Captain Samantha Carter sat outside of the locker room. Her body ached, a bone-deep ache that came from days of back-breaking work in the mine on P3R-636. Weariness also vied for her attention with the ache. Her clothes were stained beyond any type of cleaning, only fit for the garbage. Dirt, dust and sweat seemed to be ingrained in her skin and hair. All she wanted was a long, hot soak in a bathtub filled with fragrant bubbles, but she would have to settle for a quick shower.
General Hammond was practically frothing at the mouth about what had happened, especially since Colonel O'Neil had essentially told him to wait. That was forty-five minutes ago. Now, Carter was waiting for the male members of her team to finish up and leave the locker room so she could clean up. This was one of the main disadvantages of being a woman in a primarily male air force; the majority of locker rooms had to be shared between the sexes.
Just then, Daniel and Teal'c came out the room. Daniel all nervous energy, his eyes darting everywhere. He barely noticed Sam sitting down on the floor.
"Captain Carter", Teal'c nodded at her.
"Teal'c", she nodded back at him, then glanced quickly at Daniel.
"We are going to see Dr. Frasier now. Colonel O'Neil said he will be out soon." answered Teal'c in response to Sam's glance at Daniel. He collected Daniel and headed to the infirmary and labs.
Sam rested her head against the wall and closed her eyes.
*
"Captain."
Sam jerked awake, gazing sleepily up at her commanding officer. He was dressed in fatigue pants and a black T-shirt. The T-shirt molded to his well-defined chest and shoulders; a sight she couldn't help but admire. His hair was still wet, gleaming under the flourescent lights. His brown eyes, as he looked down at her, were warm and gentle.
"Come on. It's your turn now." he said, his voice quiet. Reaching out, he grabbed her hands and gently pulled her to her feet. She groaned as her entire body complained at the movement.
Keeping hold of one of her hands, Jack led her into the locker room. Only a few lights were on. It created an intimate atmosphere, hushed and softly lighted. Sam was only dimly aware of this, something that was recognized in her subconscious but not acknowledged. Instead, she was focused on the warmth of Jack's hand around hers. Strangely, she did not question him or herself why he was still with her in the room.
He lead her past the lockers, past the shower area; stopping only when they had reached the bathtub. The tub was filled with hot, steaming water. Clean towels were sitting on a nearby bench.
"No bubbles?" Sam jokingly asked.
"Nope. This is the Air Force after all." Jack replied.
"I thought the General was waiting for us?"
"He is, but he has waited this long so a little longer won't hurt."
As he said this, he turned to face Sam. Their eyes met and held. Both of them felt the subtle yet always present tension that existed between them, a tension neither was quite ready to act on. It was muted now, in favor of comfort/friendship rather than desire.
His eyes never leaving hers he drew her closer to him. His hands moved up her arms, over her shoulders and down her chest to rest briefly over her breasts, at the opening of her shirt. Moving downward, his fingers grasped the zipper and slowly slid it down. As the shirt came undone, Sam shrugged out of it, her eyes still connected to Jack's. Jack pulled her T-shirt out of the waistband of her pants, sliding it up her body. Sam raised her hands as he pulled it over her head and tossed on the ground. His warm hands came back to rest on her waist, one thumb stroking the smooth skin of her stomach. Sam reached behind her and undid the clasp of her bra, letting it fall to the ground. Jack's hands slipped under the waistband of her pants, sliding down her hips, pushing her pants and underwear down her body. She stepped out of the clothes, to finally stand naked in front of him. His eyes gently caressed her body before coming back to her blue eyes. He smiled at her in warmth and respect, his eyes conveying his pleasure of her naked beauty.
With his help, Sam stepped into the tub. The water was hot, almost scalding. She moaned in pleasure as its' heat seeped into her body, soothing aches and overworked muscles. Closing her eyes, she slid deeper into the water, resting her head against the rim of the tub. The water lapped over her breasts. All the time, Jack's eyes had never left her, silently watching as she relaxed. In a few minutes, the heat of the water had relaxed her to the point that she was starting to doze off.
Jack knelt beside the tub and reached for the bar of soap sitting beside him. He dipped it into the water and lathered it up. Moving to one end of the tub, he started to wash her legs. Long-fingered, calloused hands stroked the bar of soap over her muscled calf, gliding over her knee, up her thigh. Sam barely moved, floating in world filled with sensation, the feel of Jack's hands skimming over one leg then the other, leaving muscles relaxed. The sensuality of his hands and fingers on her body caused other feelings and thoughts to arise in competition with her current state of total relaxation. Thoughts of how those hands would feel like on her body in the heat of passion. Hands that already conveyed the feeling of a lover well acquainted with her body and her responses. A lover's touch, with no attempt at arousing her, only of caring for her, moving further up her legs, over her hips and stomach. She opened her eyes as one hand rested on her stomach, just below her breasts. Languid blue eyes gazed up into warm brown eyes.
Jack enjoyed the look of relaxation and contentment that shone from those eyes, eyes that held the barest edge of desire in them. He reveled in the feel of her smooth skin flowing beneath his hands, the feel of well-defined muscles quivering under his barest touch. His hand, lying on her stomach began to move again. He ran the bar of soap over her breasts and chest, down her arms. Exchanging the soap for a soft wash cloth, he began to clean her face. The movements of the cloth were slow, caressing forehead, cheeks. As the cloth passed near her mouth, one long finger reached out to skim over her lips, the barest of touches. Slowly, sensually, the wash cloth slid down her throat, moving to the sensitive skin at the base of her neck. Sam sat up and hugged her knees as Jack began to wash her back. The feel of the wash cloth moving down the sensitive skin of her back and spine was heaven.
A gentle touch on the back of her neck had her sinking lower in the water, tilting her head back to wet her hair. Cupping his hands, Jack poured water over her hair. Once he was satisfied that her hair was throughly wet, he reached for a bottle sitting beside him. The scent of hot tropics and flowers filled his senses as he poured some of her shampoo into his hand. It was a scent he always associated with her, how he could identify her presence in a room without even seeing her first. He remembered the time she had tried to seduce him in the locker room, the feel of her mouth devouring his, the scent of her hair invading all of his senses, overwhelming him. His fingers kneaded her scalp, working the shampoo into her hair. She moaned softly in pleasure. Her hair squeaked between his fingers as he rinsed out the shampoo.
Sam stepped out of the tub and into the towel Jack held out. He enfolded her in his arms as he dried her off. Once she was dressed, she sat on a nearby bench and allowed Jack to towel dry then comb out her hair. As he combed out the tangles, he rejoiced in the re-appearance of her blonde hair, instead of the dirt that had hid its brilliance from him over the past few days.
The bath and Jack's tender ministrations made Sam feel relaxed and cared for. She leaned back against him, both of them enjoying the quiet of the locker room and the temporary absence of reality.
"Come on, its time to go. I think General Hammond has been waiting long enough and I want to see how Danny is doing." Jack said quietly, reluctantly. He was enjoying this brief time with Sam and did not want it to end.
"Yes Sir". Sam replied.
Both of them slid back into their respective roles: Colonel and Captain, commanding officer and soldier. The interlude in the locker room was a brief and private moment for both of them. Each was not yet ready to go beyond it, preferring to develop the bond of friendship that was deepening between them. But they both knew that in the not to distant future that their friendship would become something more. A time they were looking forward to.
End
Story Notes: Ever since I saw the bathtub in "Hathor", this story has been lurking in the back of my mind until I had to write it. This is also my first fan fiction, so all comments and feedback will be greatly appreciated. Flames will be completely ignored.
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 ]