Shine a little light
Title: Shine a little light
Author: ardvari
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Sam/Jack
Disclaimer: Not mine.
A/N: Sequel to Riding in Cars with Generals. Christmas party with some gratuitous smut thrown in for good measure. :)
Shine a little light
The house they settle on buying is a hundred year old farmhouse. It has lots of land around it and it’s out of town and closer to the base than any other house they’ve looked at. The property has a row of spruce trees planted around it to shelter it. There is no light pollution and although the roof is too high for a telescope platform, Jack settles on building something in the back yard. There’s enough room to build an entire observatory.
She wouldn’t put it past him to scrap the pond idea and build an observatory instead. Build a floating observatory on the pond. She’s glad that he’ll be occupied with painting for a while because she’s not into a completely beige house and he finds picking colors with her oddly refreshing. Whatever he’s going to build will have to wait until spring.
She usually comes to the house for a couple of hours during the day. She’s busy and works through the nights sometimes, which has always and will forever make him give her a hard time but she does come out here to sit cross legged on the hardwood floor and watch him paint.
They move in just before Christmas and decide that SG-1’s Christmas party will be held at the house because everyone can spend the night. There’s enough room here and Teal’c has promised to come back to Earth for Christmas, too.
It’s going to be a potluck party and they go shopping because Sam wants to make cookies. He pushes the cart through the grocery store and she walks beside him holding up her list. When he goes for groceries by himself he sort of zigzags through the grocery store, lets himself be pushed along by other people until something catches his eye. Like Eggos and toaster strudels.
Sam shops with a purpose and a list and she manages to walk out of the store with only the things on the list and nothing else. She grabs butter and sugar and then stares at the spices with a furrowed brow. She needs cloves and cinnamon sticks for mulled wine and Jack’s not helping because wine is not beer and the thought of wine being heated up freaks him out a little.
They leave the grocery store twenty minutes later and he pretends he hasn’t seen her eyes lingering on the baby in its stroller in the baking aisle. They don’t talk about the baby thing because that might jinx it and instead they pretend that everything’s fine when both of them hold their breath every month.
On the way to the car he takes all the bags into one hand and wraps his other arm around her shoulders. She smiles up at him and leans into the touch.
He helps her make cookies because she gets quiet and sad when she bakes cookies by herself. He watches her mix all the ingredients and then he taste tests the dough and she shows him how much dough to put on the cookie sheet so they have good sized cookies without having one gigantic one. Jack knows about her mother and he knows that after her mother’s death she hadn’t baked cookies for years. He knows that the first time she’d made cookies after, she had cried her heart out and hadn’t been able to eat the cookies afterwards. So he’s there for her and he makes her giggle while she bakes and when the cookies are done he takes one off the baking sheet, juggles it in his hands until it’s no longer hot, just a little warm, breaks it in half and hands the bigger piece to her.
They munch on their cookie halves in silence and she’s squished between the counter and him, which is exactly where she wants and needs to be.
"We should get a tree tomorrow," she says quietly because tomorrow’s Sunday and she has the day off.
"Yes, we should," he says thoughtfully and kisses her.
He tastes like chocolate and cookies and she hums happily against his lips.
In the end she has to go to work and doesn’t come home for four straight days and he doesn’t really want to go out and get a tree by himself. The 24th rolls around and he’s been praying for weeks that there won’t be any emergencies.
He’s lucky, and so is she, and so is the rest of SG-1 because the universe seems to rest. Sam gets up early and Jack comes down to find a cup of coffee and a cookie on the dining room table. Sam’s in the basement rummaging through all the boxes. She comes up with their combined Christmas decorations and beams at him.
Before they can go get a tree the entire team arrives and in a freak split second Cam and Daniel have hijacked Jack and Teal’c and off they go to find a tree. Vala and Sam get left behind and Sam feels strangely out of place. Like a puzzle piece that hasn’t been pressed down firmly enough and sticks out a little. Then Vala runs through the house and looks at everything and Sam shows her the spare rooms so Vala can have first dibs.
They look at all the food the boys brought and arrange it in bowls. Vala wants to make jell-o shooters and Sam lets her while she stocks the fire.
"I’m so glad you’re back," Vala sighs, spreading the spiked blue jell-o out on a baking sheet.
She has great plans involving cookie cutters and jell-o shots shaped like stars and Christmas trees.
"I’m really glad I’m back, too," Sam answers because she is.
The boys come back with red cheeks and shiny eyes and probably the biggest spruce tree ever.
"This is the mother of all spruce trees," Jack says.
"Will it fit in the house?" Sam asks, eyeing the beast in the back of the truck suspiciously.
Thor’s sitting beside Jack, grinning with his tongue hanging out of his mouth as if getting this tree had been his idea.
"Teal’c picked it," Daniel says.
Teal’c bows his head and looks smug. She smirks at him and whistles to Thor to follow her inside.
The tree is wide and tall and they end up moving some furniture and then they put it up beside the staircase and Sam chases the boys away to string up the lights herself. She’s anal about the way the lights are going to be on the tree. She wants this tree to be perfect. It fills up an entire corner of the room.
Vala feeds Daniel and Cam jell-o shots shaped like trees and Teal’c lifts Sam up so she can put the star on top of the tree. Jack passes around the mulled wine and they sip in silence for a while, looking at the tree with its lights and its star.
Teal’c helps her decorating the tree and the rest of this oddly comfortable family look on. By the time the tree is decorated and all the food is heated up and they’re all sitting around the fireplace to eat Daniel is a little drunk and very talkative and Cam has lost that edge he always gets around Jack.
They joke about old missions and Jack tells them stories about the president and eventually Vala turns around to Sam and asks, "So when did you two fall in love?"
The room falls silent because no one has ever asked them that before, it’s just always been a given. They’ve seen it develop, all of them, except for Cam and Vala, and Cam would never ask.
Sam starts to open her mouth, not sure what she’s going to say, when Jack puts a hand on her shoulder. She turns to look at him because Jack isn’t good when it comes to talking about these things and usually leaves them to her.
"I don’t know," he says, obviously thinking hard now. "I think there was always something there and over time it just... developed."
Sam nods and takes a sip of her wine. She remembers those early years when there was something so obvious between them, something much more than friendship, and how they had both acknowledged it quietly, knowing that the other person knew and that there was nothing they could do about it.
"I think it really hit me when we were trapped on Apophis’ ship with Anise’s wristbands. I was in love with her before but right there I really knew," he says quietly.
She nods again, smiles up at him gently and reaches for his hand. The others are quiet for a while and Vala stares into the flames thoughtfully.
"Let’s make s’mores," Daniel finally says.
He gets up off the couch a little too fast and tumbles towards the kitchen. He’s brought marshmallows and chocolate and cookies, and Jack finds a couple of iron skewers to roast the marshmallows with.
Cam and Sam sit in front of the fire and roast them and Daniel gets put in charge of putting the roasted marshmallows and chocolate into the cookies. Sam leans her shoulder against Cam’s and smiles at him. He’s still not really comfortable with this new family, especially with Jack because Jack likes to give him a hard time.
Sam and Cam have history, they went to the academy together and once, drunk, they fell into bed together. Back then, when Cam had clumsily tried to get her pants off, they had both dissolved into giggles and had curled up in bed, realizing that they would be much better off being friends. They couldn’t take each other seriously half the time anyways.
There is an odd bond between them, one that runs deeper than her bond with Daniel and Teal’c. Cam had been around for years and he has long ago replaced Marc for her in some strange way.
It’s close to midnight when Daniel stumbles off to bed. Vala helps him up the stairs but even in his drunk state he refuses to let her stay in the same room. She trudges off down the hall to the bigger of the two spare rooms.
Cam eventually excuses himself, too, joking about how he hopes Daniel won’t snore. Teal’c nods to Sam and Jack and takes Thor for a walk. They’re alone in front of the fireplace now and Sam curls up against Jack on the couch.
"Cassie called when you were out getting the tree," she tells him, winding her fingers around his.
"She okay?" he automatically asks.
Sam nods, "She’s having a good time with her boyfriend’s family. She said she misses us but she’ll come out after New Year’s."
Jack smiles. Neither one of them can believe how grown up Cassie is. She’s finishing her degree and is already enrolled in the master’s program. He pulls Sam closer, coaxes her to sit on his lap and she wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him softly.
"Coming here was a good decision," she whispers.
He kisses her back, more firmly, his lips sliding along hers. He traces her bottom lip with his tongue and she opens her mouth, deepens the kiss, and lets her body fall against his. They don’t break the kiss until they hear Teal’c come in, Thor’s claws clicking along the hardwood floor.
Sam gets up, leans down to pet the dog gently and then pulls Jack up off the couch.
"You okay, T?" he asks.
The Jaffa nods, already piling a few pillows on the couch and grabbing a blanket. He stocks the fire again, too, and they wish him a good night before they climb up the stairs hand in hand.
Sometimes when they make love it’s urgent and full of desperation, as if the world is going to end and they have to feel each other one last time. Other times they take their time, they whisper and giggle and it takes them all night.
Jack quietly shuts the bedroom door and pulls Sam against him, running his fingers underneath her shirt and over her warm skin. He knows her body so well, knows where all of her scars are, and knows which places to touch that make her catch her breath.
She reaches up, cups the back of his neck, and pulls his mouth down to hers again. Her hands make quick work of his buttons and she lets her hands wander up his chest and over his shoulders to push off his shirt. He nuzzles her neck and walks them both over to the bed.
They’re not sixteen and his knees are shot, there’ll never be sex up against a door, there’ll never be any kind of sex where he has to hold her up. She doesn’t mind, never has, she likes sleeping with him in their own bed, on their own couch, likes watching him, likes the fact that they don’t have to pretend to be people they’re not. They know each other too well for that.
Outside it has started to snow and a milky light filters in through the slats in the blinds. He gently pushes her down on the bed and she scoots back, grinning because he crawls across the mattress after her, and then kisses her again.
She lets her hand trail down his back, along the top of his jeans to the front, popping the button and pulling down the zipper quickly. He helps her push them off and manages to kick off his socks, too, without his eyes ever leaving hers.
He pulls off her shirt and then her pants and socks. His fingers brush along the edge of her bra. It’s not lacy, it’s just simple white cotton and he loves the softness of it, loves the fact that when he blows warm air through the fabric, he can feel her nipples harden against his lips.
They have to be quiet because of everyone else in the house and when Sam giggles because the touch of his fingers along her ribcage is too light, too ticklish; he kisses the laughter off her lips, swallows the sound.
He takes off her bra and then her underwear and she does the same. The strange, snowy light outside makes her look ethereal, makes her skin glow softly. She reaches down, her fingers playing along his belly before she wraps them around him, strokes him gently. He’s already hard and thrusts against her hand a little restlessly. His fingers slip along her seam, stroke through the wetness there, and circle her clit. Her legs fall open and she wraps them around his hips.
"Jack," she breathes.
He kisses her again and she guides him to her entrance, angles her hips so he can slide into her. He sighs against her lips and doesn’t move for a moment. Her hands wander along his back, following the curve of his spine, down to his butt. She cups him, moves her hips, smiles when his hips jerk involuntarily.
"Sammy," he whispers because he’s not allowed to call her that outside of their bedroom but he loves the way it sounds, the way he can hang all of his feelings on the y at the end.
He starts moving slowly, unhurriedly, and she moves with him. His eyes stay on hers and he watches her face, watches the way she bites her lip, the way she breathes. Her hips meet his and his hands eventually find hers, he laces his fingers through hers beside her head, leans down to kiss his way along her collarbone.
Her eyes flutter shut, her breathing grows ragged, her lips sliding along his jawbone, down his neck to his shoulder. He can feel her tensing, knows that she’s getting closer. He doesn’t change the rhythm, just keeps on moving against her, with her, until her hips jerk against his and he lets her coax him into moving faster.
"Look at me," he whispers, his mouth next to her ear.
She opens her eyes again and they’re dark and stormy in the eerie light. She untangles one of her hands from his and pulls his head down to hers. When she comes, she presses her lips to his, lets him kiss the moan off her lips.
He tumbles over the edge after her, lets his weight settle on top of her. Their hearts beat frantically and he likes the way he can feel hers slow down, the way he can match his breathing to hers. She holds him cradled against her and strokes his back.
The air around them grows cool and he finally moves off of her, takes her hand, settles them both under the covers and pulls her against him. She likes falling asleep like this, with their skin touching all over, with his arm wrapped around her. She feels safe and so does he. The snow continues to fall as they drift off to sleep.
Christmas morning is bright, with fluffy white clouds lazily swimming across the sky. There are a couple of inches of fresh powder on the ground and she’s pretty sure the boys will have an all-out snowball war later on. She wakes up before everyone else does, puts on her bathrobe and climbs into the shower. Jack turns over and settles into the warm spot she left behind, his hand on her pillow.
She showers slowly, lets the hot water run along her skin, takes her time. She dresses in warm, comfortable clothes and kisses Jack before she wanders downstairs. Teal’c is sitting up on the couch and smiles at her. He helps her stock the fire, then takes Thor out for another walk.
She makes batter for pancakes and cooks eggs when she hears the house wake up. The floor creaks upstairs and she knows it’s Jack who climbs into the shower. There’s a thud soon after and then the sound of lighter feet. Daniel and Vala, and soon after, Cam.
Jack comes down with wet hair that’s sticking up all over the place. He wraps his arms around her from behind and kisses her neck.
"Morning," he says, and his breath smells like mint.
"Morning," she answers and turns in his arms.
They finish making breakfast together and somehow everyone manages to make it to the table on time. Daniel looks a little worse for wear and he’s a little grumpy. Cam and Vala keep teasing him and Teal’c is feeding Thor bits of bacon under the table.
It’s just a nice, quiet, snowy Christmas morning. Cam eventually challenges Daniel to a snowball fight and Daniel’s just grumpy enough to accept. The rest of them watch for a bit with coffee mugs in their hands, wrapped up in winter coats and scarves and hats. Then Vala joins in and then Teal’c does, too, and Sam leans against Jack.
She giggles at their friends, lets her head rest on Jack’s shoulder.
"Sam?" he finally asks, his voice a little shaky around the edges.
"Hm?" she asks back, tilting her head so she can look up at him.
He looks both worried and determined and swallows hard.
"Maybe we should get married," he says finally.
It’s not a proposal, it’s a suggestion because he’s not good at dealing with rejection and this way she has a choice. She blinks up at him a couple of times and smirks.
"Maybe we should," she answers and leans up to kiss his cheek.
He chuckles and hugs her close. There’s a ring in his sock drawer he’s hidden there for a while. He’ll give that to her later, when they’re inside and alone.
"Love you," she says softly, pressed against him.
"Love you, too," he says back.
Author: ardvari
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Sam/Jack
Disclaimer: Not mine.
A/N: Sequel to Riding in Cars with Generals. Christmas party with some gratuitous smut thrown in for good measure. :)
Shine a little light
The house they settle on buying is a hundred year old farmhouse. It has lots of land around it and it’s out of town and closer to the base than any other house they’ve looked at. The property has a row of spruce trees planted around it to shelter it. There is no light pollution and although the roof is too high for a telescope platform, Jack settles on building something in the back yard. There’s enough room to build an entire observatory.
She wouldn’t put it past him to scrap the pond idea and build an observatory instead. Build a floating observatory on the pond. She’s glad that he’ll be occupied with painting for a while because she’s not into a completely beige house and he finds picking colors with her oddly refreshing. Whatever he’s going to build will have to wait until spring.
She usually comes to the house for a couple of hours during the day. She’s busy and works through the nights sometimes, which has always and will forever make him give her a hard time but she does come out here to sit cross legged on the hardwood floor and watch him paint.
They move in just before Christmas and decide that SG-1’s Christmas party will be held at the house because everyone can spend the night. There’s enough room here and Teal’c has promised to come back to Earth for Christmas, too.
It’s going to be a potluck party and they go shopping because Sam wants to make cookies. He pushes the cart through the grocery store and she walks beside him holding up her list. When he goes for groceries by himself he sort of zigzags through the grocery store, lets himself be pushed along by other people until something catches his eye. Like Eggos and toaster strudels.
Sam shops with a purpose and a list and she manages to walk out of the store with only the things on the list and nothing else. She grabs butter and sugar and then stares at the spices with a furrowed brow. She needs cloves and cinnamon sticks for mulled wine and Jack’s not helping because wine is not beer and the thought of wine being heated up freaks him out a little.
They leave the grocery store twenty minutes later and he pretends he hasn’t seen her eyes lingering on the baby in its stroller in the baking aisle. They don’t talk about the baby thing because that might jinx it and instead they pretend that everything’s fine when both of them hold their breath every month.
On the way to the car he takes all the bags into one hand and wraps his other arm around her shoulders. She smiles up at him and leans into the touch.
He helps her make cookies because she gets quiet and sad when she bakes cookies by herself. He watches her mix all the ingredients and then he taste tests the dough and she shows him how much dough to put on the cookie sheet so they have good sized cookies without having one gigantic one. Jack knows about her mother and he knows that after her mother’s death she hadn’t baked cookies for years. He knows that the first time she’d made cookies after, she had cried her heart out and hadn’t been able to eat the cookies afterwards. So he’s there for her and he makes her giggle while she bakes and when the cookies are done he takes one off the baking sheet, juggles it in his hands until it’s no longer hot, just a little warm, breaks it in half and hands the bigger piece to her.
They munch on their cookie halves in silence and she’s squished between the counter and him, which is exactly where she wants and needs to be.
"We should get a tree tomorrow," she says quietly because tomorrow’s Sunday and she has the day off.
"Yes, we should," he says thoughtfully and kisses her.
He tastes like chocolate and cookies and she hums happily against his lips.
In the end she has to go to work and doesn’t come home for four straight days and he doesn’t really want to go out and get a tree by himself. The 24th rolls around and he’s been praying for weeks that there won’t be any emergencies.
He’s lucky, and so is she, and so is the rest of SG-1 because the universe seems to rest. Sam gets up early and Jack comes down to find a cup of coffee and a cookie on the dining room table. Sam’s in the basement rummaging through all the boxes. She comes up with their combined Christmas decorations and beams at him.
Before they can go get a tree the entire team arrives and in a freak split second Cam and Daniel have hijacked Jack and Teal’c and off they go to find a tree. Vala and Sam get left behind and Sam feels strangely out of place. Like a puzzle piece that hasn’t been pressed down firmly enough and sticks out a little. Then Vala runs through the house and looks at everything and Sam shows her the spare rooms so Vala can have first dibs.
They look at all the food the boys brought and arrange it in bowls. Vala wants to make jell-o shooters and Sam lets her while she stocks the fire.
"I’m so glad you’re back," Vala sighs, spreading the spiked blue jell-o out on a baking sheet.
She has great plans involving cookie cutters and jell-o shots shaped like stars and Christmas trees.
"I’m really glad I’m back, too," Sam answers because she is.
The boys come back with red cheeks and shiny eyes and probably the biggest spruce tree ever.
"This is the mother of all spruce trees," Jack says.
"Will it fit in the house?" Sam asks, eyeing the beast in the back of the truck suspiciously.
Thor’s sitting beside Jack, grinning with his tongue hanging out of his mouth as if getting this tree had been his idea.
"Teal’c picked it," Daniel says.
Teal’c bows his head and looks smug. She smirks at him and whistles to Thor to follow her inside.
The tree is wide and tall and they end up moving some furniture and then they put it up beside the staircase and Sam chases the boys away to string up the lights herself. She’s anal about the way the lights are going to be on the tree. She wants this tree to be perfect. It fills up an entire corner of the room.
Vala feeds Daniel and Cam jell-o shots shaped like trees and Teal’c lifts Sam up so she can put the star on top of the tree. Jack passes around the mulled wine and they sip in silence for a while, looking at the tree with its lights and its star.
Teal’c helps her decorating the tree and the rest of this oddly comfortable family look on. By the time the tree is decorated and all the food is heated up and they’re all sitting around the fireplace to eat Daniel is a little drunk and very talkative and Cam has lost that edge he always gets around Jack.
They joke about old missions and Jack tells them stories about the president and eventually Vala turns around to Sam and asks, "So when did you two fall in love?"
The room falls silent because no one has ever asked them that before, it’s just always been a given. They’ve seen it develop, all of them, except for Cam and Vala, and Cam would never ask.
Sam starts to open her mouth, not sure what she’s going to say, when Jack puts a hand on her shoulder. She turns to look at him because Jack isn’t good when it comes to talking about these things and usually leaves them to her.
"I don’t know," he says, obviously thinking hard now. "I think there was always something there and over time it just... developed."
Sam nods and takes a sip of her wine. She remembers those early years when there was something so obvious between them, something much more than friendship, and how they had both acknowledged it quietly, knowing that the other person knew and that there was nothing they could do about it.
"I think it really hit me when we were trapped on Apophis’ ship with Anise’s wristbands. I was in love with her before but right there I really knew," he says quietly.
She nods again, smiles up at him gently and reaches for his hand. The others are quiet for a while and Vala stares into the flames thoughtfully.
"Let’s make s’mores," Daniel finally says.
He gets up off the couch a little too fast and tumbles towards the kitchen. He’s brought marshmallows and chocolate and cookies, and Jack finds a couple of iron skewers to roast the marshmallows with.
Cam and Sam sit in front of the fire and roast them and Daniel gets put in charge of putting the roasted marshmallows and chocolate into the cookies. Sam leans her shoulder against Cam’s and smiles at him. He’s still not really comfortable with this new family, especially with Jack because Jack likes to give him a hard time.
Sam and Cam have history, they went to the academy together and once, drunk, they fell into bed together. Back then, when Cam had clumsily tried to get her pants off, they had both dissolved into giggles and had curled up in bed, realizing that they would be much better off being friends. They couldn’t take each other seriously half the time anyways.
There is an odd bond between them, one that runs deeper than her bond with Daniel and Teal’c. Cam had been around for years and he has long ago replaced Marc for her in some strange way.
It’s close to midnight when Daniel stumbles off to bed. Vala helps him up the stairs but even in his drunk state he refuses to let her stay in the same room. She trudges off down the hall to the bigger of the two spare rooms.
Cam eventually excuses himself, too, joking about how he hopes Daniel won’t snore. Teal’c nods to Sam and Jack and takes Thor for a walk. They’re alone in front of the fireplace now and Sam curls up against Jack on the couch.
"Cassie called when you were out getting the tree," she tells him, winding her fingers around his.
"She okay?" he automatically asks.
Sam nods, "She’s having a good time with her boyfriend’s family. She said she misses us but she’ll come out after New Year’s."
Jack smiles. Neither one of them can believe how grown up Cassie is. She’s finishing her degree and is already enrolled in the master’s program. He pulls Sam closer, coaxes her to sit on his lap and she wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him softly.
"Coming here was a good decision," she whispers.
He kisses her back, more firmly, his lips sliding along hers. He traces her bottom lip with his tongue and she opens her mouth, deepens the kiss, and lets her body fall against his. They don’t break the kiss until they hear Teal’c come in, Thor’s claws clicking along the hardwood floor.
Sam gets up, leans down to pet the dog gently and then pulls Jack up off the couch.
"You okay, T?" he asks.
The Jaffa nods, already piling a few pillows on the couch and grabbing a blanket. He stocks the fire again, too, and they wish him a good night before they climb up the stairs hand in hand.
Sometimes when they make love it’s urgent and full of desperation, as if the world is going to end and they have to feel each other one last time. Other times they take their time, they whisper and giggle and it takes them all night.
Jack quietly shuts the bedroom door and pulls Sam against him, running his fingers underneath her shirt and over her warm skin. He knows her body so well, knows where all of her scars are, and knows which places to touch that make her catch her breath.
She reaches up, cups the back of his neck, and pulls his mouth down to hers again. Her hands make quick work of his buttons and she lets her hands wander up his chest and over his shoulders to push off his shirt. He nuzzles her neck and walks them both over to the bed.
They’re not sixteen and his knees are shot, there’ll never be sex up against a door, there’ll never be any kind of sex where he has to hold her up. She doesn’t mind, never has, she likes sleeping with him in their own bed, on their own couch, likes watching him, likes the fact that they don’t have to pretend to be people they’re not. They know each other too well for that.
Outside it has started to snow and a milky light filters in through the slats in the blinds. He gently pushes her down on the bed and she scoots back, grinning because he crawls across the mattress after her, and then kisses her again.
She lets her hand trail down his back, along the top of his jeans to the front, popping the button and pulling down the zipper quickly. He helps her push them off and manages to kick off his socks, too, without his eyes ever leaving hers.
He pulls off her shirt and then her pants and socks. His fingers brush along the edge of her bra. It’s not lacy, it’s just simple white cotton and he loves the softness of it, loves the fact that when he blows warm air through the fabric, he can feel her nipples harden against his lips.
They have to be quiet because of everyone else in the house and when Sam giggles because the touch of his fingers along her ribcage is too light, too ticklish; he kisses the laughter off her lips, swallows the sound.
He takes off her bra and then her underwear and she does the same. The strange, snowy light outside makes her look ethereal, makes her skin glow softly. She reaches down, her fingers playing along his belly before she wraps them around him, strokes him gently. He’s already hard and thrusts against her hand a little restlessly. His fingers slip along her seam, stroke through the wetness there, and circle her clit. Her legs fall open and she wraps them around his hips.
"Jack," she breathes.
He kisses her again and she guides him to her entrance, angles her hips so he can slide into her. He sighs against her lips and doesn’t move for a moment. Her hands wander along his back, following the curve of his spine, down to his butt. She cups him, moves her hips, smiles when his hips jerk involuntarily.
"Sammy," he whispers because he’s not allowed to call her that outside of their bedroom but he loves the way it sounds, the way he can hang all of his feelings on the y at the end.
He starts moving slowly, unhurriedly, and she moves with him. His eyes stay on hers and he watches her face, watches the way she bites her lip, the way she breathes. Her hips meet his and his hands eventually find hers, he laces his fingers through hers beside her head, leans down to kiss his way along her collarbone.
Her eyes flutter shut, her breathing grows ragged, her lips sliding along his jawbone, down his neck to his shoulder. He can feel her tensing, knows that she’s getting closer. He doesn’t change the rhythm, just keeps on moving against her, with her, until her hips jerk against his and he lets her coax him into moving faster.
"Look at me," he whispers, his mouth next to her ear.
She opens her eyes again and they’re dark and stormy in the eerie light. She untangles one of her hands from his and pulls his head down to hers. When she comes, she presses her lips to his, lets him kiss the moan off her lips.
He tumbles over the edge after her, lets his weight settle on top of her. Their hearts beat frantically and he likes the way he can feel hers slow down, the way he can match his breathing to hers. She holds him cradled against her and strokes his back.
The air around them grows cool and he finally moves off of her, takes her hand, settles them both under the covers and pulls her against him. She likes falling asleep like this, with their skin touching all over, with his arm wrapped around her. She feels safe and so does he. The snow continues to fall as they drift off to sleep.
Christmas morning is bright, with fluffy white clouds lazily swimming across the sky. There are a couple of inches of fresh powder on the ground and she’s pretty sure the boys will have an all-out snowball war later on. She wakes up before everyone else does, puts on her bathrobe and climbs into the shower. Jack turns over and settles into the warm spot she left behind, his hand on her pillow.
She showers slowly, lets the hot water run along her skin, takes her time. She dresses in warm, comfortable clothes and kisses Jack before she wanders downstairs. Teal’c is sitting up on the couch and smiles at her. He helps her stock the fire, then takes Thor out for another walk.
She makes batter for pancakes and cooks eggs when she hears the house wake up. The floor creaks upstairs and she knows it’s Jack who climbs into the shower. There’s a thud soon after and then the sound of lighter feet. Daniel and Vala, and soon after, Cam.
Jack comes down with wet hair that’s sticking up all over the place. He wraps his arms around her from behind and kisses her neck.
"Morning," he says, and his breath smells like mint.
"Morning," she answers and turns in his arms.
They finish making breakfast together and somehow everyone manages to make it to the table on time. Daniel looks a little worse for wear and he’s a little grumpy. Cam and Vala keep teasing him and Teal’c is feeding Thor bits of bacon under the table.
It’s just a nice, quiet, snowy Christmas morning. Cam eventually challenges Daniel to a snowball fight and Daniel’s just grumpy enough to accept. The rest of them watch for a bit with coffee mugs in their hands, wrapped up in winter coats and scarves and hats. Then Vala joins in and then Teal’c does, too, and Sam leans against Jack.
She giggles at their friends, lets her head rest on Jack’s shoulder.
"Sam?" he finally asks, his voice a little shaky around the edges.
"Hm?" she asks back, tilting her head so she can look up at him.
He looks both worried and determined and swallows hard.
"Maybe we should get married," he says finally.
It’s not a proposal, it’s a suggestion because he’s not good at dealing with rejection and this way she has a choice. She blinks up at him a couple of times and smirks.
"Maybe we should," she answers and leans up to kiss his cheek.
He chuckles and hugs her close. There’s a ring in his sock drawer he’s hidden there for a while. He’ll give that to her later, when they’re inside and alone.
"Love you," she says softly, pressed against him.
"Love you, too," he says back.