“NO, Daniel.” Lt. Colonel Sam Carter had tried to be nice.  She tried to be patient.  She even tried to be evasive but that just wasn’t getting it done.  “I have too much work to do.”

“Sam,” Daniel pleaded, “It’ll only be 2 hours.  Please!  Sarah doesn’t know anyone else in Colorado Springs.  I’m begging here.”

His plaintive tone was wearing on her nerves and like any parent would, she decided that this hill was not worth dying on.  “Fine,” she said with a weary sigh.  “But you owe me…big.”

“I do, I will, I promise.  Thank you so much.  I’ll just call Sarah and let her know you’ll meet her there in an hour.”  He rushed out, leaving Sam shaking her head and trying to deal with the fact that her paperwork for the General would not be done on time.

~*~*~*~

Jack was dying.  No one could see it but it was true.  He was slowly being choked to death by paperwork and bureaucratic phone calls, not to mention the heavy responsibility of waiting on the sidelines while SG teams walked the razor’s edge out through the Gate. 

He was just surly enough to think how much it sucked to get “rewarded” this way for saving the planet…repeatedly.  Sure, when Dr. Weir had casually dropped the phrase “Brigadier General Jack O’Neill” on him, he had felt a rush of satisfaction, but that was before. 

Before he had to step into the very big shoes of General George Hammond. 

Before he had to deal with seeds that turned into jungles over night in the corridors of the SGC. 

Before he had to deal with Presidential spies and mess hall screw ups. 

Before he had to send colleagues into danger and friends nearly to their deaths. 

Being Brigadier General Jack O’Neill wasn’t looking so hot from this side of the decision and that really pissed Jack off.

“Where the hell is that report Carter was working on?” he mumbled, searching through the files scattered on his desk.  “Damn it!  WALTER!”

Before the echo of the bellow died Sergeant Walter D. Harriman was standing beside his desk.

“Where’s the-”

“File that Colonel Carter was working on?  She hasn’t finished it yet.”

“But she-”

“Said she’d have it on your desk by tonight?  She will.  Apparently she’s doing a favor for Dr. Jackson so it will be a little later than she thought.”

“Favor?  What-”

“Favor?  I don’t know, but I’ve paged his lab and he should be here any-” Walter paused as a knock sounded and then Daniel peaked his head around the door.  “-minute.”

“What’s up, Jack?”

“I wanna ask you something,” Jack said, holding up a finger to forestall any comments, and turned back to the Sergeant. “Walter.”

He stopped, one foot outside the door already.  “Yes, sir?”

“That thing you’re doing-”

“Finishing your sentences?”  And Jack nodded.  “Yes, sir?”

“It’s creepy.  Stop it.”

“Yes, sir.  I’ll just --”

“--shut the door, thank you, Walter.”

Daniel’s attempt to hide his grin did not make Jack any happier.

“Daniel,” Jack kept his voice bland.  “I’m sitting here, waiting for a very important report that The Powers That Be are curious about, and I’m told that the very person who is SUPPOSED to have written that report, has not only NOT written it, but is also currently not even on the BASE, because she is doing a FAVOR…for you.” 

Jack paused there to let the tone start to sink in.  Sure enough, Daniel started to squirm.

“Where’s Carter, Daniel, and what is she doing?”  If he hadn’t been stretched so thin, he never would have made an issue of it, but he really needed to blow off some steam and Daniel was a convenient target just now.

Daniel winced, cleared his throat, and then found his hands very fascinating.  “She’s with Sarah.”

“Sarah?”

“Sarah Gardner.”

“OSIRIS - Sarah?”

“Jack!  You know that the Tok’Ra separated Osiris from her nearly 2 years ago.”

“Yeah, yeah.  I want to know what they’re doing.”

Daniel swallowed audibly. “I can’t tell you.”   He could obviously sense Jack’s mood because he quickly continued, “I promised Sam that if she did this favor I wouldn’t tell anyone.  Not even you, Jack.”

Jack narrowed his eyes.  Daniel really wasn’t going to tell him, he could see it in the set of his jaw and the tension in his shoulders.  **Aw, crap.**  “Fine.  Get out of my office,” he said wearily, suddenly losing all interest in a fight.

Daniel rose and turned to leave, pausing at the door.  “You look like hell, Jack.  You should go home and get some rest.”

Jack just waved him off.  He didn’t bother to tell Daniel that he couldn’t leave until that report was done and relayed through the red phone to his boss, the President of the United States.  Being Brigadier General Jack O’Neill sucked.

~*~*~*~

Sam strode with purpose down the corridors of the SGC.  She had done Daniel’s “2 hour” favor and it had taken her another hour to shake off Sarah so she could get back to the SGC to finish her report. 

It wasn’t that she didn’t like Sarah; it’s just that the two of them were so different.  Sarah was so…feminine.  Sam had a feminine side, too.  After all, that was exactly the side she had been exploring with Pete.  But after a while it got to be too damn hard to maintain it, which is why the operative words were “had been”.

With Pete a pleasant memory, Sam turned back to her one true constant:  work.  Which inevitably brought her back to the General.  Sighing, she climbed the stairs to his office and knocked on his door.  When no one answered she walked around the hall to the briefing room and peeked through the star chart that acted as a wall for his office and shook her head.

General Jack O’Neill was asleep at his desk.

She eased the door open and stuck her head in.  “General?” she said softly.

When he didn’t stir she slid into the room and quietly shut the door.  Keeping her voice gentle she tried again.  “Sir?”

Nothing.  Sam’s concern grew.  She had never known the Colonel…no, the **General**, to sleep through even a stealthy approach, and she hadn’t been that stealthy.  She crossed the distance to him, stepping easily around his desk and lightly placed her hand on his shoulder.

He was warm and solid, just like she remembered.  But he still didn’t wake.  She wanted to shake him, to make sure he was okay, but decided to take the opportunity to really study him…something she couldn’t do often. 

Even asleep, he looked tired and drawn.  Sitting behind a desk was aging him faster than facing the business end of a staff weapon. 

Sam could see the writing on the wall. 

She saw it the day Daniel half-jokingly said that perhaps Jack should have ordered the strike on the Teltac that had been controlled by The Trust, even though she and he had still been aboard.  She heard it in his flatly replied “Yeah” as he turned and walked away. 

Jack wouldn’t last much longer.

She didn’t know how she felt about it, though.  Seeing him at work, sharing the discoveries with him, and the challenges, this was what kept her looking forward to each new day.  If he wasn’t there she feared that her “exciting career” would turn into a “demanding job” with little or no joy.

She shook off the mood and concentrated on Jack. If she left him like that, he would be so sore in the morning he might be running the SGC from the infirmary. Resting one hand on his back, trailing the other down his arm from shoulder to elbow, she leaned in and whispered “Jack” in his ear. 

It was a little word…Jack.  But always such a big deal to say.  If anything would bring him out of where he was, this would.

And it did.

He twitched, but didn’t lift his head.  “Sam?”  His voice was husky with sleep and she had to swallow before she could answer.

“Yes, sir.”

He groaned, his breath rustling the papers on his desk.  She reached around him, sliding one hand between his head and the desk and lifted.  As she did, she brought her other hand to the back of his neck and gently massaged the muscles so they wouldn’t protest the movement as much.  She had fallen asleep at her workstation enough times to know the agony a move like this would be without help.

His eyes stayed closed even as another groan escaped his lips.  “Oh, god.”

“Okay, sir?”

“I’ll be fine.   In a minute.  Ugh, what time is it?” he said, squinting in the light of the office.

“0200. You should be home in bed.”

“I could say the same to you.”  He closed his eyes, shook his head, then popped one eye open to look at her.  “Carter…do you smell apples?”

**Ah, damn it!**

“Are you blushing, Carter?” he asked, both eyes wide open now.

“Uh…Daniel…hmmm…Daniel asked me to do him a favor.”

“And this explains apples how?”

Stepping around his desk, she lowered herself into the chair across from him.  The move gave her enough time to consider her options.  She could have evaded or lied but she was just too damn tired to bother.

“Sarah Gardner wanted to go to a spa while she was in town and Daniel asked me to take her, since she doesn’t really know anyone in the area.  The apple smell is an aromatherapy balm intended to alleviate stress.”

He arched a brow.  “Does it work?”

“I don’t know.  Aromatherapy is gonna be hard pressed to alleviate the kind of stress I’m under every day.  But…it made both Sarah and Daniel happy, so I guess it worked for them,” she said with a tired smile.

Jack sighed.  “I hate to do this to you…but I need that report.”

Sam waved her hand at the file she had dropped next to him when she had tried to wake him.

“Done?”  When she nodded her head, his brows creased.  “How am I supposed to light a fire under you when you drive yourself harder than I do?  Don’t answer that.”

Good thing he said that, cause her mind had gone south and that was NOT professional.  Her relationship with Pete may not have stuck but it certainly managed to remind her of the joys of the physical.  And lately, especially when she was tired, anything and everything could turn her mind to visions of her rolling in the sheets with her commanding officer.

**Get a GRIP!**

“Sir, if it’s all the same to you, I’m gonna go home.  The team has down time coming and Daniel would like to spend some time with Sarah.  I know I could sure use a day to sleep in.”

“Alright.  The next two days are light anyway.  I’ll be giving Reynolds the reins for a test.  Let me get this report on its way and I’ll walk you to your car.”

“Okay.”  She was just too tired to argue the fact that she didn’t need a body guard, certainly not in the parking lot of a top secret facility.  Besides, she didn’t mind letting her sleepy brain wander, picturing him in his civvies.  She could even imagine the feel of his arm around her as they walked in the brisk morning air to their cars.  She didn’t realize she’d drifted off until Jack was shaking her awake.

“You sure you don’t want to just crash on-base?”

“No, I just want to go home.  You know I’m not that far.  I’ll be fine.”  His expression told her that he doubted that.

“Look, I’ll drive you home.”  Before she could do more than shake her head and draw a breath to argue he was going on.  “I’ll have an SF bring your car home so you’ll have it for your downtime, but you’re really in no shape to drive.”

She lifted an eyebrow. “And you are?  Excuse me, sir, but I just found you here…sleeping on your desk.  And you have farther to go than I do.”

“Carter, we’re both stubborn people.  Don’t make me order you.”  His tone was almost joking.  Almost.  But she could see the determined look behind his tired eyes and knew it was time to be flexible.  Besides, it’s not like it was a hardship, being with him for the extra time it would take to get home.

“Alright, sir.  I’m not gonna bother changing, but I do need to stop by the locker room to pick up my things.”

~*~*~*~

**What an idiot!**

Five minutes after Carter was buckled into his truck, Jack was silently cursing himself.  He had bullied her into letting him take her home and now, as she sat dozing in the passenger seat, he acknowledged the truth of her words.  He was in as bad a shape as she was. 

He shook his head for the umpteenth time to banish the stupor that was fogging his brain.  He wanted to put the windows down so the chill fresh air would blow the cobwebs out of his mind, but that would be like admitting weakness.  Besides, the apple scent that clung to Sam was so soothing and appealing **Huh, no pun intended** that he didn’t want to blow it away.

 The third time he had to wrestle the truck back into its own lane he swallowed his pride and cracked the window.  It helped…marginally, and they made it safely to her house.

He threw the truck into park and let his head flop back on the seat, turning slightly to see Sam.  His heart constricted.  She was sleeping with her head pillowed against the window, trusting him to get them home safely.  He knew that he should reach over to wake her, but he just couldn’t seem to get his arm to cooperate.  He had a moment to think how beautiful she was when she slept, and how lucky Pete was, before he was sliding into sleep wrapped in the smell of apples.

~*~*~*~

The sky was just beginning to lighten when a gentle shaking woke him.  "Jack.  Come on, it's cold out here," came the groggy voice.  Forcing his eyes open, he tried to orient himself.  He was cold and his legs had fallen asleep but it was the silence in the cab of the truck that brought him fully awake.

He shifted in his seat sending fire shooting down his back and across his shoulders.  "Ahhh.  Crap." 

"Well, you didn't kill us at least.  Come inside.  I have a couch that's a lot more comfortable than this truck.  And warmer, too."

"Nah, I'm good.  I'll just… Ah, shit," he muttered, noting the fuel gauge.  **Just how long had they been "resting" in the truck?**

Sam turned at the muttered curse and took in the situation with a glance.  She snorted softly and shook her head.  “Neither of us is any shape to deal with this now.  We’ll sort it out later.”  She opened the door and the brisk air that flooded the cab set his weary muscles to trembling. 

**God, had he ever been this tired before?** 

He sent a nasty look at the illuminated E on the fuel gauge before he yanked out his keys and followed Sam into her house.

~*~*~*~

“Carter, I appreciate the offer, but I should just call Triple A and have them bring some gas.”

“Fine.”  Her clipped tone told him he was being an ass, but he couldn’t help it.

“Look, I don’t want to seem ungrateful, but don’t you think Pete might get the wrong idea if he found me sleeping on your couch?”  And with the dawn Jack realized that was a distinct possibility.  So her next words shook him.

“Pete is a non-issue.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“The engagement is off.  And I am too tired to get into this conversation right now, so if you’re staying, tell me, so I can get you a pillow and a blanket.  Otherwise, I’m just gonna go collapse on my bed.”

**“The engagement is off.”  Just the **engagement**?  Or…?  You can bet your sweet six I’ll be stickin around to hear THAT story.**

“Thanks, the couch’ll be fine.”

~*~*~*~

Jack woke to bright sunlight and the sound of Carter humming in her kitchen.  Muscles protesting, he swung his feet off the couch and followed the tempting aromas of coffee and food.

He felt grungy and stiff and capable of downing an entire pot of coffee, but seeing Sam in her kitchen had him stopping in his tracks.  He eased his aching shoulder to the wall and just watched her work.  He had once heard her say, many years ago, that she was useless in the kitchen.  That she couldn’t even boil water.  And here she was making enough bacon and eggs to feed an army.  Her movements were economical, efficient, but to Jack they were also graceful.

**When was the last time someone cooked breakfast for him?**

A stillness came over her as if she sensed him. Then she turned her head to toss a small smile over her shoulder.  “Sleep well?”

“Just peachy,” he said, grimacing as he tried to stretch the kinks out.

She grinned. “I admit, it’s not the Ritz, but it’s also not the floor of a Teltac.”

He chuckled.  “There is that.”  When she turned back to the stove Jack noticed the clock.  “It can’t be 3:00 in the afternoon!”

“Yeah, we were both pretty wiped out.  An SF dropped off my car about half an hour ago and Triple A was already here to gas up your truck.”

His “Very efficient, Carter.” brought a smile to her face.

The table was already set so he poured them both some coffee while she dished out the fresh cooked eggs, then got the bacon out of the oven, where it had been warming.  Years of working together gave the meal a comfortable feel and not a lot was said. 

When Jack had cleared his plate he grabbed his coffee cup and sat back to watch Sam finish her meal.  He was always fascinated by the way she ate.  She didn’t go so far as to divide her meal into compartments, but each forkful was carefully chosen and, though she probably didn’t even notice it, almost exactly the same size.

When she finished her last bite, she laid her utensils on her plate, crossing her knife and fork over each other, and picked up her coffee as well.

“So…” she said.

“So.” Pause. “You and Pete. Non-issue.  Explain.”

“I thought that might get your attention.”  **And was that a smirk on her lips?** Then her expression clouded.  “I don’t know if you know this but Pete bought a house for us.” Pause. “Without consulting me.”  Pause. “Then proceeded to tell me how our life together would be.”

All Jack could do was stare.

“He’s a nice guy but he just can’t stop seeing me as…a woman.”

“Uh, I hate to break it to you, Carter, but you *are* a woman.”

She shot him a testy look.  “Yes, I *am* a woman.  But I am also a Doctor of Astrophysics and an officer in the United States Air Force.”

“Not to mention all the times you saved the planet.”

Her grin was short lived.  “Anyway, he just seemed to keep thinking of me as a…a…a girl!”

Jack chuckled at the snide turn of her voice.  “Think it chaffed his ass that your job was more important than his, in the grand scheme of things?”

Sam snorted.  “I hadn’t thought of that, but, probably, yeah.”

“So, when did this happen?”

“A couple of weeks ago.”  She sighed.  “Actually, I probably should’ve told you sooner but…”

“But?”

“I know it’s stupid, but I…”

“Spit it out, Carter.”

“I thought you were too busy with Kerry,” when he would have protested, she held up a hand to forestall him, “and I didn’t think it was fair to throw your life into turmoil.”  She lowered her eyes to her hands.  “I’m glad you found someone who makes you happy, Jack. You deserve it.”

He sat there stunned for a minute.  **Had she just called him “Jack”?**  He swallowed.

“I could argue that point, but the fact of the matter is, I’m not seeing Kerry anymore.”  When her head snapped up, he said, “And you just called me ‘Jack’.”

“Why?”

“Why did you call me ‘Jack’?” he teased.

“Don’t be dense, *Sir*,” she shot back.  After a pause, “Why aren’t you seeing Kerry anymore?”

“Ah, that.”  He blew out a breath and figured, in for a penny, in for a pound.  “She informed me that I was in love with someone else.”

Her eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open but not a sound came out.

**Interesting to see Carter speechless,** he thought, grinning to himself.

“She then went on to say how I could run the SGC just as well as a civilian consultant, kinda like Weir did.”  He waited for that to sink in, stretching his aching muscles in a vain attempt to relieve some of the pain.

“So?” she whispered.

He met her gaze with a direct look.  This had been a long time in coming.  And he was tired of trying to control whatever it was they had; tired of hiding from it; and most of all, tired of the gnawing in his gut that said time was running out for them.

**All you can do is tell her, Jack, ole boy.  Tell her…and let her do with it what she wants.**

He took a calculated breath and was proud to hear that his voice remained level.  "Well, I was thinking about it, but it didn't make any difference, considering the person I'm accused of being in love with was engaged to another man.” He paused. “Or so I thought."

When she didn’t respond, he sat back in his chair and studied her, absently rubbing his still aching neck.  Though she wouldn’t meet his eyes anymore, that patented “Thoughtful Carter” look was on her face, the one that said she had a question she was just dying to ask but didn’t know if she should.  She also appeared to be breathing just a little bit faster than usual.  When she took a deep breath, he braced for her words but, instead, she popped out of her chair and hurried out of the kitchen.

**Ah, crap.**

Jack fought the urge to tuck his tail and run with at least a little of his pride still intact.  He was still debating his next move when Sam returned with her head down, carrying a little green handled bag with the logo of a local spa on it.  She dropped it on the table in front of him and took up a position behind his chair.  He tried to turn, to see her face, to catch her expression, but his aching neck didn’t have full mobility. 

It wouldn’t have mattered though, because she reached out, pushing his head gently forward, almost touching his chin to his chest.  He didn’t know what she was up to, but he didn’t put up any protest, either.  Like he had been doing for years with Carter, he took a ‘wait and see’ approach.

He felt her arm brush against his back as she reached for the bag, drawing a small green bottle from it.  He heard the cap snap open and Sam rubbing her hands together and all of a sudden he was surrounded by the smell of apples again.  When her warm, slick hands began rubbing the back of his neck, his eyes rolled up and he groaned, not even trying to hold it in.  “Oooh…that’s…mmm…so…aaah…nice.”

**She was very good with her hands,** he was thinking, when he felt her shift behind him, leaning close to his ear, so close he heard her deep inhale before she whispered, “Are you?”

Her breath tickled his ear and had certain regions of his body remembering what they were created for.  He quickly and ruthlessly curbed his reaction. After all, he’d had years to practice that maneuver.  The massage continued. With each muscle kink she worked out, even with the awareness of her presence, his mind was relaxing.  “Am I what?” he managed.

He heard her swallow.  “Is it just an accusation?  Or are you in love with someone else?”  The words were tentative and a little unsteady.

Trying to ignore the sudden tightening of his chest that was making it difficult to draw breath, he murmured, “I am…”  Her hands paused. “…still.”

He felt a tremor flutter through her hands. He reached up, grasping them in his.  Crossing them over his chest and drawing her body fully against his back, he drew her into an over the shoulders hug.  Threading his fingers through hers he brought the back of her hands, first the right, then the left, to his lips for a brief kiss, breathing in that smell.  He soaked it up for just a moment.  The warmth of her, the softness of her skin, the tantalizing feel of her breasts against his back.

**Careful, Jack.  Nothing’s been resolved yet.**

“I should go,” he said softly, regretfully disentangling himself.  He lingered briefly over their joined hands, feeling the reassuring pressure of her grip, then gently broke the contact and headed for the door.

“Jack?”

He paused with one hand on the knob, turning back.

“Let me know what you decide, ok?”

“Oh, you’ll know.  Trust me, Sam, you’ll know.”

-fin-