Well, guys, this is it. It's been fun! I'm so glad that so many of you liked these two stories. A huge thanks to everybody who left me such sweet reviews. I really wouldn't have written this sequel without you.
Keep an eye out for my next story. It's in the works, but I probably won't start posting chapters for a couple of weeks. Just a hint: It involves a certain couple's daughter and a trip to the past. I hope you guys will like it.
Any last comments? Please review if you enjoyed this story. Thank you so much!
-Lillie
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Moonlight streamed in the window of the bedroom in Jack's cabin, illuminating Sam's face as she lay quietly next to him, her head resting on his shoulder and her arm draped over his bare chest. He played distractedly with her fingers and stared up at the ceiling, and Sam watched his face with an affectionate smile. Small beads of sweat gleamed on his forehead, and his expression was calm and thoughtful. She propped herself up on one elbow, the covers on the bed slipping down to her stomach.
"Are you okay?" she asked softly, tugging up the neckline of the silky fabric that clung to her skin.
Jack glanced up at her and grinned. "Are you kidding?"
Blushing a bit, Sam snuggled up close to him, and he draped his arm over her shoulders. She shut her eyes for a moment, reliving the past hour in her mind, trying to recall every touch and sensation, every kiss and every sigh…all the moments that she had been dreaming about for so many years.
Jack's voice interrupted her thoughts, and her eyes blinked back open at the sound.
"I was just thinking," he said quietly, returning his gaze to the ceiling above them. "How much I'd love to have a little girl."
Tensing, Sam raised her head up and opened her eyes wide. "Jack, I hope you're not serious."
He pulled her back against his chest and sighed. "I don't know. I guess not."
Unsure of what to say, Sam lay silently in his arms, winding her fingers through his. When he didn't speak, she finally lifted her head and smiled at him.
"I think I'd like a boy."
"Really?" Jack raised his eyebrows and shifted against the pillows, sitting up and pulling her up next to him. "I kind of like the idea of you trying to teach a little girl how to braid her doll's hair and paint the dog's toenails."
Sam laughed at this, and she shook her head vigorously. "Oh, no. That poor girl."
Her laughter died down, and the two of them grew quiet again, Jack rubbing small circles into her lower back.
"You think…" He paused, looking uncertain, and Sam waited patiently for him to continue. "You think maybe one day?"
Sam said nothing, thinking silently as she ran her fingers across his chest.
Do I want kids?
She took a moment to imagine what it would be like. She thought of coming home from working on the base, and finding Jack pushing their little girl on a swing in the backyard. Maybe he would be retired by then, and maybe they'd all be living together in a little brick house somewhere…something with a fenced-in yard and flowerbeds out front, with wind chimes dangling above the railing around the front porch. She imagined the little girl calling out at seeing her mother, leaping off the swing and into her father's arms, the two of them meeting her on the porch to greet her. There would be hugs and kisses to give out, and she'd carry the little one inside, Jack's arm around her waist as he asked her about her day. There would be toys strung about on the living room floor, drawings in crayon stuck on the fridge, muddy footprints in the hallway…
…and a permanent grin on Jack's face.
"Oh, definitely," she finally replied. "Someday, definitely."
Jack seemed content with her answer, and he planted a kiss on her forehead before sliding back down under the covers.
"You going to sleep already?" Sam asked, obviously disappointed.
Jack chuckled quietly. "Just for a little bit. C'mere."
She cuddled back up to him and let out a contented sigh. The steady rise and fall of his breathing began making her sleepy, and her eyelids grew heavy, the exhaustion from everything she'd been through over the past few days catching back up with her all at once.
"Jack?" she mumbled drowsily.
"Mmm?" His chest vibrated with the sound, and Sam shifted her body a bit, draping one leg over his middle and settling her head against his shoulder.
"Thank you."
He leaned his cheek against her forehead and muttered, "For what?"
She smiled sleepily and gave him a squeeze. "For being here with me."
The breeze whistled through the trees outside, and Sam could hear crickets chirping in the distance. She closed her eyes as she lay comfortably in Jack's arms, running her thumb over the ring around her finger. Despite everything, somehow, in the middle of all of the chaos existing in the universe, she and Jack had finally been allowed to find happiness. She drifted peacefully to sleep, her mind barely recognizing the final word Jack whispered to her in the darkness.
"Always."
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In no particular order, special thanks goes to:
Tel nok shock
froggy0319
Yol
ADM SG1
jackandsamforever
awishaway
dpdp
Katetanic
mmkbrook
erinn80
roque872002
BettyHall223
djenie
midknightstarr
hedwiggins
midnightread
LoneWolfOneill
sammie77a
ellesauchet
flyingdocbrett
vcm
RhizOneill
PatriciaS
If I missed any of my regular reviewers, I'm sorry. Thanks guys for all your sweet words. I look forward to hearing from you again when I post my next story! You guys are awesome! :)
-Lillie