samandjack.net

Story Notes: SEQUEL/SEASON INFO: Masks, Reflective Thoughts, and some of Season 3

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Different character points of view are used throughout the story. *~*~ Denotes a change in a character's point of view or to denote a new scene. * Denotes what someone is thinking or something written. There is a reference late in the story concerning "calf fries," which refers to the castrated part of a bull, often referred to as Rocky Mountain Oysters. These organs may be fried and eaten and are considered a treat by some people. Please note that this author chooses not to try the delicacy, so I'm only reflecting what others have told me. Thanks for taking the time to read this before the story. I hope you enjoy the story, your feedback is appreciated.


*****



I think it was the smell of the freshly brewed coffee that woke me up. I took a quick look at my surroundings and realized that I was home. I then remembered that Janet had spent the night and she must have gotten up and started the coffee. I wandered out into the kitchen and found Janet sitting there with a cup of coffee and a newspaper.

"Sam, how do you feel this morning?" Janet asked.

"Better, thanks. Sorry about last night" I replied.

"That's what friends are for" she replied.

I walked over and gave her a hug. She then informed me that I was a terrible housekeeper. I was surprised at her comment because the place was clean. She smiled and told me that she was talking about my empty refrigerator. I advised her that I had planned on going shopping last weekend but that I never got around to it. She said that she was going to cook breakfast but since there was nothing to fix we would have to go out.

At that time her beeper went off and I practically jumped a foot off the ground. Janet went over to the living room and called the number on her beeper. She told the caller to hold on and got a note pad and pen from her medical bag, then turned her back to me and took the call. She said okay in the phone every once in a while and I could tell that she was writing down information that they were giving her.

"Thank you Lieutenant. I appreciate your help. No I won't be in today, but you can beep me if you need me" Janet said.

My heart sank to my stomach. She told the Lieutenant that she was not going to be in today, that meant that she was probably going to be helping me through a rough time. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. I heard Janet sniffle and could tell that she was wiping her eyes, then she turned around to face me. The moment of truth had come, time to reveal the results. In an instant I started thinking of things that I still needed to do before I became too sick to do them. I was brought back to reality when Janet cleared her throat.

"Sam, now that all of the tests have been run I can properly inform you of the results" Janet said.

I was on pins and needles, and was feeling like I was going to throw up any second now. I just wish she would tell me.

"You do not have any sexually transmitted diseases, and you tested negative for HIV. You're clean Sam!"

I screamed and then jumped up and hugged Janet. We were both crying on each other's shoulders, we were both so happy with the results.

"Negative... Negative!" I said.

We stood there for a few minutes rejoicing in the news. I asked Janet why she was crying and she said that one of the reasons was because she was afraid for me. She cleared her throat and then said that it was also because she was feeling guilty for encouraging me to take a chance with my partner at the masquerade ball. I told her that she did not make me do anything, I did it of my own free will.

Janet then sat me down on the sofa and gave me a safe sex speech. I played close attention to everything that she was saying. When she finished she seemed so shocked that I had paid so close attention. I told her that after what I had been through, I would think about everything that she had said. She told me that she was glad to hear that. She advised that she would soon be giving the same speech to Cassie.

She told me to take a shower so she could get cleaned up after me. She said that she was going to take me out for a late breakfast. I told her that it was my treat, she smiled and said it was a deal. I then went off to take a shower.

During my shower I realized that I had gotten a second chance on life. I knew that I had forgone too many things in my life always expecting to have time to do them later. I realized that I needed to change my life style a little. I needed to put things into perspective and learn to enjoy the little things around me.

I got out of the shower and walked into the living room and heard Janet telling someone on the phone that she had to go. She then told the person that she loved them and missed them too. After she hung up I asked her if there was a new man in her life. She smiled and said that she was working on it, but that was Cassie on the phone.

Janet took a quick shower and we went out for brunch and then did some shopping. While walking in the mall parking lot, I stopped and looked up at the sky, thinking what a beautiful day it really was. Janet asked me what I was thinking about, and if it was a man. I told her that I was just reflecting on how lucky I was to have a second chance on life and how I needed to make the best of my time.

We returned to my house and made some snacks. I put away my things from our shopping trip and was beginning to wonder why Janet was still here. Mind you that I didn't mind her company, it was just that I knew that she was anxious to get back to Cassie. I was back in the bedroom when I heard the doorbell ring.

I came out to see who it was and saw Janet heading for the door. The door suddenly flew open and in ran a beautiful red hair young girl. Cassie ran up to Janet and gave her a big hug and told her that she missed her.

I came out and squatted down in the hallway with my arms extended.

"Hi Cassie. Got a hug for me too?" I asked.

Cassie then ran towards me and knocked me over with her enthusiastic hug. I was on the floor with Cassie lying on top of me and we were both laughing.

"Janet said that you weren't feel very good. You must be better because now you're laughing. It's so good to hear you laugh" Cassie said.

"Thank you sweetie" I replied.

"I agree. I like hearing you laugh again" was said in a husky voice.

I recognized the voice and turned to see Col. O'Neill smile at us as he approached us. He helped Cassie up and was helping me up when Janet called Cassie into the kitchen.

"It really is good to hear you laughing and see you smiling again Sam" he said.

"Thanks Jack. I think it's been long over due myself."

Jack was still holding onto my hand and arm even after I was standing up. I started to get that queezing feeling again in my stomach because of his close proximity. He was slow to release his grip, and then pulled me in for a hug.

"Janet told me that you were feeling better. I really am glad to hear that, we all are" Jack said.

He then broke the hug and stepped back.

*Wait a minute, did I hear him right? Did he say that 'he' was glad to hear that or did he mean he as a part of the entire team?*

I shook my head for a moment and realized that I was falling back into the same old habit. I knew that I had to stop that. Jack asked me if I was okay. I got control of myself and told him that I was okay and stepped towards the kitchen to find Janet and Cassie.

We all sat around talking for a bit when Cassie said that she was hungry. We looked at each other and knew exactly where we were going for dinner.

"I call the dinner place. I call pizza" shouted Cassie.

Janet asked Cassie if she wanted to go somewhere else. She said no, then immediately asked if Daniel and Teal'c could join us. A minute later we caught Daniel at home and he agreed to go pick Teal'c up for dinner. He asked if it was the usual place and we said that it was. He commented that he was wondering why he even bothered to ask about the restaurant.



*~*~*~*~*~*~*



We met Daniel and Teal'c at the restaurant, ordered our dinner and barely managed to grab a table before Cassie and Jack ran off to the video game area. When the pizza came Cassie just cruised by the table, inhaled a couple of pieces of pizza and ran off with Teal'c to show him the bop the hamsters on the head game.

"You know I've eaten more pizza in the last year or two than I ever ate as a child" Daniel said.

At about that time we looked up and saw Cassie standing right beside Daniel with her hands on her hips and she was tapping her foot.

"And what's wrong with pizza?" Cassie asked.

"Nothing, nothing at all Cassie" Daniel replied as he quickly grabbed a piece of pizza.

Cassie told Daniel that it was her turn to choose where they ate and she wanted pizza. She then got a couple of inches from Daniel's face.

"So what's wrong with pizza? It tastes good" Cassie said.

"Cassie my dear, I would eat pizza any time of the day if you asked me. As a matter of fact I would eat dirt for you." Daniel smiled and gave her a big hug.

"Daniel you're just acting silly now" she replied.

"Am not!" replied Daniel in a childish manner.

"Yes you are."

"Am not."

"Are"

"Not"

"Are too!"

"Oh I am not, and I challenge you to a game of skee ball. The winner gets the other's tickets" Daniel said.

"You're on!" Cassie said.

Daniel and Cassie then ran off to the skee ball area. Janet excused herself saying that she was going to keep an eye on Cassie to make sure she didn't take advantage of Uncle Daniel.

I turned my attention back to the table where Teal'c was staring at me. He then looked over at Jack and motioned for him to talk.

"Sam we all wanted you to know how worried we all were for you. We also wanted to tell you that if at any time you ever need anything, anything at all, we will all be there to help" Jack said.

I got up and gave each of them a hug and told them how much I appreciated their concern for me. I also apologized for scaring them because Janet had told me what a fuss each of them had express to her about my health.

Then Teal'c turned his head to the side, he was looking at something in the arcade area of the restaurant.

"Colonel O'Neill, is the purpose of the 'Bop the Hamsters' game used to train earth children to do battle in the future?" Teal'c said.

It took a lot of effort on both of our parts not to crack up. We then explained that this was just a way for the kids to have fun. Teal'c commented on how it odd that we would want to train our children by hitting hamsters on the head. We finally couldn't hold it in any longer and let go of a good laugh. At about that time the rest of the crew had returned from the skee ball area.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



About an hour later we were on our way back to my house. Janet, Cassie and I were riding with Jack. I remember that I had picked up my car keys when Jack said that he would prefer that I take it easy and volunteered to drive us to the restaurant. By the time we got to the house Daniel and Teal'c were waiting on the front porch. We all went inside and the adults started talking while Cassie popped in her favorite videotape.

I yawned and looked over at the clock and was shocked to see that it was already 2200HRS. Janet said that she had to get Cassie home and told everyone that they should let me get some rest. The guys then got up and headed towards the door, with Teal'c carrying Cassie in his strong arms.

Janet pulled me aside and handed me a small bottle. She advised that they were tranquilizers and that I should take one if I had any trouble falling asleep. I told her that I felt that now since I had found out the results, I would probably have a restful night of sleep. She said that she would leave them there for me just in case and to call if I needed anything.

I gave her a hug and told her that she was the best friend ever for sticking with me through this. She said that was what true friends were there for.

I walked her out to her vehicle and saw that Teal'c had secured Cassie in Janet's vehicle and was walking over to Daniel's vehicle. Daniel and Teal'c both turned and looked over at me and then over to Jack. All three guys then walked up towards me. Each of them gave me a hug and told me that they were glad that I was feeling better.

Daniel hugged me a little bit tighter than usual and told me not to ever scare him like that. Due to the brightness of the full moon, I could see that his eyes were starting to tear up. He told me that I was a part of his family and he couldn't stand to loose any more family members. I had to wipe my eyes dry after hearing that.

I looked over to Jack who had returned back to his vehicle and was just staring at me. He then got in his vehicle and pulled out. Everyone filed out of the driveway after that and I started walking up to my house. A pair of headlights then shinned back in the driveway and I turned around to see who it was.

Jack stuck his head out of his Cherokee and told me that he believes that he left his wallet on the sofa and asked me to please get it for him. I told him that I would be right back. I ran into the house and looked on the sofa but didn't find it. I came back outside and told Jack that I couldn't find it. He then turned off his vehicle, got out and said he would help me find it.

Suddenly a chill came over me and something inside of me told me to turn around and look behind me. I turned around and saw a man walking up my driveway. The moon was so bright that it was causing a nearby tree to cast shadows in the driveway.

Again the cold chill hit me. There he was, he was walking through the shadows and walking towards me. He looked up and I could see that his mustache was even bushier than before. I was shocked and was wondering how he found me.

He then walked out of the shadows and I realized that it was not my southern gentleman from the masquerade party, but instead it was my commanding officer. I turned quickly and ran into the house. I sat down in the chair and sat right on top of Jack's wallet.

I grabbed his wallet and started looking through it. I don't know why I was doing this or what I was looking for, I just knew that I had to look. Then I spotted it. I grabbed his wallet and put it in my back pocket and ran for the bathroom as I heard Jack enter my house.

"Sam, where are you?" Jack said.

"In the bathroom. I seem to have gotten something in my eye. I'll be right out" I said.

"Did you find my wallet?"

"Not yet. Why don't you look around to try and find it. I'll be right out Jack."

My hands were shaking as I reached to open the vanity drawer in my bathroom. I removed a small case and realized that my shaking was getting worse.

"Sam, I can't seem to find it in here. I'm going to check outside to see if I dropped it in the yard" Jack said.

"Jack, can you wait a minute. I need your help with something" I shouted from the bathroom.

"Sure, what's wrong?" he asked.

I looked up in the mirror wondering if this was going to backfire on me. I decided that I would go ahead with my plan and face the consequences later. I then walked into the living room looking down and had one hand over one eye.

"Jack, I seem to have something in my eye. Could you check and see if there is something in it?" I asked.

"Here, let me have a look " he said , tilting my head up.

I then tightly closed both of my eyes as I removed my hand from my face.

"Sam, you have to open your eyes so that I can see what's in them" Jack said. "Sam, open your eyes so I can see them."

I then opened my eyes and looked directly into his eyes. I could see confusion in his eyes and that he was fixated on my eyes. Suddenly he stepped back away from me.

"Whoa! I thought your eyes were blue" he said.

"They are Jack. Is there something wrong?"

"Blue. Your eyes are suppose to be blue."

"They are Jack. What's wrong, is there something in my eye?"

"Green...they're green, not blue" he said.

"Oh those must be my green contacts" I replied.

I could tell that Jack was really confused. He took a couple of steps back and sat in the armchair in the living room. He was looking down trying to figure out what was going on, but I decided not to let him have the upper hand.

I walked over to the chair where he was sitting, leaned down and lifted his chin up so that he was looking at me as I spoke.

"So Jack, have you seen these green eyes before? Think about it very carefully."

I could see that he was racking his brain for an answer, but it wasn't forthcoming quick enough. I then pushed his chest back so that he sat back in the chair. I kneeled on top of the chair so that I straddled Jack, with my knees braced on the arms of the chair. I leaned down to Jack and again lifted his chin up.

"Maybe this will help" I cooed as I leaned down.

I then kissed him gently at first and then put a little bit more passion into it. He seemed surprised at first, and took a moment to respond in a favorable fashion. I broke the kiss and leaned back and saw that he was still puckered up.

"Do you remember now or do you still need a clue?" I asked.

I removed his wallet from my rear pocket and dropped it in his lap. He jumped when it hit his lap. I then removed a picture from my rear pocket and put it in front of his face.

"Where did you get that" he said as he reached for the picture I held in my hand.

I pulled the picture back and told him that I had not removed anything from his wallet and told him to check his wallet if he didn't believe me.

"Where did you get that picture?" he demanded.

"Think about it Jack. There is only one place I could have gotten this picture, the masquerade ball."

He was silent for a moment and then responded, "That was you?"

"Now do you remember?" I said as I leaned down and kissed him.

I lowered myself into his lap as we kissed. It suddenly occurred to me that this was a mistake because he was not kissing me back.

"What the hell is going on here Sam?"

Upon hearing this it snapped me back to reality. My plan had backfired and I realized what a big mistake I had made.

I scooted back and was removing myself from the armchair when he reached up to hold onto me. I pushed his hands aside and quickly dislodged myself from the chair and took a couple of steps back.

"Time for you to go Colonel." I said in a sad tone.

He sat there for a moment and then looked up at me.

"Time for you to go Colonel" I said in a stern tone.

He slowly got up out of the chair and started walking towards the door that I was now holding open. He then leaned over to kiss me and I pulled back away from him, causing him to kiss the air.

"Good Night Colonel O'Neill" I said and saluted him.

I could tell that he was off balance and I was reveling in this feeling. I had finally managed to shake the unshakable Colonel Jack O'Neill. From the first day I had walked into the SGC he had me off balance, but now the tables were turned and he was off balance. Deep down I knew that I was doing the right thing.

He stepped outside the door, I closed and locked the door behind him. I turned off the porch light and then proceeded to turn off all of the lights in the front part of the house. My heart was breaking in two from my actions. It hurt so much but I kept on trying to remind myself that I would survive and that things would get better.

I grabbed a beer out of the refrigerator and sat down in the living room and put my favorite movie in the VCR, but after a couple of minutes not even the movie could change my attitude. I was mad but I wasn't sure if I was mad at Jack for not responding the way I was hoping, or if I was mad at myself for my actions. I had followed my heart and not my head and again it got me into a mess.

In my mind I pictured an old scene from a Laurel & Hardy skit where they do their famous line, "Well here's another fine mess you've gotten me into." I was sure that this was what my mind was telling my heart. I should have left well enough alone and never revealed who Scarlet was to Jack.

I finished my beer, secured the house and went to bed. I looked at the bottle of pills that Janet left for me but decided that I wouldn't need them. I figure that now that I know the truth I won't be having any more nightmares.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



I woke up to the sound of the phone ringing. I looked at the clock and saw that it was 0043HRS. I thought about who could be calling me at this time of the night.

"Hello" I said in a sleepy tone.

"Sam...I need to" a husky voice uttered before I hung up on him.

I then looked over at my Caller ID box and confirmed my suspicions, it was Jack. The phone rang again and again it showed Jack was calling. I then got up and turned off all of the ringers on all of the phones. I returned to bed, turned over and punched my pillow thinking that I would punch him out if he called again.

I had just rolled over and was dozing back to sleep when I heard a ringing sound in the living room. It would ring several times and then stop, then start up again. Apparently it was my cellular phone and my call notes was picking it up. I reluctantly got out of bed and went into the living room. I reached into my purse and pulled out my cellular phone. At that time I saw that Jack was calling on that line, so I turned the phone off.

I went back into the bedroom and crawled back into bed. It seems as if I had just fallen asleep when I was awaken by my beeper going off. I checked it just in case it was someone at the SGC, but it was Jack. I recognized his number. I turned my beeper off and toss it onto the bed as I again got out of bed.

I then realized that his next move would be to probably come over to my house. I got up and turned on the porch light so he would not fall on my front steps and then went back to the bedroom. I went to my closet and pulled out a small suitcase and packed enough things for a couple of days. I took my cellular phone in case of emergency, but would leave it off until that time. I changed into some jeans and a sweatshirt and headed out to the garage with my suitcase. I threw the suitcase into the back seat of my vehicle and hit the garage door opener. I quickly pulled out of the driveway and headed out to I-25. I knew that I had to get away and that the only safe place would be out of town, as soon as I hit the city limits I hit the accelerator and left my worries behind.



*~*~*~*~*~*~*



Now I was getting annoyed. She was not answering her home phone, her cellular and now she was ignoring her beeper. I had been calling her rentlessly in an attempt to explain my actions. I was really getting concerned because she wouldn't answer. I got dressed and decided to go talk to her in person. She needed to hear my side of the story.

I got into my Jeep Cherokee and drove quickly to Sam's house. I could see that her porch light was now on and so I went up to the door and knocked. There was no answer and so I knocked louder. After a few minutes no one answered and so I decided to go check her bedroom window from the back. When I got back there I saw that her beeper was laying on top of the made up bed and there was no sign of Sam.

I went down the street and got a cup of coffee at a local convenience store and parked in her driveway to wait for her. I was going to catch her the moment she got back and try to explain things.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~



I remember seeing the sign saying that I was entering Pueblo and couldn't remember a bit of the roadway between here and Colorado Springs. I saw a sign advertising the Royal Gorge bridge and thought that it would be nice to see the sun rising over the bridge and the river. I looked at my watch and saw that I still had several hours to go. I pulled off of I-25 and turned onto Highway 50 towards the Royal Gorge bridge.

I had been on the road and was approaching the turn off for the bridge when I saw a sign showing how much further it was to Salida. Suddenly something clicked in my mind. I remember watching on the Sci-Fi channel that there were recent reports of possible alien sightings around that area.

Instead of turning off to go to the bridge, I continued down Highway 50 towards Salida. I thought that this might be interesting. After all I had visited my share of alien worlds and seen aliens, so why not see if they were really visiting us.

Just outside of town I stopped at a field that I had seen on the television set where it said that the aliens had landed, but there was no evidence to reflect that claim. I kept on driving through the sleepy little town thinking how quaint it was. I was about to take Highway 285 back Colorado Springs when I saw a sign showing the way to Monarch Pass. I was in a gambling mood so I edged my car to the right to follow the road up the pass.

I had been on the road for about 10 minutes when I spotted what looked like a lodge on the left side of the roadway which had a large butterfly on it. I pulled over into the parking lot of the Monarch Lodge and decided that I was really too tired to continue. I went in and checked into the lodge.

The front desk clerk advised that there were pamphlets in the room advertising some of the points of interest for the summer. I told him that I would think about it later and staggered up to my room. As soon as I got into my room I flopped down on the bed.



*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and checked the front door to see if Sam had triggered any of my signal markers, but they were undisturbed. I stretched the kinks out of my body that I got from sleeping in my vehicle. I went into her backyard and saw that nothing inside the house was disturbed. It finally dawned on me that she wasn't planning on coming back soon.

Now I was mad. I sat out there all night waiting for her and she wasn't coming back any time soon. I was tired of waiting for her. I had wanted to talk to her to explain my shock at the discovery, but she never gave me a chance.

I then decided that I had enough, two could play this game. I got back into my Jeep and headed for home. Once I was home I checked my answering machine just in case she may have called, but there were no messages. I walked back into the bedroom and decided that I would take a short nap, but when I woke up it was late afternoon. I found that I had been hugging a pillow instead of her and launched the pillow across the bedroom. I wish I had been hugging her. I needed a distraction so I gathered my stuff and went to the gym to go work out.

After two hours of a very hard work out I returned home expecting to see a message on my answering machine. I was happy when I saw that there were four messages on my machine. I hit the play back button and was shocked when I discovered that none of them were from Sam. I thought she would call, but she didn't. Now I was getting concerned about her.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~



I woke up to the sound of maid knocking on the door. I allowed her to make up the room and went downstairs to reserve the room for another night. At that time the clerk talked to me about the different forms of entertainment available during the summer.

I decided to take advantage of the horseback ride at sunset which gave me time to do some exploring around the area. I went back into Salida to check with the local newspaper about any possible alien sightings. As I was driving back to the lodge, I realized that I was happy to be doing something away from Cheyenne Mountain and something that didn't involve the entire team. Yet in a way I wished that they were here to share in my excitement.



*~*~*~*~*~*~*



Monday morning I showed up a little bit early so that I could fix the coffee in the lab the way that I liked it. I was tired of the regurgitated slop that they called coffee. It tasted more like mud to me.

I opened the door to my lab and found that everything was a mess. Papers were scattered all around, but the person who did this must still be here because I could hear some papers being shuffled around on the other side of my lab counter. I rushed around the corner and found a person squatting down, looking at my papers.

Using my foot, I pushed on their backside and their body went sprawling across the floor. I looked down and realized that it was Daniel. I asked what he was doing here. He apologized for make a mess and promised to clean it up. We talked as we cleaned up things and he explained that he was looking for some results of the mud that we brought back from P5X335.

General Hammond came in as we were picking up things. He informed the two of us that our mission scheduled for tomorrow morning had been postponed and that we were on stand down for the next few days, but not to leave the base. Daniel and I looked at each other in an obvious state of confusion. General Hammond then advised that Colonel O'Neill was out on temporary loan to SG-3. He said that Colonel Makepeace had gotten sick and Colonel O'Neill was substituting for him. He said that Colonel O'Neill would be back in a few days. He then turned and left the room, leaving the two of us stunned by this news.

That evening Janet came by my quarters and asked me if I wanted to join her for dinner. During dinner I asked her what she was still doing here. She advised that she had been asked by the General to stay behind for possible medical reasons. She heard that SG-3 had contacted the SGC advising that they were under attack, but were going back to rescue SG-8. Janet advised that apparently SG-8's mission had gone bad and SG-3 had been sent to retrieve them, but that too went bad. She said that they were on standby in the infirmary and awaiting the return of SG-3 and SG-8.

Janet looked very seriously at me and asked if I was okay. I told her that I was and asked her why she said that. She said that she knew that I was probably concerned about Col. O'Neill, and I told her that I was concerned about everyone on SG-3 and SG-8.

Janet then asked me what happened this last weekend. She said that she was constantly bombarded by phone calls from Col. O'Neill. I was happy to hear that, but was sorry that she had received the brunt of the calls.

"Sam, he was asking me if I knew where you were. So where were you this weekend?" Janet asked.

"Well Col. O'Neill had been calling my house so much that I had enough. I packed a bag and left town for some peace and quiet" I replied.

"Well it must have been nice because you look rather rested" she replied.

I thanked Janet for the compliment and told her that it was just what the doctor ordered. She then asked me if there was something going on between Col. O'Neill and myself. I told her that there was not and there never would be, and reminded her that it was against regulations.

She asked what I meant by there never would be. I told her that he found out some information about me and based on his reaction there could never be anything between us. Janet frowned and asked if I had told him about the possible AIDS scare. I told her it was something else. I asked her to keep the AIDS scare our secret and she said she would.

The klaxon alarm sounded, denoting off world activation. This sound saved me from having to explain further to Janet what I was talking about. In a flash she was up and running out of the cafeteria towards the embarkation room. I was hot on her heels, only I went up into the control room.



*~*~*~*~*~*~*



I took a seat at the one of the free keyboard stations and saw that we had just received a transmitter code from SG-8. We opened the iris and two members tumbled out of the wormhole. Just then two more members came out of the wormhole with their backs to us and their weapons drawn. Then several members of SG-3 backed out of the wormhole with the guns blazing showing that they were in an obvious fire fight. There was no sign of Col. O'Neill. We were all on pins and needles waiting to see if anyone else would come through. Then someone came diving out of the wormhole yelling for us to get down. Energy from a staff weapon came through the wormhole and hit the back wall of the embarkation room, just below the control room. Col. O'Neill was yelling for us to close the iris, and General Hammond gave the identical command at the same time. A big thud hit the iris moments after it was closed.

General Hammond was immediately en route to the embarkation room, but I stayed up in the control room. I could hear General Hammond asking Col. O'Neill if he was okay and to get checked out. He informed Col. O'Neill that debriefing would be in two hours and walked out of the room.

SG-3 and SG-8 filed out of the room to the showers and infirmary to get cleaned up and have their injuries tended to by the medical staff. I sat there watching as Jack was the last one to leave. I kept hoping that he would look up at the control room, but he just walked out without looking up. I wonder if he knew I was up there watching?

General Hammond returned to the control room and advised that SG-1 was no longer restricted to the base and that we could go home. He advised me to inform Daniel that we were expected back at 0700HRS on Thursday and that we would continue our mission at that time if Col. O'Neill was feeling up to it.

I went to tell Daniel and Teal'c the news. Daniel was practically out the door the moment I said it. I was wondering if he had a hot date or something. It just so happened that I was now on the same floor as the debriefing room about 5 minutes after the debriefing had concluded. I was planning on talking to Jack about what happened at my house.

I looked through the group as they were exiting the room but I did not see Col. O'Neill with them. After a minute I stuck my head into the debriefing room but no one was there. I went by his quarters and knocked but there was no answer. I know that we needed to talk before the mission and settle our misunderstanding.

I decided to go home and would try to contact him in the morning. When I arrived home there was a small white box on my front porch with a note attached. I opened the note and observed that it was typed, so I could not recognize the handwriting. The note read, *An Orchid flower is very delicate and so are you. Hope to talk to you soon.* It was only signed *?*. I opened the box I saw contained a beautiful orchid. This was rather exciting to receive this type of gift. I looked around trying to see if someone was hiding, hoping to find Jack. Unfortunately there was no one around.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~



A pair of eyes were watching Samantha Carter through binoculars. The person watching smiled as he observed her pick up the flower and inhale its fragrance. He knew that he had made the right decision by giving her the flower. He turned on his vehicle, made a U-turn and drove away from where he had been watching for her.



*~*~*~*~*~*~*



I turned on my phone, cellular phone, and beeper in case someone wanted to call me. Unfortunately no one but Janet and Cassie called me. They were both just checking up on me. I was enjoying the two days off and was ready to get back to work by the time Thursday rolled around.

I again showed up early at the SGC, hoping to catch Jack and talk with him. I knew that we had to settle this issue before going out on the mission.

I bumped into General Hammond in the hall and he asked what I was doing here. I reminded him that we were supposed to report for a mission briefing at 0800HRS this morning. He looked at his watch and advised me that it was 0600HRS and asked why I was here so early. I advised him that I had some things to do before the mission. He said that he was on his way to call me and advise me that SG-1 was again on stand down. I asked why.

General Hammond advised that Col. O'Neill had been in the hallway last night and learned that Major Castleman had broken his leg, leaving SG-4 without a team leader. He said Col. O'Neill had volunteered, advising the planet that SG-1 was scheduled to travel to was really not much more than a mission to allow Daniel to do his thing. He advised that since SG-4 was returning to a world where there had been problems before, he would like to volunteer to help out. He said that he hesitated in letting him go, but Col. O'Neill insisted on going. General Hammond advised that SG-4 had just left 30 minutes ago and he was on his way to inform the rest of my team about the change.

Well Jack had managed to avoid me again. Now I was positive that Jack was trying to avoid talking to me on purpose. His feelings were now obvious to me.

General Hammond advised that SG-1 was on stand down for 48 hours. I decided to spend the time off base.

I drove home and as I turned into the driveway I again saw a small white box. Again there was a note attached, but it was computer generated.

*Glad you liked the orchid I sent you before. Here is another flower to brighten up your day, you certainly brighten mine when ever I see you.*

I opened the box and inhaled the fragrance of the flower. I looked around but did not see anyone in the area. Now I was beginning to get a bad feeling about this. Once is okay, but twice is a little bit spooky. Who could have done this. I know that it wasn't any member of my team so I was curious as to who it could be.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~



I went back to the SGC the next day in order to run a couple of other tests on some samples another team had brought back. I had been passing the control room and heard the klaxon alarm go off. I stepped into the control room and watched as the iris opened after receiving a transmitter code from SG-4.

The group returned with Col. O'Neill being the last through the wormhole. They were advised that debriefing would be in an hour. I looked down into the embarkation room just as Jack looked up at the control room, and for a brief moment our eyes met. He looked away and then walked out of the room.

I made a point of being around the debriefing room when SG-4 finished. I waited but I did not see Col. O'Neill come out. I looked in the room and did not see him either. I asked some of the team if they had seen Col. O'Neill and they said that he was headed for the infirmary. I went to the infirmary but he was not there. I checked his quarters but no one answered when I knocked.



*~*~*~*~*~*~*



I listened to her footsteps as they went down the hallway. I knew that this was a chicken way out, but I could not stand to face her. When I looked up at her in the control room earlier I could see her contempt for me in her eyes. I knew that I had been right to take the other missions. The extra time allowed us to sort out our feelings and now I know how she feels about me.

I decided that I would have to make sure that I don't mess up again like that, it could cost both of us our jobs. I would have to resort back to the same mind mode of when I first went through the Stargate to Abydos. Do my job and get the members of my team back safely. I had to take control of myself and stop flirting with her. Now I realize that there is no room for me in her life.

What I needed was a night of poker with the guys. I went by to see Makepeace in the infirmary and Dr. Fraiser said that he would be released later today but that he had to take it easy. I promised that I would make sure of that. I then made arrangements to have the poker night at his house with his team, SG-4 and my team.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~



"Sam, wait up" Daniel shouted as he exited the mountain into the parking lot.

"What's up Daniel?" I asked.

"Nothing, much. I was wondering what time you were going to show up at the poker game tonight?"

"Oh, I almost forgot about it" I said.

"Well don't forget it is a BYOB night, and to bring extra money" he said.

I thought that it was unusual for it to be a BYOB poker night, but I just shrugged it off. Daniel then asked what time I was going to show up and I told him the usual time. He said that he was going over to Makepeace's house early so that he could choose a winning table. I was shocked to hear that the poker game had moved to Makepeace's house, I didn't hear anything about that.

"I forgot...what's the address Daniel?" I asked.

He gave me the address but I did not pay attention. I smiled at Daniel and told him that I would probably get there at 1900HRS and help set up. He said that he would be there at 1930HRS.

Daniel went off to his vehicle and I stood there wondering why Jack had not told me about the change in the Friday night poker game. While standing there I felt a chill come over me. Something inside told me that I was being watched. I stopped and started looking all around the parking lot to see who was watching me. I did not see anyone but I somehow knew that I was being watched.



*~*~*~*~*~*~*



I got to my car and turned around and looked at Sam. She had stopped and was looking around the entire parking lot. She smiled and waved at me. I got into my car and started it up and sat there watching her. She continued looking around as if she was trying to find something but I could not tell what. I decided that I would ask her about it tonight.

As I was driving off I began to wonder if I had done the right thing inviting Sam to the poker game tonight. Jack had mentioned that it was a poker night for the guys, but I was sure that he meant Sam was invited. She was always invited to the poker games, she was a part of the team.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~



When I got home I didn't see a white box on my porch. As a matter of fact there wasn't anything on the porch. In a way that made me happy, but in a way I was disappointed. I kind of liked the idea of having a secret admirer. I just wish it would have been Jack. I know that this was not his style and from the way that he looked at me this afternoon I realized that my fantasy about him was over, there could never be anything between us.

I went into the bedroom and pulled out my suitcase. Since we were on a 72 hour stand down, I was going up to the lodge again. I was hoping to do some white water rafting this weekend if the river was up high enough.

I put my suitcase in the trunk of my car and backed out of my driveway. As I was backing out I had the feeling that someone was watching me. I checked around but could not see anyone. I decided to try and figure out where they could be hiding so I drove around the block and down several neighboring streets, but none of the vehicles or people looked out of place. I then headed for the lodge, knowing that all of my tension would ease once I got there. It was rapidly becoming my favorite place to go because there I was just Sam Carter, another tourist there to relax.



*~*~*~*~*~*~*



As she pulled away from the house a pair of eyes followed her. They observed her drive around several streets. He made a mental note to himself to try and find a better viewing spot not so obvious to her. She pulled out of the neighborhood and the driver started to follow her. She got on the Interstate and he followed her until she made her turn off onto Highway 115. He decided that he would follow her another day. Right now he had other things to do.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~



When I arrived at Makepeace's house there were a few cars there but I didn't recognize anyone's car, not even Jack's. I knocked on the door and Makepeace answered it, inviting me in. I entered carrying a 12 pack of Jack's favorite beer, a small bag of loose change and a box of popcorn for the microwave.

"Glad to see you brought some supplies Dr. Jackson. I just hope that you're ready to depart with your money. By the way I do accept checks to cover your debts" Col. Makepeace said.

Makepeace said that Jack had left a while ago to get some supplies and that he past due but should be back soon enough. I offered to help Makepeace set up the tables.

We were setting up the tables and the guys started to arrive. SG-3 arrived with beer in hand just as the pizza man drove up. Makepeace had ordered 15 pizzas, so he was obviously expecting a crowd.

About thirty minutes after the games had started Jack showed up. Makepeace asked him what kept him. He said that he had to find a money machine and a place to give him some change. Makepeace said that he hoped he wasn't attached to his money because it was about to be lifted by an expert.

After a while I settled in on the same table where Jack and several SG-3 members were playing. Jack was doing rather well at taking my money. I was really getting discouraged until Teal'c came over to watch. He asked Jack where Major Carter was and I noticed that Jack's facial expression changed. I folded and continued to watch Jack's actions. Every time Carter's name was mentioned Jack seemed to loose his train of thought. That was his Achilles Heel. Now I could hardly wait until the next hand, I had a feeling that things would start looking richer for me.

A couple of hands later the majority of the pot had come to rest in front of me. Most of the guys were leaving and the rest were starting to clean up. It had come down to Jack and me on the last hand. I was looking at a full house and was unsure what Jack had in his hand. I decided to use my secret weapon in my favor.

"Say Jack, did you notice that Sam isn't here?" I asked.

"Yeah, guess she didn't want to be around us guys" he replied.

Darn it, he was still concentrating on his cards. I would have to draw out the big emotional gun if I was going to knock him off balance.

"Think she didn't come because she had a hot date?" I asked.

"Daniel, I don't know. I don't keep up with her outside of work" he said in a snappish tone.

I looked at him and his eyes started to wander. He looked at his cards and seemed unsure. I knew he was bluffing, he didn't have anything.

"I call" I said. I laid down my full house, "Sevens over Jacks, Jack" I said while wiggling my eyebrows.

"For crying out loud. Go ahead take the damn pot" Jack said.

I guess I should feel guilty, but at the moment I was feeling happy. I had finally beaten Jack at poker. Never mind that I resorted to cheating to do it, I won.

We had put Col. Makepeace to be hours ago while we were still playing and now we were putting away things from the party mere hours before the sun was due to rise. I noticed that Jack's attitude had not changed since the last hand. He was not a happy camper. I knew why, but did he know why was the big question.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~



The sun rose and I headed down to the hot tub for an early morning dip. I called up to the restaurant asking for a pitcher of water. They brought a pitcher of ice water and two glasses. I was feeling relaxed and didn't really want to move. While in the tub I worked out my schedule of what I wanted to do for the day. That was a nice thing to think about, what I wanted to do and not what I had to do.

I was on my way to the library to start my investigation when I passed a dark blue Cherokee, just like the one Jack drove. My eyes focused on the driver but it wasn't Jack. A part of me wished that it would have been him and a part of me was glad that it wasn't him. I wish that I could sort out my feelings for that man. One minute I want to choke him and the next I wanted to be in his arms. I pulled up to the library and soon my thoughts were taken over by the articles that I was reading.



*~*~*~*~*~*~*



I was thinking about what a beautiful morning it was despite it being Monday, until I bumped into Jack. He was grumpier than usual. I had a feeling that it was not because I cleaned him out at the poker game Friday night. I asked him to join me for a cup of coffee.

We sat down and were talking about the party and how lucky I got when I heard her laughing out in the hall.

Jack heard her laughing too because his eyes shot up right away and she hadn't even come into the cafeteria. When she entered he watched her move around with only his eyes, keeping his head pointed at me. He tried to keep up with my conversation, but he got lost in a matter of seconds. I was sure that his attention was focused on Sam.

Now my curiosity was up about where Sam was this weekend. I knew that I could ask and she would not have a problem telling me.

That afternoon we were sent on a four day mission. Those were four of the longest days ever and I was thankful when we returned. The debriefing was almost as short as the debriefing after Jack's brain was downloaded with the Ancient's knowledge. A mere fifteen minutes and we were out of there.

I caught up with Sam in the parking lot. She seemed to be in a bit of a hurry so I had to run to catch up to her. I asked her if she had time for a cup of coffee. She agreed and we decided on an early dinner instead. I then said that I would meet her at her house in two hours.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~



I sat on the couch wondering what was taking Daniel so long. I was anxious to leave for the lodge since we were on a 72 hour stand down. I had planned on going rafting early tomorrow morning since I didn't get a chance to do it on my last visit.

I was trying my best not to get impatient with Daniel when the doorbell rang. I grabbed my purse and we headed out to the restaurant. I quickly ate my dinner trying to encourage Daniel to eat fast. Finally he asked me why I wasn't there at the poker game. I told him that I felt that I wasn't wanted since I was not invited. He said that it was a standing invitation. I then advised that someone forgot to mention that as well as the change in address to me.

He sat there silently for a few moments thinking what to say next.

"Your absence was obvious to someone besides myself. Can you guess who?" he asked.

"No Daniel, I really don't care to know who. If I had been wanted at the poker game then I would have been invited. Besides with all of my good luck lately, you guys would have lost your paychecks to me" I said.

Daniel just smiled. He then noticed that I had been continuously looking at my watch throughout the meal.

"Late for a hot date Sam?" he asked.

"No, I was just checking the time because I wanted to call my brother Mark before the kids went to bed" I said.

He suggested that we go and he picked up the check. Back at my house I got out of the car and told him that I was in a hurry and thanked him for dinner. I was walking up the steps to my house when the feeling hit me again. I knew that someone was watching me.

Daniel came over to me and asked what was wrong. I told him that it was nothing. He then started looking around as if he was trying to see someone. I asked him what was wrong. He said that he felt as if someone was watching him. He said that he was wondering why I had stopped on the steps. I explained that lately I felt as if I was being followed, and he asked me if that was what had happened in the parking lot the other day. I said that it was and that this had been going on since I came back to active duty.

He checked out the house to make sure I was safe and I walked him out to his car. He got in and left. I ran back inside and pulled out my suitcase I had packed earlier before dinner. Ten minutes after he left, I went out to my garage, threw the suitcase in the back seat and quickly backed out of the garage. I had to slam on my brakes to avoid hitting him.

"I thought you had to call your brother Sam" he said.

"Daniel what are you doing here?" I said trying to throw him off.

"In a hurry aren't you. Where are you going Sam?"

"Nowhere, just to the store Daniel" I said.

"Since when do pack a bag to go to the store? You might as well tell me Sam. You know I'm just going to follow you if you don't" he said.

I then stopped the car and told him that I had been going to a lodge where there had been some UFO sightings. He seemed rather surprised that I was interested in these especially considering what we do for a living.

I decided to put him at ease so I asked him to join me. He agreed and so we went over to his apartment so he could pack a few things. In no time flat we were on the open road heading to my secret place. I had the feeling that I was being followed. The feeling ended after we hit the turn off on Highway 115.



*~*~*~*~*~*~*



He again pulled over to the side of the roadway and made a note of the time of her departure. He had quite a log on her already. He decided that he would not risk following her right now since someone else was with her. He knew that soon it would be time for him to make his move, but this was not the time.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~



It was Monday afternoon when General Hammond called SG-1 in for a meeting. He advised that he had been doing some checking of our records. He found that we had been working most of the holidays for the last couple of years and that he thought we could do with some time off. However, he noticed that we were behind on paper work, so he was restricting us to base for the next four days so that we could all catch up on our paper work.



*~*~*~*~*~*~*



SG-1 seemed rather surprised by my actions. I dismissed them and then went back into my office to do some paper work myself. I looked at schedules and briefings that I had to work on and realized that a General's paperwork is never done.

I noticed that SG-1 was wound up rather tight. They seemed to be very agitated when they came back from their last mission. I was beginning to wonder what had happened. I suspected the reason behind it, but I was not about to voice my opinion at this time. I wanted them to catch up their paper work so that I could give them some time off and maybe they could work this out before I had to step in and take control of the situation. I hated to see team members fall apart which was what SG-1 was doing.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Two days later we were having lunch in the cafeteria when General Hammond approached our table.

"Well I thought you all might like to know that as of this time I am lifting the restrictions. You are almost caught up and so I'm putting you all on stand down until Tuesday morning at 0700HRS" General Hammond said.

We were all rather stunned by this stroke of good luck. Right away my thoughts were about going to the lodge. The nights had started getting colder and that made me have hope that maybe something would happen this weekend.

General Hammond had started walking away from the table and then suddenly turned around and came back to our table.

"SG-1 I have some advice for you. Whatever is affecting your behavior needs to be corrected over this weekend or else there will be readjusting of team members. Do I make myself clear?" General Hammond asked.

"Perfectly sir" Jack replied. I replied, "Yes sir".

General Hammond then turned and walked out.

Daniel turned to me and said, "What do you think Sam, the lodge? It would be perfect!"

"Daniel I'm not sure..." I said.

"Well you guys have a good weekend" Jack said in a sarcastic tone.

"Jack I was talking about all of us at the lodge. It would be perfect" Daniel replied.

"Count me out. I've got plans for this weekend" Jack said.

"Sam talk him into it. I'm going to catch Teal'c and talk to him about it. See you guys later" Daniel said.

"Look Carter, it's a nice offer but I don't feel like intruding on your time together" Jack said in a nonchalant tone.

"Excuse me sir?" I said.

Before he could say anything else I explained that I had been going up to a lodge on my down time to relax. I said that Daniel had joined me for only one trip. I said that it was a great place to relax and unwind. I explained that if he really wanted to be alone, there were plenty of places up there for that. I sat there trying to talk him into it for about ten minutes until Daniel returned with Teal'c.

"Major Carter, I would be honored to join you over the weekend. Daniel Jackson has told me that it will allow me to see more of this country" Teal'c said.

"It will be great for you Teal'c. I'm glad you want to come, I just wish the Colonel would come with us. It would be a good time for us to come together as a team" I said.

"Colonel O'Neill, did not General Hammond tell us to work out any problems so he could avoid reassigning the team?" Teal'c asked. "I think that this would be a most opportune time to experience that at the lodge that Daniel Jackson has told me about."

"Come on Jack" Daniel said looking at Jack.

"I don't even know what to wear, so I don't..." Jack was saying.

"Colonel, pack jeans, swim trunks, shirts, and a couple of sweaters or light jackets for the night. That's all you'll need" I said.

"Besides bug spray" Daniel interjected.

After several minutes we had Jack talked into it. Daniel took Teal'c back to his quarters to help him pack. We all agreed to meet at my house in two hours.



*~*~*~*~*~*~*



I was ready to go in less than an hour when the doorbell rang, it was Jack. I invited him in and about twenty minutes later Daniel and Teal'c arrived. We all grabbed our gear and headed out to our vehicles. We realized that the only vehicle we could be comfortable in would be Jack's Jeep Grand Cherokee. I was selected for the shotgun seat since I knew the way. We backed out of the driveway and for the first time in weeks I didn't feel as if someone was watching me. I was beginning to feel safe again. Daniel put his hand on my shoulder and reassured me that no one was watching. I smiled and patted his hand.

Unfortunately Jack caught that and I'm sure he was taking that the wrong way. We arrived at the lodge and the front desk clerk advised us that we still had time to make sunset horseback ride. We went upstairs and quickly changed and returned to the lobby. All of the guys looked great in their jeans, they even caught the attention of a few female guests.

We were all a little worried about how Teal'c and a horse would react, but to our happy surprise they got along well. The trail hands, Jess and David, greeted me and said that they were glad that I brought along some friends.

The ride was very relaxing and I could see that Teal'c was enjoying himself. Near the end of the ride Teal'c gigged his horse in the open meadow causing it to gallop. Jess and David took off after Teal'c since they were not sure how well he could ride.

Soon Jack too had his horse galloping in the open meadow trying to catch up with Teal'c. As he rode past me I thought how handsome he looked astride his horse.

"Penny for your thoughts Sam" Daniel said.

I turned to look at him and felt rather flushed.

"Sorry, didn't mean to embarrass you. You need to work your problem between the two of you out with him" Daniel said.

"Daniel, I'm just not sure about that" I replied.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~



After the ride we all had dinner at the lodge and called it a night. I decided to go take advantage of the hot tub and steam room before turning in. It was early and the hot tub was full of kids horsing around so I chose the steam room for now. I was enjoying the steam when my wrist alarm went off. I checked and found that I had been in there for 30 minutes. I exited the steam room and hopped in the pool to quickly cool off. I got out of the pool, put on my terry cloth robe and headed up to the restaurant for a pitcher of ice water before getting into the hot tub.

By the time I got back down to the hot tub no one was in sight, just the way I wanted it. I put the pitcher of ice water and cups down close to the tub, removed my robe and stepped into the tub. At that time a head popped up above the water.

"Hey, I'm sitting here!" the head said.

I looked over and recognized that head of graying hair. It was Jack.

"Oh sorry Carter" he said.

"Call me Sam sir, we're off duty here" I said.

"Okay, then I'm Jack" he said.

I sat down in the water and we made small talk for a few minutes. I then turned to pour a glass of water and Jack started exiting the tub.

"Had enough Jack?" I asked.

"Well I see that you're expecting someone. You know three is a crowd" he said.

I said that I wasn't expecting anyone and he asked why two glasses. I explained that this is how they usually dispense the pitchers of ice water from the restaurant. I offered him a glass and asked him to stay. He smiled, took my offered glass of water and sat back in the tub.

After several minutes we finally relaxed enough and started talking about things other than work. We decided that when we finished the pitcher of water we would leave. We had been so busy talking that we had not seen a waitress come and replace our empty pitcher so we ended up being in the tub for over an hour.

When we got out, Jack was first out and held open my robe for me. After returning the pitcher, Jack and I rode quietly up in the elevator. When we got out on our floor I reminded him of the time we needed to leave for white water rafting. He asked if he could skip this and I told him that was not an option.

He smiled and asked if that was an order, I just smiled back at him. I advised that we would eat on the bus en route to the rafting site since the lodge's restaurant would be closed at that time of the morning. We said good night to each other and he walked past my room. As I entered my room I looked down the hallway towards him and noticed that he was watching me again. We said good night to each other and I went in my room.



*~*~*~*~*~*~*



The raft trip was incredible. We all came back exhausted and exhilarated at the same time. I could have sworn that during the entire trip Teal'c had a smile pasted on his face. He obviously had a great time. We were all a little hoarse from screaming and laughing so much. It was the most fun we had in a long time as a team.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~



We grabbed dinner in town and headed back to the lodge. Daniel talked about going to the hot tub to work out the kinks and the guys all agreed to do that. I backed out, deciding that they needed some time together. I decided that I would just take a short walk across the little creek behind the lodge. It was only a half mile trail, but it still was a nice trail.

I put on a sweater since it was getting colder. I stopped on the bridge over the creek, turned and leaned on the side of the bridge looking up at the stars. Then I saw it, a falling star. I quickly closed my eyes and made a wish. I knew that my wish wouldn't come true but it was nice to wish for it anyway. I saw another falling star and again I closed my eyes and made a wish.

"So why do you close your eyes?" a voice from the shadows said.

A man stepped out from the shadows, the very man I had wished for moments earlier.

"Jack, I didn't see you there" I said.

"So why do you close your eyes?" he said again.

I told him that I had been told that every time you see a falling star you were to close your eyes and make a wish and it would come true.

"What did you wish for?" he asked.

"I can't tell you or else it won't come true" I replied. However, it had already come true for me.

"Sam can I talk to you seriously for a minute?" he asked.

"Sure Jack. What's up?"

He then advised that Daniel had told him about my dream. I had told Daniel the part about going to bed with my partner from the masquerade ball and most everything else that followed. Jack said that after Daniel told him about the dream last week, he went to a clinic to get checked out. He said he avoided Dr. Fraiser and any military personnel so no one would put two and two together. He advised that they gave him a clean bill of health, and he apologized for putting me through that agony.

He then looked at me and said that he had to talk to me about a part of my dream. He said he wanted to reassure me that he would never let them do anything like force me to be blended, nor let anyone violate me. I thanked him and we both turned our attention to the night sky.

Then I saw another falling star that lasted longer in the sky. I again closed my eyes and made a wish. When I opened my eyes Jack asked if my wish came true. I said I couldn't tell him that. He smiled and looked up at the sky. He then touched my shoulder and this sent a chill of excitement down me. I was holding my breathing wondering if my wish was going to come true.

"Sam, I need to talk to you a minute about what happened that night at your house" Jack said.

He stumbled over his words several times but managed to explain his feelings. He said that he had been so enchanted by this brunette beauty that she was in his dreams. He said that he had been having wild dreams about that woman and now she had crept into his day dreams. He said that he was shocked by his actions of becoming intimate with her on that fateful night. He said that he would never have done that, but there was something about the woman seemed familiar. He explained that the only way he was able to be with her was due to him thinking about someone else.

I turned away and told him that I really didn't want to hear about his other conquests from years past. He shrugged his shoulders and went back to looking at the night sky.

"Sam, I never meant to offend you that night. I was still in shock over the discovery" Jack said. He then told me that he had spent the whole night in my driveway waiting to try and explain himself to me.

Then he pointed out a falling star which had a long tail. I closed my eyes and made a wish and when I looked over at Jack, I saw that he too had closed his eyes to make a wish. He looked over at me and smiled. I told him that I hope his wish comes true.

We were silent for a while and then he started to point out the constellations to me. He knew so much about them, he was making my head swim with his knowledge of the subject.

Just as I was getting a glazed look in my eyes I felt him slip his hand into mine. We stood there silently as he held my hand and we just watched the sky. I was feeling as giddy as a school girl. I wanted this moment to last forever, I didn't want anything to disturb it.

"Sam, over there. Quick make a wish" Jack said in a soft tone.

I closed my eyes and made my wish. When I opened my eyes I was looking right at Jack. His eyes were closed and then he opened them to look directly at me. He leaned in and gently kissed my lips. I tenderly kissed him back. He then leaned against the side of the bridge and put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close to him. We stood there looking up at the stars for quite some time. Finally he asked me to come over to his house some night so we could look at the stars through his telescope. He said that then he could show me some really beautiful things in the night sky.

He pointed out another falling star and we both made our wishes. I started to shiver and he suggested that we call it a night. We were both tired and it was getting rather chilly. We walked back up to the lodge and he slipped his arm around my back and put his hand on my waist. I was surprised by his actions but when he asked if I was still cold, I realized that he was just trying to keep me warm on our walk back to the lodge.

We rode up the elevator quietly, holding hands and just staring at each other. We got out and he walked me to my door. He raised up my hand and kissed it gently. He then lowered it and smiled at me. I opened my door, stepped in and closed the door. I heard him take a few steps and then I heard a knock on my door. I answered it and it was Jack.

"Sorry, but I need to do this Sam" Jack said.

He then cupped my face in his hands and tenderly kissed me. He smiled, thanked me for a good day and wished me pleasant dreams. I closed my door again and heard him walk off.



*~*~*~*~*~*~*



As Jack walked away from kissing Sam, a big smile appeared on Daniel's face. Daniel had been watching them through the peep hole in his door. He was glad that Jack and Sam were working out their problems. Up until this time he wasn't sure if coming to the lodge was a good idea, but now he was sure it was a great choice. He became concerned when General Hammond mentioned splitting up the team, he was willing to do anything to keep SG-1 together. SG-1 was the only family he had left and he wasn't about to loose his family.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~



The next day the team went on a gem tour in the mountains. Teal'c and Daniel were excited to be panning for gold. I got a picture of it, it was one of those Kodak moments. It was a wonderful afternoon and that night we met our guide at one of the bars in the town. It was a country western bar, but since it was the only big bar in town it played a variety of music.

Our guide was the first to ask me to dance. I took turns dancing with the Daniel and Teal'c. I guess the guys looked intimidating because no other guys at the bar, with the exception of our guide, had the courage to ask me to dance. I only wish that I could get Jack to dance.

Several beer rounds and song styles later the music changed to a Latin sound. I had enough beer in me to believe that I could dance to any song. After all, all you had to do was shake your hips, right? Daniel then asked me if something was wrong and I realized that I wasn't doing it right. He told me to relax and let the music take over. He put his hands on my hips and was instructing me on how to move. Who knew Daniel could dance Salsa?

I looked up and noticed that Jack's eyes were glued to us. Daniel turned me around and said that he noticed how Jack hasn't taken his eyes off of me all night long. He said that he thought Jack's eyes were glued to my hips right now. I looked and saw that Jack almost dumped out his beer as he raised his glass to drink because he was busy watching me. Daniel said that now was the time to ask him to dance. That was all the encouragement I needed to make the first move. That and the 4 beers that I drank were all the encouragement I needed. I decided I was going to ask him to dance.

Just then a rather large gentleman came up and asked to dance with me. I thanked him but said that Daniel and I were still dancing. He sulked back to his chair and continued to watch us. At that time I saw someone come up behind Daniel and tap him on the shoulders. Daniel moved to the side and released me to the new partner.

"Mind if I cut in Daniel?" Jack said. "It looks like fun. Besides you've got some ladies giving you the eye over there. Maybe they want a dance lesson too."

"Where??.....Oh!!!" Daniel said with a big smile on his lips.

Daniel sat down at the table and soon two ladies came up and asked him and Teal'c to dance. I was surprised at how quickly Teal'c caught on to this Salsa type of music. Jack was a different story. He turned me around on the dance floor so that he could watch the large guy who tried to cut in earlier. Just then the big guy got up and left.

"Jack loosen up. You've got to feel the music in your bones" I said.

"I'm a military man, not a musician Sam" he replied.

I told him that he needed to relax and flow with the music. He had a look on his face that showed that he was straining to concentrate on his dancing. I told him that I knew that he could dance because he dances well in bed. I told him to just relax and to let the same rhythmic feeling flow through him on the dance floor. Oh my gosh, what the hell did I just say? I started blushing and wondered what Jack would do. He looked very surprised at the statement and then he smiled.

Jack placed his hands loosely on my hips and started to move in rhythm with the music. He quickly got the hang of it and I was enjoying the fact that he still kept his hands on my hips. He looked up and smiled at me and said this was fun, After the Latin set was done we returned to our table to catch our breath. I needed to calm down, my hormones were urging me to jump his bones like I did in the locker room after our mission to the Land of Light.

"Jack you looked like you were having fun out there" I said.

"Yeah, I guess I was. Who knew that moves in the bed could be translated out on the dance floor" he said as he wiggled his eyebrows.

"I don't want to hear this" Daniel said as he got up and left the table. He went over to a female standing by the bar and asked her to dance. Teal'c got up and went to the little Jaffa's room in the back.

"What? Okay if you guys don't want to hear about my conquests" Jack said as they left the table.

I started to get up when Jack put his hand on my arm to stop me. Now that I've chased them away we can talk. He asked me what made me give him those type of instructions on how to dance Salsa. I told him that I could see that he was struggling and so I wanted to break his concentration. I told him that the shock therapy worked because he relaxed and started enjoying the music. He smiled and said that he finally relaxed after hearing that and started thinking about moves in bed he could make. He gave me a wink and a big smile. I smiled and took a sip of my beer. I was plenty relaxed after my beers and didn't think before making my comments on the dance floor. I saw that my comments had not upset him so I thought I would take it a step further.

"Well Jack, all you have to do is think back to that Friday night at the ball. After all I was there when you made your special moves." I then took another sip of my beer and waited for his reaction.

"No, I was with Scarlet physically and not you. For you I have something else in mind," he said as he raised his glass.

He smiled and finished the last bit of his beer. At that time Teal'c returned to the table as did Daniel. Jack excused himself and said that he was going to grab us all a beer since he couldn't find our waitress.

"Would you like to dance now?" he said in a deep rough voice from behind me.

I turned to see the big guy who had asked me to dance earlier. I thanked him but said that country western really wasn't my kind of music. He told me to just give it a try. I again thanked him and told him that I just wanted to catch my breath.

At about that time Jack returned to the table with a pitcher of beer in hand and he set it down on the table.

"Can I help you buddy?" Jack asked.

"No, so butt out. I was just askin' the lady here to dance" the man said.

"No thank you, I don't want to dance" I said quickly.

"Well I think that you do" and he started reaching for my hand.

At that time Jack grabbed the man's hand before the guy touched me.

"I believe the lady told you she didn't want to dance" Jack said as he released the guy's hand.

The big guy bowed up at Jack, trying to intimidate Jack. That was the wrong move for this guy to make I thought. No one could intimidate Jack in that manner based on all of his years involved in covert operations.

Jack calmly stood his ground waiting for the guy to make his move before he took action. When the guy bowed up Teal'c stood up quickly shoving his chair backwards which made a noise as it scooted back, as did Daniel's chair. Teal'c was quickly on the other side of the big guy to try and contain him. Then I heard something hit the pitcher of beer. I quickly looked and saw that Daniel had tossed his glasses onto the table, and was on the other side of the big guy ready to fight.

I was so shocked at the way that the guys were acting to try and protect me. I felt so honored and flattered, but ashamed that they might get into a fight to try and protect me. I knew that I could also take the guy myself especially in his drunken condition but I wanted to avoid a conflict. Then an idea popped into my mind.

I stood up and leaned in towards the big guy to whisper in his ear. I could see the shocked look on Jack's face as I did this. I spoke soft enough so only the big guy would hear me.

"Listen buddy you may not be scared of these guys, but you don't want to mess with me. Why don't you back off and leave me alone before I use my Tazer gun to shock your family jewels and fry them. I promise that once I'm through with them, they'll never work again."

At saying that I touched the inner part of his leg with the object in my hand and covered up what I was doing with my sweater. The look of shock was evident in his eyes. The big guy's ego and stance quickly relaxed. I smiled and touched the item again on his inner thigh.

"I think that you've had enough fun for one night. Why don't you leave before we have some calf fries of the human kind" I said.

The color quickly drained out of his face. He took a step back and I hid my hand with my sweater as he backed away. He quickly turned and walked out the door. I sat down at the table and told the guys to take a seat. I then started pouring them a beer from the pitcher.

"Sam, what the hell did you say to the guy?" Jack asked.

I just smiled at them, but the guys persisted in knowing what I said. I then told them exactly what I told the guy. Both Jack and Daniel grimaced and some of the color drained from their face. Poor Teal'c did not know what I was talking about.

"Ouch" Daniel said.

"Sam did you bring a Tazer gun in the club?" Jack asked.

"Sure, want to see it?" I asked. I brought the silverware out from under my sweater and gave them a wink, showing that I had pulled a fast one on everyone.

"That sure looks lethal to me. Quick thinking there Sam" Jack said.

"Sam, what would you have done if he had looked down?" Daniel asked.

"Practice high kicking" I quipped.

All of us except Teal'c were laughing, he still did not understand why the guy backed away. I then explained to Teal'c that a Tazer gun is a hand held device that sends an electrical charge about 1/2 the strength of a Zat gun. He then asked why I would want to fry family jewels, because he thought that jewels were valuable on this world.

Jack had been taking a sip of beer when Teal'c made the comments about the jewels. Jack ended up spewed the beer back out upon hearing Teal'c statement.

Daniel commented on how graceful Jack wasn't tonight as he started wiping the table and himself free of the beer. Jack apologized as he was choking and laughing. He could hardly catch his breath. Daniel then started to explain to Teal'c what was meant by family jewels. I excused myself to visit the ladies room. I heard Teal'c say something very loudly as I walked towards the bathroom. I figured that Daniel had finished explaining the jewel bit to Teal'c.

I came out of the ladies room and saw Jack leaning up against the wall just outside the ladies room. I strolled over towards him and batted my eyes and started to walk off. Suddenly he grabbed my arm and then slipped his arm around me, pulling me close to him.

"I remember that move" Jack said.

He said I wasn't going to slip past him this time. We just stood there watching the crowd with him still holding onto me. This felt great.

The music had changed again and now they were playing classic rock 'n roll hits from the 70's. Jack commented on how this was his type of music. We stood there just outside the restroom just watching the people around us. I didn't want to go back to the table because then I couldn't hold him like I was doing now.

A new song came on and Jack took my hand and led me out onto the dance floor. He told me that this was a special song and he wanted to dance. *Wait a minute...did I hear him right? Did he say that he wanted to dance?* I thought to myself.

The song was "Take it to the limit" by The Eagles. Jack held me close to him as we slow danced to the song. He was leaning his head down and I could feel him breathing in and out on my neck. I was on sensory overload.

"Thank you Sam for inviting us up here" Jack said. He was silent again as he pulled me even closer to him.

Okay, so I was hoping to have heard something much sweeter from him, but I would take what I could get for now. The song ended and we went back to the table. I was disappointed that the song ended because so did our dancing.

We sat at the table for a minute and then decided that it was time to head back to the lodge. Since Teal'c was unaffected by the beers and we wanted to avoid being stopped for DWI, we had Teal'c drive us back to the lodge. Teal'c has been anxious to drive at every opportunity since returning from our mission to 1969 when he learned to drive a bus.

Back at the lodge we all said good night and went to our respective rooms. I took a shower to get rid of the smoke smell in my hair and clothes. When I got out of the shower I was wide awake. I decided to go outside on the back trail hoping that the night air would relax me enough so I could go to sleep.



*~*~*~*~*~*~*



The clerk noticed me as I was walking out of the lodge, and asked where I was going. I said I was going out on the trail and he said that he would come check on me in a half hour if I had not come back in. I thanked him for his concern and walked out of the lodge.

I got to the bridge and looked around hoping to see Jack, Daniel, or even Teal'c. Right now I just wanted some company, but no one was around. Since I had not spotted any falling stars this evening, I decided to look in the night sky for the strange lights the town people claimed to have seen on occasion.

I heard a noise that snapped me out of my trance and realized it was the front desk clerk coming to check up on me. I advised him that I was fine and that I would be in very soon. He said that he would check up on me again in thirty minutes. I told him I would be fine. He said that seeing to the safety of the guests was one of his duties. I thanked him for his concern and he went back to the lodge.

I hadn't realized that I was that deep in thought, and at this moment I couldn't remember what I had been thinking about. I looked back up at the sky and noticed a falling star. I quickly closed me eyes and made my wish.

"So what did you wish for Sam?" a voice said from the shadows.

I quickly spun to face the voice ready to defend myself if necessary. I know I heard my name used, but I didn't want to take a chance.

He walked out of the shadows very slowly and told me to take it easy, it was Jack. I asked him how long he had been there and he said that he had been out here for about 20 minutes before I came out. He said that he had been further back on the trail and spotted me as he was walking back up to the lodge. He said that he didn't want to bother me and was going to wait until I returned to the lodge.

I told him that I would be fine and that he could go on back to the lodge. He asked if I was sure and I told him that I would be fine. I reminded him that the clerk was going to be out in a few minutes to check on me and that I would be safe. He walked right past me and to the lodge much to my disappointment.

As he walked out of my sight I turned back around to face the mountain side and let out a sigh. I wished that he would have stayed here with me, but I knew that what he was doing the correct thing. There could not be anything between us, our jobs depended on it.

I followed the skyline looking for any pattern of lights and was practically straining my eyes. Just then I saw something streak across the sky. I got excited hoping to see strange lights in the sky, but it turned out to be a falling star. I again closed my eyes and made my wish. I kept my eyes closed and felt my eyes watering. Tears rolled past my closed eyes, making my cheeks warm as they fell. I sniffled and wiped them away in an attempt to avoid a full blown crying session.

"Are you okay?" I heard a male say from behind me.

I spun around and saw it was Jack.

"Jack, what are you doing here. I thought you went inside a while ago" I said.

"No, I never did. I just walked around the edge of the lodge and have been watching you to make sure that you're okay. Do you feel okay?" Jack asked.

"I'm fine sir" I replied. I didn't mean to say sir, it just came out. Maybe that was a good thing because now we would keep our respective places.

"I don't think you really are, or else you wouldn't be crying" he replied.

He handed me a tissue and slipped his jacket over my shoulders. I started walking off the bridge, removing the jacket as I walked. I could smell his cologne on the jacket and I really didn't want to give it back to him. I liked idea of wearing his jacket and smelling his scent on the jacket.

"No keep the jacket on until we get into the lodge" he said.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine" I said as I was slipping the jacket off of me.

He came up to me and hugged me, preventing me from removing the jacket. He held me gently against him. I tried to ease out of his embrace, but he firmly held me in place without hurting me.

"Sam, just relax for a minute okay?" Jack said.

We stood there for about a minute and he slowly rocked me back and forth while holding onto me. I was becoming lost in this feeling and started thinking about our slow dance earlier this evening. Then my mind took over and told me to ease out of his arms, reminding me about regulations and our jobs.

I saw that he had a hurt look on his face when I stepped away from him. I thanked him for his concern, removed his jacket and handed it back to him. I told him that I didn't need it now that I was going back into the lodge. I walked up the trail leaving him on the bridge. Much to my disappointment he didn't follow me back to the lodge. Instead he just stood there on the bridge and looked up into the night sky.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~



I had just crawled into bed when there was a light knocking at my door. I looked out the peep hole and saw that it was Jack. I put my robe on and opened the door. He said that he needed to talk to me, so I moved aside allowing him in. He walked directly to the table at the opposite end of the room and sat down in a chair.

I closed the door and went over to the table and took a chair next to him. I noticed how he was avoiding looking at me which led me to believe that he was the messenger of bad news.

"Sam, I've got a problem that has been bothering me for quite some time that I need to settle, so I decided to come to the source of the problem" Jack said.

I closed my eyes and thought to myself that I was correct to assume the worse. I started thinking about which team I could transfer to or what I would do if I removed myself from the entire project.

Jack continued by saying that he has never had a problem like this before in his entire military career. I could tell that he was struggling with what he was trying to say while trying to spare my feelings.

He said that for most of the last few years of his career he had worked in covert situations and had not worked often with people like me. I asked him if he meant with women. He first said yes, and then said no that wasn't exactly what he meant. He said that he has had to work with women on occasions, but not on a regular basis. He said that he has never worked so closely with scientists. I remember him saying at our first meeting that he had a problem with scientists.

"I remember Jack. So are you saying that you don't want me on the team because I'm a scientist?" I asked.

"No, that's not it at all. I think of you as more than just a scientist Sam. I think of you as a fine military officer and I trust you with my life. As a matter of fact you've used your intelligence to get us out of a few scrapes if I remember right".

He said that at first he did have some reservations about me because I was a woman and thought that he would have to take special care of me. He then reminded me of the numerous times I fought like a soldier by his side and not like a scientist or a woman.

He looked back down at the floor and was wrenching his hands.

"Sam, my problem was never you, it was me".

That statement really took me by surprise. I was expecting him to say that I was disrupting things.

He continued and said that he has had this problem since I first walked into the room on that first debriefing, transferring from the Pentagon to the SGC. He said like any red blooded man he thought that I was attractive, but he had to clear his head of that thought. His job as my commanding officer was to make sure that I was accepted as a team member. He said that he is very proud of the way that we have come together as a team and how team work has gotten us out of some tough scrapes.

He was beginning to babble so I knew that he was really nervous. I just wish that he would hurry up and finish what he had to say. I don't know how much longer I could take my stomach doing flip-flops inside me.

"Sam, I know how you feel about me, but I'm afraid that I can't return the same sentiments to you" he said. "I know that we flirt a lot and it seemed harmless, but it has gone too far." There was a sad look on his face as he said this.

He had finally said it. A part of me wanted to punch him out, but I knew that he was correct. I was snapped out of my thoughts when he suddenly stood and walked over to the door.

"I'm sorry Sam" he said.

Jack stopped at the door and I could hear him breath in deeply. I wish that he would open the door and just leave, then I could have a good cry before beginning the healing process. Instead he turned around and walked back towards the table and then turned back towards the door again. He started pacing between the door and the table. I wanted to stick my foot out and trip him.

I noticed that he was looking a little green at the gills. I thought that it was about time that someone else felt sick besides me. I was tired of waiting for him to say or do anything, so I stood up and blocked his path to force him to stand still.

"Sam I wish that this hadn't happened but it did. I'm sorry to tell you..." Jack said.

My mind raced ahead at that moment for possible responses. I wanted to brace myself so that I would not show any weakness to him.

"...that my feelings for you have gone past the friendship stage" he finished saying.

*Whoa, wait a minute. Did I hear him correctly? What exactly did he say?* I thought

"Jack, what did you just say?" I said out loud.

"Sam, what I feel for you is past the friendship stage. I'm sorry, I've tried to suppress those feelings but I can't seem to do it" he said in a quiet voice. He spoke even softer now.

"I can only say that I'm very sorry to have placed you in this type of situation" he said.

I walked up beside him and slipped my hand into his hand, placing my other hand on top. Jack used his free hand touching under my chin and lifted my head up so I would look at him. I looked up and saw pain in his eyes and my eyes quickly filled with tears.

"Oh Sam. I'm sorry I didn't meant to upset you with this information" he said.

I almost started to chuckle at hearing that. He thought that I was upset because he cared for me more than a commanding officer should. Now it was my turn to make a move.

Tears rolled down my cheeks and I could now clearly see the hurt in his eyes. I know that I needed to change that look. I reached up and put my hand at the back of his neck, and leaned into him. I kissed him very tenderly and held my lips mere millimeters away waiting for him to react. Thankfully he reacted exactly the way I was hoping. He kissed me back. We stood there kissing each other tenderly, gently, carefully expressing to each other just how fragile our feelings were for each other.

Jack stopped kissing me and pulled me into his embrace, resting his head on my shoulder. I could have sworn I heard him sniffle a time or two. He then broke the embrace, took a step back and then took both of my hands in his hands.

"Jack do you really care for me?" I asked. I just had to make sure once and for all.

"For being such a smart person you sure don't act like it. Don't you know you're suppose to clean your ears so you can hear? I just told you that I care very deeply for you, but because I care I'll tell you again" he said in a light tone.

He raised both of my hands to his lips and kissed them.

"Yes Sam. I care very much for you, and it is much deeper than a friendship or working relationship. I've been attracted to you the moment you walked across the briefing room when reporting for duty at the SGC. It has taken this long for me to come to terms with my feelings for you and get up enough courage to tell you how I feel about you."

My heart was soaring. I felt like I was on cloud nine and never wanted to come down.

"Unfortunately...I need to bring up a very delicate situation" he said.

"Regulations" I said.

Jack went on to say that the choice was really up to me. He said that he has expressed how he feels but he did not want to put any pressure on me. He said that I could choose to stay with SG-1 but we would have to mask our feelings for one another, I could transfer to another team, or ask him to leave me alone. Well the last option was definitely not a choice. I thought about it for a moment.

"Guess we'll just have to be careful Jack" I said.

He smiled, gently cupped my face in his hands and kissed me. This kiss was so passionate and contained so much emotion, it was the type that you always dreamed about. I've never kissed a man who could express so much with his lips in a single kiss.

"Jack. I definitely want to move forward in this relationship, but I think that we should be cautious" I said.

Jack agreed and said that we should get to know each other better. He said that we knew the work side, and that we should take time get to know each other away from the job. I said that sounded like a good idea. I thought to myself about how many relationships I leapt into, only to have them fall apart after we got to know each other. Taking it easy sounded wonderful.

Jack then said that it was late and that he really should be going. He offered to tuck me into bed before he left. At hearing this I started to giggle. I looked at him and saw that he had been sincere and he had a hurt look on his face from my comment. I kissed him on the cheek and whispered for him not to tuck me in too tightly. He smiled, turned his back to me and told me to climb into bed. I slipped into bed and put my robe at the foot of the bed, then told him could turn around.

He walked over to the bed and started to tuck me in. Jack asked if a tee shirt was my usual night time apparel and I told him that there would be plenty of time in the future for him to find that out. He finished tucking me in and kissed my forehead. .

He was squatting down beside the bed and started to get up when I reached out and grabbed his sleeve.

"Jack, wait a minute. Can you just lay down beside me for a minute. I just want to feel your arms around me before I fall asleep" I said.

He hesitated and I told him that I only wanted to fall asleep in his arms and then he could slip out of the room once I was asleep. He thought about it and said he would stay for a few minutes.

Jack then laid down on top of the covers and spooned up behind me. He put his arm over my waist area and slid his other arm under my pillow so he could get closer to me. He kissed the back of my head as he pulled me in closer to him.

"Good night Sam. Pleasant dreams" Jack whispered very softly in my ear.

I barely remember hearing that before sleep overtook me.



*~*~*~*~*~*~*



When I opened my eyes it was 0123HRS and I felt his arms still around me. I know that I should wake him but I didn't want to disturb him, and I really didn't want him to go. Instead I closed my eyes, waiting for sleep to overtake me again.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~



I couldn't believe it. I was still here with her in my arms and in her bed. I was scared when she wanted me to lay beside her, I wasn't sure that I could control myself. I was aroused, but my feelings of affection were stronger than my sexual urges for once.

I knew I had to leave but I wanted to stay all night. I felt her move just before 0130HRS but she went right back to sleep. I decided that I would let her fall into a deeper sleep and then slip out of the room. I had to protect her reputation and protect our jobs. This felt so good and so relaxing that I was struggling to stay awake. I had already fallen asleep once tonight, I couldn't do that again.

I lightly kissed the back of her head and slowly slipped my arm out from under her pillow. I pushed another pillow up against her back so she wouldn't immediately notice that I was gone. I slowly and carefully slipped out of bed, out of the room and quietly closed the door to the room. But just before completely closing it, I opened it again to take one more look at a very special woman.

I went back to my room, shed my clothes and climbed into bed. I grabbed a pillow and hugged it, wishing it was her. As I started drifting off to sleep I thought about kissing her and how beautiful she looked sleeping in her bed. Knowing she was the last thing that I thought about, I knew that I would have pleasant dreams tonight.



*~*~*~*~*~*~*



The next morning I woke up to the telephone ringing.

"Morning Sam. Sleep well?" Jack asked me.

"I did until you left" I said.

He told me how hard it was for him to leave and said that he looked forward to the times when he wouldn't have to leave me in the middle of the night. I told him that I had a very big smile on my face and was just thinking about last night. Jack and I had a very brief conversation on how we were going to play it cool towards each other in public. We did not want to tip our hand to Teal'c or Daniel. If we managed to fool them then maybe we could carry off seeing each other without anyone knowing it. We agreed to talk with the others about this being a do whatever day, a day with no schedules or planned activities.

We all met for breakfast and discussed the plans of the day. I said that I was headed into town to do some more research about the strange lights and Daniel said that he would be happy to accompany me. I looked over at Jack and saw that he grimaced a little. Jack said that he thought that he check out the view from a nearby mountain top and Teal'c asked to join him. Jack said that he would drop Daniel and I off while he and Teal'c headed up to the mountain.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~



I dropped Daniel and Sam off at the library so they could do their research while Teal'c and I headed back up the mountain pass to catch the sky ride to the top of a mountain. Teal'c was apprehensive at first on the ride until he saw the gophers on the ground. He noticed how they would pop their heads up and stand up outside of the burrows.

"Colonel O'Neill, is this where they got the idea of that arcade game at the pizza place?" Teal'c asked.

I told him that I did not know but said that anything was possible. He was silent the rest of the brief trip up there. The view was so breath taking that all we wanted to do was enjoy the view.

We had walked around the mountain top and went up into the observation building to get a better view. I had seen Teal'c exit the building to look around the area. I knew that he couldn't get into too much trouble up here, so I stood on the observation deck thinking about her. I couldn't believe that I finally told her how I felt and how happy I felt to learn that she felt the same way about me.

"Colonel O'Neill..."

"Whoa! Don't sneak up on me like that Teal'c" I said.

"I did not sneak, I just walked up to you. I know you were deep in thought but I needed to ask you a question" Teal'c replied.

I told him to ask away. He asked simple questions such as why this was called the Grand Canyon and about other nicknames it had been given. I was explaining these to him and he merely nodded his head to show that he understood.

"Colonel O'Neill, did you and Major Carter settle your problem?"

"What are you talking about Teal'c?"

"It has been obvious to Daniel Jackson and myself that there was a problem between you and Major Carter. Have you settled the problem between the two of you?"

I told Teal'c that he must be imagining things. Teal'c then explained that there was an abrupt change in how Major Carter and I behaved prior to the trip and how we are behaving now. He then commented on how much I have been smiling this morning. I advised him that I had just been under a lot of stress previously.

"Did you not settle things with her when you talked in her room last night?" Teal'c said.

*I couldn't believe it. Teal'c saw me go into Carter's room. I wonder what he was thinking.*

"Teal'c, it's not what you're thinking. Nothing happened. We just talked" I said.

"It appears that you both had a lot to say since you were in her room for a long period of time. I am glad that you are both good friends again. I would not want the team to be reassigned."

*I could not believe it. Teal'c had figured us out right away. Were we that obvious?*



*~*~*~*~*~*~*



"So Sam, did you have a good night last night?" Daniel asked.

"Yes I did. It was fun dancing" I replied.

"No I mean after the dance" he replied.

"What are you talking about Daniel?"

"I'm talking about you and Jack getting together" he said.

"Sorry to disappoint you Daniel, but I had a quiet night after we got back from the club."

"Oh I see" Daniel said with a lilt of sarcasm.

"Look Daniel, put your hormones back into check. Nothing happened between me and anyone around this place" I said.

"Oh, I see.....Regulations, huh?" Daniel said.

"Sorry Daniel, but I had a nice peaceful sleep last night all by myself in my room in my bed. Now are you going to help me or what?" I said.

Daniel took the microfilm I handed him and left to file it. I'm sure he suspected something. I wondered if he saw Jack coming in or leaving my room last night. I thought he and Teal'c had retired for the night.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Jack picked us up and we decided to stay in Salida for dinner. After dinner we went back to the club for another night of dancing.

The moment Daniel and Teal'c walked into the club the ladies all seemed to notice. We barely managed to sit down at a table and order a beer when two ladies came up and asked Daniel and Teal'c to dance. I decided to take advantage of this time and talk to Jack while we were alone.

"Jack, did anyone see you coming or going out of my room last night?"

"I don't think so, I didn't see anyone around. Did you tell Teal'c or Daniel about us?" he asked.

"No Jack. I thought that we were going to keep us a secret" I said.

"I know, but somehow Teal'c found out and he was asking me about you this afternoon" Jack said.

"Well Daniel was asking me the same thing this afternoon. I don't think that I convinced him that nothing happened" I said.

Jack was about to reply when Daniel came back to the table and offered his hand to me and asked me to dance. I got up to dance with him in an attempt to find out more information about what he knew.

"So Sam did you and Jack have time to get your stories straight?" Daniel asked.

"What are you talking about Daniel?" I asked.

"Sam after the way you two acted this morning it was obvious to everyone including Teal'c. Last night I heard Jack knocking on your door and the two of your discussing something in your room last night" Daniel said.

"Look we were just discussing how we could fix things so the team could get back on track" I said.

"So is that why you turned off the lights? To talk?" Daniel replied.

At about that time I started blushing. He pulled me close to him and whispered to me that my secret was safe with him and Teal'c. He eased me out of his embrace and saw my eyes filling with tears.

"I'm sorry Sam. I just wanted you to admit your feelings about Jack. I know that you can not voice them due to regulations. Your attraction for one another has always been so obvious I'm glad the two of you finally admitted to them. I want you to know that I would never do anything to hurt either one of you. I won't tell another sole about your secret" Daniel said.

Daniel then leaned down and kissed me lightly on my cheek. He smiled at me and pulled me closer to him. I could feel the tears starting to fall. I felt embarrassed that everyone else knew how Jack and I felt about each other but us.

"Mine if I cut in?" a male said.

I didn't have a chance to look up before Daniel relinquished my hand to that person.

"Are those tears of happiness or sadness Sam?" he said.

I knew that Daniel had turned me over to Jack. Who else would he have turned me over to. They were playing a slow song and so I put my head on Jack's shoulder as we danced. We danced the next few songs in each other's arms although the songs were faster and more upbeat. If was as if the whole world had fallen away from us while we were dancing.

Once we returned to the table, we all sat about just talking. The ladies in the club seemed disappointed because Daniel and Teal'c started refusing to dance. I felt sad for the ladies because I was sitting at the best table in the house, the one with the greatest and best looking guys in the bar. The guys had definitely had turned the heads of the ladies in the bar. I'll bet it was the way they looked in their jeans. Jack too had caught the attention of some of the ladies. They had come up to ask him to dance but he turned them down, he only danced with me. It became obvious to everyone there that Jack and I only had eyes for each other.



*~*~*~*~*~*~*



When we returned to the lodge Daniel and Teal'c excused themselves from us very quickly. I guess they wanted to give us some time alone. We sat in the front lobby talking until we realized it was almost midnight, so we decided to call it a night. Jack walked me to my door and I invited him in. I wanted to kiss him, so I invited him for some much needed privacy.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~



It was our last full day there and we decided to take the sky ride up to the mountain top. The view was breath taking. On the observation deck of the building Jack and I were able to stand there in each other's arms and just admiring the view. We had left the worries of the world behind for these few minutes. Teal'c and Daniel had conveniently taken the sky ride back down the mountain ten minutes earlier, I know they did this to give us time together. I would have to remember to thank them both for that.

After the mountain ride down we went back into town, spending most of the time walking around Salida and shopping. That evening we all went out to the hot tub for a relaxing time. We had gotten past the first awkward moments of Jack and I being together and once again we were a team. We talked, laughed, and shared our own stories with each other. We even got Teal'c to laugh and tell Jaffa jokes, although we did not understand them very well.

Jack and I then slipped away and changed clothes so that we could take a walk on the path. We stood out there on the bridge looking up into the night sky. We were quietly watching the sky and holding hands, like a new couple. Then Jack turned to me and thanked me for inviting him and team up here, he said that we all needed this trip. He then looked me in the eye and said that this place was very special to him, because it brought the two of us together.

He turned and looked up, pointing out a falling star that had a long tail on it. I closed my eyes and made a wish. Just then Jack kissed me wrapping his arms about me. I followed suit by wrapping my arms around him.

"Can you tell what you wished for if it already came true?" Jack asked.

I told him that it depends on the wish.

"I guess if you wish hard enough on a falling star it can come true. Everyone of mine have" Jack said.

"What did you wish for this time Jack?"

"For the woman that I care deeply about to be in my arms. Then I wished that I could kiss her and leave the worries of the world behind for a short time" he said with a smile on his lips.

"What a coincident, I too wished for the man I care deeply about to be in my arms and kissing me. The only problem is that I will need another kiss from him to make sure that this is real."

As soon as I finished saying that Jack quickly kissed me and then kissed me deeper with more passion. I opened one eye and saw a falling star to the side of us. Just then I felt Jack smiling as he was kissing me. I realized that we had both looked up and saw the same falling star. We closed our eyes and returned to kissing one another, leaving the worries of the world behind for this short period of time.



*~*~*~*~*~*~*



A pair of eyes were watching her standing on the bridge kissing him. At this time he noticed the same falling star that the couple had just looked up at. He nodded his head in gratitude to whatever force of nature caused the falling star. For it was the falling stars that allowed his two friends to find each other and express their feelings. He was very pleased with the results.

Teal'c knew long ago that his friends were destined to become more than just friends, but they needed to be encouraged. He knew that giving her the flowers and watching her reaction had been the correct things to do.

Teal'c then thought back to when he decided to talk to Dr. Fraiser about how a man would go about courting a woman. He was surprised that she had immediately guessed that he was asking for advice about Col. O'Neill and Major Carter. She said that women liked flowers but to just watch Major Carter for signs on what made her smile. Teal'c remembered saying that it was Col. O'Neill who made her smile. She had smiled at Teal'c telling him that if was going to play Cupid, then he had his work cut out for him in getting those two together.

He was glad that no one suspected him of playing Cupid, but he did not understand what Dr. Fraiser meant by calling him Cupid. He looked it up and decided that he did not look like a cherub, he was much larger. He just hoped that Dr. Fraiser and Daniel Jackson would not be as difficult to get together as Col. O'Neill and Major Carter were.

Teal'c looked out the window at his friends and noticed another falling star and again nodded his head in appreciation of what it had done for his friends.

At that time Daniel came up and patted him on the back.

"Come on Teal'c I'll buy you a drink at the bar. Let's give them a little time alone" Daniel said.

In the bar Teal'c and Daniel looked out the window into the night sky. Daniel then raised his glass and told Teal'c he wanted to make a toast.

"To Jack and Sam, they deserve a little time to be just themselves. Soon enough we'll all have the safety of Earth resting on our shoulders. To Jack and Sam" Daniel said. The two clinked their glasses in a toast and took a drink.

Just then a bright circle of red lights streaked across the night sky then circled back across the sky before rocketing straight up and disappearing. The two men inside the bar never noticed it as they took their drink and neither did the couple kissing on the bridge.

It was ironic that what the woman on the bridge had originally came to this mountain pass to look for the strange lights, and now that they were there she was too occupied to see them. All she had eyes for was the man that she was holding and kissing. It was obvious that the male felt the same way about the woman, they were totally oblivious to what had just passed their way. Time seemed to stand still for them, which it always seems to do for people in love.



~*~*~*~*~*~



The strange lights, regulations and problems of the SGC can be put off for a bit. Our heroes have been through enough on this story. Let them have a sweet ending.



*~* The End ~*~




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