Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Sam opened the door to her house and trudged inside tiredly. They'd just returned to Earth from Orilla and she felt like sleeping for a week. She'd been debriefed for hours before they'd let her go, and she'd had to relive everything that Fifth had done to her. He had essentially mind raped her, and she felt more violated than she ever had in her lifetime. Sure she'd been released eventually, but not until after the damage had already been done. She had considered asking the now 'General' O'Neill if she could take some time away from the SGC, maybe even request a leave of absence, but he'd surprisingly promoted her to Lieutenant Colonel and made her leader of SG1, and the opportunity was gone.

She felt lost, and all she could think about was what Fifth had put her though. It kept running through her mind over and over, and she didn't know how to make it stop. She wasn't a drinker or she would consider drowning herself in a good bottle of whiskey, at least enough to make her forget for a while, but it would only be a temporary fix and wouldn't solve much. The damning thoughts would eventually rear their ugly head again.

Sam wished she could talk to Jack about what happened to her, and why she needed him more now than ever before, but now he was even more unavailable than before. That hurt more than anything. She didn't feel like she could talk to Daniel or Teal'c about these things either; they wouldn't understand, and she didn't feel like being placated with hollow "It'll all work out eventually" and "I am sorry ColonelCarter" lines. They didn't make her feel better, and made her want to march down to Jack and just let it all out, but she couldn't. She was engaged to another man now.

Sam sat down on the couch and ran her hands over her face. Pete. She hadn't seen him in weeks and had honestly forgot about him until now. She needed to let him know that she was back, but she didn't feel like answering all his questions about where she had been and what she'd been doing. They'd begin the old, tired routine of her telling him that she couldn't answer any of his questions, and he would pout for hours until he would eventually get over it, then start talking a mile a minute about anything and everything. She honestly didn't give a crap about what he said most of the time, and she found herself questioning why she'd accepted his proposal in the first place. She knew why, but she hated admitting to herself that it was because she couldn't have Jack, so she'd settled for boring and reliable Pete. She didn't love him, at least not in the way she loved Jack; she could admit that to herself now, but of course it was too late to do anything about it.

She rolled her head onto the back of the couch and closed her eyes. She needed a distraction, and Pete was as good a distraction as any.

She pulled her phone out and dialed his number, then put it to her ear and listened to it ring. He answered on the third ring, "Babe, it's been so long since I last talked to you. Are you ok?" She cringed, she really hated it when he called her babe. She'd told him multiple times not to, but he never listened. Just another reason she was starting to resent him. "Sam?"

She blinked, startled from her thoughts, "Hey Pete..I've been on a mission and couldn't call." She tried to inject some enthusiasm into her voice, but she sounded flat to her own ears. "I'm back now though..so do you want to come over and have dinner?"

He sounded excited, "Sure! I'll be over in a half hour, and I'll even bring the food."

She closed her eyes at his enthusiasm, and felt like banging her head against the coffee table. Instead she said, "Sounds good. See you soon."

"Love you, Babe."

She couldn't bring herself to say it back to him. Not when she was feeling decidedly unfavorable towards him at the moment; so she disconnected the call, and hoped he thought that she didn't hear him. She stood up and walked into her bedroom and gathered her things to take a shower. She needed to shave and smell good for what she wanted to do later.

OOOOOO

They were finished eating and were sitting on the couch watching some boring TV show that Sam couldn't care less about. Pete had brought over Sushi, something she hated, but he loved. He knew she didn't like it, and didn't understand his thinking process when he'd thought that it would be a good idea to bring it. She had just picked at it, and he'd asked her if everything was ok, and she had nodded and turned back to the TV. She didn't feel like fighting with him about it, not when it really didn't matter in the long run.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Pete putting his arm around her and pulling her to his side. She glanced at him as he started to move his head down to kiss her. She really didn't want to kiss him, but she needed to play the dutiful fiancé, so she endured it while he kissed her. His breath smelt like fish and she almost gagged, but stopped her reflex at the last second. He waggled his eyebrows at her, "Hey babe, feel like fooling around?" She almost laughed at how stupid that sentence sounded, but she covered her smile with her hand under the guise of yawning and nodded, "Sounds perfect."

He smiled and stood up, then pulled her up and led her towards her bedroom. She kept telling herself over and over in her head that this would help her forget what had happened to her, and maybe, just maybe, it would make her forget about Jack; if only for a little while.

OOOOOO

It had been over in minutes and she felt decidedly unsatisfied. Pete had never been a very considerate lover, but had usually tried to satisfy her. This time he hadn't even tried and she felt hurt and angry. They hadn't had time to slip a condom on, and when she'd brought that up to him after he'd slid off of her, he just shrugged and said sleepily, "You're already protected, babe, it doesn't really matter."

That's when it hit her, she'd been due for her next shot when she'd been kidnapped, and she didn't get it before she left the SGC hours ago; telling herself that she would get it tomorrow. She had completely forgot.

All she could do now was hope that she was still protected somehow. There was no way she was going to go to the SGC and get the morning after pill. She didn't want that requisition going across General O'Neill's desk, and she was pretty sure that it wouldn't work on her anyway, since she had naquadah in her blood. She didn't know if she could get pregnant, and convinced herself before falling asleep that she couldn't.

OOOOOO

The next morning she was woken up by a stream of sunlight shining on her face. She groaned and turned over, then opened her eyes to see what time it was. She saw that it was 9:00, and was grateful that General O'Neill had given her the rest of the week off so she could recover. She turned back over to wake Pete up, but he was gone and the sheets were cold. She figured he was already up making breakfast, so she slipped her robe on and walked into the kitchen. He wasn't there. She searched the counter for a note but didn't see one, so she walked back to her room and checked for one there. Nothing, and that worried her because that wasn't like him.

Her phone started ringing on her nightstand, and she figured that was Pete calling. She picked it up and answered without looking at the caller ID, "Pete, where are you?"

There was a pause, and then a quiet, "Carter?"

She groaned internally, "Uh, Sir..sorry, I thought you were..Um..Did you need something?"

He sighed, "Carter, I don't know how to tell you this, but I just received a call telling me that they found Pete's body in an abandoned warehouse."

She felt like she'd been punched in the gut. This had to be a joke. "Sir, that's impossible, he was just..uh..here with me."

"There's more."

What could be worse than that? "Sir?"

"My source also told me that there's been a hit put out on your head for a huge amount of money. Dead or alive."

She pinched herself, convinced she was still asleep, but nothing changed. She didn't know what to say, "Why..."

He cut her off, "I have Marines coming to your house to come get you. You aren't safe where you are. They should be there soon." He paused then continued, "Sam, I'll answer any questions when you get here, and for what it's worth, I'm sorry about Pete. See you soon." He hung up before she could get another word out.

Sam sat down heavily on her bed. She may not have loved Pete like she should have, but she still had feelings for him, and it hurt like hell to hear that he was dead. Dead. Pete was dead. She couldn't even wrap her brain around that, and she hadn't processed the fact that there was supposedly a price on her head. She thought that only happened in movies and TV shows, not real life.

She needed to get dressed before the Marines dragged her out of her house in her robe. She stood up numbly and dressed quickly into some jeans and a blue long-sleeved shirt. As she was tying her shoes, she heard a knock on the door. She grabbed her gun from her bedside table drawer and walked slowly to the door. "Who is it?"

"Sergeant Adams, Ma'am. We're here to escort you to the SGC."

She looked out the peephole and saw that he looked legit, but she didn't know him, so she opened the door slowly and pointed her gun at him, "Who sent you?"

"Ma'am, General O'Neill asked me to convey how important it is that we get you to the SGC quickly. We need to leave now."

She nodded and waved her arm for him to precede her. He walked down her steps and was quickly flanked by two other Marines as they made their way back to the SUV. She followed behind them and slid into backseat. Suddenly, gun shots broke out, taking down the Marine holding the door open for her. She yelled to the driver, "Go!"

He punched down the accelerator and drove quickly down the road. She pulled out her phone and dialed the SGC, and as soon as they answered she said, " This is Colonel Samantha Carter. There were gunshots at my house and two Marines are down. Request that you send a team to investigate and send an ambulance for the injured." She received confirmation and hung up, then sat back in her seat and closed her eyes. Apparently General O'Neill hadn't been kidding when he'd told her that there was a hit out on her.

They arrived at the SGC within twenty minutes and Sam quickly made her way down inside the mountain with her escort. She didn't take the time to change as she walked to Jack's office and knocked on his door, and heard a faint, "Come in". She opened the door and was greeted by a worried looking Jack, "Carter, are you ok?" He walked over and stood in front of her, rose his hand as if he was going to touch her, but then thought better of it and stepped back slightly.

She shook her head, "No, Sir, I'm not, and neither are the two Marines lying on the ground at my house. What the hell is going on?"

He put his hands in his pockets and shook his head, "All I know is that we need to get you out of Colorado and into protection. It's too dangerous for you to be here. My source didn't know anything beyond the basics. He didn't know why there was a hit put out on you, or why Pete was killed."

She stepped over to one of his chairs in front of his desk, sat down on the edge, and put her head in her hands. "I can't believe it. I just saw him a few hours ago. Are they sure?" She still hadn't looked up.

Jack walked over and sat down in the chair beside her and put his hand on her shoulder, "They're sure. They think it was a Mob hit, but they can't be sure until forensics come back."

Sam looked up at that, "A Mob hit? Pete was involved with the Mob?" This was unbelievable.

Jack squeezed her shoulder lightly once more, then moved it and sat back, "Carter. We don't have time to discuss this. We need to get you out of here; we don't know who can be trusted and we're putting you in more and more danger the longer we sit here."

"So, what? I'm going to go off to some random town and live with strangers and hope that whoever is trying to find me, doesn't?"

Jack cleared his throat and winced, "Not exactly. I'm going to be going with you. Daniel and Teal'c will be around too." That didn't sound too bad to her, and she didn't understand why Jack looked so uncomfortable.

"Sir?"

He grabbed his neck and grimaced, "You and I are going to be going undercover as a married couple. Daniel will come in later as your brother, and Teal'c will pose as a city worker." He'd said it quickly, and it took Sam a second to understand what he'd said.

When it finally clicked, she flushed, "Sir, a married couple? How's that going to work?" It didn't sound too bad, because if she had to do this, then she'd rather do it with him; but she still felt numb over Pete's death and didn't know how she felt about pretending to be married to someone else.

"I'll debrief you on the way, we'll have plenty of time to discuss it. We need to leave in a few minutes."

She took a deep breath. She could do this, how hard could it be? She and General O'Neill were good friends, and they were both adults. If her life depended on her being agreeable to this, then she would do it. It could always be worse.

She nodded, "Ok, I'll do it. I appreciate your help, Sir."

He smiled faintly, "Anything for you, Carter." Then before she could say anything else, he walked out of his office without another word.

She sat back in her chair and blew out a breath noisily. Her thoughts were a swirling mess, and all she could think about was the fact that she had to pretend to be married to General O'Neill for an indeterminable amount of time. She had a hard time fighting her attraction for him on a normal day, how much harder was it going to be being around him all the time in a domestic setting?

She knew the answer to that immediately. It was going to be damn hard.

Chapter Text

Sam had been sitting in Jack's office for only a few minutes, when three Marines walked in to escort her to an SUV that was waiting at the top. Sam sat up slowly, still feeling numb, "I need to pack some things first, guys."

The Marine in charge shook his head, "Negative, Ma'am, I have orders to take you to the top and to not allow you to bring anything that would connect you to this life. I've been told that you'll receive everything you'll need at your new location."

She stood up reluctantly and waved her arm forward, "Well then, lead the way." She understood why she couldn't bring anything, but was getting an increasingly ominous feeling about this whole "Operation".

They lead her up to the top without a word. Their faces were expressionless and they didn't look at her. She wished Jack was in there with her, at least to help lighten the mood. The Marines had always been sticks in the mud.

They reached the top quickly and made their way over to the SUV. She slid into the backseat, and the door shut behind her. "Hey, Carter."

She jumped, startled, she hadn't seen him sitting there. She brushed a hand over her hair self-consciously, and gave him a small smile, "Sorry, Sir, I didn't see you there."

He didn't smile, and there was a worried look in his eyes, "It's fine. Are you ready?"

She glanced around the SUV to make sure there wasn't anyone else in there but the driver, "Do I have much of a choice...Sir? She added the "Sir" belatedly after he raised an eyebrow at her.

He sighed, "You don't, but since it's to keep you safe, I'd say it's necessary."

She put her seat belt on and slumped down in her seat, suddenly exhausted, and it was only noon.

Sam grimaced, "Sir, can I ask you something?"

She didn't look at him to gauge his reaction, but his voice was quiet, "You can ask me anything, but I can't guarantee that I'll answer."

She would have to accept that. "If I'm in so much danger, then why don't you just send me through the Stargate?"

He sighed, and said with more sarcasm than she'd heard in months from him, "Because the IOA didn't think it was a necessary expense. They believe that we can protect you just as well on Earth as we could on a different planet. We don't know if the Goa'uld are involved, and if they are, then they could find you just as easily "Out there" as they could here." She had turned to watch his face as he spoke, and he looked angry.

She started to reach her hand toward him to reassure him that she didn't blame him, but stopped halfway when he glanced at it, and quickly moved it back on her lap. "That makes sense, and I guess I can see where they're coming from."

He just shook his head and stared out the window. She could see his jaw working and knew he was angry. Did he blame her for putting him in this situation? She needed to at least attempt to apologize.

"Sir, I'm sorry you have to do this. I know this is a big inconvenience."

He didn't look at her as he said, "I don't blame you Carter, I blame the bastards who are after you."

"Permission to speak freely, Sir?"

He glanced at her and waved his hand lazily towards her, "Sure, why not?"

"Why you? Why not just send some unknown Marine or Airman to come with me? How are people not going to notice an important General's absence?"

He smiled humorlessly, "I insisted that it be me. When I informed the President and IOA of the situation, they wanted me to choose someone to go with you. I told them that I was going to do it. They refused initially, saying I was "Too important" and that people would notice that I was gone. So I told them that I was going to retire and go with you. I've been thinking about retiring for a while now anyway. They could tell the press and whoever else cares that I was retiring, then no one would miss me when I disappeared. They could just say that I went to live at my cabin in Minnesota. Of course they didn't go for that, so they agreed to let me go, and said they would "Stage" my retirement." Jack shrugged and raised his eyebrows, "How could I refuse?"

Sam was surprised, "Sir, I don't want you to-"

He cut her off, his tone serious, "Sam, I don't trust anyone else to keep you safe. There isn't another option."

She blushed lightly at his use of her name, and said quietly, "Well for what it's worth, I'm glad it's going to be you, Daniel and Teal'c. I don't trust anyone else either..Sir."

He nodded and reached over and patted her arm lightly, "We'll be at our next destination soon."

He still hadn't removed his hand, and Sam did her best not to draw attention to it so he would leave it there, "Where are we going?"

"We're meeting with some Airmen and Airwomen that specialize in undercover ops. We'll be getting our cover stories and new identities, along with a makeover so we won't be as easily recognizable." He finally noticed that his hand was still on her arm and withdrew it quickly. Sam immediately missed its warmth.

With a sigh, she sat back and stared out at the passing landscape. Wondering, not for the first time, if she was still asleep. This was all too surreal.

They sat in a semi-awkward silence until the SUV stopped in front of a plain, run of the mill house in a nondescript neighborhood.

Jack stepped out as the driver came around and opened the door for her. She slid out quickly and joined Jack as they walked up the sidewalk towards the house. His hand hovered at the small of her back, not quite touching her. She wished he would, then maybe she would be able to draw some strength from him. She felt like she was drowning and didn't see an end in sight.

As they reached the front door, Jack made a series of knocks that could only be construed as a signal that they were friendlies. The door was opened seconds later by a short woman with dark brown hair that was pulled back into a braid. She didn't smile as she ushered them in, "Sir, are you ready?" She was no-nonsense, but Sam figured that she had to be in this kind of business.

Jack nodded as the woman led them down to a brightly lit basement that was partitioned into different sections. A blond man approached them and saluted Jack. As soon as Jack saluted back, the man said, "Sir, if you'll follow me, we'll get you set up quickly so we can get you back on the road within the hour."

Jack nodded and squeezed Sam's shoulder lightly before following the Airman. Sam turned to the woman and tried to smile, but didn't quite accomplish it, "So..what happens now?"

The woman smiled faintly for the first time, a look of sympathy in her eyes, "First we're going to dye your hair, then we'll go over your cover story. It's important that we change your look as much as possible. Since your hair is short, it's going to be more difficult, but I think we can figure something out." She gestured with her hand, "If you'll follow me, please."

Sam followed the woman to a barber chair and sat down, trying to tamp down the panic that was rising in her gut. She kept chanting to herself that she was a trained Air Force officer, and that this was just another mission. She didn't quite manage to convince herself of that as the woman started preparing to dye her hair.

OOOOOO

Forty-five minutes later found Sam made over and sitting at a desk waiting to hear her cover story. There was a mirror across from her and she studied her reflection. She liked the dark brown that her hair had been dyed, it fit her well. On the other hand, the makeup that was caked on her wasn't doing it for her. She'd never been the kind of person to wear a lot of makeup, and this just seemed over the top; but they'd accomplished what they had set out to do, to make her unrecognizable. She hardly recognized herself. She studied the wedding ring that they'd given her. It was beautiful, but simple. Three square-cut diamonds in a row on a simple silver band; it was perfect for her.

The woman, Mandy, she'd learned during their conversation, walked in holding a thick file. She sat across from Sam and opened it. "Your new name is Audrey Jennings. You were born in San Diego, California thirty-eight years ago to two loving parents who raised you until you moved out at eighteen to go to USC. You graduated at USC with a degree in Early Education, then got a job as a first-grade teacher, which was where you met your husband, Eric, who was a fifth grade teacher. You dated for three years until he asked you to marry him, and you got married in a beautiful ocean-side wedding in San Diego five years ago. You don't have any children, but hope to have some before your biological clock runs out. You've spent the last two years teaching in a rural town in Utah, and found yourselves ready to move on to bigger and better things." She paused at looked at Sam, "Understand everything so far?"

Sam nodded, "Most of it, I can study it more in detail later."

Mandy went on, "You guys will be living in Des Moines, Iowa. You're moving there because Eric got a job as a seventh grade teacher. You got lucky, and was hired as a second-grade teacher at an Elementary school across town."

Sam nodded again, "Pretty straight forward. I'll be sure to memorize it." The most difficult thing was going to try acting like she was married to Jack. She'd never been a good actor.

Mandy smiled and put a hand over Sam's, "For what it's worth, I think you'll do fine. You're brilliant, and this will be child's play compared to what you've accomplished in your career."

Sam smiled, a little uncomfortable with the praise, "Thanks-"

Before she could continue, Jack walked in and Sam rose her eyebrows at his appearance. He had a short buzz cut and was dressed nicer than she'd ever seen him, in tan khakis and a blue button down shirt that fit him snugly in all the right places. His sleeves were rolled up to complete the ensemble, and a silver ring on his left finger glinted in the over head light; Sam had to physically drag her eyes away from him so she wouldn't be caught staring.

"You look nice, Sir." She avoided looking at him again.

She heard him clear his throat, "So do you Carter."

Sam turned back to Mandy, "Forgive me for being blunt, but he doesn't look all that different."

Mandy smiled, "Not yet, but he's been instructed to grow a beard, and that will go a long way in hiding his identity."

She heard Jack sigh behind her, "I hate facial hair. It's itchy."

Sam did her best to hide her grin, and was glad she was facing away from Jack, because she didn't do a very good job of it.

Jack spoke up, "I think that's enough chit-chat. We need to get going, we have a long drive ahead of us." He looked at Mandy, "Is everything set up in Iowa?"

Mandy nodded, "A house has been purchased and we have a moving truck bringing "Your" belongings." She turned and dug around in a file behind her, then handed Sam two credit cards, "You'll both be using these for everything that you buy. There isn't a limit on them, so you don't need to worry about that. The Air Force just asks that you don't go too crazy, but don't be afraid to have some fun."

Sam nodded and stood up on slightly unsteady legs. The blonde man walked back in and addressed Jack, "Sir, your car is sitting out front and is packed with your new clothes and other items. Good luck."

Jack nodded, "Thanks, Airman." He turned to Sam, "Are you ready?"

Sam swallowed and nodded, "As I'll ever be." She turned to Mandy, "Thanks for all of your help."

Mandy nodded, "I"m just doing my job, and I'm confident that everything will work out for you. Good luck."

Sam smiled, "Thanks." Then turned to follow Jack.

They made their way back upstairs and out the front door and saw a blue Mazda 6 waiting for them in the drive-way. She heard jack mumble, "Sweet", as he walked over to it and got in the driver's side.

Sam sighed and slid into the passenger seat, not looking forward to the eleven hour drive. She had a feeling that there were going to be a lot of awkward silences. She hadn't had many opportunities to talk to General O'Neill as "Jack" over the years, and they needed to get better at it quickly. They needed to be able to be as convincing as possible as a married couple.

Jack started the car and she turned her head to look at him, "Sir, how long are we going to be doing this?"

He frowned, "I don't know. We have our best people working on finding out who put the hit out on you, but they haven't come up with anything so far...and Carter?"

"Yes, Sir?"

"You need to stop it with the "Sir". We're married now." He smirked and waggled his eyebrows.

Sam rolled her eyes, "Fine Jack, but you can't call me Carter either."

He snapped his fingers and said smugly, "Not. a. problem."

"Or we can start calling each other Eric and Audrey. Those are our names now, and we need to get used to them."

Jack shook his head, "Let's stick with Sam and Jack in private. We just need to be extra vigilant when we're around others."

"Sounds good to me." She yawned, and Jack glanced at her.

"Why don't you try to sleep? I'll wake you when it's your turn to drive."

"OK, Si—Jack." She shifted in her seat to get to a more comfortable position, but was having a hard time finding one and kept moving around.

Jack put his hand on her wrist and moved his thumb soothingly over her palm. Her first instinct was to pull away, because what he was doing was entirely inappropriate, but soon after she found herself blinking sleepily under his ministrations. Her eyes drifted closed, and she fell asleep within minutes.

Jack pulled his hand away and sighed. It was going to be difficult to keep his hands off of her. He had to remind himself that she just lost her fiancé, and it would be difficult for her to accept any kind of affection from him. He'd felt her tense when he'd touched her, but she'd relaxed soon after and he was glad for it. She needed to get as much sleep as possible.

Sam sighed in her sleep, and he studied her profile for a moment. Her face wasn't relaxed and her eyebrows were furrowed; he vowed to do the best he could to help her through her grief. After all, what were friends for?

He cringed inwardly at "Friends".

Hell, he was in trouble.

Chapter Text

Five hours later

Jack yawned for the umpteenth time in the last hour and knew he needed to wake Sam up. She'd been asleep the entire time, and he was getting to the point where the endless flat land and cattle were starting to lull him to sleep. They passed a sign indicating that "North Platte" was two miles ahead, and he figured that that was as good a place as any to stop for the night. They could finish their trip tomorrow, refreshed and ready to play their part.

He took the exit, and as he stopped at the light, Sam groaned and sat up slowly. She looked confused for a moment as she glanced around, then when her eyes lit on him, the confusion melted away and she grimaced. He would love to know what she was thinking. Sam rubbed a hand over her face, "Si—Jack, where are we?"

He didn't look at her as the light turned green, and he headed towards a cluster of hotels that he could see in the distance. "We're in North Platte, Nebraska. Ever been here?"

She looked as if she was calculating something, then turned to him quickly, "No Sir...why didn't you wake me up? I can drive if you're too tired."

Jack shook his head, "You need the sleep as much as I do. I figured we could spend the night here and get a fresh start in the morning. Is that ok with you?"

"Uh..sure." She sounded hesitant and Jack didn't understand why.

He pulled the car in front of a Fairfield Inn and turned to her, "Do you want to come in with me?"

She needed to stretch her legs, so she nodded, "Yeah, I can't feel my legs anymore, so that might be a good idea."

He slid out of the car and joined Sam as she walked on slightly unsteady legs towards the door. She seemed to be having a hard time getting her legs to work, so he slipped an arm around her waist and continued walking. He saw her glance at him questioningly, but he didn't bother to say anything as the doors slid open in front of them, and he didn't let her go either.

They approached the front desk and were greeted by an overweight, balding man. He smiled, "Hi, welcome to the Fairfield Inn. How are you folks tonight?"

Jack pasted a fake smile on his face, "We're fine. We need a room."

The man smiled, "Well fortunately you've come to the right place."

Sam tried to move away from him, but he tightened his arm to hold her in place. He wasn't going to let her sneak away. He moved his free hand to the back of his neck and said, "One room with a King Size bed, preferably."

The man started typing away on his computer, and Jack looked at Sam, then rose an eyebrow at her in question. She looked mildly annoyed and shook her head, indicating that she didn't want to talk in front of the attendant. He moved his arm from her around her waist to her arm, and rubbed his hand up and down it a few times. He didn't look to see her reaction.

The man "hmmmmd" and Jack took that as a bad sign, "What's wrong?"

It seems we only have rooms with queen beds still available. Will that be ok?"

Jack sighed and nodded; it's not like they were going to sleep in the same bed anyway.

"That's fine. We just need to sleep."

"Perfect!" He pulled out some paperwork, and Jack had to release Sam to sign it. She moved away from him and walked over to a display of brochures.

Jack signed them in as "Eric and Audrey Jennings", then took the key card from the attendant and walked over to Sam. "Are you ready, sweetheart?"

She smiled falsely up at him, "Of course." Then discreetly squeezed his elbow painfully, and pulled him out the door.

When they were out of earshot she rounded on him, "I don't think I can do this. I'm not a good actress, and I'm not a touchy-feely person. I also feel like you're breaking the regs every time you touch me."

He sighed, then leaned down to whisper in her ear, his lips brushing it in the process. "You can do it, because your life is on the line. So you're going to force yourself to act like you like me, and I'm going to do my part in turn. We have to do this, Sam. There isn't a choice, and I can assure you that we're not breaking any regs; that's the least of your worries.

He put his arms around her and pulled her into a tight embrace. She went willingly and sighed into his neck. She could never resist a Jack hug. He gave the best ones.

After a few moments of hugging in the middle of the parking lot she stepped back slightly, not quite looking him in the eye, and whispered, "You're right. I have to do this. I just need some time to get used to it.

Jack smiled and patted her shoulder, "That's the Sam Carter I know and lo-..er..respect."

If she'd noticed his slip, she didn't say anything, and Jack was grateful. That could have made things even more awkward; him proclaiming his love for her on the first day of their assignment. It didn't matter that he did love her; she wasn't ready to hear it.

They slid back into the car and drove over to the door near their room, then carried their luggage into the room. It looked like any other hotel room that he'd stayed in in his lifetime and he set his luggage down, then turned to Sam. "I'm gonna go shower, then I'll get the couch ready to sleep on."

She shook her head and sighed, "Sir, there's plenty of room on the bed. We've shared closer quarters than this off-world, so it isn't a problem for me. Of course, if you'd rather sleep on the couch then by all means go ahead." She was smiling at him, and Jack couldn't tear his eyes away from her face. He cleared his throat after a moment, and drug his eyes down to his suitcase, "If you're ok with it, then I am."

"Well I am. Go shower."

He raised an eyebrow at her "order", but she just raised her eyebrows back at him; challenging him. He had to remind himself that he wasn't her CO at the moment, and that she could boss him around as much as she wanted to. That was going to take some getting used to.

He opened his suitcase of new clothes, grabbed something to sleep in and his bathroom kit, then walked into the bathroom without another word. He could feel Sam's eyes on him, but he resisted the urge to look at her, and closed the door behind him.

OOOOOO

Sam watched him walk into the bathroom, then sat down on the bed. She couldn't believe that she'd invited her CO to sleep with her, but yet it wasn't illegal, which she had to keep reminding herself of; it was a nice feeling for a change. She listened to the sounds he was making behind the door, and let her mind wander to what it would be like to really be married to him. She had no doubt that he would be hard to live with, but-

She shook herself from her thoughts. She had just lost Pete, and she was already thinking about another man. What kind of person does that? It just went to show that her feelings for Pete hadn't been love, but lust. She had forced herself to like him as a replacement for Jack, and now she was already moving on. It didn't bother her as much as it should have.

Sam must have been lost in thought longer than she'd realized, because Jack walked back into the room showered and ready for bed. He thumbed behind him, "It's all yours."

She nodded and stood up to gather her things while studying him out of the corner of her eye. He looked entirely too appealing, dressed in a white undershirt and plaid pajama pants; especially with his already darkening beard and damp hair. She had always loved facial hair on men, and knew that Jack would look good with a beard.

She watched as he flopped down on the bed and turned the TV on, then closed his eyes sleepily. She made her way into the bathroom and set her things on the counter. First things first, she needed to pee; she'd been holding it for way too long. She sat down and went, then as she cleaned herself off, she noticed blood on the toilet paper. She heaved a relieved sigh. There was little chance that she was pregnant, and she was so glad that her carelessness hadn't resulted in an unwanted pregnancy; it had weighed heavily on her mind, and while she knew that it wasn't probable that she was, it was nice to have confirmation that she wasn't.

She stood up and dug through the unfamiliar bathroom kit and groaned. Whoever had packed it, (probably a man) had forgotten to pack pads or tampons. She was going to have to ask Jack to go buy some for her. Her face was already burning with embarrassment as she stepped out of the bathroom and walked over to where he was lying on the bed. His eyes were closed, and he didn't stir as she stood by his side. "Sir."

Nothing. "Jack."

Still nothing.

She rolled her eyes and shook his shoulder lightly, "Jack, wake up."

His eyes opened slowly, then squinted at her and mumbled, "What'sthematter?"

Sam took a deep breath, "I need you to do me a huge favor..um..I.." She trailed off, not knowing how to continue.

He reached up and grabbed her wrist, "Just ask."

She cleared her throat and grimaced, "I need you to go to the store and buy some tampons for me. Whoever packed my bag didn't think to pack any." Her face was bright red.

He smirked and sat up, but didn't let go of her wrist, "It's not a problem, Sam. I used to be married, so I've done this a few times in my adult life."

She nodded shyly, "Yes, Sir."

It was his turn to roll his eyes, "It's Jack or Eric. No more of this "Sir" business."

"I'm working on it, but um..if you could go now I would appreciate it."

He stood up and let his hand slide down to her fingers, then squeezed them once before letting go. "I'll be back soon, go shower and I should be back by then."

She smiled faintly, still embarrassed, "Thank you."

Sam watched as he slipped on his shoes, grabbed the keys and walked out the door. She stretched her arms over her head slowly, then made her way back into the bathroom to take a shower and try to forget how her feelings were growing stronger and stronger for Jack. It really didn't help that he was being sweeter than normal. Usually he made an Ass out of himself at least once a day, but it had been at least two days and nothing; that had to be a record for him.

OOOOOO

As she was finishing her shower, she heard a knock, then his muffled voice through the door, "Sam, I have these for you. Where do you want me to put them?"

"The door's unlocked, so just put them on the counter. Thanks."

She heard the door open, then close just as quickly. She pulled the curtain aside and saw the box of tampons on the counter. They were just what she'd asked for, and she was glad he hadn't made a big deal out of it.

She finished in the bathroom soon after, then made her way back into the main room. Jack was back on the bed, but had his arm behind his head as he watched a documentary on some tribe in Africa. He glanced over at her as she walked out, "Everything ok?"

She nodded, "Yeah. I don't know about you, but I'm ready for bed."

"I'm ready too." He turned the TV off, bid her good night, then slid down the bed to lay on his side away from her. She laid down, immediately hating the scratchy hotel blankets, and turned her back to him as well. She could smell his body wash from where she was. She almost moved closer to him, until she realized what she was considering. Jack was breathing deeply, which meant he was already asleep; so she shut her thoughts off the best she could, closed her eyes, and fell asleep soon after.

OOOOOO

They had forgotten to close the heavy curtain the night before, so Sam woke up when a patch of sunlight hit her face. She couldn't figure out why she felt weighed down until she felt Jack's warm breath caressing the back of her neck. He had his arm thrown her waist, and had her pulled flush against him. She could feel his hard chest as he breathed in and out, and could also feel something farther down that she knew would embarrass him immensely if she didn't slip out of bed while he was still asleep.

She grimaced, and moved out from under his arm and stood up. He didn't move, and Sam thanked the Lord for that small miracle. He would be mortified if he ever found out, and she vowed to never mention it.

She grabbed some clothes and made her way into the bathroom to get ready for the day. It was still early, but she wanted to leave as soon as possible. After finishing a half hour later, she walked back and out and saw that Jack had gone out and retrieved them some breakfast from the hotel's dining room. He knew she loved muffins, so he had grabbed her one of those, along with a banana.

Jack was sitting in a chair and looking out the window, lost in thought, when she said, "Morning."

He turned, the sunlight highlighting his facial hair, and smiled, "Morning Carter, how did you sleep?"

"Great actually. First time I've slept the whole night without waking up in a long time."

He nodded, "Same for me." He paused for a moment and studied her, then said, "Why don't you eat, then we can blow this popsicle stand. I'll start loading the car while you do."

He stood up, and she saw that he was dressed in dark blue jeans and a light blue long-sleeved athletic shirt. He must have changed when she was in the bathroom.

"Sounds good to me. I'm ready to be there."

As he walked behind her, he trailed his hands over her shoulders, then picked up a suitcase and walked out the door. She was surprised at the contact, but liked that he felt like he could touch her. It was going to take some getting used to, and she needed to be able to reciprocate if they were going to pass as a married couple.

She finished her food, then stood up to help him load the car. Together they finished quickly, and were on the road within fifteen minutes with her at the wheel. As they entered the freeway, she turned to him, "How much longer do we have?"

Since they didn't have cell phones yet, he pulled a map out of the glove box and studied it, "About six hours, give or take a few minutes. Just let me know if you want me to drive."

She patted his knee, "I'll be fine. I'm the one that'll get us there faster anyway."

He huffed a laugh, "That's right, lead-foot Sam. Just don't get pulled over."

She scoffed at him, and didn't bother gracing him with a comment, and instead turned up the radio to listen to some talk-show host rant about the President. Jack had resumed studying the map, so she let her thoughts wander down a dangerous path. She tried not to think about waking up in his arms this morning, but it had felt good, better than she ever remembered feeling with a man. She sighed and glanced at him. His eyebrows were furrowed as he traced a finger over the map in concentration; looking more and more appealing by the second.

Hell, she was in trouble.

Chapter Text

They only stopped one time during the rest of their trip, and that was to eat lunch and stretch their legs for a few minutes. The conversations in the car between them were surprisingly less awkward than she imagined that they would be. Jack made it easy by telling her about some of his experiences in the Air Force, which in turn led her to tell some stories of her own. She felt like she knew him even better, and appreciated his willingness to tell her things that he'd never told anyone else. It seemed intimate to her.

Sam got them to Des Moines in five hours instead of six, and she teased him that her lead foot didn't get them pulled over like he said it would. Jack admitted he was impressed, and told her that she could drive anytime. She was secretly pleased by the compliment.

They arrived in Des Moines in the early afternoon. Spring was beginning to make itself known and Sam was glad for it. As they drove through high-end residential areas to get to their destination, she couldn't help but stare at the multicolored blossoms blooming on the trees flanking both sides of the road. She had missed that over the miserable months of winter in Colorado. She glanced at Jack and saw that he was staring out the windows, seemingly lost in thought. She wondered what he was thinking about, and figured it probably had something to do with how much he wished he was still in Colorado Springs. She sighed quietly.

They were both due to begin their new teaching jobs on Monday, so they needed to get their house in order and unpacked in three days. She turned to Jack, "Hey, what was the address again?"

He opened the file folder that was on his lap and found the address quickly, then glanced at a street sign they passed and said, "We're only a few blocks away actually. Turn right at the next stop sign."

She followed his instructions. and they pulled in front of an old run-down house with an over-grown yard.

Sam turned to him with furrowed eyebrows, "Are you sure this is the right place?"

He glanced down again, then nodded with a grimace on his face, "Oh, it's definitely the right place. Damn."

She couldn't agree more. How were they supposed to live in a dump like this, prepare for their new "Jobs", and unpack their things? Uneasiness was starting to grow in the pit of her stomach.

She heard him sigh, "I can't believe they couldn't find us something nicer to live in. If I had a phone I would call and order them to find us something nicer. This is ridiculous."

She nodded, "Well since you don't, I guess we'll have to make do."

They stepped out of the car simultaneously, and Sam walked around the car to stand at his side. He slipped on a pair of sunglasses and turned to her, "Well honey, welcome home." He smirked at her. She rolled her eyes, then opened her mouth to say something back. when a sleek black car pulled up behind theirs.

She touched Jack's arm to get his attention, then said quietly, "Are we expecting anyone?"

He turned to her, "Mm..No. I don't know who this is, but I want you to stay behind me."

She shook her head, "I can take car-"

He cut her off, "No, not when it comes to this. Just listen to me."

She rolled her eyes, but complied and moved behind him. She hated that they fell back so easily into their commanding officer/subordinate roles.

An incredibly beautiful woman stepped out of the car dressed in a black business suit. As she made her way over to them, Sam couldn't help be impressed by her perfect blonde hair, makeup and clothes. She looked like she just stepped out of a fashion shoot. She smiled and held out her hand as she reached them, "Hi, I'm Megan. I'm the realtor that sold you the house. I think we talked on the phone a few times?"

Jack shook her hand briefly, "I'm Eric", then turned to Sam and said, "And this is my wife, Audrey." Sam stepped around him and shook her hand as well. Jack cleared his throat, "And, no. I didn't have much to do with the house buying." He grimaced and glanced at the house, "Although I wish I would have now."

Megan smiled brightly, "Well it did say in the ad that it was a fixer-upper." Her face took on pouty look, and she put her hand on Jack's arm. "I'm sorry if it's not what you imagined."

Sam stepped closer to Jack and put her arm around his waist, then smiled possessively at Megan, "Oh, It'll just give us something to do when we're not busy. It's fine."

Jack glanced at her from the corner of his eye, but didn't try to move away from her embrace.

Megan took her hand off Jack, then smiled brightly again, "Great! Do you want me to give you a tour?"

Jack shrugged his shoulders, "Er..Sure."

She turned and made her way up the over-grown walkway towards the front door. "Just follow me."

Sam pulled her arm back and followed the realtor, leaving Jack behind. He quickly caught up and put his arm around her shoulders, then leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Nice one, Sam. I like it when you're all possessive."

She turned to deny his accusation, but was interrupted by Megan, "So as you can see here, the front door is beautifully hand-crafted, it just needs a little TLC."

Jack leaned back down and whispered in her ear again, but brushed it with his lips this time, "I think we'll be hearing that a lot." She tried not to react to his touch, but failed miserably.

She covered her mouth in a fake cough to hide her laughter as Megan opened the door and walked inside. Jack kept his arm around her shoulders as they walked into the entryway and looked around at what they would be living in for an indeterminable amount of time.

It actually was a lot nicer on the inside than the outside. She tuned back into what Megan was rambling on about, "The man who owned this house before actually remodeled quite a bit before he ran out of money and declared bankruptcy." She tapped her foot on the ground, "He installed beautiful wood floors throughout the bottom level, and replaced the carpet upstairs too. He really did do lovely work."

Sam nodded in agreement, but there was still a lot that wasn't finished that would need to be replaced soon.

As Megan led them throughout the rest of the house, she flirted outrageously with Jack, while mostly ignoring Sam. Sam didn't have a problem with it, because technically they weren't actually married, until Megan began touching him as often as she could. They were standing in the entry way again after the tour, and she was displaying all the classic signs of being infatuated with Jack; which she couldn't actually fault the woman for. Megan had spent the last twenty minutes teasing him, touching him, and angling her body provocatively towards him. Sam was on her last nerve when Megan handed Jack a business card and leaned closer to him, then said quietly, "Call if you ever want me to show you around town. I know all the good places to go." She winked and smiled at him, and Jack didn't do anything to discourage her; which actually pissed Sam off.

Sam stepped forward with a fake smile on her face and said falsely, "Oh, I'm sure we'll be fine. Thanks so much for giving us a tour." She stepped closer to Jack and hugged him to her, her arms tight around his waist and her head on his chest. She felt Jack's arms wrap around her a second later, and could feel the rumble in his chest as he said, "Yeah, we'll be ok. Thanks for the help."

Sam watched Megan give Jack one last lingering glance, then walked out the door with a fake smile and wave. As soon as she closed the door behind her, Sam moved away from him. She'd felt entirely too comfortable wrapped up in his arms and needed to put some distance between them.

Jack smirked, "You don't have any reason to be jealous."

She snorted, "I'm not jealous, we just don't need her poking around here more than necessary. Plus, if you remember, you're supposed to act like you're married to me and not interested in her. I didn't exactly see you discouraging her advances." She had been teasing at first, but was slowly starting to feel annoyed at him.

He moved closer and grimaced, "You're right. I'm sorry."

She nodded, the fight leaving her as soon as it had come. She had felt like yelling it out with him, but he made that impossible by being entirely too reasonable. Damn him.

They stood there staring at each other, lost in each others eyes, until there was a knock at the door. She said to Jack, "Ten bucks it's Megan again."

He smiled, "You're on." Then walked over to the door and opened it. It was the movers.

He turned to her as she walked over to him, then held his hand out and wiggled his fingers, "I believe you owe me ten bucks."

She held out her hands and shrugged, "Sorry, I'm broke."

He shook his head, "Women."

Sam slugged his shoulder hard, then followed the mover outside to the truck.

She heard an "Ow, that wasn't necessary honey."

She glanced over her shoulder, "Oh, it was. You deserved it."

He caught up to her, still rubbing his shoulder with his opposite hand. "Yeah, I did, but if I would have known about your mean right-hook, I might have kept my mouth shut."

Sam huffed a quiet laugh as they reached the truck, and then began helping the movers unload the truck full of "their" things. She didn't actually recognize anything.

OOOOOO

Three hours later found them collapsed on the couch, exhausted. Jack was sprawled in the corner with his arms and legs spread-eagle, and Sam was lying down on the rest of the couch, her head near Jack's thigh.

They had moved everything to the correct rooms, but nothing was set up, and Sam was tired and hungry. She moved her head to look up him, "Want to go get something to eat?"

He glanced down at her, "Yeah, but I don't wanna get up."

She groaned, "Me either. I guess we're stuck here then."

He moved his arm down and ran his fingers through her hair softly, then moved his arm back to where it had been. "No, I'll get up. I just need you to help me. My knees are killing me."

She had been surprised at his touch, but found she liked it entirely too much. Sam sat up and stood up slowly from the couch. Her back was killing her, "I think we need to go grocery shopping, and get some Tylenol in the process." She moved her hips forward to try to stretch her back, but only made the pain worse. She grimaced.

Jack leaned forward with raised eyebrows, "What's wrong?"

She shook her head, "I think I might have pulled something when I moved the bed. I'm sure I'll be fine."

He stood up and put a hand on her shoulder, "If you like, I can give you a back rub. I can't promise you anything professional, but I've been known to give a few good back-rubs in my time; just ask Teal'c and Daniel."

She raised an eyebrow at him skeptically, "Teal'c? Get outta here."

He shrugged his shoulders and ran his hand down her arm softly, "Yeah, he would probably never admit it."

She smiled faintly, "I think I'll be ok, but if the pain doesn't get better by tomorrow, then I'll take you up on that."

He stepped away from her and walked towards the door, "Sounds good. Ready to go?"

She followed after him reluctantly, not wanting to go anywhere, but knowing she didn't have a choice.

OOOOOO

They returned two hours later from the grocery store onery and 500 dollars poorer. They were both in a bad mood because they had argued over almost everything they'd bought. All he wanted was beer and TV dinners, and she kept insisting that they needed to eat healthy. By the time they had gone to check out, they weren't speaking to each other anymore. They had stopped at a fast-food restaurant before they went shopping, so all they needed to do was put the groceries away before they could go to their separate bedrooms and sulk.

They put the groceries away in productive silence, one bred from many years of working side by side, then walked upstairs together. Neither of them wanted to be the one to break the silence between them. They reached the landing where their bedrooms were on either side of the hallway and stopped in the middle. They looked at each other and Jack was the first to break after a few moments. He closed his eyes, then pulled her forward into a loose hug. She was stiff, but she went willingly. "I know I can be an ass, Sam. Sometimes I can't help myself, but you're going to have to be patient with me. I'm trying."

She sighed into his chest, "I know, and I'm sorry for not being more compromising." She pulled back and gestured with her hand between them, "This is a work in progress. It'll get easier."

He grinned, leaned down and kissed her cheek lightly, then pulled back. His facial hair scratched her face, but she didn't mind all that much.

She patted his chest, "Good night, see you tomorrow. Sleep well."

He nodded, "You too."

They turned simultaneously and walked in their respective bedrooms. After Sam closed hers, she leaned against it and sighed. This was going to be harder than she thought.

Chapter Text

Sam woke to the smell of coffee and slowly opened her eyes, then inhaled deeply. That was one of her favorite smells to wake up to, and it was even better when someone made it for her. She sat up and stretched her arms over her head, then picked up her watch and saw that it was only 7:30. She grimaced and flopped back down on her pillow. She wasn't looking forward to all the unpacking and cleaning, and would rather just stay in bed all day. She still felt tired, and knew it was because her brain refused to slow down the thoughts that were running around over and over. It was annoying, and it led to her waking up every hour or so the whole night. She wondered if Jack had fared any better. She'd made a pact with herself before she fell asleep that she was going to take a step back from him. She'd been too possessive and touchy-feely with him yesterday, and it wasn't appropriate. Sure they needed to do that when other people were around, but not when they were home alone.

Resolved, she sat up slowly because her back still hurt, then gathered some clothes and made her way into her own bathroom. It was nice to have a private bathroom, and it would make things a lot less awkward.

She finished getting ready and made her way downstairs to the kitchen. Jack wasn't there and she wondered where he was, but figured he was most likely watching TV. She poured herself a still-steaming cup of coffee, then walked to the living room. He wasn't there either.

Sam searched for him in the rest of the rooms downstairs unsuccessfully, then stepped outside to see if the car was gone. It wasn't.

Just as she was about to walk back in the house, an older woman dressed in a mumu, and carrying a plate of food, began walking up the pathway to the house, "Hello! I'm Ruby, your next door neighbor to the right of you."

She reached Sam and held her hand out for Sam to shake. Sam smiled hesitantly, then took it and shook it lightly. "Hi, I'm S—Audrey Jennings. We just moved in yesterday." Sam hoped Ruby hadn't heard her slip of the tongue.

The older woman waved her free hand in a dismissive wave, "Oh I already know that, dear. You guys are the talk of the neighborhood. It's not often that a younger couple moves into the neighborhood. They usually live in the nicer houses on the other side of town. We're just a bunch of old farts over here."

Sam nodded and suppressed a laugh, not quite sure what to say to the woman and her overwhelming personality. "Well we wanted a fixer-upper, and a fixer-upper is what we got."

Ruby nodded and sighed, a wistful expression on her face, "It's such a shame that the previous owner wasn't able to finish it. He did such lovely work."

That was the second time someone had said that in as many days. She honestly didn't think it was that great.

Sam cleared her throat uncomfortably, "Yeah, it's a shame." She thumbed behind her and smiled faintly, "Well, I need to go make breakfast, my husband and I have a lot to do this weekend before we start work on Monday."

"Oh wait, I brought you biscuits and gravy, and everything is made from scratch. It's my favorite breakfast to make." Her shorter, gray hair flapped around as she gestured with her arms.

Sam smiled, "That's so nice of you." She reached forward to take it, but Ruby stepped back and clucked her tongue, "I just have to meet your husband, and then maybe I could eat with you two? I made enough for all of us." Sam rolled her eyes internally at her presumptuousness.

"Sure..um..let me go find my husband. You can come in while I go get him."

Sam turned to walk inside and could hear the woman following close behind. She led Ruby into the kitchen, then turned to her, "You can set the food down and take a seat. I'll go get Eric."

Ruby nodded and glanced around the kitchen curiously, not looking at Sam as she walked out.

Sam walked upstairs, figuring Jack was in his room because he wasn't anywhere else. She didn't want Ruby to hear her knock, so she cracked the door open and said through small gap, "Si—Jack, we have company." He didn't answer, and she grimaced. He was either in the shower or asleep. She slowly opened the door a little wider and stuck her head in his room. He was sound asleep on his stomach, with only a pair of sweats on. She walked inside quietly and over to his bed, and watched the rise and fall of his back as he breathed deeply. "Jack." She said it a little louder, but he still didn't move.

She put a hand on his warm shoulder, "Jack!"

He shot up suddenly, then wrapped an arm around her waist, dragged her down to the bed and straddled her. She yelped a little as he raised his fist to strike her, but he soon realized what he was doing and slid from her quickly. "Sam, I'm so sorry. I forgot where we were." He ran his hand over his hair and down to his neck.

She laid there with her heart still racing as he looked at her apologetically, then put her hand over her heart for a moment and sat up slowly, her back screaming in protest; he had definitely made it worse.

She tried to take a deep breath but it caught as the pain overwhelmed her momentarily. He moved to touch her, but she held up a hand and shook her head, then said through gritted teeth, "It's fine. It was my mistake because I should know better in the first place."

He stood there uncertainly, obviously not knowing what to do. She looked up at him and said, "There's a woman downstairs that brought food for us to eat with her, so we need to go down there and act like the "happy couple" that we are."

Her breaths were coming in short gasps as she tried to control the pain radiating through her.

Jack said softly, "Ok, that's fine, but can you walk?"

She nodded and stood up slowly, then straightened. It hurt, but she'd had much worse. She looked at him again, then down to his chest, "You might want to put a shirt on before we go down there."

He looked down and grimaced, "Right."

She watched as he walked over to his suitcase and pulled out a white t-shirt, then quickly slipped it on. He turned to her and gestured for her to precede him out the door. She walked slowly out of the room, taking little steps and short breaths. He followed close behind her, and as they reached the bottom of the stairs, he put a hand on the small of her back and led her to the kitchen. She knew he was only touching her for Ruby's sake.

They walked in the kitchen and Ruby stood up immediately, then walked up to Jack and hugged him tightly, "You must be Eric. It's so nice to meet you!" She ran her hand over his growing beard, "And aren't you such a good-looking young man? Your wife's a lucky woman." She stepped back to survey him.

Sam stepped forward and wrapped her hand around Jack's waist, "I think he's the one that's lucky."

Jack pasted a fake smile on his face and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, then pulled her against him, "I'm definitely the lucky one."

They all stood there in a semi-awkward silence until Ruby clapped her hands, "Well you guys are in for a treat. These are my award-winning biscuits and gravy. I do hope you enjoy them."

Sam stepped away from Jack and sat down slowly at the table. "I'm sure we'll love them. It's Eric's favorite breakfast." She smiled up at him falsely.

He patted her shoulder, then moved to sit next to her, "Yes it is. I can't wait."

Ruby stood up and served them on plates that she must have found in one of the boxes. While they ate, they listened to Ruby as she told them all the neighborhood gossip. Sam hid a smile behind her hand.

They finished fairly quickly and Jack stood up, "Well Ruby, thanks so much for bringing this delicious food. That was so nice of you."

Ruby nodded and smiled, then walked out of the kitchen towards the living room. Jack looked at Sam in confusion, and Sam just shrugged. She didn't know what the woman was up to.

They walked into the living room and found Ruby beginning to unpack one of the boxes. Sam walked over to her stiffly, "You don't need to do that. We're plenty capable."

Ruby looked up at her from her place on the floor, "Nonsense. Your back in injured, you're not going to be able to do much, and I'm willing to help." Ruby was more observant that she had thought, and made sure to make a mental note of that.

Sam rose her eyebrows at her, "How did you kno-"

Ruby cut her off, "The way you're walking. I used to be a nurse back in the day, so I know all the signs. Why don't you sit down on the couch here and supervise while Eric and I begin to unpack?"

Sam knew that Ruby wasn't going to take no for an answer, so she glanced back at Jack and saw him shrug his shoulders and nod his head slightly.

She sat down gingerly on the couch and watched Jack and Ruby put together the living room for the next hour. She was almost asleep when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She opened her eyes and saw that it was Jack. "I'm going to go to the store and buy some drinks. We forgot to get anything like that last night, and I don't trust the water from the tap."

She smiled faintly and nodded, "Do you want me to go with you?"

He shook his head, "No, just rest. I'll be back soon."

Jack glanced over his shoulder and saw that Ruby was watching them. He smiled at her, then turned back to Sam. "Do you want to go lay down on your bed?"

She shook her head, "No, I'm fine here." She reached a hand forward to run it over his chest, but stopped mid-air, reminding herself of her promise to herself. He glanced at her hand as she dropped it, then looked at her with raised eyebrows. She shook her head and just shrugged, then smiled. He started to move away, but changed his mind and quickly leaned over her again, then kissed her on the lips softly. She was so surprised that she didn't have a chance to do anything before he pulled away and walked out the door without a second glance.

She stared after him, even though she couldn't see him anymore, until Ruby broke her out of her reverie, "Ah, young love. So sweet."

Sam forced a laugh and said, "We're not very young."

Ruby smiled, "Well you're young compared to me. My husband and I have been married for over 50 years."

"Wow, congratulations."

Ruby waved her hand, "He's the love of my life. I couldn't imagine my life without him."

Sam nodded, "I feel that way about Eric. He's always been there for me." She was telling the truth when she said that. She honestly couldn't imagine her life without Jack in it, but that wasn't a new revelation, she'd felt like that for a long time.

She watched as Ruby emptied a box of books and placed them on the bookshelf. She was grateful for the woman's help, but her presence was going to make it hard for her to keep her promise to herself to stay away from Jack. She put her fingers on her lips and tried to forget about his kiss; but mostly failed. She closed her eyes and laid her head on the back of the couch, then cleared her mind of anything and everything. She had to focus, her life depended on it.

Chapter Text

Ruby finished with the bookshelf minutes after Jack left, and Sam was left searching for something to talk about with the woman. She wished that Ruby would just leave, but unfortunately it wasn't going to be that easy.

There was an lull in conversation, and Sam laid her head back down on the back of the couch and closed her eyes. Her back was really throbbing, and she didn't know how she was going to help Jack unpack the rest of the weekend if it felt like this; it even hurt to breathe.

She felt the couch dip next to her and cracked an eye open. Ruby was looking at her with concern on her wrinkled face. "Dear, can I get you anything?"

Sam shook her head, "Well I could use some painkillers, and I forgot to tell Eric to buy some..." She trailed off, hoping the woman caught on.

"I have all anything and everything at my house, what would you prefer?"

Sam pinched her face in concentration, "Um, I think Ibuprofen will work for now. If it gets worse I'll send Eric over to your house for something else...if that would be ok?"

Ruby nodded enthusiastically, probably happy for any excuse to flirt with Jack, "Yes, that'll work just fine. I'll go find something for you now." She patted Sam's knee, then walked out of the room in a hurry. Sam sank back into the couch and sighed, she really hoped the Ibuprofen would work, there was too much to do for her to be sitting around like this all weekend.

She could picture Janet's face as if she were standing in front of her. She would tell Sam to lie in bed the rest of the weekend and to make sure to use a hot pad, and to not overwork herself. Thoughts of Janet brought the inevitable pang of sadness that always came along with the reminder that she would never get to talk to her or listen to her lectures again. It still hurt a lot, and though Sam's team had been there for her, she could never truly let out how she really felt in front of them. She didn't want to be viewed as the "weak" female, so she kept her mourning private, and only showed everyone around her tidbits of how hard she was actually taking Janet's death. She knew that the guys wouldn't hold it against her if she actually did break down in front of them, but she was too prideful to do that. She wasn't one to show weakness; which was something that she inherited from her dad.

The thought of her dad left her wondering how he was doing. On one had it was great that he was out in the galaxy helping the Tok'ra, but she worried about him constantly, and often wondered if the Tok'ra would even have the guts to tell her if something had happened to him.

She was so lost in thought, that when someone touched her arm she jumped about a foot off the couch, then groaned in pain. "Sorry Sam, I didn't mean to scare you." She opened her eyes and glared at Jack, who was sitting next to her on the couch. "You could have tried a little harder to get my attention before you touched me."

Jack rose his eyebrows at her, "Well I did call your name at least twice with no answer, I'm not sure what else I could have done." He paused for a moment, assessing her, "Back feeling any better?"

She took a shallow breath, attempting to calm her racing heart, "No, I think it might be worse now actually."

He grimaced and swore under his breath, "I didn't even think to get you anything for the pain. Do you want me to go back and get you something?"

She shook her head minutely, trying to minimize any motion that would cause her pain, "No, Ruby went to find something for me. I'm not sure how long she's been gone though."

Jack glanced around the room and smirked, "At least this room is unpacked. I guess it is nice to have a nosy neighbor, whose only entertainment is to get the low-down on the new people."

Sam sighed, "I guess, but it's only going to make our-"

She was cut off by the sound of the front door opening and closing. Sam glanced and Jack in exasperation as Ruby bustled back into the room carrying an armful of pill bottles.

"Sorry it took me so long, honey, I wasn't sure what you wanted so I brought them all."

Sam gave her a closed mouth smile, "Oh, I appreciate it. Eric just finished telling me that he forgot to get me anything at the store, so I'm glad you have something." She tried to sit up on her own, but sank back into the couch after after failing. Jack moved closer, his thigh touching hers, and put his arm around her back to help push her forward. It still hurt, but with Jack's arm supporting her lower back, it helped immensely.

Ruby looked at her, "What do you want?"

She unconsciously leaned into Jack, mainly because Ruby was standing entirely too close, but mostly because Jack smelled like home and she was missing that more than anything at the moment. His fingers tightened on her ribs and she shook herself from her internal musings. "Um..I think I'll just start with Ibuprofen and see how I feel."

Ruby dumped all the pill bottles on the couch next to Jack and dug out the Ibuprofen, then opened it and handed a few to her. She wasn't going to wait for someone to get her some water, so she swallowed them dry.

Ruby smiled, "I hope that helps." She gestured to the pills on the couch, "I'll leave those here, and you can find something else if what you took doesn't help."

Sam smiled up at her, "Thanks so much for your help..but if you don't mind I'm going to go lie down upstairs."

Ruby waved a hand, "Oh, no bother. It saved me from having to brush my husband's dentures. So thank you." She smiled, then continued, "Speaking of Harold, I'm going to go check and make sure he hasn't burned the house down trying to cook lunch. I'll see you two later!" She began walking out of the living room, but stopped and turned, "Before I forget, we're doing a "Welcome to the neighborhood" BBQ tomorrow in Mavis' front yard tomorrow night; she lives to your left by the way... Do you think you'll be up to coming Audrey?"

That was the last thing she wanted to do. Going to a place where she would have to play her part as a married woman. It's not that she didn't want to touch him, it's just that she enjoyed it too much. She had to keep reminding herself that she was supposed to be mourning her dead fiance, but the pang of sadness never came.

Sam glanced at Jack in question, but he just shrugged; sometimes he could be infuriating. Sam pasted on a smile, "Sounds like fun, I'm sure I'll be feeling better by then."

Ruby clapped her hands, "Great! I can't wait. I'll make sure to let the ladies in charge know that it's on. See you two later." She hurried out of the room without a second glance, excited at the prospect of their BBQ.

She heard the front door shut and then sighed, "Oh boy, I'm not looking forward to that."

Jack laughed quietly, "What? You don't want a bunch of old women fawning all over you? Oh wait, it's me that that's going to happen to." He ran his free hand over his beard, "Is it too late to tell her no?"

Sam smiled, "I'm pretty sure they won't let us back out now."

He moved the hand that was around her waist up to her shoulders, and squeezed lightly, "Damn." He suddenly seemed to remember that he didn't need to keep up their facade, and stood up quickly then looked at her, "Are you ready to take me up on that back massage? I feel like I owe you after what I did to you earlier. I really am sorry about that Sam."

She grimaced, "Like I said before, I should've known better. It's my fault for not finding a different way to wake you up." She wasn't sure if she wanted a massage from him. Even the thought of his fingers sliding over her body made her whole body tingle. It would be hard to concentrate on anything but how much she wanted him.

"As for the back massage, do you really think that's a good idea, Jack?"

He rubbed a hand over the back of his head, "Probably not, but it would help you feel better, and that's what matters."

She sighed, "Ok, but just for a few minutes, then you can start unpacking the kitchen."

He smirked and saluted her, "Yes, Ma'am."

She rolled her eyes and took the hand that he held out for her. He pulled her up slowly, then grabbed her elbow lightly and led her upstairs to her bedroom. The Ibuprofen must have started to kick in, because it didn't hurt as much going back up the stairs as it had going down earlier.

She walked in and Jack stood in the doorway hesitantly, obviously wary about entering her bedroom. She sat down on the bed and waved him in, "You can come in anytime, Jack. If we're going to be living with each other, then we're bound to have to go into each others bedrooms every once in a while.

He nodded and walked in with his hands in his pockets, his face an expressionless mask, "Do you want to take a shower before I work the muscles in your back? It might help loosen them so it won't hurt as much."

She shook her head, "I'll be fine. What do you want me to do?"

He walked closer, "Just lie on your stomach. Do you need me to help you with that?"

Sam shook her head, "No, I think I can handle that." She moved slowly to lie on her back, then turned to her side and finally her stomach. The medication was definitely working its magic.

She turned her head on the pillow and watched as Jack approached her slowly, looking like he was arguing with himself internally. He smiled at her faintly, then sat next to her hip. "Do you want me to do this with your shirt on or off?"

"Whatever is easier for you..Si—Jack."

"Ok, well I think taking your shirt off would be best, but if you don't feel comfortable doing that, then leaving it on is fine too."

"I'll take it off, but you're going to have to help me. I'm not sure I can raise my arms above my head." She rolled on her back, then sat up with the help of his hand on her back again. As she sat next to him, thigh to thigh, shoulder to shoulder, all she could think about was how good he looked in that white t-shirt against his tan skin, and how much she-"

She shook herself from her thoughts, she needed to focus. She grabbed the hem of her shirt with both hands and began to pull up. She got about halfway when her back wouldn't let her go anymore. She looked at him and winced, "I can't go any farther by myself." Thank goodness he was being a gentleman and resisted looking anywhere else but her face as he took her shirt off for her the rest of the way; leaving her in the sports bra that she had slept in. At least she wasn't wearing anything revealing.

He helped her lie back down, then said, "Do you have any lotion?"

She nodded, and with half of her face squished into the pillow said, "It's in my bathroom on the counter, feel free to go get it."

She watched as he got up and walked quickly in the bathroom, then came out seconds later with said object in hand.

He sat back down next to her hip, then she heard him squeeze some on his hands and rub them together for a few moments to warm it up. He slid his warm hands over her back hesitantly at first, but after a few moments moved his fingers with more confidence as he started at her lower back and moved upwards. She closed her eyes and concentrated on his hands and how good they felt on her skin. When he reached the band of her sports bra he hesitated for a moment, then moved his fingers under the band and around her sides near her breasts. She didn't move an inch, but her whole body began responding to his touches as he continually moved his fingers close to her breasts then away again. It was maddening. He finally finished with that area, and began moving towards her shoulders.

He stopped and leaned towards her, his voice low, "Where does it hurt the most, Sam?"

She opened her eyes and looked at him, "My lower back, near my tailbone, but feel free to continue with my shoulders. You really do give a good back massage. I'll have to tell Daniel about it when he gets here."

Jack huffed a laugh, "If you ever mention this to Daniel I'll deny it. He doesn't need to know." His voice was suddenly serious, but she didn't feel comfortable enough asking what was wrong.

When she didn't say anything else, his hands resumed massaging her shoulders and neck. When he hit a particular sore spot on her neck, she let out a little moan of pleasure. His fingers stopped again, but she didn't dare look at him because of what she might see on his face, so she kept her eyes shut and kept her mouth shut. After a moment he started again and finished a few minutes later.

She felt him lean towards her again, and with his mouth near her shoulder said, "All finished. You really did have a lot of knots in your back. It's amazing you don't have constant back pain."

She opened her eyes, and her little eye twitch at his words gave her away. He leaned his chin on her shoulder, "You have chronic back pain? How come I didn't know that?"

She shrugged, "There's a lot you don't know about me, Jack." She paused and smiled at him, "Thank you so much for that, it really does feel better already."

He nodded, his chin still on her shoulder, "Anytime, and I really do mean that. Any time you're having pain, I'm here to help."

Sam nodded, "Thank you..I think I'm going to shower now. Help me up?"

He moved his face from her shoulder, then stood up and pulled her up. She felt hardly any pain, and was happy that it looked like it wasn't anything serious. Before he could step away, she pulled him into a quick hug, then stepped back and walked slowly towards her bathroom. "I'm going to go shower", she said over her shoulder, "Why don't you go start on the kitchen?"

"I'm going to take a shower myself, then I will. See you in a little while." She didn't watch him walk out of the room, but as soon as he did, she stopped walking and groaned. She shouldn't have allowed him to touch her like that, and she shouldn't have hugged him afterward. It was becoming more difficult to stay away from him, and she could only imagine how much worse it was going to get as they continued to live in close quarters. Her feelings for him were already strong, and she knew that he felt something for her too or he wouldn't have touched her like he did.

She turned and walked to her suitcase, then grabbed what she needed and made her way into the bathroom.

She didn't notice the silhouette of a person in the window of the next house over, watching her every move through her window; or when the shadow moved from the window, as if it had never been there.

Chapter Text

Jack and Sam spent the rest of the day unpacking. Sam's back still bothered her, but between pain medication and Jack's massage, she was able to do most everything by herself. They had worked separately for most of the day; splitting up the tasks to finish faster. She finished her bedroom, then moved to the main bathroom and decorated it with what had been in the box labeled "bathroom". It felt like opening a present every time she opened a box, because she didn't know what would be in any of them.

Another hour passed by and Sam hadn't heard anything from Jack for a while, so she decided to find him so they could eat lunch; it was close to 2:00 PM and she was starving. She walked down the stairs and into the doorway of the kitchen, and saw that Jack was just finishing unpacking the kitchen. She walked up to him with a frown on her face, "Jack, I told you I would help you. You didn't have to do this by yourself."

He shrugged and put a bowl in the cupboard above him, "I was finished with everything else and figured I might as well start on the kitchen; plus I know you would overwork yourself, so I took the decision out of your hands." He gave her a small smile and began breaking down the cardboard box, then threw it on top of a pile of flat cardboard.

She sighed, "Well I appreciate it, but now I'm ready to eat, what about you?"

He ran a hand through his beard and nodded, "I am actually. I didn't think I'd ever be hungry again after eating all that food that Ruby brought over, but I'm hungry now."

She walked over to the fridge and opened it, then looked over her shoulder at him, "Are sandwiches ok? That about does it for my culinary skills."

He huffed a laugh, "Yes, we're all aware of your shortcomings in the kitchen, Sam." He stepped closer and put his hand on her shoulder, the squeezed it lightly, "So sandwiches will be fine. I'll make dinner tonight."

She pulled out everything they would need, then they worked in companionable silence to prepare everything. She cut the tomatoes, while he washed the lettuce and cut some cheese and onions.

She watched him out of the corner of her eye, thinking he looked completely irresistible with his brows furrowed and the tip of his tongue sticking out at the corner of his mouth in concentration as he cut a pickle in half. She had always been attracted to him, even from the beginning, but her attraction had only grown over the years; and now she was pretty sure there would never be another man for her. She'd tried to move on multiple times, but in the end, she always came back to Jack. She just wished she had the nerve to tell him that to his face. He never had done well with subtlety, and usually needed people to explain to him exactly what they wanted and needed in a situation. It was one of his most endearing qualities, while being completely frustrating at the same time.

She was startled from her thoughts by Jack bumping her with his hip, "Earth to Sam. I've been over here talking to myself for the last minute. I know I'm not very interesting, but I didn't know I was that boring." If only he knew what she had really been thinking about.

Instead she smiled faintly and said, "Sorry, I was thinking about things that still need to be done around the house. I think we should get the kitchen remodeled, and the roof replaced. What else do you think?" They finished making their sandwiches and sat down at the kitchen table, then talked about what else they thought needed to be done with the house; it was a long and time-consuming list.

After they were finished eating, Jack reached over and put his hand on her arm. She did her best not to react, because that would make him even more gun-shy about touching her, then raised her eyebrows at him.

He grimaced, "Since we're pretty much done in here, I think I'm going to try to tackle the front yard; it looks like a jungle out there."

She shook her head, "It has to be over ninety degrees out there, you're going to die."

He shrugged and stood up, "Well it needs to be done, so I might as well start on it."

"Suit yourself. I'll finish up here inside."

He nodded and brushed past her quickly, then walked outside without another word; she could have sworn that he'd run his hand over her hair, but it had been so fleeting that she couldn't be sure.

OOOOOO

Sam sat down gingerly on the couch in the living room and sighed. She'd been working hard for at least a couple more hours after lunch, and felt like she was going to collapse if she didn't sit down for a minute. She leaned back and closed her eyes, then suddenly heard Jack's loud voice from the front yard, "Son of a bitch!"

She groaned and squeezed her eyes closed even tighter, she really didn't want to get up and see what was wrong. She'd looked out on him over the last couple of hours, and it never looked like he was accomplishing much, but that just told her how bad the yard actually was. She stood up slowly and made her way to the front door, then opened it and looked out. Jack was standing in the middle of the thigh high grass with his shirt off, covered in sweat, staring at the oldest lawn mower she'd ever seen.

She hid a smile and walked down the porch steps "Eric, what's wrong?"

He looked up at her and wiped his forehead with his arm, "What's wrong, is this damn thing won't start." He gestured towards something off to the side, "There's a whole shed full of tools that look like they've been sitting in there for years. How the hell am I supposed to get anything done when all I have is this to work with?"

Sam reached him and did her best to look at his face and not his chest, "Why don't we just go buy a new lawnmower? It's not like we're hurting for money."

He clenched his jaw and looked away, "It's the principle of the thing. Why waste money on a new one when we could just use this one? Do you think you could fix it?"

She looked down at the rusted out piece of crap and shook her head, "I don't think so." She leaned closer to him and whispered, "And even if I could, fixing something like this would blow my cover. I'm not supposed to know how to do something like that."

He sighed loudly, "Fine. I'm going to go get changed and go out to the Wal-Mart. Do you want to come?"

She looked at her watch and shook her head, It was nearing 7:00 PM and she was tired. "I think I'm just going to go lay down. I'm not feeling very good."

He stepped closer with a look of concern on his face, "I thought your back was feeling better?"

She stared at a drop of sweat that ran from his beard down his neck, "It was, but now the pain is back." She lowered her voice again, "I hope those pills that Ruby gave me were actually pain pills. I wasn't even thinking when I accepted them from her without question. Hell, we've been manipulated and lied to so many times over the years, and I didn't even ponder the fact that she might be a bad guy." She was mad at herself for being so stupid.

Jack reached out and ran his callused hand down her arm softly then took her hand, "I don't think we need to worry about her, but I guess we should always be on our toes. I'll buy you some new Ibuprofen when I go to the store, and I'll even bring home something for dinner. Sound good?"

She looked up and gave him a small smile, glad he was being the voice of reason for once. "Sounds like a plan." He kept hold of her hand and began leading her towards the house. She was so glad that he was here with her, and not some random man that she didn't know, it made things a lot easier and less stressful on her; knowing he was there to protect her and care for her.

They reached her bedroom, and he led her over to the bed then helped her lie down. He looked down at her with soft brown eyes and said, "I'll be back in an hour or so. Are you sure you'll be ok?"

She nodded, "I'm going to try to sleep, so I'll be fine. Don't worry."

"I always worry about you, Sam." With that, he turned and walked out of the room without another word, leaving her staring at the muscles in his back as he walked. After he closed the door behind him, she let out a sigh and relaxed into the bed. It felt like things were getting easier between them, and less awkward, which could only be a good thing in the long run.

OOOOOO

Jack returned within the hour with a new lawnmower and a pizza in hand. She raised her eyebrows at his food choice, and he said, "What? Pizza is a food group by itself, don't diss on pizza, Carter."

She just shook her head in amusement and took a couple of pieces, then walked in the living room to watch TV. He followed after her and handed her some pills. She took them and smiled at him in thanks, then swallowed them down quickly. They decided to watch Jeopardy to see who could get the most answers right, and of course Sam won, but she was surprised at how many Jack actually knew; which led her to remind herself that he only acted dumb around other people so they would underestimate him. He had a Master's degree, so he was incredibly smart.

After they finished eating, they settled back into the couch and watched a movie. The plot seemed interesting to Sam, but she couldn't keep her eyes open. She kept blinking in hopes that that would help, but it didn't, and she slowly drifted off to sleep; not realizing that her head had landed on Jack's shoulder, or that he wrapped his arm around her waist to pull her closer to him.

OOOOOO

Sam woke up to sunlight streaming in her bedroom and looked around the room in confusion. She mumbled to herself, "How the hell did I get in here?" Then looked down and saw that she was still fully dressed sans her shoes, and figured that Jack must have carried her up here, or led her up and she just didn't remember it. That couldn't have been good on his knees. She looked at the clock and saw that it was already 11:00 AM. She must have been really tired to sleep for over twelve hours.

She got out of bed slowly, her back still sore, but already beginning to feel better, and walked into the bathroom to take a quick shower. The BBQ was at 3:00, which she didn't understand why it had to be in the middle of the hot day, but figured it was because all the old people go to bed early. Her and Jack had planned to put a dent in the front yard today, so they needed to work quickly.

After getting ready, she walked downstairs to a quiet kitchen. She quickly ate a bowl of cereal and washed her bowl, then walked outside and saw that Jack had already mowed the lawn and was sitting by the flower beds and pulling weeds. She walked over to him and put a hand on his bare back, "You could have woken me up. I didn't need to sleep that long."

He glanced over his shoulder and smiled, "Yeah you did, don't worry about it."
She sat down next to him and began to help him pull weeds while they talked about whatever came to mind. It was beginning to feel like they were actually married, and Sam found that she was enjoying it far too much. She'd lived alone for a long time, so actually having someone to talk to, and to spend time with was a big change; but one that she didn't mind.

They finished the flower beds, then began to trim the bushes with some clippers that looked older than the lawnmower. That job took over two hours to finish, and by the time they were almost done they were both cranky and snipping at each other. "Eric, we need to get ready for the BBQ. It looks good enough."

"It looks terrible, Audrey. Why don't you go inside and get ready and let me do this." He said it in an annoyed voice, which made her feel like screaming. She hated when he was like this, and it reminded her of many missions during which he acted like an ass-hole; so she shouldn't be surprised.

She shook her head, "Fine, but if you're not ready in time, I'm going without you." Then she turned and walked in the house without a second glance.

She showered again and got ready, not bothering to make sure that Jack was inside, then walked downstairs to leave. As she passed the living room, she saw Jack stand up, dressed in dark blue jeans and a white collard shirt, ready to go with a sheepish look on his face. She continued walking until he caught up to her and put a hand on her elbow, "Sam, wait."

She stopped and turned to him with cold eyes and raised eyebrows, "What?"

He ran his other hand through his short hair, "Look, you know as well as I do how much of an ass I can be." At her nod, he continued, "So I'm sorry I acted like that, and I hope once again, that you can look past my shortcomings."

She took a deep breath, "I just wish you didn't have to be like that. I know it's nothing new with you, but it still hurts."

He winced and stepped closer, their bodies inches apart and said in a low voice, "I promise to try to reign in my temper, I might not always be able to, but I'm going to do my best."

She tried not to show how affected she was by his proximity as she said, "That's all I can ask for."

He smiled and wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight embrace; and she sighed into his neck. These were her favorite moments with him, when he was soft, warm and smelled good. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him a little closer, and they stayed that way for a minute or so until he pulled back slightly with their bodies still touching and looked at her, "Thanks for being patient with me."

She nodded, and realized how close his face was to hers, and suddenly the air around them changed. She glanced down at his lips, and found that she wanted to kiss him more than ever. She saw him lick his lips, then slowly he begin to lower them to hers. She closed her eyes in anticipation, and just as his lips ghosted over hers, there was a loud knock on the door, and they shot apart so fast that they knocked heads. She put a hand up to her forehead and groaned, "Owww." She looked over at Jack and saw that he was doing the same.

The door cracked opened and they heard Ruby's voice, "Hellooooo? Are you guys ready to go?"

Of course it was Ruby. Sam walked towards the door, still rubbing her forehead, and grabbed the handle then opened it the rest of the way. "Hey Ruby, we're ready." She turned to Jack and saw that he was making his way towards them, then looked at Ruby. "Goodness child, what happened to your head?"

She grimaced, "Um, I was cleaning the cupboards and hit it on the door. I'll be fine, let's go."

Ruby nodded in understanding, then smiled and turned to walk down the sidewalk in her floral mumu. Sam didn't understand why anyone would ever wear something like that in public.

Jack reached her, then ran his fingers softly over her forehead where they had bumped heads, "Sorry about that." He sighed and continued, "Here I am apologizing again for doing something I did to hurt you."

She smiled, "This time it wasn't your fault. Come on, let's go or Ruby might come back."

He grabbed her hand and laced their fingers together, then they walked side by side down the sidewalk after Ruby. She looked around at the yard and saw that it looked good, especially considering what it had looked like before. "The yard looks good, thanks for doing it."

He glanced at her, then back up as they passed through it, "You're welcome, and thanks for your help."

She squeezed his hand in response as they continued walking. She wasn't looking forward to talking with a bunch of old busy-body neighbors who were just looking for something to gossip about; they had to be very careful not to give anything important away.

Chapter Text

They followed behind Ruby as she kept up a running commentary about anything and everything. After a story about old Bob's ingrown toenail, Sam tuned her out and glanced around the neighborhood. The yards were all immaculate as they passed them on the sidewalk, with perfectly green grass and shrubs that were trimmed and shaped; she grimaced at the thought of how far their yard still had to go to catch up to these.

Sam removed her hand from Jack's grasp and wiped the sweat from her face with her arm. It was sweltering; she wasn't used to humidity and she found that she absolutely hated it. She glanced at Jack and saw beads of sweat forming at his temple and was glad she wasn't the only one; she didn't reach out to take his hand again, and he didn't either.

They passed by Mavis' house and Sam interrupted Ruby's story about her husband's bout with the flu. "Uh..Ruby, is the BBQ not at Mavis' house?"

Ruby stopped and turned around with a smile. "There were so many people who wanted to meet you that we decided to hold it at the Lutheran church. They have a huge grassy area with lots of shade, so we figured that was the perfect spot. Oh, and Eric? They want you to help with the grills, is that ok?"

Jack grinned and nodded. "There's nothing else I'd rather do, Ruby." Ruby smiled back and blushed; she was taken with Jack and it was adorable. Sam rolled her eyes internally as Ruby turned and continued walking; she knew Jack's skill on the grill and started trying to think of a way to tell people about the possibility of a little crispiness to their hamburgers and hotdogs.

As if Jack could hear what she was thinking, he narrowed his eyebrows at her. "What?"

Sam hid a smile behind her hand and looked at him innocently. "Nothing. Nothing at all, Si—Eric."

Choosing to ignore her almost slip, Jack looked at her for a few more seconds then shook his head and sighed. "I'll have you know that I'm an excellent griller. Just ask anyone I've ever grilled for."

She bit back a laugh and looked at him. "I have experienced your "expertise" and I-"

Sam was cut off by a man's voice yelling from behind them. "Ruby! Ruby, wait up!"

They all stopped and turned to see an old man moving slowly towards them with a walker. It was going to take forever for him to reach them. Ruby rolled her eyes and said to them, "That's my husband. He said he wasn't feeling up to going, but it looks as if he's changed his mind. The church is just on the next block over, so why don't you two go on ahead and we'll catch up."

Sam silently thanked the Lord. "Are you sure?"

Ruby nodded as she passed them. "I'm sure, honey. See you soon!"

They both waved and watched Ruby approach her husband. Jack placed a hand on her lower back lightly and began to lead them away from the older couple. "I'm so glad she's not making us wait," he murmured out of the corner of his mouth. "It would be over before we got there."

Sam nodded her head and gave him a small smile. "That's for sure."

They walked the rest of the way in comfortable silence. He didn't remove his hand from her back, but he didn't move it to wrap around her waist or shoulders either. She was beginning to feel a hand shaped sweat spot on her shirt, but she didn't want to say anything to cause him to move it. It was almost as if he was claiming her as his own, and while as a strong woman she didn't particularly care for that, she found that she didn't mind it so much with Jack. He knew how independent she was and accepted that. She wouldn't have ever allowed it with Pete. Again, there wasn't a pang of sadness when Pete entered her thoughts.

OOOOOO

The arrived at the BBQ ten minutes later. They were greeted enthusiastically by many people; Sam noticed that not one of them was under the age of sixty, and there had to be at least 100 people milling about on the green grass. The men led Jack away before he could tell her he was leaving, and Sam watched him go with apprehension. She was being left alone to deal with the onslaught of questions that were sure to come her way. It wasn't Jack's fault, but it still worried her.

They led her to an area were lawn chairs were sitting unoccupied and told her to take a seat. She sat in an ugly green and brown striped chair and prepared herself for the questions to come. About thirty women gathered all around her and smiled. Sam gave them a shy smile, reminiscent of the one she gave the camera when she had been interviewed about the SGC, and introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Audrey."

Most of the women continued to smile politely, but didn't say anything more. "Um..we just moved over by Ruby." Sam shifted in her seat and crossed her legs; they obviously weren't going to make this easy for her.

One older woman with short, poofy hair as white as snow smiled and said, "We're glad you're here. We haven't had a move-in for years." Great. Just great. They were going to be observed closely.

Sam nodded. "Well, we're glad to be here. Ruby's been really helpful."

There were a couple of snorts and another woman spoke up, "Ruby is nosy, and is the neighborhood busy-body." She said it in a teasing matter, and Sam joined in with the laughter.

Sam looked over to where the men were grilling fifty yards away and sent internal daggers at Jack for leaving her to do this. They must not have reached him, because he didn't look her way. Damn.

A woman next to her with many wrinkles and with hair that was dyed brown patted her arm and said in a raspy voice, "So how long have you been married to that hunk?"

Sam bit her lip to stop herself from laughing as she heard other women agreeing with the sentiment. "We've been married for about five years."

And so it went for the next fifteen minutes; she was grilled about everything. There was no holding back. Of course they worded the questions so it didn't sound like an interrogation, but it still felt that way to Sam. She was rescued from answering a particularly embarrassing question about their sex life by Ruby's arrival. Sam stood up quickly and said loudly, "Ruby, so glad you finally made it!"

Ruby sat down in a sweaty mess in a chair to the side and sighed loudly. "I was beginning to wonder if we ever would."

Sam sat back down in her chair reluctantly and braced herself for more questions, but before someone else could ask one, the men approached them carrying plates of food. Jack walked behind her and handed her a plate with a hamburger and some chips, then said quietly so no one could hear, "I wasn't sure what you liked on your hamburger, so I guessed. If you don't like it then I can eat it and you can get your own."

Sam craned her neck to look up at him and smiled. "This is perfect. Thanks."

Jack nodded, then said as he walked away, "I'm going to go make my own. I'll be back." She watched him retreat and had to remind herself not to stare. She pulled her eyes away from Jack's ass and looked around at the group. Everyone was eating and had their mouths full; which was a good thing for Sam because she was tired of talking about herself.

There was small-talk among the group as they ate, but there weren't any other questions directed at Sam. Jack returned a few minutes later and sat down on the grass in front of her. The women began to ask him questions, which he answered smoothly and efficiently. They all finished minutes later and sat back to let their food digest. Jack took her plate and put it on top of his, then set it in front of him on the grass. He didn't touch her or lean into her legs, and Sam worried about him being too distant from her in front of others.

She had just let her guard down when the oldest woman in the group spoke up in a voice so quiet that Sam had a hard time hearing. "Are you two really married?"

Shit. If a ninety-five year old woman could tell they weren't, then they were in trouble. Jack cleared his throat and fake laughed. "Of course we are. Why would you ask that?"

The old woman sat forward a little and narrowed her white eyebrows. "Because you don't ever touch, and you seem shy around each other." Sam didn't think she had been acting shy, but she obviously was. She glanced around the group and saw a few women nod in agreement. They had to do something quickly.

Sam reached forward and ran her hand over Jack's soft hair. "We're just not big on public displays of affection. I promise you that's all it is." Her hand stopped at the nape of his neck, and she left it there and played with the short hairs there with her fingernails. She felt him shudder involuntarily.

Ruby stood up and motioned to Sam with her hand. "Audrey, can I talk to you for a minute. In private?"

Sam nodded and stood up, making sure to run her fingers over Jack's hair as she walked away. She followed Ruby to a big tree twenty feet away, then stood and waited expectantly. Ruby didn't disappoint. "I think you should kiss him."

Sam narrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "I kiss him all the time." She flushed at the thought of actually kissing Jack.

"I don't mean a peck, I mean an all-out kiss, maybe with tongue." She was serious. This old woman wanted her to make out with Jack in front of 100 people.

Sam looked at her incredulously. "What purpose would that serve?"

Ruby rolled her eyes and swatted Sam's arm lightly. "It would shut up the old busy-bodies over there that are gossiping about you. Don't you want them to stop?"

Sam sighed. Ruby had a point. "Ok, fine. I don't have a problem with kissing my husband."

Ruby gave her a piercing look, then finally nodded after a few moments. "Don't do it right away, but do it before everyone leaves."

Sam nodded and shrugged. "Fine by me." She sounded confident on the outside, but was a nervous wreck on the inside.

Ruby patted her arm and walked back to the group. Sam took a deep breath and followed her and returned to her seat. Jack hadn't moved from his spot, but looked at her with something akin to concern in his brown eyes after she sat down. She shook her head and gave him a reassuring smile. She could tell he didn't believe her.

They all sat around for the next fifteen or twenty minutes talking about someone who had recently died until someone announced that it was time for dessert. They all stood up to get some pie, and Sam knew this was her opportunity.

She stood up, then reached down and helped Jack up. He groaned as his back cracked, then she watched as he stretched his arms over his head. Before she could second-guess herself, she grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him down to kiss her.