Chapter 3

It was after dark as Jack drove slowly down the street, searching for the place where Sam was staying. Seeing the hotel sign, he pulled into a parking space.

Getting out of his truck, he went inside and got on the elevator, riding up several floors.

Sam's room was at the end of the hall. He stopped in front of the door and hesitated for a moment. Thinking she might be asleep, the thought occurred to him that maybe he should get a room and wait until tomorrow morning to speak with her, but she had been upset when he called so he wanted to see for himself if she was okay.

He knocked softly and several seconds later, the door opened and there stood Sam, barefoot and wearing a long, light blue silk robe. Her eyes were red and puffy as if she had been crying a long time and she looked tired and fragile. He wanted to take her in his arms and hug her to help her feel better, but he couldn't, at least not yet.

"Hey, Sam."

"Hello, sir."

He walked inside, Sam closed the door and turned to face him.

"I'm sorry I worried you and Cassie and I'm sorry you drove all this way, sir, and . . ."

Jack held up both hands. "Will you stop it already? If I really hadn't wanted to come, I wouldn't be here. I wanted to see for myself how you're doing."

Sam sat down on the side of the bed and stared at the floor as she clasped her hands together.

Jack sat in a chair across from her. "Want to tell me why you changed your mind about the wedding at the last minute?"

Sam glanced at Jack but looked back down at her hands. "On the way to the church, I finally admitted to myself that this whole situation hasn't felt right from the beginning. I couldn't marry Pete. I realized that I couldn't spend the rest of my life with someone I wasn't in love with."

Sam paused for a moment and Jacked waited for her to continue.

"I should not have gotten engaged to Pete in the first place. I should have ended it when he showed me the ring. We'd only known each other for a short time but I guess I wanted so much to have a normal life, to have someone in my life that I got caught up in the moment and one thing led to another and before I knew it, I was in over my head. It all happened too quickly. Calling off the wedding was the right thing to do for me and Pete, although he probably won't see it that way for a long time."

"I understand you want a normal life, Sam, that there has to be something more besides your career to make you happy."

"The biggest reason . . ."

Sam suddenly stood up and took a few steps away but kept her back to Jack and he waited to see what she would say. She crossed her arms over her chest, finally turned to face him and looked into his eyes.

"The biggest reason I couldn't marry him is because of my feelings for you. They've only grown stronger since we were forced to admit them a few years ago."

Tears filled Sam's eyes so Jack quickly stood and wrapped his arms around her as she covered her face with her hands.

Jack gently ran his arms up and down her back to comfort her.

Sam slid her arms around his waist. "I thought I could never have you so I thought that maybe if I gave Pete a chance, it would work out, but I was wrong. I'm sorry I hurt Pete and I didn't mean to put you through all this."

"Look, Sam, I'm not going to deny that it hurt to know you were going to be someone else's wife but I want you to be happy."

Sam leaned back and looked into his eyes. "That's why you didn't stop me the day you came into my lab and I showed you the ring."

"That's right."

"Can you forgive me?"

"Yes."

"How you can forgive me so easily?"

Jack took her hands in his. "Because we all make wrong choices and sometimes, like now, you have the chance to make things right. I understand that you want to be married with two kids, the white picket fence and a dog and a cat. Pete offered you all that so you went into it thinking it would work out if you put some effort into it, but it didn't. I'm just glad you realized he isn't the man you want to spend the rest of your life with. The reason I can forgive you, Sam, is because I love you."

Sam tried not to cry. "I love you too. You've been so patient and understanding. I don't deserve your forgiveness or your love after everything that's happened."

Jack grinned. "Oh come now, Samantha. I'm older than you and I have creaky knees and I'm stubborn and grumpy and set in my ways. You sure you want to put up with all that?"

Sam nodded her head. "I've never been more certain of anything in my life. You may be all those things but you're also sexy and sweet and handsome and smart and funny and kind and generous and . . ."

Sam stopped and grinned mischievously. "Did I mention sexy?"

Jack chuckled. "You really have it bad."

Sam tilted her head and started to blush as she gazed into his warm brown eyes. "Yes I do. I've been in love with you for a very long time."

"You've had so many men after you through the years, I can't risk someone else coming along and snatching you away from me. I have to grab you now while I can. Life is too short to put this off any longer."

Sam sighed. "My heart has always belonged to you. I've been too much of a coward to tell you that I've never felt this way about any other man in my entire life. I don't want to lose you."

Jack hugged her to him again and he could feel her trembling. "You're not going to lose me, Sam. I promise."

He gently kissed Sam on her forehead before looking into her eyes.. "I think it's time we discuss what we've been denying for so long."

"Definitely, Jack."

Jack grinned. "See? You're getting the hang of calling me 'Jack' already."

Sam smiled and took a deep breath.

He cupped her face with his hands and gazed into her eyes. Slowly leaning over and wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her as she put her arms around his neck, and as he held her tighter, he realized how right it felt to hold Samantha Carter in his arms. After so many years of want, need, lust and love, one grumpy Colonel and one beautiful scientist were finally about to explore those feelings they had locked away so long ago.

The End