1. Chapter 1

A Shoulder to Cry On

The phone was ringing when Jack was struggling to open the door with his keys in one hand and his groceries in the other. That is if you would consider beer and jell-o as groceries. When he finally opened the door he ran in and dropped the bag on the nearest surface.

"For crying out loud! Who on Earth could that be?!"

He picked up the phone, expecting it to be one of those irritating insurance salesmen and hoping he would be able to get rid of them quickly. _It's been a long week. This is the last thing I need._

"What?"

"Sir?"

"Carter. What is it?"

_Stupid question Jack. Sam probably took it harder than I did. At least I knew it was what he wanted. Everyone else just had to take my word for it._

"Um… You wouldn't mind some company would you? "

"Uh…"

"It's just… I could really do with some…"

_She sounds so upset. I hate it when she's upset. God, I don't want to talk about Daniel. Why do they always want to talk about it? I can't leave her alone when she feels like this. And I won't._

"Sure. Do you want me to come over or…?"

"I don't mind. I could come over to yours if you want. That would probably be easier as you're already home and I'm at

the SGC."

"Yeah. Sure. See you soon then."

"Bye Sir."

_Right. Better tidy up then I suppose._

o…O…o

He opened the door to find Sam looking fantastic as usual. _Man, she looks good in that leather jacket. Stop it Jack. I can't let this happen. She's my second in command, it's not allowed. God, I hate rules and regs. She's so hot._

"Sir? Is there something wrong?"

_Why's he looking at me like that? I know I wouldn't normally complain, but the situation's a bit different now. This isn't the time for this._

"No. No, nothings wrong. Come on in. Do you want a beer?"

_How long was I staring at her? It's her fault. What does she expect when she wears a skirt? With legs like that._

"Thanks Sir."

Sam walked through the open door and went to sit on the couch in the living room. _Wow! He must have cleaned. That's not like him. Though I suppose I do normally come by unannounced. It's quite sweet really. I would never have thought that he'd make the effort for me. Well, I should expect it really. He cares about me. A lot more than he's supposed to. Cut it out Sam. You've just lost Daniel. You need to be thinking about him. It's the least you can do._

"Carter."

Jack stood there holding out the beer. She took it from him.

"Thanks."

He sat down on the couch, making sure to leave plenty of space between them.

_Is he still afraid to let himself get close to me? Why? Is it because of my feelings for him or his for me?_

"So?"

"So?"

"I don't know. You're the one who wanted some company."

"Oh and you don't, is that what you mean? I'm sorry Sir. I shouldn't have come."

"Don't be ridiculous Carter. You know exactly what I meant. I don't want you to go. I want you to stay here. I want to help you."

He now realised as he looked into her eyes that she had been crying; a lot by the look of it.

"You do?"

"Yes, of course I do. Hell Carter I hate seeing you like this. I realise that for me to stop you talking about it, will just make it worse. Now you know that I don't tend to talk about these things. It's just not the way I deal with things. But you do need to talk. And if it will help you then I'm willing to give it a try."

"Thank you Sir. That means a lot."

Her eyes had filled with tears again and she looked away from him.

"Hey. Come 'ere."

He shuffled closer to her and put his arm around her. She turned back towards him and rested her head on his shoulder. He loved hugging Sam. It just felt right; no matter what the circumstances. Jack put his other arm around her and held her close to him; leaning his head against hers.

"I'm sorry Sir. I hate you seeing me like this."

"Don't worry about it Sam. I can't see you at all; except your hair, which by the way looks great."

She laughed into his shoulder and very suddenly leant back and smiled at him. _Sam? It sounds so right but different. I like it. Sam. I'm not his Carter anymore. I'm his Sam._

_There she is. That's the Sam I fell in love with._


	2. Chapter 2

Those Not So Awkward Silences

They both sat in silence looking into each others eyes.

_God, I want to kiss her. Would it be so wrong to kiss her? Is it what she wants? I really want to think it is but she came here because she's upset about losing Daniel, for crying out loud! What should I do? What will I do?_

Jack decided on just continuing to look into her eyes. _Those beautiful blue eyes. I could stay here forever._

Sam felt a lot better but perhaps she shouldn't. _This is wrong. I could get court marshalled for even thinking about the Colonel in this way. Curse these feelings. It amazing I even get the job done. I spend most of the time staring at his ass! I'll watch your six alright. Any time you want me to. God, what am I doing?! What's wrong with me?_

_What's he thinking? I've only seen that look once before. He obviously thinks it's important to hide his feelings. That is, if he still has them. Of course he does. His eyes say it all. Would it be so wrong to kiss him? Here. Now._

They sat there in silence for a long time. It almost felt like forever. But it wasn't one of those awkward silences they normally shared. This was comfortable. Almost enjoyable. Except perhaps for the fact that neither was entirely sure what the other was thinking.

_I shouldn't. It's clear to me now that it is what she wants. But will she still want it tomorrow when she can think a bit clearer. Would it count as taking advantage with her having been in this vulnerable state of mind? And then of course there was the impending court marshal if anyone found out. To me it would be worth it but I won't allow myself to put Sam in that position. She deserves so much more. More than I could ever give her._

At that point Sam made the decision for both of them. She moved towards him and put her hands on his face. She kissed him. And he kissed her back.


	3. Chapter 3

A Long Awaited Night

They kissed for a long time. Until eventually they both ran out of air and had to come up to breathe.

Jack opened his eyes to see Sam beaming at him.

_She has such an amazing smile._

He grinned back at her. They sat in silence again until Jack decided that neither of them had anything to say. So he kissed her again. Barely a peck this time and the smile remained.

"You hungry?"

"What?" Her smile had disappeared now.

_Oh crap. What did I do? Don't let me have screwed this up. Already._

"You're thinking about food at a time like this?!" Her smile had returned, just as quickly as it had disappeared.

_She's teasing! I just opened up to her and she's teasing!_

"Carter! You know I don't respond well to teasing."

_Carter is it? I'm in trouble now. But that was fun._

"I'm sorry. I meant no harm. But, yeah. I could eat something. What have you got?"

_Crap! I'm sure she should know by now that I never have any food in the house._

"I was thinking more along the lines of takeaway. That okay with you?"

"Sure. Why not? I'm sure it will make a nice change for you."

"Very funny. Don't think that because I let you drop the Sir that you can get away with whatever you want."

"Oh I see. Like that is it? Okay I can live with that, Jack."

_Jack. Now that sounds good. Of course having her call me Sir is rather enjoyable. But this is nice in a whole different way. It's like we're not even doing anything wrong._

"Pizza, Chinese or Indian?"

"Um… Pizza."

"Good choice. What kind?"

"Pepperoni. No anchovies."

Jack picked up the phone and hit speed-dial 4.

_Oh my God. He has the pizza place on speed-dial. I just hope I'm on there somewhere._

o…O…o

The pizza arrived half an hour later. Jack and Sam spent the time up until then watching The Simpsons.

Jack answered the door while Sam watched the end of the episode. She had become rather absorbed and Jack had already seen it God knows how many times. And would probably watch it many more times.

"Pizza's here. Where do you want to eat it? At the table or on your lap?"

"I don't mind. It's up to you."

"Then let us be civilized and eat at the table."

They had an in depth conversation about The Simpsons over pizza. Sam couldn't quite bring herself to agree with Jack's theory about Burns being a Goa'uld. Though she decided to keep this to herself so as not to upset him.

When they had finished, they went and sat on the decking round the back of the house. It was quite late now and the sky was clear. Many stars were visible. It was a very beautiful night and Jack could see the moonlight reflected in Sam's eyes. They were sat on the same seat and Jack had his arms around her.

"What is it?"

Jack realised that he had been grinning at her for quite sometime and he was reminded of the time when he and Teal'c had been stuck in a time loop and he had kissed Sam. She had no memory of it, but it was one he had held on to. When they had eventually fixed the time loop, Daniel had asked Jack if he had done anything because he did not have to worry about consequences. Jack had simply looked at Sam and grinned. Much in the same way he was now.

"I was just wondering if you were planning on going home tonight. It's just I can't possibly allow you to drive. And I have been drinking aswell, so I'm afraid I can't drive you either."

_Too pushy. It's too pushy. I shouldn't have said that._

"Well that's a shame. I guess I have no choice but to stay here. Providing of course that you're okay with that."

_Well I'm glad he broached the topic not me. I don't think I'm quite as skilled at phrasing such things._

"Oh yeah. I'm okay with that alright."


	4. Chapter 4

A Close Call

Jack woke up but did not open his eyes.

_Good dream. Don't wake up yet. Wait a minute! Was it a dream? It must have been. She would never have allowed that to happen. Would she?_

He opened his eyes and a smile spread across his face as he realised that there was someone lying on his arm.

_Not someone. Sam._

She was still asleep. Jack could hear her breathing, feel her warm soft skin next to his, smell her hair.

_Hmm… coconut._

He kissed her gently on the forehead and she opened her eyes and smiled at him.

"Hey you."

"Hey. Is your hair always like that when you wake up in the morning?"

Her hair was in fact sticking up in all directions.

"Probably not. I was after all a bit more active than usual last night. I believe it was your doing."

"I suppose you could say that."

He kissed her and she held him there.

_Whoa! My stomach didn't feel like that when she kissed me last night. It was incredible but this is even better. Oh crap! I'm still asleep right? I'm going to wake up and none of this will have happened. Well better to have loved and lost…_

"Jack? Are you okay?"

"What?... Oh yeah. I'm much more than okay."

He suddenly rolled over so he was on top of her. He then began kissing her neck. Sam started to giggle.

"Hey. No giggling."

**Knock knock.**

"Crap."

"Who's that?"

Jack jumped out of bed and pulled on his clothes as quickly as he could. In any other circumstances Sam would have probably found the sight highly amusing. She wrapped the sheet around her and moved cautiously to the window.

"Uh oh!"

"What? Who is it?"

"It's General Hammond."

"What?!"

This was the last person he wanted it to be. If they got caught…

"Don't worry about it. Stay in here and close the door. And don't make a sound."

"Jack! My car's in the driveway!"

_Crap! I forgot about that._

"Don't worry about it. I'll think of something."

He kissed her and went to answer the door. Sam closed the bedroom door behind him and concentrated hard on listening.

_Don't panic. Jack will deal with it. He'll deal with it._

"General. What a surprise to see you Sir."

"Is that Major Carter's car in the driveway?"

"Um. Yes Sir. She came round last night. We had a couple of beers so I called her a Cab. I think she's coming by later to pick it up."

_Nice thinking Jack. You're a lot smarter than you like people to think you are._

"I see."

"So what can I do you for General?"

"Well actually Jack, I've been trying to get hold of you all morning. All I keep getting is a busy signal –"

_Oops. I forgot I took the phone off the hook._

Jack couldn't hold back a smile.

"Sorry about that Sir. I've been having a lot of problems with my phone line recently."

"Well that's fair enough. You might want to think about getting that sorted though."

"Yes, sure. Will do Sir."

"Well I just wanted to let you know that we're not going to be having a memorial service for Dr Jackson. As we can't really be absolutely certain that he is in fact dead."

"I understand Sir."

"Well I'll be off then. If you'd just inform Major Carter of the situation, seeing as you're likely to see her later."

"Yes of course General."

General Hammond turned and began walking back towards his car.

"See you on Monday then Colonel."

"Yes Sir. Enjoy the weekend Sir."

"You too, Jack."

He entered his car and drove off down the drive.

_Oh I will General. I will._


	5. Chapter 5

A Sigh of Relief

Jack returned to the bedroom to find Sam behind the door and looking as though she had just seen a ghost.

"What's the matter?"

He was genuinely concerned. He had never seen her like this before. When she didn't reply he put his arms around her and held her close.

"What did you say? Did he guess? Why was he here?"

He moved so he could see her face but didn't let her go.

"It's fine don't worry about it. He didn't suspect a thing. He just came by to let me know that we won't be having a memorial service for Daniel. All that ascending to a higher plane of existence stuff."

"Oh. Right."

She still didn't seem very happy. So Jack picked her up and carried her over to the bed. He put her down and lay next to her.

"So I take it this can't be a regular thing?"

_Please say it can. Argue with me on this. Please._

He rolled over so he was on top of her.

"Is that what you want?"

"No. Of course not. It's just… We have to work together and be detached. We won't be able to do that. I won't. Will you?"

"Sam I haven't been detached for a long time now. Whether we're actually having a relationship or not isn't going to change that. Not for me."

_Yes I know. Me neither._

"But can we really get away with it? Someone's bound to notice eventually."

"I don't think so. No one has so far. We won't be any different when we're on missions. We can both still get the job done. You know that. And who's going to notice. Teal'c? He already knows how we feel about each other because of that whole Zatarc thing. Same with Frasier. Neither has said anything so far."

"Yes. I guess you're right."

"Well don't sound so surprised. I do get things right every now and again. Especially when it's important."

Sam laughed. Jack was happy to see her smiling again.

"But I don't know whether I will be able to cope with us showing our affection only when we're alone together."

"Well then we'll just have to be alone together a whole lot won't we."

She beamed at him.

"Sounds good to me. What did you have in mind?"

_How do I put this? I'm sure she'd be okay with it. And if she's not I could just say it was a joke. Hopefully it won't come to that._

"Well… if we didn't live so far apart we could spend much more time together. Maybe even all the time…"

She saw a flicker of a grin and had to think for a moment whether he was being serious or not.

_Hell what do I have to lose? I'll just have to hope it's safe to assume he's being serious._

"So how close are we talking here? Like down the road… or down the hall?"

_Phew! She seems okay with this. Thank you, Daniel. You are going to get one hell of a hug when I see you. If I see you…_

"Well… I was kind of thinking more along the lines of in the same room."

"Okay. Just to clarify. Are you asking me to move in with you?"

_God I suck at this stuff! She knows perfectly well that's what I'm asking. She's teasing again. Then again, maybe not. I suppose this is the kind of thing no one wants to misunderstand._

"Uh… yes. That would be what I'm asking you. So?"

"In that case, of course I will Jack. I can think of no better option."

"Well that's good. As you do **always **come up with the best option."

They were both grinning from ear to ear. This was the start of a beautiful, not to mention overdue, relationship.


	6. Chapter 6

Packing

"Is this all you are bringing?!"

_And I thought women always pack more than they need…_

"Well I can't exactly move in properly can I? People would definitely notice something then!"

"Well yes of course but I thought you would need more than this…"

"Why? I'm not going to need that many clothes am I?"

She smiled cheekily at him and he promptly picked up the bags and headed out towards his truck.

"So we're going to leave your car here so that no one can catch us unawares again?"

"Yeah. As my place is on the way to the SGC anyway you can just drive me here and then we can go the rest of the way separately."

"Okay. Works for me."

o…O…o

They had not spoken much on the journey back to Jack's. As usual Jack was struggling for something to say.

"You know I wish I hadn't requested that SG-1 remained on active duty. If I hadn't we would have more time together before we have to go back to work."

_What?! He realises this now!_

Jack realised that Sam had become agitated by this comment and decided that a quick change of subject was necessary.

"So. How do you feel about coming fishing with me now?"

o…O…o

They had just returned home and were both walking into Jack's house carrying a bag each.

"Jack I completely understand that is an enjoyable experience for you. It's just there are other things that I would rather spend our time together doing".

"Sam what could be better than fishing?"

Jack looked into her eyes and she raised her eyebrows and grinned.

"Oh! Yeah. That."

"Yes. That."

"Well I'm not going to argue with that."

They both put down Sam's bags in the hall and Sam turned to Jack and kissed him tenderly and passionately.

"I'm going to go and have a shower if that's okay?"

"Well yeah sure that's fine. Only I really need one too. So I'm afraid we are going to have to share".

It was his turn to grin now.

"Well you do have two bathrooms so I don't think that will really be necessary" _Get out of that one flyboy._

"Oh! Did I forget to mention? Yeah the one shower doesn't work. I've been meaning to get it sorted but you know how it is…"

"Oh, well if that's the case I guess we have no choice but to share…"

She began to walk slowly down the hall towards the bathroom, she took of her shoes and jacket on the way and dropped them on the floor as she went.

Jack very quickly closed the front door and went to follow her.

"Hey! Wait up!"


	7. Chapter 7

Back to Work

"Jack."

_Nothing._

"Jack, wake up."

"Wha…?"

_He's so cute when he's just woken up._

"We are going to be late; you have to wake up. Now."

He opened his eyes slowly to see Sam leaning over him.

_I could so get used to this._

He smiled at her; that slightly lob-sided smile that she loved so much.

"What are you thinking?" Sam asked, suspiciously.

"Ah… Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Yes I would. That's why I asked."

"I was just thinking how much I could get used to this."

"Good."

She smiled at him and kissed his forehead.

"Now get up."

As Sam stood up to walk out of the bedroom he noticed that she was already showered, dressed and ready to go.

"Hey!"

Her head reappeared in the doorway. He then noticed that her hair was still damp and so she had been up for quite a while.

"What?" Sam asked.

"You got up without me!"

"I didn't want to wake you. You looked so peaceful. Plus you don't take as long as me to get ready, so I thought I give you a little more time to sleep."

He got out of bed and walked over to her, pulling her into his embrace. He kissed her and then tilted his head and began to nibble her earlobe.

"Jack!" Sam scolded.

"What?"

"We don't have time for this."

"Well, you should have woken me up earlier."

He them began to kiss her neck, then her collarbone -

"Jack! Stop it! Go and get ready to go."

She turned on her heel and headed towards the kitchen. Jack stared longingly after her then grudgingly headed towards the bathroom to shower and get ready.

o…O…o

Jack sat in the back of the cargo ship. He thought it would be best to leave Sam with Teal'c for now. He could tell when the Asgard had come through the gate that she had been crying. He also knew that moments before she had been in Daniel's lab. He wanted to hold her and tell her that everything was going to be alright. He just hoped this mission would help take her mind off Daniel. He missed him too of course but if Daniel had chosen ascension over the possibility to carry on, even if Jacob could have saved him, then that was enough for him.

o…O…o

He wasn't sure why he had walked through the hologram transmission of Sam. All he knew was that he was struggling quite a lot with having to call her "Carter" instead of Sam. He also felt that he needed to be close to her but because he couldn't do that on a mission he had to make do with what he could get away with.

o…O…o

Sam became very worried when Jack and Teal'c were attacked by the gas on the mother ship; even more than usual. She convinced herself that it was because she had just lost Daniel and nothing to do with the advancement of her relationship with Jack. She needed this to work and if it got in the way during missions then there would be no way they could allow it to continue.

o…O…o

Jack had felt a similar feeling when the hologram of Sam suddenly disappeared after what was definitely a zat blast had hit her.

_Concentrate on the mission. You can't help her if you get yourself captured or killed. She'll be alright. _

o…O…o

Heindall had just beamed them all on to the cargo ship, including Sam and Thor.

_See? No need to panic. She's okay. We will be okay._

The next thing they knew their cloak was failing and there was no way they could survive another hit.

_Crap._

_Think Sam. Think. There's got to be a way out of this. There's always a way out._

Three Asgard ships then dropped out of hyperspace. The mother ship retreated.

Sam smiled at Jack.

_There's always a way._

o…O…o

When they eventually got back to Earth they could not wait to get home. Jack was amazed at how much he wanted to be able to show his affection for Sam, she felt the same. However Teal'c had requested that he and Jack go to get something to eat, and Jack could hardly say no. So they headed towards the elevator where they luckily ran into Sam and General Hammond.

"Hey." Jack said.

"Hey."

"Heading home?"

_Oh I wish Sam, I wish. More time alone with you is just what I need right now._

"Actually Teal'c and I were just thinking of stopping off for a bite to eat. Interested?"

"Sounds good."

They both had to be very careful of their reactions to each other as not only Teal'c was with them but General Hammond aswell.

"General?"

He shook his head.

"You three go ahead. I've still got some of work to do."

General Hammond walked off in the direction of his office whilst Jack, Sam and Teal'c headed towards the elevator. At that moment both Sam and Teal'c felt a warm wind blow across them.

"What was that?"

General Hammond turned back to look at them.

"Perhaps a malfunction in the ventilation system."

Sam looked at Teal'c, unsure of what to think.

"Yeah, that's probably it." said Jack, who was quite sure it was nothing of the sort.

"Bye, sir. Have a good night."

Sam turned and walked into the elevator.

Teal'c bowed his head and did the same. General Hammond merely smiled and headed off again back towards his office.

At that point Jack felt the same sensation; a warm breeze across his face.

_Good to know you're still around Daniel._

He smiled to himself as he joined Sam and Teal'c in the elevator.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Thanks to Wendy for beta'ing for me :D and thanks to Nad for helping me with my sentences :P

Replacement

He was getting fed up. _Nine people already_. It was obvious to him that no one was going to fit in with the team in the same way that Daniel did. How could they? They had all been together for five years. And they had to find Daniel a **replacement**. He hated the thought. He could only imagine how Teal'c and Sam felt about the situation.

_Carter! She is Carter when you're here!_

Jack sat in the infirmary, having just returned from their last mission.

"Colonel, you have a partially torn ligament in your knee but you're going to be fine." Janet diagnosed.

"Thanks, Doc. Am I good to go?" he asked, impatiently.

"I don't see why not."

"Thanks Doc."

He disappeared out of the infirmary with a backwards wave.

o…O…o

The next thing he knew he was on his way to Nevada with the rest of SG-1 and Jonas Quinn their newest alien comrade. Jack still couldn't quite accept him. Not after his involvement with what had happened to Daniel.

The doors opened and they caught their first glimpse of the X-302.

_There's no way I'm test flying this one. Not a chance in hell._

He was slightly perturbed to see that when he voiced this thought Sam looked amused.

_Well at least she's smiling again. It wasn't **that** smile though_

Sam then went on to explain to Jack the differences between the X-302 and its predecessor. At which point, Jack was no longer remotely concerned about anything. He always knew he was a lost cause whenever the techno babble started.

_Probably the reason I have never been able to understand a word she says._

"… is entirely human built."

He snapped out of his reverie just in time to catch the end of her explanation.

"So was the Titanic."

_That's the smile I was looking for._ ****

o…O…o

Jack was just about to walk into General Hammond's office when he realised that Colonel Chekov was already talking to General Hammond. He immediately turned around and tried to escape without being noticed but Hammond called him in.

_D'oh!_

General Hammond then began to explain to Jack what was going on.

_What?! A Russian on my team?! I don't think so._

He was surprised that General Hammond had allowed him to get away with his insubordination. But then he had a feeling that Hammond felt the same way he did.

_Giving them their own team was one thing, but allowing them on SG-1. The front line team. Never going to happen._

Jack was also quite happy to hear that he was off the mission list because of his knee. At least that meant he could have more time with Sam outside of work.

_That is, if I ever get through those damn personnel files._

o…O…o

The alarms rang out and interrupted the conversation Jack was having with Teal'c. Jack was grateful for the interruption as the conversation had not been going in his favour. He became slightly on edge when he saw Bra'tac coming towards them. Not that he had anything against Bra'tac; it was simply that he didn't tend to be the bearer of good news.

Upon hearing the news that Drey'auc was "gravely ill", as Bra'tac had put it, both Jack and Sam felt a surge of empathy. Now that they were together they could imagine what it would feel like if they were in Teal'c's position. They stood together watching Teal'c head off towards the Stargate; anguish burning inside them.

o…O…o

The alarms rang through the SGC again; Sam was as perplexed as Jack regarding the suspicious incoming wormhole that was apparently sending nothing their way.

_Well if Carter can't figure it out… We're in trouble._

Hammond left them alone and Sam just looked at Jack. She found he often provided the inspiration she needed to figure something out.

_God he's cute today. D'oh._

Jack was finding it very difficult to tear himself away from her gaze. He could see that twinkle in her eyes and knew it was time for him to leave before they did something inappropriate.

"Don't look at me! I got nothing." He said to Sam, then he turned and strode away from her.

Sam stared after him as he walked away from her.

_Concentrate Sam! The sooner you figure this out, the sooner we can both go home._

o…O…o

Jack was not surprised to find Sam in her lab.

_I guess she got fed up of the chaos going on down there._

"Hey! How come you're not downstairs with the rest of the eggheads?" he asked her, and immediately regretted it.

_Egghead?!_

Sam gave him one of her looks and he found himself cowering under her gaze.

"Not that you're a… egghead." Jack tried to recover.

Sam just continued to look at him. She found it quite endearing the way he squirmed when faced with a situation like this.

"Well… you are… actually. But in a good way."

Sam smiled at that remark and Jack let out the breath he hadn't realised he had been holding.

"I couldn't think down there. They all kept looking at me for the answer."

"Well you do have a penchant for pulling brilliant ideas out of your butt." Jack replied.

If looks could kill, this one certainly would have; if she didn't love him so much she would have been tempted to hit him.

"Head. Out of your head. When we need them." Jack could not have replied sooner, even if he hadn't stopped talking.

Sam shook her head and Jack felt his heart rate plummet.

"Not this time."

_Not this time? What does she mean, not this time? This is Carter she always has the answer!_

"Well you've still got two days to work on it."

Jack hoped that all Sam needed was encouragement. It usually seemed to work. _Not this time._

"Sir, I don't think I could solve this if I had a couple of years."

_I can't believe his is happening. We are just getting what we want and then this happens. God, I really need to think!_

"Carter, am I sensing fear in your voice?" Jack asked, incredulously.

"Yes, actually. A lot of fear."

_I have a bad feeling about this. You can do it, Sam. You have to._

"Well, stop it! You're making me nervous."

"What about you, sir? Any ideas? I mean, sometimes you have a way of seeing things at - at their simplest."

_Crap. Carter asking me for an idea? This feels so wrong._

"Thank you." He replied. Sure there had to be a compliment in there somewhere.

Sam looked expectantly at Jack. He looked everywhere except at her.

"I'm going to go eat some cake." He said, as he limped out of Sam's lab.

Sam watched him leave and then decided there was nothing else she could do for now.

"Think I'll join you."

At that point the alarms rang out once more. They both redirected themselves towards the gate room. Sam was jogging slowly so that Jack could keep up. When they had reached the gate room they saw the hologram form of Anubis on the ramp before them.

They both stood in disbelief as the hooded figure told them of their impending doom. Jack gave Sam that look that said so much more than words could. The hologram figure of Anubis disappeared and left them in silence.

"Oh, please!"

o…O…o

Jack could see that Sam was not even remotely happy about McKay's EM idea being allowed to go ahead. When she gave the reasoning behind her unwillingness to let this go ahead, Jack was perturbed to hear that she had not come up with an alternative idea.

"No better idea yet?"

"No." He could tell by the way she looked into his eyes that this was bad.

_Crap. If McKay's plan does what she says it will…_

General Hammond told Sam that he could only see the plan working if she co-operated with McKay. Jack didn't really like the sound of that. He knew that McKay had obvious feelings for Sam. However, he was happy to see that Sam was not looking forward to this at all. Though he was still very concerned that she hadn't managed to find an answer yet.

_Having that McKay about stepping on all of her theories doesn't help I'm sure._

He hated to see Sam so tense. She had been a lot more relaxed since they had been together and he was happy to think that he could help her so much.

_Then this bastard comes along in the middle of a crisis and makes it all so much worse!_

o…O…o

Jack was happy to discover afterwards that Sam was giving as good as she got. It also made him feel better to know that she hated the guy.

_God I love the way she does that._

Jack was in the infirmary, sitting on the end of Sam's bed. She had received a pretty bad shock but she was going to be okay. This was all that mattered to Jack. Sam was telling him about her encounter with McKay earlier and he was chuckling as he imagined the look on McKay's face.

"He's waiting outside to come and see you by the way."

Sam looked a little annoyed and sighed outwardly.

"Do you want me to get rid of him?" Jack asked.

"No. It's fine, sir."

"Okay."

He squeezed her good hand and gave her a wink as he headed into the corridor.

"Is she okay? Can I go in there?"

Jack was pleased to see that McKay looked more than a little panicked.

"She's alright. No thanks to you. Sam said its okay for you to go in…"

McKay pushed passed Jack to enter the infirmary.

Sam was rather creeped out by her conversation with McKay. After mishearing something he said - _damn you Jack!_ - it seemed to get a little too personal for her liking. She realised that he felt guilty for what had happened to her. She knew that it wasn't his fault. He just seemed to be a little too enthusiastic in his efforts to convince others that he is smarter than her.

It proved more difficult than she expected to get rid of him so that she could change out of the awful hospital gown she was wearing.

_I should have told Jack - Colonel O'Neill! - to get rid of him._

o…O…o

"I knew you'd think of something!" Jack said.

Jack grinned at Sam as she ran towards him smiling.

"I haven't told you what it is yet."

"Okay, shoot."

Sam went into a lengthy explanation of what Jack would have to do. The idea started to decrease in appeal as she continued on with her explanation. At least he managed to listen to what she was saying though. He figured it was important he got it all the first time as they were working against the clock.

When they eventually reached the elevator they looked into each others eyes. They both felt something in their nether regions and knew that they could end up loosing each other.

"Wish I could go with you, sir."

_I know you do Sam. I love you._

_I love you too._

Their look contained more emotion than they could put into words. That they were allowed to have or show here.

"Yes, I'm sure you do. And I find that quite bizarre."

He stepped into the elevator and Sam passed him his bag. He allowed his hand to brush hers in the exchange. He always felt better when he could feel her close to him.

Sam went on to broach the subject of Jonas. This was not what he wanted to hear right now. He wondered if she knew when she was using the puppy dog eyes. He knew that they would be coming back to this conversation when he got back. **If **he got back.

"Good luck, sir."

"Hey. What could go wrong, huh?"

They both knew that there was an unending list of things that could go wrong, but they both felt better for voicing their belief in each other. Jack looked into her eyes once more and all he wanted to do was hold her close. He quickly pressed the floor button as he knew he wouldn't be able to maintain his composure for much longer. The button did not seem to be working so he hit it several times until the doors closed and Sam disappeared from view, smiling at him.

_Why then?! God I miss being able to hold her and kiss her. Man I want to kiss her._

o…O…o

Sam didn't know what to do. She felt so helpless. It was her plan and yet there was nothing she could do to help him.

_Why did I send him up there? I wish I could have gone with him, or instead. I can't lose him now. I won't._

She was really beginning to believe that there was no way out of this when Jack came up with an idea.

_He is so much smarter than he likes people to think he is._

Sam, again, felt that feeling in her nether regions again.

_If this doesn't work…_

Jack engaged the hyper drive and Sam held her breath.

_He has to be okay. He has to be. Please._

Sam waited for what seemed like an eternity.

"Colonel?"

She struggled to keep her voice even. The tears were already burning in her throat. She blinked them back. Waiting. Waiting.

"Colonel, do you read?"

Waiting.

Upon hearing that the plan had succeeded but there was no sign of Jack, Sam lost all hope. She closed her eyes and took long steadying breaths. _I love you Jack. Always. _This time she could not hold back the tears. They silently streamed down her face.

"This is observer two. I have a visual on a chute. Moving in for confirmation."

Sam opened her eyes and wiped away the tears from her face. Once more she held her breath as she waited.

"Mission command, the cockpit module is intact. We are pinpointing splashdown position."

A smile spread across Sam's face and she felt that comforting warmth return to her insides.

_He's going to be alright. He did it. We did it._

"Colonel O'Neill is conscious and waving."

The smile that fell in place on hearing that could have melted the heart of Anubis himself. Once again they had survived. Together. As they always would.

Sam felt a slight pang of regret as she realised that they would no longer be running a Stargate program but she found comfort in the knowledge that no matter what happened next, she would have Jack with her always.

o…O…o

Jack walked happily down the corridor in toe with Teal'c and Rya'c. Hearing that they had destroyed Anubis' weapon and that they could still have a Stargate program was some of the best news he had heard. He joked with Rya'c and was reminded painfully of Charlie. He decided it would be best to leave Teal'c alone with his son. He walked away missing more than ever that which he had lost, but may yet be able to have, with Sam.

Jack bumped into Jonas on his way to the elevator. He felt very grateful to Jonas for his help but he could not help but think of Daniel whenever he looked at the new guy. He let Jonas know that he didn't blame him for Daniel's death, but that was about all he could manage for now.

Jack entered General Hammond's office to hear some of the worst news he could bear. A Russian would be joining SG-1. Jack tried to find a way out of it. He suggested that they give the Russians their own team. Hammond seemed to think that was satisfactory and Jack was convinced that would be it.

"What about SG-1?" he responded.

Jack thought for a moment. He should have guessed that SG-1 would not be able to remain as just Sam, Teal'c and himself. Both Teal'c and Sam seemed to think that Jonas was the best person to fill Daniel's sizeable shoes. He was not so sure, but could not think of a better alternative.

"Actually, General. I've already chosen our new team member."

o…O…o

Jack had never been so glad to be home. He couldn't believe how much they had been through over the last few days. And even more he couldn't believe that he and Sam had managed to remain professional - _well as professional as we could have been regarding the circumstances_. No one had noticed a thing.

Jack walked around his truck and opened the door for Sam. She was fast asleep. He couldn't blame her. God knows when she last got some sleep. He unclipped her seat belt and carried her into the house. She woke up just has he closed the door behind them.

"What'cha doin?"

Jack laughed as Sam looked at him completely unaware of where she was and who she was with. When she got her bearings she beamed up at Jack.

"Hey, you."

"Hey." He replied, grinning from ear to ear.

"We're home. Do you want to go straight to bed? You're exhausted." He suggested, as he planted a kiss on her forehead.

"Actually I'm a little hungry."

He smiled at her again.

"Well I'm not surprised. Can you even remember the last time you ate?"

"Yes. Of course. I had cake with you." She smiled at him cheekily.

"That was more than a day ago!" Jack was suddenly angry with himself. He knew it had been tough on her to come up with answers but he should have realised she was not eating.

"What do you want? I'll fix you something up." He placed her down gently on the couch and kissed her.

"Pasta would be great."

"Coming right up." He disappeared off into the kitchen and Sam sat there thinking about the last couple of days.

She felt so warm and comfortable, she could just curl up and go to sleep right there. Her stomach made a loud rumble at that point and she was all of a sudden wide awake. She could hear Jack moving about in the kitchen and could smell the pasta cooking.

Shortly after Jack entered the room carrying two trays of pasta with carbonara sauce. He passed one plate to her and then sat next down next to her. They both sat in silence eating their meal. When they had finished Jack took Sam's tray from her and took them both into the kitchen.

Sam followed him and put her arms around him as he turned to face her.

"I missed you, Jack."

"I missed you, too."

Jack bent down and kissed her. He felt his stomach go hollow as she ran her fingers through the hairs situated at the nape of his neck. Eventually they both pulled away and smiled at each other.

"I really thought I was going to lose you this time." Sam could once again feel the tears burning in her throat, and she tried to blink them back.

"I know. Me too."

Jack pulled Sam close to him and nuzzled into her neck.

"I will always be here for you. No matter what. Believe me."


End file.
