surprises

Five Surprises
By
Denise

Disclaimer Stargate Sg-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author.

There were only a few times when Jack O'Neill could honestly say that Sam Carter caught him by surprise. He didn't think of her as predicable, and would never use that word in front of her, but he did feel that it was safe to say that he was in tune with her moods…most of the time.

Jack carried dishes in from the dining room, setting them on the counter as Carter raided his scrambled Tupperware collection to put all the left-overs away. He knew better than to remind her that she really didn't need to be doing anything. After all, this was his house and her father's wake and she shouldn't be lifting a finger.

Of course, those were the very same reasons she WAS doing something. She needed to take her mind off of why they were here.

"I hope you're planning to take come of this home," he said, surveying the pile of food. "Because, there's no way I'll go through this before it becomes a science experiment."

She looked at the jumbled assortment of meat and cheese, sandwiches and desserts and sighed. "I don't know when I'd eat it."

"If we weren't catching a hop, I'd take it with us," Jack said, resigning himself to a trashcan full of food. "Maybe I can call Walter and see if he'll take it into the SGC."

"You're going to the cabin?" Sam asked, wiping her hands off with the dish towel.

Jack nodded. "If they're gonna force me to take a job, they're giving me some time off first."

"When your ex-boss calls, with his grandkids in the background, followed by the Commander in Chief…" he shrugged.

Sam chuckled and jack knew that she was well acquainted with their Jaffa friend's issues with Minnesota's insect life. "I don't suppose you have room for one more?" she asked, suddenly fascinated by the dishtowel in her hand.

"You want to come?" he asked, surprised by her request. Five years, he'd been inviting her for five years and she'd never come close to accepting before.

"I just…I don't want to hang around here and I don't want to go off alone. And with you going to DC and Daniel to Atlantis, me to Area 51, I know Teal'c will be heading off world soon so-"

"Carter," he interrupted. "Of course there's room. And I don't mind in the slightest." As he watched, her unease faded and she relaxed. "The hop is at ten hundred. I'll come by and pick you up at 0900. Dress warm and leave your laptop at home."

Jack slowly made his way around the room, a polite expression on his face as he raised his beer. He was surrounded by other officers in uniforms, everything from green, baby-faced lieutenants to more hardened lieutenant generals, the latter flanked by members of their staffs.

This was the part he hated about Washington. The hobnobbing and ass kissing. These receptions were a normal part of life here but, to Jack, seemed to symbolize all that was wrong with this town. People here existed behind a façade, a false front of courtesy and politeness while, underneath, they were just as opportunistic and greedy as the goa'uld.

Spying a man with a chest full of medals, Jack rolled his eyes. 'And just as vain,' he thought.

He glanced at his watch and resigned himself to another half hour before he could make his escape. He looked up and stared, blinking a couple of times to reassure himself that he wasn't seeing things.

Two familiar people walked towards him and Jack grinned. He made his way towards them, not really caring who he walked past.

"General, Carter," Jack greeted, holding out his hand to shake that of George Hammond. "What brings you here?"

"Just in the neighborhood," Hammond said. Jack frowned and looked at Carter, who simply shrugged.

"Right," Jack said, ignoring the fact that Carter was a couple thousand of miles out of the neighborhood. "Can I get you guys something to drink?" he offered, holding up his bottle.

Jack heard Sam snort as he glanced over to see her smothering a laugh. Spying a convenient table, Jack set down his beer and followed Sam and Hammond out of the room. Hammond led them to a waiting car and they got in, Jack and Sam in the back seat while Hammond sat beside the driver. "Dare I ask what's going on?" Jack asked quietly, leaning towards Sam.

"I seem to recall you enjoying some of them," she said, one hand squeezing his leg.
Jack squeezed back, regretting that they weren't alone in the car. The two of them had spent a lot of time together since her their weekend at the cabin. He would stop by her place in Colorado Springs or Las Vegas or she would spend the weekend in DC whenever she could.

'Boyfriend' and 'girlfriend' seemed to be incredibly quaint terms, but the two of them did spend a lot of time with each other, even if they had yet to 'go public'.

He kind of liked it this way. There was less pressure and it allowed them to simply concentrate on themselves. "How long are you staying?" he asked as the wound their way through the streets of DC.

"I need to be back by Tuesday," she said. "We have a couple of meetings about the Odyssey."

"I seriously need to write a memo about the names we're choosing," he complained.

She shrugged and grinned, obviously in the know about something. "If I told you, I'd have to shoot you," she said.

"If you don't tell me, you're going to be sleeping on the couch," he threatened as the car slowly rolled down the driveway.

"Yeah, right," she said, apparently having to fear at all of his threat. "Just be patient, Jack."

The car glided to a stop outside the doors of the West Wing and two men walked down the steps, opening the doors of the car. Jack go out and stood to the side, waiting for Sam to slide out of the seat. "General?" Jack said, turning to Hammond. "Is this something I should know about?"

Hammond glanced at Sam and grinned, confirming Jack's suspicion that the two of them were up to something. "Come on, Jack. We don't want to be late."

The three of them were escorted into the building and Jack decided to just go with it. They walked past a few Secret Service agents and Jack nodded at the couple that he knew. Their escort led them into the e Oval Office and then left them alone.

Jack stared at the two of them, frustrated by their silence. "You blew something up, didn't you?" he asked, turning to Sam.

The side door opened and Jack abandoned his teasing as the President walked in, trailed by an aide. "Jack, George, Colonel, thank you for coming," he greeted.

"Sir," Jack said as he took his turn, then stepped back to allow Carter to do the same.

The five of them stood there for an awkward few seconds before President Hayes clapped his hands. "We should get down to business before I get off schedule and Charlie has a fit." He gestured at his aide.

Hammond stepped forward. "Jack, there were times when I certainly never thought I'd be doing this. In recognition of your years of dedicated service, both officially and unofficially, in light of the sacrifices you've made, willingly and unwillingly. And in acknowledgement of your selfless dedication to this country and this planet, it's my great pleasure to confer upon you the rank of Major General, with all the rights, privileges and conditions within."

Jack stared, his former CO's words washing over him. Sam stepped forward, smiling widely as she reached up and pinned a golden star on one shoulder while George did the other.

President Hayes took a sheet of paper from Charlie. "If you'll raise your right hand and repeat after me."

"That you were up for it? General Hammond called me last month. That you got it? Last week." She kicked off her shoes as she walked and unbuttoned her jacket as Jack did the same.

In the more casual remains of their Class A's, they sat on the couch, Sam folding her legs beneath her. "And you didn't say a word?" he asked, loosening his tie.

"It wouldn't have been much of a surprise if I had told you," she replied, unbuttoning the top buttons of her shirt. "Although, I wish I'd have had a camera to catch the look on your face, Mister Major General," she teased, moving to snuggle into his side. "You don't mind, do you?"

"And I'm glad that I'm here," she said, her fingers slowly unbuttoning his shirt. "You know, I've never slept with a Major General before."

"That's funny, neither have I," he teased as he lowered his head, wrapping his arms around her as he pulled her close, kissing her slowly.

Someone rapped softly on Jack's door and he looked up, pushing his chair back as he realized who it was.

"Nice office," she said, slowly easing herself into a chair as she set a small bag down on the floor.

"It's not quite the E-ring, but it'll do," he said, grabbing a cold bottle of water out of a small refrigerator and handing it to her before he sat down, forgoing his own chair for the visitor's chair next to hers.

She twisted the cap off the water and took a drink, giving Jack a few seconds to study her. To the casual observer, she looked well, if a bit thin and pale. But he noticed things that most wouldn't, including the stiffness in her posture and the faint shadows in her eyes that spoke of dark days and even darker memories.

Jack shrugged. "Technically, Homeworld Security would qualify, but I'd rather be out here. It raises less questions too." There were times when he still couldn't believe that he was here, a two star general running Homeworld Security from an office in the D-ring of the pentagon. Not bad for a guy who had pissed so many people off it was rumored that he'd be court-martialed and dishonorably discharged a decade ago.

Sam nodded and took another drink of her water, clearly preoccupied. "What's up?" he asked. "Cause something tells me that you're not here for business."

"When Cam and I were in that cottage and…" She took a breath and looked at him. "I keep letters on my hard drive. To be sent on if it don't…I told Cam where they were," she confessed.

Jack sighed softly, not surprised by her words. He knew how badly she'd been injured and how close she had come to dying. And if he knew, she knew.

"Just a little," she said, smiling slightly. "And then - later - I remembered when Daniel died."

She ignored his question. "I remember telling him how stupid it was for us to always wait until after a person is gone to tell them how we really feel." She set down the water and reached into her pocket, pulling out a folded envelope.

"Ah," Jack said, staring at the paper. He reached out and took it. "You know, I think we better move this." Jack got to his feet and picked up the phone, telling his aide that he was leaving for the day.

He picked up Sam's bag and ushered her out of his office and towards the parking area. He deliberately walked slow, aware that, while she wouldn't be out of the infirmary if she wasn't okay, it was also easy to overestimate your stamina after being injured.

"Make yourself at home," he invited, leading her through the front door. He heard her go through to the living room and he took a second to hang up his jacket before making his way into the kitchen.

He debated for a second before grabbing a couple bottles of beer out of the fridge. He walked into the livingroom and handed one to her before he sat down in the least uncomfortable chair.

"It came furnished," he said, hopefully explaining the rather formal furnishings.

"I didn't think you were into imitation Ming vases and oil paintings." She took a drink and looked at him expectantly.

"I don't want to read your dying declaration," he said. "I don't want to know what you felt then. I'm a lot more interested in how you feel now."

"Of course you are," she muttered. She got to her feet and took a drink of her beer. "Okay. For the last few years, we've had this thing and we've ignored it and then danced around it and…"

"Played with it," he said, referring to their time at his cabin a year and a half ago. At the time, it had looked like their relationship would move into something more, but it hadn't. And Jack still didn't know if that was because of her feelings or the simple obstacle of two thousand miles and three time zones.

"We had a lot of fun playing with it," she said. "But I think life is too short and I want to stop playing before it's too late." She looked up. "If you are."

Her face fell for a second before she covered it up. "Then I catch the next hop back to the Springs and we kinda forget that this happened."

Jack got to his feet. "And a year from now, when you're not still hurting and spooked and start to regret getting into this?"

"I'm going to feel the same way a year from now that I've felt for the past five. And I would rather regret it not working out than regret never trying. I just know that I can't keep waiting for life to be perfect and for everything to be right because I'll be waiting forever. Perfect isn't going to happen so I'm looking forward to real."

"I think I can handle real," he said, walking towards her. He held his arms open and she walked into them. He hugged her as she leaned into him and he took a moment to simply enjoy the fact that she was here and alive. "How long are you staying?" he asked.

"Then overnight it is. Why don't you go change into something comfortable while I order us some dinner and we'll just chill out here and relax tonight. We'll worry about tomorrow, tomorrow."

Jack pushed through his front door, a small Styrofoam box in one hand, his keys in the other. He set the box down beside the keys and pulled his mail out of his coat pocket.

"Trash, trash, trash and trash," he muttered as he flipped through it. He set it aside to be dealt with later. He hung his uniform jacket up in the closet and loosened his tie, pulling it from around his neck as he made his way into the kitchen.

He pulled a beer out of the fridge and twisted the cap off, sighing as his eyes landed on the calendar. "Happy birthday to me," he said, raising the beer up in a mock toast. He took a second drink and set the bottle down, pulling open the drawer that contained his collection of take out menus.

He knew that he didn't have to be alone tonight. All it would have taken is a few words and he could be at a restaurant, 'partying' with his peers.

But he hadn't wanted that. Even to the point that he's warned his aide a few weeks ago that he wanted to surprises. No balloons. No silliness.

And she'd followed his orders to a T, doing nothing more than convincing the cafeteria manager to bake him a small cake - which was what he'd brought home in the box. He wasn't in the mood for a party and socializing. He just wanted to chill and relax.

He knew that everyone thought his unwillingness to party stemmed from the typical 'getting older' depression. But they were wrong. Jack had no real issue with getting older. His reluctance stemmed more from who wasn't going to be at the party.

Even as much as he was proud of her and her command of Atlantis, he missed her horribly.

A few months ago, Area 51 had seemed so far away, but it now felt like just down the block compared to another galaxy.

"You mean, other than the fact that the last time you glared that hard, Ba'al was in the room?"

"Don't 'Carter' me," she interrupted. "This isn't your second standing here, this is your girlfriend-"

"Who just signed up for a year's assignment in another damn galaxy," he said, giving into his frustration.

Jack glared at her for a second, barely resisting the urge to get up and storm out of the room. But he couldn't do that. This was his office, and he didn't storm out of his own office. "I'm pissed because here I thought we were going to try and work on something and you go off and take an assignment about as far away as you can get. Hell, we won't even be able to call each other without ten people knowing about it. And that's just the techs."

"I know," she said, sitting down. "Jack, if this bothered you this much, why didn't you say something?"

"I don't know," he said. "As soon as I saw your name on the list…I tried to stay out of it."

"And it never even occurred to you that I might say yes?" she said. "That maybe you could call and we could talk and -"

"And your phone was broken?" he interrupted. "You couldn't call and say 'Hey hon, guess what happened?'"

"I want this," she said softly. "I'm…Jack, I've spent years following your orders. And that was fine, because I learned more from you than from anyone else. But then you moved on and took Hammond's place and I thought, okay, I get to lead."

"But it stayed the three of us and I led on paper. You," she pointed at him. "You even sent SG-3 to baby-sit us. So when you moved here, I went to Area 51 and I got to lead, for real. And it felt great. We were making fantastic strides and advancements and then the phone rings and I'm back at the SGC. And then I'm on SG-1 and I'm answering to some guy that's never even SEEN the gate before."

"Jack, just because we knew each other and that we're friends doesn't mean that it wasn't a kick in the ass to have him trying to boss me around."

"So that's what this is? Some temper tantrum because you didn't get the team back?"

"Temper tantrum? You think this is a temper tantrum? You egotistical son of a bitch!" She shot to her feet. "Ten years. I have spent ten years doing what was best for my command, my country, my planet! I am finally going to do what's good for me!"

"Does 'us' even exist? Jack, we've never been out to dinner. The two of us, alone, in a restaurant. You come to the Springs or I come to DC, we do take out. We have fun, we have sex. Sunday night, one of us goes home."

"Maybe it was. But Jack, I want this. I want a command of my own where I'm not just a de facto leader. Where I'm not babysitting some guy with more enthusiasm than sense." She looked at him. "I want a command where I'm not the boss' girlfriend. I want to know that I can do this, even if I only do it for a year, I NEED to do this."

A flash of movement caught his eye and Jack looked up, staring as Sam stepped into the doorway. "Does your boss know where you are?" he asked as she walked towards him, the satin robe she was wearing clinging to her figure.

"I sent him a memo," she said with a shrug. "It's not my fault if he doesn't read it."
She walked into his arms and twisted her arms around his neck. "Happy birthday," she said before she kissed him.

Jack's arms slipped around her waist. He kissed her back, reveling in the feel of her warm, soft body pressed against his. "When did you get in?" he asked as they broke apart.

"This morning. There were some reports that had to be hand delivered. Then I caught a hop, rented a car, hit the mall and here I am."

She gently pushed him down on the sofa and positioned herself between his sprawled legs. "Would you like to unwrap your present now?" she asked, smiling saucily.

Jack reached for the sash of her robe, pulling gently. The slick material slid easily and the crimson robe parted, revealing a long cream colored camisole. She let the robe fall from her shoulders to land in a shimmering pool at her bare feet.

"That's what I've heard," he replied, his breath catching as her hands moved to his waist. She unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his pants. His hands moved to help but she batted them aside. Surrendering to her game, he settled back into the cushions, forcing his hands to remain at his side as she slowly pulled down his zipper.

When her hands grabbed the sides of his trousers, he raised his hips, allowing her to pull his pants down to mid thigh. She looked up at him as her hand cupped his sex, caressing it gently. Jack closed his eyes, focusing on the exquisite sensations of her fingers working his flesh. Stroking and caressing as he felt himself harden in her hands.

"Oh god," he groaned as she took him in her mouth. Her tongue caressed him as she sucked gently and Jack dug his fingers into the cushions, fighting the urge to reach down and hold her head in place. His hips rocked gently as he instinctively sought a rhythm.

She stopped and he opened his eyes, looking down at her. His arousal grew at the sight of Sam, kneeling before him, her pink lips stretched around his penis, her long hair tousled around his face and falling around her nearly bare shoulders.

Through the thin fabric of her camisole, her nipples poked pertly, silently announcing her own arousal. Her hands reached for his and their fingers interlocked as she again lowered her head, her teeth scraping against his engorged flesh. "God woman, you're gonna kill me."

She chuckled and the vibrations sent more pleasure rocketing up his spine. "Get up here," he said, knowing that he had nearly reached his limit. She ignored him and Jack pulled on her hands. "I don't want it to end this way," he said, struggling to speak. "Now get your ass up here."

"I don't think my ass is what you want," she said, her mouth releasing his penis. She licked her lips and grinned at him.

With his assistance, she got to her feet and carefully climbed onto the couch. He closed his legs and she straddled them, her knees by his hips. "Wanna go for a ride, little girl?"

"Just no fighting over who gets to drive," she said, bracing herself with one hand on his shoulder as her other slipped between them. She guided his penis to her opening and then put her hand on his other shoulder as she looked him into the eyes. Their gazes remained fixed as she slowly slid onto him, finally stopping when she had taken him fully inside her.

She sighed and looked at him for a second before moving her hands from his shoulders to the sides of his head. She lowered her head and took his mouth with hers. Jack happily kissed her back, his own hands finding their way to her breasts.

He caressed them through the soft material of her camisole, smiling as her nipples hardened under his palm. "It's all about the boobs, isn't it?" Sam asked, breaking the kiss. She smiled and he knew that she enjoyed it as much as he did.

"I'm not that complex," he said, making her gasp as he pinched one nipple slightly.

She released his head and applied herself to his shirt, quickly unbuttoning it. She ran her own fingers through his sparse chest hair and tickled his belly, gasping when he tweaked her nipple again.

"Impatient," she said, even as he moved her hands back to his shoulders, using them to brace herself as she lifted and slid back down, moaning slightly.

She continued to rock back and forth and Jack took advantage of her concentration to slip his hands under her camisole and to find her breasts again. He massaged them as she rode him, her breath coming in fast, panting gasps. He could feel his own arousal peaking and he closed his eyes, concentrating on holding it back as long as he could.

"Come on, sweetheart, let go," he said, his right hand abandoning her breast to slide between them, finding her magical bundle of nerves. Knowing that her orgasm would trigger his own, he flicked her clitoris with his thumb, reveling in her harsh cry as she clenched around him, her fingers digging into his shoulder.

He felt his own release begin and he closed his eyes, his hips rocking once, twice, a third time before his own orgasm rolled over him and he cried out. She flopped down on him, even as her muscles milked him.

"Not bad for an old man," he said, once the tremors had stopped and his breathing slowed.

"Not bad at all," she said, lifting her head to peck him on the cheek before she nuzzled into his neck. "And enough with the old talk."

Jack traced his hand up and down her back, slowly caressing her as she moaned softly, clearly content. "Guess what?"

"Perfect?" She lifted herself off his chest and looked him in the eyes. "Should I be offended? What else would it take to make this night perfect?"

Jack leaned back on the sofa, idly amused by the sight of snow falling outside. Sam's house was quiet and he was enjoying the peace of no TV or radio. Just the normal noises of Sam puttering upstairs as she got ready for bed.

He was glad that they'd decided to spend the holiday in Colorado Springs. Sam's small house felt more like a home than his rented townhouse ever would. That homey feeling was only enforced by Jack being able to touch base with his old friends during his ten day vacation spanning both Christmas and New Years.

He and Sam had gone out to dinner with Daniel and Vala - now there was a definite case of 'opposites attract' - and they'd put in an appearance at Landry's annual open house. eyond that, they had just spent time with each other. Going out to the movies and dinner a few times.

"We're going to have to shovel in the morning," Sam said as she joined him. She sank down on the couch, amusingly wrapped up in fleece pajamas and robe. He found it funny that she would basically get dressed twice, first putting on warm loungewear, then stripping down to something lighter to sleep in.

"Don't you have a neighborhood kid I can pay to do it?" he asked. "Contribute to the local economy."

"Mister Kelso should do it. His wife is the person that checks the house every few days."
Unlike some officers on long term deploys, Sam hadn't chosen to sublet her house, instead she simply paid a local couple who kept an eye on the place a few days a week as a way to augment their retirement.

She settled in beside him and Jack slipped his arm around her shoulders. "I so don't want to go back to work," he said, actually dreading the prospect.

"Can't say that I do either," she said. She sighed and Jack glanced over at her, frowning when she remained silent.

She looked up at him and smiled slightly. "You could say that," she said. "My tour in Atlantis is up in a month and a half. I'm not staying."

"I was going to wait until Tuesday and do this officially but…hey, boss, you need to find me a replacement." She smiled ruefully.

"Sam, you know what it looks like when you only do a year," he said. He'd never considered that she'd only do a year in Atlantis. Even with the injuries she'd sustained and the trials connected with her time as the commander of the city, he'd known that she'd do at least two years before rotating back home. If not longer.

In fact, he'd even contemplated looking into doing a little time in the city himself. Maybe see if the escalation of events in the Pegasus galaxy necessitated the assignment of a flag level officer to the city.

"Yeah, it looks like I took the assignment under duress and didn't want to be there. Or it looks like you think I screwed things up so badly you basically 'fired' me to get me back home," she finished with a shrug. "I don't care. I want to rotate back in February. Six weeks should be enough time to find someone to take over."

"I'm pregnant," she interrupted, her words stopping his tirade. A broad grin crept over hear features. "Your, aah, birthday present was the gift that keeps on giving and-"

"I was still trying to believe it myself," she said. "And I knew if I told you you would tell Daniel who'd tell Vala who'd tell everyone and…I'm not ready for everyone to know yet. Not….for another couple of months, not until…not until it's safe."

Jack nodded, understanding her fear. He and Sara had done the same thing when she'd become pregnant with Charlie.

"I'll call Tuesday, we'll get someone on TDY until we can find a replacement," Jack said, his mind already working on likely candidates.

"Protocol is for all pregnant women to rotate out of a front line facility. Atlantis is not a front line facility," she interrupted.

"The hell it's not," he said. "The city's been relocated, I can't remember how many times the Wraith have attacked it, not to mention the Replicators, and let's not forget the multitude of funky alien viruses."

"Six weeks, Jack. My tour is over in six weeks. I'll go back, start finishing things up. As soon as you find a replacement, you send him, I'll brief him, come back here, brief you and it's over. Besides, the city is perfectly safe for pregnant women. Teyla-"

"That's because she went off world and Michael kidnapped her. I'm not going to go off world, and since I don't have any Wraith DNA in my blood, he really doesn't care about me."

"And if I was at the SGC and still on SG-1 and told my CO that I was pregnant, what would you do?" she asked. "You would take me off of field duty and I'd be flying a desk. Which is exactly what I'll be doing at Atlantis."

Jack closed his eyes and sighed as he pushed his hand through his hair. He wanted her to stay home. He wanted her to stay right here and he wanted to hold her close and protect her and…"I don't want you to get hurt," he said. "I don't…a baby, huh?"

She grinned and reached out to take his hand. She slid it under her robe and held it against her flat belly. "A baby," she said. "I just want to finish my tour, Jack. Then I want to come home and take a leave of absence, and figure out where we're going to put a nursery, and go shopping for baby clothes and cute little shoes. And I want to enjoy getting fat and making you go get me ice cream at 0300 and…and if I never put my uniform on again, I won't care. Because I'm going to have the baby and I'm going to have you and…I am going to have you?" she asked, her good mood fading as insecurity washed over her. "Because, I mean, I know that this is unexpected and complicated and-"

"Sam." He pulled his hand from off her belly and grabbed her shoulders. "Don't even ask that. Of course, you have me. You both do and we'll figure it out," he said. "We're gonna have a baby," he said, a goofy grin splitting his face.

"Will you marry me?" he blurted out, enjoying the shock that flashed across her face. "I wasn't going to ask until you were back but…"

"How about if we get married as soon as I come back," she countered. "Tomorrow we'll go and find a dress and you'll throw your rank around and call dibs on the Academy Chapel and seven weeks from now, we're gonna get married," she planned.

"Tomorrow we're going to go buy a ring and a dress," he corrected. "And tonight…"

"Tonight, I want to show you just how much I love you," she said, moving in to kiss him.