Baseball and Engagements

AN: This story idea came from Disneynut who said "How about Sam and Jack fly in to the L.A. area to visit Cassie and it just so happens that the Twins are playing the Angels. (Every once in awhile they have the "Kissing Cam" You can get some of the most unlikely couples and some regular types of people.) What about have the focus on our favorite couple and have that act as the "opening of the flood gates" so to speak. What do you think?" And so this is the result!

"You know, this was a great idea," Sam said, as she settled into her seat next to Jack.

"I do have them once every ten years," Jack claimed with a smile as tried to make himself comfortable in his own seat.

There were a few minutes of silence, during which Sam and Jack faked extreme interest in what was happening on the field.

"The last time I was to a baseball game, it was in this stadium and the Twins were visiting then too," Sam confided in Jack. "Dad was stationed close by, so it must have been almost 20 or 25 years ago."

"That's a long time," Jack observed. "I took Charlie when he was younger. It was one of our favorite things to do together."

"Mark was never really into baseball, and even though I was, it didn't really matter to Dad. Mark hated it, so we didn't go back. Dad didn't see a reason to take his sports loving, tomboy of a daughter to baseball games," Sam explained.

"I would never do that to my daughter. Ever," Jack vowed. "I had half a mind to force Cassie to come with us, but I couldn't force her to cancel her study session with her friends."

"You know it wasn't really a study session right?" Sam asked, curious if he had figured out the same thing she had.

"Carter, I might not be a genius, but I'm not stupid," Jack claimed. "She's going out with a guy, who she obviously didn't want us to meet yet."

"Can't exactly blame her, sir. If I were her, I wouldn't want to introduce my boyfriend to us either, especially after what you've done to the last several boyfriends," Sam shot back, emphasizing the 'sir' that she had tried hard to break herself of the habit of using.

"I didn't do a thing. It was all Teal'c!"

Sam eyed Jack suspiciously. "Somehow I find that hard to believe Jack."

"Well, it's true," Jack assured her as the conversation ended as they stood for the playing of the National Anthem.

They spent a majority of the game laughing and joking, catching up on what each had been up to since Jack's promotion and move to D.C. and Sam's departure from the SGC.

It was during the swap of players after the top of the 5th that the 'Kissing Cam' made its appearance.

At first Sam and Jack found it funny to watch various couples kiss in order to appease the audience in the stadium.

Until the 'Kissing Cam' landed on them.

Sam instantly turned beet red. "No way," she quickly said, trying to use her hands to stop Jack.

"We've got to Car- Sam," Jack insisted, looking nervous at the prospect of kissing Sam.

The crowd began clapping in rhythm to the music in the background, encouraging them to kiss.

"They won't quit until we do," Jack insisted as he leaned forward, intent on giving her just a little peck on the cheek.

Reluctantly, Sam lowered her hands and leaned forward slightly. In a sudden move though, she turned her face to his and met his lips with her own.

Fireworks could have exploded and neither Sam nor Jack would have realized it at that moment.

Every possible thought disappeared from Sam's head as she wrapped her arms around Jack's neck, clinging to him as the kiss deepened.

When their lips finally parted, due to the need for air, Sam didn't remove her arms from around Jack's neck, instead choosing to let their foreheads rest together.

"That was…" Jack started to say, but couldn't find the right word to finish the sentence with.

"Wow," Sam breathed out once she collected herself.

"Yeah."

"Any chance we could do that again?" Sam asked tentatively, slightly loosening her grip around his neck.

Jack's response was a smile as he leaned in to kiss her again.

Suddenly, Jack didn't care if he didn't see the rest of the game at all.

ooooo

Cassie opened the door to her apartment and was shocked by what she found.

Making out on her couch like teenagers were 'Aunt' Sam and 'Uncle' Jack, also known as Lieutenant Colonel Doctor Samantha Carter and Major General Jonathan 'Jack' O'Neill respectively.

"What is going on here?" she demanded in the most adult voice she could muster, making sure that she flipped the lights on at the same time that she spoke, just as her mom had done when she had caught Cassie and Dominic kissing the first time.

Instantly the two adults broke apart, embarrassment darkening Sam's face.

"What did it look like we were doing?" Jack shot back.

Cassie stared at Jack. "Kissing," she finally answered, wondering what kind of response Jack would have to that.

Jack balked. He hadn't really expected Cassie to be so upfront about things. Heck, even he would have beat around the bush a little bit. But obviously Cassie felt that she could embarrass him the most by getting straight to the point.

But Sam had no qualms about answering Cassie's questions, despite her initial (and continued) embarrassment. "We were," she confirmed for her niece slash daughter. "What are you going to do about it?" she questioned.

Now it was Cassie's turn to be at a loss for words. She did a good impression of a goldfish, which, despite her best efforts at not laughing, caused Sam to start giggling.

Pretty soon all three of the room's occupants had dissolved into full fledge laughter.

After they all managed to calm down, Cassie wormed her way in between her favorite couple on the planet as they retook the couch. It was a tight squeeze but they all managed to fit.

Cassie proceeded to grill Sam and Jack on their feelings for each other- and just when they had started dating- and why they hadn't bothered to inform her of the fact sooner. She was surprised to find out that they had only 'discovered' their mutual feelings that afternoon.

"You mean," Cassie said in disbelief, "You worked together for eight years and only realized today that the feelings were mutual. You do realize that the biggest betting pool in SGC history has to do with how long it would take the two of you to get together after Jack left the SGC right?"

"How big is it?" Jack asked curiously while Sam sat there flushed in embarrassment, wondering how long everyone else had known about the attraction between herself and Jack.

"Everyone from the President down to the guards at the gate have a bet," Cassie informed him.

"Doh!" That piece of news was all Jack had to hear to know that there was no way he and Sam were going to be able to keep this relationship under wraps for very long!

ooooo

Judging by the looks Jack got as he stopped by the SGC on his first inspection of the SGC since he had handed over command to Hank Landry, everyone already knew that he was dating Lieutenant Colonel Doctor Samantha Carter.

Most of the base personnel didn't know Jack well enough to joke with him about his new relationship with Sam, but those who did, got in a few good ribs, fairly certain that Jack wouldn't do anything too horrible to them for it. After all, the only person Jack O'Neill had ever admitted to being scared of during his time at the SGC was Sam Carter, so they knew not to even think about bothering her at Area 51 in order to get their joking in.

But once Jack returned to D.C., everything quieted down on the Sam and Jack relationship front. The couple managed to work out a way to spend every other weekend together, which was nice.

It usually meant that they both lost some sleep, actually a lot of sleep on those weekends they were together between travelling and their other nighttime activities.

And they both silently agreed that it was worth it.

But Sam was tired. Tired of only getting to have Jack four, maybe five if she was lucky, days a month. After eight years, she wasn't sure if forever was going to be long enough to spend with him.

And despite how much she loved her job at Area 51- and she did love her job- the offer that the Pentagon continuously made her was looking better and better, even if it would mean leaving behind the Stargate Program. Sam vowed to wait until after the newest ship left on its maiden voyage to Atlantis, with Daniel on board, before she took any action.

That day came, and with it a set of transfer papers crossed the desk of her CO, before quickly being escalated the whole way up to the desk of the big man- the President of the United States of America.

Within two hours after handing in her request for a transfer, Sam found herself on a transport to D.C. to speak with the President.

After dismissing his various secretaries and security agents, Henry Hayes sat down in front of Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter and got straight to the point. "This will be the second transfer inside of a year Colonel, are you unhappy with your assignments?"

Sam quickly assured him that there was not. "No sir," she vehemently denied. "I love the Air Force and the Stargate Program especially."

"Then why are you distancing yourself from it?" he asked, digging for the truth.

Sam chewed on her bottom lip a little bit before she answered. "I love the SGC, Area 51, the Stargate Program as a whole," she assured him. "But I need something here in D.C.- and that is one place that the Stargate Program is not, at least in a scientific capacity that is."

Hayes nodded in understanding, putting together some of the unspoken pieces of the puzzle. "So if I were to create a position here in D.C. that dealt with some scientific or technology related aspect of the Stargate Program, I could count on you to take the position?" he questioned.

"Most likely," Sam admitted, slightly baffled as to why the President was going through such great lengths to try and keep her happy.

As if he could read her mind, Hayes answered her question. "You save the planet a few times, and you earn some special considerations Colonel. And this offer isn't just spur of the moment. Ever since I created Homeworld Security, we've been trying to come up with a way to get someone with some technology expertise here to oversee what could be a rather large job, but no one had really stood out as a possible candidate- until now."

"May I ask what the position would entail sir?" Sam asked politely, wondering what kind of work she was getting herself into now.

Hayes smiled. "Truthfully, it's almost a design your job type thing. You pick your own staff, have your own office, and report directly to me- though working with Homeworld wouldn't be out of the question. Ideally, I'd like to see the main focus be on adapting technology to benefit the U.S., especially in light of the fact the IOA has been pushing for at least a partial disclosure to the rest of the world more and more lately. Having something to show the American people for all the money we've spent would be rather nice, wouldn't you say?"

The notion of disclosure was the first Sam had ever heard on the topic, but right now she forced herself to focus on the fact the President was pretty much telling her she could have pretty much anything she wanted. "Yes sir," she responded dutifully.

"I just need your assurances that you aren't looking to leave the Air Force any time soon," Hayes requested as he stood up, signaling the end to the brief meeting.

"No sir," Sam replied as she stood up.

"Good. Think about what you'd like to do, put something in writing for me to look over, and we'll talk," Hayes said as he walked her to the door. He had a hand on the door to open it for her, which in itself was an oddity because the President of the United States never, ever opened the door for himself, let alone for someone else, when he paused. "Take the rest of the week off Colonel," he ordered. "I'm sure you deserve it," he said as Sam opened her mouth to protest. "I'll even make sure that Jack makes it home in time for dinner tonight; just make sure that you do something to improve his mood. He's been a bear to deal with ever since Doctor Jackson left," Hayes requested.

Sam blushed, silently wondering just how the President had done in the whole betting scheme as she left his office.

ooooo

It was a rare day when Jack O'Neill made it home at a semi-reasonable hour. But when his last two appointments of the day mysteriously canceled, he said a silent prayer to whatever real god was out there and headed for home.

Jack arrived at his apartment building, took the elevator to his overly large and lavish Air Force furnished apartment. He shut the door behind him and started stripping pieces of his uniform as he walked. The jacket got hung up carefully, but the shoes got kicked to the corner, the tie got dropped to the floor. He knew he would have to collect them later, but right now he wanted nothing more then to not be Major General Jack O'Neill, but just a guy with whatever hockey game happened to be on and whatever frozen meal Sam had purchased and left for him in the freezer.

He came to a screeching halt when he walked into the kitchen. "What are you doing here?" he asked, clearly shocked to see Samantha Carter cooking in his kitchen.

Sam turned around and smiled, still holding a spoon covered in tomato sauce in her hand. "Cooking," she answered, knowing that she was answering his question, just not in the way he wanted her to.

Jack blinked a couple of times before he broke out in a grin, no longer caring why his 'girlfriend' was in his apartment only that she was. He gave her a quick kiss before settling on a bar stool so he could watch her as she cooked.

"How long are you here for?" Jack asked curiously, racking his brain to see if he had forgotten some meeting by which she could possibly be coming to attend.

Sam meticulously spooned out some spaghetti, handing Jack a plate before she answered. She took a deep breath, wondering how Jack would take the news. "I was thinking, maybe, possibly, if you think you could handle it, somewhere along the lines of forever."

Jack's fork stopped halfway to his mouth, some of the spaghetti falling back to the plate. "What!"

Sam quickly babbled on. "I know it's kind of sudden, and we haven't really talked about it much, it's just that, well, I'm sick of the every other weekend thing. I hate it really," Sam admitted. "The Air Force told us we could see each other every day for eight years, and then when we were allowed to be together, they decided to separate us by thousands of miles. Four days a month isn't enough, yes it's better then nothing," she quickly admitted, seeing that Jack was about to object, "But I'm not going to wait for someone to else to decide when- if ever- we'll be able to live in the same city. So I'm coming to D.C."

"And you think the Air Force is just going to let you transfer?" Jack questioned, having rose to his feet, abandoning his meal in the process.

Sam placed her hands on the countertop. "I think so."

Jack laughed. "You think so?" he questioned. "The Stargate is your life Carter. You would be bored in a week without it. And I know exactly how often you still get phone calls about fixing the actual gate- I've had to justify your phone bill," he explains at her questioning glance, which quickly turns into a grimace as she realizes how large that bill must be some months.

"So you had better be sure," Jack claimed, "Before you go and make a decision on a whim."

Sam snorted in amusement. "On a whim? You think I haven't planned this out down to how I'm going to pack my house? You once told me that I plan too much- 'think too hard about things', and now, the one time I'm not thinking 'too hard' you question if I've thought things out enough! What do you want from me Jack?"

Jack studied his hands, Sam question repeating itself over and over in his head. 'What do I want?' he asked himself. A photo album of snapshots in time came to mind, ranging from a picture of their wedding, to waking up in Minnesota with Sam in his arms, to finally holding a baby that belonged to the two of them.

"Everything," he finally answered, looking up just in time to hold her gaze as she heard his answer. "It's just I don't want you to have to give anything up. You've worked so hard to get to where you are today that I don't want you to give anything up."

"I make my own decisions," Sam reminded him.

"But you can't say that I don't influence them," Jack claimed. "You would never move to D.C. if I wasn't here. No, you'd be perfectly content to stay at the SGC or at Area 51." He shook his head, resigning himself to not letting her do this, especially because it was for him. "I won't let you."

Sam's eyes grew wide with that statement. "You won't let me?" she repeated. "Last time I checked, you didn't have a say in things related to my career."

"But I could," Jack reminded her, pulling himself up to his full height, wielding the power that he had as a Major General.

"I'd go above you," Sam warned.

"You wouldn't."

"I would," Sam shot back.

Jack sighed. He had always known that Sam would fight him tooth and nail if she hadn't been his 2IC, but this was the first time that he had actually seen her pull out all of the attitude he knew she was capable of.

Sam sighed. "Just drop it Jack," she suggested, not wanting to fight about this. "Let's just go watch the game and eat dinner."

They both knew that this conversation was far from over, but there was no way they were going to have a conversation that night that ended in anything less then a fight.

ooooo

Sam spent the rest of the week off planning her move to D.C. She even went apartment hunting after she finalized her transfer via the President. She was in the shower when the rental agreement arrived and hence, never knew that Jack tucked it away in one of his desk drawers, intent on Sam never signing them.

Instead, he finished the last of his preparations for a day he hoped Samantha Carter would never forget. Jack had wanted to go to Baltimore, intent on taking Sam to a baseball game and asking her there, but the unfortunately rainy weather made that action impossible, so he modified his plan and went somewhere else instead.

Jack had been hunting for a house for quite some time now, but until he was sure he was going to stay in D.C., he hadn't wanted to get a permanent home. But with Sam's decision to move there, he was more then willing to make the adjustment.

But before he officially closed the deal on the house, he wanted to make sure it was a place that Sam would want to live.

So they drove so a suburb of D.C. One of the really, really nice suburbs, considering that Jack refused to live in one where he had to pretty much share his back yard with his neighbors. If he couldn't live in Minnesota or Colorado Springs, he was surely going to live somewhere that had a decent size yard. After all, he had to make sure that there would be plenty of room for that dog that every Earth kid needed, right?

Sam gave Jack a confused glance as they pulled to a stop in front of the house. "What are we doing here?" she questioned.

Jack smiled mysteriously. "Let's take a look," he suggested, getting out of the car and offering her his hand. Using the key he had borrowed from the realtor, he unlocked the front door and led Sam inside, giving her a tour of the house, pointing out all of the features that the realtor had pointed out to him.

They ended the tour of the balcony off of the Master bedroom, the one that overlooked the rather spacious backyard, at least by D.C. standards.

"What do you think?" Jack asked, having watched as Sam's eyes had occasionally lit up during the tour, though her face hadn't given away anything.

"I like it," Sam claimed, letting a smile slip through her mask. "It looks like a place you would live."

"But it is it a place you could live?" Jack pressed.

Sam shrugged. "You're the one that would be living it," Sam commented, "So what does it matter what I think of it? It would be your house."

Jack knew he wasn't going to get a much better opening then that. He reached into his pocket and produced a box. He carefully flipped it open, displaying the contents for Sam to see as he spoke. "I was actually kind of hoping that it would be our house. That is, if you're interested in marrying me."

Sam's hand flew to her mouth, in an attempt to hide the gasp that escaped her mouth. Of everything that she had thought was going to happen today, getting engaged hadn't even been on the realm of possibilities.

"I'm not going to lie and say that I like the idea of you moving to D.C. to be closer to me- because I don't. But I would be a fool not to take advantage of the opportunity it grants for me to have you in my life everyday as my wife," Jack explained as he gently took her hand and slid the ring on her finger, chancing glances at Sam's face every so often, which was still resonating her shocked expression. "Marry me?"

Sam gaped at Jack, her brain desperately trying to process everything that had been thrown at her in the past few minutes. Jack was buying a house and he wanted her to live with him- as his wife! "How could you, I mean we afford it Jack?" Sam objected.

Jack chuckled, knowing that only once Sam got the answer to all of her questions, would she answer his question. "I don't know about you, but I've got money stocked away, and then there is my housing allowance from the Air Force. Add that to the salary I get as a Major General, and I don't think we've got too much to worry about."

Sam walked towards the railing of the balcony, trying to collect her thoughts. This would be the third time she had gotten engaged, and everyone always said third time was the charm, and she was really hoping this was the case. Jonas Hanson had been too controlling, trying hard to ensure his own happiness. Pete had spent too much time trying to do what he thought she wanted.

But Jack? Jack was simple- he wanted to do everything in his power to make her happy, because he was happy when she was happy.

"Yes," Sam whispered as she turned around.

"To the house or the marriage?" Jack asked worriedly.

"Buy the house Jack and we'll get married in the back yard," Sam vowed, as she took his hand in her own.

"Really?" Jack questioned, in total disbelief.

"Really," Sam assured him as she leaned forward to kiss her husband to be.

ooooo