TITLE: Unrestricted
AUTHOR: DustDevil
EMAIL: dustdevil@btinternet.com
RATING: NC-17
CATEGORY: S&J UST, Humour
WARNINGS: Language, sexual situations
DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. Previously unrecognised characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
ARCHIVE: S&J Archive and Heliopolis, Yes. Others...please ask.
SUMMARY: SG-1 enjoy a night off, not realising they are suffering the effects of a strange virus...
FEEDBACK: Yes please! Feeeeeeeeeeedbaaaaaaaaack...drool...
SPOILERS: Set before D&C.
NOTES: Thanks to Ross who unwittingly provided some of the dialogue during a discussion at work!
******************************************
"Jack, what's it like working all day with someone you love and can't have?"
I resist the terrible temptation to choke on my beer, and manfully control the strong urge to slap Daniel upside the head. Instead I grit my teeth, sigh, and shake my head.
"Daniel..."
I sigh and rub my temples with my fingertips, and lean back so I can prise my feet from under the coffee table and cross them on top of its glass surface. Daniel, not giving up, pulls himself forward on his seat and points at me with the hand that holds his nearly empty bottle. He pushes his glasses up his nose with an unsteady finger, and stumbles over his words.
"No-no...Jack...I mean...it must be awful...is it awful?" He asks, his expressive brows drawing together to form that querulous sympathetic look I overheard three nurses giggling over the other day. I mean for cryin' out loud, they *name* his expressions! And they've catalogued over a dozen...huh...no-one catalogues *my* expressions.
Looking up I see Daniel's bleary eyes are still on me, his brain a little fuzzy from a few bottles of beer. "Is it?" He presses, and I sigh, and press the cool bottle against my cheek. Normally I'd nip this line of questioning in the bud fairly damn quickly, but I'm more than a little gone myself, and for some reason I find myself answering.
"Yes Daniel, it's awful"
"Oh...that's a shame...is it the same every day?" He asks, looking even more sympathetic, and sometimes I swear he just begs to be supportive, begs me to lean on him like the good modern man he is. Well I'm not a modern man Daniel, and I'm not used to spilling my guts and leaning on my friends. Sometimes though, sometimes like tonight I feel the weight of all the secrets I keep, and with constant pleading like this...ah hell, I'm drunk, he's drunk, I could do with some sympathy, even of the Daniel kind.
"No, it's not the same everyday" I tell him, thinking about Sam, about what it's like wanting her, loving her, working with her, being with her every day, all mixed into one. Daniel settles back, and his eyebrows twitch even closer together, if it's possible.
"Explain" He demands, settling with his bottle cradled against his chest.
"Well, some days it's fine. I go to work, we work, we save the world, I go home, no problem. Other days I stalk around the base all day in abject misery trying to hide a constant hard-on"
Daniel splutters on a sip of beer, then starts to giggle in a very un-sober like fashion. A sudden anger on my part starts to give way to a grin and soon we're both laughing at the absurdity of the situation. God, Daniel and I don't do this enough, sit in and drink, but considering how quickly he's usually rendered unconscious it tends not to matter.
"Jack, thas terrible, I can't believe you..." He wags a finger at me, trying to look admonishing, but his wide grin doesn't help the image.
"Daniel have you looked at her recently? She...ah man..."
Daniel shakes his head, then smacks both open palms against his cheeks and screws up his eyes.
"Jack I can't...she's...Sam's like my sister, I can't even imagine..."
"Oh come on Daniel, I know that, but you gotta admit she's...ah man she's..."
"What?"
"Hot"
"Hot?"
"Hot"
"That's it? You think she's hot? That's all you can say? Jack, I'm disappointed, and Sam would kick your ass if she knew that"
"Yeah well Daniel, she's never gonna find out, is she??" I reinforce my last two words by giving him a shake by his collar, and his glasses rattle down to the tip of his nose.
"Of course not Jack but...that's...that's not good enough" He sniffs, folding his arms as he sits back, then leaning forward briefly to swipe his bottle from the table and knock back the last mouthful. He then slams the bottle down, and on his second attempt pushes his glasses back up his nose. No I know it's not good enough, not really, but I can't...I can't *say* those things. Not to myself, not to Daniel, and God, certainly not to her! Damn...beer all gone...
"Another?"
"Huh?"
"Beer Daniel?"
"Ah...sure"
I get up, and quickly walk to the kitchen, and opening the fridge I stand in front of it for a minute or two, letting the cool air wash over me. It's one of those sticky kinda nights, and it's times like these I wish I had a fan fitted. Sighing again, I bend down and gather a couple of bottles between my fingers, and close the door. I'm about to turn away when the polaroid pinned to the fridge catches my eye.
I'm not the kinda guy to display things on my fridge, there's no shopping lists or photos, the only thing I had there was a Colorado Avalanche magnet Kawalsky had given me when he was reassigned to the SGC. The poloroid was taken and put there by Carter in an effort to add some SG-1 touches to my house, and she figures rather predominantly in it. The four of us are squeezed on my sofa, grinning with good grace while her camera takes photos of us on its timer.
Damn I hate seeing this photo everyday.
Sometimes I think she put it there deliberately, just so she's always on my mind. All the damn time. It's the way she's smiling in that picture, clad head to toe in light blue denim that makes her eyes sparkle. That and the way she's pressed up against me, and I can tell by the slightly uncomfortable look on my face that she's having quite an effect on me. Yeah, I remember that effect all too well. I had to sit there for half an hour afterwards, jacket folded on my lap waiting for that particular reaction to go away. Daniel, you have no idea how hard it is, man, you have no idea how hard it was that day! Literally!
Hoping that Daniel has slipped into unconsciousness I step back through, but I find he's retying his laces with his tongue poking out of his mouth. Damn spacemonkey... and women find this kinda thing attractive? Looks like I've been going wrong all these years with the macho thing. Mind you, Sam wants me, not Daniel...doesn't she?
"Here" I grunt, throwing the bottle onto Daniel's lap while I open mine, and he pouts at me as I glare at him, suddenly viewing him as competition.
"Hey! Wha' did I do?"
"Nothin' Daniel"
He twists his lid off with some difficulty and squints at me suspiciously. He takes a small drink, glancing at the bottle as if it's poison, and I do the same.
"Jack...why are you looking at me like that?"
"No reason. You were out with Carter last night, weren't you?"
"*Sam*...and yes, we went out"
"Really? Where did you go?"
"Why?"
"I'm just curious" I reply, waving my hand through the air as if I couldn't care less.
"Jealous more like" mutters Daniel, and I feel my jaw and fists clench.
"I'm not jealous...just..."
"What?"
"I'm never invited" I whisper unhappily, and I instantly wish I'd never said that. What do I think I'm doing? They have every right to go out by themselves and I perfectly understand Carter wanting to get away from me, I mean I went through that whole puppy-dog stage after the zatarc fiasco, and I know I pretty much scared her back into being an acquaintance then. Daniel however sits up very straight, and all traces of being drunk seem to vanish from his face. No, no Daniel...don't do that.
"We've asked you before Jack, you never wanted to come with us any of the places we've been. We just went to that gallery last night...would you have wanted to go?" I sigh and relax. No...no I guess not...but if Carter had asked me...well...still no...if Daniel was going. That's the crux of it, if it was just her, then yes. Otherwise...no. Going to a gallery with those two, no thanks, going with just Carter? Watching her dancing eyes as she stood in awe of some great work of art? Let her drag me around by the arm to the special things she wanted to see, and wanted to show me? Laughing and maybe going for drink afterwards? Oh God yes. Trying to do all that with Daniel watching us both, smirking and no doubt affecting Sam's behaviour towards me...do you blame me for saying no?
Daniel sniffs and takes a drink while I'm lost in thought, and just when I seem to be justifying my refusal to these 'outings' to myself he makes it worse.
"Y'know Jack, she thinks you say no because she won't go fishing with you"
And this time I do choke on my drink. I breathe beer for a brief second before spitting it back up, and I cough and splutter for a moment until I regain control.
"She thinks that?"
"Yep" He answers smugly, sipping his beer, legs now draped casually across the arm of the chair.
"She *said* that?"
"Well, not in so many words..."
"Well in *what* words exactly?" I press, and he screws up his eyes trying to remember.
"Uh...it was a few months ago...We were going to that concert thingy, and I asked you if you wanted to join us. You sorta gave an evil smile then looked at her and said 'no thanks' and that you had better things to do. She was a little bit angry and she said later that she thought you were just trying to give her a...taste of her own medicine or something..."
I jerk upright in my seat...beer forgotten. Aw man...she thinks that? Car...Sam thinks that? That sucks. That really, really sucks. Man I should apologise...or something...
"Jack?...are you okay?"
"No Daniel...I'm not. I...is Carter out tonight?"
"Yeah uh...she and Janet were out on a 'girls night out' thing"
Right. Of course she is. No doubt being fawned over by a bunch of guys...a bunch of *young* guys. Damn...damn, damn, damn. I leap up from my chair, my brain having come to some sort of decision, and drop down onto the far seat on the sofa, snatching the phone handset from it's cradle.
"Daniel, what's Carter's cell phone number?"
"Uh..."
"Never mind..." Remembering the number myself I have very brief second thoughts, then quickly dial, and wait while biting my lip. It seems to take an age before it connects and starts to ring, and after drumming my fingers on the arm of the sofa and avoiding Daniel's incredulous glances I'm taken by surprise when the phone is answered by a rather loud Carter, having to shout over the noise in the background.
"Hello?" Damn. It sounds like she's in a bar. She's probably been hustling at pool again and attracted and impressed every man in the place.
"Carter, it's me, Jack" Slight pause, more biting of lips on my part.
"Sir! Hi!" Thankfully, she sounds quite pleased to hear from me, and more than likely a little drunk judging by that enthusiastic response. The background sound fades a little then as the phone is covered, and when the sound comes back up I hear close female laughter...no doubt the Doc's.
"So what can I do for you sir?" She asks brightly, then shushes someone next to her. What can you do? Well damn just talking to you on the phone I'm developing something you could help out with...but let's not get years ahead of ourselves Jack.
"I take it from the noise that you're in a bar?"
"Yes sir, we do have the weekend off" She adds a little testily, and Daniel suddenly appears at my side, trying to press his ear to the back of the phone and listen in. I push him away but he insists, and eventually I just give up and let him listen. I don't plan to say anything stupid to her on the phone.
"Hey I'm not checking up on you Carter. Won't that bar be closing soon?" I ask, glancing at my watch, and she laughs then sighs. She's definitely been drinking.
"We're just about to leave sir, why?"
"We-ell...I was just gonna offer you two ladies someplace to go after the bar. Daniel and I..."
"Daniel's there?" She asks, excitedly, and someone on the other end squeals. Was that the Doc? Tell me she doesn't have a thing for Daniel, please! I wish Sam was more excited about seeing me.
The muted conversation on the other end of the bad connection continues, and Carter's voice becomes clear.
"Are you inviting us around sir?"
"Sure" I add, trying to sound casual, and she falls silent. There's no whispering with her partner in crime, but I can practically hear her thinking, and I know what she's thinking. She's about to turn me down isn't she? Is this going to be some sort of double revenge? Turn me down now because I've been turning her down, and she thinks I've been doing that cause she won't come fishing with me? Can anyone say 'screwed up'?
C'mon Carter...c'mon...
"Sam! Come drink with us, Jack's depressed!" Comes a loud voice by my ear, and I turn to glare at Daniel, who grins and gives me a thumbs up. Great...I mouth a sarcastic 'thanks' to him, but he seems to take it at face value and gives me a dopey smile. Maybe this isn't such a good idea. I don't need Daniel grinning inanely and nudging me with Sam sitting here. That would not be fun.
"Sounds great sir, we'll get a cab over, are you sure it's okay?" She's coming! She's coming here and I'm half drunk and Daniel is far gone...this might be a very bad idea...how the hell am I gonna be able to talk to her with the doc hanging around? Daniel nudges me and gives me another thumbs up and I study him shrewdly.
Correction.this is a *very* bad idea.but for some reason.I'm grinning like an eighteen year old who think he's about to get lucky.
That proves it.I *am* drunk.
**************************************
Daniel finds a CD of some awful modern dance music from somewhere and jacks my stereo way up higher than I'd normally put it. He turns to face me, grinning inanely, and starts to jerk and twist, and after a few seconds of watching this display I can only assume he's dancing. Boy he sure perked up when he heard the doc's coming, those two get up to enough trouble on base with their antics.I don't need my place wrecked by those two and their tricks. They always seem to be giggling in a corner, and a lot of the time they're looking at me when they do it.
Daniel dances past the sofa and I continue drumming my fingers loudly against the arm, getting more and more impatient. Where the hell is Sam?
"Jack come on, ya gotta dance, Sam likes men who can dance"
That wakes me up. I jerk upright in my seat and stare worriedly at Daniel.
"She does?"
"Yeah, she told me that just yesterday. She said men should know how to dance, especially slow dances" To illustrate Daniel holds his arms up and sways as if dancing with an imaginary partner. I can't help but laugh at how absurd it looks against the background of a thumping drum beat.
"Daniel, sit down"
"No, I'm going to dance, I'm a good dancer" He tries to illustrate the point by trying some intricate shimmy thing that he doesn't quite pull off.
"Well I don't care I."
*RING RING*
**************************************
The doorbell! Daniel and I freeze, then stare at each other for a second before both scrambling for the door at the same time. We collide once there and after a bit of pushing and shoving we stop, smooth our hair and shirt fronts, then open the door, trying to look casual.
"Hello ladies" I drawl as I lean casually against the doorframe, and Carter and the Doc stand shoulder to shoulder, smiling dangerously up at us. They glance at each other, eyebrows taking part in some intricate dance, no doubt some weird female communication, then they push past Daniel and I, tossing handbags to the floor as they go.
"Any beer in this place?" Asks the Doc, and Daniel's shoes squeak on the wooden floor as he launches himself into the kitchen, the Doc dropping her coat over the back of the sofa. I sidle up to Sam and drop my hands onto her shoulders from behind.
"Can I take your coat madam?"
She giggles a little, then shrugs the heavy coat off her shoulders, which I scoop gallantly into my arms and carry to the hall. I mutter to myself encouragingly as I carefully hang her jacket, smoothing its soft folds, and when I re-enter the living room all my prepared words fall away as I find Daniel sitting in between the two women on the sofa, all three giggling into their bottles of beer.
"Did you get me one Daniel?" I ask, and he tips his head back to look at me.
"Sorry Jack.I forgot"
Grinding my teeth I head to the kitchen for a beer, then drop into a spare armchair, glaring at Daniel as he sits squashed between the two women. He can't have them both! Carter should be sitting with me, I mean it's my house!
"So.you two have a nice time tonight?" Asks Daniel, turning from one woman to the other, looking like a real ladies man. And here's me sitting on his own, with no-one to talk to.
"We had a great time, didn't we Janet?"
"Hehehe especially with those army boys who were in town" Both women giggle at that as Daniel smiles, and I curse under my breath. Army guys? That's not even the right service Carter! You're an Airforce girl through and through and you should be with an Airforce guy! That's just the way it works.honest.
There's more grinning and drinking, then a new 'song', and I use the term loosely comes on my stereo and Daniel brightens and leaps to his feet.
"Jan! This is your favourite!" enthuses Daniel, and the Doc squeals and launches herself upright and into a frenzied dance with Janet. I don't know how those two can be so close and not get it together, but apparently both insist they are just friends. I'd like to be just friends with a woman once in a while, but damn me, it always seems to turn into something sexual. On my part anyway I think, glowering at Carter over a bottle of beer who seems more interested in the mad dancing couple than me.
Daniel and Janet seem eager to dance for a while, so I steel myself, and get up and settle on the couch next to Carter. She is aware I've moved but studiously ignores me, choosing instead to watch the dancers.
"So Carter, get up to any hustling tonight?" I ask by way of an opening gambit, and she turns and smiles lazily.
"Not at pool sir, no" She answers cheekily, and I feel a rumble of jealousy somewhere in my stomach. Wait a minute.when did the stakes for tonight change? I thought I just asked her here to clear a few issues up.didn't I? So why now do I feel like I've just decided to start coming on to her, see how far I can get?.I don't know.it seems right though.I mean I'm not really that drunk.am I? Ah who cares.
"Oh.sounds like someone's been naughty" I ask, waggling my eyebrows, and she merely raises hers, sips on her beer and turns away to watch Daniel prance around the Doc. Gonna have to try harder Jack.
"You look nice"
She merely raises an eyebrow without turning round. Great line Jack, that really worked. Try again, slap it on thicker this time.
"Correction Carter, you look absolutely stunning, breathtaking, a knockout"
She turns and smiles at me, her eyes trailing up and down my body. Aha! Score! That one worked anyway. She may be the worlds most intelligent woman, but she's still a woman, and women like flattery. Every single one of them. Mind you, it helps when it's the truth. She wearing this little satiny skirt with some sort of pattern kinda etched into it, burgundy and gold. On top she's wearing a tight black thing, with mid-length sleeves and a delicate curving neckline. Sweet.
"You don't look too bad yourself sir" She answers, relaxing a little and finally, finally turning her body to face me. Things are looking up. Things are definitely looking up.
"So, Daniel said you were depressed?"
Ach. I take that back. I wince, and she smiles again, eyes sparkling. Damn you Daniel.
"Ah he was just eager to get his partner in crime over there to come cause mischief with him" She glances over her shoulder and turns back to me with a smile.
"I see what you mean" she smirks, and sure enough, when I look across Daniel is rooting through one of my drawers and pulling out photos, which Janet seems to be finding very amusing.
"Hey!"
I practically fly off the chair and scoop the offending items from their sneaky paws and stuff them back in the drawer, slamming it shut. I turn to face them and they are cross legged on the floor giggling quietly. I never even noticed them stop dancing...damn I must have been distracted...
"You two, enough! No more rooting through my stuff okay?"
I wag a finger at them and they simply shrug at each other, then scamper off to the kitchen. Sighing I slump back down on the couch, a little closer to Sam this time, and I can't help but notice she's a lot more relaxed.
"I swear Carter, those two are like kids. They just attract trouble"
"And you don't?" She asks, amused, pulling up one long leg to cross it over the other, which causes her skirt to slide a little up her thigh.
"Well maybe I do Carter, but tonight it's not trouble I'm out to attract" She looks down at that, a soft smile playing about her lips, and maybe a hint of a blush on her cheeks.
"Is that so?" She asks, twirling her nearly empty bottle in her hand.
"Maybe. So...why did you come?"
"You asked!"
"Is that enough? Do I only have to ask?" I say, leaning forward, eyebrows waggling. She realises the hole she's just dug herself into and laughs, a little forced.
"Well that depends..."
"Ah...another beer?"
Slight awkward moment, but she turns and hands me the empty bottle. Taking it I pad to the kitchen, and pluck two fresh bottles from the fridge, then turn to face a surprisingly quiet Daniel and Doc.
"What?" I ask, and they look at each other and shake their heads.
"Not doing very well are you Jack?"
"Not doing very well at what Daniel?" I ask, playing ignorant as I hunt for snacks.
"You're trying too hard" is Janet's pearl of wisdom.
"Too hard? How can I possibly try too hard?"
"You should just kiss her" sniffs Daniel, looking thoughtful, and Janet nods. I should? I mean...I should just kiss her?
"Yeah but what if she..."
"She won't run away" Says the Doc slowly, as if I'm an idiot. Well I was thinking more along the lines of kick me in the nuts, but knowing she won't run away is quite good to know. Still, I don't let them know that I need any advice whatsoever, so I simply roll my eyes and go back to Sam, but the others follow me through, giggling.
I slide back in my seat beside Sam, and she's totally relaxed now, looking at me over her bottle of beer, eyes twinkling dangerously. I swear sometimes she pulls the innocent little girl act, but the way she's looking at me right now makes me feel very nervous, but nervous in a good kinda way. She looks like she could eat me up and spit me out. Oh I do hope she can.
"Jack?"
"What?" I ask testily, looking over my shoulder at Daniel standing looking outside onto my deck.
"There's a dog digging in your garden"
"What??" I leap from my seat and stomp to the door, grinding my teeth with anger. I swear, Mrs MaCafferty is a real nice old lady, but her little rat dog is so small it can squeeze between the fence slats, and does so at every opportunity to ruin my lawn with digging and it's 'messages'. I slide open the door and feel myself bristle when I see it.
"Bebe, get the hell out of there!"
I hear laughter and can feel smirks at my back at me shouting that dogs name as I charge out into my dark garden, only to be started down by a not impressed tiny Yorkshire terrier thing. Damn little thing. Don't get me wrong, I love dogs, and if I wasn't offworld so much I'd probably have a couple right now, but *that* thing, in my eyes, does not qualify as a dog. Nothing that's only five inches high could ever be classified as a dog. Except maybe a Dachshund...they're okay.
"Bebe...if you don't get your furry butt back next door I swear I'm gonna tie that cute little bow round your legs and throw you over the fence!"
I spend the next five minutes chasing that stupid dog, nearly breaking my leg on my bench in the process. Well I guess that's what I get for charging around my garden in the dark. Finally the dog decides to put me out of my misery and squeezes back into its own garden, and I doubt me swearing very quietly at it over the fence and shaking my fist at it will curtail its nightly activities. Now...can I get back to Sam?
I trudge inside and wipe mud from my jeans from where I slipped and fell on the wet grass, but when I enter the living room I see the couch is empty, and Daniel and Janet sit in a conspiratorial huddle on the carpet. Janet is merely drinking, but Daniel is fiddling with my instant camera. Ah well he can have it if it will help keep him out of trouble. No doubt tomorrow I'll find twenty photos of my furniture.
"Where's Sam?" I ask, just hoping she hasn't gone home. Damn I should never have left her side.
Daniel smirks at the carpet and Janet looks up, taking a pull off her beer as she studies me.
"She got bored"
"Bored? Well where is she?" I can feel panic and disappointment rise in me, but Janet merely shrugs.
"We got talking about your house and she told me she's never seen your bedroom. I suggested that she go take a look" She shrugs again, but with her eyes twinkling, and I have to pull my eyebrows back down to the vicinity of my eyes.
"She's in my bedroom?" I ask, jerking both thumbs in the direction of the stairs, and Janet and Daniel grin at me.
"Why don't you go give her a tour? She's never been upstairs" They giggle and start to nudge each other, and I just stand there, hands clasped in front of me, frozen to the spot. I...a tour? Uh...okay...Sam's upstairs...Sam's probably in my bedroom...uh...is she...is she waiting for me?
"Jack..."
I look down as Daniel's voice surprises me, and he jerks his head upwards a few times, waggling his eyebrows.
"Huh? What?"
"Are you going to keep her waiting?"
I'm out of the room and starting up the stairs before he can say another word. No way in hell am I gonna keep her waiting if she's waiting for me. No way. Wild horses and all that huh Teal'c? I knew Teal'c should have come around tonight, but apparently Kel'no'reem was calling. Well...back to the here and now huh?
I feel a big dumb grin spread across my face as I jog up the stairs and I slow to a walk so I can stroll casually into my bedroom, one hand in my pocket. Very casual...be casual...ah damn I hope I didn't leave my boxers on the bed post this morning...
Opening my mouth to say something casual, I swan into the room, only to find she's not here. Huh? Ah damn...where is she? Were those two trouble makers downstairs lying to me? Wait...what was that? I hear a door swing open outside so I stick my head around the door to see who just came out of the bathroom.
Ah, here she is. Sam's standing in the hallway, hands joined neatly behind her back, oh and looking unbelievably gorgeous. The hall light is muted, and her skin and hair look like a dream, its just a pity I can't see her eyes. Smiling I walk slowly up behind her, tucking my own hands behind my back as I bring my lips close to her ear.
"What'cha doin?"
I drawl, and I can see a smile form on her lips, but she shows no surprise at me suddenly appearing behind her, so I take that for a good sign. Instead she's looking at the picture on the hallway wall, and I find myself entranced by her dedicated gaze.
"This is beautiful" She says, and I can tell she's being genuine by the way her eyes dance over it.
"My mother painted it" I tell her, feeling a little whistful as I too examine the watercolour of a gentle lake surrounded by trees. A lake I know all too well.
"Really? Wow..."
"It is beautiful...but it kinda pales in comparison to a few things" She turns to face me, wearing a querelous expression, and only when I raise my eyebrows meaningfully does she catch on to what I'm really meaning.
"It does?" She asks, looking down, a little embarrased by her blatant search for a compliment.
"Yeah" I say, reaching up a finger to stroke her soft cheek. She blushes sweetly, and lowers her head a little, looking up at me from under her hair, eyelashes fluttering. Suddenly she's all shy and innocent.
Score.
"Daniel was telling me a few things" She says next, looking a little bashful, and I gulp. Oh he was was he? Remind me to slap that boy.
"Good things?" I ask, somehow managing to maintain my suave, cool exterior while underneath my heart has started to hammer against my ribcage. Sam smiles and looks at her feet, blushing slightly.
"Good things" She assures me, and almost shyly she lifts her hand, and strokes down my nose, tapping the end once, before quickly withdrawing it. Did she just give me the all clear? Was that an invitation? What should I do??? She tilts her head and looks up at me, her gaze settling on her lips and I think I've decided what to do.
I take a step forward, and bring my other hand up to cup her face and lift it, her wide blue eyes showing no sign of censure. I lick my lips a little nervously, still a little unsure of her possible reactions to what I'm about to do. Still...there's only one way to find out...
I take another shuffling step forward and her hands come to my shoulders, encouraging, accepting, and slowly I lower my lips to gently take hers. She meets me halfway, and I let my eyes drift closed as I feel the warm softness of her lips move against mine.
Sweet.
Any thoughts of a long gentle kiss fly from my mind as she pulls me towards her, and heads twist as mouths open, and then as we wrap arms around each other, falling into this kiss, it suddenly hits me.
I'm kissing Sam.
Oh God I'm kissing her and she's kissing me! And oh boy is she kissing me! I feel my eyebrows leap as her tongue suddenly quests against mine, and I hug her fiercely, encouraging that first tentative venture. Emboldened the tongue returns, and I welcome it, and soon the kiss is confident, demanding even.
Did I say demanding? I swear she's trynna reach my tonsils, but as quickly as it appeared her tongue is withdrawn, and I fill that sudden vacuum by sending my own tongue forth. She sucks it in, welcoming it, and our mouths widen to their full extent as we try and taste and claim as much as possible. She was never gonna rake in my bedroom, she was just trying to lure me up here. Those two put her up to it. I can tell by the amount of giggling I can hear from downstairs. Hey I was doing pretty good by myself! In fact I was just about to offer her the 50 cents tour.
Instead it seems like she's taking a 50 cent tour of me! Both her hands are now firmly grasping my butt, and I clasp her shoulders and swing her, stepping forward until her back and my fingers connect with the wall. She seems to like this change and melts against me, sharing her weight between me and the wall, one leg starting to rub up mine, her hands pulling me as close to her as she can, and seeming very unsatisfied with the result. The kiss continues, a battle now, tongues duelling, and I shuffle my feet back a little so I can lean further into her.
Well.
Things have just gotten very interesting.
I wedge a knee between hers and we shuffle our feet for a second, finding new balance. I nuzzle her neck, brush my lips over her skin and let my teeth skim over her collarbone as her teeth settle around my ear. Her nails dig into my back through my T-shirt and she starts to laugh as I try and drag my very sensitive earlobe away from her not-so-tender ministrations. My deeper laugh joins her giggle, and she holds her hand over her mouth to try and dampen the noise. She extends her other hand to cover my mouth, and for some reason this excites me so much that I drop my hands and yank her skirt up, sliding the satin material up over her silky bare thighs. The skirt is quite tight over her hips but I manage to pull it up to her waist, and I now concentrate on pulling her soft, stretchy top off one shoulder to get at her bra. I'm just about achieving that, and lowering my mouth to the flesh I've exposed when a querulous voice rings out from downstairs.
"Jack?"
Fuck! Fuck off Daniel! I curse out loud as well as to myself, and the rush of warm air over Sam's shoulder makes her shiver and press against me. Don't worry Sam, I'll warm you up soon. I yank my head sideways and shout down the stairs.
"What???!!"
"Where's the cereal?" He whines piteously and I roll my eyes. The cereal? He interrupts us for that? I try and formulate a reply that doesn't involve a lot of swearing, but suddenly I realise Sam's been using this opportunity to undo my pants, and I gasp and knock my forehead against the wall when her warm hand strokes the front of my very tight boxers. Oh God Sam...
"The bottom cupboard on the right!" I yell, my voice a little strained and higher than normal what with Sam's hands venturing inside my boxers now. I simply relax against her, my forehead still pressed against the wall as I let her explore, caressing and massaging me. Oh how I've dreamed of this...The amount of times I've woken in the night from a dream of with her hands down my boxers...and now...oh God it's come true!
Somehow I manage to coax my body back into some sort of responsive state and quest my hands up her top, and I'm determinedly trying to wriggle one inside her bra when a certain archaeologist yells for a second time.
"Ja-ack..."
**********************************
Growling I snap my head around, and even Sam is distracted from her actions.
"Dammit Daniel the milk is in the fridge!"
Silence.
I wait to hear him walk away but he doesn't. Damn you Daniel if you ruin this for me I'll...
"Uh...okay Jack...but where's your broom?"
"Broom? What the hell do you need a broom for?"
"Uh...we broke something..."
"You?...What? What did you break?"
"Uh..."
"Oh for cryin' out loud..." I very reluctantly pull away from Sam and she pulls her skirt back down as I do up my pants with some difficulty. Vaguely tidied I charge down the stairs with Sam slowly following, and enter the kitchen to find a scene of chaos. I leave these two alone for five minutes...
"Jesus Daniel, how the hell did you?..."
The kitchen looks like a giant bowl of cereal. A whole box of my favourite kids cereal is spread across the floor, and a copious amount of milk. Two cereal bowls are smashed on the floor and while Daniel looks very sheepish, the doc is giggling uncontrollably behind her hand.
"Uh...well Janet surprised me and..."
I shove both hands through my hair and shift from foot to foot while Sam leans against my back. Man this is a nightmare!
"Daniel, you gotta get this tidied up...this is a mess! I...there's a broom in there okay? And...and well there's cloths there, and...for crying out loud Daniel!" I stand there fretting while Daniel starts to grin at the still laughing doc, and Sam tugs on my arm, trying to turn me and pull me away. Aw man what a mess! I'll never get this cleared up!
"Sir...Jack...Daniel can tidy this up...why don't you leave this to him?"
I look back and I see the doc is already helping Daniel gather the necessary tidying items, and both of them now seem to be acting a little mature. Mind you, Sam's hand is now under my shirt again, and she's trying to pull me backwards.
"They can handle it" she whispers, and with one last nasty look for Daniel I back out of the room. Sam slips away from me and I turn to find her at the foot of the stairs, looking very, very umm...hot. Her head is tilted down and she's looking up at me through her hair. Yep...that definitely turns me on. She leans against the corner of the stairs and slides her hand up the wall. I simply stand there, watching her with an eyebrow raised, and when she starts to look indignant I explode into action and rush forward, arms outstretched. She shrieks and turns, pounding up the stairs, all exhilarated at the prospect of a chase. As am I. Oh yes I am.
I growl and launch myself up the steps two at a time, having an advantage over her as I'm not wearing a tight skirt and high heels. I manage to clutch at a shoe and it comes off in my hand, so I discard it, and now on hands and knees I scrabble up after her. She too has dropped to her knees, and is having trouble breathing with laughing so much.
Her fingers close around the top step just as I catch her bare ankle, and she squeals excitedly. I jerk her foot towards me and reach up with my other arm, the fingers raking over her firm butt as she wiggles free and pulls herself onto the top step. She kicks at me a few times as she attempts to turn the corner and I scramble up the rest of the way, catching her leg before it disappears out of view.
"I gotcha!" I breathe, and she flips onto her back and smiles up at me in what I can only call a sultry fashion.
"Looks like it" She says, and her expression is no longer playful, but quite serious. Serious in a 'take me now' kinda way. Well I can hardly disappoint huh? I remove her other shoe and toss it over my shoulder, letting it tumble noisily down the stairs behind me. She wiggles her bare toes at me, and for a moment I find myself mesmerised by her adorable pink toenails. I don't think I've ever seen her toenails before, and certainly never painted. They look good enough to eat. Dragging my eyes up her legs I crawl up the last few steps and round the corner. She pulls herself backwards on the carpet so she's hidden from the stairs. Okay so we can't be bothered getting to the bedroom, but I'd still rather our actions weren't fully visible from the bottom of the stairs.
"Come here" Sam whispers, and I find my wandering attention fully focused on those beautiful blue eyes. I pull my dragging feet up over the last step and crawl up her body. When my lips come level with hers she wraps her arms around my neck, and accepts my weight as I drop down onto her.
This kiss isn't playful like before. This kiss is deep, and demanding, and insistent, and all those other things that tell me without a doubt that I'm about to get lucky, and considering the woman who's kissing me, I'd say *very* lucky. I can't believe I'm here. I can't believe this is happening!
The next few minutes comprise mostly of clutching, grabbing hands and frantic kissing, tongues warring, taking turns to dominate and be submissive. She's very demanding, so demanding I find it a little hard to keep pace with what she wants, alternatively kissing her hard, then nibbling her ears and collar bones, my hands touching as much of her as I can. She squirms under me, her own hands under my shirt, clawing at my hot skin.
"Want you" I murmur, my teeth closed around her left earlobe, and her hands suddenly grab my rear and pull me down hard against her. She grins against my neck and I growl, dropping my full weight on her to free my arms. I take a hold of the hem of her skirt and shift about on her until I manage to pull it up to her waist as I did before. Not wanting to be left out Sam manages to undo my belt, which she pulls all the way out with a flourish and tosses it across the hall. She grins and pops my button, before quickly pulling my zip down. Okay then. Looks like we're getting to it in the hall. I briefly consider offering to go to my bedroom but she yanks my head down for another mind-blowing kiss and the words slip my mind.
"Want you" she growls in my ear, and with her help I struggle to free my jeans from my hips and push them down. I wriggle and they gather around my ankles, and Sam seems determined to make my boxers follow suit. Woah. Okay then. All of a sudden my bottom half is naked, clothes pooled around my feet and all that lies between us is her panties. Woah this is...I don't know...something is making me pause here. Sam looks a little confused too, her eyebrows drawn together a little, and I can't shake the feeling that...that...oh I don't know...this can't be wrong...can it?
She looks so cute with that confused expression that I kiss her nose, and she laughs a delighted laugh, before claiming my lips with hers. No, there's no way in hell this can be wrong. No way. With my help Sam wriggles out of her panties, and with my feet I push them down so she can get one foot free. She starts to pull me closer, urging me, but there's something I have to do first. I pull up her top and drop my mouth to the valley between her breasts, kissing her soft, soft skin. Her hands weave encouragingly through my hair, and as I push her bra up and out of the way, claiming her breast, I start to rub my lower, and very excited half, against hers.
Daniel...God help you if you interrupt me now.
There is nothing, nothing on this earth that has ever felt so good. I have one of Sam's glorious nipples in my mouth and she's just wrapped her legs around my hips, pulling me close, my erection now rubbing her inner thigh. She's just pulled my head back to hers for a kiss, arms starting to wrap securely around my back when I hear a giggle. Sam makes no sign that she's heard, so I continue on unfazed.
*giggle*
Oh for crying out loud. My lips pop apart from Sam's and we both turn to look at the stairs. From where we're lying half around the corner we can't see down to the bottom, but they, and by they I expect Daniel and the doc judging by the laughs, can no doubt see the clothes pooled around our feet, and maybe even Sam's feet crossed behind my naked butt. Great. And they keep playing with the lights, turning them on and off.
"*giggle* shhh....they'll hear you..."
"Daniel, we can already hear you...fuck off will ya? This is kinda private"
More giggles and some full out laughter, and ones of Sam's abandoned shoes comes flying up the stairs and connects with the hall wall behind us.
"Fuck off!" I yell, and Sam is sighing underneath me, her legs starting to slide down. Sam's second shoe joins the first, and I feel rage start to swell in me.
"Daniel I'm warning you!" I yell, but luckily the doc seems to tire of her behaviour quickly.
"Come on Daniel, that programme about weird stuff is about to come on"
"Okay...can I have more beer?"
"Beer!" Yells the doc, and I hear them run into the next room. Good. Now where was I? Sam pushes up against me in a not-so subtle reminder of just where we left things, and I quickly take her lips, and her one of her hands snakes into my hair while the other slides down, applying downwards pressure on me. Demanding. Insistent. Damn she's full of surprises.
I like that.
I like that a lot.
She's so hot.
I let myself melt into her arms, and bracing my toes in the nice thick carpet I start to rock my hips, nudging against her. She adjusts the angle of her own hips, and holding her shoulders I quest for a moment, then slowly, savouring every millisecond, I slide inside her, and we both expel heated breaths that seem to have been held for years.
*BAM BAM BAM BAM!*
What the hell? Can even Daniel make that loud a noise? I shift and stare down into Sam's eyes. She looks up at me, looking ever so slightly annoyed. You and me both baby.
"Jack?"
Rrrrrrrrrrrr!!!
"Daniel what the hell are you doing??" I yell, my hands now gripping Sam's tightly.
"It's not me, there's people at the door!" Comes the piteous voice from the bottom of the stairs, and I curse some more.
"People?" I ask, pushing up a little on my elbows.
"Lot's of people...uh...Jack they look kinda military..."
Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit! This is not good. Maybe if we just ignored them they'd...
*BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM*
Damn. Damn them whoever they are. Sam's feet slide from my back again, and I sigh, dipping my head to briefly kiss her throat. This can't be happening...couldn't they have waited half an hour? Hell, two minutes would probably have done it...
"Jack?"
"All right Daniel...I'll be down in a minute"
I give Sam an apologetic look and she kisses my cheek, and feeling bereft I slowly and carefully slide out of her, and get to my knees. I quickly pull up my clothes and when I turn to Sam she's tidied and is leaning against the wall to replace her shoes. She smiles at me a little sadly, a lot annoyed. I run a hand through my hair and take a deep breath before trotting down the stairs.
*BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM*
"I'm coming! For crying out loud..."
The others assemble around me, and I open the door to see a large group of rather pale and harassed airmen.
"Colonel O'Neill, SG-1, Doctor Frasier...I'm so glad we've found you"
************************************
It's not my job to solve medical crises, that task normally falls to Doctor Frasier. Quite frankly it's always an annoyance when one of my people gets themselves involved in a situation where they are the best suited person to solve it. It can only be described as a royal pain in the ass.
It should have been just another quiet night. All teams were on base, the gate was quiet, and I was contemplating an early night, or even, God forbid, leaving the base and going home to my own bed. Sadly, this was not to be. Instead I found myself with a base full of personnel who appeared normal, but by midnight we had several games of strip poker occurring, some heavy petting in the hallways, and even an impromptu karaoke session in the gateroom. At first I thought my men had gone...well...a little mad if you know what I mean, but it turns out my favourite team brought something a little special back with them from PLL311.
Sometimes I wonder if SG-1 are more trouble than they are worth. Yes, they save our planet and others on a semi-regular basis, but it's nights like these that I can feel a migraine coming on. So we had a problem, and we had no CMO to solve it. Oh my medical staff are excellent, but Doctor Frasier certainly seems to have a knack for these things. Anyway, to cut a long story thankfully short, blood tests showed something in my base personnel that shouldn't be there. A viris. A nasty, dirty little virus that must have been brought back by the only team who returned from offworld today. SG-1.
Now this wasn't an ordinary virus, and annoyingly it wasn't even a life threatening virus, it fact it some ways it seemed to act rather like alcohol. However Doctor Taylor said it didn't make a person uninhibited...but more like...unrestricted. They weren't completely out of control, in fact those personnel who were manning solitary posts did their jobs as normal. No, it seemed only to affect behaviour when personnel found themselves in groups. I was still confused by the Doctors description of the effects of the virus until he likened the behaviour patterns that we observed to a sub-group of people that already exist among normal communities.
Teenagers.
I had a base full of teenagers.
And I don't mean early teens, a bunch of recalcitrant whining kids who would disobey every I ordered just because I had ordered it, no, I mean the other kind, the slightly older kind. The kind I very fondly remember being, but the thought of my daughter living through it makes me grind my teeth. I'm sure everyone has memories of 'parties' at seventeen or eighteen, and the things that went on at them. Even now I feel a quirk at the corner of my mouth as I remember being in a bathroom closet with a girl I had been eyeing all night. So imagine a base which was essentially, a large party.
And the parents had just come home.
In a way when I left my office to ascend to the surface it was almost amusing to see some of them covering up, trying to bullshit their way out of whatever they were doing, with expressions straight from the faces of my own kids in their late teens. But these people weren't in their late teens and they certainly weren't at a party. They are military personnel at a front line facility, and strip karaoke is not a fitting or suitable break pastime.
So it was after an hour or so of herding often half naked people into solitary and lock down, that we realised one team was still unaccounted for. SG-1. I had sent them home. I felt the blood drain from my face when I realised they were unaccounted for, and given two members of that team, I knew we had to act fast before something happened that they might...regret.
*Knock knock*
"Come"
Well...speak of the very devils.
My office door opens and SG-1 plus a certain Doctor Frasier strides in. Even Teal'c is there though he was unaffected and spent the night in his quarters. I think he just wants to watch and look smug. The four of them shuffle into the room and stand apart, looking rather guilty.
"I trust Doctor Taylor has debriefed you all on the nature and effects of the virus"
"Uh...yes sir...he made it all perfectly...clear..." Answers the Colonel, and SG-1 and the Doctor glance around at each other before returning their eyes to the ground.
"And you've all had your treatments?" They nod again, tight lipped, and I sit back in my chair. Luckily treatment turned out to be rather simple. A good dose of vitamins, and a half-hour or so being cooled down. SG-1, like all the others, were running quite spectacular temperatures when they came in, but chilled baths soon brought them down and also nullified the effects of the virus, which should be out of their systems in a few days. So...the question is, what damage has this virus caused if any?
I study my personnel, and four pairs of eyes study the weave of the carpet as though their lives depended on it, while Teal'c merely looks impassively at me. Good. I am glad to see they are repentant. Well, I doubt there is much else I can do here, only be glad that nothing got too out of hand, and assume things will be nicely back to normal in the morning. Still, I can't shake the feeling that.no. The airmen I sent assured me all four were unharmed and *appeared* to be acting within certain limits when they were located at the Colonel's house, and I'm quite happy to leave it there.
Still.the way the Colonel and Major refuse to meet each others glances.no.I specifically asked those airmen if my people were .appropriately dressed, and he assured me they were. He did state that there were a few flushed and angry faces, and apparently a certain two officers appeared.and I quote, 'dishevelled' but I'm satisfied we got there in time.
I'm firmly telling myself we got there in time.
So, let's stick with the usual plan for this situation. Tell them to go home, separately, get some rest, and write a very long report on just what they can remember about what they got up to. Wait a few days, let them mix and put this all behind them, then carry on as normal. It's worked before, it'll work again. It *will* work again.
"Dismissed"
The Colonel mutters a subdued 'thank you' then they all troop out single file, a confused Teal'c leaving last, with a raised eyebrow and an expression that almost makes me think he feels left out. Finally alone I sink back into my chair and blow out a long breath. So, back to business, and back to looking for the next near-disaster around the corner.
Will it ever end?
I ponder that question for a moment, fingers steepled, then sigh and lean back.
No. Probably not.
************************************
I've kept myself fairly calm since the briefing, my brain thankfully numbed by the headache that still clings to me, but as I make ready to leave, to go home and forget about all of this, I turn only to find the one person I want to see least of all. The Colonel. He's standing just outside my lab door, his hands clasped, lips pursed, eyes downcast. His hair is as messy as I've ever seen it, appearing as though each strand is repulsed by its fellows, as if affected by a constant electric field. His hair.I remember running my hands through.no.no such thing happened, and I pray desperately that the Colonel is not here to bring it up.
"Carter, I think we need to talk."
Oh no. No, no no.
"I don't think so sir. I really have to go home, I have things to do" I gather some notes and attempt to walk past him, but he stands firm in the doorway, blocking the only exit.
"No you don't, we're gonna clear the air" He says, his shifty, nervous eyes betraying the confident voice for an affectation.
"Sir, I don't know what you're talking about, and I really am busy" At this he snorts, and his head tilts to one side.
"Yeah right Carter, look, I went through the brief denial thing too, but it's not something we can just forget about"
"Sir, there's nothing to forget, nothing to discuss, you must be.mistaken" I quickly walk back to my desk and shuffle some papers, firmly keeping my back to him, hoping he'll take the hint and just leave. Chalk this one up to the list of stuff that happens between us, and never, ever, mention it again.
"Okay Carter, stop it, stop it right now" He yells, and I turn, flinching slightly as his voice but desperately trying to maintain a shocked façade of innocence.
"Sir?"
His face tightens, jaw clenching, then he looks out the door, up and down the corridor, then steps in and closes the door quietly behind him.
"Carter, about last night, we need to get some facts straight, however.unpleasant it may be."
"Sir, I have work to do" Escape, escape, escape!
"Carter, you know we..." He lets the sentence trail off, and waggles one hand vaguely, but still suggestively.
"No we didn't!" I back away, finding myself pressed against the unit behind me. I contemplate pressing my hands to my ears but he advances so quickly on me that I feel I might need my hands for protection, or for a forced escape.
***********************************************
"Carter..." He says, his voice low, that CO look creeping onto his face as he senses my reluctance to speak of last night, to even *think* about it.
"We didn't sir, we didn't actually *do* anything" I say, my eyes closed, my arms crossing over my chest.
"What? Of course we did, maybe not for long but..." He stops a metre or so away, his hands sketching the air, indicating between us.
"We didn't sir, we *did not*" I state loudly, angrily and he draws himself up to full height, arms crossed like mine, rocking on his heels as he automatically responds in a negative way to the sound of authority in my voice.
"Sam, I had it in, that counts" He grins a very humourless tight-lipped grin, and I can feel redness spread up my throat and across my cheeks. I.I can't believe he just *said* that! I briefly press my cool hands against my raging hot cheeks and then cut the air in front of me with my arms, shaking my head. I will not let him drag this.this discussion down into.details.
"No it doesn't, that does not count!" I tell him, and his mouth drops open and his eyes darken as if I were personally insulting him.
"Of course it does! I had it in, up to the hilt, we were *doing it*"
"No, it only counts if...if you *do* something with it..."
"That's bullshit! You can't draw the line where you see fit! I know it was wrong and I know we have to deal with it somehow, but the fact is Sam, we were fucking"
"Sir! I...no...we weren't. It doesn't count!"
"Well in my book it does. If I have my dick in someone, I classify that as having sex"
"Well if that's what you call sex I'm not impressed"
"Well...well you didn't get the full show y'know! If those bozos hadn't turned up..."
"We'd be in a hell of a lot of trouble"
"Sam...we're already in trouble. You can't pretend *nothing* happened. Whatever you call it, it was *something*"
He...he has a point.
I don't know what to do about it, but he does have one. Admitting defeat, I slump against the unit, scrubbing at my forehead with a sweaty palm. The Colonel simply stands there, in a stance similar to the one he adopted while still standing outside the door. Huh, it seems he was prepared for a shouting match, but hadn't planned beyond that.
"So." He says, and I look up at him, exasperated.
"What? What is it we're supposed to be doing now? What words do you think are going to make this any better?" I ask, leaning backwards on supporting arms, and he shuffles his feet, starting to look uncomfortable.
"Uh.I don't know Carter. Uh.would it help if I said you were great?"
I blush furiously, and stare at my feet. I can't help but grin though, and when I look up he's doing the same.
"You're not helping sir" I tell him, still grinning, and he stuffs his hands in his pockets and glances up at me.
"You know Carter, I think it'd be easier on us both if we hadn't been interrupted" My breath catches in my throat and I get flashbacks to what it felt like to be crushed against the floor underneath his mostly naked body.
"I.I don't see how you can come to that conclusion" I tell him, turning away slightly to swipe at my brow. God the memories are coming thick and fast now. His mouth on my throat, then the rapturous look on his face when we became one. Turning back I find he's now barely a foot away, but thankfully his hands are still jammed in his pockets. His expression is strange, mouth pushed firmly closed, but eyes wide, almost hopeful.
"Not that I'm particularly proud of the situation you understand, it's not what I would have wanted, but at least we'd be on the other side of it. We keep.God Sam we have been inching towards it for so long, and.and the other night we were balancing on the precipice. And now I know what it feels like to.to.to be there.it only makes me want it more"
That quiet admission makes me squeeze my eyes shut. He's not just talking about the sex, I know he's not. He wouldn't have that look in those pained liquid brown eyes if he was just talking about a roll in the hay.
A timid hand touches my upper arm and every muscle in my body goes tense. Still with eyes shut I find myself frozen, and when those fingers close tentatively around my shoulder can feel a warmth, just like the feeling of his hands desperately gripping my shoulders last night, so he could push against me, my legs wrapped tightly around him, encouraging him, pulling him closer.
My eyes snap open and finding his face dangerously close, his eyes half lidded, I find some amazing strength from somewhere and push him backwards. His arms windmill, eyes wide in shock as he stumbles, and his hands grasp for something, anything to stop him falling, and the one thing he grabs onto merely falls onto him as he hits the ground.
Me.
Two breaths are expelled forcefully as I land on his chest, managing to avoid cracking my head off his as he curls his neck to avoid smacking his own skull on the hard floor. We both look up, into each others eyes, my body stretched the full length of his. I quickly draw a knee up to get some leverage to get to my feet when I feel something under my abdomen lengthen and harden. Oh.my.God. The Colonel closes his eyes and bites his bottom lip, a quick breath now hissing out from between his teeth and I roll off him, and scramble to my feet. Now relieved of the burden of me the Colonel flips onto his front and lies there, face down, hands clasped behind his head, one toe stabbing repeatedly at the floor in a dull rhythm of frustration.
I wonder what this would look like to someone who walked in right now? Maybe I shouldn't tempt fate.
"Are.are you okay sir?"
"No" He answers as he pulls his arms underneath his chin.
"Are you hurt?" I ask, stepping up to his side, ringing my hands. This would be good for your career Sam, injuring a superior officer in the middle of a simple discussion. He gives a muffled sound, and I kneel carefully by his side, a safe distance away.
"What can I do?" I ask, and he snorts, and turns his head to look at me over his folded arms, his eyes dark and shadowed.
"Well if you'd just like to slip your hand down my pants I'm sure I can recover fairly quickly.Ow!"
He rolls away from me as I kick him in the back and curls up, foetal style.
"Okay.I deserved that" He mumbles, and I slump down into my chair.
"This isn't going quite how you'd planned, is it?" I ask, and he laughs.
"Ah Carter, I never had much of a plan beyond forcing you to talk. If I'd taken time to work out how to solve this I would never have come up with a solution and never have got round to coming to see you"
"Maybe that would have been better" I muse, and he turns onto his back, hands now folded on his chest as he considers me.
"You really think so? Sam, we just keep on adding more fuel to the fire. One day, it's gonna blow up and someone's gonna get burned"
"Good analogy"
"Thanks"
"Doesn't really help though"
"Guess not"
"Look...sir...Whatever did, or did not happen, the fact is I am going to forget it, all of it" I meet his eyes and watch as he sucks in a huge breath, his mouth opening and his shoulders rising. No I didn't think he'd be happy with that, but that's the way I want to play it.
"Forget? *Forget?* Sam...there's no way in hell I can forget it..."
"Colonel please, there's no proof, so I think it's better if we..."
"Proof? Jeez Sam we don't need proof! We were both there, we both took part, that's all the proof we need"
"No"
"No? What do you mean no?"
"I mean without proof I can insist it didn't happen, which is what I'm going to do. It didn't happen Colonel...you have no proof" His shoulders slump and his expression becomes one of confusion, and I sigh. I don't want to do this, I really don't, but I'm so embarrassed by my actions.
It's not really what we did, it's what *I* did, the way I acted. I was all over him, acting in a very unprofessional manner towards my commanding officer, and the very thought makes me cringe. God what must he think of me?
"Sam look...we both know we weren't...entirely...in control, but the fact is we were acting on something that already existed. We would have gotten there at some point, just maybe a little further down the line..."
"Oh really? Well I'm glad someone knows exactly how I feel" I say sarcastically, and he rolls his eyes.
"Fine...you be like that, you lie to yourself, but you'll always know the truth, know just how close we got to...to...consummating this thing"
"Thing?" I ask angrily, and he drags himself upright, the fight not gone out of him yet.
"Thing Carter. This. Us. This *thing* The sex we had last night, remember?"
That's enough. I turn away, grab my stuff, and stomp towards the door. This time he doesn't even bother to stop me, merely watching me as I pass. Damn him, must he be so attractive, must he affect me like this.
"Carter" He says in a very casual, controlled voice as I pass, and I freeze not even looking over my shoulder.
"I'll get some proof" He says in a very assured voice, and I grin smugly as he comes up behind me. Fine, if this is the way he wants to play it, then this is how we'll play it.
"Sir, if you find some 'proof', consider yourself invited round to mine for a repeat performance" I step out of the door, imagining his open-mouthed shocked face. Smiling, and feeling like I've actually won, or at least rendered him speechless, I saunter down the corridor, and head home.
Still... a little traitorous piece of me can't help but wish such proof existed...
No Sam. No...It never happened remember? It never happened.
Riiiiiiiiight.
**************************************
My hands jammed in my pockets I stood in the doorway to Sam's lab for at least ten minutes, grinning like a fool.
She liked it.
I know she liked it.
And I know if we'd have had just a little more time then she would have been at my door this morning begging for more. Instead of me coming here begging for something...anything! Damn I wish I had proof to back up my convictions...but finally I came to my senses and went back to my office to collect my stuff for home. It's a damn shame that...if I only had *something*
"Uh...Jack?"
Aw why can't I get any peace? I toss my jacket back onto my desk and turn around to face Daniel, who is hovering in the doorway like a bad smell.
"Yes Daniel. I am just about to go home and get some sleep but as this appears to be important..."
"Uh...it is Jack...it's about last night...I...I'm returning this"
I feel a slight wave of panic when he mentions last night, but when he fishes my instant camera out of his bag I calm. I take it from his hand and stuff it into the pocket of my own jacket, which I then scoop from the desk, ready to leave.
"Thanks Daniel, and don't worry, I'll get that milk smell out of the carpet somehow"
I step towards him, thinking we'll take the elevator up together, but he holds out his hand, and glances over his shoulder before taking a step further into the room.
"Uh Jack, one last thing. I took a...few...photos with your camera, and I looked through them this morning when I found them in my pocket and I...I...I think you should probably have these two and...well...I don't know. Dispose of it I guess"
He quickly presses two photos into my hand, and fidgets. I turn the photos over, and my eyebrows shoot up as my bottom jaw drops down. Woah. I hold both up and move them closer to my face then away again, glancing from one to the other. Jumbled memories form and swirl, and the time frame of the photos clicks right into place. They're both a little blurred and a little skewed, but there's really no mistaking the reluctant subjects, the two photographs taken mere seconds apart.
It's Carter and I.
We're screwing.
I guess I mistook a camera flash for Daniel playing with the light switch. I look at the first picture up close, and blow out a deep breath. Okay so you can't see Carter's face, but there's no-one else on this planet with legs like that I can tell you. The edge of my face is visible as I glare down at the photographer, not knowing our actions are being preserved for prosperity. Worse than that, with my jeans gathered around my ankles my naked butt is on full display, Sam's feet crossed behind, one of my hands under her hips, angling them towards me. Ah damn Danny, did you have to do that? I was just starting to get used to the idea that I was gonna start pretending that this whole thing was a weird, vivid nightmare. Yeah, very vivid here in full colour. I turn my attention to the second photo, which is very similar except you can definitely see half of Sam's face this time. Still doing a guppy impression, Daniel winces and squirms on the spot.
"Yeah uh...I wasn't sure whether to give these to you or Sam...I...I wasn't sure if she remembered or...well...I trust you'll..."
"Dispose if it...yes" I tell him seriously, and turning I take the photos, and holding them between my fingertips as if they were evil incarnate I place them in the feeder tray for my shredder and start the little motor going. Turning to Daniel I keep my eyes low, looking repentant, and he bites his lip.
"Okay...I just thought I should give it you...you know..."
"Thanks Daniel" I tell him gratefully, and he nods, and rocks on his heels.
"Is...Sam..."
"She's fine, I'm fine, we're...fine. In denial but...fine Daniel, don't worry about us"
He nods, smiles briefly then leaves. The door closing with a click, I take a long, deep breath, then bound across the room and slap the shredder off, snatching the photos away before the pull of the feeder tray finally catches it and drags it in. I deliberately placed them so one corner was supported, therefore escaping the pull, and thankfully they are both still in one piece. Damn they're one hell of a couple of photos, and in fact they're more than just photos. They're proof.
Proof.
Actual evidence of what we did. What we *did* Sam. We did it, and these photos prove it.
Smiling, I slip the photos into my shirt breast pocket and pat it a few times, then whistling, I retrieve my jacket and slip it on, and head for the door. Sam left about an hour ago, so I'll just swing on by her place, have a chat, show her a few snaps...hehehe.
Hmm...wait. If I show Sam this and she goes nuts...hmm. I bite my lip, considering my options, then coming to a decision I quickly walk back to my desk, and pull one photo from my pocket.
Okay...now I need to stash one photo somewhere so that it'll be safe.
I glance around my office but as usual it's one hell of a mess, plus the piles of stuff are apt to shift or disappear at any time. I can't afford to lose the evidence just as I can't afford to let Sam destroy it. A quick look at my desk tells the same tale, but on top of one small pile to the left is my current report on our last mission and the uh...aftermath. I haven't finished it yet, and although Hammond insisted I complete it today I know he's already left and he never came to ask me for it. He was probably just wanting to keep us all occupied and out of trouble. Well it's almost finished...Assuming I'm not...*up* all night I'll come in first thing and take that photo home.
Jack my man, that sounds like a plan.
I smile, jauntily salute my office, and leave, taking the elevator up the surface. From here, to Sam's place...and then? Well who knows...
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Another motorcade to another pointless highbrass meeting, and now back to where I belong.
I walk the corridors of my command at night, for once enjoying the relative peace and quiet. Well, SG-1 are all on stand down for a few days so this place should be safe for a little while, that is until the next mission or until the next guest in need comes a-planet hopping. Still...I should take comfort in the silence while I can. Night is about the only time I can get any work done, and since we seem to have come through the last few days with amazingly little fallout, I should trawl through some paperwork while I have the chance.
Finding myself on level 23 I walk down the short left hand corridor and find myself outside the small rooms set aside for offices for some of my officers. The ruffled blinds and half open door of one particular office catches my eye, and with a sigh I notice the lopsided small black plaque that reads 'Col. J. O'Neill'
I push open the door, sighing as I have to fight against a pile of folders on the other side. Glancing at the folders I see a large backlog of reports, and shake my head. Paperwork is not Jack's strong suit. With an indulgent chuckle I turn to leave, but not before I notice a neat looking folder sitting on a rare space on his desk. I step over, and pick up the folder, surprised to see it bristling with papers and medical reports, and even more surprised to see that it's a report from the last mission and the following...events.
When I ordered the Colonel to spend his time today working on this, I never imagined he'd actually obey me. I thought it would simply serve to keep him in here and out of trouble, hiding and only pretending to work. Still, the fact that he's finished it so quickly only reinforces my fervent belief that all that virus caused them to do was drink and get a little bit rowdy.
Convincing myself I tuck the folder under my arm and decide to head back to my office, secure in the knowledge that all I'll find in this report is proof that my team can behave themselves, even when operating without restrictions.
Smiling I step into the elevator, and look forward to reading what I hope will be a very, very boring report.
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THE END
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