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THE HIDDEN SECRET TO INTERPLANETARY NEGOTIATION
Sam inhaled deeply and smiled, letting the fresh breeze and lingering scents of sun-warmed grass and wild flowers wash over her. The setting sun cast an ethereal pink and orange glow across the clouds, the sparkling brook in front of her picking up the faintest hint of pink. She was surrounded by countryside as beautiful and untouched as Colorado must have been hundreds of years ago; majestic mountains towered high in the distance, surrounded by densely wooded forests and fertile valleys. It was heaven on earth, or at least heaven on P4X 671.
Kneeling in the lush grass by the stream, Sam dipped her wash cloth into the water, washing her face and hands; the cold water brisk and refreshing. Settling down in the grass, she pulled her backpack close, digging around for the small baggie which held the few toiletries she carried with her on away missions. By the angle of the sun and shadows, she knew it wouldn’t be dark for at least another hour; she had time to indulge in a little quiet time before she went back and joined the guys at their base camp. Smoothing on some moisturizer, she let the quiet and peace of her surroundings seep into her.
Above the soft sound of the running water, she could hear the slowly returning sounds of the birds and other creatures that called that the area around the brook their home and if she listened close enough, she could catch the faint pop and crackle of their campfire and the occasionally snatch of voices carried on the breeze. She smiled when she heard the unmistakable sound of a masculine laugh; it been awhile since any of SG1 had laughed and it sounded good. Their current mission—a ‘meet and greet’ with a society that appeared to be on par with mid-twentieth century Earth—was a cakewalk; probably any number of other SG teams could have handled it and maybe have found it a challenge. Her smile changed to a slight grimace, given the condition of SG1, any mission, even this one, was probably going to be a challenge.
She still had the occasional nightmare about Fifth and the human form replicators; struggling out of dreams so intense that she woke trembling and sweating. The normally cheerful Jonas , while still quick to smile, had a lingering haunted look in his eyes and Teal’c’s normal remoteness seemed as solid as a suit of armor. As for Jack…he was quieter than usual, his eyes shadowed and his grim face reminding her of the first days following his return from Ba’al’s fortress and captivity. They’d just begun to heal from the events surrounding his blending with Kanan and now she felt like they were drifting back to those dark days. Logically, she knew it had been the only course of action, but in her heart, it hadn’t seemed so black and white.
Much like their feelings for each other, feelings which they’d carefully decided to explore, if they could get past all the land mines that kept popping up in their path.
But maybe that path was opening up a bit; it was easy to be optimistic sitting in the middle of a flower-strewn meadow, the air warm and redolent with the dizzying scents of the remnants of a perfect summer day. She could actually feel that tight spring in her gut unwinding; in fact, she was pretty sure it had started loosening up the moment they’d walked through the Stargate and stepped out onto the dais of the gate on P4X 671 and been greeted by nothing more threatening than fir trees. Sam smiled again, remembering Jack’s immediate and blessedly predictable—and irritable—grumble regarding the almost universal constant of green and trees.
Yes, she decided optimistically, maybe this mission was just what they all needed; meet the locals, set up the groundwork for one of the diplomatic teams and then return home. If the locals were half as nice as their current surroundings, it would go a long way towards erasing some of the darkness of their last mission.
But it was getting late; the sun was almost behind the mountains now, the shadows growing longer with each moment that she lingered by the stream. They weren’t far from the large city spotted by the UAV on its reconnaissance mission, or the Stargate for that matter, but after a day of mineral scans and other surveys, Jack had decided they’d make initial contact in the morning. And realizing it would be morning soon enough, Sam reluctantly packed up the few items she’d removed from her backpack and started back the way she’d come, following the faint game path through the gathering dusk towards the distant glow of light that signaled their campfire.
Nothing about her return to their camp struck Sam as odd until she was almost to the outside perimeter, when she could see all three of the guys huddled on the far side of the fire pit. While not always the case, it did seem a bit unusual that at least one of them wasn’t on the perimeter, looking out for her return. Even odder was that both Jack and Teal’c were gathered around Jonas, apparently engrossed in something the Kelownan held in his hands. Sam paused at the edge of their camp, the three men oblivious to her approach.
“Really? You like that one?” Jack’s voice carried easily over the snapping and popping of the fire.
“It is most alluring, O’Neill. Do you not agree, Jonas Quinn?”
Sam frowned. Alluring? What the heck were the three of them doing? Sam took a few careful steps closer.
“I don’t know, Teal’c,” Jonas said, his tone thoughtful. “You don’t think it’s a bit too…obvious?”
With his final words, Jonas lifted up the item in his hands. in an apparent move to give Teal’c a better view, and Sam realized he was holding a magazine. She took a couple of quiet steps closer, bringing her almost into the circle of light from the campfire. And Sam saw it wasn’t just any magazine, it was a Victoria’s Secret catalog, the skimpily clad model on the front cover smiling at her through Jonas’ fingers.
“Obvious can be good,” O’Neill observed.
“Hey, guys,” Sam said, deciding she’d seen enough. “Whatcha’ doing?”
There was a palpable stillness from the three men and then Jack looked up at her, all innocence. “Oh. Hi, Carter.”
“Sam, have you seen this catalog before?” Jonas grinned, waving the catalog at her. “It’s amazing!”
“Jonas!” Jack hissed, grabbing wildly for the catalog.
“Careful, O’Neill.” Teal’c skillfully captured the catalog from Jonas and carefully tucked it into his inner jacket pocket. “I would not wish any harm to come to it.”
Sam shrugged off her backpack and sat down across the fire from the three men. “A lingerie catalog? Really?” Of the three men, Jack was the only one who seemed to squirm under her level gaze, which suited her just fine. It would take more than getting caught with a lingerie magazine to ruffle Teal’c, and Jonas just kept smiling. Jack caved first, just like she expected.
“It’s not what you think, Carter. We were…just introducing Jonas to another aspect of Earth’s culture.” Jack grinned at her then, clearly pleased with his explanation.
“First time to see a lingerie catalog?” Sam asked Jonas.
“Oh, no,” he replied quickly. “We have catalogs on Kelowna, though they aren’t quite so….”
“Provocative?” Sam supplied helpfully.
“Colorful.”
“Ah.” Sam looked curiously at Teal’c, who had remained suspiciously silent during the interchange. “Anything to add?”
“I find them relaxing.”
“I see.” She might not understand or appreciate the male species’ fascination with scantily clad lingerie models, but she did appreciate the smiling faces and relaxed camaraderie between the male members of her team. “All right then,” she said, getting to her feet. “I’ll take last watch then.” Jack almost looked like he was going to protest, last watch was usually his, but he seemed to think better of it and she smiled sweetly. “I’ll leave you three to your…shopping.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In her half-asleep state, Sam heard the unmistakable sound of gear and clothing being shed. A soft wash of cool air and the shifting of the blanket announced Jack’s arrival, along with his low whisper of, “Scoot over, Carter.”
Sam grumbled softly, mostly out of habit than any real protest, and shifted over a few inches, rolling onto her side. Jack snuggled up right behind her, one strong arm wrapping around her and pulling her close. She nestled back into his chest and sighed softly. He was like a furnace, his warmth enveloping her and she whispered, “How was your watch?”
“Quiet,” he rumbled, his breath ruffling through her hair. He shifted a bit, slipping his arm under her head.
“More perusing of the Victoria’s Secret Catalog?” she teased.
His low chuckled rumbled through her. “Nah, Teal’c wouldn’t share.”
She laughed softly, rubbing her cheek against his arm. “Poor boy.”
They lay quietly for a moment and she thought maybe he’d fallen asleep when she felt the hand that had been resting on her belly stroke lightly over the thin cotton of the undershirt she wore. “Ever think about wearing any of those things?”
Sam smiled in the dark of the tent. In the fragile and tentative steps of their relationship, they hadn’t ventured much beyond a few light kisses after spending the evening together on what passed as a ‘date’ for them and the occasional snuggle while sharing a tent, safely chaperoned by Jonas and Teal’c. She realized that for all she knew, Jack might figure her whole existence was plain cotton underwear and olive drab BDU’s. “What makes you think I don’t?” she countered.
The hand massaging her belly stopped and she was suddenly on her back with Jack looming over her. The light from the campfire flickered faintly through the nylon tent and she looked up into his dark eyes. “You’re not just teasing me, are you Carter?”
She smiled and ran the tip of a finger along the bridge of his nose and down over his lips. “Now, would I do that?”
“In a heartbeat,” he growled, pressing a fierce kiss to her lips.
It was risky, but she gave into his kiss, groaning herself when he abruptly pulled away and once more tucked her safely back into the curve of his body. “Don’t tempt me now, woman,” he murmured. “But I’ll expect something more obvious than white cotton when we get home.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” she whispered. Willing her racing heart to slow down, she nestled deeper into his embrace.
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with Earth, Colonel O’Neill.” The Honorable Leeva D’Ormo smiled and placed her hand in a definitely affectionate gesture over the hand of her husband, First Minister Rasteen. The ruling couple of Vendal sat together at one end of the large table in the spacious meeting room where SG1 and various other government leaders had spent the afternoon discussing establishment of a formal trade agreement with the Vendal.
Sam was sure she wasn’t the only member of her team who was surprised at how readily the Vendalians had agreed to consider a trade agreement. The Vendalian economy was flourishing, not only in industry and agriculture, but also the arts and entertainment. Sam’s early mineral scans had revealed numerous desirable mineral deposits of interest and the Minister of Agriculture had proudly displayed their progress with grain based fuels, which was far beyond anything yet developed on Earth. But for all of their progress, there were still huge gaps in their technology, especially in medical technology and pharmaceuticals, an area which the Vendalians were exceptionally keen to develop.
After their arrival in the capital city the day before, they’d had a whirlwind day spent touring some of the local industries and nearby agriculture settlements, all followed by a formal banquet, complete with lavish show that had lasted well into the early hours of the morning. Sam wasn’t sure when the ruling council had found the time to even hold a private meeting, but by mid-day the First Minister and the rest of the ruling council had come to their decision.
The First Minister nodded in agreement. “We will eagerly await the arrival of your diplomatic team.”
“Great!” O’Neill said. “I’m sure you’ll find them just as easy to get along with as us.”
“Rasteen? Don’t forget my condition,” Madame Terr’n broke in, her voice querulous.
Sam inwardly winced and she hoped she was the only one who noticed Jack’s almost inaudible sigh. Madame Terr’n was the most senior member of the ruling council, a deceptively frail-looking woman with snow white hair and sharp blue eyes—and an even sharper tongue. Suspicious and seemingly ill-tempered, she’d questioned everything and anything SG1 had said or done. Even Jack hadn’t been able to win her over with his usual charm.
“Yes, of course,” Rasteen said smoothly. “I hope you won’t find this too awkward of a request, but Madame Terr’n has asked for Mr. Quinn to be present at the negotiations.” Rasteen offered them an almost apologetic smile. “Since he is not of your planet, she feels his presence will provide a perspective and balance that may otherwise be lacking.”
If Jack was surprised by the rather unusual request, he didn’t show it and with barely a pause, he answered smoothly, “I can’t speak for our commanding officer, but I don’t see any reason why Jonas shouldn’t be able to return with the diplomatic team.”
Rasteen and the other council members looked relieved and Madame Terr’n looked very pleased. Sam slanted Jonas a look and the Kelownan gave a slight shrug before gracing Madame Terr’n with one of his ingenuous smiles, which actually caused the older woman to blush like a school girl. “It will be my pleasure, Madame.”
Sam shared a look with Jack, who looked as confused as she was by the brief exchange. “Well then,” O’Neill said, pushing his chair back. “I think that about covers everything.”
“One moment, Colonel.” Leeva gestured to one of the aides and the man nodded, opening one of the far doors to the large chamber. Two men entered, each carrying a large covered basket, which they sat down on the table. Leeva stood and walked around the table, removing the cover of one of the baskets. “I hope you will accept these small tokens of friendship for you and your superiors.”
When Jack got up and walked over to Leeva, Sam followed and peered over his shoulder into the open basket. “Wow,” she said, “this is very generous.”
The basket was filled with a variety of local produce, the not-quite apples that Jack and Jonas hadn’t been able to get enough of and a container full of the cherry/blueberry fruit they called steckleneer that were so good it just made her mouth water looking at them, along with cheeses, baked goods, jars of preserves and relishes and sweets, everything you might expect to get in a gift basket back home.
Jonas and Teal’c left their seats, both curious about the basket and its contents. Teal’c reached in and lightly touched a large glass jar filled with a bright green vegetable. “Pickled omosh?” he asked.
Leeva smiled and nodded. “I have heard it is your favorite.”
Sam didn’t think she’d ever seen Teal’c look so excited over a jar of relish before, but if he wanted the relish, that would mean just that much more steckleneer for her. She was already plotting how she could divert the container of berries when Jack spoke those dreaded words. “That’s very kind of you,” O’Neill said. “But we can’t—”
“Colonel,” Leeva interrupted. “Of course you will accept these gifts in the spirit in which they are given. And do not worry, we will have them transported to the Stargate for you.”
Sam gave Jack a pleading look when his eyes met hers briefly and she watched expectantly as his gaze went to Teal’c and Jonas, each with a similarly hopeful look on their respective faces. “Of course, Madame D’Ormo,” he finally said, “we will be happy to accept these gifts on behalf of Stargate Command and the United States Air Force.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I really think we need to reciprocate.” Jonas’s face held that painfully earnest look that meant he would be difficult to dissuade.
“Jonas, I’m sure they’ll understand,” Sam said, hoping to pacify him. They stood near the DHD, sheltered in the shade of several trees, waiting for the delivery of the baskets containing the gifts from the Vendal council. With the negotiations finished, they’d made their farewells and packed up camp, enjoying the sunny day and leisurely stroll back to the gate. Sam almost hated to leave, but she couldn’t suppress the little tingle she felt whenever she remembered Jack’s whispered words during the night. Her underwear drawer did contain more than white cotton and maybe it was time for Jack to find out.
“I’m not so sure, Sam,” Jonas countered. “I did some discreet checking and the cultural norm here is to offer whatever you have, no matter how insignificant it may seem, as a gesture of friendship and good faith. It’s not so much what you give, it’s the fact that you give.”
“I believe Jonas Quinn to be correct,” Teal’c added, joining the conversation.
“What’s going on?” Jack walked over.
“Colonel, we need to give the Vendal something in return,” Jonas said, turning his earnest expression on Jack.
“We’ve never needed hostess gifts before.”
Sam smothered a smile, but then added on a more serious note. “Jonas and Teal’c both seem to think it would be a serious breach of etiquette if we don’t reciprocate with some kind of token gift to the council.”
“Gifts,” Jonas clarified. “Something from each of us.”
Jack frowned and screwed up his face. Sam couldn’t tell if he was annoyed, confused or buying time, probably a combination of all three, she figured. “Well, I guess we don’t want them to think we don’t have any manners,” he finally said.
“Good,” Jonas replied, clearly relieved. He immediately unclipped his pack and out of a side pocket, pulled out a tiny square packet that unfolded into a large nylon drawstring bag. Jack raised an eyebrow and Sam merely shook her head, watching in fascinated silence as Jonas began transferring items out of his pack into the bag. Packages of M&M’s, along with boxes of Raisinettes and Hot Tamales dropped with a rattle into the sack, along with a box of the herbal teabags he preferred and one of the many travel mugs he’d accumulated during his months at the SGC.
Sam shrugged and unclipped her pack and dug into it as well, her mind racing as to what she could offer. She didn’t have much, but she did have an almost full travel-size bottle of body lotion, a lightly used tube of lipstick and the small compact mirror she carried with her. Jonas held out the bag to her and she dropped the items in; he turned to Jack next.
“I don’t have anything,” O’Neill protested.
“Your yo-yo, O’Neill.”
Jack shot Teal’c a glare, but complied, reaching into one of the large pockets on his BDU’s and dropping the wooden yo-yo into the bag.
“And your cap,” Sam said, snatching it off his head and tossing it to Jonas, who added to the loot.
“Hey!” Jack protested, “I just got the brim just right!” Wisely, Sam decided she’d worry later about the glare that was now directed at her.
“Teal’c?” Jonas said, holding out the sack towards him. Teal’c stood solemnly, not moving a muscle.
“Yes, Teal’c,” Jack added. “Let’s see what you have to give.”
With slow dignity, Teal’c reached into his jacket and pulled out the Victoria’s Secret catalog. Sam’s eyes widened. “Teal’c, I’m not sure—”
“Did not Jonas Quinn say it is not the gift that matters, it is that it is given?”
“Well…yes.”
“Relax, Carter,” Jack said. “What’s the harm? It’s just a little eye candy.”
“Right, and it was just a three hour tour for the passengers on the Minnow,” she murmured as the catalog disappeared into the depths of the bag.
Jonas looked up and smiled, carefully pulling the drawstring tight. “Just in the nick of time.”
Sam followed his gaze and sure enough, one of the quasi-jeep/pick-up trucks they’d seen all over the city approached, rolling to a stop at the end of the dirt track that led to the Stargate. Jonas hurried forward, bag in hand, to greet the driver, Teal’c following behind. While Jonas carried on an animated conversation with the driver which ended in him handing the ‘gift’ bag to the man, Teal’c easily carried both of the gift baskets over to the DHD.
“I have a bad feeling about that catalog,” Sam muttered, watching the exchange.
“Don’t worry, Carter,” Jack said, patting her shoulder. “How much do you want to bet that half of the contents of that bag—including the catalog—never make it back to Rasteen or Leeva?”
“I don’t know, sir.” She watched as the driver took the bag from Jonas, giving a slight bow, before getting back into the vehicle. Unfortunately, she wasn’t quite as confident as Jack.
“Come on,” he said, waving at the driver as he drove off. “Dial us home.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Oh, Sam,” Jack called from the living room, “Just what do we have here?”
Sam tossed the remnants of their take-out Chinese dinner into the garbage and grabbed two more beers out of the fridge before going back into the living room. Jack sat at one end of her sofa, waving a Victoria’s Secret catalog at her, a pleased smirk on his face. He’d obviously been going through the stack of magazines and catalogs piled on the floor and found the catalog.
“Yeah, what of it?” she replied mildly, handing him the beers and putting the movie into the DVD player before she sat down next to him. After a mercifully short debriefing—with Jonas already scheduled to return to P4X 671 with SG-9 in a week’s time—she was glad to be home. And what made it even better was that Jack was with her. She hadn’t expected him to come over, after all they’d just spend the last three days together on their cake walk mission, but she was glad when he’d suggested it. And while an evening spent at home with take-out and a movie wasn’t at the most exciting end of the spectrum, for her the excitement was being alone with Jack.
“I thought you disapproved,” he commented, twisting off the top of one of the beers and handing the long neck to her.
“I never said that,” she said, taking the beer from him and oh so casually letting her fingers brush against his. “I just find it…interesting that you, Teal’c and Jonas find them so entertaining.”
“Well,” he answered, his eyes gleaming. “A guy would have to be dead or, you know…have other interests to not find one of these,” he gestured towards the catalog which now lay on the coffee table, the scantily clad model on the front cover smiling up at them, “interesting.”
She had to smile, he was such a guy. “I’m glad to hear you like women, Jack.”
His smile was smug and he sat back on the sofa, taking a swallow of his beer before turning his head and asking, “So, how about it?”
“You ready for the movie?” she asked, reaching for the remote.
“No,” he said, taking the remote out of her hand and tossing it back on the coffee table. “I believe you made me a promise back on P4X 671.”
Even though she’d been waiting for this moment ever since he’d walked through her door, she still felt a flicker of unease mix with the surge of excitement brought on by his words. They’d spent years dancing around their feelings; the initial attraction from the moment they’d met that hadn’t lessened with time and familiarity, but had grown and become so deeply entwined in her soul that she couldn’t imagine her life without him. And the few times she’d thought they’d lost him were moments she never wanted to visit again. She’d wanted this for so long and despite the fact that everything would change, she was glad—and relieved—that it was finally time.
Hoping her smile was more confident than the mix of emotions swirling through her, she scooted a little closer to where he remained sprawled on the sofa, his arms outstretched along the back cushions. “I did, didn’t I?”
Jack nodded, and Sam had no trouble identifying the faint hint of challenge on his face. Before she had time to think too much about what she was about to do and change her mind, Sam moved with lightning fast speed and sat on Jack’s lap, straddling his legs. And in those few seconds when he was too surprised to move, she grabbed the hem of her modest knit top and pulled it off over her head, letting it drop down on the floor. “How’s this?” she asked, her voice more confident than the uncertainty lurking in her eyes.
She hadn’t lied to Jack when she’d told him she had more than just white cotton in her drawers, for while she had some nice lace bras in carefully neutral pastels, she didn’t have anything close to what Jack had been ogling in the Victoria’s Secret catalog. A quick stop at the mall on the way home had taken care of that particular problem and now…now she waited.
Sam knew what he saw; she didn’t have long luxurious hair cascading down her back and over her shoulders or an all-over tan or the cleavage so prominently displayed in those kinds of catalogs. She’d studied herself carefully in the mirror of the dressing room only hours earlier, the only similarity between her and those models was the plunging silvery-gray push-up bra covered with black French lace she now wore, along with a matching lace thong that was still hidden beneath her jeans.
But none of her insecurities seemed to matter to Jack, if the smoldering look in his eyes was anything to go by. The last of her uncertainty faded away when his lips quirked in a half smile and he raised one of his hands, lightly tracing the lacy edge of one of the cups, sending thrill racing through her when his finger brushed against her skin. “Much better than a magazine,” he drawled.
When his wandering finger trailed down across her smooth belly and both his hands came to rest at her waist, Sam shifted forward, resting her hands on his shoulders and rocking her hips forward so that she sat snugly against his crotch, where she had no trouble feeling the unmistakable proof of his arousal. Lowering her head, she lightly raked her nails across his nape and ran the tip of her tongue along his jaw line until she reached his ear, where she gently nipped the lobe and whispered, “I have on matching panties.”
She heard his quick intake of breath and when she felt his entire body suddenly going rigid against hers; she should have guessed what was coming. But thinking she still had the upper hand, she was completely unprepared when Jack moved with lightning speed and she suddenly found herself flat on her back on the sofa with Jack looming over her. He straddled her thighs, much like she had his, his hands making quick work of the button and zipper on her jeans.
“God, Sam…you’re killing me here,” he groaned, pausing for a moment when the tiny strip of black lace was revealed. His hands were almost rough in their haste to pull her jeans off, but she barely noticed, eagerly helping him by lifting her hips and legs. He knelt at her feet and she had to force herself to lie still as his eyes ran over her body. The job saw to it that she stayed physically fit, but there was a huge difference between camouflage and lace and she couldn’t help but compare herself to glamorous models in the catalog.
“You are way sexier than any of those catalog babes,” Jack told her, almost as if he had read her mind.
The fierce passion in his dark eyes was so intense it should have alarmed her, but instead she felt a matching desire start to grow deep in her belly. Her lips curved in a slow smile, her confidence returning. “Are you just going to look?” she teased, stretching slightly and emphasizing the curve of her breasts against the lacy bra.
“Hell, no,” he growled, stripping his shirt off over his head and covering her with his heavy body. His mouth fastened onto her with a passion and demand that overwhelmed her, dragging her deep into a desire that they’d kept carefully under control, making their previous kisses seem almost chaste by comparison. She clung to him, drowning in the heady pleasure of kissing him, finally free to touch and stroke his warm skin and feel the hard planes of his body pressed against hers unhindered by their clothes…almost.
Reluctant to stop kissing him, Sam struggled to unfasten her bra and still meet the demands of his mouth and his hands. She’d just managed to reach the fastening when one of Jack’s hands fastened on her wrist. “Leave it on,” he commanded, his voice rough with desire.
Sam quickly decided she’d do almost anything he asked, because she certainly had no intention of stopping. And while she didn’t mind leaving her bra on, she wanted Jack naked, even if it meant letting him out of her arms for the brief time it took him to strip off his jeans. She took the opportunity to quickly tug the thong down and kick it off, she might not mind leaving the bra on but there was no way the thong was staying put. And then he was back in her arms and she moaned softly, shivering at the electric feel of his skin rubbing against hers, his hard body pressing her into the cushions as she cradled him between her thighs.
Her bed was bigger and definitely more suited to what they were about to do, but she wasn’t going to protest, there’d be time for that luxury later, right now there was only one thing she wanted. He had worked one of her breasts free of the bra and she almost lost her train of thought when his mouth closed over the nipple, squirming against him, which only made her want more when his hips settled more firmly against her, teasing her much like his mouth was currently teasing her breast.
“Jack, please,” she gasped, forcing her thoughts to focus long enough to gently grasp his erection, offering additional encouragement.
Jack groaned deep in his chest and then she didn’t need to encourage him anymore. He slid deep and she wrapped her legs around him, sinking in a pool of desire. In spite of the deep connection she felt with him, it took a few awkward moments before they moved together in synchrony and it was truly all she had hoped—and dreamed—it would be. He pushed her closer and closer to the edge with each rhythmic thrust of his hips and she choked out his name with a cry when pleasure broke through her, Jack’s strong arms and body the only thing keeping her from breaking completely.
She clung to him when he shattered, his big body shuddering against hers, his hips pressing her deep into the cushions with each lingering thrust. Sam couldn’t think of a more perfect moment than when Jack collapsed on top her, breathing heavily and she lightly stroked his hair, letting her fingers glide down his shoulders and back in soothing caresses. A moment made slightly less perfect by the uncomfortable pinch of her lacy bra.
“Jack,” she murmured reluctantly, pushing gently at his shoulder, “help me get this damn bra off.”
He groaned and nuzzled her neck. “Do I have to?”
Sam chuckled and lightly raked her nails through the short hairs at his nape. “I think it’s cutting off my circulation.”
“Oh well,” he murmured, shifting off her. “In that case.” He sat up, looking remarkably relaxed with a definitely indulgent expression on his face and when he held out one of his hands, she took it, letting him pull her into a sitting position. She leaned against his chest, resting her head on his shoulder as he deftly unhooked the offending garment and it joined the rest of their discarded clothing.
With a relieved sigh, Sam straightened up and raised her arms over her head, stretching. “Better?”
“Much.” Jack rumbled, his eyes gleaming.
Sam smiled. It was still early, they could watch the movie, but judging by the look in Jack’s eyes, he had even less interest in the DVD than she did. Standing, she held out her hand to him. “Shall we adjourn to the bedroom?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TWO WEEKS LATER
“Isn’t SG-9 due back any day now?” Jack sat sprawled in one of her lab chairs, his feet resting on her desk, idly tossing his replacement yo-yo.
“I believe they returned early this morning, O’Neill.” Teal’c barely paused in his study of the monitor in front of him, absorbed in helping to decipher the hieroglyphs SG-16 had found and videotaped on their most recent mission.
“Good. It’ll be nice to have the team back together.”
Sam smiled from where she sat at her work table, littered with a variety of artifacts, also brought back by SG-16. It was nice to know that she hadn’t been the only one to miss Jonas’ presence the past few weeks. It had been fairly quiet and uneventful with Jonas away and she had to admit, she was looking forward to getting back into the regular mission line-up. What hadn’t been quiet and eventful though was her relationship with Jack. She slanted him a sideways glance, he looked so cute, sitting up straight in the chair now, his brow furrowed in concentration as he untangled the string of his yo-yo.
Their continued light schedule had allowed them more time to adjust to the change in their relationship and she was confident that they would be able to handle whatever work, their lives, or even the universe would toss their direction. Her phone rang, distracting her from her current train of thought and she picked it up, somewhat surprised when it was the General. “Yes sir,” she said. “We’ll be there right away, sir.”
Jack and Teal’c both looked at her. “That was General Hammond,” she said, slowly replacing the receiver and not bothering to hide her confusion. “He wants the three of us in the briefing room right now.”
“I wonder what’s up?” Jack said, leading the way out of her lab.
“I don’t know,” Sam replied. “He didn’t sound too happy though.”
It was a short elevator ride and walk to the briefing room and when they got there, they found General Hammond waiting for them at his usual place at the head of the table, flanked by Jonas and Major D’Angelo from SG-9.
“Have a seat, SG-1.” Hammond’s voice was as calm and controlled as ever, but Sam sensed a definite edge to it.
“Welcome home, Jonas!” Jack said, sitting down next to the Kelownan.
“It’s good to be back, Colonel,” Jonas replied easily enough, before a quick look at Hammond’s unsmiling face silenced him.
Sam frowned slightly, either Jack was oblivious to the mood in the room or else he was ignoring it. As for her…she was still confused. Slipping into the chair next to Jack, she tried to sort out what was going on. Hammond looked like he’d sounded on the phone—annoyed. Jonas looked unusually somber, though there was a sort of suppressed gleam in his eye and while she didn’t know D’Angelo well, the man looked more amused than anything else. Sam looked at Teal’c, who had taken a seat across the table next to D’Angelo, but his only response was a raised eyebrow.
“So, what’s up General?” Jack asked, his expression politely bland. Sam recognized that look and that light tone of voice, so he did realize something wasn’t quite right. “Everything okay on—”
He glanced at her and her brow wrinkled, but she answered quickly enough. “P4X 671.”
“Major D’Angelo and Mr. Quinn report that the negotiations went smoothly. By all accounts, the Vendalians should be good allies.” Even while Sam was sure the successful negotiations were good news, it still didn’t explain the continued frown on Hammond’s face.
“Well, that’s good then, isn’t it?”
“Yes, very,” D’Angelo finally spoke. “It was one of the easiest negotiations we’ve ever had.”
Hammond’s expression never changed and he opened the folder on the table on front of him, picking up something that looked all too familiar. Sam got the same sinking feeling she’d had when they’d left the planet when Hammond held up the Victoria’ Secret catalog they’d sent as a gift for the Vendal ruling council. A quick glance at Jack told her he was just as surprised as she was, even Teal’c looked taken aback by the reappearance of the catalog. As for Jonas, he seemed to be working at suppressing a grin and D’Angelo wasn’t even trying to hide his smile. And while the scantily clad model on the front cover still smiled invitingly, the magazine was definitely worse for the wear, the corners creased and the cover barely hanging on by its staples.
“I can explain, General,” Jack said hurriedly. Sam looked from the General back to Jack; she so wanted to hear how he was going to talk them out of this one. She was also sure she could see his mind racing to come up with a plausible defense when the General spoke again.
“I’m sure you can, Colonel. There’s only one thing that concerns me though. How am I going to explain to the Secretary of State and Joint Chiefs that the contents of this catalog are vital for Earth’s defense?”
THE END