"This is pretty idyllic," Jack commented as he came up to stand beside Sam.
"It really is sir," Sam agreed quietly.
They were stood at the edge of some trees, looking out at a picturesque golden sand beach and the softly rolling waves of the crystal-clear sea. It looked like something off of a postcard, but they weren't on Earth, they were halfway across the galaxy exploring a new world.
Jack had left Daniel under the watchful eye of Teal'c, talking to some of the locals, and had come to find Sam, who had wandered off shortly after they'd found out the planet was safe and Goa'uld free.
"It's nice to have a break every now and then," Jack continued as he lent against a tree and stared out at the surf.
"Yes sir," Sam agreed, a slightly dreamy quality in her voice.
"When was the last time you were at the beach?" Jack asked her. He didn't want to interrupt her peace, but it had been a while since they'd been able to just talk. They were finally getting back to normal after what had been a mad few months. Between their adventures with the armbands and subsequent Za'tarc testing, their memories being wiped on the ice planet, and his unexpected trip into space, they hadn't quite been their normal selves. Now seemed like the perfect opportunity to catch up and help re-establish the team dynamic.
"Not sure sir," Sam answered after a moment, "But it's been a while. How about you?"
She glanced away from the sea for the first time to catch his eye, before returning her gaze to the waves.
"Same as you," Jack answered, "Not really sure, but a very long time."
"No beach at the cabin sir?" Sam teased.
"Beaches on a lake are completely different to beaches by the sea," Jack pointed out, "But there's nothing like that at all at the cabin, just a little dock."
"Sounds nice," Sam said, "But aren't you lying?"
"Lying," Jack said aghast, "I am not."
"But Urgo said…" Sam began to tease.
"Nope," Jack interrupted, "Not happening." He was tempted to stick his fingers in his ears and start going la la la but he didn't, and as Sam laughed softly he was glad he hadn't. Jack also knew that the joking and the laughter meant that they were getting back to their normal.
He was just about to say something more, continue with the joking, when Daniel and Teal'c appeared behind them.
"What's up, guys?" Jack asked, and Sam and he both turned to look at them.
"The villagers are inviting us to join them swimming," Daniel said, "We've actually come during one of their festivals and they spend this afternoon in the sea and then have a feast later."
"Sounds lovely Daniel," Jack said, "But we didn't bring any swim wear."
"I said as much," Daniel said, "And they were very quick to offer us some of theirs to borrow." He looked between Jack, Sam, and Teal'c before continuing. "Come on. There's no harm in it and it'll be a good way to make friends with them. Who knows what might be here that we can trade for."
Jack sighed quietly.
"There's nothing dangerous here," Daniel pointed out, "We've already established that." He looked around the group again. "Come on," he said, "It'll be fun."
"I'm game if you are sir," Sam said.
Jack glanced at Teal'c. "I will not swim O'Neill," he said, "Because of my symbiote. It should not be an issue but I would be happier standing watch if you all want to join the locals."
Jack gave him a scandalised look before he sighed again. "Fine," he folded, "If you insist."
Daniel beamed at him before heading back to speak with the locals. Teal'c inclined his head before following after him.
"Shall we?" Jack then said to Sam, gesturing for Sam to walk ahead of him.
"We shall sir," Sam said with a smile.
-/-
Ten minutes later however both Sam and Jack were regretting agreeing to Daniel's request. Daniel didn't seem to care, but they certainly did.
The swimwear they had been given was… rustic, to say the least.
"This was such a bad idea," Jack muttered as he slowly changed. He'd tried to back out of swimming when he'd seen the costumes, as had Sam, but Daniel had rightly pointed out that that might offend the locals, which wouldn't be ideal.
"Oh lighten up," Daniel said as he folded his clothes and placed them on top of his boots, "It'll be fun, and a good way to cool off."
Jack grunted as he folded his clothes as well. The pair of them then left the tent they'd been changing in and joined Teal'c outside.
"How's it going, Carter?" Jack called towards the other tent as he and Daniel handed Teal'c their weapons. They were fine with leaving their clothes unattended but certainly not their guns, zats, and knives. Daniel then headed towards the water, Teal'c in tow, having already taken charge of Sam's weapons.
"I'm not so sure about this sir," Sam's voice came back.
"I know it's not what we'd call swimwear at him," Jack replied, "But it can't be that bad." And what they'd been given wasn't what they'd wear at home. Jack was stood, feeling slightly awkward if he was perfectly honest, wearing a weird cross between board shorts and budgie smugglers. They were the tightest shorts he'd ever worn. They were also quite thick, reminding Jack of neoprene. They went to just below his knees and he was aware that they didn't leave a lot to the imagination. He knew that because Daniel was wearing the exact same thing. He'd briefly seen Sam's outfit as they'd been handed them, but it hadn't looked too bad.
He heard Sam sigh and then some rustling before the curtains hanging over the doorway opened and Sam stepped out. Immediately he started reciting gate address and their matching planet name. Sam's swimsuit was made of the same neoprene like material as his and also had the same tight fit. While his had at least some modesty to it, Sam's really didn't. It was a bikini, but one of the skimpiest bikinis Jack had ever seen.
"Let's get in the water," Jack suggested quickly, seeing how awkwardly Sam was standing, trying to cover as much of herself as she could, without actually using her hands to cover herself. Sam nodded and the two of them made their way towards the water, joining the rest of the locals and Daniel as they mingled in the shallows.
All the men were wearing the same thing as Jack and Daniel, and all the women were in the same as Sam, so while they both felt conspicuous, no one around them really seemed to care. There were a few appraising looks thrown at them but nothing else as they carried on past Daniel and most of the locals, and headed into deeper water.
"Damn that's cold," Sam muttered as a wave rolled past them.
Jack just nodded as he swallowed hard. The wave had caused movement of certain parts of Sam's anatomy, which was also causing movement in his anatomy.
Without a word he dove under the next wave, letting the cold wash over him.
As he surfaced, water dripping off his hair and down his back, Sam bit back a groan. She knew her commanding officer was fit, but right now she was seeing part of the fantasies that she knew many of the nurses and civilians at the SGC had, and she couldn't do anything about it.
She also dived under the water, and when she surfaced she kept swimming for a bit until when she put her feet down the only thing about the water was her head.
Jack had watched her swim past before he'd dunked himself. As much as he was enjoying the view, and he really was, he knew he shouldn't be, and that he could get in a lot of trouble for looking. He needed to keep himself under control.
Surfacing again he swam out to join Sam bobbing in the waves.
"This is actually really nice," Sam said as he joined her.
"Yeah, it really is," Jack agreed.
They spent some time making small talk with each other, and with some of the locals who were out this deep.
They were both doing well at keeping cool until a wave caught them by surprise and pushed Sam into Jack. They laughed about it until the red flush of Sam's skin reminded Jack of red bikinis and all his blood rushed south. He knew Sam felt it as her eyes went wide.
"It's my side arm I swear," Jack managed to croak out even as he let go of Sam and she floated away.
