Sorry for making you wait for this one, weird mind disappeared for a while, I needed them home and it wasn't cooperating, hopefully, next one will be better and not sound that much as a filling chapter.

Anyhow…. Enjoy!

M.

Chapter nine

They exchanged a quick glance and she nodded, he quickly placed a soft kiss on the hair of his daughter and smiled softly when she moved her tiny lips but continued sleeping as if there was nothing wrong in the world. Then he walked to where Sam was standing and kissed her, and he couldn't help but sigh when she kissed him back again. All those feelings that were eating him from the inside were now flowing freely… or almost.

"I love you…" he whispered against her lips, making her smile.

"I love you," she caressed his cheeks before her hands roamed towards the back of his head and brought him down to meet her lips again for a deep, but short kiss.

"We need to get down," they both mumbled between breaths.

Jack took a step back and cleared his throat. She smiled at him, and he noticed some tiny wrinkles around her eyes that he wouldn't dare mention, but wanted to know when they started to appear. She saw him looking at her, analyzing her and she sighed, reaching to touch the corner of her eyes.

"Time happened, stress probably helped… and those darn suns…" She commented with a sigh, as they walked down, "I only noticed them when I got here, I noticed many things when I saw myself in the mirror… anyhow, I'm really glad Naysa took after you, she didn't suffer that much from the sunburns."

"You don't seem … tanned," he added, they nodded to the man who had kept them before and continued walking towards the ballroom.

"Mud…" she scrunched her nose, "It took forever to get rid of it when we finally were out of there," she forced them to stop, a double door separated them from the party. She clenched her throat and inhaled deeply.

"I'm here with you," he whispered to her ear, and she shivered.

"Some time ago…" she started, stretching her neck from one side to the other, and then turning towards him with a grin, "that was my line"

"You should've said it anyway, it's not like I 'm not relying on your presence," he confessed with a smile.

"Hmm," she smirked, and then with a wink, she took the arm he had offered her again. He opened the door and they stepped into the loud room. Sam winced and he gave her hand a little squeeze.

"How annoying is it really?" he asked, and she smiled softly

"Remember when T just found about heavy metal and wanted to teach us all about it?" She asked and he snorted.

"Too loud, then"

"Ah, General O'Neill, we lost you for a moment, I saw you talking with the brass and then, you disappeared," a silky voice came from behind their backs. Jack closed his eyes and clenched his jaw. Something that Sam understood was done so he wouldn't sigh.

"Madame Ross, how do you do?" Jack saluted politely and tried not to roll his eyes when he found a girl attached to the old woman's arm. The woman completely ignored Sam.

"General O'Neill, I don't think you've been introduced to my daughter, Annabelle. And before you question the brain over looks issue …" the woman smiled coquettishly, pointing towards her very beautiful and very young daughter, and giving Sam a depreciative smirk.

Jack was about to react poorly when a soft press on his arm stopped him, he looked at her and he knew what she was trying to convey, their ability to talk without words still present after all the years and all the time apart. He nodded, he understood loud and clear the 'there are better ways' she was communicating him.

He followed Sam's eyes and saw it; the girl, Annabelle, was blushing embarrassed by the situation and wasn't even able to find their eyes. She looked as uncomfortable as Jack felt. Another press on his arm, this time he knew it was an angered one, and Jack blinked to try and return to the monolog of Madame Ross.

"And just last year, Annabelle graduated with honors from Harvard law. So, you'll see, she's as smart as she is beautiful and has a whole bright future, which points that … at least some blondes… can have both brains and beauty"

"I've never doubted about that, Madame Ross. In fact, and let me affirm to you, Annabelle, you can have a bright future and chose whomever you want to marry. If you really want to marry… and allow me to introduce you, Madame Ross, this is Doctor Colonel Samantha Carter, Ph.D., not MD."

"You are very beautiful Doctor Colonel…" Annabelle whispered in awe

"Sam, you can call me Sam. And Jack's right, no matter what you chose, you will have a bright future. Just remember, it's yours to choose."

"Jack? Well, well, all this informality with General O'Neill, Colonel Carter." Madame Ross hissed

"Ah, you'll see Madame Ross, there's a tiny little thing that allows Samantha to call me Jack," he started

"She's not in your chain of command…" Annabelle suggested

"There's that, yes, but also, you didn't allow me to properly introduce her before… or you would have known by now that Sam's my wife. Now, if you both excuse us, we were on our way to the dance floor. It was nice to meet you Annabelle, Madame Ross," he waited for the few seconds that Sam needed to say her farewell and then, he gave them both a slight bow and turned them towards the dance floor.

"Oh crap," Sam muttered when she saw an old couple walking towards them, they were so close to reaching their destination. No one dared to enter the dance floor just to talk… but they were on a collision course.

"What?" he asked, and followed her line of sight, "Crap indeed, when did you meet him?"

"I was giving the President our thoughts on … international…. Safety for Gamma, when he entered the room. He liked how I presented my own opinion along with the SGC and USAF posture, you?" He raised an eyebrow, "the Pentagon, I always forget that's where your office is"

"I don't fit with your General's standard?" He squinted at her, with a mock hurt expression.

"Mostly, the environment doesn't fit with yours." She grinned.

"Well saved, Carter," he grinned back. "Good evening again"

"General O'Neill, Colonel Carter, let me apologize, we joined the group because I saw you; Henry mentioned you would be around, but I never connected the dots until … well, earlier, I …"

"Don't worry, the whole thing falls under the "need to know" anyhow," she smiled.

"But where in Africa, were you that they couldn't possibly know what happened to you during enough time to make you KIA?"

"Well, ma'am," she added uncomfortably, "that's something that also falls under need to know. I can tell I was in a sticky situation, and now that I'm out of it, I'll prefer not to talk about it… it brings too many memories," Jack's cell rung at that moment, making all of them frown.

"O'Neill," he answered, covering his other ear to try and figure who was on the line. "Ah! Let me call you back in a few." He hung the phone and grimaced, "I'm sorry, we need to find Hayes, I hope you both enjoy what's left of the evening" he tugged Sam from her hand.

"Have a good evening!" Sam shouted over her shoulders as Jack guided them away from the couple, "Jack!" she called, "JACK!"

"What?" He stopped and she collided against his body, her hands found themselves sprawled on his chest and she couldn't avoid licking her lips. She closed her eyes as feelings and sensations roamed her body. "Sam…" he whispered against her hair, making her shiver, "Naysa was the reason why you wouldn't come home with me, right?" She nodded, biting her lower lip

"I also have a meeting with Hayes at some point during the morning…"

"Then let's find him and sort this out," Jack smiled.

After what could be described as a frenetic search, they found Henry Hayes talking animatedly with the girl from before and the man Sam assumed was her father. Hayes introduced them with a knowing grin on his face. The military couple couldn't identify if the President knowing grin was due to Vanessa's desire to be more to Jack or the fact that Vanessa's father was leering at Sam… or if he just enjoyed that for once, those two who were used to have it all as they wanted, were confronted with the reality that the objects of their current interests were a strong item.

"General O'Neill and Colonel Carter are about to reach their fifth anniversary…"

"Actually, sir…" Jack stopped him before Hayes had a chance to continue the conversation he was having with them. "We just came to say goodbye, we are calling it a night"

"So soon?" He asked, then looked between them, and nodded, "too many emotions, huh? Are you taking the little girl with you? Truth to be told, I was hoping both of you to stay for tonight, but if you want to go home…." He shrugged.

"Yeah, I mean, home isn't that far away"

"Well, I should have supposed you would want to go there. I can't order you to stay," Jack raised his eyebrow, remembering how exactly was they both were there, "Before it was for a good cause. Therefore, even if I could… I won't. Go home," Henry grinned pleased with himself, but Jack grimace made him frown. "What?"

"We weren't looking for your permission to go home… sir …" Jack grinned at the expression his commander in chief made, "We came searching for you, 'coz we need to know what time Sam's supposed to be ready for her audience?"

"Audience?" He questioned and Sam nodded.

"You know… to explain my … situation…" she added, their current audience, making her struggle to find the words, without giving away the truth.

"Oh! There's nothing, Colonel. Jack, you should take the day off or something, I'm pretty sure both of you will be informed when there's one," Hayes shrugged.

"With all due respect, sir," Sam grimaced, "I prefer to have it done as fast as we can. Then I can start the process that will allow me to put the whole thing behind me," she added, Jack nodded agreeing. Henry understood, he too knew all too well how complicated was to deal with the issues that came after a mission gone wrong.

"Then," he smiled, "call me when you both are awake. I know how those things take time and you need to rest to be able to go troughs it"

"Sir…" Sam started doubtfully.

"No, really, Colonel… there was no plan on making you go through any audience at the moment. I mean, you were supposed to be still in quarantine." There was a mumble coming from the parent/daughter couple that he didn't listen to, "As I said, call me tomorrow when you are ready, and we will schedule an emergency audience"

"Okay, thank you, sir. Good night, sir." Jack waved at him and they turned around.

"Colonel?" The President called, making both of them stop. She turned around slowly.

"Welcome home, I can truly say we are happy to have you back"

"Thank you, sir… I'm happy to be back"

"General, take your wife and daughter home, you all deserve that"

"Will do, sir… Good night"