Chapter 8

I wake up the next morning, stretching languidly, the sheet sliding down my naked body. I look over to see the bed is empty but Jack has left me a note. "Sleep as long as you need. J." I smile at the note as I lay back down and read it again. Its so amazing to me that we're here at this point in our relationship. I start to smell the beginnings of coffee and breakfast being made and decide to get up. I hear the boys moving around the great room and I smile a bit. I'd almost forgotten about being interrupted last night. Oh well. I take a quick shower and then change into my jeans and an AF teeshirt. After running my brush through my hair, I pull the covers up over the bed in an attempt to tidy up and then go out to the kitchen.

"Morning, guys!" Daniel and Teal'c turn to me with two different looks on their faces. Daniel's is one of embarrassment while Teal'c just smiles bigger and nods. Jack turns around from the kitchen and smiles at me. "Morning, Jack."

He walks towards me and spins me around in a tight hug. He puts me back down and then kisses me softly. "Good morning, Sam." We stay wrapped up in each others arms apparently a bit too long because Daniel clears his throat, loudly. We move apart and Jack goes back to the kitchen to finish breakfast.

"So...um...sorry about...um...last night...I..." Daniel starts stammering. I laugh a bit and then pull him into a hug. He's so uncomfortable with what happened, its almost cute.

"Don't worry about it, Danny. We're not."

He drops his voice a bit. "So I take it...you and Jack?"

"Yup." I pull back and look at Daniel. "I can't believe we've finally gotten here. I'm almost scared I'm going to wake up and it will all be a dream."

"You both deserve this, Sam. I'm really happy for you guys. Really. Hey, do you want me and T to leave and give you guys some time alone? It can't be all that romantic having us boys hanging around."

"Don't be silly. You and T are our family. You guys can't leave. Who knows when we'll all be able to hang out like this again."

"Why's that?" he asks me inquisitively.

Shit. Way to let the cat out of the bag, Carter. "Well, who knows what's going to happen now, you know? Oh look, Jack and Teal'c have breakfast ready." I move to the kitchen with Daniel following me. I step up behind Jack and whisper to him that I might have let the cat out of the bag and to expect Daniel to ask questions.

"I was actually going to bring that up over breakfast. As a matter of fact, I think even you will be surprised by what I have to say." He turned and took the platter of pancakes and sausage to the table and we all followed and started serving ourselves. "Well campers, I wanted to tell you that I got a transfer to D.C. General Hammond is retiring and wants me to fill his spot as head of Homeworld Security."

Okay, this I knew. Daniel and Teal'c on the other hand...

"What? When did you find out about this? When do you leave? Who's going to run the SGC?" Daniel spit all this out in one breath. Teal'c merely cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. Jack started to laugh at the two men.

"I found out about a month or two ago. As to who will be running the SGC, well that's going to be General Hank Landry. An old buddy of mine. Good guy." Jack finished talking and started to eat his breakfast. I just sat there, waiting to hear the rest of his news. The smug bastard sure had a knack for tormenting us.

"Okay that answers two of my questions. When do you leave?" Daniel asked again.

"I don't."

That caught my attention. "What do you mean, 'you don't'?" I put my fork down and turned towards him to look in his eyes. He had a smile spreading on his face, and matching gleams in his eyes.

"As of..." he looked at his watch. "0800 this morning, I am officially Brigadier General Jack O'Neill, Retired USAF." He sat back in his chair to catch our responses. I never noticed any of the guys' though. I was too busy staring at the man that I loved in utter disbelief. He kept grinning but his eyes betrayed him. I could see the nervousness in them as I let the information sink in.

"Why did you retire?" I whispered. He stood up and walked over to my chair and squatted down to look me in the eyes better. His hands found mine and turned me to him.

"I retired because I'm tired of sitting behind a desk. I'm tired of watching countless SG teams go through the 'gate and wonder if this would be the mission I would have to inform family members about. I got tired of not being out there with you, Daniel and Teal'c. Fighting on the front lines." His hand came up to cup my face, his thumb brushing my cheek. "I retired because I'm tired of having to hide how much you mean to me. Hiding how much I love you."

I felt the tears start to well up in my eyes at his confession. I rubbed my cheek against the palm of his hand and squeezed the other. He stood and pulled me with him, holding me to him tightly, his face buried in my neck. I wrapped my arms up and around his shoulders, the tears falling freely now. I had never loved another man as much as I love this one right now. We stood that way for a couple minutes before he pulled back. He took my face in his hands again and wiped my tears from my cheeks.

"Hey, no crying." he whispered.

"I can cry when I'm happy you know." I replied.

Daniel cleared his throat. "Um, Teal'c and I need to...um...go to the store...yeah..." He and the Jaffa made to get up from the table to leave but Jack stopped them.

"Hold on a second guys. I want you here for this." Jack bent down on one knee and took a small black box out of his pocket. "Carter...Sam...I know we've only just started in our relationship but I want you to know, I've loved you for a long time. I made the mistake of almost losing you and that's something I never want to repeat." He opened the box to revel an antique white gold ring with a emerald cut diamond in the center. "Samantha Carter? Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

End part 8