Sam had been pensive for the past hour, sitting in the kitchen while Jack prepared lunch. She had been trying to find the right words, the right moment to tell him, but the words kept getting stuck in her throat.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. "I was going to tell you," she blurted out, her voice barely above a whisper. Tears welled up in her eyes as she tried to speak.

Jack turned to look at her, his eyes filled with concern. "Sam"

"I'm so sorry," she dropped her face in her hands, and her shoulders shook with her silent sobs.

Jack quickly came to her side and kneeled in front of her. "Look at me, Sam," he asked softly and waited until she lifted her eyes to his before continuing.

"You have nothing to apologize for. You hear me? You spent eight weeks in captivity, and I am simply grateful that you came back to me whole and relatively uninjured. Anything could have happened to you out there, Sam. I was sick with worry, and I wasn't with you."

He took her face in his hands and added, "I'm so sorry you had to go through this, Sam. I know it hurts. I hurt too. But none of this is your fault. You did nothing wrong. And I won't allow you to bear any guilt of this."

"I was so terrified about our jobs and Pete, but Jack, I wanted this baby. And I could not even protect your baby!" she yelled and tried to get up and leave.

Jack held on and pulled her into his arms, hugging her so hard that she had trouble breathing. He didn't know what to say, how to make it better. All he knew was that he loved her, and he didn't want to lose her.

"I love you, Sam," he said softly, his voice filled with emotion.

Shocked, Sam looked at him, not sure what to say.

"There is no going back to how we were for me, Sam. I'm done being an idiot. I'm sorry it took this for me to realize I cannot let you go. If you tell me you love the cop, then I'll back off. Otherwise, I am talking to Hammond later today about our situation."

Sam's heart skipped a beat as she heard his words. She had always known that she loved him but...

"I love you too, Jack," she said, feeling a weight lifted off her shoulders.

She didn't know what the future held for them, but she was confident that they would find a way to be together.

For now, she was content just being in his arms.

The End.

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine no copyright infringement intended.