AUTHOR: Nicky Chevalier
RATING: NC-17
CATEGORY: S/J Romance
CONTENT WARNING: Sexual situations
SUMMARY: Post-ep story for 'Tangent'. After coming so close to losing each other, Jack and Sam finally give in to their feelings.
SPOILERS: Tangent
ARCHIVE: SJ, Heliopolis
DISCLAIMER: Not mine. Never will be.
...Okay, okay, I'll write a real disclaimer, don't sue me. These characters belong to MGM, Gekko, and Double Secret Productions. I mean no infringement, I'm just borrowing them for a while 'cause you guys never let them have any fun. Hope you don't mind, I'll return them (reasonably) intact, I swear. Oh, and by the way, 'Armageddon' isn't mine either, and I mean no disrespect to the makers of that movie, I actually really liked it.
FEEDBACK: I'm on my knees. You see this? I'm begging. You've reduced to me to nothing but a pathetic email junkie pleading strangers for feedback in the hopes that some kind soul will take pity on me and send me a line or two to say they've read it. My email address is [email protected]
***
"So, what took you guys so long?" O'Neill quipped, Teal'c having left the cargo bay to help Jacob pilot the ship.
Carter grinned at her CO, relieved beyond measure that they'd gotten to he and the jaffa in time.
"We had to stop and ask directions." Daniel retorted wryly, running a hand through his hair and following Teal'c out of the room. Jack swayed a little on his feet, and Carter hurriedly reached out to steady him.
"Take it easy, Sir, you're still suffering the effects of the lack of oxygen."
He nodded slightly and turned his head to face her, regretting it instantly as another wave of nausea washed over him. He closed his eyes to the dizziness, and felt his 2IC grasp him around the waist to prevent him from falling over.
The dizziness passed quickly, and he opened his eyes to find them standing almost nose to nose. He didn't know whether it was the anoxia, or if he was just losing his mind, but suddenly he found his hand reaching out to brush a lock of hair from her forehead. His fingers stayed at her temple for a moment, lightly brushing the soft hair there before moving down to trace her jawline, a thumb brushing over her full bottom lip as he cupped her chin in his hand.
She stood stock still, hardly breathing, her blue eyes refusing to leave his brown ones. Without thinking her lips parted slightly, taking the tip of his thumb between her teeth, her eyes yet locked on his.
The ship shuddered without warning, in time with his sharp intake of breath, and a jolt of awareness coursed through them both like electricity. They jumped apart as if scalded, turning their backs on each other in an attempt to gain a semblance of control.
Carter closed her eyes for a moment, banishing the last traces of emotion as she spoke without looking at him. "I'm going to go check with dad..." "Yeah." Was his gruff reply, his eyes studying a portion of the wall as if it held the secrets of the universe.
***
"Can I go now?" Jack was asking Janet Frasier as Carter entered the infirmary.
"Home?!" exclaimed the doctor, "Sorry Colonel, but you're in no condition to drive anywhere tonight."
"Oh, come on Doc," he whined, sounding more like a petulant child than an airforce Colonel.
"You nearly died of acute anoxia, there's no way I'm letting you get behind the wheel of a car," Janet stated resolutely.
Sam knew that tone, Colonel or not, there was no way he was changing her mind. She sighed. After what had almost happened on the ship, she knew what was about to suggest could be a huge mistake, but Daniel had already gone home, and she couldn't just leave him there. They hadn't had any real downtime in over a month, she didn't blame him for being anxious to get home.
Besides, she reasoned, he wasn't suffering from oxygen deprivation anymore, he was back to his usual sarcastic self, what was the worst that could happen?
"I don't mind driving you home, Sir."
He glanced at her, their eyes meeting and then quickly darting away. "You sure?"
"It's no problem." She still didn't look at him.
He looked questioningly at Janet, who nodded reluctantly. "I don't want you driving for at least 24 hours," she warned.
"Woo hoo!" He couldn't resist exclaiming as he jumped from the bed. Carter rolled her eyes and tried not to smile as they left the infirmary.
***
"You know, this is a pretty cool car, Carter." They were halfway to Jack's home before he broke the silence.
"Thankyou, Sir."
He nodded and went back to staring out the window. Sam reached for the radio, the silence suddenly becoming deafening within the small confines of the car.
~Don't be confused by apparent lack of ceremony, my mind is clear.~ sang the smooth voice from the speakers. ~I may be low or miles high off in the distance, I want you near.~
'Nice going, Samantha, why don't you set the mood a little more?' she mentally admonished herself, vaguely recognizing the song.
~I love you; even when I'm sleeping. And when I close my eyes, you're everywhere.~
Jack was pretending to be fascinated by the views rushing past his window, and she wondered if she could switch off the radio, or at least change the channel, without drawing attention to the fact that it was making her uncomfortable.
Stopping at a red light, she decided she couldn't take it anymore and reached for the switch, only to find Jack's hand already there.
Their eyes met across the small distance between them, their hands suspended in front of the radio. Jack's thumb traced lightly over her palm, and they both watched as their hands, seemingly of their own accord, intertwined. His fingers curled slightly as they ran slowly up and down the lengths of hers, the gentle caress sending a shiver up her spine.
She sat, mesmerised by the movement of their hands as they ran over and around each other, until the irritated honk of the horn from the driver behind them brought them suddenly out of their reverie.
They snatched their hands away, Jack quickly returning to the window as Sam shut off the radio, stepping on the accelerator a little harder than necessary.
***
Jack started to close the door on the volvo and then stopped, leaning back into the car. He looked at her for a moment, and she met his intense stare with one of her own.
"Come in."
She lowered her eyes briefly to the quiet invitation, sad regret evident in her gaze when she finally looked up.
"I don't think, under the circumstances, that that would be a very good idea." Somehow, she couldn't bring herself to tack the usual 'Sir' onto the end of the sentence.
He nodded his agreement. "I know. Come in anyway."
Later, she wouldn't be able to recall, or even care, exactly what had possessed her to shut off the engine and follow him inside.
"Coffee?" He asked from the living room, switching on the television for background noise.
"Sure." She nodded. Settling herself on the couch, she listened to him moving noisily around the kitchen, returning after a few minutes with two steaming mugs of coffee. He sat beside her and they drank in relative silence, pretending to be engrossed in the cliched 'Bruce Willis save the world' action movie on the screen.
Maybe it was that he hadn't had any real sleep in... well, a long time, or maybe it was just that saving the world didn't really hold the same interest anymore, but he soon found his eyes sliding resolutely closed, despite his attempts at fighting off slumber.
When next he woke, it was after midnight, and Sam was asleep on his chest, her hair tickling his chin. He smiled and, draping an arm around her to draw her closer, went back to sleep.
***
Sam opened her eyes to darkness, a glance at the VCR display telling her it was a little after three in the morning. Jack's arms were draped loosely around her, and his heart beat steadily into her ear.
She should get up. She knew she should. This could get them both into alot of trouble.
"Don't even think about it," whispered Jack into her hair.
She laughed quietly at his apparent telepathy. "How did you know I was awake?"
He shrugged. "Just did." They were quiet for a few minutes, enjoying the peace.
"I should go." She eventually sighed, reluctant to break the silence, and making no attempt to get up. Jack said nothing for a time, just lay stroking her back comfortingly, and then simply said "stay."
"Jack..." was her only reply, the whispered word part protest, part agreement as she drew her arms further around him.
"Stay." He said again, pulling her up to look into her face, his eyes reinforcing the plea.
"Okay." She smiled, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead.
He returned the smile, then moved his lips to within a hair's breadth of hers, hesitating a second before capturing her bottom lip between his.
She responded immediately, opening her mouth to his soft explorations and running a hand through the hair at his nape, holding him to her encouragingly.
She hummed her approval as his tongue swept into her mouth to duel with hers, and the hand at her waist slid tantalizingly up her side to bury itself in her hair.
***
Neither knew, or really cared, how long they lay there, exploring each others mouths as thoroughly as they so often explored the distant worlds on the other side of the stargate.
When finally the kiss ended, as gently as it had begun, Jack looked in wonder at his Major, his silent question recieving a silent answer as she stood, pulling him with her.
She followed him to the bedroom, pulling him to her the second they were inside.
The kiss was slow and drugging, and Sam was half surprised when she finally came up for air to find her shirt sliding down her shoulders to the floor. She hadn't even noticed him taking it off. They undressed each other slowly, lips and hands gliding over skin and muscle until finally nothing stood between them.
They sat in the middle of the bed, her back to his chest, and she tilted her head back to allow him better access to the skin his tongue and teeth were currently worshipping at her throat. His lips never leaving her neck, his hands moved over her shoulders, sliding sensuously down her arms where his fingers entwined with hers.
She pulled his arms around her, leaning back into his tight embrace. Turning her head to kiss him, she freed one hand and reached over her shoulder to slide it around his neck, holding him to her as her tongue snaked into his mouth.
He moaned as she leaned back further, pressing her lower back teasingly into his arousal. Passion took over their movements, his hands moving from her navel over her stomach and up to take a breast in each hand, running a thumb over her sensetised nipples before moving a hand down to the juncture of her thighs.
She gasped sharply, moaning softly into his mouth as his hands moved expertly over her, as though they'd been doing this for years, and she found herself falling over the edge within minutes.
"God, Jack," she breathed, her hand closing tightly in his hair.
Her breath was still coming out in short gasps when the waves subsided, and she turned in his arms, pushing him back onto the bed. Bringing her head down for a bruising kiss, she felt his approving groan as she guided him into her.
His breathing quickened to match hers at the sensation, and he deftly rolled her under him, thier eyes locking for a minute before he kissed her again and began to move inside her. She clung to him, loving his weight, his scent, the way the muscles in his back writhed as she raked her fingernails over them.
Sliding a hand between them, he felt her tense, nearing release, and then as his fingers moved over her again she cried out, drawing him with her.
***
Jack didn't form his next coherent thought until five hours later, when he woke to find her still sleeping peacefully. He gently toyed with the blond hair splayed across his chest, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head as he debated waking her.
Deciding to let her sleep, he lay still, wondering with no small amount of apprehension what would happen when she woke. He didn't have to wait long; she stirred, nuzzling deeper into his chest before opening her eyes. She looked up at him, her eyes a mixture of contentment and worry.
"It's okay, Sam," he whispered, a knuckle tracing the line of her jaw, "we can do this. It's not like the feelings weren't already there before." He laughed quietly. "Hell, it'll probably be easier keeping our hands off each other at work, now."
Sam smiled, resting her chin on his chest as she looked at him. "I doubt it, but it can't possibly be any harder." He nodded his amused agreement, reaching over to push a stubborn lock of hair behind her ear. "So why the worried look?"
She smiled ruefully. "Actually, I was worried you were going to say all this was a mistake."
He raised his eyebrows at her in a classic 'are you nuts?' look. "Why the hell would I do something like that?" He grinned playfully. "They can have my job, I've got better things to do with my time."
"Oh, yeah, what might those be?" She feined innocence.
He grinned devilishly and rolled her underneath him. "Care for a demonstration, Major Carter?..."
*** End! Now it's your turn: Feedback. Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase?!!!! ***