Title: "Prelude"

Summary: The weekend that changed everything.

Authors Notes: This is the Prequel to In Demand.


Major Sam Carter was frustrated. She had been in Nevada at the Groom Lake facility for a week now, and had spent the last two days trying to convince a very stubborn Dr. Conrad that his calculations on the power output from the sub-light engines had a flaw in them. At 16:00 on Friday afternoon he had left the lab, claiming he had a hot date, and stating that Major Carter could spend *her* weekend re-doing the calculations. He was sure that they were correct, and he wasn't going to waste his time arguing with her. Colonel Barton had been furious when he had found out an hour later, as they needed those numbers for Monday morning's planned simulations, but by that time the good Doctor was long gone, and not answering his pager.

Now, several hours later, Sam was sitting in her cramped quarters trying to decide what to do. She could grab a quick bite in the mess and then head back to the lab, but frankly she was still fuming and really didn't think that spending Friday night alone in the lab was going to help her mood any. She had tried calling the Colonel, (Jack, she reminded herself, must try to call him Jack if they were going to try this whole relationship thing when she got back) but the SGC had reported that he had signed out for the day, and she hadn't been able to reach him at home or on his cell phone. Since their long discussion before she had left for Nevada, they had talked nightly, except for the one night that SG1 had spent off-world. So feeling lonely and even more frustrated, she decided to head off of the base and find some real food, and then try to call Jack again when she got back. The calculations could wait until tomorrow.

After changing into jeans and a sweater, she grabbed her cell phone and purse, and was just snagging her jacket when the phone in her quarters rang. Frowning, she answered, hoping that this wasn't some crisis that needed her attention, as her stomach was seriously rumbling now.

"Carter," she barked into the phone.

"Major, there is someone here at Hanger 4 that insists on seeing you," an airman explained.

"Who is it?" she asked, and she heard a short discussion in the background.

"He refuses to say, Major," the airman finally responded.

What the hell! This was the last thing she needed to cap off a perfectly horrid day. "I'll be right there, airman," she sighed. Then she had another thought. "Could you please order a car for me and have it delivered there to the hanger?" she requested. That would at least save her time when she had finished dealing with this mystery person.

Hanger 4 was a brisk five minute walk from the building her quarters were in, and she arrived slightly out of breath, and feeling even more harassed. That was until she saw who was waiting for her. Then she broke out into a huge grin.

"Sir!" she exclaimed, then at his raised eyebrows she corrected herself. "Jack, I just tried to call you."

Mindful of the airman providing an audience, Jack O'Neill resisted the urge to pull the woman of his dreams (highly erotic dreams of late) into his arms.

"I thought I would surprise you. I must have forgotten to turn my phone back on when I got off the plane. I was hoping to take you out to dinner, but I forgot how remote this place is. Can we get anyplace in a decent amount of time?" he asked casually, as if he had just hopped across town to take her out, instead of flying over 800 miles, and calling in a favor to get a plane to land him directly at Groom Lake instead of at the Nellis field.

"You must be a mind reader. I was just about to head out to find some food. If we drive towards Las Vegas, we'll come to some pretty decent spots in about 20 minutes," Sam said. "Or we can just head into Indian Springs and eat at The Oasis. It's nothing fancy, but they have great pie."

"Great pie it is," Jack grinned, silently thinking that he wanted to stay near the base until he knew how this whole thing was going to turn out.


Over dinner he quickly caught Sam up on the week at the SGC as best he could in a public place. Then they talked about Cassie's upcoming 17th birthday, and other non-work related topics. As they finished up their pie though, Sam could sense that Jack was getting fidgety. Not his normal too much energy fidgety, but a nervousness that was unlike him. Then a horrible thought occurred to her. What if he had changed his mind? There was so much at stake if they talked to Hammond when she got back. Maybe he had decided that he didn't want to risk his position on SG1. It would be like him to tell her right away and not wait until she got back. She could feel a knot forming in her stomach, which got worse as he pulled out his wallet to pay the bill.

"Sam, is there somewhere we can go to talk. It's a fairly nice evening out. Maybe somewhere we can sit out under the stars?" Jack suggested.

"Sure. I know the perfect spot," Sam said giving him directions.

Fifteen minutes later they were parked just off of a secluded service road that went into Nellis. Jack had grabbed the floor mats, and they were seated on them looking up at a wide open, crystal clear sky, full of stars. Jack, however, was back to fidgeting.

"Look, sir. It's ok. Just say what you need to say," Sam finally blurted out. "If you've changed your mind about going to talk to Hammond, just tell me," she added, staring at the ground.

Jack took a moment to process that. How could she think he had changed his mind? Sam Carter was one of the smartest people he knew, but when it came to her personal relationships with men, she could occasionally be very obtuse. He started to shake his head to deny what she had said, but then noticed she wasn't looking at him, so he hooked a finger under her chin and forced her to look him in the eye.

"Sam, I haven't changed my mind. I'm yours for as long as you'll have me. Forever if you think you can stand it," he confessed.

Blue eyes searched his and saw the truth in his words. She closed her eyes and let out a sigh. Forever sounded nice. Very nice. When she opened her eyes she was surprised to see him fidgeting again.

"Sam, Jonas said something to me a few days ago, and I can't stop thinking about it. I know this is fast, and if you are not ready for this just let me know, but I have to at least find out how you feel about this," he rambled.

"Feel about what, Jack?" she asked.

"Sam, who are you reporting to at Groom Lake?" he asked in return.

"Colonel Barton and General Greer. Why?" she wanted to know, confused at the apparent change of topic.

"So Colonel Barton is your commanding officer?" he prodded.

"Yes, Oh!" she said, her eyes widening as understanding set in. "Yes he is," she confirmed with a smile that was growing by the second.

"So, we could say, run off to Las Vegas without breaking any regs," he grinned.

"Yes, we could," she agreed with a matching grin.

"We could even get married while we were there," he continued, watching her face closely to catch her reaction.

But there was none. Sam had become totally still. She was desperately trying to process what he was saying. Sure they had each confessed to loving each other last week. They had even repeated it over the phone a couple of times. But marriage? Not that she hadn't thought about it. Ok, fantasized. Alright she had actually been daydreaming about it for the last week and had caught herself doodling variations on her possible married name yesterday. She just had been pretty sure they would actually go out on a date first. Ok, so maybe tonight counted. But was he serious? She suddenly realized that she had been quiet for several minutes, and that Jack was beginning to panic. She could see him thinking of ways to backpedal out of that last statement. So she put the ball back in his court (in a manner of clichés)

"Yes, we *could*," she repeated her previous statement cautiously.

Jack smiled. That was one of the things he loved about her. Not one to rush into things, she needed some facts to weigh, options to consider, outcomes to ponder. So he started in explaining.

"Like I said, I know it's moving fast. It's just that Jonas mentioned that since you were not technically under my command at the moment, and we were free to pursue a relationship, that if we got married before you came back, then that relationship would fall under the spousal exception to the regs, and Hammond wouldn't *have* to split us up," he blurted out.

As soon as the words were out of his mouth he knew he had screwed up royally. He could see the frown form on Sam's face as he finished. 'Great going, Jack! You just told her you want to marry her so you can keep SG1 together.' Now he was definitely panicking. How did he fix this?

Sam for her part didn't know whether to laugh, cry or rage at him. Then she got a look at his face, and decided that maybe she should take pity on the poor man. This was Jack after all, famous for putting his foot in his mouth. Still, there was no way she was going to let *that* be her marriage proposal. And she had already come to the conclusion that she wanted to marry him. Tomorrow.

"Jack, that had to be the poorest excuse for a marriage proposal ever issued. Do you want to try again?" she chuckled.

At that moment, all of his previous nervousness evaporated. God he loved this woman. She so should be kicking his butt for that. Instead, she was giving him a chance at doing this right. A chance to tell her once and for all what she meant to him. He wasn't about to blow it. He knew that to get the desired answer, all he had to do was actually ask the question.

"Sam, I love you. I can't imagine the rest of my life without you by my side. Will you marry me?" he asked, pulling out the small velvet box from his jacket pocket and revealing a diamond and sapphire ring.

This time, he got one of her brilliant smiles in response. "Yes, Jack. I'll marry you. Anytime, anywhere. I love you, too. I have for a very long time," she answered, and he slipped the ring on her finger.

Then their lips finally met in a kiss, one that started out soft and gentle. It quickly escalated, ignited by years of pent up desire. When Sam felt Jack's hand on her bare skin under her sweater she pulled back to take in some much needed air.

"We could take this somewhere more comfortable," she commented.

"Yes, we could. I don't suppose your quarters are much better though," he sighed.

"No, but you said something about Las Vegas. We could stop back at my quarters and pick up my things, and then head into Vegas to find a hotel room," she suggested.

"Only one problem. Jonas, Teal'c, Janet and Cassie are in Las Vegas waiting for us," Jack announced.

"They are? Why?" Sam asked, unable to fathom why they would have come along with Jack to propose.

"Well, even though I wasn't sure of your answer, Janet was. And they insisted that they were going to be there if we got married tomorrow," he explained.

"*When* we get married tomorrow," Sam corrected, causing Jack to swoop in for another heated kiss.

"When we get married tomorrow," he agreed when they finally broke apart again. "I'm supposed to call them and let them know how it went. They said they would arrange everything for us."

"So tell them we will be there in the morning. Then I'll go pack my toothbrush, and we will be on our way. They don't need to know we are arriving tonight," Sam urged, picking up the floor mat she had been sitting on.

"Just your toothbrush?" Jack asked with a gleam in his eye.

"What else do I need?" she quipped.

And as they got into the car, Jack just knew that he was going to have a lot to thank Jonas for when he saw him in the morning.


Sam Carter's first thought as she began to wake up was that she ached. Her second was that there was a warm body spooned around her from behind. Hmm, a warm, naked, definitely male body, her brain supplied as consciousness began to creep in. And a man's hand resting on her ribcage just below her breasts. Whoa! She was naked, too. At that point she was alert enough that the previous evening came flooding back into memory. Oh, yeah. Definitely achy. But so worth it, she smiled as the lips that had been pressed into her neck began to kiss and nibble their way across her shoulder.

In the end, they had never made it to Las Vegas, stopping instead at the first upscale hotel that they had seen on their way there. Jack had gone in to see if he could get them a room, while Sam had waited in the car with a million thoughts racing through her head. She was going to need a dress for tomorrow. And shoes. She should really get something sexy to wear for her wedding night. Which brought her mind screeching back to the present. Wow, she was going to have sex. With Jack. He was inside getting a hotel room so they could have sex. It had been so long she found herself squirming in her seat at just the thought. She regretted the fact that she only had on plain white underwear. She really wanted him to see her in something less boring.

Then Jack had returned, and in a matter of minutes they had arrived at their room. He had slid the key into the slot, and carried their bags into the room while she found the light switch, and locked the door behind them. When she turned around he was standing by the King size bed looking at her. She took a nervous step forward, and so did he. She really hadn't needed to worry about what she was wearing. The instant his lips met hers their clothes had been removed so fast that to this day she couldn't tell you what he was wearing under his khaki's. Boxers of some sort that she had made short work of.

They had finally managed to slow things down after that, taking time to explore each other's bodies. Sam had had some pretty x-rated fantasies about Jack O'Neill over the years, so it was amazing that she wasn't disappointed. If anything, it had been better than in her imagination. Just as fantastically intense, but at the same time more gentle and loving. And Holy Hannah the things that man could do with his hands. Now she felt desire racing through her again as his hands joined his lips in their exploration, and she turned in his arms determined to remind him exactly how much she loved him.


It was another hour before they finally forced themselves out of bed. They had arraigned to meet the gang for breakfast at The Luxor where they were staying. (Jonas had insisted on the place) Despite deciding to share a shower, they had made it there within five minutes of the appointed time. Jonas waved them over to where the four were impatiently waiting. Cassie was out of her chair in a flash, and hugging Sam.

"Let me see the ring!" she insisted. "Wow, nice work Uncle Jack. Sam wait until you see the dresses Mom and I found. And we found a great one for you, too. They are holding it for you."

While Cassie prattled on, Janet was observing her best friend. Sam and Jack were holding hands, and if Sam looked any more content Janet swore she would start purring. She turned her attention to Jack. She didn't think she had ever seen him so relaxed. And he couldn't keep his eyes off of Sam. Satisfied that her two friends were truly happy, she decided to save them from her daughter.

"Congratulations, you two. Cassie, let them sit down so that we can order breakfast, and catch them up on everything we have done so far," she said, giving Sam a look that clearly said that they would talk privately later. She couldn't wait to here the details of the previous evening.

"Yeah, congratulations! This is so exciting!" Jonas exclaimed with that ever present smile. Besides being his first time to Las Vegas, this was going to be his first Earth wedding.

"O'Neill, Major Carter, we are extremely happy that you have finally found a way to be together," Teal'c added.

"Thanks, guys! I'm so glad that you all came. I couldn't believe it when Jack told me you were here. It just wouldn't be right getting married without you," Sam said smiling at her friends in delight.

"We wouldn't have missed it for the world, Sam," Janet stated. "Now, let's sort out what still needs to be done."

Since Teal'c and Jonas had brought suits for themselves and Jack's dress blues from home, only the three ladies needed to shop for clothes. Janet and Cassie had their dresses taken care of, but still needed accessories. It was decided that they would take Sam to see the dress they had found for her, and then they would all go look for shoes and anything else they needed. Jack's mission was to shop for wedding rings, while Jonas was going to go over to the Flamingo Hotel and finalize the plans for the ceremony. The Flamingo had a garden that they performed the ceremonies in, and they had an opening for that afternoon. Jonas was given a list of services to ask the hotel to arrange, including a photographer and flowers. Teal'c was personally given the task of reserving a Honeymoon Suite by Jack.

"Money is no object, T. Find us the best you can on short notice," he was instructed.

Jonas and Teal'c were both told to phone Jack on his cell phone if they needed his credit card, and they all set a time and place to meet for lunch. When they met up again, all tasks had been completed, and the six were able to have a leisurely lunch before heading off to collect everything. The Flamingo was providing two rooms for them to use for changing, so that made everything easy. Jack had thoughtfully made dinner reservations for after the ceremony at a restaurant at Caesar's Palace. Sam had even had time to shop for lingerie, picking out a skimpy bit of black lace that had made Janet blush, and caused her to cover Cassie's eyes. Janet really needed to get Sam alone and find out what had happened the night before.

Finally, thirty minutes before the ceremony, they were all getting dressed, when Janet realized she had no tissue. Cassie was dispatched to the gift shop, and Janet finally had her chance to corner Sam.

"So, I need to know everything!" she demanded.

Sam sighed. She knew there was no sense in arguing. So she told Janet about Jack showing up out of the blue, and how he was so nervous that she had been sure that he had come to tell her he had changed his mind. How he had reassured her, and then totally blown the proposal. Janet rolled her eyes at that point and laughed. It was so very Jack. Sam's voice softened as she told Janet about the second try, and her acceptance. She ended by saying "and then we called you."

"Oh no, you don't. You are *so* not ending it there!" Janet complained. "What happened after that? I assume you spent the night together?"

"Oh, yeah," Sam admitted blushing. "We started out heading here, but we only made it as far as a hotel on the north edge of town."

Janet laughed, but refused to let Sam off the hook. "And?"

"And it was incredible, fantastic, the best I've ever had or even dreamed about! Satisfied?" Sam exclaimed, now totally embarrassed.

"No, but I think you are," Janet chuckled.

"Very," Sam admitted. "I'll be even happier in an hour. I can't believe this is happening."

"I'm so thrilled for you, Sam. Both you and the Colonel deserve all of the happiness you can get," Janet said pulling her in for a hug. "Where the heck is Cassie with those tissues?"


The ceremony was beautiful despite being put together quickly. (And with the help of two aliens) Teal'c proudly walked Sam through the garden to the gazebo and then took his place along with Jonas to stand up along side of Jack. Janet and Cassie looked lovely in their lavender dresses, which were perfect for the garden setting. And Jack O'Neill looked imposing in his dress blues, causing several of the hotel's staff and guests to pause to take in the site. They were all spellbound when Sam arrived, positively floating in her simple white dress. Janet and Cassie used every bit of the tissue as the two officers took their vows.

Later, they sipped champagne as they enjoyed their dinner. Since neither Teal'c nor Jonas was familiar with the custom, it was left to Janet to make the toast.

"To Sam and Jack. May you be poor in misfortune, and rich in blessings. May you live to see your children's children. And may you know nothing but happiness from this day forward."

"That was lovely, Thank you Janet," Sam beamed.

Then Jack raised his glass. "I would like to toast our four dear friends. Sam and I consider each of you family. Our day was made even more special by being able to share it with you. Thank you for you support and for all of your help to pull this off."

After dinner they parted. Sam and Jack headed off to the suite that Teal'c had reserved for them at The Venetian Resort. The other four headed back to the Luxor, promising to pick up the wedding pictures before they flew back to Colorado Springs the next day. Jack was thrilled when he saw the suite. Teal'c had outdone himself. There was a fireplace, and a huge Whirlpool tub. So while Sam went to change, Jack took off his uniform jacket, tie and shoes, and lit a fire in the fireplace. He had just poured two glasses of champagne, when his wife emerged, almost causing him to drop his glass. Major Sam Carter was nowhere to be found. Instead in front of him stood a blonde vision in the most incredibly sexy wisp of black lace he had ever seen. He put his glass down with an unsteady hand, and then turned to stare at her.

"Wow!" he finally managed.

Sam walked over to him and as she moved more tantalizing glimpses of flesh were revealed. She lifted her arms around his neck and rubbed up against him.

"Have mercy, Sam. You are dealing with an old man here," Jack croaked as she tormented him by sliding her hands down his back and pressing him closer against her body.

"You seem to be doing just fine flyboy," she said as her hands grabbed his butt and pressed his obvious arousal into her. "I see you brought your sidearm."

"Yes, ma'am," he said with a grin.

"Well let's see if we can get some target practice in," she murmured as her lips met his.

And those were the last coherent words spoken for the rest of the evening.


Monday morning found Sam Carter in her lab at Groom Lake bright and early. She had worked out those pesky calculations on her lap-top late the previous evening, and now she just needed to load them onto the lab PC. When Colonel Barton and Doctor Conrad arrived, she was sipping her coffee and humming some nameless tune while she waited for the upload to complete.

"You seem to be in a good mood this morning Major," Colonel Barton commented. He was pleasantly surprised since he had left a decidedly grumpy Major on Friday.

"Yes, sir. I fixed the calculations. I think you will find that we are getting the proper output from the simulations now, sir," she said with a small smile.

"Good job, Major. I'm sorry if you had to work over the weekend," he said.

"No problem, sir. I managed to get into Las Vegas and have some fun," she replied.

"Did you win or lose, Major?" the Colonel asked.

"Oh, I won, sir. I definitely won."

THE END

Continued in Discoveries

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