"How are you feeling?" Janet looks at me and I grin.
"Great," I say confidently. We're just sitting in the infirmary, giving me a post-mission check up. The mission was simple. Daniel observed some ruins, I took soil samples. Yadda yadda yadda.
"Well, you look fine to me, but I'll run those tests just to make sure."
"Thanks," I get off the bed and start walking away.
"Hey, Sam?" Janet calls for me. I head back to where she is standing.
"Yeah?"
"Has something happened recently?" My face heats up. She couldn't know.. could she?
"Um, no, why?" I stammer out.
"Oh, you just seem... happier. More energetic." I can feel my cheeks cool down.
"Oh, I have just been going to bed earlier, getting extra sleep."
"Good. I know General Hammond has been putting some extra stress on you and the team."
"It's not that bad. But I better get going, Janet. I need to run some diagnostics." My friend just nodded at me and I leave. I walk through the symmetrical halls with only one thing on my mind.
Jack.
We are going to have dinner together tonight. Talk some things over. My heart rate doubles every time I think about him. When did it start? I have no clue. But we still have a ton to figure out. This is very risky, and without us being clear with one another, it could turn into something bad. I have pictured what it would be like to be with him. It still feels unreal. I feel that we didn't talk this through to find out if it's what we really want.
--
I'm sitting at my work bench, scribbling down some quick last minute thoughts when Jack walks in.
"Hey, Carter," He says casually. Good. He is acting normal.
"Hello, sir," I greet with a smile. I turn back to my notes, knowing I am forgetting something.
"Watchya doing?" I turn to find him playing with a cube of an unknown substance that SG-4 brought back.
"I wouldn't play with that. I have yet to figure out what it does." He looks at me and then, as if a light bulb clicked in his head, he put it down suddenly.
"Well, I just came by to let you know that I asked Hammond for a weeks leave after this next mission." He's looking around my lab. A weeks leave? Normally, I would be planning what I could do while my team wasn't here to bug me. But right now I'm planning on taking that whole week off. Recharge my battery and... relax.
"What did he say?" I question with my back turned to him, putting my notes in a folder for tomorrow.
"He was glad I asked. Said SG-1 needs it."
"Really? That's what Dr. Fraiser said, too." Have we been noticeably tense or something?
--
"Damn," I curse under my breath. I just dropped the earring I was going to wear tonight down the drain. I look at myself in the mirror. What was I doing? Jack has seen me at my worst. So why can't he see me at my best? I question myself. But this is far from my best. If I had had all day to prepare I would be doing a lot better now. Not shaky hands and still having no clue what to wear. I look at my hair. Sometimes I wish I had long hair so I could do more things with it. But with my work, it would just get in the way. I huff and try to think of ways I could style it. I check the clock and I get that feeling of waking up late. I tell myself screw it, and I went natural with my hair. I don't have time to play beauty salon, so I grab my mascara and eyeliner to touch up on the way there. I run to my closet and fling the door open. What do I wear? All we are doing is having a late dinner, drinking some beer, talking, playing cards, going on his roof... It's warm out tonight. I decide for some yoga capris. Plain black. Now a shirt. I look through the shirts I have. I have thousands. Why can't I find one now? My hand comes to the pinks, yes my closet is color coordinated, and I grab a random one. I look at it. Simple, just plain pink, covers my chest completely. I slip it on and go look at myself in the mirror. I turn around. Does my butt look good? I smile, yes it does. I take one final look at myself, slip on my black flip flops, and head out the door.
--
I'm at a red light so I flip open the visor and take my eyeliner out. I try not to stab my eye as I swipe quickly. I take out my mascara and only do the top lashes. The light turns green and I look at my work. Not my best, but it's more than what I wear everyday. I get off the main highway and onto a back road. I know this route by heart. I slow down, it's that time of night where it's not dark enough for your lights, but not light enough for just your eyes. And the big dip in the road should be right about..
Dip.
I slow down and turn on to his road. I slow down, cautioned by a deer sign. I grip the steering wheel in excitement. Why am I so nervous? It's just Jack. I pull into his driveway and park my car. I take one last look in the mirror, fluff my hair, and shut the car off. I get out of the car and walk slowly up. I take a deep breath and get to the steps.
"Carter!" I jump slightly and look to the side of the house. I see Jack walking in the grass, beer in his hand, towards me with a smile on his face.
I smile back, "Hi," I meet him in the middle and he kisses my cheek lightly, his touch leaving a burning sensation behind. He slings his arms around my shoulders and we walk to the backyard.
"I thought I heard a car door shut. You look nice, wanna beer?" He directs us to the two chairs on his back deck. He hands me a beer before I can even answer him.
"Thanks," I say quietly.
"So, how was work?" He asks me. What? How was work? We work together!
"Uh, pretty slow, actually." I admit.
He nods. We sit there for a while. In silence, listening to the trees sway in the soft summer wind.
"Jack," I say. He perks up and looks at me.
"We need to talk. We need to be clear with each other, and to find out if this is what we want." I sound so insensitive.
"Sam, I don't know about you, but I have been wanting this for a long time." He says, his eyes still locked with mine. Which I find odd, because Jack O'Neill is not the best at communicating his feelings.
"I agree," I say just above a whisper. "But what happens if we get caught?"
"We'll cross that bridge if we get there." He says, taking a sip from his beer.
"I just don't want me to be the reason your career ends. I don't want you to end up resenting me." What would I do if Jack hated me?
"You will never be the reason I'm booted from the air force. It's these damn knees of mine. And I could never hate you, Sam." He touches my hand that's resting on the chair's arm. I wrap my fingers around his palm and give him a small smile.
--
I'm on my fourth beer. I'm not really feeling the effects. Maybe it's because I have been drinking them slowly. Right now we're sitting on the roof on a blanket.
"Did you know that I was in band in high school?" I tell him. He looks at me and then back at the stars.
"What'd you play?"
"The clarinet,"
He sits up, "But that's a girl instrument." I smack him in the arm.
"Back then I was girly. I wasn't taking soil samples and getting my nails dirty."
He laughs, "I would of enjoyed seeing you as a teenager." We sit for a while longer, just looking up at the stars, laying on a blanket holding hands. I start to feel tired, but hate having to put this night to an end. I sit up, "I better be going,"
He looks at me. "Can you even drive?" I stand up and the world starts spinning. "Oh, no, you're not driving. I can drive you home." He stands up and helps me catch my balance.
"Jack, I'm fine, plus, that's way out of your way."
"Sam, you're not fine. Now come on, I'll bring you home." I don't want him to drive me home and leave.
"Can I just stay here tonight? If it's not a problem." I suggest. The thought of sleep is blissful. I watch as his face lights up.
"Sure," He smiles and helps me down the ladder. We walk to the house and I find the living room and fall on the couch. "Uh-uh-uh, you're sleeping in a bed. This couch will kill your back." He pulls me up and I fall into his arms.
I regain my posture. "What about you?"
"Don't worry about me." By now we are in his bedroom. He walks over and pulls the covers back. I sit on the bed and stick my legs under the covers. He sits on the edge, looking at me. "Thank you, Sam."
"For what?" I look at him.
"For everything," He leans forward and puts his lips against mine. I could never get used to this. His mouth tastes like beer and him. I lean more into him, and this time he doesn't pull away. I put my hand on his arm and deepen the kiss. All too soon though, we need air. He pulls away, and I keep my lips in place and my eyes close, savoring the sensations running through my veins.
"Goodnight," he whispers in my ear, and kisses me one last time.
--
I wake up to find myself in a strange bed. But then the memories of last night come rushing back and I smile. I look at the clock.
9:47
My eyes widen and I jump out from under the warm covers. I run out into the hall and find Jack sleeping on the couch. I speed walk up to him.
"Jack, wake up, we need to get to work." I say as gently as I could. He stirs and looks up at me. He looks over at the clock on the wall.
"It's only six," He groans as he sits up and rubs his neck. I look to see if he's right.
"But the clock in your room says quarter to ten." I tell him.
"Oh, sorry, that clock stopped working awhile ago." He looks up and squints from the early morning sunlight coming in through the windows.
"Oh... I'm sorry for waking you." I feel guilty and sit down next to him on the couch. He sits back so our shoulders are touching.
"It's fine," He pats my leg and I rest my head on his shoulder.
"You can go back to sleep." I offer, feeling horrible.
"No, I'm awake. It's fine." He kisses the top of my head and keeps his hand on my leg.
"Thanks for letting me crash here last night." I voice softly.
"I didn't want you driving." He says simply. That makes me stop and think. Isn't that a signal of concern? Concern is relevant to caring. He cares about me.
--
"Auntie Sam?" I look to see Cassandra holding up a pink sweater. "Do you think this would look good on me?"
I walk and stand by her, looking at the different colors. "Try it in green first." I hand her an identical green one and watch as she walks to the dressing room. We've been shopping for a couple hours at the mall. She said that I had been neglecting her. I felt guilty because I have been so focused on Jack. So I'm taking her shopping. She comes out with a smile.
"I like the green one way better!" I just smile and follow her around. Thinking about what it would be like is this was my own daughter.
--
"You should get a boyfriend." Cassie tells me as we're driving back to her house. She doesn't know about Jack.
"No," I say with a smile, trying to play it cool.
"Why not? You're smart, pretty, and super nice."
"I'm happy right now. I don't feel the need for a boyfriend." I tell her. I hate lying to her. But it's not like I can tell her.
"Awh, c'mon, Sam, shy on the streets, sexy in the sheets?"
I almost slam on the brakes. "Cassandra! I don't ever want to hear you talk like that again!" I look at her and she bursts out laughing. I turn my attention back to the road. I start thinking about Jack. When the time comes, will he like me in a sexual way? I hope that I'm not too inexperienced for him. Jack and I have been seeing each other for about two months. And yet, neither one of us has made a move. I enjoy that we are taking it slow. But the anticipation to take it to the next level is driving me insane.
Author's Notes: I hope you guys like this one =)
Sorry for any mistakes!
Sorry for any mistakes!
End Notes: I would love to hear what you guys want from the story! Any ideas on what you think should happen would be helpful!
Thank you!
xoxo,
WhiteTigers
Thank you!
xoxo,
WhiteTigers
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 ]