Sam's Date by Mandarax

Summary – Sam tells Jack about her conversation with Barrett in the truck in Ex Dues Machina. Can be a follow up for my story Dues Ex Machina, but can also stand alone.

Author's Note – yet another challenge issued by Samfan9. Hope you like this one too

Disclaimer – Still not mine. I only borrow.

Rated T

***

Sam rolled onto her back and sighed contently, a soft smile playing at her lips. She curled her fingers around Jack's on the bed between them before bringing his fingers to her lips and pressing a soft kiss to his knuckles.

"God, I missed you," she said, keeping their entwined hands on her heart.

"Hmmmm, I missed you too," he drew small circles with his thumb on her hand. "I love it when you beam in out of nowhere." He grinned at her.

She hadn't called ahead to let him know she was coming. Instead, she had the Prometheus drop her off in the middle of his living room. He was on the couch, watching an episode of the Simpsons when she materialized. He spun around and his face turned up into a smile when he realized it was her. As soon as she was fully molecular in front of him he pulled her into his arms and kissed her senseless.

Nearly three hours later, as they lay together in bed, he pulled her closer into his warmth.

"This is so much better than what I had planned for my evening," he murmured.

She chuckled, "what, better than watching the Simpsons movie for the 50th time?"

"Actually the Simpsons sixth season Halloween special. But yes, definitely better." He dropped his head to her shoulder and kissed her tenderly. "So how did you get Pendergast to drop you off here?"

"He owed me a favor," she said softly. "I was in the neighborhood, anyway, chasing cloned Ba'als in Bethesda, Virginia."

He nodded. "Yes, I know. NID, a bunch of clones, blowing up buildings in space…"

"Nothing gets by you, huh? Big general head of homeworld security," she chuckled.

"Got to keep an eye on you, you know. You tend to run off into space and get stuck there every once in a while."

The smiled hadn't disappeared from her lips or her eyes. "But I always come back."

"You better, it's really hard to fly a desk out to the Pegasus galaxy." He said, trying to keep a straight face. "I should know, I tried."

She giggled at her husband. He kissed her temple.

"Now, Colonel Carter, can I have that report on your mission?"

"Yes, sir," she even saluted, though the effect of the gesture was lost when her hand got stuck under the covers and both laughed.

She gave him the technical details of the mission – the Ba'al clones, destroying a building in space, the cover story that was provided, the progress of the free Jaffa and Gerak's control of the council.

"This doesn't excuse you out of actually writing the report, you know. I'm not going to remember any of this with you naked in bed with me, Colonel."

She giggled again, a sound which he loved. "You should already have it on your desk, Sir. I sent it in before beaming down."

"Ahh." He said. "Smart, Carter. Smart."

She gave him a smile that lit up the room.

"How was the time with Barrett?" he asked, and he sounded half serious, if it weren't for the trail of kisses he was leading down the exposed expanse of her neck.

"Awkward," she answered honestly.

He pulled back to look at her, an eyebrow raised. "Why? Did he ask you out again?"

"No, but he was going to."

The beginning of a smile was forming on her husband's lips. "Really?"

She swatted his shoulder. "It was really uncomfortable, Jack. Just the two of us alone in that NID truck. And I hadn't seen him since the Pete thing. He was kind of trying to work out how to ask me, but he wasn't really sure how to do it so he asked about everything else instead."

"Like what?"

"Like what I'd been up to, and about Area 51, and Cassie's thing at college, and the Prometheus and the Ori…"

"Colonel Carter, were you trying to stall?"

"Yes, sir, I most definitely was."

"Oh. Okay. Go on."

"Anyway, he finally asked how things were with Pete."

Jack made a cringing face which made her laugh.

"Exactly!"

"What did you tell the man?"

"I told him we broke up, and Jack, I swear he was happy."

"I was happy when you broke up with Pete, Sam." He was gloating.

"There's just a tiny little bit of a difference between you two."

"Yeah, what's that?"

"I broke up with Pete because of you. Malcolm Barrett? Not so much."

He was humming as he pulled her even closer into his arms.

"Then he asked if I was single again."

"Did you show him the ring?" His eyes lit up. Jack knew she kept the wedding band on her dog-tags, it was necessary in her line of work in the front lines. When she was with him, when she wasn't on base, when she was off duty, when they were at home together, she put the ring on her finger. And he loved when she showed it to people. It was the possessive side of him.

"No, I didn't."

He gave her a disappointed pout.

"But I did tell him I was married. And when I told him who I married he ohhhed us."

He rolled her ring on her finger. "He ohhed? What is there to ohhh about?"

She shrugged. "Then Daniel, who will now forever be my hero, saved me from answering any more awkward questions."

"Daniel and hero in the same sentence? Really? That geek?" Jack's best friend was a hero to them all and he knew it.

Sam grinned at him.

"So Mrs. O'Neill, how long do I have the pleasure of having my wife with me for?"

She pretended to think. "Let's see. General Landry gave me until Monday morning. So unless you can get me a beam transport to the SGC on Monday at 07:00, I should take a flight back on Sunday evening."

"Sweet!" He gave her a mischievous smile. "I can show you off at the dinner thingy I was invited to tomorrow."

"Dinner thingy?"

"Yeah, a buddy of mine from work invited me over for dinner; he said it's just too pathetic that I'm all alone on a Friday night."

"Can't you cancel it, Jack?" She moaned. She'd much rather spend her weekend off with him alone.

"No, I don't think I can. But you'll like him, he's a good guy. Good sense of humor. Lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, if I remember correctly."

She laughed again as he pulled her to him and rolled her beneath him.

"So what do you say, will you be my date at a presidential dinner party?" Barrett may not have been able to get a date out of her, but he certainly will.

Her only response was to capture his lips and wrap her arms around his neck.

He thought he'd take that as a yes.