---

�Sir, this can�t come as a surprise to you, not after all this time.�

�Carter��

�I don�t like fish, fishing, or anything related to the act of baiting a hook and tossing it out into a puddle of mud�� Carter sighed, a frown pulling at her full, dark lips. �I�m not going.�

Jack tossed a rock into the swirling pool of water in front of him. Sam�s rejection was an expected, if unwelcome, reaction. Her squeamishness came as a total surprise however, and offered the only source of amusement to be found in the otherwise dismal exchange. Over the course of their time with the SGC they had eaten bugs, mold, and everything in between. More than once he�d killed a critter before it could walk, or slither, off his plate. Given that reality, why would Carter be so unnerved by the thought of a little rest and relaxation achieved through the mostly sedentary activity of bait and catch?

He smirked, and picked up a flat stone, skimming it easily across the rippling surface. Considering his history, the catching aspect would more than likely be achieved through the art of the tall tale. But then, what else did one talk about after spending three days on one�s ass beside a stream? Stretching his legs out and feeling the sun on his skin and the wind in his hair sounded like nothing short of heaven. How could Carter compare the simplicity of communing with nature to the constant whir and roar of the mountain, and its cacophony of gadgets and gizmos?

A fish leaped from the quiet pond, snapping at a cluster of insects hovering just above the surface. Jack scrubbed a hand through his hair and over the back of his neck. Undoubtedly, her discomfort had little to do with the activity in question. He wanted to be annoyed, irritated. Even anger would be easier to deal with than hurt. Unfortunately, the more sensitive emotion insisted on coming to the fore. She had chosen the cold comfort of technology over spending time, platonic or otherwise, with him. Her apparent disdain was aggravating and distressing in ways he did not want to explore. Jack pursed his lips and swallowed a growl of frustration. In many ways Sam was no different than Sara. Neither woman was overly impressed with the wonder of the Wilds, and had never been able to grasp his need for their serenity. Sara had come up to the cabin only once, and not made it beyond the front yard. The pond where he presently stood was hidden at the back of the property. Its source was an underground spring, and when the rocky basin was full, the water found vent in a meandering stream that ultimately spilled into the lake in front of the cabin.

Jack surveyed the shaded clearing wistfully. To share the peace of this hidden glen would bring a sense of contentment to his troubled thoughts. Was it too much to ask that at least one place on earth would, or could, be a haven? A secluded niche where they could be normal human beings, and not Colonel and Major? He sighed heavily, and sat down on a battered stump. It was frustrating to be forced to withhold a gift that had only one worthy, reluctant, recipient. Made more so by the fact that he could not really express why he wanted Sam to come, or how important it was for her to share that part of him.

He bent over with a weary groan and removed his boots and socks. Freed of their confinement, his long toes wriggled in the breeze, kneading the sparse grass and pebbles. Aches and pains Jack thought grimly, as his ankles and arches protested the movement. Not for the first time he considered the idea that Carter had turned him down due to their age difference.

She was smarter than that, or maybe he was just that dense?

Jack shrugged stiffly and forced the question to the back of his mind. He concentrated on the physical, using the rounded rocks to massage the cramps from his muscles, while he worked cautious fingers over his bad knee.

Sunlight splashed down through the wavering tree branches, and glinted invitingly off the surface of the pond. Jack clambered to his feet and hobbled to the edge, dipping one hesitant toe. The water was shockingly cold. He had forgotten how quickly it numbed the skin. Still, it would be a comfort to his aching body if he could cool off, and move about temporarily free of the constant pressure of gravity. He withdrew to the stump and began unbuckling his belt. There was no one to stop him from sunbathing for a while on the lawn to warm up.

No one for miles.

Jack frowned, and yanked off his T-shirt and pants with a muttered oath. Rub it in! He snapped at his persistent subconscious. Restate the obvious why don�t you? He shook his head, mildly unnerved at his recent propensity for internal conversation. Only nuts talked to themselves, right?

�Shut up.�

The whispered command sent a shiver down his back. The trees moaned in eerie reply as a sudden wind rattled their leaves and limbs. Jack clamped his teeth against a verbal retort, and returned to the water�s edge with determination.

The bank of the pond was steep, and littered with rocks and tree roots. He turned and half crawled, half slid, into the water.

Feet�

Shins�

Knees�.

�Ouch��

Thighs�

He hovered, eager for the refreshing numbness of submersion, but balking at the notion of immersing his sensitive genitalia in the chilling waters. The rock beneath his straining toes gave way suddenly, removing all indecision in a split second. Jack squeezed his mouth and nose closed, swallowing a yelp of shocked protest as he was dunked beneath the surface. Sputtering and coughing with surprise, he reemerged just as abruptly. �Son of a bitch!�

The underbrush rattled, and the air was filled with the shriek of a startled bird as Jack shouted his frustration to the treetops. After a moment of thrashing he found purchase on the rocky bed of the pond and stood erect, willing his shivering body to adapt to the frigid conditions. The water sloshed against his chest. Cold ripples tugged at the gray hair and bit at the hard, pink nipples, sending a sharp ache racing beneath the prickled skin. He took several deep breaths, and sank beneath the surface. The water closed in as he pushed off the bottom of the pond, and stroked for the deeper center. Rocks rattled free, disturbed by his passage. Their movement reached his ears in a series of tinny clicks. Fine sand and sediment sprayed before his hands as he pulled himself through the gloom, stretching for the deep channel cut by the spring. Momentum shot him to the bottom in moments. His fingers jammed painfully against the unyielding stones, bending and tearing the nails. Jack winced and straightened his course. Long legs propelled him forward at a gradual angle. His lungs began to burn as the surface drew closer and brighter. He rose reluctantly. Missing the peace of the watery world, even as he burst free of its chilly grip.

Silence.

A shiver unrelated to the temperature of the water crawled up Jack�s spine, and tingled his fingers. The woods lay hushed beneath a blanket of expectancy. Normal rhythms disturbed and distressed by a force he could not see or hear. Jack sank into the water, finding purchase on the rocky bottom. His lanky frame tense as instinct overrode rational thought.

Where�.

What�.

Who�

A twig snapped, and he spun lightly on the balls of his feet. Brown eyes scanned the landscape, and snagged on a flash of gold. He froze, eyes wide in disbelief.

Major Samantha Carter stood at the edge of the pond. One long leg was bent where it rested on the same rotted stump he had used earlier. Dark, blue eyes peered from beneath smudgy blond lashes, eyeing him cautiously while a hesitant smile played across her lips. She straightened as his gaze traveled the length of her body before meeting her eyes. Questions, suggestions, hung between them; teasing, taunting, begging to be acknowledged, damn the consequences.

Jack�s eyes tore free of her questing gaze, and traveled across the soft lift of one creamy cheek. Dropping to the lips that were slightly parted, anticipating what neither dared to speak. Moments and memories flashed between them, riding high in the stilled air. He shivered, and shifted focus, shrinking from the frightening press of emotion, and seeking the immediate gratification of her physical beauty instead. She stood silently watching him, arms swinging restlessly at her sides. The unconscious movement pulled the soft blue cotton shirt tight across her chest, and drew sparks of sunlight from the slim silver bracelet encircling one wrist. He studied the curvy silhouette of her body, memorizing every inch. Consumed by the task, unaware of his surroundings. His eyes lingered in the hollow between her breasts, before moving on to the swell of one hip, and the firm taut lines of her buttocks and legs. Jack stared without comment, unashamed of the flush that warmed his cheeks, and acutely aware of the mounting roar of his pounding pulse.

Like a statue she waited. Patiently enduring his visual caress, and offering no sign of how, or if, it affected her. Eventually he lowered his eyes to her rippled reflection. The hazy image stretched between them, as solid as shadow. He reached out and plucked at the mirrored hair, watching it vanish beneath a smattering of bubbles. She shifted her stance, and when the image cleared he found that she was standing on both feet. Hugging herself and looking at the ground.

�You found me?� he said quietly. The statement fell into the realm of the safe if inane. He swung a hand through the water and sank to his neck. �How?�

�Daniel.�

�Nice to see he�s getting all his memory back,�

Sam took a step forward and squatted on the edge of the pond. She dipped her fingers and grimaced. �Isn�t that cold?�

�A bit,� he confirmed. She would not have the satisfaction of seeing him flinch!

�So, I thought you were fishing.�

�I didn�t feel like it,� he replied sullenly. The truth was that he had tried to fish the evening before. For once they were biting, and he had felt a serious tug just as the remnants of the sunset flared low in the western sky. But the fish escaped before he could reel it in close enough to net. Frustration only added to the restlessness that plagued mind and body, and he had given up as true darkness fell. Now, faced with the source of his near constant disquiet, Jack swallowed the urge to admit the truth. The ball, as always, was in her court.

Sam nodded as she straightened up, and crossed her arms. �I�uh wanted to see�how you were.�

A stumble? Jack squelched the insane note of joy that sang across his jangled nerves. It was too much to ask that she would be as uncomfortable with the status quo as he was.

Wasn�t it?

It was wrong to hope that, for once, there was a crack in the steely fa�ade she presented to everyone, including herself.

Wasn�t it?

How selfish to wish that she would crumble, and finally submit to what they had both wanted for so long? Petty and small, and so very human.

Jack dragged his gaze from the pond�s surface, and forced himself to meet her troubled eyes. Words and phrases died unborn in his dry mouth, each unworthy of the responsibility her presence laid upon them. He took a step forward, trembling as the breeze stroked the chilled flesh of his back and shoulders. �I�m glad you did,� he murmured.

�So this is your haven?�

She spoke as if she had not heard, but Jack knew better. A flush colored the pale cheeks, and the curve of one lip lifted slightly at the corner. Testament to a smile that she was afraid to share.

He took another step. The water slid in rivulets through his chest hair and down the depression between his shoulder blades. Jack ignored the tickling sensation, and kept his eyes locked with Sam�s, willing her to see what he could not explain. �Yes, this is my haven. No one knows about this pond, not even Daniel�� He let the tidbit of information dangle, inviting her to explain how she had discovered his whereabouts.

�I know.�

�And�� Jack challenged softly. As he approached the waterline fell to his midriff. Ripples of ice lapped at his navel and lower back, forcing a tremor.

She fidgeted, breaking free of his intense gaze, and dropping her eyes to the water between them. �You�re naked,� she commented quietly.

��The powers of observation,� he quipped. �How did you know where to find me, Sam?�

�I heard you,� she replied, seemingly unphazed by the use of her first name.

He smirked, knowing how silly the exclamation had sounded, and refusing to submit to the embarrassment of being overheard. Her eyes drifted up towards his face as he took another step closer. Safety, he thought with an undignified spark of triumph. Stay focused on the eyes, Sam. Don�t let it show. He was hoping, insanely confident, yet mindful of how hard he would fall if she turned away. The waterline fell lower. Jack shivered involuntarily as the water slid over his genitals, and tugged at the coarse hair.

�Sir?�

�What?�

Her head cocked, and he smiled innocently. Don�t turn away!

�You�re naked,� she repeated the phrase with a hint of desperation.

�Your point?� Jack crossed his arms. �What did you expect to find when you came up here?�

�Expect?�

�Yes, Carter. This is my place to get away from it all. I�ve asked you more than once to come up here��

�Was this how you intended to greet me?� Her tone vacillated between amusement and disgust.

�I didn�t know you were coming,� he retorted innocently.

�And now that I�m here?� she mimicked his stance.

He laughed deep in his throat, enjoying the flash of annoyance that crackled the air between them. �You�re on my terms, not Hammond�s or the Air Force.�

�Meaning?�

�What do you think?� Jack retorted. The art of the word held a certain amount of pleasure, as well as its� share of practical pitfalls, he mused.

Sam rolled her eyes. �I think I made a mistake.�

He took a step back, �Why?�

�I didn�t expect�� she gestured towards the water. ��This.�

�What is this? A man being attracted to a woman, and heaven help you, a woman being attracted to a man? For cryin� out loud, Carter! What are you? A freakin nun?�

�Excuse me��

�Oh screw that crap! You came up here because you were curious��

�Maybe.�

�To see if good �ole boy Jack O�Neill hadn�t lost quite all his marbles��

�I guess.�

�You wanted to see if I was serious��

�I suppose.�

�Well I am serious, damnit! I have been for a very long time and if you�� he stumbled to a halt, brain backtracking at dizzying speed.

Maybe.

I guess.

I suppose.

What the hell?

The gears spun, and judging by her smile, he knew they were clicking loud enough to hear. Sam placed her hands on her hips, and regarded him from beneath half closed lids. �So��

�So what?� he demanded.

She glanced at his discarded clothes, a languid smile beginning to curve her full lips. �Where�s your towel?�

�I was alone�� he stammered. Damn her! The smile blossomed at his discomfiture. Jack looked at her shimmering reflection, all delicate innocence amidst the trees and bright blue sky. The realization of her suggestion hit him full force, and he stepped forward. Two could play! �Where�s yours?�

Sam began rolling the hem of the blue cotton shirt up over her flat stomach. �We�re alone, remember.�

*THE END*