Open Doors

TITLE: Open Doors

AUTHOR: Jo R.

CATEGORY: S/J UST, SJR, fluff.

CONTENT WARNINGS: Sam and Jack.

RATING: PG-13

SEASON / SEQUEL: Set sometime in season four; sequel to ‘Forgive, Forget and Move On’.

SPOILERS: None/Various.

SUMMARY: Sequel to ‘Forgive, Forget and Move On’. Back on Earth, Jack has a promise to keep to himself and a plan to put in motion.

ARCHIVE: Heliopolis, SJA, and Shipperworld. Anywhere else, please ask first.

STATUS: Complete

DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime / Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. No copyright infringement is intended. No money is being made. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. Not to be archived without permission. Feedback and constructive criticism are very welcome.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: A sequel to something I wasn’t planning on giving a sequel. Please send me feedback to let me know what you think/how I’m doing. Also, the ‘loophole’ was pointed out by Beth on the SJ list. I just kinda used it and twisted it to my liking. Thanks! Oh, and words between ~’s and /’s signify thoughts. And again, I don’t know where the characterisations have gone. I think they snuck off to Jack’s cabin when I wasn’t looking.

DEDICATION: LM, a brilliant friend, excellent and talented writer and a bundle of laughs. *hugs*

~Å~

Before the wormhole they came through disengaged, General George Hammond knew that something had happened. The only thing he was surprised about was that the members of SG-1 were trading the customary light-hearted jokes, teasing each other and trading smiles, just as close if not closer than they had been prior to their mission. If anything, he had been expecting their mission to dredge up some old and painful memories and had anticipated the need to reward them with some much overdue downtime to regroup. Although he was surprised, he was mainly relieved, having been reluctant to send them in the first place but having no choice since they had been asked for by name.

Suppressing a small smile, he made his way down from the control room to the gateroom, ready to greet his team. This was one of his favourite parts of a mission, as long as the team arrived intact and uninjured, it almost made up for not going himself. “ Colonel, I trust your mission was a success?”

Colonel Jack O’Neill nodded and grinned in the way only he dared to at a Superior Officer. “ Yes, Sir. The treaty is back on track and SG-13 is back to work.” He cast a glance at his second-in-command, Major Samantha Carter, who was helping the anthropologist of their team, Doctor Daniel Jackson, take off his backpack with his sprained wrist, a glance the General couldn’t miss nor could he interpret. “ Ah, General, can I have a word with you before the debriefing?”

Nodding, General Hammond took a moment to study Sam. She wasn’t looking at him, so she was oblivious to his scrutiny, but there was something new with her; she seemed to be more radiant than usual. Narrowing his eyes, he turned his gaze back to Jack, who was also watching Sam joke with Daniel, a distant look arranging his features. ~No..~ General Hammond thought to himself. ~They wouldn’t have.. Not on a mission.. It’s against regulations!~ Shaking his head, and half-wishing he was as oblivious as every seemed to assume he was, he looked sternly at his second-in-command. “ SG-1, get down to the infirmary for your check-ups. We will debrief in one hour. Colonel, join me in my office as soon as you’re done.”

“ Yes, Sir,” Sam and Jack echoed each other and walked out of the gateroom slightly in front of their team mates. General Hammond watched them go, wondering what in God’s name had taken place between them, knowing he would find out soon enough, whether he wanted to or not.

~Å~

The General had been pacing his office in the twenty minutes it took Jack to have his medical, and he was pacing now, as Jack stood at attention in front of his desk. Finally, General Hammond sat down in his chair and rested his hands on the desk in front of him. “ Take a seat, Jack.” He waited as the Colonel did as he was told. “ Now, what is it you wanted to talk about?”

“ My relationship with Major Carter, Sir,” Jack answered immediately, unflinchingly. He just stared evenly into the eyes of his Superior, adrenaline racing through his system.

To his surprise, General Hammond leaned his head in his hands and started rubbing his temples. “ Tell me you didn’t break the fraternization regulations, Colonel.” Was it Jack’s imagination or was there a slightly pleading note in the General’s voice?

“ Of course not, Sir,” Jack answered evenly; though the expression he wore clearly said he was wondering if he was that obvious. “ But I think you should know we came close. Which is why I’m here.”

Raising his head, General Hammond looked somewhat interested. “ What are you trying to tell me, Colonel? Are you asking me to turn a blind eye when it does happen? Or are you here to reassign Major Carter?”

“ No, Sir. If anything, I’d retire so she could stay here and we could be together without damaging her career,” Jack replied quickly. He continued at the ‘I don’t like where this is heading’ look on his CO’s face. “ However, I am here to ask, as a friend, if there is anything you can suggest. Neither one of us wants to leave the SGC but it isn’t fair for us to put our lives on hold, deny whatever there is between us, when we could easily die tomorrow.”

Nodding, the General got to his feet and resumed pacing. He was relieved nothing had happened yet, and flattered Jack had thought to come to him for help. He wasn’t stupid, he knew there was something between the command team of his first unit, and he knew it was only a matter of time before they got sick of pretending there wasn’t. Having been happily married to his wife for many years before she had died, George sympathised with his junior officers. He also knew it was a testament of Jack’s feelings for Sam that he would take the risk and go to a superior officer for advice. The SGC benefited from having both of them in its ranks, so reassigning or retirement of one of them wouldn’t go down very well, not with him nor the President. But he didn’t see another option at the moment. Unless.. He turned to Jack wearing a thoughtful expression. “ Thank you for coming to me with this, Jack. I appreciate the courage it must have taken, and your determination to do the right thing by Major Carter is admirable. Leave it with me and I’ll see if I can find anything that could help your situation.”

“ Thank you, Sir,” Jack nodded and stood, a thankful grin in place. “ I appreciate it.”

Nodding, General waved his hand. “ Dismissed. I’ll see you in the debriefing in twenty minutes.” He watched Jack go to the door, seeing the tension seep from the younger man’s shoulders. “ Oh, and Jack?”

“ Yes, Sir?” Jack turned back round expectantly.

“ Maybe you could browse the regulation manual yourself, see if you find something?” General Hammond suggested, as an idea slowly started taking shape in his mind. “ Oh, and does Major Carter know what you wanted to see me about?”

“ I will, and no. She doesn’t.” Jack ducked his head slightly. “ I don’t want to get her hopes up, Sir. And I don’t want her putting her career at risk.” He left the office before General Hammond could say anything else, not stopping to look back, so missing the proud grin playing on his CO’s lips.

~Å~

The debriefing started with the remaining members of SG-1 walking into the briefing room to find their leader engrossed in a book. Trading confused glances that grew even more confused when they realised it was a regulation manual, they sat down and left Jack to his reading, unable to stifle their sniggers and giggles when Jack looked up, startled, when the General started the de-briefing, having been so engrossed in his reading he hadn’t noticed them enter the room and take their seats.

His scowl of embarrassment turned into a bashful smile as he caught Sam smiling in affectionate amusement, knowing the smile was for him even though her eyes were lowered to the desk.

The debriefing went as usual, with Jack summing their mission up and his team mates adding their own points if they thought they were relevant. General Hammond kept a close eye on the two officers in the room, watching Sam and Jack play eye-tag, finding that he couldn’t help wondering just how close they had come to crossing the lines between them. He suspected they had kissed at the most, trusting them not to go further with the fraternization regulation still existing between them. He was glad, too. Too many officers who did that started on the wrong note, and by the time they had come clean or been found out by their superiors, there was usually too much bad blood between them to make a go of things.

“ SG-1, you have forty-eight hours of downtime. Dismissed.” General Hammond stood, and Jack and Sam copied the action, offering salutes to show their respect. “ If you have a moment, Colonel?”

“ Yes, Sir.” Jack nodded and remained standing. Daniel and Teal’c left the room, the former casting a confused glance in Jack’s direction, confusion echoed in Sam’s eyes as she looked questioningly at him. She left, somewhat reluctantly, only when he nodded to show he’d be okay.

Once she had left, General Hammond closed the door and turned to Jack with a smile. “ She’s as protective of you as you are of her.”

Even ducking his head couldn’t hide the pleased, almost smug, grin that played on Jack’s face. He lifted his head to look up at the General and looked a little hopeful, his eyes lighting up. “ I think I might have found something.”

The General nodded as though this was the response he had been anticipating. “ Go ahead.”

“ There’s regulations about Officers in the same chain of command dating... but exceptions are made if they’re married.” Jack spoke up, carefully watching for any reaction. “ Is that true?”

“ It is,” General Hammond nodded again. “ I was thinking of that myself. Only thing is one of you will have to be assigned somewhere else at the time the marriage is officiated. I was also wondering if that’s not moving a little quickly for two people who’ve never dated?”

Jack shrugged casually. “ We can’t date, it’s not allowed. This might be the only way.”

“ What do you think Sam’s reaction would be?” General Hammond asked. “ She is most likely going to be the one that will be reassigned, even though it is temporarily. Is she as serious about this as you are?”

“ I think so,” Jack answered slowly. “ I’ll have to talk to her about it... What about you, Sir? Won’t it be a little obvious that you’re doing this to help us? Would it get you in trouble?”

Shaking his head, the General sat down again. “ I have already received several requests to allow Major Carter to be temporarily recalled to the Pentagon. With her permission, I can consent to the reassignment and it would look like I was just doing General Peterson a favour.”

It was all Jack could do not to hug the General. Instead, he settled for grinning inanely. The grin faded slightly as another look, this one thoughtful, crossed his face.

“ Son?” George gazed at him in concern.

“ I... I was just wondering...” Shuffling his feet, Jack titled his head to one side in an unconsciously nervous gesture. “ Do you think Jacob would approve?”

Causing Jack to jump, General Hammond started laughing. “ Jack, Jake’s been behind you from day one. And as soon as I tell him what length’s you’re going to in order to protect Sam’s career, he’ll respect you even more.” Jack beamed, looking genuinely touched by the high praise. He stood there for a few moments, just staring into space, a goofy grin tugging at his lips until George laughed again. “ Hmm… Son? Isn’t there some place you should be? *Someone* you should be talking to?” He hinted, putting emphasis on the word.

Blinking slowly, a slow smile spread across Jack’s face as comprehension sunk in. He stared at the General, hesitated, and then turned to leave. Then catching his CO by surprise, he turned back round and embraced him in an awkward - but of course as manly as possible, he told himself later - hug. Then he raced from the room leaving a bewildered General shaking his head after him.

~Well done, George,~ he told himself with a grin as he walked into his office. ~Give two of your best officers the chance to be happy and get enough ammunition to keep Jack in line for at least a month. Guess sending them to Edora was a good thing after all.~

~Å~

Lightening split the skies and the rain fell in a violent torrent. Despite this, Jack grinned and whistled along with the radio as he carefully navigated the roads towards Sam’s loft apartment. He wasn’t letting himself think of anything but what he was going to say. If he stopped to contemplate her reaction, he would only start feeling nervous and he didn’t want to back out, not after coming this far.

With rain running down his windshield, he pulled over and darted up the steps of her apartment building, flashing a grin at a startled old lady coming out of the building as he skidded to a halt in front of the doors. He waved at her, chuckling at the expression on her face as he took the steps two at a time up to Sam’s apartment. He was still chuckling as he knocked enthusiastically on the door, and it was only when Sam opened it, a ‘cute’ confused expression arranging her facial features that the seriousness of the situation returned to him.

“ Colonel... What are you doing here?” She asked softly, self-consciously tugging on the old and worn over-sized t-shirt she was wearing.

He looked her up and down, wondering if she’d appreciate knowing he thought she looked adorable in her old t-shirt and sweats and decided against telling her, disliking one of the possible reactions his mind created. “ It’s Jack, Sam... Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

“ Oh, sure.” Blushing lightly, she stepped aside and motioned for him to enter. “ I wasn’t expecting anyone so I’m sorry for the mess.”

Jack glanced around as she shut the door behind him, seeing no sign of the mess she was apologising for. Catching her tug at her t-shirt again out of the corner of his eye, he fought the urge to grin. There was no mess, she was just as nervous at his being there as he himself was. “ No problem, I’m sorry for calling by unannounced.”

She hovered by the door as he sat down, making himself comfortable on her couch, just watching with a small frown creasing her brow. “ Can I get you something to drink, S-Jack? Some coffee, iced tea, a beer? I was getting myself some hot cocoa.” She blushed even more at the admission, making him smile softly, giving her the impression he knew something she didn’t.

“ Cocoa’s fine,” he eventually spoke up, not taking his eyes from hers. “ It’s quite a storm out there.”

“ Yeah, I’d noticed. There’s a small stream from my door to the couch,” Sam teased in attempt at lightening the mood and putting her own nerves to rest. Jack just grinned, and looked around her spotless apartment as she went to get them some drinks.

Everything was so neat, in it’s own place. There was an air about the place that just seemed to say ‘Sam Carter’. He could easily accept everything as belonging to her, from the books lining the oak bookshelf, to the couch and the rest of the furniture. It was stylish, but comfortable. Felt like home. He smiled as he leaned back on the comfortable seat, trying to conjure up a picture of living with Sam. He didn’t know if they would live in a spacious house like the one he owned with a telescope on the roof, or a chic apartment like the one Sam owned with a balcony that over-looked Colorado. He could easily picture her in either place, and as long as she was there, he could picture himself. He could get used to living in an apartment, living in her apartment, but then another image ran through his mind, one of Sam giggling as she tickled a little girl or boy, one of him chasing both Sam and the child around a big garden, their child in their garden..

“ Jack? Hey, Colonel, are you okay?” Blinking, he was startled to find Sam standing in front of him, holding a steaming mug, concern in her eyes.

“ I’m fine, thanks.” He took the proffered mug and set it on the coffee table in front of him, watching as she warily sat down on the other side of the couch. “ I guess I was just thinking.”

Taking a sip from her own mug, Sam placed it down gently on the table before turning to him questioningly, drawing her legs up under herself. “ Thinking about why you’re here?”

“ I know why I’m here, Sam. I didn’t just come by on the spur of the moment,” he told her seriously.

“ Oh, well that makes one of us,” she gave him a weak, uneasy smile. “ I have no idea why you’re here.” Her edginess increased ten fold when he moved along the couch to sit closely beside her, twisting to face her and taking her hand in one of his. “ I… Jack...?”

“ Just listen to me, Sam.” He fought the instinct to lean in just a little bit more and press his lips to hers but being this close to her made the memories of their kiss on Edora wash over him, making it a lot harder than it would have been normally. “ I.. I need to know if you meant what you said on Edora. About us...”

“ About wanting to wait till we could be together? And whether I love you?” She asked, sounding a lot more confident than she felt, not sure whether her stomach did somersaults because of the question or because of his closeness. At his nod, she lowered her gaze to her hand, the one that was being held by his. “ I meant it, Jack. I still do. I love you, and I will wait.” A deprecatingly smile brief turned up the corners of her mouth. “ The ‘waiting’ part is gonna be a problem if you make these late night stops a regular occurrence though.”

Wanting to laugh with relief that her anxiety had something to do with her not trusting herself around him instead of solely being caused by his presence, Jack mentally shook off that urge, reminding himself why he was here. ~You’ve got to tell her, Jack,~ a small voice insisted. ~You can’t back out now, you can’t just leave without saying anything.~ /Yeah, right,/ said a more cynical voice from within. /Just go ahead and blurt out a proposal before even asking her out for a date. Real smooth, Jack/ ~Shut up!~ The other voice shushed it, and Jack echoed the sentiments. He looked at Sam’s arched eyebrow and realised with a somewhat embarrassed flush that he must have looked as though he was arguing with himself. Either that, or he had been mouthing the words. “ Sam. This is going to sound strange, but I need you to promise to hear me out.”

“ Okay,” she answered slowly after a deliberate pause. She gazed deeply into his eyes and nodded. “ Go ahead, I trust you, Jack.”

Smiling at the feeling her words enflamed within him, he felt encouraged to go on. “ I went to see General Hammond.” He lifted a finger to her lips when it looked like she was about to interrupt. “ No interrupting, Sam. You said you’d hear me out.” He took her exasperated sigh to be ‘go ahead’. “ Anyway, I went to see General Hammond, with regards to what we talked about on Edora. To be honest, he didn’t seem that surprised and even agreed to help me find a solution. After looking through the regulation manual, we found one. It’s a little bit of a loophole and to make it work, we have to both be serious about this.” He took and deep breath and clasped both of her hands in his, looking into her eyes. “ There seems to be a way we can be together and still work at the SGC if we have General Hammond’s permission. Sam... There are regs against two officers dating, but there’s an exception for married couples. I know it would be moving things fast, but we could easily start dating once we’re married and the regulations are behind us.”

She didn’t say anything. The minutes passed and Jack just started at her, waiting, anticipating her response. He wasn’t sure if he was imaging things, or seeing what he wanted to, but he was almost convinced she was trying not to smile, that the corners of her lips kept twitching suspiciously. Finally, after making him sweat, Sam spoke up. “ So... Was that a marriage proposal, Sir?”

Sighing, with relief that she hadn’t laughed at him or thrown him out, and with frustration that she seemed to be avoiding the issue. “ It’s the only way, Sam,” he hurried explained, anxious for her answer. “ I know I love you, and you say you love me. Isn’t marriage where we’d end up eventually?”

“ I guess...” She lowered her head and sunk her teeth into her bottom lip, trying to refrain from either bursting into tears or giving into laughter, both of which could have been on the verge of hysterical. “ But it does seem a little... silly.”

“ What?” Jack frowned in surprise, feeling a little hurt. “ Marrying me?”

“ No!” She could stop the small giggle from escaping her lips that time. “ No, that we can date once we’re married but we can’t date without being married.” She paused and tilted her head to one side, looking at him carefully. “ Isn’t there more? Doesn’t one of us have to be in another chain of command at the time the marriage takes place?”

He nodded slowly. “ General Hammond solved that, if we want to go through with it. Apparently General Peterson at the Pentagon has been asking that you be given temporary assignment back there to work on something, probably a project you were part of when you were last there. This way Hammond can help us out without it looking suspicious; you go to help out temporarily, we get married, you get transferred back to the SGC and there’s no problem. General Hammond won’t even be implicated, everyone will just think we’re taking advantage of him doing an old friend a favour.”

Getting to her feet, the cooling cocoa long forgotten, Sam paced the floor of her living room. She stopped, wringing her hands in front of her, curiosity and disbelief taking up residency on her face, along with a shy smile. “ Are you really *that* serious... about me? Serious enough for marriage?”

“ I’ve never been this serious before about anything,” he told her, honesty tainting his words with undeniable truth, rising to stand directly in front of her. He took her hands again, needing there to be some sort of contact between them. “ I want to be with you but the last thing I want to do is rush you. Getting married is a big step, a lot of commitment for two people who haven’t even been on a date before.” Jack leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, wanting more but knowing now wasn’t the right time. He lingered close to her, mimicking her by closing his eyes and cherishing the warmth that radiated from her at their closeness. “ I don’t want an answer now. Think about it. You are the one who will have to transfer somewhere else, even though I promise it will be temporary. Now get some sleep and I’ll see you on base in a few days time.”

Releasing her with a great deal of reluctance, Jack turned his back on her and walked towards the door, telling himself he had to leave now whilst he still could. He put his hand on the door handle and pulled at it half-heartedly when she stopped him, with one singular uttered word.

“ Yes.”

“ What?” He spun around so quickly he almost lost his balance and fell, bringing a smile to her face despite the single tear he saw trickling down her cheek. She hadn’t moved, but she was looking at him in a way that assured him he wasn’t hearing things. The breath was almost knocked out of his lungs; never had someone gazed at *him* with that much love and longing in their eyes before. “ Sam?” Taking one step closer, her name on his lips was a question, a question with only two answers, one that would complete him, and one that would destroy him.

“ I said yes,” she whispered, her voice carrying across the distance between them in the quietness of her apartment. “ Yes, I will marry you. I don’t mind being temporarily reassigned. It… It doesn’t seem much of a burden, not when you think of what the result will be when I’m back.”

Without giving her words time to sink in, Jack crossed the space between them in four easy strides, enfolding Sam into his arms and pulling her close. She rested her head on his shoulder and he rested his cheek on her head. Just holding each other, nothing else. The desire to touch, to kiss and to caress was present, of course. It generally always was, but the time wasn’t right for that yet. They had finally found a way to escape the limbo they had been entrapped in for months, even years, and there was a spark of hope that was quickly blossoming into an all engulfing, all consuming fire of anticipation and optimism. They would have time to be together, to savour every second of their joining, but now they had determined there was a resolution in sight, they mutually, silently, decided to wait until there would be no reason standing between them, nothing to cast a shadow of recrimination on something so pure.

“ Thank you,” Jack murmured, whispering into her hair as they stood, neither sure which one of them was keeping them standing, swaying soothingly to a beat only they could hear. He wasn’t even sure who he was thanking, Sam for giving him the answer he had been praying for, or whatever force or being that had granted them this passage, this open door in a seemingly endless maze of confusion, frustration and longing. “ Thank you.”

And they stood, clutching each other, speaking heart to heart but without words, until they felt ready to part, confident that they would be together very soon. He forced himself to leave just before dawn, placing a chaste kiss on her lips, all they would allow themselves and a fleeting sensation they both savoured, and whispering a silent promise of forever before walking out of her apartment, his heart light and confident with the knowledge that it wasn’t over. It was just beginning.

~Å~

No one was surprised to see Major Carter roaming through the corridors of the SGC while she was supposed to be on downtime but once news spread that she was being reassigned to the Pentagon, the surprise levels in the facility began to rise. As Sam packed up her personal belongs, she herself was surprised at the steady stream of traffic that seemed to flow through her lab, colleagues she barely even said ‘hello’ to were coming to say goodbye, wish her luck and tell her they hoped her assignment was as brief as they had heard it was from her team mates.

Thinking of them, of leaving them, made her sad, but she cheered herself up by reminding herself she would be back. She just had to stay away for a few weeks to make it look believable and then she would return, as Major Carter on base but as Mrs. O’Neill at home. The thought alone had the power to make her smile and give her the courage and confidence she needed to box away her things, filing a dozen memories away with each object, reminding her it wasn’t forever.

Only one thing about the situation, and about the plan, did she regret, and that was the fact it had to remain a secret from Daniel, Teal’c and even Doctor Janet Fraiser, the woman with whom Sam had developed the closest friendship with a female that she had known in recent years. General Hammond, though he had seemed pleased that Sam had accepted Jack’s proposal and the plan to make it possible, had made it clear he thought it was best that the fewer who knew about it, the better. There was less risk of them being found out, less chance of something happening to get in the way of her future with Jack. Grudgingly, the two officers agreed, making vows to themselves that as soon as her reassignment back to the SGC had been authorised, they would tell their friends and let them in on the good news, although both worried whether it would be seen as ‘good’ at first.

Hearing a sniff from the doorway was the first indication that she wasn’t as alone as she had thought and Sam turned to find Janet leaning against the doorframe. Giving her friend an easy, warm smile, she held out her hand. “ It’s only for a month or so, Janet. I’ll come back.”

“ You’d better,” Janet murmured, hugging her tightly. “ I’ll miss you.”

“ I’ll miss you, too,” Sam gave her a watery smile once they pulled apart. “ But it won’t be that bad, you’re just going to miss having someone to gossip with over the guys and the grapevine.”

Chuckling a little, Janet’s brown eyes still filled with tears. “ Sure, that’s it. That’s the only reason I’ll miss you.” She rolled her eyes and gave Sam’s arm a squeeze. “ Keep in touch, okay?”

“ Absolutely,” Sam nodded in the affirmative. “ Hey, if it makes you feel any better, we can call each other every night so you can keep me up-to-date with the comings and goings around here.”

“ Sounds great,” Janet agreed. She looked around the lab, noticing how empty and cold it felt without Sam’s personal belongings in it. She had never realised before just how many little knick-knacks Sam had dotted all over the place, giving it a nice homely feel. They were only noticeable when they were gone, and the room felt bereft, desolate almost. “ Are you sure you don’t want a lift to the airport? It would be no trouble.”

“ I know, thanks.” Sam looked away, taking in the starkness of the lab with a bittersweet smile on her face. She was going to miss it, but she would be back soon, not as soon as she would have liked but soon enough. “ But Colonel O’Neill already offered. I kind of promised he could take me, so we could say goodbye.”

A wave of knowing sympathy washed over Janet. “ How’s he coping with this? I haven’t seen him around much.”

“ He’s coping fine,” Sam answered, trying to deny a note of amusement from creeping into her voice. Jack seemed almost eager to have her gone when they were alone together, but he assured her it was just so they could get her absence over with and return to the SGC together, united, as a married couple. ~Samantha O’Neill,~ Sam thought, barely managing to suppress the tiny shiver of pleasure that went through her at the name. “ He has the right attitude, the one everyone should have. It’s not forever. The way everyone’s acting it’s like you guys think you’re never going to see me again.”

“ Because we’re afraid we’re not,” Daniel piped in from the doorway. He gave her a small grin when she turned to him in surprise. “ It seems to be a common fear around here that you’re gonna find it better working at the Pentagon, that you’ll chose to stay there instead of coming home. To us.”

“ I concur with Daniel-Jackson,” Teal’c spoke up from behind Daniel as the young anthropologist moved from the doorway to enter the room completely. “ I have heard it said on more than one occasion that you may find something of greater interest on your new assignment.”

“ Not going to happen, guys,” Sam murmured, accepting a hug from Daniel. “ You can’t get rid of me that easily.” Only when Teal’c moved to hug her in an uncharacteristic display of affection did she notice Jack standing in the door vacant spot just over the threshold of her lab. Embracing Teal’c warmly, standing on her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss on his cheek, Sam realised just how much she was going to miss them, how things weren’t going to be exactly the same when she came back and how she just wanted the whole thing to be over so her friends could share in the happiness she felt looking at Jack and knowing without a doubt that he was hers as much as she was his.

“ Carter’s right, guys,” Jack fought a grin as he looked at the surprised expressions his calm, easy-going tone brought about on his friends faces. “ She’ll be back to bug us in no time.”

Daniel looked suspiciously between Sam and Jack, seeing a look he couldn’t decipher pass between them. Of all the many people Sam had befriended on base, it was Jack everyone had expected to be the most unenthusiastic of all towards the news. Daniel had even heard one Airman tell another it was expected that the Colonel would complain to Hammond and try and block the transfer from going ahead. To everyone’s astonishment, however, it seemed Jack was the one who was being most supportive of her decision to leave them for a while, as he seemed most anxious to have her go. A flash of inspiration hit Daniel and he thought he had put his finger on the reason behind Jack’s eagerness for her departure. ~The sooner she leaves, the sooner she’s back,~ Daniel mused. ~That must be it! Jack wants her to go so she can come back!~ Feeling a little more settled at his friend’s otherwise disturbing and baffling behaviour, Daniel still couldn’t fight the feeling there was more to this than what meets the eye. He was jolted from his ponderings by Jack speaking again.

“ You ready to go, Major?”

Sam nodded. “ This is the last box, Sir.” She finished taping the top of it shut and lifted it into her arms, only for it to be taken from her by Jack a second later. “ Sir, I can carry it... It’s not that heavy.”

“ Just doing my bit to help,” Jack called back over his shoulder, already walking towards the door. “ Ready to go?”

“ Sure.” Sam gave Janet one quick last hug and called over her shoulder, giving them a final wave. “ I’ll call you as soon as I get there, I promise.”

Her friends watched her follow Jack out of the lab and shared a collective sigh of disappointment when she left. They had all been hoping for something to happen and change things, maybe for Sam to come back and say ‘surprise, April Fools!’ even though it wasn’t even April. There was an undercurrent of disillusion amongst them at Jack’s reaction, too. They had been expecting some show of emotion from him and had received nothing.

“ O’Neill did not seem to be as distressed by Major-Carter’s departure as I was expecting.” Teal’c eventually contributed his thoughts to the silence of the room.

Daniel sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. “ I think he just wants to get this over with, Teal’c. In his mind, the sooner Sam goes to DC, the sooner she’ll finish what needs to be done and then the sooner she’ll come home.”

“ Makes sense,” Janet added with a shrug, casting one last glance around the room before leaving it, heading for her office to find some work to keep her preoccupied.

“ Yeah, perfect sense,” Daniel murmured with a frown, still feeling as though a piece of the puzzle as missing as he, too, set about in finding a distraction. Teal’c remained a few moments longer in the abandoned lab, departing for his quarters in an attempt to settle his troubled thoughts by indulging in the usually relaxing art Kel’No’Reem.

~Å~

“ Well, I guess this is it,” Jack murmured, his hands resting on her slender waist as they stood in front of the busy gate she would be leaving through. The irony failed to escape either of them; here she was, preparing to effectively leave through a gate, just not the one they were used to. He grinned as she wound her arms around his neck, bringing their foreheads to rest against each other’s.

She gave a small nod. “ I guess so. Until you come and visit me.”

“ The next downtime I get, I promise,” he agreed, lifting his head to kiss forehead. They stood in silence for a moment or two. “ I should let you go.”

“ I guess.”

“ You don’t sound so sure.”

“ I’m not.” She admitted with a smile. “ I’m sure about what we’re doing, I just don’t want you to let go.” With a heavy sigh, she took a step backwards, her arms leaving his neck and moving to hold his hands. “ You know, this is really pathetic. We can’t even say goodbye for a week or two.”

The sheepish grin that spread across his face told her he agreed. “ That’s because it’s not goodbye, it’s ‘see ya later.’ And I have something that might make it easier.” Grudgingly letting go of one of her hands, Jack pulled a blue velvet covered ring box from his pocket and held it out for her to take.

Tentatively, she took the box and opened it, the beautiful but simple ring that lay inside causing her to gasp slightly in surprise. Cautiously, as though the ring were some delicate flower too fragile to handle with anything other than the utmost of care, Sam lifted it from it’s bed of greyish-blue satin and looked from the ring to Jack and back again. A solitaire diamond on a gold band with two smaller bluish-green stones she hadn’t seen the likes of before glinted in the overhanging lights of the airport. With tears in her eyes, she held it out to him with a hand that shook despite her attempts to still it. “ Will you put it on?”

“ Well, I don’t think it’d fit me...” His gentle teasing was belayed by the look of seriousness in his eyes as he took the ring from her, and held her left hand in his right one. Gazing deeply into her eyes as he slid the ring on her finger, a grin burst across his face once the ring was in place. “ Now there’s no backing out.”

“ I wouldn’t if I could,” she murmured, admiring the ring on her finger, raising her face to his, smiling that special smile up at him, her eyes still suspiciously bright. “ I... Thank you, Jack. You didn’t have to, I don’t need a ring to keep me from changing my mind but it’s beautiful. Thank you.”

Brushing his lips against hers in a sweet but all-too-brief kiss, his hand came up to wipe away the single tear that had fallen. “ I know I didn’t have to but I wanted to.” He noticed the small crowd that seemed to have generated around them. “ Now go, before I do something I really shouldn’t in front of an audience.”

Sam laughed and hugged him tightly, standing on her tiptoes to press as chaste kiss against his mouth and then pulled back completely, picking up her small carry-on bag. “ I’ll call you when I get there.”

“ You’d better!” He called after her as she boarded the plane with one last wave, blowing him a kiss over her shoulder and then disappearing from his sight. He stayed in the observation lounge until the plane had taken off and flown out of his line of vision, and with a sigh, he headed back to base to sit in his office and await her phone call, berating himself half-heartedly for having already started his mental countdown of the days till he would see her again.

~Å~

The new apartment was very sparsely decorated. Sam didn’t see much point in putting in a lot of effort, knowing that she would only be there for a few more weeks and then she would be back home, in Colorado, with her husband.

Husband. They weren’t married yet, but they had decided it would be best if they did it sooner rather than later, just in case there were a sudden emergency at the SGC that needed her attention or assistance. Strangely enough, she wasn’t that nervous at the thought of marrying him. She hadn’t really given it much thought; after her disastrous relationship with Jonas, she had pushed all thoughts of marriage out of her mind. Now, however, it just seemed right. Daniel had commented to her, out of Jack’s earshot, on more than one occasion that she and Jack resembled an old married couple when they got into one of their playful arguments. She couldn’t imagine a thing changing much between them on base, off base was another matter, and one that brought a smile to her face as she sat on one of the only two chairs in the small living room.

Drumming her fingers against the bottle of beer she was nursing, the sparkling stone on the gleaming gold band caught her attention again. She had been caught more than once just gazing at it by her new superior officer, but the man was a good friend to both General Hammond and her father and had just given her an amused, understanding smile and brought her back to thinking about the project she was working on with an easy question. It was interesting enough to keep her occupied if she tried to work on it, but it was nothing compared to the Stargate program. As soon as the day ended, she could put it out of her mind easily. At home, in Colorado, she often spent her nights pondering what had happened that day at work if she wasn’t still lingering behind in her lab, ‘tinkering’, as Jack put in, on one thing or another.

The knock at the door startled her from her thoughts and with a frown gracing her features, she stood up. She wasn’t expecting anyone, she wasn’t even sure anyone knew where she lived so she crossed the room looking decidedly wary. She opened the door a little way, peering round it, keeping her foot behind it so no one could push it open. Seeing who it was, she quickly pulled her foot away and swung it open, smiling a surprised though very welcome smile at her visitor.

“ Dad!” She exclaimed as her father, Jacob Carter, moved to embrace her. “ What are you doing here?”

Hugging her close, Jacob pressed a kiss to her forehead and released her, stepping into the apartment and closing the door. “ I thought I’d come and spend some time with my daughter before she became a married woman.”

“ You know?” Sam blinked in surprised, she had been expecting to either be the one to break the news to him alone, or be at Jack’s side when he did it. She hadn’t thought Jack would broach the subject without her. “ Did Jack tell you?”

Jacob nodded and raised an eyebrow at the almost empty living room, with unpacked boxes scattered throughout. “ I take it you’re not planning on staying any longer than necessary,” he commented, a teasing glint in his eyes. “ Don’t look so surprised, Sweetheart. Jack and I had a nice long talk and he told me of his intentions towards you. You chose well, Sammie. Your mother would like him.”

“ Do you?” Sam asked curiously, ushering him into one of the chairs. “ Can I get you something to drink or something…?”

“ I’m fine,” Jacob answered. “ Sit, we’ll talk.” He held her hand across the distance between the two chairs as she curled up on the other seat. “ I couldn’t have chosen better for you, Sam. He loves you. A lot.” He grinned and squeezed her hand at the look of doubt that crossed her face. “ I’ve got to respect him for going to all this trouble to find a way to be with you without damaging your career... and for being brave enough to tell me of his plans and intentions without having someone else present.”

“ He really told you?” Sam asked, feeling amused warmth spread through her at the thought of her father and Jack having ‘the talk’. “ Alone?”

Again, Jacob nodded. “ He did, he was more nervous than I thought possible for a Colonel who’s stood up against the Goa’uld could be but he said what he wanted.” He paused and looked thoughtful. “ Sammie?”

“ Yeah?”

“ Is talking to me really a more frightening prospect than bad-mouthing a Goa’uld to its face?” She giggled and he grinned, going for and getting the desired effect. He tugged on her hand and pulled her out of her chair and onto the arm of his. “ So tell me, what is it about this boneheaded Colonel that makes you so happy?”

With a smile and a sigh, Sam sunk into her father’s arms in a way she hadn’t done since the early days of her childhood, and father and daughter spent some quality time together, for the first time in a long time.

~Å~

Blue skies and bright sunshine were thankfully on display for the day they had been waiting for with both excitement and nervousness. Their wedding day. Well, their first wedding day, as Jack reminded Sam over the phone. He was determined that after they’d dated for a while and got to know each other as well as a married couple should, they would renew their vows in a ceremony that could include all of their loved ones, friends and family. One in which everyone would be invited.

There were only five people present, asides from the bride and groom, at their outdoor wedding in Washington. Sam’s father and General Hammond flew out to be there, and since they were marrying in General Peterson’s lovely back garden at the suggestion of his wife who had grown fond of Sam during her earlier days at the Pentagon the first time round, both General Steven Peterson and his wife, Lillian, were present. The fifth person was the priest, who would officiate the ceremony and although Sam and Jack felt the lack of their friend’s presence, they enjoyed the day as much as they could. General Peterson had offered to record the whole ceremony so they could show it to their friends after breaking the news to them.

Jack stood with General Hammond at the bottom of the garden, as the priest stood just the other side of the rose-covered arch. It was a beautiful place to get married, but he did wish for Teal’c and Daniel to be standing there with him, and for Cassandra and Janet to walk ahead of Sam down the makeshift aisle. Instead, he was happy to settle for having his Commanding Officer at his side, with General and Mrs. Peterson standing just to the left of them as Jacob guided Sam towards him.

They hadn’t wanted much fuss over their wedding because they were certain that would come later if they wanted it to, but Lillian had insisted Sam get dressed up on her special day, seeing the whole affair as being grandly romantic, two star-crossed lovers taking a risk and marrying almost in complete secret to be together. Jack had laughed at Sam’s description of the kindly woman, and at how she had been dragged from one shop to another looking for the *right* dress but now, watching her walk towards him slowly, he was grateful to Mrs. Peterson for going to all the trouble she had. Sam’s dress was a simple, full-length dress that almost touched the ground. It was fitted, with thin off-the-shoulder straps, and hugged her figure without seeming inappropriate for a wedding. Made from cream-coloured satin, it was perfect and matched the cream rosebuds that had been woven into her hair.

Beaming, almost like a maniac, Jack’s feelings were written clearly over his face. ~How on Chulak did I get so lucky?~ He was amazed, now more than ever, that this woman, who could have her pick from dozens of men, would want him. ~Who’d a thunk it?~

General’s Hammond and Carter refrained from chuckling at the bewildered look that crossed Jack’s face, though their mirth showed in their eyes. Giving Sam’s hand one last squeeze and leaning to kiss her on the cheek, Jacob handed her over to Jack, trying and failing to imagine ever giving his daughter away to another man.

The ceremony was beautiful but passed in a bit of a blur for Sam and Jack. As soon as they had said their vows and completed the procedure they needed to finish in order to be recognised as man and wife, they were inundated with hearty handshakes, enthusiastic hugs and sincere congratulations. After a surprise reception dinner, thrown by Lillian, Sam and Jack were finally given a moment alone, sneaking away from the ‘old folk’ as her father joked as he watched them leave. They ended up on the Peterson’s balcony, over-looking the garden that had served them well.

“ Well, we did it.” Jack murmured, gazing into her eyes as the stars and moon shone down upon them, seeming brighter in the midnight blue sky as though they were giving their blessing to the newly married couple. “ Any regrets?”

“ None.” Sam smiled up at him, winding her arms up and around his neck. “ Okay, maybe one.”

He pulled back slightly, having been about to lower his head to hers. “ Oh? What would that be?”

“ That it’s taken us so long to do this.” She answered softly, pulling his lips down to hers so she could kiss him thoroughly. She pulled back with a demure smile turning up her lips. “ Now I have no regrets, asides from the obvious one.”

Neither noticed Jacob standing in the study that led onto the balcony, half concealed by shadows as he pointed the camera at them, his eyes sparkling mischievously. “ I’m gonna guess that the ‘obvious regret’ is about not having the gang here,” Jack responded, moving a hand to cup her cheek. At her small nod, he sighed and pressed his lips to her forehead, a tender look on his face as he gazed down at her. “ I know, but we’ll do this again and they can be there. They’ll understand, Sam. And we do have the video which is better than nothing.”

“ I know,” she agreed, smiling a little sadly. “ But it’s not the same. I guess I just feel a little guilty for keeping them in the dark about us. Odds are they would be happy for us...”

“ But if someone else had found out what we were planning, we might not be standing here right now,” he reminded her patiently, understanding her guilt as he felt it, too. Seeing her nod again, a little less certainly, he decided to get her mind off the downside of their union and onto the good. Bending slightly, he tipped her face up using a gentle hand and kissed her passionately, his eyes sliding shut moments after hers as she responded eagerly, both trying to convey the depth of their feelings for one another in that kiss, trying to make up for years of longing. Parting breathlessly, he grinned smugly at the dazed look in her eyes and at her slightly swollen lips. “ Now I think it’s time we get out of here, don’t you agree, wife?”

“ Wife?” She rolled her eyes at him. “ Oh, sure, *husband*. We just need to say our goodbyes to the people downstairs and thank them for everything they’ve done.”

Jack grinned and stepped back, draping an arm around her waist and leading her in doors, as Jacob ducked behind a curtain and out of sight. “ See? This marriage is doing us good already. You’re already instilling good manners in me.”

Sam chuckled and leaned her head against his shoulder, Jacob catching the whole exchange on tape. “ And just what am I supposed to be getting out of this, hmm?”

“ Why, you get me,” Jack murmured, his voice low and suggestive, making her giggle as a blush rose upon his face. “ You get someone to show you how loved you are every day for the rest of your life.”

Jacob waited until he heard their voices grow distant, as their footsteps on the stairs faded before coming out of his hiding place. He turned off the camera and grinned to himself, using the stealth of a military man to sneak downstairs and into the living room before the two lovebirds even realised he had got there after them. As soon as they were gone to celebrate their first night as man and wife, in the privacy of the hotel room Jack had reserved after seeing Sam’s barely lived-in apartment, Jacob put on the tape for the other wedding guests, sharing proud fatherly smiles with George as the tape played out.

~Å~

After getting married, their separation seemed worse. They only had time to spend one night together, their wedding night, then Jack was re-called to the SGC to go on a mission. Their goodbye at the airport could have been awkward and embarrassing, given that it took place in front of his new father-in-law and the man who would soon be both of their Commanding Officer again, but it wasn’t. Their military ranks were forgotten as they embraced, just two people in love who happened to be newly weds. No one else existed as they shared one ardent kiss after another, until it was announced that the passengers were boarding the plane and they restrained themselves, happiness at being together and melancholy at being parted blatantly on display across their identical expressions.

“ Be careful,” Sam murmured, her gaze falling to the gold band on his finger that matched the one she now wore with her engagement ring. “ I didn’t marry you just to have you do something stupid.”

Grinning, he leaned down to take her lips with his in a final, sweet but short-lived kiss. “ I’m feeling smarter already, must be your influence.” Seeing her weak smile, he impulsively pulled her close in a warm hug. “ I’ll be fine.”

“ You better be,” she mumbled into his chest. “ Now go before I drag you back to the apartment with me.” She looked up at him, her blue eyes serious as she stepped back. “ And call me when you get to Colorado, and when you get back from your mission.”

“ I promise,” Jack grinned winningly at her. “ Who’d have thought you’d be such an over-protective wife, hmm?”

Sam narrowed her eyes and scowled. “ I’d leave before I shoot you, *honey*.”

“ That’ll be ‘Colonel-honey’ in a little while,” Jack mumbled as he used great restraint to turn his back on her and board the plane. ~Black Ops training didn’t count on having to leave Sam Carter - O’Neill - behind,~ he thought, correcting her name with a broad grin. He sat in his seat, next to the window with the General’s beside him and closed his eyes.

Within moments of takeoff, Jack was sound asleep, leaving the two Generals alone to share knowing grins and jokes. Memories of their own wedding nights were recalled and remembered as they took in the sleeping Colonel and the contented smile he wore. They made a joint decision to let the younger man sleep for the whole flight, deciding he’d need as much rest as he could get even for even the most mundane of missions if their own memories were anything to go by.

~Å~

Slowly, the days went by, one by one. The project Sam had been working on wrapped up nicely, coming to a timely end and General Peterson called her into his office to let her know he was ready to reassign her back to Colorado. After announcing her imminent return over the phone to Cassandra and Janet, who were round at Jack’s with Daniel and Teal’c apparently hoping to get the stubborn Colonel to admit he was missing Sam, she was promptly deafened by squeals and shrieks and shouts to the other occupants of the house. As painful as their reaction to her news was on her eardrums, Sam was relieved to have temporarily distracted Janet from her earlier question of why she was calling the Colonel and letting him be the first to know.

Finally, after speaking to everyone at least once, Sam heard the voice she’d been hoping to hear when the receiver on the other end had been picked up. The familiar voice, warm and low, was enough alone to evoke in her memories of their brief time together since their wedding.

“ Hey. What’s this I hear about you coming home?”

Curling up on her bed, her gaze automatically drifting to the rings she wore faithfully on her fingers, Sam smiled into the receiver. “ General Peterson called me into his office today. Paperwork should go through tomorrow.” She paused and stifled a yawn. “ Are we okay to talk or have you still got a full house?”

“ Well...” She heard the rustling of material against material, a muffled thud and a soft curse. “ Sam? You still here?”

“ Yeah,” she answered, barely managing to keep the giggle from her voice. “ What just happened anyway?”

More rustling and a sigh answered her, and then the sound of soft breathing told her he was back. “ I dropped the phone,” he admitted. “ Trying to find some privacy in this damn house.”

Giggling in spite of herself, she put on her most sympathetic voice. “ I take it they’re still there, worrying about you?”

“ Oh, yeah,” he grumbled. “ They seem to think because I’m not *publicly* welling in my misery because you’re not here, I’m in denial about how I feel about you. Either that or they think I’m secretly depressed and pining.” She could almost hear him roll his eyes. “ Of course, they probably think I’ve disappeared with the phone to profess my undying love for you in privacy.”

“ Sounds like fun,” she smirked into the phone. “ Hey… did you say you weren’t pining for me?”

“ Uh-oh...” Jack responded, the teasing note in his voice *almost* disguised by feigned meekness. “ I said I wasn’t pining publicly… I didn’t say I *wasn’t* pining.”

“ Good... I think.” Sam smiled and stretched out on the bed, turning to the empty half beside her, imagining Jack was there and they were talking person. It didn’t work, not even closing her eyes and conjuring up an image of him could convince her he was there. If he was there, she could have gazed into his eyes and felt his warmth. If he was there, he would be touching her and she wouldn’t be feeling as cold as she did lying there alone. She sighed heavily into the phone. “ I know this makes me sound terribly pathetic and weak and girly... but I miss you.”

There was a very slight pause on the other end. “ I don’t think it makes you sound either of those unless you’re saying I’m weak and pathetic and *girly* because I’m missing you at least as much.”

“ Very sweet, Jack. Very sweet. And no one could accuse you of being girly.” She smiled again; fingering the vacant pillow beside her, telling herself it wouldn’t be long now. “ You don’t think there’ll be problems getting the paperwork through, do you?”

He heard the note of anxiety in her voice and couldn’t help wishing he were there to reassure her in person. “ Sam, everything is going to be okay. General Hammond doesn’t see a problem so there won’t be one. He’s probably already got the papers by now and tomorrow you’ll get a call telling you to fly home.”

“ Home. I like the sound of that.” She murmured, closing her eyes. “ I guess I’ll be there soon enough.”

“ You’re tired,” he stated. “ You in bed?”

“ Hmm.” Sam mumbled. “ It’s been a long day. I can’t even be bothered to change clothes so my uniform’s getting crumpled.”

“ Wish I was there with you,” he murmured, his voice husky and soothing to her ears.

She nodded her agreement, forgetting he couldn’t see her. “ Wish you were, too.” She yawned again and snuggled further into the pillows. “ I’m gonna hang up now. I just wanted to hear your voice and tell you I’ll be home soon.”

“ I’m counting the hours,” he told her with a grin, knowing she was too tired to tease him about growing soft in his old age. “ Sweet dreams, Angel. See you soon.”

“ See ya.” She responded with a sleepy smile. “ Love you.”

“ Love you, too.” He managed to tell her, just before she disconnected the call. Grinning to himself, he pushed himself to his feet and walked out of the bedroom and downstairs to the living room where their friends were waiting for him. “ You guys are still here?”

The reply was given in the form of enthusiastic nodding. “ You and Sam hung up?” Cassandra asked, sounding a little disappointed she didn’t get to say goodbye.

Jack put the receiver on the cradle and sat down on the couch, Cassandra moving to sit beside him. “ Sam was tired so she had to go, but she said to tell you good night and that she’ll see you when she gets home.”

It was a small lie, but well worth it for the happy beam the young girl rewarded him with. Settling back on the couch, he allowed the companionable din of his guest’s conversation to flow over him, absentmindedly rubbing at his finger where his ring should be. He wore it whenever he could but for now, around his friends, the ring had to stay out of sight, and for someone who hadn’t worn a wedding band in years, he felt strangely lost without it.

~Å~

Less than forty-eight hours later, General Hammond called SG-1 into the briefing room. He stood at the front of the room, staring out of the observation window, waiting for them to take their seats. Once he saw in the reflective glass that they were all sitting in their respective seats, he turned to face them and sat down, hiding a smirk at the way Jack self-consciously covered his left hand with his right one. ~Looks like someone forget to hide the evidence this morning.~

“ SG-1, as you know, it’s been over a month since Major Carter was transferred back to the Pentagon,” George started. “ And as you also know, I have been very lenient in that her place on SG-1 has not been given to another officer.”

“ Why am I sensing a but?” Daniel spoke up, nervously darting a look at Jack. The Colonel looked just as perplexed as he did so he relaxed slightly. If there’d be a change in plans about team assignments, surely Jack would have been told before now.

General Hammond looked down at the table, collecting his thoughts and pulling on his command mask. “ I’m getting to that, Doctor Jackson.” He looked up when the door to the briefing room opened and a Lieutenant came in. “ Yes, Son?”

“ I’m sorry to interrupt, Sir,” the Lieutenant said with a slight stutter. “ There’s someone here to see you, Sir.”

“ Ah, yes. Ask them to wait for a minute or two?” The General ordered, taking the edge off his words with a small, respectful grin. The Lieutenant nodded and quickly exited the room. “ As you’ve just heard, your new team member is here.”

“ What?” It was Jack, a little outraged. He knew it wasn’t Sam, it couldn’t be. He’d talked to her just two hours ago on the phone and she hadn’t mentioned a word about being back in Colorado. From what she’d told him, it seemed she was as confused as he was, having ended her project at the Pentagon but still being there, despite having nothing to do. “ Sir, with all due respect...”

“ Calm down, Colonel,” General Hammond spoke firmly. He noticed that in his indignation, Jack had forgotten that he was still wearing his wedding band and had to hide it, as the gold band glinted in the light of the room and from the confused, wide-eyed expression now in place on the young anthropologist’s face, it hadn’t been missed. “ Now, if you’ll be patient,” General Hammond got to his feet. “ I will be back in a minute with your second-in-command.”

General Hammond left the room, hiding a smile as he went. What he had said - or *hadn’t* said - only hit Jack the moment he stepped back into the room. ‘Your second-in-command.’ ‘Your second’ instead of ‘your new second.’ Feeling a little optimistic, Jack quelled the feeling of doubt brought on by thoughts that ‘Sam would have told him, wouldn’t she?’, telling himself the General had to know that no one else would be accepted amongst SG-1 and that he wouldn’t have helped them go to so much trouble if he planned to reassign her anyway. But then again, Sam would have told him. Wouldn’t she?

The answer was obviously no, as a smiling Samantha Carter stepped into the room. ~No,~ Jack told himself, getting to his feet as his team mates swarmed around his wife. ~*Major* Carter, not Samantha. Sam was Samantha O’Neill now.~ He watched as she hugged Daniel warmly and apologised for giving him a small scare, claiming it was the General’s idea to draw things out a little, just to make it more interesting. He watched as she embraced Teal’c and gave the Jaffa a kiss on the cheek after he told her it was good to see her again and then she turned to him, with that smile, and he felt his lips turn up in a matching smile without giving him time to think about it.

“ Colonel.” She nodded curtly. “ It’s good to see you again.”

“ You, too, Major,” he responded in kind, playing along, wanting nothing more than to sweep her up in his arms and kiss her senseless in front of everyone but agreeing silently that they needed to have more tact in breaking the news to their friends. “ It’s nice to have the team back.”

Sensing their need to be together competing with their need to wait until the right time to tell their team mates and friends, General Hammond took pity on them. “ SG-1, you’re on downtime until 0800 hours. I will brief you on your next mission then.” He turned to Sam with a wink. “ Major, it’s good to have you back. I’m sure you have plenty of things to catch up on with your team mates.”

“ I do, Sir,” she smiled gratefully at him. “ And it’s good to be back.”

Nodding at her, the General left the room, leaving the now complete SG-1 together and for the first time since Sam had entered the room, Jack noticed Daniel glaring at him questioningly. “ Okay, campers,” Jack took charge, wondering what was bothering his friend. “ No doubt Carter’s tired so why don’t we let her get some rest. We’ll all meet up tonight at mine,” he carried on, almost being caught out by instinct and saying ‘ours’ instead of ‘mine’, wondering vaguely how it was that he was so comfortable already calling his home their home when Sam had yet to spend a night in it as his wife. Sure, she’d slept over before, the whole team had, on one of their various poker nights when they’d waited till too late to call it a night but she’d never spent the night there in his bed, in *their* bed before so it was strange he considered it to be as much hers as it was his. /Probably because you’ve been thinking of her being there none stop,/ the cynical part of his mind reminded him. Realising he was getting concerned looks from them, he remembered he’d been in the middle of saying something and stopped arguing with himself long enough to finish his sentence. “ At about seven o’clock. That okay with you, Carter?”

“ Fine, Sir,” Sam agreed, fighting a smile, catching sight of his wedding ring, relieved she’d remembered to take off her own before stepping into the room otherwise their secret would be out already. ~Seven o’clock,~ she calculated in her mind. ~ Assuming I’m with Janet for half an hour, that gives us five hours to spend at home alone.~ She lowered her gaze, certain he would be able to see what she was thinking by looking into her eyes. “ Is that okay with you guys?”

Teal’c nodded his consent as she’d expected, but she’d been expecting Daniel to answer her verbally but he just nodded, his eyes locked on Jack, a look of disbelief on his face. Sam wondered briefly what was going on but Janet soon appeared in the doorway and hugged her tightly, whisking her off to her office for girl talk before she could even open her mouth and say anything more.

~Å~

Just under an hour later, she let herself into her new home, after debating for a few moments whether she should knock or not. She finally talked herself into just going inside; she had a key and it was her home, too, now. And asides from that, the bags she was carrying, the only ones that hadn’t been stored in Jack’s spare room immediately after the wedding, were starting to get heavy and she was getting strange looks from Jack’s - *their* - neighbours who no doubt thought she was a stalker or something.

Shaking her head, she checked the door and found it was unlocked. Pushing it open, she took a deep breath as she stepped in, putting the bag down just inside the door, wondering if it was okay for her to just walk in like this or whether Jack had company. Either way, she wasn’t sure if slipping her rings on in the car on the way over had been the wisest of things to do but she had missed feeling their weight on her finger so had decided to put them on regardless. All traces of worrying about her presence dissipated as she felt arms encircle her waist as she turned to shut the door.

She turned in his arms and smiled up at him, moments before Jack’s mouth descended on hers in a possessive kiss that left no room for doubt in either of their minds. Giving as good as she got, Sam only pulled away when the need to breathe became a little too intense to ignore. Her face flushed, she willingly allowed him to lead her to the living room. After a few more kisses and whispered words of love and devotion, they slowed down enough to allow a conversation that was more than one or two words strung together to make an endearment.

“ So what happened between you and Daniel in the briefing room today?” She asked eventually, when he gave her the space to form a question. “ I saw the look he gave you, what did you do to warrant it?”

To her surprise, Jack started chuckling. “ Oh, *that*.” He grinned at her, his amusement evident. “ He wanted to know how I could be so mean to you by wearing this.” He brought their entwined hands up together to show her his ring. “ Danny thought it was my wedding ring from my marriage to Sara, and wanted to know how I could hurt you like that.”

“ Really?” She raised an eyebrow, not so much surprised as flattered that Daniel had tried to protect her, but that his assumption would be the ring was on his ex-wife, *first* wife, had given him. “ What did you tell him?”

“ I just said it wasn’t that ring and that it wasn’t really his business, but that I had an announcement to make tonight.” There was a thoughtful pause as he pulled her from sitting snuggled into his side to sit on his lap. “ I think he’s expecting me to introduce you guys to some brilliant woman I’ve picked up in a bar somewhere and eloped with out of frustration at not being able to be with you.”

“ Well... You didn’t pick me up in a bar, and we didn’t elope...” Sam started contradicting Daniel’s thoughts, only to be cut off by a fierce, demanding-without-being-threatening kiss from her husband.

“ She’s certainly brilliant, though,” Jack murmured, peering up at her through eyes darkened with desire. “ And I think we’ve done enough talking. It’s time my wife and I got reacquainted and I gave you a tour of the house.”

“ A ‘tour’?” Sam giggled as his hands worked their way under her uniform and started tickling her. “ Oh, *that* sounds like fun.”

“ It will be,” he promised, his voice a low murmur in her ear that sent shivers down her spine. “ Oh, it will be.”

~Å~

Lying entwined together, bodies sated and longings temporarily satisfied, Sam opened her eyes to find Jack was still dozing, not quite asleep but not quite awake, either. A soft smile gently curved her lips as she took in his profile, stretching up to kiss him softly, trailing a hand down from his cheek, letting it rest on his chest were her fingers idly played with the smattering of hair underneath them. She moved, resting her head against his chest, listening to the rhythmic sound of his heart beating beneath her.

A happy sigh escaped her lips, and her smile grew wider when she felt his hand move from resting on her waist up to her head, his fingers threading themselves through her blond hair as they just lay there together. His other hand traced slow, teasing circles on the smooth skin of her back.

“ What time is it?” Sam was loath to break the comfortable blanket of silence that was cocooning them but needed to ask, having lost track of time on one of the numerous stops and distractions they’d encountered on the way to their bedroom.

Jack turned his head to the side to see the reading on the alarm clock beside him, going back to his original position before replying. “ Just coming up to six now. We have an hour till the other’s get here.” His hand moved from her hair, trailing slowly on purpose down her body to rest on the curve of her hip. “ Have you got the tape so we can show them what they missed?”

Nodding against him, she snuggled closer to his side, wanting nothing more than to stay in his arms until the very last moment. “ It’s in my ba--” Her voice trailed off as she heard something downstairs.

“ Sam? What is...” Jack stopped when she shushed him and listened intently, immediately on guard. He heard the front door close and started to move away from Sam to find his gun. Then he heard it.

“ Jack?” Daniel’s voice called up the stairs. “ Where are you?”

“ Should we be going upstairs?” They heard Janet’s voice ask softly, just before they heard the footsteps coming closer towards their room. “ If you’re right and he is involved with someone, shouldn’t we be down stairs waiting to distract Sam when she gets here?”

Feeling the urge to giggle, even as Jack groaned, Sam turned her face into his chest and muffled her laughter. Her body shook against his, and his attempt at shushing her only made her want to laugh more. There was a timid knock on the bedroom door moments before it opened and Daniel’s head popped in.

“ Hey Jack... Oh.” Daniel stopped, frowned and then flushed an interesting shade of purple. “ Hi... Sam. Okay, we’ll be downstairs. Sorry.”

As the bumbling anthropologist shut the door behind him, Jack couldn’t help but join Sam in her laughter. Reluctantly, they eased themselves out of bed and dressed casually, talking softly as they did.

“ Well, at least they’ve found out now,” Sam said, trying to be optimistic. He gave her a look, and she had to fight to keep a straight face.

“ What the Hell are they doing here this early, anyway?” Jack asked in annoyance as they stepped out of the bedroom. “ Geez, you’d think they were spying on me.”

Sam put a gentle hand on his arm. “ Jack, don’t be mad. They’re your friends, they probably wanted to find out who the mystery woman in your life was.” She gave him a small smile. “ Besides, we’re the ones who owe them the explanation.”

They entered the living room after stopping to unbury the videotape from Sam’s bag just in time to hear Teal’c address Daniel. “ Did I not tell you O’Neill said seven o’clock instead of six, Daniel-Jackson?”

“ Yes, Teal’c,” Daniel sighed heavily. “ You were right, I was wrong. Happy now?”

“ Ah, don’t answer that, Teal’c,” Jack cut in with a grin, keeping his arm swung over Sam’s shoulders. “ It’s a rhetorical question.” Teal’c nodded in acknowledgement, seeming indifferent at seeing the display of familiarity between the command team of his unit. “ But he is right, Danny. I said seven.”

“ I gathered that,” Daniel commented dryly. “ So, is there something you’d like to tell us?”

“ Yes,” Sam answered immediately.

“ We’re married.” Jack blurted out a split-second later, giving her a one-shouldered apologetic shrug when she looked at him questioningly. “ It’s not like they wouldn’t have guessed.” He glanced round at the faces of their friends, all surprised except Teal’c who just raised an eyebrow. “ Or maybe not.”

Sighing, Sam gave her husband a tolerant smile. “ Go and put the kettle on, it’s going to be a long night.”

Two hours later, explanations had been made and congratulations had been showered upon the couple. As the video ended, Sam and Jack looked to one another in surprise at seeing their private conversation added to the end of it. Their friends just looked touched, that they had had one regret on their wedding day and that was their absence.

“ Well.” Janet grinned as the tape ended. “ Looks like we missed quite a day.”

“ It wasn’t anything too extravagant,” Sam smiled at the memory.

“ It looked perfect, you looked amazing.” Janet leaned across on impulse and gave her friend a warm hug. “ Now I’ve got one question.”

Jack tugged Sam back into his arms once the two women had finished their embrace. “ And what would that be?”

“ Have you guys even been out on a date yet?” Janet asked with a mischievous smile, casting Daniel a devious look, making him grin. The married command couple traded worried glances and shook their heads, wondering what they were letting themselves in for.

Daniel’s grin widened. “ Next downtime, we’re organising a date for the two of you, okay?”

“ Okay...” Jack answered, drawing out the word. “ But what’s the point? She already lost her mind and married me, you know.” He grinned at the playful thump Sam gave him.

“ Good point,” Janet agreed, once again sharing a look with Daniel. “ But it would be a shame to let that all expenses paid dinner reservation at Chez Chantrea, wouldn’t it?” She smiled at the surprised look on Sam’s face, knowing her friend knew there was a waiting list for the restaurant a couple of weeks long since it was one of the classiest and most expensive restaurants in the Colorado area. “ See it as our wedding gift to the two of you.” She leaned across to hug both of her friends again. “ And promise me that the next time you decide to get married, I’ll get an invite.”

“ It wouldn’t be much of a wedding without you,” Sam responded with a smile. “ I’m just sorry you guys couldn’t be with us the first time round.”

“ We understand,” Daniel piped up with a dopey grin in their direction, prompting them to wonder how many beers he’d managed to drink during the showing of the wedding video, which Cassandra and Teal’c were now re-watching with interest. “ We’re just glad you guys found away round regulations. Good thinking.”

Jack grinned like a Cheshire cat. “ Why, thank you, Daniel. It was pretty smart of me, wasn’t it?”

“ You?” Daniel almost showered them with beer, choking down the mouthful he’d just taken. “ It was your idea?”

Sam laughed as Jack nodded and rested her head on his shoulder. She listened to their familiar banter, and realised her only fear about their marriage was as unfounded as she’d hoped it would be. Marrying Jack hadn’t made much of a difference to the team. It was as it had always been, a family of friends, who were able to rely on each other, no matter what opportunities were taken, no matter what decisions were made in their one-on-one relationships. They were a family, and her marriage to Jack had only cemented that, making the relationships between them all stronger and destined to last for as long as possible.

~Å~

The End. Thanks for reading!

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