Title: Here's To You
Author: DizzyDrea
Summary: He'd promised himself he'd do it again one day, when she'd be able to remember. He figured today was as good a day as any.
Rating: T
Spoilers: 4.6 "Window of Opportunity", 8.20 "Moebius" and 10.6 "200"
Author's Notes: So, ever wonder if Sam ever asked Jack about his Groundhog Day in "Window of Opportunity"? Here's my take. Yet another in an apparently ongoing series of stories inspired by songs from the Rascal Flatts album "Feels Like Today". This one was inspired by the Rascal Flatts song "Here's To You". It would help, although it isn't necessary, to have read my story, "Bless The Broken Road".
Disclaimer: Stargate and all its particulars is the property of MGM, Gekko, Double Secret, Acme Shark and a lot of other people who aren't me. I am doing this for fun and for practice. Mostly for fun.

To Gateseeker2: Your wish is, apparently, my muse's command. I hope you enjoy Sam's reaction!

~&O&~

Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter picked her way carefully through the copse of trees, a woman on a mission. She'd been sitting at one of the tables, listening to SG-3 as they talked about the mission they'd just completed. The better part of the SGC staff and most of the teams had gathered on this quiet world to help Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell celebrate his 200th trip through the Stargate. Most everyone had been doubtful of his claim, though no one was willing to say so because they'd take any excuse they could find for a party.

So, they'd settled on an uninhabited planet, brought a ton of food and drinks as well as tables and chairs, and generators to run the lights after dark. They'd arranged it so that any teams either currently offworld or about to depart could detour through their Stargate so they could stop by and celebrate for a bit before moving on. And even though the plan hadn't included alcohol, Sam was fairly certain that there were more than a few people who'd smuggled some in, judging by the varying states of inebriation evident in the clearing.

The party had been in full swing for several hours, and the sun was just beginning to set. At some point, Sam had glanced around, seeking out her teammates. Doctor Daniel Jackson, Teal'c, and Cam were scattered around the clearing, talking to various SGC personnel. Even General Landry and Carolyn Lam had come to the party. The one person she couldn't seem to find in the sea of faces was one General Jack O'Neill.

"If you're looking for Jack, I think he slipped out that way," Daniel whispered in her ear.

She glanced back at him where he stood behind her, then followed his finger through the trees, toward the setting sun.

"Thanks," she said, smiling as she reached up and squeezed his arm.

She'd set out through the trees, wondering what had dragged him away from the crowd. Slowing as she reached the tree line, she saw him, standing just a few feet away, at the edge of a meadow, hands in his pockets, seemingly engrossed in the view of the sun setting behind the mountains in the distance.

Instead of speaking, she slipped up beside him, tucking an arm around his waist. He turned and smiled down at her, pulling her closer until she stood in front of him with his arms wrapped around her. He leaned down and kissed her hair before heaving a sigh and resting his chin on her head.

"That was a heavy sigh," Sam said, leaning back slightly to look up at him.

He ghosted a smile. "It's just nice to be offworld. With no one shooting at us, for a change."

Sam chuckled, then resettled herself against him, turning her attention back to the sunset. "I just can't believe how many people we were able to get out here."

"Hank can be quite resourceful," Jack said, squeezing her. "And besides, I think we can all agree that we needed the break."

"I don't think I've had a break in nine years," she said.

"You could take a vacation every once in a while," he said. "It's not like I've never invited you to the cabin, you know."

"I went," she protested. "Once."

"You fished for an hour," he said, ticking off his points on his fingers. "You brought your laptop. For cryin' out loud, Carter, at one point, I think you and Daniel even snuck off and called the SGC."

"Busted," she said, blushing.

"S'okay," he said, kissing her head again. "There'll be other chances. Besides, this is nice."

"This is nice."

They fell into silence, then, watching as the sun sank lower in the sky. Sam let her thoughts drift, lazily sifting through the memories of over ten years of working on the project. The wild road trips, both on and off world. The friends they'd made; and the enemies. For some reason, trouble just seemed to find them. And the weird stuff, too.

"You know," Sam said, as a thought struck her. She wasn't sure why it came to her now, except that she was thinking about the past.

"What's up, Carter?" Jack asked.

"Well, sir," she said, pulling back and facing him. "You never did tell me everything that happened while you and Teal'c were stuck in that time loop."

"I didn't, did I?" he said. And there it was again: that enigmatic smile that she'd grown to associate with this particular topic.

Just then, a bell sounded from the clearing, signaling that General Landry was about to make his speech. Jack reached out and grabbed Sam's hand, tugging her along.

"C'mon, let's go see what Hank's got to say."

They picked their way through the trees to the clearing, stepping up to the front to stand beside Cam and Carolyn, just a few feet away from the General. They glanced over to the General's other side, both smiling at Daniel and Teal'c as their CO spoke.

"Glad you could join us, Jack," Landry said, smiling as the two dropped the hands they were holding.

"Hank," Jack said, smiling and nodding at the other man.

"Okay, now that we're all here," Landry said, rubbing his hands together. "I know that we're here to celebrate Colonel Mitchell's 200th trip through the gate—" Disbelief and catcalls echoed through the clearing, until the General held up his hands asking for silence once again. "Now, now. We've all been working hard these last few months, so we haven't had much time for celebrating. So, I'm glad that we got to take a moment and enjoy each other's company, and remember why we all do this. And thanks go to Colonel Mitchell for giving us all an excuse," he said, smiling at the man of the hour.

The group in the clearing cheered, the sound echoing off the trees.

"Jack, you want to say anything?" Landry asked, turning to his old friend.

Jack checked his watch, then smiled. He grabbed Sam's hand and dragged her over in front of Landry. Slipping a sheet of paper out of his vest pocket, he handed it to Landry.

"What's this?" Landry asked. He skimmed over the letter, then exclaimed, "What?"

Jack merely winked at his friend, then proceeded to gather Sam into his arms. He dipped her over, smiling deeply into shocked blue eyes. Then, he kissed her. Sam was frozen for a heartbeat, then her mind shut down and her body took over. Sliding her hands up his shoulders, she threaded her fingers through his hair and clung to him as she responded to his kiss.

They clung together for long moments, until finally, the sound of a throat clearing penetrated the haze. Jack pulled back and steadied Sam on her feet.

"Wow," Cam said, shaking his head as more cheers and catcalls echoed in the clearing.

Sam simply stood, staring at Jack. They hadn't been seeing each other long, and from the beginning, one of their rules had been no PDAs at work. Of course, her mind supplied a memory from just a few minutes ago as they watched the sunset, but she dismissed it since they'd been alone. This most certainly qualified as a PDA, but there was more to it than that. Catching movement out of the corner of her eye, she glanced over to find Teal'c smiling. That's when she knew.

Rounding on Jack, she poked him with her finger. "This is what you did!"

"Ouch, Carter," Jack said, rubbing his chest.

"Don't 'ouch, Carter' me," she said, eyes flashing. "You did this on Groundhog Day, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did," Jack admitted sheepishly. Then, he straightened up and put on what she and Daniel had affectionately termed his 'General face'. "And I promised myself I was going to do it again one day, when you'd be able to remember," he said, then shrugged, an unrepentant smile curling his lips. "I figured today was as good a day as any."

"But you're—we're—and this is—" she sputtered to a halt, looking helplessly at him.

"Maybe you should read this, Colonel," Landry said, handing her the paper he'd taken from Jack.

She snatched it out of his hand—to a chorus of 'ooohs'—and read the neatly typed text. Then, she looked up at Jack, tears in her eyes.

"What's it say, Sam?" Daniel asked quietly.

"It says that General O'Neill resigned for five minutes at sunset local time," she said quietly. Then, she turned back to Jack. "You did that so you could kiss me?"

"I did that so I could show our family and friends how much I love you," he clarified. "Been wanting to do that for almost six years." He cocked his head, wincing slightly. "Are you mad?"

Sam's heart melted. She knew Jack wasn't one for public displays. He wasn't terribly romantic, either, but then that wasn't why she'd fallen in love with him. Still, this meant more to her than just about anything else he'd done in the nine months they'd been together. It wasn't that their relationship was breaking any rules. Jack had gotten the President's permission, after all, but only on the condition that they keep it away from work. But, knowing that he'd gone to this trouble for her…

"I love you," she said as she stepped forward and circled her arms around him.

Jack pulled her to him, enveloping her in his embrace. He dropped a kiss on her head, closing his eyes as he savored this moment. "I love you, too, Sam."

More cheering could be heard, but just then, there were really only two people in the whole universe. And those two were happier than they'd ever been.

~Finis

Author's Post Script: I know, this is cloyingly sweet, in an I-almost-puked-while-I-was-writing-it kind of way. So sue me.

Completed: June 2011