A/N: Some much needed levity this chapter. No TWs.

Chapter 25

"What's on the agenda for today?" Jack asked as he came back inside from his morning bath in the stream.

"I'm not sure," Sam said, looking up from the list she was making. He was bare chested, water droplets still glistening on his chest hair. He'd shaved, something he only did every few days. Razors, it seemed, weren't on the Nox's list of comfort items and he'd only carried one in his bug out bag.

"Sam?" Jack gave her a lopsided grin. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.

" Um," she cleared her throat, "what?"

Jack chuckled, rummaging in his bag for a fresh t-shirt. He was running low and needed to wash them in the creek. "Add laundry to the to-do list," he told Sam before taking a seat across from her at the small, two-person table.

It was their seventh full day in the time dilation field, and they had finally settled into some semblance of a routine. Since finally clearing the air, they'd fallen back into their easy working relationship. Each morning Sam made a list of the daily tasks, then they divided and conquered.

"Right, laundry," she quickly wrote it down in her small notebook. "We have enough firewood, but I'll need some more water. I was thinking of making a soup out of the tubers and roots Lya left for us."

"I'll bring some in from the stream," Jack told her. They weren't sure how, but every day a new selection of foods appeared in the pantry. Neither questioned it, at least not yet, but Jack suspected Sam would have the entire thing figured out and reverse engineered in no time.

"We're almost out of berries," she said, writing 'berry picking' under 'laundry.'

"Don't go too far away," Jack warned her, earning himself a raised eyebrow from Sam.

"Yes, sir," she replied cheekily.

"Assign me laundry and water," Jack said, biting back a grin. "Go enjoy picking your berries. I'll meet you back here for lunch."

Sam was late. Jack frowned looking at his watch. It was almost one o'clock in the afternoon and she knew they always ate lunch at noon. His gut clenched telling him something was wrong.

Grabbing the makeshift bow and arrows he'd made the day after they arrived, he took off toward the berry patch on the far side of the dilation field. For the first time since the field activated, he was glad there were only four-square acres for him to search. She couldn't be far. Unless—he pushed the thought of the Kisqua finding them aside. Lya or Anteaus would have alerted them.

"Sam!" He called as he got closer to where the berries grew. "Sam, where are you?"

"Jack!" Her voice echoed in the breeze. "Jack," she yelled. "I'm over here."

Jack followed the sound of her voice, rounding the bend only to stop in his tracks. A huge grin formed in his face as he saw Sam standing in the middle of a large briar patch.

"Oh, thank goodness," relief filled her voice. "I've been stuck in here for the past two hours. Help me."

"It looks like a rather prickly predicament," he smirked at her.

"Haha." She retorted with a glare.

"How in the world did you even get in there?" He arched an eyebrow as he walked around the briar patch looking for an opening.

"I don't know," she groused. "I was picking berries and I swear there was a path, but I turned around and it disappeared."

Jack tsked. "Basic training covers spacial awareness, Colonel," he chided. "It appears you might need a refresher course."

"Funny, Jack. Now, can you get me out?"

"Gimme a second," he said, assessing the situation. The thorns were incredibly sharp but not long and they grew mostly on the outer edge of plants. "Do you think you can reach that tree branch," he pointed to a thick one just above her head.

"That was my thought, too," she replied, "but I'd have to swing and jump. With the baby, I didn't want to risk falling.

"I'll catch you," he told her, almost laughing at the way she eyed him skeptically. "Jump up and grab the limb then swing your legs to me. " he added when she started to argue.

"Alright," Sam chewed her bottom lip as she ran through the geometric angles of what she needed to do. It'd either work or she'd end up in a snaggle of thorns. Taking a deep breath, Sam jumped, her hands tightly gripping the tree branch above her.

"That's it," Jack said. "Now swing your legs to me."

Using her upper body strength, she pushed away from the tree limb. Arching her back, Sam swung her body toward Jack.

"Gotcha," Jack snagged her in mid-air, his arms wrapping tightly around her waist. He stumbled forward slightly causing Sam's shoulder to snag the edge of the thorns. A sharp sting made her hiss as Jack stepped backward, pulling her away from the briar patch.

"Are you alright," he said, immediately whirling her around as soon as her feet touched the ground. "Dammit," he cursed at the sight of blood and her ripped shirt.

"It's just a scratch," she told him, turning to face him.

"More like a bunch of scratches," he frowned.

"Hey, I'm out," Sam gave him a megawatt smile. "And I'm hungry."

"Fine," Jack conceded, "but I'm tending that shoulder as soon as we're back inside."

"You won't get an argument from me," Sam said, following him. Her shoulder was stinging fiercely, not that she'd tell him that. She was embarrassed enough about getting stuck in a fricking briar patch to begin with.

"Sit," he ordered her as soon as they passed through the door, pleased when she plopped down onto the chair without complaint.

After gathering a wet cloth and some antiseptic from his bag, he tried to access the scratches. "Um, Sam," he said hesitantly, "I, um, need you to take off your shirt."

She glanced over her shoulder and saw a faint blush creeping up his neck. "Okay," she acknowledged, lifting the hem, and pulling the fabric over her head.

She wasn't wearing a bra. That was the first thing Jack noticed. From his standing position, he could see the soft swell of her breasts.

"Jack?" Sam glanced over her shoulder at him again when he didn't touch her or say anything.

"You ready?" He replied quickly, then grabbed the wet towel and pressed it gently to her skin. Next came the antiseptic. "Sorry," he murmured when she let out a low hiss. Bending forward, he blew a light stream of air across her skin.

Sam bit her lip as Jack's breath caressed her skin. The light stinging instantly forgotten as desire washed over her. Reaching up, she grasped the hand he'd placed on her shoulder and squeezed it. "Thank you," she told him softly, "for being there for me."

"Always, Sam," he squeezed her hand gently. "Always."

Outside the time dilation field, Lya smiled. For them, it had been minutes since Sam and Jack had begun their journey together and already they were making progress.

"You promised not to interfere, beloved," Anteaus told her from the doorway.

"And I did not," she smiled at her mate.

"The briar patch would indicate otherwise," he arched an eyebrow at her, "or did you think I would not notice."

"Hush," Lya admonished him. "It was only a small deception, making Samantha believe there was a path."

"And what would have happened if she'd fallen? The child could have been hurt."

"Her mate would never allow such a thing," she countered. "Besides, we both know what is destined to occur."

Anteaus shook his head at his mate. Ever since their first meeting with the Tau'ri many years ago, he was very aware of his wife's fondness for the young couple who were simultaneously together but not together. She had bent their rules more than once to help Samantha and O'Neill. And this time was no different.

"Promise me you'll let them be," he held out his hand to her, pleased when she came to him. "We need to send word to their friends and many weeks will pass for them while we do. We must allow nature to take its course."

Lya nodded, knowing her mate was right. She must not interfere, but that didn't mean she couldn't nudge them in the right direction every now and then.