TITLE: Personal Regulations

AUTHOR: Shane Vansen

EMAIL: the_fourth_dimension@hotmail.com

STATUS: Complete

CATEGORY: Sam/Jack

SPOILERS: D&C, Meridian

SEASON: between 5 & 6

RATING: NC-17

CONTENT WARNINGS: sexual situations (and extreme sap at the end, if you consider that requiring a warning)

FEEDBACK: always a pleasure

SUMMARY: It's the night after the morning before.  So now what?  Sequel to Elegy

DISCLAIMER:  Stargate SG-1 and its characters belong to MGM, Gekko Film Corp and Double Secret Productions. This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment purposes and no money exchanged hands. No copyright or trademark infringement was intended. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

ARCHIVE: SJA and Heliopolis; anyone else just ask and ye shall be granted

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I had absolutely no intention of writing a sequel, but then Ms. Murphy started putting all these crazy ideas in my head about them actually being *naked* while having sex. <snorts in disbelief> Whoever heard of such a ridiculous idea?  You can blame her for this.  Sue, thanks for your help, as always.  Open mouth, remove foot, eh?  (Kidding! <g> It made me laugh, which can't be a bad thing)

***

Jack came awake slowly, confused for a few moments as he tried to remember why he was asleep on the living room couch instead of his bed, but then the woman he held in his arms shifted and it all came back.  He felt a contented smile spread across his face as he tightened his embrace and buried his nose in Sam's hair, placing a gentle kiss on the nape of her neck.  Who would have thought that an unofficial team bonding night would have ended like this?

Sam moved again, trying to turn, and Jack loosened his hold enough to allow her movement.  She rolled carefully onto her back, managing not to end up on the floor, and her eyes met his, somehow looking both content and wary at the same time.  "Good morning," she murmured, her voice still rough with sleep.

"Morning," he replied with a smile.  He studied her face for a minute and, deciding to take the risk, leaned down for a tentative kiss.  Jack was relieved beyond measure when she responded, her hand coming up to thread lightly through his hair in a way he found almost possessive.

She left her eyes closed when he pulled away, a soft smile touching her lips as he trailed an index finger over her features with a feather-light touch.  "What time is it?" she asked eventually, her hand moving aimlessly over his back.

Jack shifted, sliding a leg over hers so that his body half-covered hers.  He squinted at the clock on the VCR.  "A little after nine," he told her, his fingers now tracing her slightly parted lips.

Sam's eyes snapped open and her hand, which had just started to inch its way beneath his shirt, stilled.  "That late?" she questioned, turning her head to confirm the time for herself.

Jack stopped his gentle exploration of her face.  "What's wrong?" he asked, obligingly moving over as she struggled to sit up.  She slid to the edge of the couch and scrubbed both hands over her face before standing, her arms lifted above her head in a stretch.  Jack tried not to stare at the patch of skin as her shirt lifted slightly.

"I have an appointment with Doctor Fraiser in an hour," she answered absently, scanning the room for her jacket.  She headed off his next question before he could ask it.  "It's nothing - just a routine physical."

Jack swore internally - that meant his was just around the corner.  It felt as though he'd just had one.

He followed Sam to the door, strangely reluctant to let her leave so soon.  From what he knew of her, there was a good chance that if she left now then the previous night would up as just the latest item on the long list of things they didn't discuss.  He didn't want this to be left in the same damn room as their forced confessions.

"You'll come back, right?" he asked her as she opened the door, and Sam turned back to face him.  The uncertainty in her eyes flickered, becoming the steely determination he'd seen from her so often.

"Tonight," she agreed, and for the second time that morning Jack felt a rush of relief.  Knowing that depending on how their conversation went that night he might not be able to do so again, he leaned forward to give her a goodbye kiss.  His lips were just millimetres from hers when she spoke.  "Teal'c."

He pulled back.  "Huh?"

She was staring at something over his shoulder.  "Teal'c's still here."

Crap!  How could he have forgotten that?  Already feeling his face burn with embarrassment Jack turned around, but instead of finding the man himself he was relieved to see that Sam had only been looking at his coat.  Relief faded, however, when he realized that the Jaffa never slept in this late and had probably seen him asleep with Sam on the couch.

She must have understood the same thing, Jack thought when Sam was suddenly avoiding his gaze.  What had started out as a promising day was rapidly going downhill.

"You should go find him," Sam suggested.  "I may as well give him a ride back to the base."

Jack found Teal'c in his kitchen, drinking a glass of orange juice while he read the paper.  "Ah, good morning."

"Good morning, O'Neill."

Jack fidgeted for a moment.  "Look, about what you saw this morning..." he hesitated, not sure what to say.  He needn't have bothered worrying.

Teal'c looked at him blandly as he folded the paper.  "I know not of what you speak, O'Neill.  I have witnessed nothing that requires anyone's attention."

Jack worked his jaw for a moment, surprised.  "Umm... thanks, Teal'c." He smiled slightly and the Jaffa inclined his head in acknowledgement.  "Carter's headed back to the base now if you're ready to go."

The empty juice glass was deposited in the dishwasher and the two men joined Sam, who was still waiting by the door.  This time he could only stand and do nothing as she left; just because Teal'c was willing to keep silent about their sleeping arrangement, he didn't want to push his luck by kissing Sam in front of the other man.  Besides, he didn't think Sam would let him anyway.

Jack was slightly reassured to see Sam mouth "later" just before she got into her car.  Watching until they were out of sight, he returned to his house, trying to think of something to do to pass the time until that night.

**

Sam stared at her closet, trying to decide what to wear.  It wasn't like it was a date or anything, but it was going to be a pretty momentous night, all things considered.

She knew what Jack wanted, had known for a long time, and today she'd done nothing but think about what she wanted.  Janet had commented on her distraction, but Sam hadn't been prepared to discuss what was on her mind.  Now, however, she had made her choice.  How she would tell Jack was her biggest worry right now - that, and finding something to wear.

With a sigh, she settled on a pair of dark blue jeans and a long-sleeved buttoned white t-shirt; hardly jaw-dropping, but comfortable.  He was so used to seeing her in fatigues anyway that she figured even jeans must be a step up.  Taking a last quick look around her room to be sure she had everything she needed, Sam headed out the door.

**

She stood outside Jack's front door for a good five minutes before she could bring herself to knock.  It was stupid, really, she thought; it was just Colonel O'Neill, the same man she'd seen nearly every day for the past five years.

Of course, she was smart enough to realize why this was different - she would have had to be in a coma *not* to.  The difference tonight was that Major Carter wasn't coming to discuss something with Colonel O'Neill, but that Sam was coming to talk with Jack.  And it was a very, very rare occasion when Sam and Jack talked.

The door opened then, and she was surprised to see a hint of nervousness in his eyes; he usually had more control over himself than that.  "Hey."

"Hey."  They stared at each other for a moment, and then Jack shook his head and stepped back.  "Come in."

Once inside he surprised her again by helping her off with her coat, something he'd never done before.  His uncharacteristic behaviour wasn't helping to put her at ease but, God help her, she found it charming.

They moved into the living room, settling into an uneasy silence; Jack on the couch, Sam in the chair.  She wasn't sure she'd be able to say everything that needed to be said if she were next to him, right where all this had been put into motion less than eighteen hours earlier.

"Do you want a drink or something?" he offered, drawing her gaze up to his.

She shook her head.  "No thanks."  Silence reigned again for a moment, and Sam decided that enough was enough.  If they were going to talk about this, there was no point in delaying.  "What did Teal'c say?" she asked, determining that it was as good a place as any to start.  She and Teal'c hadn't talked about that morning when she'd driven him back to the base.

"He's not going to report us, but I'm not sure if he'll lie if he's directly asked if he's ever seen anything... compromising.  Not that we'd ask him to," Jack added.

"No," she agreed, "we can't ask him to lie on our behalf.  Whatever we do is our responsibility."  She saw his eyes light up as he realized that she'd used the present tense, not the past.

"Sam?" he said cautiously, "does this mean... do you...?" He made an impatient noise and closed his eyes.  When he opened them again, he looked tired.  "Sam, you know how I feel," he said softly.  "It's up to you.  Whatever you've decided, I'll go along with it."

She wasn't going to back down now.  "I want to give this - us - a try," she told him, holding up a hand to forestall any comments.  "And I don't mean to sound demanding, but if we're going to do this we need to set some ground rules first."

"Our own set of regulations?" he asked with a slight quirk of his eyebrow.

She had to grin at that; trust Jack to know exactly the right thing to say to diffuse the tension.  "I guess so," she concurred, standing up and beginning to pace a bit.  "Absolutely nothing on base or off world," she started, having thought this out during the day.

"Exactly what I was about to say."

She paused long enough to glance up and see if he was mocking her, but he seemed sincere enough.  "No one can know about this," she continued, resuming her pacing.  She barely noticed out of the corner of her eye as Jack also stood, taking a step forward.  "I love my career and the Stargate program and if we get found out it could mean the end of both."  She looked up again, surprised to see him drawing closer at a steady, if slow pace.  "Even if we weren't discharged, my career would effectively be over.  Men don't take women under their command seriously if they think she slept her way up the ranks."

"Anything else?"

"One more thing."  She watched as he moved ever closer.  "You can't treat me any different in the field.  If I think you're trying to protect me, this ends.  I'll request a transfer if I have to."

"You'll transfer," he murmured in agreement, his face only centimetres from hers, and she got the impression that he wasn't really listening anymore.  But that was okay, because an instant later his lips touched hers and she forgot what she was saying anyway.

Jack's hands landed on her hips, then slipped around her waist to bring her closer.  Sam raised her hands and rubbed them over his chest in retaliation before snaking them around his neck to hold his head more firmly against her own.

This was even better than early this morning she decided, opening her mouth beneath his and allowing his tongue entry.  Tonight, her senses weren't dulled by alcohol and fatigue, or even grief - their makeshift wake the night before had allowed her to start accepting what had happened to Daniel.

Sam dropped her head back with a moan as Jack slide his hands down to her rear end and began kneading her firm flesh, unintentionally pressing her closer to his growing erection.  Unable to reach her lips, Jack instead began placing kisses on her neck.  She angled one leg around his and ground against him lightly.  When Jack released her without warning and took an abrupt step back, the only thing Sam could do was stare at him dumbly for a long minute.

His breathing was harsh, his hands clenched tightly at his sides.  "Are you staying or going?" he demanded, his voice rough with the visible effort to maintain control.

Sam didn't need him to clarify.  She had two choices: she could leave now and they could take things slow, or she could stay - and she knew where they'd end up if she stayed.  Judging by the way things were going, they wouldn't take too long to get there either, which both rightened and exhilarated her.  But she had made it this far, and there was no sense in delaying the inevitable.  Taking a step forward that brought their bodies into light contact she raised her hands to rest against his chest, her thumbs stroking through the cloth.  "I'm staying."

He pulled her into a tight hug, his held breath escaping in a low groan.  "I'm glad," he whispered.  They stood there wrapped together for a long time, until once again lips met and hands started moving with purpose.

**

Once the decision had been made it hadn't taken them long to act on their feelings, Jack mused as he stood next to the bed with Sam.  They both hesitated for a moment as the earlier awkwardness returned, but then Sam reached for him and he knew that it would be okay.

He trailed his hands up her arms to her shoulders and across her collarbone until they met at the top button of her shirt.  He worked his way down, pausing only long enough to allow Sam to pull his shirt over his head.  He let out a sharp gasp when her cool hands came into contact with his heated skin.

Her shirt finally unbuttoned and hanging loosely from her shoulders, Jack let his hands rest on her waist before running them up her bare sides and letting his thumbs brush over her breasts.  Sam's hands, which had been roaming over his back, faltered and then halted altogether as he continued to tease her through the lacy material of her bra.

Deciding to move on, Jack's hands left her breasts to push her shirt off her shoulders to land on the floor behind her, leaving her top half nearly bare.

Apparently having regained her composure Sam had once again started moving, undoing the button on his pants and lowering the zipper.  Jack was so distracted by the faint feel of her hand brushing against his erection that it came as a complete shock when her mouth landed on his chest, the tip of her tongue flicking against his nipple.  He shuddered, his hands clenching so tightly that he was sure he'd bruised her.  Sam didn't seem to mind however, because she continued her assault for a good while longer before raising her head to whisper in his ear.  "You know what they say about payback, Jack."

He shuddered again, although he couldn't say whether it was due to her warm breath in his ear or the way she said his name.  He decided that it was probably a good thing that she never called him Jack on base because he figured that from this point on, whenever she spoke his name he'd be remembering this moment.

Jack pulled her into another tight hug, slowing things down.  She stilled in his arms, returning his embrace and pressing a series of kisses along his collarbone.  Tilting her head up she captured his lips in a kiss and the emotions that had settled somewhat exploded back to the surface.  He fumbled with her bra fastening as she undid her jeans; almost before he knew it, they were standing before each other naked.

Her normally pale skin was lightly flushed and he suddenly wanted to touch her everywhere at once, because she was beautiful and because he could.  Reaching out a hand, he placed a single finger against her left shoulder, tracing it along her collarbone, down between her breaths to her bellybutton and over to her hip, watching with interest as goosebumps formed in the wake of his finger.

Jack looked up then to meet her gaze, finding a slight smile on her face.  Her grin widening she copied his movements exactly, but then reached out her other hand to mirror the first so that both her hands were on his hips.  With a gently tug she pulled him closer, skin to skin, soft moans escaping them both.

One hand came up to cup the back of her head, sealing their mouths together.  He slipped a leg between Sam's just as the arm wrapped around her waist pulled her closer and felt her gasp into his mouth as her wetness came into contact with his leg.

Jack moved with Sam as she urged him towards the bed, carefully following her down onto the mattress.  The both shifted towards the centre of the bed, Sam lying on her back as he propped himself up beside her, a leg thrown possessively over hers.  He then repeated the actions he'd performed earlier and traced a finger along her body, this time down to her knee.  Reaching down that far put his face near her breasts and so he took a nipple into his mouth.

Sam let out a low moan, arching her back and bringing a hand to the back of his head.  Swirling his tongue around the hardened bud, Jack trailed his hand up the inside of her leg and along her inner thigh before slipping into her hot depths.  She jerked as he slid a finger inside her and her hand clenched in his hair almost to the point of pain.  From the corner of his eye he could see her head thrashing on the pillow.

Long moments passed as Jack teased her sensitive flesh, gradually adding a second finger and then a third as he prepared her for his entry; all too soon she was urging him upwards, and he reluctantly abandoned her breasts.  Jack once more settled his weight over her and took her mouth in a deep kiss, savouring the feel of her hands running over his body.  God, he needed to be inside her!  Jack shifted his hips until his penis nudged against her opening and forced himself to break the kiss.

"Are you ready?" he asked, breathing harshly.

She nodded, her breath not coming easily either, and with his hands on her hips he began his first thrust into her, until the abrupt tensing of her body and her small sound of discomfort brought him to a halt.  "What's wrong?" he murmured.  "Did I hurt you?"

Sam nodded shortly, her eyes fluttering shut, and Jack couldn't even begin to comprehend how the knowledge made him feel.  "I'm sorry," he whispered, but before he could begin to withdraw she opened her eyes to look at him.

"It's okay," she reassured him softly.  "It's just... it's been a while."  Her gaze flicked away then and he realized suddenly that she was embarrassed.

"That's okay.  Just let me know when you're ready."  If he was honest with himself the more primitive, possessive side of him was somewhat elated to know that she hadn't been with anyone else recently.  He rested his forehead against her shoulder, pressing the occasional kiss to her skin as he fought to hold himself completely still while her body adjusted to his.  Gradually he felt her relax until, less than a minute after he'd begun his penetration, Sam wrapped her legs around his waist and arched her back, drawing him fully inside.  Jack could do nothing but groan her name.

**

"Samantha...."

She didn't think she'd ever heard her name uttered in quite that way, Sam mused as she shifted beneath Jack in an attempt to start him moving; it banished even the memory of the brief moment of pain she'd felt.  Jack, however, looked uncertain.

"You're not going to hurt me," she said quietly, arching her upwards to prove her point.  She couldn't help but grin as his eyes glazed over at the small movement.

When he finally started stroking his hips against hers she could feel the tension in his body and knew that he was restraining himself.  She brought both hands up to cup his face, forcing him to look at her.  "Jack."  She spoke softly.  "It's okay.  I'll let you know if I need you to stop, all right?"  She raised her head up to kiss him and felt his worry ease as their lips and tongues met.  His movements became more confident as he set a rhythm that she easily matched.

Sam's eyes, having drifted shut sometime in the past few minutes, snapped open when Jack rolled them over so that she was on top.  He was giving her control she realized as she sat up, raising and lowering herself over him while he watched through half-lidded eyes.  But she didn't want control; that wasn't what tonight was about.  Tonight was about the shared acknowledgment of the feelings they'd denied for so long.  Reaching out her hands, she took his fingers in her own and drew him up until he was sitting, their faces nearly level.  She shifted her legs until they were wrapped around his waist, and she was reminded of earlier that morning, only this time there were no clothing barriers between them.

Her leverage reduced to next to nothing in this position, Sam ceased her in-and-out motion and instead began circling her hips.  Supporting her with an arm behind her back, Jack urged her to lean back and she complied willingly, abandoning herself to pure sensation as his mouth once again closed over her nipple.

She moved her hips languidly, feeling as though she'd been drifting in her lover's arms for hours, though she had really had no idea how long it had actually been.  Then Jack's thumb began rubbing over her clitoris and the already intense feelings multiplied, taking on a new sense of urgency.  "God!" she gasped.  Her eyes screwed shut, the feelings too overwhelming for her to take in anything but what he was doing to her body.  "Don't stop."

It took only a few minutes for the telltale wave of tingling heat to spread, followed seconds later by a powerful orgasm.  The weight of it forced her muscles to contract; her legs clamped tightly around Jack's waist and her upper body snapped forward so quickly that her head nearly struck his before coming to rest on his shoulder.  She ground herself against him as he continued to stroke her sensitized bud, until the sensations became too much and she had to push his hand away.

Sam lay limply against his chest, feeling utterly boneless as she shook in the aftermath of her orgasm, until Jack began tipping her backwards.  Once her back lay on the bed he leaned down to kiss her, stealing the breath she'd so recently regained, and began moving within her once again.  As he began driving into her more erratically and his breaths began coming in small grunts she relaxed her legs from around his waist and drew them towards her chest, allowing him deeper access.

Several deep strokes later, Jack suddenly stiffened, his entire body trembling in her arms.  He drove into her a few more times in a series of sloppy thrusts before collapsing on top of her. "Oh my god," he groaned, the words muffled against her skin.  "God, Sam."

She ran her hands over him while she waited for him to catch his breath.  When he became too heavy she urged him aside with a gentle push, burrowing close when her sweat-covered skin was exposed to the cool air.  It was only when she reached for the covers that Sam realized they were upside down on the bed.  She was almost too tired to care, but the cold was quickly outweighing the fatigue.

"Where are you going?" Jack asked as she rolled off the bed, and she thought she heard a hint of concern in his voice.

She smiled reassuringly.  "Just to the bathroom."  She figured that if she had to get up anyway she might as well clean up a bit before going to sleep.

By the time she returned Jack had already moved beneath the sheets; he pulled her close when she joined him there.  Wrapping an arm around her waist, his chest firmly against her back, he pressed a kiss to her shoulder.  "I'm glad you decided to stay," he told her.

"Me too." And she was.  If she had to lose sleep over anything, she preferred worrying about General Hammond finding them out to the stress of keeping her feelings for Jack a secret any longer.

Of course, the real test would come in two days when they had their next mission.  With their relationship so new and Daniel's passing still so recent, Sam understood her new lover well enough to know that his instincts would be to protect her; it could easily become a source of tension between them.

But there was no point in worrying about that just yet, she decided, sighing in contentment when Jack tightened his hold on her and mumbled incoherently, already half asleep.  She nestled further into his unconscious embrace and closed her eyes, inhaling the familiar scent of the man behind her.  For tonight, everything was perfect.  The rest could wait.

--end--