I Miss Going Off-World
Season: 10/SGA Season 3
Spoilers: Uninvited, Momento Mori, SGA The Return, The Quest, Line in the Sand.
Genre: Romance, Hurt/Comfort/Angst. SJ fluff.
Warnings: I guess vagueish adult themish things, nothing too bad. Lots of innuendo.
Disclaimer: I don’t own it. Honest.
Notes: This story was nominated in the 2008 Stargate Fan Awards, so I'd just like to say thanks for that!
--
Jack loved it when he could find bureaucratic reasons to visit Carter. Not because he loved wasting tax payers’ money, but because it gave him extra time with his wife. Add in careful scheduling by say, having a meeting on a Monday or a Friday, and he could manage an entire three days with Sam. Days he wouldn’t otherwise get.
Hence the reason he was now comfortably burrowed under many blankets with his wife in their Colorado bed, rather than lying cold and lonely in his big bedroom in DC. Despite having stayed up most of the night before, he’d still woken with the sun. And it was Sunday. But for once Jack didn’t mind. He was too busy thinking of creative and seemingly unintentional ways to wake Sam up, in order to resume the activities that had ceased last night due to excessive fatigue.
Another reason Jack was so full of energy was because he was going to Atlantis to meet with the Ancients that the Daedalus had rescued from the void between galaxies. Granted, he’d have to sit through meetings but he looked forward to the chance to step through the gate again. God he missed going off-world.
Jack re-focussed his attention on the task at hand: waking up Sam. He nuzzled lightly at the side of her neck, figuring that though it was unsubtle, it was effective. He could always move away once she showed signs of wakefulness.
Sam stirred in her sleep, turning onto her side but not waking, so Jack decided another tactic was in order. He leaned over her and brushed the tip of one finger ever-so-lightly along the bridge of her nose. Sam’s brow creased and her hand came up to lazily swipe at the source of her discomfort, still not completely waking up.
Jack smirked. This was kind of fun. He searched his mind for more harmless pranks he could play on her, and grinned when a suitable joke occurred to him. He poked her in the side slightly, causing her to roll onto her back, still asleep. Geez, this was almost going to be too easy.
He leaned close to the side of her head, taking a deep breath and then suddenly expelling the air into her ear. The effect was, for Jack, truly hilarious.
Sam sat bolt upright in bed, looking around wildly for the source of the disturbance. Her eyes were wide, hair tangled and sticking up, and it took her a while to realise that she was safe in her bed with no immediate threat to her safety.
Her eyes finally registered the sight of Jack face down in his pillow, attempting to smother his laughter. Still looking rumpled, her eyes narrowed.
‘Jack,’ she said coolly, or as coolly as she could having just been rudely awakened.
Jack just kept laughing; obviously unaware of the danger he was in. If he had’ve been paying attention, he would have noticed the moment that Sam properly woke up, and a calculating look crossed her face.
One moment Jack was laying face down on the bed, hugging his pillow to his face. The next instant he was lying face up on the carpet. Removing the pillow from his face, he looked up to see Sam lying on her stomach on the bed, gazing smugly down at him.
‘You know Jack,’ she said sweetly, ‘being Sunday morning and all, as well as my first weekend at home in a while, I think I deserve breakfast in bed. Don’t you?’
Jack tried to look repentant, he really did, but despite having been roughly shoved onto the floor and the guilt-trip Sam was trying to start him on, he was really having too much fun to be genuinely sorry. And he knew Sam was just too happy to see him to be truly mad herself. Or so he hoped.
‘Oh, I dunno,’ he replied casually, sitting up on the carpet, ‘it’s a bit early on a Sunday morning for breakfast, don’t you think Carter?’ Jack got to his feet, thinking that his knees were getting too old for this sort of thing.
‘Or at least,’ he amended smoothly, ‘for the food type of breakfast.’ He sat on the bed next to Sam.
Sam rolled over onto her back and looked at him with a knowing expression on her face. ‘Oh?’
‘Uh huh,’ Jack answered, leaning down for a morning kiss.
Sam returned the kiss and then said ‘well, I suppose you do owe me for waking me up on my only Sunday sleep-in for a month.’
‘Mmm,’ was Jack’s only reply, as he was otherwise occupied.
‘But,’ Sam added as she wrapped her arms around his neck, ‘I still expect my breakfast in bed later.’
‘Yes ma’am,’ Jack managed to reply.
--
After an extremely relaxing Sunday, during which Jack did indeed cook breakfast and bring it to Sam in bed, they both reported to the mountain on Monday morning. Jack went off to his pre-mission briefing before gating to the Pegasus Galaxy, while Sam went to her lab.
SG1 didn’t have a mission scheduled for a couple of days. Which was a good thing, because it meant that when Jack came back tonight from his diplomatic meeting with the Ancients, they could spend the evening together before he flew back to DC early on Tuesday morning.
So all in all, Sam was very happy with the world, humming quietly as she set about her work.
--
On Monday evening, Jack took Sam out to dinner. He’d come back through the gate in the afternoon, and until 17.00 was shut up in a video conference with Landry and the President. After which time he appeared in Sam’s lab, looking slightly frustrated. He’d calmed somewhat on seeing Sam hunched over her desk, oblivious to the time and totally caught up on whatever she was working on.
‘Whatcha doin?’ he asked, leaning against the door frame.
Sam turned and smiled. ‘Working on Merlin’s phase technology,’ she replied. Her smile turned into a grimace. ‘It’s going to be weeks if not months before it’ll be ready for testing and wide-scale application.’
‘Don’t worry Carter,’ Jack answered with confidence, ‘you’ll work it out. Dinner?’
‘You mean eat out?’ Sam asked surprised. ‘On your last evening?’
‘Yup,’ Jack replied. ‘If we leave the mountain now, we can get ready, go eat and be back at home by 21.00.’ He gave her a roughish wink. ‘Plenty of time for … other activities.’
Sam blushed and glanced at the security camera reflexively, despite knowing that they didn’t record sound. She recovered quickly.
‘Give me a sec to wrap this up?’ She asked.
‘Sure,’ Jack replied. ‘I’ll wait.’
Then ended up eating at a classy restaurant: the same in fact that Daniel took Vala to on their disastrous not-date which concluded with Vala’s kidnapping. Jack figured that the place was well recommended, and that lightening was unlikely to strike the same place twice, figuratively speaking. Plus he wanted to take Sam somewhere nicer than O’Malley’s.
They were seated in a nice quiet corner, enjoying their meal and some light conversation. Neither wanted to discuss anything serious, and this wasn’t the place for it anyway: it was too public.
‘When do you think you’ll be back?’ Sam asked, taking a sip of her wine.
‘It depends,’ Jack replied. ‘Personally, with Woolsey out there, I can see me being recalled pretty soon. And of course I might have to come back if there’s some sort of catastrophe.’ Jack smiled humourlessly. ‘But if all else fails, I’ll be back in a couple of weeks anyway, for the weekend.’
‘Can’t wait,’ Sam smiled brightly at him.
Sam turned the conversation to more everyday things, such as how Jack was coping with his new secretary, and Cassie’s latest grades.
Just as Jack said, they returned home close to 21.00, both feeling the pleasant buzz of the wine. When the car was parked, Jack moved to open the passenger door for Sam. Instead of moving aside to let her step out, Sam gasped in surprise as he scooped her up in his arms and carried her toward the front door.
When they reached the front door Jack fumbled for the lock, his actions made more difficult as Sam seemed to have decided to plant a series of kisses down his neck. He finally managed it and entered the house, kicking the door shut behind him, stepping out of his shoes and discarding them by the front door.
Sam expected to be put down, and was surprised when he failed to do so, instead moving deeper into the house.
‘Jack?’ She asked. ‘Why haven’t you put me down?’
‘Last night Carter,’ Jack explained without stopping. ‘We’ve only got a few hours left, so I thought I’d save us as much time as possible.’ He kissed Sam on the forehead and moved towards the bedroom.
Sam giggled. ‘Yes sir,’ she countered cheekily.
Jack let out a groan as he shut the bedroom door behind them.
--
Of course, there were problems with the Ancients and Jack was recalled to the SGC, though later than he’d expected to be. Sam was about to go on a standard recon mission with SG1, so they only had time for a hurried greeting. Jack dragged her into a convenient supply closet for a little bit of privacy as she was on her way to gear-up and he was off to talk with Landry.
The result was a breathless Sam hurrying late into the Gate Room, her team glancing at her curiously. They were spared the need to ask questions when Jack appeared in the Control Room next to Landry as the SGC’s CO wished them Godspeed.
As SG1 exchanged knowing glances, Sam locked eyes with Jack, communicating wordlessly and promising to catch up as soon as their individual missions were completed. Sam had to admit to a slight feeling of trepidation at the thought of Jack going off-world for a prolonged period of time, and was forced to remind herself that there weren’t many places safer than a stronghold filled with Ancients. What she herself did was much more dangerous.
Sam glanced over her shoulder just before passing through the event horizon, sharing one last look with Jack as she stepped through.
--
SG1’s standard overnight recon turned into a 10-day stay on the planet, as an unforseen weather anomaly forced them to shelter in some nearby caves in order to wait out the sudden monsoon-like weather. The rain had caused a mudslide of sorts, blocking their path to the gate, at least until the weather cleared. They were able to make do with their supplies, supplemented by the local flora and fauna. All in all, it was a rather bedraggled SG1 that finally made their way back through the gate, all longing for nice hot showers.
Landry’s grim face as he greeted them immediately alerted them to the fact that there was something wrong.
‘What’s up sir?’ Mitchell asked.
‘I’ll explain in the debriefing,’ Landry replied. ‘Shower and head to the infirmary then report to the briefing room in an hour.’ He turned and headed up to the control room. SG1 exchanged worried glances before heading out of the gate room.
--
Sam sat mutely horrified as she processed General Landry’s words. Jack was trapped on Atlantis. He’d ordered the city to be nuked. And Sheppard, Weir, McKay and Doctor Beckett had gone too. The Daedelus would be about to deposit it’s nuclear warhead. And there was nothing she could do.
She hid her inner turmoil behind a seemingly unruffled façade, avoiding the concerned glances of her team mates. Once they were dismissed, she calmly stood, and made her way to her lab without attempting to make conversation.
Once Sam got to her lab, she locked the door and put up her ‘do not disturb’ sign. She sat heavily in her chair and rested her head on her arms. Scenarios were whirling through her head, possible outcomes. She couldn’t admit to herself that the chances of survival were very minor.
Sam sat up determinedly and started working on the phase technology. No point in dwelling after all. If the worst happened, well … she’d deal with it when it did.
--
Sam had heard the alarms that signalled an off-world activation, but disregarded them and concentrated on her work. Shortly afterwards her phone rang.
‘Carter,’ she answered, sounding calm and professional.
‘Colonel, this is General Landry. I just wanted to let you know that Sheppard and his team were completely successful in rescuing Mr Woolsey and General O’Neill, as well as in recapturing Atlantis. They’re in the infirmary now.’
‘Thank you sir!’ Sam said, some of her relief and excitement entering her tone. A weight lifted from her shoulders. She hastily hung up the phone and rushed to the infirmary, resisting the urge to run.
She rushed into the infirmary, scanning the room for signs of Jack. She made eye contact with Doctor Lam across the room, who silently pointed to a curtained-off bed in a corner. Sam nodded in thanks, hurried to the curtain and slipped inside.
Jack was sitting calmly on the bed, looking a little cold but otherwise none the worse for wear. There was even a hint of a smile on his face as he looked up to see her coming through the curtain.
Sam hastily looked him over as she swiftly made her way to him, and came to the conclusion that he was uninjured. She barrelled into him, arms wrapping around him in a tight hug. Her momentum caused him to fall back onto the bed, and he let out a slight ‘oompf’ of surprise as his arms made their way around her.
She held onto him tightly, squeezing hard and tucking her head under his chin. She was shaking slightly and he noticed her distress, rubbing her on the back and whispering into her ear.
‘Carter,’ he said, ‘I’m fine, really. Nothing happened to me. Really.’
Sam pushed off him slightly to gaze critically at him. She was still lying on top of him. Looking at him closely, she saw a look on him that she hadn’t seen for a while: the after-effects of an adrenaline rush. He’d enjoyed himself. She watched him rearrange his features into a semblance of a penitent expression.
Really, what did she expect? She knew that he missed the action, and that she’d be just the same in his position. And he was safe.
Suddenly she leant down and kissed him, hard. He was surprised at first, but quickly recovered, taking over and swiftly flipping them over, so he was on top, and deepening the kiss. They both temporarily forgot where they were and only realised what they were doing when they heard a cough from the opening in the curtain. They then both realised the compromising position they were in.
Jack’s thigh was between Sam’s and his hands were up her shirt. Sam’s arms were around his neck and Jack was planting wet kisses along her collarbone. At the interruption they both jumped up as if burned, hastily moving to sit up on the bed as they rearranged their clothing.
Doctor Lam smiled in amusement at the couple, choosing not to comment on what she’d walked in on. ‘You’re clear to leave General,’ she said.
Jack cleared his throat. ‘Thanks,’ he replied awkwardly.
Doctor Lam nodded and turned on her heel. Sam pressed her face into Jack’s shoulder and started giggling quietly.
‘Hey,’ Jack said gruffly, ‘it’s not funny.’
Sam couldn’t stop giggling for some time.
--
Jack headed off to the mission debrief while Sam went back to her lab to clear up. As soon as Jack was able to leave the mountain, she would too. After only half an hour, Jack came to her lab.
‘Hey,’ he said, ‘guess what?’
Sam grinned up at him. ‘What?’
‘I’ve got two weeks leave,’ he stated smugly. ‘And so do you.’
Sam stared at him in surprise. ‘How?’
‘The President,’ Jack replied. ‘He must have figured he owed me. Wanna go to the cabin?’
‘Sure,’ Sam answered, ‘but if I’ve got two weeks leave I need to make sure everything here is in order.’ She started moving around the lab.
‘Ack,’ Jack said, ‘I’m sure it’s fine. Let’s just go home and get ready. I’ve even arranged for us to be beamed to the cabin, we don’t even have to drive.’
Sam looked around her lab, noting that it was in fact in perfect order. She looked at Jack, who was practically hopping from one foot to the other in his impatience to leave. She smiled fondly. He really was like a little boy sometimes.
Instead of replying Sam just strolled out the door, looking over her shoulder when Jack wasn’t following her. ‘Coming?’ She enquired.
Jack guiltily put down the shiny object he’d picked up and hurried after her.
--
Jack woke up with a start. He forced his breathing to even out, talking deep, slow breaths. He’d forgotten the nightmares that a bad mission gave. Of course he still had nightmares, but they were of past experiences and memories dulled by time or of fears for Sam, which lacked sufficient detail to create too much of a sense of reality. But with the Replicator probing still fresh on his mind, these dreams were vivid.
Sam stirred in her sleep, drawing him even closer to her body, hugging him tighter. He returned the embrace, tucking her head beneath his chin and slowly calming down. Sam’s regular breathing helped him to relax and he swiftly went back to sleep.
--
Sam and Jack spent all their leave in Minnesota, relaxing. Sam hadn’t had time off since Landry’s attempt to get them all to bond here at the cabin. They were spending the afternoon lazing out by the pond, Jack not even bothering to fish. Sam was explaining Merlin’s error with SG1’s identities once he’d been awoken from his cryogenic freeze.
‘So if you’re Guinevere, does that make me Arthur?’ Jack asked.
‘I guess so,’ Sam replied with a grin.
‘Sweet!’ Jack crowed.
‘Unless,’ Sam added, ‘you’re Lancelot?’
Nah,’ Jack dismissed, ‘I’m not the type. And we’re married.’ He mused in silence for a while. ‘What about Teal’c? You said he wasn’t there when Merlin was giving you all names.’
Sam almost snorted. ‘Teal’c?’ She asked. ‘You think I’m going to have an affair with Teal’c?’
‘I dunno,’ Jack pondered, ‘he’s tall, dark, strong, athletic. What’s not to like?’
Sam laughed and punched him lightly in the chest. ‘Sure you don’t want to have that affair?’ She teased.
‘Hey!’ Jack protested. ‘I’m quite satisfied with the way things are.’ He leant in for a kiss.
‘Me too,’ Sam sighed contentedly.
--
Later, Sam was sitting on the sofa reading a scientific journal, while Jack way lying with his head pillowed in her lap. He was supposedly reading too, but his book was discarded and he’d succumbed to the soporific effect of Sam absently running her fingers through his hair.
He closed his eyes in contentment. Seriously, if all it took to get two weeks down-time with Sam was to suffer near annihilation, he needed to go on missions more often. Jack was gradually lulled to sleep by the almost hypnotic feel of Sam’s touch.
God he missed going off-world.
DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc, are the property of their respective owners. Any original characters and plots are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended. ... [ read more ]