Never Alone: Sunday Morning
Jack woke fuzzily next morning with the distinct impression that something was not quite right. For starters he could feel a weight on top of him; a not very heavy weight admittedly, but a weight, nevertheless. It was warm and soft and felt kind of nice. There was someone else in the bed, for crying out loud, and he had his arms around this person! Immediately alert, he opened his eyes to check out his surroundings. Then he realised the thing on top of him was Sam's arm. They were intertwined.
'That sure is something different,' he thought, 'Sweet!'
He could get used to this, although it was probably going to take quite some time to do so. This represented a definite shift in the balance of their relationship. Not only that but he'd got used to sleeping alone. He hoped he got the chance to almost take for granted that he'd wake up next to Sam in the mornings. That was appealing. Then he remembered that he had fallen asleep the previous night.
"A weekend with Sam and I fall asleep? What a putz! Jeez, Jack, you finally made it and then you screw it up. Great impression you must have made!'
He could more or less recall that she's woken him up on the couch, where he had probably been sprawled in very ungainly fashion and snoring loudly - so not a good way to endear someone to you - and she'd coaxed him to bed, but he had no recollection of her getting in next to him. They'd slept in each other's arms and he'd been oblivious. That was just wrong on so many levels.
Trying to delay the inevitable disentanglement to go for a morning pee, he took a deep breath, inhaling her scent, the smell of her hair and skin. Then he lightly stroked her arm with his thumb. He didn't want to wake her, wishing to revel in this moment. If he wasn't so dying for a pee he probably would have enjoyed it better, nevertheless, it made him feel pretty good to have her sleeping there next to him, so close.
'Damned bladder!' he cursed inwardly, 'Great hard on, Jack, but for all the wrong reasons. Sheesh!'
"Jack?" Sam mumbled sleepily, opening her big baby blues.
"Morning," he responded.
"Morning."
"Sorry, Sam, gotta pee." He kissed her hair, getting up swiftly and hoping she wouldn't notice his physical condition.
"Come back soon," she muttered, a small smile on her face.
"You betchya."
Once behind the bathroom door he leaned against it heavily, taking a few deep breaths.
'Calm down, Jack!' he remonstrated with himself. What was it Teal'c once said about things calming up rather than down? Jack thought that was so apposite to this situation.
What a jerk he was for falling asleep like that. Sure, the week had been busy, and stressful, with very little in the way of sleep coming his way, but he had so wanted to make a good impression this weekend. So much for that great idea! It had gone to the great idea reject shop in the sky, and may God have mercy on its soul!
It bothered him a lot to contemplate what Sam might think and a spark of pure angst hit his gut when he started worrying about whether he'd screwed up. Looking at his reflection in the mirror made him ponder how old he was growing. He looked old, dammit! Age seemed to be catching up on him. What did Sam see when she looked at him?
Pleading with himself not to lose it, he decided a shower might help. He had to focus. After all, she'd stayed and was in his bed waiting, so how bad could things be? That was pretty comforting. If he was going to be up close and personal with Sam he desperately needed to do something radical about his current state of personal hygiene.
'Eww!' he thought as he caught a whiff of stale sweat. All that walking the previous day and he hadn't gone near water since.
Having peed, showered and cleaned his teeth as quickly as possible, he felt much better, even vaguely human, and went to rejoin her in the bedroom looking confident, although he was still jittery inside.
Meanwhile, Sam had been thinking about him with anxious, but excited, anticipation. A smile played on her lips as she recalled the feel of him in her arms, and of him holding her. How long had she wanted that? A long time. Way too long.
That notion made her distinctly nervous. Dreams don't come true, or not in her experience. Making the dream a reality seemed unreal in itself. What if the dream remained a dream and the reality did not live up to it? The thought was doing her head in. She so wanted the dream to become reality and that knowledge did nothing to quell her nerves.
Jack seemed to be taking a long time in the bathroom. How long can a pee take? Was he embarrassed, avoiding her? No, she found that hard to believe, despite her self-doubt. The expression on his face and the light dancing in his eyes when he looked at her earlier told a different story.
"Gee, Jack, you were gone way too long. Is your hair wet?" she asked when he appeared at the door, trying to appear calm.
"Quick shower."
"Shower?"
"In case you hadn't noticed, it was sorely needed, I can tell ya. Okay for you, you had one last night, while I fell asleep," he sat beside her on the bed, "Sam, I'm so sorry. What a total jerk you must think I am."
"No Jack." Placing her finger against his lips to silence him, she followed it with a brief touch of them with her lips. "Toothpaste? Huh, my turn."
"Great impression I must have made!"
"Stop already. You don't have to try to impress me Jack. I've known you for years, remember?"
"And you're still here?" he joked uneasily, "Sam, it's our first weekend. I-I let you down."
"No."
"Okay, I let myself down."
"Jack, we have lots of time."
"Not this weekend."
"Then let's not spoil it with pointless regrets."
"You're right. It's just."
"Wanted to impress me, sure. I just want you to be you Jack."
"What if you don't like me?"
The question took Sam aback. The thought had never occurred to her. They'd known each other for all those years and he doubted it? Sure, Jack had his faults, along with the rest of the human race. She'd seen many facets of the man over the years, good, bad and downright terrifying: kind, callous, caring, angry, arrogant, self-effacing, generous, cruel, noble, brave, dense, intensely bright, hard, upset, hurt; too many facets to name them all.
Like anyone else, the man was a mass of contradictions and conundrums, although maybe more than anybody else she'd ever met. He was a complicated man and could be difficult to figure out. She knew he wore a mask much of the time and that just made getting to know the real him more difficult.
Sometimes she'd been too quick to judge, misunderstanding him because she'd been taken in by his outward persona instead of looking inside at the man. However, sometimes she had understood him only too well. He had a dark side, very dark, and a hard outer shell. Yet, despite some fundamental disagreements between them, she had always liked, admired and respected him.
His question revealed the nervous lover Jack, the soft-centred Jack; Jack the uncertain - of himself and of her. Although she knew these things existed inside of him and she'd seen them poke their heads above the parapet before, this was an entirely different thing. This was personal and reflected how he felt about her and their currently evolving relationship.
It comforted her to know that they shared similar doubts and fears. He had revealed some of this on their first date but, until now, she had not realised that, like her, he still retained that kernel of fear. She had never pegged him as a reticent man. Believing he would not thank her for referring to what he had just revealed, she chose to answer in a light-hearted manner.
"Not like you? Don't be ridiculous!" She kissed his cheek, "Now, as I said, my turn," and with those words she got up to go to the bathroom. "Can I borrow your toothbrush?"
"Um, sure," he replied said, slightly dazed, but a smile appeared on his face as what she'd said sunk in. She seemed shocked by the idea that she might not like him, as if it wasn't possible. Not only that but she wanted to borrow his toothbrush! These had to be good signs.
"That my shirt?" Jack called after her.
"You betchya!"
"Looks sooo much better on you!"
Sam smiled to herself and went for her own pee and shower.
While she was in the bathroom, Jack decided to make coffee and take it back to bed for them. Passing the bathroom he heard the running water of the shower and wished he could join her. That seemed too intimate, and maybe too impertinent, for such a fledgling relationship.
"Another time," he muttered.
Making the coffee in record time, Jack was back in bed before she returned and sitting under the covers, propped against the bed head as she sauntered back in, bright and breezy, as well as seriously glowing, he thought.
"Now I'm ready," she said.
"Ready for what?"
"For you."
"Oh!" he grinned, "I just hope I'm ready for you."
Jack caught the fear, trying to scrunch it up into a little ball and toss it in the trash. Fear, excitement and the thrill of anticipation made his stomach churn. Sam approached the bed and he threw back the covers to welcome her in, putting an arm around her as she sat next to him.
"You made coffee?" she asked with a smile.
"Wake up juice."
"Great! Just what the doctor ordered."
Both sipped their coffee but, when they returned the cups to the nightstand, Jack kissed her hair, resting his head against hers. Sam turned her face to kiss his forehead.
"What do you want to do today, Sam?"
"Stay here?"
"As in. right here?"
He moved to look at her with widened eyes, and she was blushing at her suggestion. Beautiful, so beautiful. Straddling her, he cupped her face in his hands, kissing her tentatively at first. His lips lightly ran over and around hers before he deepened the kiss by languidly inserting his tongue. With delicate care, the tongue explored the inside of her mouth, brushing lightly over her teeth and gums.
Sam grasped his head and returned the kiss, her tongue clashing with his. The kiss was not one of passion, but comforting and loving, and Sam felt her insides turn to goo as she allowed the feelings it provoked to pervade her very being.
His hands shook as he started to undo the buttons on her shirt, fingers gently fondling the skin beneath. He was searching her eyes trying to discern her thoughts and feelings. She seemed okay with it so he continued. Opening the shirt wide to free her breasts, he sat back and stared for a while, memorising the sight of them, and then his fingertips traced around her nipples and continued on to explore her contours. She sighed, trembling, and goose bumps appeared.
As he stroked the pale smooth flesh of her buttocks she noticed a twinkle of merriment in his eyes.
"Commando, Sam? But I thought you wore thongs?"
"Don't tell me there's a bet about that as the SGC as well as whether I'm a natural blonde?"
"Um, you know about that?" He looked vaguely embarrassed and coughed uneasily.
"Who doesn't?"
"Yeah, well we bet on almost anything inside the mountain, you know."
"And what did you bet?"
"Thongs, natural blonde."
"Well you were right about the thongs."
"And the natural blonde," he grinned, the flippant banter helping him come to terms with the notion of this new turn of events in his life; becoming Sam's lover. "But I don't think I'll be picking up my winnings anytime soon."
"Oh?"
"This is way too private, way too intimate."
"I'm glad you think so."
Moving down the bed so that she was lying under him rather than sitting, Sam urged Jack to move along with her and he did, continuing to sit astride her and watching silently for a while, fingers brushing lightly over her abdomen. Sucking his bottom lip, he considered what to say.
"Are we both sure about this?" he asked eventually.
"Of course I'm sure, Jack, never surer. Aren't you?
"Sam, this means a lot to me. This isn't just a casual thing. There's no going back."
"I know. I don't want to go back. Do you?"
"No. It's just." he tailed off, unwilling to confess his feelings.
"You're nervous." It was a statement, not a question.
"I g. yes."
"So am I. It's a big step, but we have to get past it, Jack."
"Past it?"
"All that stuff that stayed inside us over the years; that we bottled up. All that CO, subordinate thing."
"Hey, I've managed to call you Sam, not Carter - mostly. What more do you want?" he cracked with a grin, knowing she was right.
"Oh, I don't know. that we make love without me screwing up."
"You screw up? It's way more likely to be me who does the screwing up around here."
"I don't think so."
"No pressure then, huh?" he joked, and Sam grinned, softly caressing his face.
"No pressure Jack. Really."
"I just figure you must have certain expectations is all."
"So must you."
Jack considered that response and nodded.
"It's funny, isn't it? I wanted this for so long and now I have the chance I don't quite know what to do."
"I betchya do know," she teased.
"In theory," he chuckled.
"Jack we don't have to rush into anything. If you have doubts. heck, what does a guy like you see in a woman like me anyway?"
"A guy like me?"
"A guy who could have any woman he wants, but chooses me."
"You think I could have any woman I want? That's flattering Sam, but sooo not true. Besides, the only woman I do want is you. I don't doubt that. No way!"
"Which makes me wonder why? I'm nothing special."
"What? You're kidding right? You know that's not true. I'm the mister ordinary guy; the one who should feel lucky that a beautiful, sexy genius like you is interested in me."
"Beautiful, sexy genius? Is that how you see me?"
"Amongst other things."
"I'm not that great once you get to know me."
"I've known you for over 8 years, Sam. What's not great?"
"This is totally different. This is the real me."
"You mean I was never working with the real you? Come on, Sam, the same applies to me, you know. I could ask why you're interested in a dumb ass like me."
"If you really were a dumb ass I wouldn't be."
"Maybe I am."
"I think not."
"Huh! I took an IQ test once and the results were negative,"
He was pleased to see Sam laugh and relax a little again. Her words had calmed his nerves somewhat as well. He might have played the dumb ass for years but didn't really want Sam to believe he was one.
"Sam, I'm glad you think so highly of me, really I am, but what if your faith is misplaced? I'm no great catch. You, on the other hand, are the most wanted woman in the universe, it seems. Can't go anywhere without tripping over a pile of your admirers with their tongues hanging out. I've been known to slip over in the puddles of drool."
"Nice imagery, Jack, but that's not the same thing as this."
"What?"
"This really means something to me."
"I hope so, because it means something to me too. It means a lot."
"Are you really so entirely oblivious to the amount of swooning you provoke in the women around you?"
"Aren't that many women around me. You're kidding, right? Really?" He gave her a brief kiss and added, "Look, isn't this conversation a little heavy for a couple who are about to make love for the first time?"
"Is that what we're about to do?"
"I hope so, don't you? Shall we tango?"
He winked, waggled his eyebrows suggestively and, without waiting for a response, took the plunge, pulling her into an embrace and kissing her with a deep passion that neither of them had shown until that moment. It made Sam wonder about the hidden depths of Jack O'Neill. She was eager to explore those depths and for him to explore hers. She didn't mean just physically; there was a lot more to their relationship than that. A whole lot more.
*
Jack started making love to her, fondling and kissing a little nervously, but effectively, and she was thrilled by his touch. She was naked, but Jack still wore his boxer shorts and he was starting to think they were getting in the way.
"I guess these need to come off," he commented about his underwear, "did you think I was a boxers kind of guy?"
"Yes, Jack, but if you want a woman to take you seriously in bed, pictures of Homer Simpson saying 'doh!' on your shorts is so not the way to go."
He laughed, becoming businesslike when he ceased his own ministrations, and hers, by moving to one side of her to remove them.
"You mean you aren't taking me seriously?"
"Ummm. very, but I know you."
"So you figure that next time I'm picking up a strange woman I shouldn't wear these shorts, huh? "He discarded them, lowering himself to lie on his side next to her, "How about my Bart "Eat My Shorts" shorts?"
As he chuckled at his own joke, Sam turned to face him, her expression one of feigned incredulity that he should ask such a question, and then she kissed his cheek briefly before responding.
"I'm kinda hoping you won't get the urge to go picking up strange women."
"I'm kinda hoping I won't need to."
They exchanged smiles and Jack leaned to kiss her again, his arm around her back pulling her closer and then moving slowly down her spine and caressing the cheeks of her ass. Meanwhile, Sam grasped his head, urging him to deepen the kiss by reciprocating his passion.
"I want you to teach me Jack. Teach me what you like, what you want."
Her words pleased him immeasurably. She wanted to pleasure him, wanted to know how.
"If you'll return the favor," he responded with a leer, "but we have plenty of time for that, Sam. A whole lifetime if we want it."
"A whole lifetime? Wow, that's quite something. Shouldn't we get this weekend out of the way first?"
He discerned no discomfort in her response, despite the words she chose, deciding to imbue them with a positive spin.
Their subsequent lovemaking became a frenzy of passion, slightly clumsy but intense. They both knew it was happening too quickly, carelessly and thoughtlessly, but it was happening and neither had the will or desire to stop it. The slow, gentle and thoughtful kind of lovemaking both of them yearned for deep down would have to wait its turn but that didn't seem to matter.
Afterwards, Jack took her in his arms and pulled her close, smoothing her back with contentment. His hand reached to comb through her hair.
"Gee, Jack, I didn't just dream that, did I?"
"It felt very real to me. If it was a dream, don't bother waking me."
He kissed her forehead, and then the tip of her nose, moving to her lips and then capturing her eyes with his.
"D-did it feel good Sam?"
"It was great Jack, so worth the wait. Surely you could tell?"
"Just checkin'," he grinned.
It had been great, although he believed it could be better, for both of them. This was their first time, so pretty damned great in the circumstances. Certainly not the disaster he'd feared. Once they'd loosened up and lost some of their inhibitions it had been very fine indeed. Now they had broken the barrier he knew that things could only get better. Next time he hoped they would be even less inhibited and neither of them needed to fear their sexual union again.
"How about you?" she asked, bashfully.
"God, Sam, it was." he didn't know what to say, "great?" his features broke into a crooked, shy smile and he squeezed her affectionately.
"I know I'm not as experienced as you so."
"No, don't Sam! You think I compare you to other women? You don't know anything about my sex life. Don't assume. this is unique and different. This is us. The sex and our feelings, they are forever inextricably linked."
"That's sounds quite wise."
"Ya think? Cool!"
Giving her a gentle squeeze he moulded himself to her, enjoying their embrace and the afterglow of their sexual rapture. It hadn't been quite how he had wanted to be, but regretting that was not a beneficial exercise. Now he had to look forward and he had a lot to look forward to.
"That was great," he told her quietly, "but I was sloppy and awkward. I guess I wanted this first time to be. to be perfect. I wanted to make love to you so slowly and sweetly, Sam, and instead I was a bull in a china shop."
"It didn't feel like that to me."
"Next time, later, you'll see, I promise."
"I said you didn't have to try and impress me, you idiot."
"I'm not a complete idiot. Some parts are missing," he joked to lighten the mood, and Sam laughed obligingly.
"Can't say I noticed," she retorted, equally light-heartedly and Jack caressed her tenderly.
They dozed cosily in each other's arms for a while and when Jack woke up he was ravenous, and desperate for caffeine. Sam heartily concurred about both so they got up and went to the kitchen to look through Jack's fridge and cupboards.
"I got eggs. Want eggs? Better idea, I'll drive up the street and buy take out. There is a fantastic Jewish bakery open on Sundays."
"Bagels?"
"And more. Not just Jewish stuff."
"Sounds good. Are you sure?"
"Won't take more than 10 minutes. You're worth going for."
"And you're worth waiting for."
"Am I imagining it or are we sounding like a couple of saps?"
"I guess it comes with being new to this."
"Yeah. I kinda like that feelin'."
"Me too."
With a smile he took her hand and kissed it delicately.
"You are so beautiful, Sam. And real hot when you're mussed up, and wearing one of my shirts, you know that?" he saw her blush at his compliment and fleetingly kissed her lips. "You make coffee and I'll get on a few more clothes."
He was dead right about the bakery and Sam thought he must have bought the shop when he staggered in, arms laden with bags: bagels, filled and plain, sweet and savoury, croissants, rolls, French bread and a wonderful looking granary loaf, as well as plenty of things to put in and spread on the delicacies. Sam's eyes widened when he also produced donuts and other sweet, spicy delicacies. The smell of cinnamon assailed her nostrils and she knew she had to have some of whatever produced that evocative aroma.
"Wow! We could eat for a week," she exclaimed.
"I wanted to give you some options."
"It all looks and smells delicious."
"Lox bagel?"
"That will do for starters."
They munched their way through some of the varied and wonderful baked titbits, washing it down with coffee and juice, until they were replete.
"There's a ton left!" Sam declared.
"We might get hungry again later. If not you could take the rest home, or into the SGC tomorrow and let the boys fight it out for the best of what's left."
"Daniel and Teal'c slugging it out over croissants and donuts? That paints a picture."
"Hank as referee? Daniel could talk Teal'c to death, but I'm bettin' I know who would win in a fist fight."
"Surprise me."
They grinned at each other inanely, enjoying the easy banter. Gone were the trembling nerves; fear had been vanquished.
"How about Cam?" Sam asked.
"Cam? You mean Mitchell? Cam, for crying out loud? Oy!"
"He's kind of sweet."
Jack felt an irrational surge of jealousy. Mitchell was a good-looking young stud who was a way better catch than he would ever be.
"You like him?"
"We get along okay. Yeah, I like him." She caught a fleeting hint of something quite unexpected in Jack's eyes before he shuttered them. "Do I detect a hint of jealousy?"
"Course not!"
She didn't believe him, thinking from his tone that he protested too much.
"I guess I should be flattered that you're jealous," she said and Jack looked down at the floor feeling foolish. "You're the man I want in my life Jack."
"And I'll be in Washington," he said quietly, deciding he had to play this game with Sam honestly, or not at all. He realised he was generally crap at expressing his feelings, but Sam deserved something better than the Jack O'Neill silent treatment, so he had to try.
"And I'll see him nearly every day, is that what worries you?"
"I'm just being irrational Dorothy," he responded in a Scarecrow type manner. She smiled and squeezed his hand at the use of that as a nickname. "I'm a grown man, but you make me feel something. Jeez, I feel like an adolescent and a mature man at the same time. How do you figure that?"
"Same here, Mr Scarecrow."
"Are you trying to suggest I have stuffing for brains?" he retorted with an arched eyebrows but a faintly amused smile.
"You certainly need something else between the ears if you think I have any interest in Cam. And I feel a little gawky too, by the way, although a lot less than I did yesterday, or the day before, or even this morning."
He moved his chair closer to hers and stroked her cheek softly with his thumb.
"It's just that. I have feelings for you Sam."
"Feelings?"
"Deep feelings."
"I have those for you too."
"I'm real happy about that."
"I so wish you didn't have to go back to Washington."
"So do I. But I don't have to leave for hours yet, so we should make the best of our time. You know, I never believed I could feel this deeply about anyone again. I just. wanted you to know. It's important to me. You're important to me."
"Oh, Jack!"
Getting up from her chair and sitting at his feet, she put her head in his lap and wrapped her arms around him as far as she could reach. Jack played with her hair and stoked her neck affectionately
"I'm not real good with words Sam, but I don't want to screw this up because I'm so crap at that. I think you need more and you sure deserve it. I need this relationship to be honest and true because it's got to be about the best thing to happen to me in years and no way am I jeopardising it."
"They sounded like great words to me."
"So I'm doin' okay?"
"You're doing fine."
Lifting her head from his lap, she kneeled and craned her neck to kiss him.
"It's early days yet, Sam, I still have plenty of time to make a total ass of myself." Before she could say anything he continued on a different theme, "My kitchen floor is so not the place to prostrate yourself at my feet, Dorothy," he joked, "wanna go get comfortable?"
"Wanna go back to bed, Mr Scarecrow?"
"Gotta admit, bed's pretty comfortable, and very appealing."
Helping her up as he rose, he put his arm around her waist and led her back to the bedroom. It was not his intention to seduce her, although he wouldn't say no to the opportunity, but simply to be close to her; as close as possible so that he could face the long days ahead without her in his arms. It bothered him that he felt like that already. Things were moving so fast he wasn't sure he could keep up with his own feelings; wasn't even sure he knew what they were, just that they were powerfully overwhelming.
"I don't know how often we'll get to see each other, Sam. Things can be pretty hectic for both of us," he said as they lay snuggling in each other's arms. He loved the feel of her naked skin against his, and against his fingertips as he fondled her lovingly.
"I know. I think I'm going to miss you Jack."
"Yeah, me too. Will you come to Washington sometime? I'd love you to come," he asked hopefully.
"Of course I'll come, Jack; whenever I can."
"And I'll come here as much as I can for as long as you want me to."
"Mr Scarecrow?"
"Yes Dorothy."
"Will you make love to me?"
"Anytime. Can't think of anything else I'd rather do."
This second round of lovemaking was exactly that. They took their time and it was an explorative, slow and gentle encounter, more like a Waltz than a Tango. Both experienced what they believed to be new sensations they'd never had before and much of that was down to their mutual feelings: friendship, affection, admiration, respect and, very possibly, love. Some of it arose from their eagerness to learn about each other's physical needs, which in turn fed their psychological ones.
After staying in bed canoodling for most of the day, they got up and tore into the food again. Jack packed his small weekend bag ready to leave for his plane and their mood became more sullen as they brooded on his imminent departure.
"Not enough time Jack."
"I know. Maybe I should go in the morning."
"You said you'd have a meeting. You would have to get up impossibly early. There may not be a flight."
Jack was hitching a military ride and wondered about arranging to pilot himself in future. That could partially solve some issues. He was a General in the air force, for crying out loud; that had to mean something.
"Probably not."
"And it will only make things harder."
"Yeah."
"Can I come see you off? I can drive you and arrange to return your rental."
"I so hate goodbyes. I've had to deal with way too many in my lifetime."
"You don't want me to come?" she was disappointed.
"Yes, I want you to come. Can't quite bear to part with you yet."
"I guess we'd better get going."
"Yeah, I guess."
Elation had turned to deflation. This was something else they were going to have to adjust too.
As Sam drove, Jack resisted the temptation to keep looking at her, or touch her. She wanted him to, but said nothing. They reached the base and Jack grabbed his bag from the back. This was it, the moment Sam had been dreading; Jack was returning to Washington. She fingered the heart he'd given her for her birthday.
"It says never alone, but you're going to leave me alone," she said.
"Never Sam. I'm with you, always. In here," he lightly touched her head, stroking her hair, "and I very much hope in here too," his hand rested on her breast, close to her heart.
"You are definitely very much in both places, Jack, bold as brass and very sexy with it "
"Good. I want to stay there as long as possible."
"I want you to too."
They found his plane and the pilot was climbing aboard, getting ready to fly.
"General O'Neill?" he saluted smartly. "Welcome aboard, sir."
"At ease, Captain. Give me a minute."
Eyeing Sam, the pilot could see why the General wanted a minute. Hell, he'd take as many minutes as possible with that woman. Lucky guy.
"Take care of yourself Sam. I'll call," Jack said, pulling her into a final embrace and kissing her goodbye.
"This isn't goodbye Jack. You take care too. Don't let the politicians get you down."
"I'll try. Sam, I'm so happy this happened. I nearly lost you, nearly let you go."
"I nearly let you got too. Won't be doing that again in a hurry."
"Me neither." He started to board in the plane and turned for a final word, a gleam in his eyes. "Dorothy, next time, I want to see you wearing those sexy red shoes!"
"Yeahsureyabetchya, Mr Scarecrow."
She executed a perfectly formed salute, a big smile on her face but with tears welling up behind her eyes, and he saluted back, turning and boarding the plane, not looking back again because he couldn't bear too. Sam watched the plane taxi down the runway feeling slightly forlorn. This was such an anti-climax to her wonderful weekend with Jack.
As she got into the car to drive away, Sam fingered the heart he had given her and it cheered her soul because, although she was alone right now, she knew that she never really would be again.
***************
End
Story Notes: Sequel/Series Info: Sequel to Never Alone: Birth of a Weekend
Status: Series
Author's Note: Once more written to fulfil the weekly fic challenge on the As the Stargate Turns Yahoo Group, in this case to include the phrase "But I thought you wore thongs?" and/or the word 'tango'. This story contains both. Thanks very much folks for the feedback requesting more. My muse if obviously driven by it. This fic is not beta read so please forgive any errors. Hopefully there are few or none.
Status: Series
Author's Note: Once more written to fulfil the weekly fic challenge on the As the Stargate Turns Yahoo Group, in this case to include the phrase "But I thought you wore thongs?" and/or the word 'tango'. This story contains both. Thanks very much folks for the feedback requesting more. My muse if obviously driven by it. This fic is not beta read so please forgive any errors. Hopefully there are few or none.
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 ]