The Patience of Kings - Chapter 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate: SG-1, Atlantis or Universe, I am just playing in the world
Previously: Ch 1 | Ch 2
The Patience of Kings - Chapter 3
Kadena AB, Okinawa, January 1994
Cam stepped up to the bulletin board in the rec-room and slapped the piece of paper up against the cork. He took a free pin and stabbed it through the sheet then turned to face the others who had stopped what they were doing and looked over. He crossed his arms across the chest of his flightsuit and watched the men playing pool and the mixed group over by the chairs in front of the TV, and even the few folks reading magazines and books over by the windows. He'd wanted to make enough noise to get their attention and he'd succeeded. He rapped the back of his knuckles over the sheet once more.
"Step right up, boys and girls." he called loudly so that they could all hear. "Limited time offer. You, aviators and aviatrixes of the 'Vampire Bats', guarantors of liberty and defenders of freedom, my fine friends, get to pick my new call-sign." The other pilots all started laughing or grinning as their curiosity was piqued.
"What's wrong with the call-sign you got, Cap." piped up a Lieutenant at the pool table while he tapped his cue on the floor a few times and glanced around. "You've never even told us what it is." Cam shook his head.
"It belongs to a time and a place, Jimenez, that I can't go back to." he replied. No one knew what had happened. They only knew he'd transferred in from the 19th FS at Al Dhafra after a prolonged leave of absence. He could tell that the older pilots, those that had been around a bit, had an inkling of what was going on. The fresh-faced Lieutenants didn't and he wasn't of a mind to explain his reasons to anyone.
"You sure about this, Mitchell?" asked a towering African-American pilot who walked forward from the area around the television.
"Yup, but there are some rules, Nash." he replied and everyone chuckled. "You can put whatever you want down on this here sheet." He slapped the piece of paper again. "Steganofski and his crew will pick out a handful," he hooked a thumb at the maintenance unit's senior non-com who was glaring at all the pilots from the door, "and you will all get to vote on them." He turned and grinned at the Master Sergeant. "I'm sure Stegs and the rest of the wrench wranglers are open to a little... persuasion." The pilots all laughed again, some overtly asking the gruff man what his price was. "So, ya got until tomorrow at 1500 hours then the good Master Sergeant will take it away and return with a short list. Have at it!" He raised his hands and the men and women started chatting amongst themselves all at once. Nash came to look down closely at Cam for several moments.
"That bad, Cam?" he asked softly. Cam shook his head.
"Worse, I can't be that guy anymore." he responded darkly. "I can't wait it out." The other man nodded.
"You do realise, if it ain't an outright double entendre, it'll be at least innuendo." Nash flicked his head over his shoulder at the other pilots and Cam smiled wryly.
"I expect no less from this bunch of twelve year olds. Not even you, Alonso." Cam clapped the taller man on the shoulder.
"Hey, you'll always be Cornshucker to me, Mitchell." He furrowed his brow and turned towards the bulletin board. "In fact I think I'll go write that down." Cam shook his head.
Two days later he stood, arms crossed over his chest, next to his assigned plane in one of the hangars, watching a Tech Sergeant slipping stencils into a guide frame, writing out, 'CPT. CAMERON "SHAFT" MITCHELL' and climbing up the ladder gantry to apply it under the lip of the canopy by the first seat of the F-15C. He'd at least managed to convince the sergeant not to shorten his name to Cam on the stencil. He turned his head when Captain Nash approached in his half-doffed flightsuit with its sleaves tied around his waist.
"Shaft. Just another example of the White Man usurping the cultural icons of the African-American community." he joked with an amused slap across Cam's back. He chuckled with a little wince at the pain between his shoulder blades.
"Well, I'm sorry for not being big, black and beautiful, Alonso. Nobody's perfect." Cam retorted with a smile.
"Speak for yourself, Mitchell." Nash flexed a well-defined bicep and leaned over to plant a kiss on it. "I am a fine specimen. Check it!" Cam laughed.
"Put that away before you have someone's eye out." He looked up as the maintenance tech brushed his name and new call-sign onto his plane. He couldn't help the slight slump of his shoulders as some of the pent-up tension receded at last. "Most would assume it's a pun on my name and my predilection for automotive engineering." he offered.
"Or it could just be a euphemism." Nash countered with a grin. Cam glared at him then sighed.
"Everything is innuendo." he conceded finally.
"You got that right, Shaft."
Raven's Nest Coffee, Old Colorado City, April 2007
Sam leaned back in the plush chair and stared out past the rainbow-patterned parasol currently closed over one of the outside tables in front of the broad frontage. She held up her mochaccino and took in a deep whiff of the aroma before letting out a contented sigh.
"We should do this more often, Samantha. It seems to do wonders for you." Vala smiled at her from her own plush chair before taking a forkful of her chocolate torte between her lips.
"I'd like that. We should definitely get out more, just us girls." She smiled at the woman who was becoming a better and better friend to her with each passing week. When she'd first joined the team after returning from the Ori galaxy, the almost-reformed thief had been a handful. A typical lone wolf, an outsider with a habit of running counter to the agreed script. They could all tell that what Vala really wanted was somewhere to belong, she'd just been running alone for so long she couldn't react in the way expected of someone who was a part of something bigger than herself. Sam had decided several months before that what Vala needed was a good friend. And truth be told, after Janet's death, Sam had been having trouble forming friendships herself. Cam's return to her daily life had just highlighted how many of her relationships, both professional and personal, were with men. Sam needed a good friend just as much as the alien sitting in the chair next to hers.
"I think the Tau'ri are missing out on a serious opportunity by not selling chocolate to the rest of the galaxy." she murmured through a mouthful of icing and filling. "And you're sure that cheesecake is good? I've had all sorts of cheese, Samantha, and I would never have thought of putting it in a cake."
"It uses sweetened cream cheese, Vala, not regular cheese." Sam explained before taking another bite.
"Hmm. I'll try it next time then." conceded the former smuggler as she reached down for one of the shopping bags they'd accumulated so far that day. She took out a soft cashmere top and spread it across her front.
"I'm sure Daniel will like it, Vala." Sam offered with a smile and the raven-haired woman looked up with a sad smile in return. Sam tilted her head to the side and looked worriedly at her friend. "Is something wrong?" Vala shook her head.
"No, I just think I'm beginning to understand this isn't the sort of thing that Daniel reacts to," she looked up at Sam again and shrugged slightly, "but it's what I know." She sighed and put the top back in the bag. "Like when I went with Cameron to his reunion thing. I could tell immediately that almost everyone there was only interested in outward appearances." Sam quieted instantly and looked down. Thinking about Cameron's high school reunion several weeks back always brought out feelings in her which she could only describe as... complicated. "Cameron isn't like that." Vala said and Sam met her gaze almost involuntarily. "You've known him a long time, right, Samantha?" Sam nodded warily. "Have you always been just friends?" Sam froze with a forkful of cheesecake part way into her mouth. She slowly put it back down on the plate.
"Yes, right from the start we've been very close friends, but just friends." she replied in a voice she hoped didn't give away how nervous she actually was. The raven-haired woman watched her for several long seconds while Sam took up her cheesecake once more.
"What was he like when you first met?" she asked and Sam nearly sighed in relief at the safe question.
"I met him when he came to take charge of my squad on my first day at the Academy..." she began, telling her friend of how Cameron had helped her get through the very hard first year in Colorado Springs, and how they'd become a very effective team together, helping each other with assignments and supporting each other's dreams. How she'd go to cheer him on at his football games and he'd act as her foil while she brainstormed for solutions to her science projects, or dragging her away from them when she needed the break.
"Basically, exactly what he does for you now." Vala interjected with a smile and Sam had to smile herself.
"Yes, once I returned to the SGC he picked up right where he left off at the Academy." Sam looked down into her mochaccino. "He takes care of me." she said softly, she narrowed her eyes slightly. When she thought about that she realised she only ever accepted that sort of thing from Cameron. "He takes care of all his friends." she said quickly with a glance at Vala. "Like Daniel, you know how he always keeps an eye on what Daniel is doing with his side projects. He does a lot for you as well."
"I know, I haven't forgotten how he came after me when I had lost my memories." Vala offered. Sam coloured slightly, remembering the sight which greeted her when they'd followed his transponder to that motel and broken down the door. She teased him about losing his pants again, but it was entirely to deflect her own embarrassment at seeing him like that. "Not the first time I've seen him topless, either. He looks very good in just a towel." Sam nearly choked on her cheesecake.
"When did-" She stopped when the answer popped into her mind. "When you were in Daniel's body using the stones." Vala just nodded with a teasing grin. She closed her eyes and sighed.
"He does have problems though." the alien muttered. "Annoying, idiotic problems." Sam tilted her head with her brow furrowed in confusion.
"What do you mean, Vala?" she asked as the other woman held her gaze for long moments.
"Well, when you said he takes care of you for example. He worries too much about other people and not enough about himself." Vala intoned. Sam frowned slightly.
"We usually think of that as a good thing." Her frown deepened when Vala rolled her eyes with an irritated look.
"It isn't when it's not actually doing any good." she countered. "He can be so unnecessarily stubborn about things, it's infuriating." Sam knew about that side of Cameron, but she didn't know what Vala was talking about specifically. Vala sighed and closed her eyes. "It's not any of my business. I've been trying very hard to follow Daniel's advice about that." She looked sadly in Sam's direction before speaking again. "I've gotten so fond of all of you and I don't like seeing any of you unhappy. It causes a tightness in my chest. Which I can assure you is not the sort of thing I've experienced very often in my life up until now." She frowned.
"Are you saying Cameron is unhappy, Vala?" Sam wracked her brain, trying to pull up any memory of her recent interactions with him which would show he was unhappy about something. She couldn't think of anything. He always smiled when they were together. "Didn't he get together with his high school crush at the reunion?" Sam frowned. "The pretty blond, Amy Vandenburg." Vala sighed with a nod.
"He's settling." she intoned then took a sip of her coffee. Sam looked at her in alarm. That was an outrageous claim to be making.
"What do you mean?" she asked in a barely audible whisper.
"I mean he's decided his own happiness isn't important." Vala said in a voice filled with various levels of regret. Not something Sam was used to hearing in the woman's tone. She was surprised when she found Vala turning a glare on her. She blinked and tilted her head. "And what about you, Samantha? Are you settling?" Her breath hitched at the question, she wondered where it had come from. Vala's eyes turned shrewd; Narrow and scrutinising. "Mind you... I have noticed recently, how you've been doing yourself up a little bit more." Sam's eyes widened. "Just a little, mind you, and only in the last few weeks." She looked around the café. "And you did invite me out today, with the promise of doing it more often." She looked at Sam's bags, and the dresses she'd bought for the impending arrival of summer. She looked up at Sam's floral print dress as well. "Hmm. Are you dressing up for someone as well?" Sam blanched in horror.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Vala. I wanted to show you what a girls' day out was about, that's all." She looked down and wondered to herself what could have brought such an idea into the other woman's head. Was she putting a little more effort in her appearance lately? She didn't think she was. She frowned in thought until her mobile phone began beeping. She looked in her bag and saw it was the alarm she'd set. Saved by the bell she supposed. "Our time's up I'm afraid, we have to get back to prepare for our trip." She said cautiously, mindful of the other patrons nearby. Vala was still eyeing her shrewdly, but turned to stand up and gather her bags. Sam let out a relieved breath as quietly as she could.
"I think you are dressing up for someone, Samantha." Vala said softly as she stood up straight. "I want you to know I support you." Sam looked at her quizzically.
Thirty minutes later they were back on base, walking down a corridor on sublevel 25 in the direction of their quarters to put away their bags and get changed. Sam's breath hitched slightly when she caught sight of Cam walking their way while talking to Siler. She flushed slightly when he spotted her and his eyes travelled up and down her length. He said something to Siler without taking his eyes off her and the Master Sergeant smacked face first into an open door when he turned around. Sam winced while Cam checked up on the man as she and Vala approached. With Siler squared away he turned his attention back on them, a quick glance at Vala followed by a long look her way which left her smiling.
"That's a nice outfit." he said with a little hitch in his voice. Vala nudged her shoulder and gave her a significant look along with her smile. Sam just tried to smile back normally, but she was far too pleased with herself. "It's very... um..." He gulped slightly as he looked her up and down again.
"Civilian?" she teased with a quick, amused glance at the woman next to her. Cam nodded with a smile.
"Well, yeah, that's one way of putting it." He chuckled with a glance between both women. "So what is this? Girls' day out?" he asked and Sam looked over at Vala before turning back to Cam with a smile.
"Well, yes," Vala confirmed with a glance from Sam's boots all the way up and back over to Cameron, "if I'm going to integrate into Earth society, we thought it was very important that I immerse myself in the local cultural offerings." Sam nodded her own affirmation of the alien woman's explanation. Cam put his hands on his hips and looked at Vala with a lifted brow.
"Uh, and by 'local cultural offerings' you mean..." he prompted deliberately with a slight smile.
"Pedicures, mochaccinos and Victoria's Secret." Sam replied. She didn't miss the glint in his eyes when he looked at her after she added the last. She smiled. Vala flicked her hair with a burble of confirmation and Cam chuckled.
"Well, we're scheduled to go off-world in about an hour, and though you both look…fantastic," Cam nodded at them as he emphasized the word with a glance towards Sam, "I suggest you might want to lose the heels." he finished with a finger pointed down at their boots and Sam smirked slightly. They all glanced up as klaxxons and warning lights lit up all around them and Chief Harriman's voice came over the tannoy announcing unexpected Stargate activity. Cam motioned with a sweep of his arms. "Ladies first." Sam smiled at him as she moved past him, distinctly aware he was probably watching her from behind and not sure why that was perfectly okay with her.
USS Odyssey, above P3X-474, May 2007 + 3,693 days relative
"Here you go, Jackson, exactly as it is recorded in the data in the Core and the Database." Cam said as he passed the remote to the flabbergasted archaeologist while he stared up the face of the gate tower. "Heliopolis, as was."
"Mitchell, I don't know what to say." he murmured and took the remote in his hands, giving it a quick glance. He looked across the landscape behind them and reached a hand up to his head. "This is amazing. I mean, I knew you and Sam liked to use the simulator to fly in 302s and that you were working on upgrading it, but this..." He stared back at the tall doors and blinked. "You've linked this into the Database?" Cam nodded.
"When you showed me the portions of the Database that were the repository for the Heliopolis archives, well this seemed like a good treat for your birthday." He shrugged and Daniel watched him silently for several moments.
"Thank you, Cameron. I'm truly touched." he whispered in a voice choked with emotion. Cam shook his head slightly.
"You're my best friend, man." Cam muttered with a hand rubbing at the back of his neck. "I know we don't get on sometimes, and that on occasion I just want to wring your neck and that the feeling's mutual, but... I can't do this whole staying sane thing without you."
"Isn't that Sam's job?" he retorted and Cam shook his head.
"No, Jackson, I stay sane for Sam." Cam said, crossing his arms across his chest. Daniel smirked and sighed in understanding. "Don't get me wrong, she does things that help me stay focused and on the straight and narrow," he explained with a flick of his hand ahead of him, "but I'm doing this for her. To be with her. To not be a burden on her. She needs my support as much as I need hers."
"And this is?" Daniel asked with a sweep of his arms at the high doors ahead of them.
"My little contribution to your sanity. If you only do your work in the Database room then you'll snap and kill us all eventually." Cam said mock-earnestly. Daniel chuckled with a smirk.
"That's what I keep telling him!" Vala cried as she walked in through a rectangle hovering in space with Teal'c and General Landry close behind her. "And as amazing as this is, Cameron, I'm not sure I appreciate you giving him a secondary outlet that isn't my bed." She glared from Cam to Daniel.
"Oh, Vala, I'm sure this will be a very distant tertiary outlet." Cam assured her quickly. Vala chuckled and looped her arm in Daniel's after patting Cameron on the cheek. She prodded him forward and they both approached the great doors as they swung inward on silent hinges with barely a touch from Daniel's fingertips.
"This is most impressive, Colonel Mitchell." Teal'c intoned as he surveyed the area intently. "If not for the absence of damage to the structure and surrounding environment and the lack of the scent of sea air, I would believe I was once more on PB2-908."
"Yes, I'm thinking about solutions for the sense of smell." Cam replied and Landry chuckled at him.
"You know, it's probably fine without it, Mitchell." He raised his eyebrows at the younger man with a mock-serious look. "I'd rather you didn't turn this ship into a giant Scratch 'n' Sniff card."
"No, sir." Cam replied smartly before breaking out into a smile as the two men walked past him. He turned to watch his friends entering the building and his smile softened when he felt Sam approaching and slipping her hands around his waist from behind.
"I'm so proud of you, Cameron." she murmured into his ear. He leaned his head in towards her for a moment before reaching across himself and pulling on one of her arms to bring her around in front of him. She sighed with a soft smile and pressed herself tightly against him. "I love how you try your best to take care of us." He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed her temple gently.
"I have my own reasons for it, entirely selfish reasons, I assure you." He smiled when she began chuckling softly. She looked up with her eyes shining in the simulated dawn and they then drifted down to his lips, a signal he always caught and responded to. Pulling her in a little closer he nuzzled against her cheek before finding her lips with his. She sighed gently and spread her fingers wide on his back, melting into his embrace. "I love you, Sam. So much." he whispered as she buried her face in his neck. She nodded and made a little sound of reciprocation as he ran his fingers down her long hair. "You're my compass, honey. As long as I'm with you, I know which way is home." She looked up into his eyes for a moment. "Or maybe you're my ley line. The path you follow is the path I will travel, Sam. Always." She reached up with a hand to caress his cheek and pull him in for another kiss.
"I love you too, Cameron." she murmured and her eyes glittered when he smiled. She never failed to affect him with those words. Words he'd waited so long to hear and which still had the power to melt his insides when spoken by her melodious voice. "You say I point the way home for you, but you are my home, you say you follow the path I travel, but I travel to you, you are my destination." She pushed some of his fringe up from his forehead as she looked into his eyes. "I can only hope you never forget that." she said sadly and he frowned softly. She must mean the time reversal she's been working on. He sighed and kissed her again.
"I'll remember. In my heart, I'll remember." he promised. "I'll remember because every time I look at you I'll see the other part of my soul." She nodded as her brows tightened and he kissed her softly on the forehead.
Stargate Command, September 2010
"Yes, sir, it's exactly what you'll need." Siler told him as he passed him the piece of paper with a name and contact details. Cam smiled broadly as he looked down at the phone number.
"You're the real deal, Sly. Thanks a lot." He clapped the Master Sergeant on the shoulder in gratitude.
"It's the least I can do to get that B20E back up and running, sir." Sylvester pushed his glasses back up with a smile. "If you find you need to do some precision tooling, Colonel..." he trailed off, clearly making the offer. Cam grinned again.
"I'll keep that in mind, Siler," he folded the piece of paper and slipped it into the pocket of his blue BDUs, "but this is a very special car for a very special lady, you know?" Siler nodded. "I want to do as much as I can on my own."
"I understand, Colonel." he replied with a small smile and moved off when Cam gave him a little nod and turned up the corridor with his hands in his pockets.
Cameron didn't even react when he found Vala's arm looped through his once he'd gone a short distance up the corridor. He knew exactly why she was there. General Landry had brought him and Sam into his office after their briefing the day before to effectively order them to get drunk and go dancing. Ordinarily, Cam would be all over that, except this time the General didn't have their best interests at heart. The IOA was hosting a private function at an exclusive ski lodge up in the mountains for the ranking members of the congressional committees with military oversight duties. Someone from the SGC needed to be there and who better than Cam, the leader of its premier team, and Sam, the most experienced member of the entire command. Still, it might be fun.
"Vala..." he began only for her to interrupt him.
"Now hear me out, Cameron." she interjected and continued after he gave her a little nod. "I think it's entirely unfair that you and Samantha were singled out for such an onerous duty as this, and quite frankly, it was done in a rather cowardly manner by General Landry. Now, you know I will always come to your aid, Cameron, and Samantha's. You are both my dearest friends and I will stand at your side no matter what trials and tribulations you have to face."
"Vala," he looked at her askance, "the last time you were in the presence of a United States Senator you implied he wished to increase the size of our fleet because he had room to spare in the front of his trousers."
"And I was right." she replied matter-of-factly, not in the least bit remorseful.
"Senator Fisher got our budget slashed that year." he reminded her.
"Which just makes him a very petty man, Cameron." she countered.
"We had to accept an IOA watchdog in the SGC to get them to contribute to our funding." he added with an edge to his voice. "And one of them knocked seven shades of Hell out of my ass, remember that?."
"Yes, and ultimately you got Samantha to make you macaroons because of it." she replied and he furrowed his brow for several moments as he followed her twisted logic.
"Are you saying that if you hadn't insinuated Senator Fisher lacked sufficient manhood then Sam and I wouldn't be together?" he growled in warning.
"I am a woman of many talents, Cameron, and I move in mysterious ways." preened the former smuggler. Cam drew his lips tight and raised a finger in warning. "I also promise to be on my best behaviour." She glanced at him from the corner of her eye with a raised eyebrow.
"Now see? You could have just said that in the first place." he grumbled. "If you can convince Daniel to take you then you can come." She grinned and squeezed his arm tight as she leaned against his side for a moment before bounding off in search of the linguist. She stopped in her tracks and turned around when a thought struck her.
"So you would have believed me right away if I had just promised to behave?" she asked while looking at him sidelong.
"No, and I don't believe you now either." She came back and gave him a thump on the head as he chuckled. "But I do like to see you making the effort." She smiled at that and bounded off again, pausing at Sam's door which had been Cam's ultimate destination.
"We're going gown shopping later, Samantha." With that she shot off again as Cam turned into Sam's lab to find her looking up in confusion.
"Vala and Daniel are coming as well, I take it?" she asked him finally as he walked over and kissed her softly.
"Mmm. Did you know, Sam," he began as he sat down beside her in a chair she kept nearby for when he dropped by, "you and I are together because Senator Fisher has a tiny todger?" She gaped at him as if doubting his sanity.
Samantha Carter's house, Colorado Springs, September 2010
Sam watched from her window as Cam got out of his Mustang and paused at the end of her front path while buttoning up the jacket of his dress blues. He turned slightly when Daniel parked his dark red 1948 Willys 'VJ' Jeepster drop-top behind his car and stepped out as well.
"Vala, I don't know about this..." she murmured with a look over her shoulder at her friend. Vala was arranging her hair with a floral decoration above her left ear and spared a moment to flick her eyes in Sam's direction in the mirror hanging on the wall.
"Shush, Samantha, you look fabulous." She turned her head from side to side and gave herself a little approving nod before she turned around. "You and Cameron always go out dressed so casually that I think it's about time he got to see what you look like when you go all out." She walked over to her friend and began prodding the dark silver silk shawl which covered Sam's shoulders over the top of her iridescent taffeta navy blue evening gown. The dress hung from her neck on a silver silk neckline which formed a top-heavy figure of eight as it left a space right over her breastbone. A space currently showing off her platinum ring on its silver chain with her engagement ring looped next to it for good measure. The dress then hugged her figure all the way down past her hips, where a slit began halfway down her left thigh and took the rest of the fabric, accented with silvered bead bursts over its length, right down to her heels to drag behind her with a small train. Vala then reached up to Sam's fringe and teased a few stray locks back into place and made sure her silver filigree hair clips were in just the right place and that the dark silver Chinese style hairpins at the back of her head were secure. "Are you going to do something about that?" she asked, pointing at the glossy dark metal of the clasp around Sam's left wrist, where it sat next to her silver bracelet.
"Oh." Sam lifted her hand up for a moment and the clasp wavered and warped until it looked like a silver watch.
"That's much better." Vala commented as she placed her hands on the hips of her form-fitting, wine red strapless long gown with an empire waistline cinched in gold. "Give me a little turn." she ordered, twirling her finger in front of her. Sam dutifully complied, turning around on her open-toed black flats and showing off the low cut of the back of the dress. "I tell you, Sam, if I were that way inclined, Cameron would have to watch himself around me." She smiled at Sam's embarrassed grin and motioned over to the stand by Sam's front door where her own shawl was draped. Sam handed it over and watched Vala pull her free-flowing locks from under it as she wrapped it around her shoulders, then helped her friend get the dark red, gold and green flower print shawl just right. The doorbell rang just as they were finishing up and Vala batted her hands away and motioned for her to answer the door. She walked over and paused after putting her hand on the door knob. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened the door she scooted over to stay behind it and Vala clucked her tongue at her. Cam grinned at her head as it poked out from behind the door and glanced at Vala with a smile.
"Evenin', I heard there were some fine ladies lookin' to dance the night away somewhere in this neighbourhood. Any chance I could get some directions?" Vala giggled as Daniel just glared at him from his side and walked in, only to stop in his tracks when he spotted the raven-haired woman.
"Yeah... um, hi." he began as he raised a hand to his collar. "You look... you look really good." He cleared his throat and frowned slightly while Vala cocked a hip and looked to the side, giving him a little pose. "Very... very good. Um... I like your shoes." He indicated the almond-toed wine coloured pumps peeking out from under the hem of her gown. She grinned at the nervous look he was giving her as Cam pushed him forward further into the entrance hall.
"Nice save, Jackson. You look lovely, Vala." He smiled and the woman preened a little. Sam closed the door behind him as he walked in, avoiding his gaze with a dusky hue to her cheeks when he turned to face her. She could feel him looking at her, feel his eyes moving over her. "Huhm... Sam, you..." She glanced up at the huskiness in his tone to see his eyes glittering with a hungry fire, dark with need, she flushed an even deeper shade of rose. "You look amazing." he breathed. She let out the breath she'd been holding in unconsciously and glanced down in relief until his hands reached for hers and his thumbs rubbed along the back of her fingers.
"Wait just a minute. I'm lovely, but she's amazing?" Vala cried indignantly from where Daniel was running a finger along her arm. "Objection!" She pointed her finger straight out at Cameron as he turned to her and grinned.
"Sorry, Vala," he began as Sam sidled up behind him and pressed herself against his back to peek over his shoulder at her friend while she slipped her arms around his waist, pressing her silver-lined clutch against the ribbons and medals on his chest, "I'm biased." Vala clucked her tongue and crossed her arms under her breasts, which only had Daniel clearing his throat again.
"You look stunning, Vala." he whispered, which had her smiling immediately.
"Well, that's alright then." she announced before pointing towards the front door. "Onwards to infamy!" she declared and Sam giggled when she felt the rumblings of Cam's groans through his back.
Once Cam had helped her into the passenger seat of his Mustang he moved around the front of the car and paused while a gunmetal grey SUV drove past them before he opened his door and settled into the driver's side. As soon as the engine turned over he turned on the heater so she wouldn't get too chilly before they arrived. After being on the road a good fifteen minutes the silence was starting to get to Sam.
"Cameron? Are you okay?" she asked in concern. He glanced over to her and she could see his eyes glittering like embers in the darkness.
"I don't know what I'm going to do, Sam." he breathed. His tone was troubled and Sam's brows creased in worry. She reached across and lay her hand on his forearm.
"You can tell me anything, Cameron, you know that. We'll work it out together." she whispered. He closed his eyes for a moment and drove on in silence until a red light allowed him to look at her for a long moment.
"Sam... the first thing I thought when I saw you in that dress was that I wanted to get you out of it, right there in your hall." His voice was filled with need and she blushed furiously at his words, looking down the road until the light turned green again and Cam drove on. She blinked rapidly as a surge of emotion filled her heart and spread outwards to the ends of her fingers and toes and the tips of her ears. She turned to look at Cameron once more, seeing the clean angle of his jaw in the pulsed light of the street lamps.
"You'll have to be patient, Cameron." she said softly and he smiled despite himself. They drove on into the mountains in much more comfortable silence, broken occasionally with the kind of conversation they could always share with each other at the drop of a hat. As Cam turned off Rampart Range Road onto the private road leading to the lodge, a decidedly evil thought swept across Sam's mind. She smirked and turned to Cameron, leaning close to his ear. "Cameron, this dress that you want to take me out of so badly," she smiled when he grunted in vexation, "it hugs my figure very closely, so closely that I have to be very careful what I wear underneath it." She leaned back again with a satisfied glance at his tense brow and the hard gulp he was forced to take. "Or don't wear, as the case may be." she breathed almost under her breath just as he stopped the car in the curved driveway. His head swivelled sharply to face her and he pierced her with a gaze like blue laser beams. She leaned in again and kissed him teasingly as her fingers gently caressed his cheek.
"You're trying to kill me, aren't you?"
On to Chapter 4