Season 8 Episode 18 – Threads

Episode summary: Bra'tac and Teal'c try to hold Dakara as Anubis schemes to take it back and use the super weapon to end all life in the galaxy. Daniel, who is being helped to ascend once again by Oma Desala, tries to convince Oma and the other ascended beings to intervene to stop Anubis. Jacob dies in the SGC infirmary. Anubis tricks the jaffa rebellion and takes Dakara, and dials every stargate in the galaxy using Ba'al's dialling program, preparing to use the weapon. Daniel convinces Oma to attack Anubis. Jack and Sam set the base self-destruct to try and protect the Earth from the weapon, but the gate suddenly shuts off and the self-destruct countdown freezes. In the briefing room, Teal'c and Bra'tac discuss the events with Jack and Sam, revealing that without Anubis the super soldiers/kull warriors were successfully vanquished, and the jaffa rebellion had won the day. They speculate about the cause of Anubis' disappearance, Sam and Jack believing it was Daniel. Daniel 'descends' naked in Jack's office, stating it wasn't him that did it.

Disclaimer: I've used a few lines of the original episode dialogue in this. I am in no way claiming this as my own.

Author's note: Ok, obviously in my timeline Sam/Pete isn't a thing, as I nipped that in the bud back in the Grace tag, and Jack/Kerry wouldn't be a thing either. So, for the purpose of this tag, those Sam/Pete and Jack/Kerry scenes in Threads never happened. This episode tag has two parts: the first is an alteration to the scene between Sam and Jacob in the infirmary when he was trying to tell her not to let rules stand in the way of her happiness and in the episode she either didn't get it or played dumb. The second part is set after Daniel appears in Jack's office, having de-ascended, and ends just prior to the fishing scene.

[PART ONE – The Sam & Jacob infirmary scene]

"I should have been dead four years ago. Since then, I've been all over the galaxy. I've done things most men never dream of." Jacob said, looking at his daughter fondly.

"I've heard that before."

"I just want to know you're gonna be happy."

"I am."

Jacob gave her a shrewd look. "Don't let rules stand in your way."

"What are you talking about?" Sam said. She had a feeling she knew the answer, but she had been careful never to so much as hint to her father of her feelings for Jack.

"You joined the Air Force because of me."

"I love my job." She said, chuckling slightly at the absurdity of the idea that she wouldn't.

"You can still have everything you want." Jacob said intently, cupping her face in his hand as he spoke and then squeezing her shoulder.

Sam's heart stuttered a little. He knew. She had no idea how, but somehow, he knew about how she felt about Jack. Maybe he even knew it went both ways. She couldn't look away from the piercing look in his eyes.

"We went to the future." She whispered, taking hold of his hand. "Accidentally. We were just gating home, and there was a solar flare, and we – General O'Neill and I, although he was a Colonel then – we ended up spending a few days in the year 2034."

Jacob's eyes widened. "You saw your own future?" He asked.

She nodded.

"What did you see?"

"We have two kids. Beth and … and –" she choked on a sob. "… and Jake."

"You and Jack?" Jacob asked.

Sam nodded. "We get married."

Jacob released a breath as though he'd been holding it. "Thank you for telling me."

"I'm going to be happy, Dad. I promise."

He smiled softly at her. "That's all I wanted."

[PART TWO – The briefing room after Daniel's de-ascension]

"Nope it wasn't me." Daniel's disembodied voice floated over the conversation between Jack, Sam, Teal'c and Bra'tac at the briefing room table.

Sam blinked. Was that …?

"Did anybody else just hear that?" Jack asked, looking at Sam, and she nodded stiffly, relieved she wasn't cracking up and hearing things.

"I'm in here!" Daniel's voice came indignantly, from the direction of Jack's office.

Jack turned to look at his office, and then looked back at her. "That's Daniel." He said, getting up and going to the door.

"No! Don't come in!"

"Woah!" Jack recoiled. "Hey there!"

He looked speculatively at the US flag, and then turned around and tore the SGC's flag from its pole, handing it to Daniel. After some rustling, Daniel appeared in the doorway, clearly entirely naked except for the flag now secured around his waist. Sam looked away hurriedly.

"It's … ah, a long story." He said. She met his eyes and nodded with an embarrassed smile, and then they all quickly looked away from each other again, awkwardly.

"Jack." Daniel prompted after a moment.

"Daniel?"

"Clothes?"

"Right!" Jack skirted around Daniel, giving him perhaps an unnecessarily wide berth, and beckoned over the airman on guard duty. "Get Dr Jackson a uniform from laundry. Quickly."

"Underwear and boots too!" Daniel yelled in the direction of the retreating airman's back.

"Have you once again descended from a higher plane of existence, Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c asked, deadpan, as though he was asking Daniel if he'd been to the store.

"Uh, yeah … basically … yes."

"Died again, did we?" Jack asked.

"Sam killed me." Daniel answered, and Sam flinched. "No! Uh, Replicator Sam. Not Sam Sam. Sorry."

"And you were saying how you weren't responsible for Anubis vanishing and our self-destruct countdown freezing?" Jack asked.

"That was Oma." He said, giving them a significant look.

"Oma? I thought the Ancients wouldn't get involved in stopping Anubis?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, didn't they actually stop you and kick you back to us 'lower mortals' with no memories when you tried to attack Anubis when you were ascended before?" Jack added.

"Yep. Don't ask me to explain it. They were right there, they could have stopped her, but they didn't. I don't know, maybe something of what I was saying got through to them."

Sam smiled wryly. "If anyone could convince them I'm sure it would be you."

Daniel smiled back at her. "Honestly, I'm as surprised as all of you. It was like talking to a brick wall, they wouldn't even acknowledge my existence, much less talk to me about it."

"So you remember everything this time?" Jack asked.

Daniel shifted awkwardly. "Well … yes, but it's not like I really saw or did anything. I was just in a … diner."

"A diner?" Sam repeated.

"As in, over-priced coffee, pleather booths, cute little waitress uniforms …" Jack said, gesticulating in a way that made Sam blush.

"Well, Oma was the one in the waitress uniform, but … yes."

"Wow. I kinda thought the Ancients would go for something a bit more upscale." Jack commented.

Daniel coughed, embarrassed. "Oma took the venue from my memory. It was the diner Nick took me to after my parents' funeral."

Sam winced in sympathy, feeling a sharp stab of pain at the reminder of her own father's upcoming funeral.

Bra'tac rose suddenly. "I am glad you are alive once again, Dr Jackson. I must however depart. There is much to be done to organise the jaffa into a united nation."

Sam and Teal'c had stood from their seats as well, and Bra'tac turned to Sam. "I will return for your father's memorial service. He was a great warrior and a true friend. His contribution to the free jaffa nation will not be forgotten."

Sam felt tears prick in her eyes as she nodded stiffly. "Thank you."

Bra'tac bowed his head to them all, and left, Teal'c following him down the stairs to the control room.

Daniel appeared at Sam's elbow, still naked but for the flag. "Sam?" He asked softly.

"Jacob died." Jack told him for her, before she had to say the words herself.

"Oh God, I'm sorry." Daniel said. "What happened?"

"Selmak died of old age, took Jacob with him." Jack answered.

"When?"

"Yesterday." Sam said. She folded her arms in front of herself protectively. "The memorial service is tomorrow in the gate-room, and there'll be an official funeral at Arlington on Friday. The Tok'ra are also having their own memorial for Selmak."

The airman appeared then, with an armful of clothing and a pair of boots for Daniel. Daniel took it all awkwardly, still holding the flag up with one hand, and with an embarrassed look at Jack and Sam, disappeared into Jack's office to change.

Sam looked at Jack, and found him watching her with a gentle expression. "Have you decided whether you want to go to the Tok'ra's memorial?" He asked.

She shook her head. "I don't think I will. The memorial we're having here is really for both of them, and after that and the funeral …" She trailed off with a grimace.

"Too much?" He guessed.

She nodded, letting out a deep breath.

"Besides, after the falling out the Tok'ra had with Dad, and with us … I'm not sure I'd be welcome."

Daniel appeared again, dressed in a t-shirt and pants, and dumped the boots and jacket on the briefing room table as he sat down to put on some socks.

"You're going to need to get checked out in the infirmary." Jack told him.

Daniel looked perplexed. "Why?"

"Why?" Jack repeated incredulously. "Call it a post-mission physical. Or a post-mortem physical, technically speaking."

"It's not like I still have the wound." He argued.

Sam winced, wondering exactly how her replicator duplicate had killed him.

"Humour me." Jack insisted.

Daniel rolled his eyes but didn't argue further.

He laced up his boots and stood, shrugging into his jacket, and the three of them went to watch at the observation window as the gate dialled to send Bra'tac home. Sam was between the two men, and felt comforted when both of them stood close enough on either side of her that she could feel their body heat in her upper arms. Daniel suddenly put an arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze.

"I'm sorry about your Dad." He said sincerely.

She met his eyes and smiled sadly at him. "I'm glad you're back."

As it was intended for both Jacob and Selmak, and as there would be an 'official' Air Force funeral the next day, the SGC's memorial was more informal than their usual fare, and not laced with Air Force ceremonial procedures. Sam held Daniel's hand tightly, and cried silently throughout Jack's eulogy.

Afterwards, Daniel drove her and Teal'c to the wake at Jack's house. Amid the dozens of SGC personnel mingling around her, she found herself installed on the living room furniture with SG-1, while General Hammond told them funny stories about his years serving with Jacob. The wake ended and people gradually disappeared, but SG-1 stayed right there until Sam dozed off watching a movie, her head drooping onto Jack's shoulder.

The next morning Sam woke in the guest room at Jack's knock on the door, and the four of them got up quickly and quietly, needing to make preparations for their trip to Arlington. As Daniel had driven Sam and Teal'c to the wake, he drove Sam home before heading home himself. Teal'c had packed a bag the day before and so was able to get dressed for the funeral at Jack's house.

Freshly showered and back in her dress blues once more, Sam was collected and driven to the airport, flown to Virginia, and driven to Arlington National Cemetary. General Hammond delivered the eulogy, and she didn't cry this time. Her father wouldn't have wanted that, not at Arlington. Colonels – and especially Carters – didn't cry at Air Force funerals. Even for their fathers.

At General Hammond's house afterwards at yet another wake, the day became a blur of faces of Air Force officers and old acquaintances of her father's, offering their condolences as she smiled politely and made small-talk from behind her perfectly set 'Colonel' mask. Throughout the wake she either had Jack, Daniel or Teal'c at her side – the only exception was when she had spoken with her brother, and they had withdrawn to give the grieving siblings a moment of privacy.

As the wake drew to a natural end, she thanked General Hammond profusely for hosting it, and he gave her a bear hug that reminded her viscerally of a time when she had been a gangly teenager and he had been 'Uncle George'.

She didn't miss the significant look he gave Jack over her shoulder, and she raised her eyebrows questioningly at Jack as they left, but he shook his head and waved her off, dismissing it as nothing.

It was the middle of the night when they arrived back in Colorado Springs, and Sam fell straight into bed, and into the best night's sleep she'd had in weeks.

The next morning was a Saturday, but Sam went to the base and caught up on some of the work that had piled up in her in-tray over the previous few days. Teal'c brought her some lunch in the middle of the day, and told her about Bra'tac's progress with the newly forming jaffa nation while she ate.

Jack appeared in her lab doorway to evict her from the mountain at 1700 hours on the dot. She didn't argue, just shut down her computer and followed him to the locker rooms to change. He met her at the elevator afterwards, and he grinned at her as they parted in the parking lot, leaving her staring at him in bemused puzzlement.

The note stuck in her car windshield wipers went some way towards explaining the grin.

Follow me.

A few minutes later his truck pulled slowly past her car, and he raised his eyebrows at her from the driving seat. She nodded at him in response, and pulled out behind him.

He drove away from the mountain in the opposite direction to the residential district that contained both of their houses. She followed him for about twenty minutes, before he pulled into the parking lot of a little restaurant. She'd never seen it before – would never have known it was there at all from the main road.

She got out of her car and met him as he shut the door of his truck. "Sir, what are we doing here?"

"Having dinner." He said with a lopsided smirk.

"Together?"

He rolled his eyes at her. "No, Carter, I thought we'd get tables on opposite sides of the restaurant and pretend we've never met. Yes, together."

"Is that wise?"

He cocked his head as he looked at her. "No one's going to see us, this place gets maybe twenty customers a night, and most of those a lot later in the evening than this. Besides, there's nothing strictly wrong with friends having dinner."

"And that's what this is? Friends having dinner?"

"It's a start." He said, and his eyes seemed to darken with intent. "The war's over Sam. We need to have a conversation."

She shivered, and knew it had nothing to do with the cold Colorado air. "Ok."

Inside, Jack gave his name to a waiter and they were led to a table inside the cosy restaurant. It was small, and rustic, and romantic in a mountain lodge kind of way.

"I wish you'd given me some warning. I'm not exactly dressed for this." She fidgeted with the cuff of her denim jacket self-consciously.

"You look great." Jack said. "Besides, we're not here on a date. We're here to talk."

…about dating. Sam added silently in her head. I would still have liked to at least make sure I wasn't wearing sneakers.

They ordered some food, forgoing any alcohol as they both had to drive home after the meal, although Sam thought she could have used the boost of dutch courage.

Jack seemed almost eerily calm and comfortable in comparison. He started up a conversation about a mutual friend he'd discovered that he and her father had shared, when he had run into the man at the wake the previous day. She slowly felt her nerves ease away as they talked, and she realised the pressure she'd been feeling was self-imposed and a little silly. This wasn't a nail-biting first date, this was Jack, who she had comfortably talked to about anything and everything for years.

"I had a conversation with Hammond yesterday." Jack admitted when they were half-way through their first course.

Sam raised her eyebrows. "About …" She waggled her finger between the two of them.

"I told him I was thinking about retirement."

Sam put her fork down and sat back in her chair. "Is that really the only option?"

"Well, I thought so. George has other ideas."

"Like what?"

"He's retiring himself. The President sort of brow-beat him into taking the Head of Homeworld Security job, and he figures now the war's over he can retire without dissing the leader of the free world."

"I doubt he put it exactly like that." She said with a chuckle.

"Yes well, he's a southern gentleman." Jack smirked at her. "Anyway, he wants me to take his post."

"Head of Homeworld Security? In DC?" Sam asked, surprised.

"It comes with a second star, and a signed letter from the President."

Sam bit her lip, looking at him carefully. "A signed letter … saying what exactly?"

"Giving the two of us permission to pursue a personal relationship."

Jack let that sink in for a moment, watching her reaction. She gulped. "The President knows about … us?" She asked.

"He knows we have … certain … feelings. Apparently our old buddy Kinsey started whispering things in his ear as soon as he'd taken the oath of office. The President didn't take much notice at first, but then after the mutterings started about your promotion earlier this year, he asked Hammond about it, straight up."

"And General Hammond knew about us?" She asked, more than a little appalled at how thoroughly they'd failed in their efforts to stay under the radar.

"Sam, Hammond's known about how I feel about you since before we even went to 2034." Jack said, looking mildly amused that she hadn't realised. "Remember the Zatarc testing? Remember Jonah and Thera?"

"Obviously I do, but I didn't realise General Hammond knew about the implications of those … situations."

"The people in the room for the Zatarc testing had to report back to him. Similarly a comment someone made when we were relocating all the workers from the ice planet got back to him. Both times he called me into his office for a little chat."

He grimaced at the memory, and she guessed it hadn't been a comfortable conversation.

"Anyway, the point is, Hammond knows. And he made the decision to level with the President, so he could defend us honestly."

"And …?" Sam asked nervously.

"And … President Hayes decided to listen to Hammond and trust us to do our jobs."

"I guess I'd have heard about it if he'd decided otherwise." Sam commented. "And General Hammond thinks he'll write us a letter?"

"He was certain of it. I kind of got the impression they'd talked about it before."

"Holy Hannah." Sam said under her breath. "We were so careful …"

"We were never going to completely fool the people closest to us." Jack said reasonably. "Obviously Daniel and Teal'c are well aware."

"Obviously." She chuckled. "At least no one but us knows about 2034. We at least managed to keep that secret for four years."

"Yep. Fortunately Daniel never remembered me telling him when he was ascended."

"I told my dad." Sam admitted suddenly after a moment, looking at her food rather than meeting his eye. "In the infirmary, when he was …" She took a deep, steadying breath. "He knew about how I felt about you, too. He told me not to let Air Force rules stand in the way of my happiness. So I told him about 2034, and the kids."

Jack smiled at her softly. "I know."

Her eyes flew back up to meet his. "How?"

"I talked to him after you told him."

"What did he say?" She asked, almost in a whisper.

Jack snorted. "A bunch of manly macho stuff that would make you kick both our asses. You know, 'take care of my daughter', that kind of thing."

Sam chuckled and shook her head.

"So … what do you think? About Hammond's proposal?" He asked.

Sam thought about it for a minute. "I think you'll hate Washington, and the politics." She said honestly.

"That's a given." Jack conceded.

"I think the second star is great, especially for being so soon after the first one. It's a good career move for you."

She thought some more, and then sighed. "And I think if General Hammond's retiring, we could really use you in that job. No other General has your experience. We need someone like you at the helm in Washington, going to bat for us, and I don't know anyone else I'd trust to do that."

"Yeah, Hammond made that point too." Jack said. "And then there's the letter."

"And then there's the letter." Sam nodded. "Which we need. Desperately."

A grin spread slowly over Jack's face. "Desperately, huh?"

"Shut up." She retorted, smiling shyly. They shared a long, flirtatious look while Sam blushed furiously and cursed her fair skin.

"It would mean doing the long-distance thing for a while." Jack said seriously.

"We can do that." Sam said. "It's better than not doing anything at all on each other's doorsteps."

"And I'm saying right now, whichever General we tap to take over the SGC, I'd be looking to groom him to take over the Homeworld Security gig at some point. I don't want to be in that god-forsaken hell-hole forever, especially not once the kids are born."

Sam smiled broadly at the thought of the kids. "Duly noted."

"So … we're doing this?" He asked. He actually looked nervous.

"I think we are." She said, smiling at him. He smiled back.

"Excellent." He said, and took a big bite of his steak.

That settled, they talked about other things for the rest of the meal. Afterwards, outside, Jack caught Sam's hand before she could leave him to walk to her car.

"I'll call Hammond tonight. See if I can get a timeframe." He said, tangling their fingers together.

She smiled, revelling in the delicious sensation of her fingers entwined with his. "Call me after?"

"You bet."

Sam was laying awake in bed when her phone finally rang. She snatched it up, checked caller ID, and answered with an anxious demand for information.

"What did he say?"

Jack chuckled at her blunt greeting. "Hello to you too. It looks good – he wants me to go to Washington tomorrow so we can go through the shortlist of candidates for the SGC command, and talk to the President. The aim is to get all the decisions made tomorrow and get a fixed date for Hammond's retirement and my transfer."

"That's great." Sam let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding.

"Yeah, it is." He agreed softly. "I don't suppose it would do any good if I told you to take the day off tomorrow?"

"None at all. I need something to occupy my mind."

Jack humphed. "I'll call or something tomorrow after all the meetings. Night Carter."

"Goodnight sir."

Sam was on a crane, leaning out over the top of the gate. Now that the world wasn't in danger of ending imminently, the technicians had scheduled some time for some gate maintenance, and she'd been called in to consult on a sticking point in the gate mechanism.

She almost fell from the crane in surprise when a familiar voice startled her from directly underneath her.

"I hope you filled out a health and safety form for this, Colonel."

"Sir!" She exclaimed, in a mix of surprise and reproach.

"Sorry Carter, didn't mean to startle you."

He was in his dress blues, and it was barely 1600 hours. She hadn't expected him back this early. She climbed down from the crane in an awkward rush.

"Everything alright sir?" She asked breathlessly when she was back on terra firma, as Sgt Siler climbed up to take her place.

He had a twinkle in his eyes. "Absolutely. In fact, I have a special assignment for you, Carter. For all of SG-1, actually."

"Sir?" She asked, wondering what on earth he was talking about.

"See, there are these sneaky, slimy, non-humanoid life forms completely overrunning an aquatic environment, in an otherwise peaceful and idyllic human settlement. I think I need to send SG-1 to take some hostile action. Show the slimy buggers who's boss."

She looked at him like he'd completely lost his mind. "Sir?"

He rolled his eyes at her. "Fishing, Carter. Let's go fishing."

A broad grin spread over her face slowly. "I'd love to. Sir."

"Excellent." He looked up at Siler, now directly overhead, who was watching them curiously. "As you were, Siler."

Jack was throwing clothes into a suitcase when there was a knock at his door. It wasn't any of SG-1, he recognised their knocks. This was four even beats. On the way past a window he spotted a black SUV. An official knock.

He opened the door warily to the Air Force Lieutenant standing in full dress uniform on his doorstep. "Lieutenant." He said by way of greeting.

"General, sir." The painfully young man saluted, and Jack saluted back perfunctorily.

"What can I do for you?" He asked.

"I have a document to deliver to you directly from the President of the United States of America. Sir!" He said.

Geez, this guy was enthusiastic.

Jack waited a beat. "… Ok …"

He held out a hand, expectantly, and the young man startled as if he'd forgotten he needed to actually hand the document over. He thrust the manila folder he was holding towards Jack, who took it without opening it.

"Is that all, Lieutenant?"

"Yes sir!"

"Thank you." He narrowed his eyes at the boy who was still standing completely at attention and staring at a point somewhere over his right shoulder. "Dismissed."

The lieutenant saluted again, and about-faced, practically marching back to his car. Jack chuckled and watched until he'd climbed into the back of the SUV and it had driven away.

He took the folder through to his kitchen, expecting it was his official transfer orders – although it occurred to him that it as odd for those to come direct from the Oval Office. He was on leave this week, and due to be taking up his post in Washington very shortly after his return.

Sure enough, it was the transfer orders. He flicked through the pages to check there were no surprises. It all seemed as expected … and then he reached the last page. It had a note stuck to it, in the President's handwriting.

Jack

Consider this my 'thank you' gift for all those times you and Colonel Carter saved the world.

H

It was a letter. It was the letter. It was the President giving him and Carter permission to pursue a personal relationship without sacrificing their respective military ranks and posts. That wasn't odd in itself, as they'd been expecting it, so he looked it over thoroughly.

It was dated yesterday. They had permission as of yesterday.

He grinned. This fishing trip just got a whole lot more interesting.

He had seriously considered just driving straight to Sam's house at breakneck speed and kissing her thoroughly the second she opened the door. But, figuring there were even odds she might deck him for doing that, and feeling the moment required slightly more gravitas, he restrained himself.

Instead, he hatched a plan. He was going to have fun with this.

They were taking two cars for the drive to Minnesota, his and Daniel's, and they would split the driving between the four of them. They switched out drivers and passengers at each rest break, so they all got to spend some time together. They finally arrived at the cabin as night was starting to fall, and Jack headed straight inside to turn on the power, and lights, as the others hauled the luggage out of his truck.

He took the opportunity of being alone in the cabin to make some urgent preparations for his master plan, and then welcomed them into the structure with gusto and an over the top French accent that made all three of them look at him with a 'Seriously?' expression. Even Teal'c.

"There are three bedrooms, one of which has twin beds. Carter, you're in the room at the end thataway, Daniel and Teal'c in the twin, first door on the right, and I'm keeping my room, unless any of you would like to fight me for it?"

They accepted the room assignments tiredly, without complaint, and took themselves off to bed.

He put his suitcase in his room and closed the door. Then he sat on the bed, and waited.

And waited.

Damn it Carter, the one time I need you to follow an order and do some unnecessary research …

Sam dragged her suitcase all the way to the door of the bedroom's little en suite, and stripped off her clothes, getting straight into the shower. The drive had made her feel sticky and uncomfortable, and she wanted to be thoroughly clean before she got into bed.

Freshly showered and wrapped in a towel, she rooted through her suitcase for her pyjamas, pulling out the baggy pyjama pants and the tight long sleeved top she'd selected for the trip. She pulled them on and moved her suitcase to the chair at the end of the bed, just then noticing the heavy book on the bed covers.

The Total Fishing Manual, Volume 3

It had a note stuck to the cover.

Do your research Colonel. There'll be a quiz.

She rolled her eyes, and climbed into bed. She almost set it aside, but was curious to at least see the chapter titles. It was fishing, how much could there possibly be to know? As far as she could tell you just sat there until the fish came to you.

With the covers pulled up to her waist, she opened the front cover of the book, and an envelope fell out into her lap. Curiosity piqued, she picked it up and opened it, pulling out a photocopied document.

It was the President's letter, giving her and Jack permission to pursue a relationship, and she grinned. There was another smaller envelope inside the first envelope, and she pulled that out too. On the front was a short note, in Jack's handwriting.

Look at the date.

The date? She looked at the President's letter, and froze in shock as she registered the date the permission was effective from. Yesterday. They had permission right now.

She opened the smaller envelope, and pulled out the ring, the engagement ring, that Jack had bought for her three years ago. It was taped to a tiny piece of paper, that said, simply: Marry me.

She squeaked, and leapt from the bed, throwing open the door and running the few steps to his door. She didn't knock, but went straight in, stopping at the foot of his bed.

"You know, for a while there I thought my fiendishly clever plan was going to fall flat on its face. I thought the allure of a technical manual would draw you in much faster than that." He grouched, sitting up.

"Yes." She whispered.

He climbed out of bed, walking right up to her, and looking down at her with impossibly dark eyes.

"Say that again." He said.

"Yes." She said, grinning, and threw her arms around his neck. They kissed, hungrily, thoroughly, and Jack kicked his bedroom door shut and pulled her towards his bed.

It was going to be a truly fantastic night.

Sam woke up slowly, to the sight of sun streaming through the curtains and the sound of a chorus of birds singing.

More pressing than the sight and the sounds however, was the warm, delicious feeling of a naked male body close behind her, an arm holding her tightly around the waist. She grinned, and looked at the sparkling blue stone on her finger. She could definitely get used to this.

She rolled over to look at her sleeping companion, and Jack groaned a little as he woke up, kissing her shoulder affectionately.

"Morning." She whispered.

He squeezed her tighter against him. "Nope, still night time. Definitely need to sleep in a bit longer."

She chuckled. "I smell coffee. I think the guys are up."

He growled and lifted his head, looking at her blearily. "And that affects us how?"

"You don't think they'll come looking if we don't appear?"

He leaned down to kiss her, and she moaned as his hands started wandering, awaking all kinds of pleasant reminders of their activities the previous night. "Jack." She admonished him breathlessly when they stopped for air.

"Do you think they know you're in here?" He asked.

"We were quiet." She said, flushing a little. "But … yeah they probably know. I'd be very surprised if Teal'c didn't, at least."

"So … we probably can't just make out in bed all morning?"

"Probably not." She agreed, grinning.

"Damn." He pulled away from her reluctantly, sitting up and looking down at her with a fond and slightly lecherous expression. "You're beautiful."

She blushed and grinned, sitting up and kissing him again. "I'm gonna go shower." She said as she climbed out of bed and put on her discarded pyjamas from the night before.

"Can I come?" He asked hopefully.

She rolled her eyes at him and left.

Luckily she didn't cross paths with either of her team mates on her quick trip from Jack's room to her own. Not that they weren't going to have to tell the guys about the change in their relationship, but she hadn't particularly wanted the awkward moment of being caught sneaking out of Jack's room.

She showered and dressed, and then sat on the unused bed, looking at the little 'Marry me' note fondly. She was going to have to keep that safe.

There was a knock on her doorframe, and she looked up to see Jack standing there, smiling softly. "Daniel wants to know if you want bacon and eggs."

Her stomach rumbled loudly, and she flushed in embarrassment, smiling at him ruefully.

"I'll take that as a yes." He chuckled.

"Have they said anything?" She asked. "Have you?"

"Not yet." He answered. "They've been giving me some pretty weird looks, but I figure they're probably waiting for you."

She drew in a fortifying breath and stood up. "Ok then. Time to face the music."

He crossed the short space between them, and cupped her face in his hands, kissing her gently but passionately, making her knees turn to butter.

"For luck." He whispered.

She smiled, and kissed him again, and then led him out of the room and round to the kitchen, which was emitting some very enticing scents.

"Good morning, Colonel Carter." Teal'c said, entirely too brightly, with a wide smile. Yup, he definitely knows where I spent last night.

"Morning." She replied with a nervous smile, and eagerly took the plate of food Daniel offered her.

Daniel gave a plate to Jack too, and held it for a moment when Jack tried to take it, giving the older man a significant look. Jack ignored the look and wrestled the plate away, sitting down beside Sam and tucking in.

Daniel watched them for a moment, attacking their food with single-minded purpose, and then cleared his throat.

"So, does this need to be like I'm talking to you in the principal's office, or are you two going to come clean?"

Sam gulped down her bit of bacon, and looked at Daniel exactly like a student who'd been caught cutting class.

"Can we finish our breakfast first?" Jack whined.

Daniel raised his eyebrows and smirked. "Why? Had an energetic night, did we?"

"Daniel!" Sam exclaimed reproachfully, her cheeks turning crimson.

Jack set his cutlery down with a sigh. "There's a folder on the coffee table. Go get the last page."

Daniel frowned and did as instructed, and Teal'c took the position Daniel had vacated directly in front of the couple, staring at Jack with his most intimidating stare that clearly stated 'if I find you are harming Colonel Carter or her career in any way I will end you'. Jack gulped.

Daniel walked slowly back into the kitchen, an incredulous smile on his face as he read the document. "This is dated two days ago."

Jack grinned. "Yes it is."

Daniel passed it to Teal'c, who read it with slowly rising eyebrows.

"So … um … you two are allowed to …" Daniel stuttered.

"Yes we are." Jack said, beaming.

"Wow." Daniel said, looking between the two of them. "You know, you could have just said you wanted a couple of days here alone before Teal'c and I came to join you …"

Jack shook his head. "We didn't know about this two days ago, it got delivered to me twenty minutes before we left. Sam didn't know about it until late last night."

"I believe congratulations are in order." Teal'c said. He walked around the kitchen island and gave Sam a hug. "I am very happy for you, Samantha."

"Thanks Teal'c." She said, hugging him back.

"Oh my God!" Daniel suddenly yelped, making her jump in Teal'c hold.

"What?" Jack asked, exasperated.

Daniel pointed wordlessly to Sam's hand. Her left hand, which sported her newest and favourite item of jewellery.

"Oh yeah, we're engaged." Jack said casually, as if he'd forgotten to mention something trivial.

Sam rolled her eyes at him and smiled shyly at Daniel and Teal'c. "He asked me last night, that's how I found out about the President's letter. He left a fishing manual on my bed with a photocopy of the President's letter, the ring, and a note saying 'Marry me', hidden inside."

"Wow, Jack, that's actually pretty romantic." Daniel said, awestruck.

"You needn't sound so surprised." Jack said, mildly affronted. "I can do romantic."

"You are indeed a man of many talents." Teal'c said, walking up to him and gripping his forearm in the jaffa gesture of brotherly respect. "I wish you many years of happiness together, and I must assure you of my intention to cause you great bodily harm if you ever cause her any pain." He said in one breath.

Jack coughed in surprise. "Duly noted."

"Yeah, uh, likewise." Daniel said awkwardly, gesturing vaguely.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Oh brother. Look, if anyone's going to be kicking Jack's ass if he screws up, it's going to be me, ok?" She said to them both sternly.

Teal'c gave her a respectful head bow with a smile, and Daniel smirked.

"Good, glad we got that settled." Jack said, and clapped his hands together. "Fishing, anyone?"