Darkness fell over Minnesota. The trees swayed rhythmically from side to side in the cool, serene breeze. The lake reflected the light of the mood and everything seemed to glimmer. Even the stars in the midnight sky seemed to shine brighter, sparkling majestically against the deep blue background.
It was beautiful. The perfect setting, as romantic as it got..
So why had nothing romantic happened?
Their first night in the cabin, as well as most of their first day, had been spent resting and recuperating. Sam's ankle hurt less and less the more she stayed off it so she spent a lot of time just sitting on the pier, sunbathing or reading or watching Melissa run rings around her
exhausted father once they'd arrived. Sam was perfectly content to watch them, unable to get over her anticipation building up in her stomach at the thought of their first night there.
Just the.. three.. of them.
It hadn't worked out the way she knew Jack had been expecting. As soon as night had fallen and it was time for Melissa to go to bed, the young girl had staked a claim over the master bed, crawling into it and flat-out refusing to move to her smaller room, demanding her father join her and Cheekaboo.
Both disappointed and relieved, Sam had shown no signs that she'd expected the sleeping arrangements to be any other way, gratefully using the distraction of Melissa demanding a bedtime story to take refuge in the smaller room with the smaller, made-for-one bed.
She'd half hoped the same would happen on the second night but Melissa seemed to have decided she was a 'big' girl and deserved a room of her own to prove it. Sam had her suspicions that Melissa's father had planted the idea in her head, but she had no evidence. Especially not when Jack had appeared as surprised as she had at his daughter's change in heart.
So, here they were.
Melissa had gone to bed with no protests or arguments twenty minutes earlier, falling asleep before Sam – the designated narrator of the bedtime story that evening – had finished reading.
In one of the most romantic, secluded places Sam had ever been, she found herself sitting alone by the fire as Jack went to get a bottle of wine, trying to still the butterflies in her stomach. Just because they were finally alone, didn't mean something was going to happen. She had to remind herself that. Just because there was only one bed left, it didn't mean they were going to share it.
Speculatively eyeing the couch, she decided it looked comfortable enough. About her size, too. She could easily sleep on it without getting a crick in her neck.. And if she did get a crick, she was sure the Colonel wouldn't mind helping relieve it..
Stop it. Stop it, stop it, stop it.
Taking in a shuddery breath, Sam closed her eyes against the flames flickering in the fireplace. She couldn't help feeling nervous. She *was* nervous. Here she was, finally in Jack's cabin, with him.. His daughter was out of sight, which meant it was easy to put her out of mind.. So they were as near to being alone as they were going to get with Melissa now in his life..
He'd succeeded in getting her there, eventually. The threat of the Goa'uld was all but over. Neither had decided whether to return to the SGC so regulations weren't an issue..
But nothing had as yet happened. No knowing glances, no desire-pent looks, no touches, no kisses.. Nothing.
It wasn't that they didn't want something to happen. They did. They both knew what they wanted.. If there'd been any doubt as to where they both mutually wanted their relationship to go from now on, Sam would never have agreed to come. Jack might not have even asked.
Yeah. They both knew inwardly what they wanted from their time away. They were almost just as certain that their feelings and thoughts were reciprocated so that wasn't really the problem..
Knowing how to approach the subject, however, was another story.
Squeezing her eyes shut even tighter, she allowed her mind to drift, calling all of the dreams and fantasies she'd had of this moment to the forefront of her mind, hoping to find in them some inspiration, some courage to make the first move and break the limbo they were entrapped in.
=*=
" Carter?" Jack lingered in the doorway to the kitchen, watching Sam with concern in his eyes. She seemed deep in thought, lost in something he wasn't privy to. There was no response from her as he called her name, she just sat there, basking in the warmth of the fire, eyes closed, as though she hadn't heard him. " Sam."
Crossing the room with quiet swiftness, he nudged her shoulder with the bottle of wine in his hand, the cold moisture clinging to the bottle from the cooler he'd removed it from soaking through the thin shirt she wore, making her gasp as her eyelids flew open.
She gazed at him, seemingly puzzled he was standing there, and then a slow blush spread up her neck and across her face as she remembered what she'd been thinking of before she'd allowed herself to be swept away and up into the fictional realm of her imagination.
" Penny for them." Getting down on the floor beside her, frowning slightly when his knees creaked in protest. He was still waiting for a response a few moments later as he poured them both a generous glass of chilled white wine. " Carter?"
Managing a small smile, she took the glass from him, taking a sip as she stared into the fire. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, taking in his features, noting that outwardly he seemed relaxed but his eyes.. his eyes held an element of something she couldn't define.
At that moment, he turned to look at her, grinning to himself as he saw her quickly avert her gaze as another blush rose over her cheeks. " You know, there's no pressure.. You're being here.. It doesn't mean anything has to happen.. As long as you're getting the rest you need.."
" How exactly do we do this?" The words came tumbling from her mouth before she could stop them. Deciding it was pointless to try and take them back, that *someone* needed to broach the subject, Sam placed her glass of wine on the stone hearth and turned to face him, her expression unguarded.
A little surprised at the bluntness of it all, Jack opted for the teasing route. " You need to ask?" He waggled his eyebrows, putting his own glass to the side so he could give her his undivided attention.
" Yes. No, I mean.. " Flustered, she shook her head and smiled in spite of her nerves when he waggled his eyebrows at her again. " What happens now? How'd we get from here.. to.. there?"
The joking and teasing subsided as she lowered her eyes from his again. " To being..?" Almost in an unconscious gesture, he jerked his head in the direction of the bedroom door, finding it just as hard as she was to voice what was playing on both of their minds.
" Yeah." Her blush deepened as she nervously lifted her gaze to his, smiling again when she saw him swallow compulsively.
" Well.." He stopped speaking, realising he had nothing to say. If he'd be with any other woman, there would be no problem. It wouldn't mean so much, it wouldn't have been a subject of speculation for over six years..
But Sam.. They'd both been dreaming and over-analysing and speculating and hoping and waiting for this for a long time. It had to be special, it had to *mean* something.. Anything else would be a disappointment and after all they'd been through, disappointment wouldn't do.
Giving him a nervous smile, one of her eyebrows twitching, Sam reached over for her glass, taking a big drink of the crystal liquid, hoping to feel the effects of the alcohol soon. " Not so easy, huh?"
" We don't have to.." He didn't want to make her uncomfortable. He wondered if she thought something *had* to happen because he expected it, because she thought he'd interpreted her accepting the invitation as being more than it was.. He didn't want her to feel pressured in any way, didn't want to rush her, didn't want to..
" I want to." Three softly spoken, shy yet certain words called a halt to his line of thought.
" Me too." 'Could you have said that any faster?' He chided himself as he ducked his head in embarrassment.
To his relief, Sam just smiled at him as she set her glass down once again, turning to face him fully. " So.."
" So.." Following her lead, he turned his body towards her and inched closer to her, bridging the gap between them, his voice dropping to a mere whisper as his lips stopped a hairs breadth from hers. " We start.. here."
Neither was sure who moved first and covered the gap between them. All they were really aware of was that their lips were no longer separated by air and that a gentle, almost timid kiss had began. It didn't last long, just a tantalizing hint of what was in store.
" Here's good." Sam murmured with a soft sigh as they parted momentarily, pushing herself forward again to bring their lips into contact once more.
Without breaking apart, the kiss gathered momentum, both participants growing more confident when they realised there were no protests, no interruptions, no annoying voice in the backs of their minds saying it was wrong. As the kiss grew more confident and they opened up to one another, their hands began to get restless.
Lifting her arms, Sam's hands started wandering over the expanse of his back, exploring, feeling the muscles shift under her fingertips as he moved to encircle her in his arms, one of his hands coming to rest at the back of her head as he tipped her backwards, following her as she went.
Willingly letting him lower her down, she wound her arms around his neck, taking him with her as the kiss deepened, ended and began again. A cycle that seemed as endless as they both wanted it to be, one that changed ever so slightly as they gained more confidence and courage, allowing themselves to do and experience sensations that they had previously been denied.
They kept a tight reign on their needs and wants, though, concentrating on not only what they were doing but on what was being done to them, neither wanting to do anything that would upset the other, neither wanting to rush the moment and ruin the mood.
Only when skin came in contact with skin did they stop and open their eyes, breathing heavily as they looked at each other through glazed eyes.
" Okay." Moving off her, Jack straightened his t-shirt, watching as she sat up and ran her hands through her hair, trying to catch her breath. " At least we know what we're doing now."
Her lips curved up into a soft smile and he had the urge to kiss her again and since there was no longer a reason why he shouldn't, he did. A chaste kiss that widened her smile and brought an answering grin to his face.
" I think we should move somewhere more.. private.. before we continue," Sam murmured, casting a meaningful look at the closed door to Melissa's room.
" Go ahead, I'll lock up and join you in a few minutes." Grinning in a way he knew was idiotic, Jack watched her as she stood up and made her way over to the bedroom door.
She paused before ducking into the room, feeling his eyes on her as she turned to look back at him, pleased with the glint in his eyes as she murmured huskily. " I'll be waiting.."
Leaving just a small gap between the door and the doorframe, Sam disappeared inside, leaving Jack to stare after her as her words and tone did delicious things to his insides, the promise of more adding extra haste to the routine actions of securing the fire and locking the cabin doors.
=*=
Flicking off the light in the living room, Jack found the whole cabin was plunged into darkness. Relying on mental images of the cabin layout, he was able to navigate his way from the living room to the bedroom, his anticipation growing in the pit of his stomach as he pushed the door to the room open a little wider.
Moonlight filled the room, illuminating it, illuminating her.
She stood timidly beside the bed, chewing nervously on her bottom lip as she stared at him with hooded eyes, a look of apprehension on her face.
Closing the door, he crossed the room in two lengthy strides, stopping just in front of her. Their eyes met as they searched the others face for some sign, for any hint of doubt. Finding none, they leaned in at the same time, their lips meeting somewhere in the middle, joining in a unbearably sweet kiss that affirmed their feelings and teased their already heightened senses.
Letting their actions do the talking for them once more, Jack took a few small steps forward, backing her towards the bed without breaking the contact of exploring lips and hands. Her legs came into contact with the mattress and he gently lowered her down, tearing his lips from her to leave a trail of kisses from her lips to her jaw, down her neck to her shoulders, grinning to himself at the gasp he heard her try to stifle and at the feeling of her hands bunching the thin material of his t-shirt as her fists clenched.
Shuffling backwards to the centre of the bed, Sam drew his head back to hers when he started biting gently on her collarbone, feeling the need to slow their actions so she could catch her breath. They kissed languidly as she sat up and shifted further up the bed, giving him space to join her.
Lowering her to the bed once more, Jack resumed his attack on her shoulders, stopping when a high-pitched sound cut through the haze that had descended on them, the sound accompanied by Sam's hand pushing againsthis chest.
Confused, he pulled back, wondering if he'd gone too far, only to see her eyes dancing with mirth as she tried to restrain her giggles. Reaching behind her, she pulled the offending object that had made the noise from under her back and couldn't bite back her laughter as he stared at the object in obvious frustration.
A toy of Melissa's. A soft doll that squealed when pressure was exerted on its middle.
Tossing the doll aside, Jack turned his attention back to the giggling woman below him, seeing how she was trying not to laugh but failing. Her amusement was a catalyst for the nervousness and anticipation that had been building inside her; with her laughter, she rid herself of the nervous tension that had plagued her since first stepping foot in the cabin.
When she composed herself enough, Sam brought her eyes back to his and all mirth died on her lips at the piercing look in his eyes. Dark and serious, she felt them pin her where she was, a shiver that had nothing to do with the temperature going through her.
All playfulness and laughter subsided. Her breath quickened and her heart pounded in a rhythm that matched his. Her hand raised to his face, her thumb caressing his cheek as he leaned into her palm, pressing a gentle kiss there, all the while their gazes locked.
Slowly, her hand moved to his nape, her fingers entwining with the short hair they found there and she drew him down to her and into a kiss that proved all notion of teasing was gone, replaced by utter seriousness.
Gentle hands and tender caresses freed them from the restraints of their clothing, making sweet discoveries, storing away newly gathered information for later use. When their hands were done, their lips took over, covering every inch of newly exposed skin, caressing and reassuring the other in timeless gestures of love and respect; taunting and teasing, evoking feelings so intense they burned like fire.
Their eyes locked, their breath held in their throats as everything stopped.
Poised above her, Jack stared down into her eyes and Sam gazed back evenly. A thousand thoughts, dreams, emotions and fears passed between them in that one glance, the depth of their silent communication both surprising and comforting them.
A slow grin spread across his face, answered by the shy smile that curved her lips.
There was a shift in the air. Urgency mingled with need and the overwhelming desire to express the depth of what they were feeling took them to a place where words weren't needed as instincts took control and led the way. Muted gasps and sighs became the only verbal communication in the room. As their actions lost all semblance of control, Sam cried out, as Jack muffled a groan against the slick skin of her shoulder.
Moving away when he had enough strength, he lay on his side, pulling her towards him and holding her tight as their breathing began to deepen. It was then he saw the moisture glistening on her cheeks.
Cupping her face, he leaned down and kissed her, gently kissing away the tears that had fallen from her eyes. Only when his mind registered one of her hands rubbing his back soothingly, the other at his face caressing his cheek, did he realise that they were his tears as well as hers.
Curling up together, awe stunning them into silence, their hands searched and located each other, their fingers entwining between them. They were surprised, maybe a little scared.. Certainly taken aback at the intensity of what they shared. Bending slightly, he brushed his lips against hers again in a kiss that reaffirmed all they'd been through and all they felt.
It might have taken a while to get there but it was worth the wait. Jack wouldn't deny that as a lazy, satisfied grin spread across his face as they shifted again into a position that was both comfortable and accommodated them and their need to remain as close as possible.
Weariness swept over them as they closed their eyes against the first signs of the sky lightening outside, bodies demanding time to rest and recover.
" Jack?" Her sleepy, sated voice softly intruded into his sleep-laden musings.
" Sam?"
" Love you."
His grin broadened and he imperceptibly tightened his hold on her, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head.
" Love you, too."
Oh, yeah. Well worth the wait.
=*=
End.
If you've got the time, I'd love to hear from you! (And promise a reply as soon as possible!)
Joey@Ram32.freeserve.co.uk
Ventures New by Jo R
Story Notes: SEASON / SEQUEL: Sequel to 'Unspoken Promises'.
SPOILERS: For previous stories.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I plead the fifth – They made me write it. They know who They are. *Sits under a rock* I'll deny everything in a court of law.
DEDICATION: Them who asked who know who They are. Special Thanks to Lynn for the beta and the encouragement to post!
SPOILERS: For previous stories.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I plead the fifth – They made me write it. They know who They are. *Sits under a rock* I'll deny everything in a court of law.
DEDICATION: Them who asked who know who They are. Special Thanks to Lynn for the beta and the encouragement to post!
DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc, are the property of their respective owners. Any original characters and plots are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended. ... [ read more ]