smile to her face.
Even though they'd worked closely together for eight years, there was a ton of information that they didn't know about each other; by the end of the drive, though, that had been whittled down to only a fair little bit. They enjoyed every moment of the discovery process, and were delighted to find out how much they had in common, not the least of that was their particular brand of humor. Even though he could always get a laugh out of her with his often sarcastic jokes, Sam was still a bit surprised at how much of that same sense of humor she herself had. And so, Jack regaled her with tales of the antics of his beloved Simpson's characters, and Sam delighted him with amusing anecdotes of her life before the Stargate program. They found themselves enjoying a number of battles of wits as the conversation flowed.
Of course, as they tend to do over long periods of time, there were several moments when the conversation would lull, and they would each find themselves reflecting on the course of events that had eventually brought them together. The silence was always companionable, though, and never awkward.
It was during one such lull near the end of the journey that Sam found her thoughts wandering to one subject in particular: the future of their relationship. Part of her felt it was too soon to start making any sort of long-term-commitment type plans, and yet, she couldn't help but feel that it was about damned time they started making those very kinds of plans. Glancing over at Jack through the waning light of sunset, she decided to broach the subject.
"So… I've been thinking," Sam began.
Jack snorted. "Do you ever stop thinking?" he asked with a teasing grin.
Sam resisted a childish impulse to stick her tongue out at him. "About the future. Our future."
"Do tell," he replied.
"We're not rushing things," Sam said.
"We're not," Jack agreed.
Sam nodded. "We've been building toward this for years now."
"Eight of them, if memory serves." Jack glanced over at her through the corner of his eye.
"So whatever we decide to do, we really can't say we're rushing things."
"We just agreed that we're not rushing things."
Sam smiled with a small sigh. "So, what I was thinking was… maybe we should…"
"Get married?" Jack queried, surprising her.
"Are you reading my mind?" Sam asked incredulously.
Jack laughed. "No. But it does seem to me to be the next logical step."
"Okay…" Sam said slowly. "I know my reasoning, but what's yours?"
"Well, they've already yanked me out of retirement once. Who's to say they won't do it again?" Jack winced at the thought before continuing. "And if they did, we'd be right back at square one, with the whole chain of command issue royally screwing us. However, if we got married during this period of down time, there's not much they can or would say about the issue. You could remain my direct subordinate, and there wouldn't be a damn thing the regs would have against it."
"Funny," Sam replied, "that's pretty much the same thing I was thinking."
"Great minds think alike, and so do we." Jack turned to look at Sam briefly. "So, what do you say, Sam… would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
"Oh yeah. Let's do it, Jack. Let's get married." She gave him her most brilliant and dazzling beam ever. Jack was pretty sure the inside of his truck was glowing from the light of her face.
"Sweet!" Jack reached across, clasped her left hand, and brought it to his lips.
"Holy Hannah!" Sam exclaimed. "We're getting' married!" She kept staring at Jack, quite certain she'd never seen him smile the way he was doing now. She pulled their hands back to her and kissed his hand.
A few minutes later, Jack turned off the highway and onto a narrow private road. The path twisted and curved around several small lakes before coming to an end beside a lovely log cabin. Sam tore her gaze away from Jack to take in the view before her.
The last tendrils of light were just escaping the horizon as they arrived, but there was just enough light for Sam to take in the amazing scene. Jack's cabin was indeed every bit as secluded and private as she had imagined. His yard was wilderness, and there was a small dock jutting into his own private lake. On the other side of the lake, trees stretched out as far as the eye could see.
"It's beautiful," Sam sighed.
"I'm rather fond of it," Jack said as he parked the truck near the cabin. He turned off the ignition and opened his door. "Shall we?"
Sam nodded, unable to tear her gaze away from her surroundings. She sat there for a long moment before she realized that Jack had gotten out and was opening her door for her. He reached a hand out and she took it as she exited the cab. They walked around to the bed of the truck and extracted their bags. Sam then followed Jack along the path to the door of the cabin. Jack made quick work of unlocking and opening it, motioning for Sam to enter first.
As he stepped inside, he flipped a switch and the room was illuminated by a pair of table lamps in opposite corners of the living room. It was as beautiful on the inside as it had been outdoors. He had good taste, Sam thought as she took in the simple furnishings. There was a comfortable looking couch sitting opposite a large stone fireplace, and there was a pair of doorways, one in each corner of the room opposite the main door.
"Kitchen's that way," Jack said, indicating the doorway farthest from them. "Bedrooms and baths are down that hall." He stepped inside and closed the door behind them. "I'll just go put these in our room. Make yourself at home."
"Our room," Sam repeated under her breath. "That's gonna take some getting used to, I guess."
"Did you say something?" Jack called out.
"It's going to take some getting used to," she repeated.
"What is?"
"Us," Sam answered.
Jack came back into the room. "Well, I, for one, am looking forward to getting used to us." He strode across to where Sam was still standing and clasped her face gently between his warm hands. He tilted her face up as he brought his head down to graze her lips with his own. It was a leisurely kiss, but one that left no doubt as to its intentions. He was definitely trying to drive her mad with desire, and it was working.
"Mmm," Jack said as he broke off the kiss. "I have been wanting to do that all afternoon."
"Me too," Sam replied. "And I'm definitely looking forward to getting used to that."
Jack kissed her once more, this time a little less languidly and a little more demanding. Sam responded in kind, wrapping her arms around his waist as he pulled her in a little closer. It was quite some time before they came up for air.
"So," Sam managed, her voice sounding just a little too breathless, "this is where you've been threatening to take me all these years."
Jack smiled. "Let me give you the ten-cent tour." He took her hand in his and led her across the room, through the doorway into the kitchen.
"Here's the kitchen. Nothin' fancy," he said, and meant it. The stove looked to be as old as the house, and the table was of a simple and rustic design, with a couple of benches rather than chairs. He led her through the kitchen into what turned out to be a bedroom. "This is the guest room. I'll let Daniel and Teal'c duke it out as to who gets the bed and who gets the floor." Sam giggled in response.
Jack then led her through another door across the small room. "This is the guest bath, which also opens up to…" Jack opened the second door in the room, "… the hall way." They stepped into said hallway; a few steps later, they stood next to an open door. "And this would be our room," Jack said as he reached in and turned on a light.
Sam stepped into the room. It was a decent size room with a large window over the bed. The bed itself was covered in a plain plaid blanket and sat on top of a simple wrought iron frame. There were matching nightstands on either side, and a cedar chest sat the foot. Sam noted that their bags were sitting on top of the chest. She then noticed another doorway at the far end of the room.
"Let me guess… master bath?"
Jack nodded. "Fully armed and operational."
"Good to know," she replied.
"Hey," Jack said softly, turning and pulling her into his waiting embrace.
" 'Hey' yourself." Their hands were still joined, but Sam brought her free hand up to caress the slight stubble of beard on his face.
"We're gettin' married!" Jack looked so happy she was afraid he might burst.
"Yeah, we are." Sam's face was lit up from the inside, her eyes lighting brighter than any snake-head's glowing eyes had ever done.
"I love you, you know." Jack's tone was suddenly very serious.
"Yes, I know," Sam responded.
"I intend to make love to you all night long," Jack informed her.
"That's good… I don't intend to let you out of bed much at all tomorrow."
"Good. 'Cause it was a long eight years, and I intend to make up for lost time."
"Sounds like the perfect plan." She started to say something more, but the words were lost in Jack's kiss, and in moments she had no clue what it had been that she wanted to say. She sufficed for kissing him back, winding her arms around him and pulling him impossibly closer to her. It was going to be a long, pleasant night indeed.
Jack kissed her ever more deeply, his tongue slipping inside her mouth as she sighed into him. They teased and delighted one another for long moments before Sam pulled away.
"Let me," she said quietly as she gently tugged on the hem of Jack's t-shirt. She lifted it up over his head, and then tossed it into a corner of the room. She splayed her hands across his chest and kissed him again, once, then twice, then she began trailing soft kisses along his jaw. His chest rumbled with sounds of approval.
Sam continued her trail of kisses down Jack's neck, pausing to savor the taste of his skin every now and then before continuing her path downward. She traced lazy circles around his nipples with her tongue before finding a scar from an old bullet wound; she placed a tender kiss there. She then moved ever lower still, kissing her way across every inch of his skin before she finally reached his waistband. She raked her hands down his side, eliciting a shiver from him as she unfastened his jeans and pushed them down his long legs.
She ran her hands down one leg and back up the other. The evidence of his arousal was straining against the fabric of his boxers, and she gently extracted him, removing the last garment from his body and tossing it in the pile with the rest of his clothing. Sam stood back a step to admire her work and his nude form.
Jack was still an impressive specimen, and Sam reveled in the knowledge that he was, at long last, all hers for the taking. She pulled his face to hers with both hands for a long, sensual kiss. She then dropped her hands to clasp him firmly as she dropped to her knees before him. Before he could utter a word, she took him into her mouth and virtually swallowed him whole.
Jack groaned a deep throaty growl that only served to encourage Sam. She used her hands and her mouth with as much skill as he'd ever experienced; no sign of awkwardness or nervousness was apparent in her ministrations. In mere moments, he was feeling weak-kneed and light-headed, but Sam wouldn't be stopped.
"Sam… I'm gonna… you should… stop…" Jack managed, but Sam wouldn't be deterred from her task. She continued to shower him with attention, and Jack soon found himself exploding into her. When he finally finished, Sam pulled away, leaving Jack feeling shaky and dizzy from her loving. He took a few stumbling steps backward until he felt the bed behind him, then he dropped onto its soft surface.
"Wow."
Sam smiled at his response. Never before had she had the desire to perform such a task on a man, not even when she'd been engaged to marry—either time. And yet, something about Jack O'Neill compelled her to offer that service, and she was pleased that he had so obviously enjoyed it.
Jack regarded Sam with eyes foggy with desire. He wasn't sure how much recovery time certain parts of his anatomy were going to need, but he knew he'd be damned if he didn't shower her with every bit as much affection as she had just shared with him. He reached a hand out to her, which she took as she moved to sit on the bed beside him.
"My turn," he said softly, prompting a smile of anticipation from Sam. Slowly, with ever so much care and dedication to his task, he unbuttoned the simple cardigan sweater Sam wore. As each button was released, he placed a kiss on the skin it exposed; she wore no shirt, only a simply lacy bra beneath. As he kissed the deepest part of the valley between her breasts, Sam gasped in pleasure. Jack continued working the buttons free, and then as the sweater fell down around her, he reached up and unclasped her bra, letting it, too, drop to the bed.
Jack brought his hands up to cup her breasts, his thumbs tracing the outline of her nipples as he brought his mouth back to hers. He kissed her deeply, tasting himself on her lips and tongue and finding himself increasingly aroused once again. He imitated the path Sam had taken with him, kissing a lazy path down the side of her neck until his mouth reached one of her breasts. He pulled her nipple into his mouth and began to suck on it, sending chills of pleasure running through her.
He worked his way over to her other breast, lavishing it with the same attention as he had the first, and by the time he released her, she was shivering and whimpering. He gently eased her back onto the bed, then began trailing kisses lower down her body until her jeans got in his way. He made quick work of dispensing with both them and her lacy panties, and in little time, she was as nude as he.
Much like Sam had, Jack took a moment to savor the sight of her laying on the bed waiting for him. He began massaging her legs with great care, starting at her ankles and ever so slowly working his way up to the juncture of her legs. As his fingers found her heated core, Sam moaned, her hips bucking up off the bed a bit. Jack chuckled quietly as he continued to survey her moist center with loving fingers.
"Please, Jack," Sam moaned, and Jack was only to happy to comply. He set about pleasing her the best way he knew how, his lips and tongue descending upon her, causing her to whimper and moan with delight. He took his time exploring her, wanting to extend her pleasure for as long as possible. Sam, though, was rapidly losing patience, and he found her grabbing his hand and guiding it down to join his mouth in loving assistance. When she tried to withdraw her own hand, though, Jack wouldn't let her, and after a moment, she was exploring her own body along with him. The last coherent thought she had was that this was the single most erotic thing she had ever done. Then the world shattered around her, and her entire body was racked with spasms of utter bliss.
Only after she completely stopped moving did Jack release her, and he slowly dragged his body up along hers so that he could kiss her mouth once again. As they merged together, Sam sighed into him once more.
"Are you…" Sam began, then had to stop and catch her breath. "Have you recovered?" she asked with a smile.
Jack returned her grin as he moved himself over her. "Oh, yeah. I'm ready if you are." In answer, she grabbed him and guided him into her warm, waiting body. They began to move together, their rhythm coming as naturally as breathing. Sam dragged her hands up along his back, raking him gently with her short fingernails. Jack tangled his hands in her hair as he kissed her deeply, all the love he felt for her pouring out in that kiss.
Sam arched her back, bringing her legs high up his waist, and Jack brought a hand down to pull one thigh impossibly higher. She hooked her other leg back around Jack's leg as they continued to plunge together. Jack slipped his hand in between them and began treating her to new forms of pleasure as he massaged that sensitive bundle of nerves at the very core of her as he continued thrusting into her.
Sam moaned and pressed the full length of her body into Jack as she felt a powerful climax rapidly approaching. She could scarcely believe he could bring such a strong reaction from her so quickly after the last, and yet, the tingling forming low in her belly couldn't be mistaken. She called out his name, and Jack answered her in a voice low and sexy and designed to drive her over the edge with desire; it worked, and she began trembling beneath him as wave after wave of pleasure overcame her.
Jack, for his part, was still a ways off from reaching a second peak, and simply rode the tide out with her, letting her slide along his length as the waves slowed. He sat up, then, pulling her along with him, her legs still tightly wrapped around his waist. He then leaned back, twisting Sam a bit and unhitching one leg so that she was lying perpendicular to him, her legs draped across his stomach. He reestablished a steady rhythm, his hands working magic across her entire body.
As he slowly worked his way into a faster rhythm, Sam sat up just enough that she could reach his face with her own and once again they were kissing deeply and passionately. She massaged his scalp and caressed his cheeks, and then she trailed her hands across his chest, down lower and lower until she could circle him with her hand as he thrust into her. She pressed her thumb into the most sensitive places she knew, and in moments, Jack was groaning, his movements quickly losing cohesive rhythm and dissolving into spasmodic jerks as his climax overtook him at long last.
Slowly, they came back down to earth. Sam moved her legs around so that Jack was spooned up behind her. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, kissing her neck as they settled into place.
"You're amazing, you know that?" he whispered in her ear.
"Mmmm… you're pretty incredible yourself," she replied. Jack kept himself buried deep inside her as they slowly drifted into a deep, sated sleep.