DISCLAIMER: Not mine, no money, just some fluffy fun.....
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
SEQUEL: To Astronaut Ambition?
In-Flight Service
By ncruuk
"How's your stomach?" asked Sam Carter as she jumped down from the pilot's seat of their rented seaplane, debating what the etiquette was for offering to help her companion down from the seat. A guy? Leave him alone; A girl she was trying to impress? Help her and maybe snatch a quick kiss; A Marine of equal rank and 'kick-ass' skill who just happened to be the sexiest Marine she'd ever seen? A serious moment of indecision....
"Not bad, considering I just broke one of my key rules..." explained Sarah 'Mac' Mackenzie, pondering the ground below her. How did she get out of this thing?
"Which one?" asked Sam, slightly nervous, mentally reviewing her own rules and spotting all the ones she was currently breaking.
"Never fly alone in a plane that's being piloted by someone I know..." mused Mac, breaking into a playful grin when she saw Sam appear from around the nose of the little plane.
"Ah, your partner..."
"He's a little..." Mac paused to consider how best to politely translate her distaste for her partner's flying, only for Sam to suggest,
"...too fond of ejections and crash landings?"
"The MiG in Russia..." began Mac, starting to recount all her 'rough landings' with Harmon Rabb Jr, only for Sam to interrupt again.
"Your partner's Rabb?"
"You know him?"
"We've met..." acknowledged Sam thoughtfully, before splashing though the shallow waves so she was standing next to the plane, one bare foot resting on the plane's float, hoping Mac wouldn't ask her how she knew about the stolen MiG. It had caused all manner of issues when the SGC had been trying to stay pleasant with the Russians…
"In your galaxy hero role?" asked Mac, using her new nickname for Sam's career at the SGC. She'd lost count of the number of times Sam's stories last night had ended with her and her team saving the planet and, unlike many of the other times she'd sat and listened to fellow officers tell their heroic stories, Mac had been completely convinced Sam was neither embelishing or boasting about her exploits...she was just reporting what happened. It was a refreshing quality that only served to boost Mac's attraction to the blonde Colonel.
"No...it was years ago, we were both still flying full time......" admitted Sam, wondering why she'd brought it up.
"What was your call sign?" asked Mac, suddenly remembering a story Sturgis Turner had told her, about an inter-service Top Gun competition, in which 'Hammer' had been finally beaten by an Air Force pilot that they only knew as...
"Wormhole."
"You beat Harm?" asked Mac, impressed. Whilst her partner had managed to collect most of the Navy Top Gun records, he'd missed out on a fair few of the Inter-Service ones, with many being held by 'Wormhole', a call sign Harm had been less than complimentary about. Even before she'd known the pilot's identity, Mac had always thought it to be a rather cool name, much better than 'Hammer'…which, lets face it, didn't fill your passenger with much confidence…
"Yeah..." Blushing, being embarrassed by all the attention she was receiving, Sam looked down at the waves and starting kicking water over the float, an action which served to remind Mac that she was still sitting in the co-pilot's seat.
"How do I get out of this thing?" asked Mac, refocusing Sam's attention.
"You can jump down onto the float..." began Sam, only for Mac to interrupt.
"Or?"
"Or I can help you..." suggested Sam shyly, wondering how this 'kick-ass whilst taking names' Marine would react to that.
"I like a chivalrous date..." answered Mac flirtatiously, reaching down and slipping off her shoes, deciding she liked Sam's idea of being barefoot on the beach. Grinning, Sam leant closer to the open cockpit and reached up to take Mac into her arms.
"Ready?"
"For what?"
"This..." said Sam, which was the only warning Mac got before she was being swept out of her seat by strong arms that then held her firmly against a lean and firm yet definitely female torso. Instinctively, she hooked her legs around Sam's waist, locking her ankles together.
"Ok?" she asked quickly, conscious that she wasn't as light as she could be.
"Perfect..." agreed Sam, resisting the urge to kiss the beautiful brunette just yet as, whilst she was strong and able to support Mac in this position, her recent experiences of kissing this Marine suggested that they should move away from the plane before she challenged her knees to withstand the onslaught triggered by Sarah Mackenzie's lips. Taking a determined step backwards, Sam moved them away from the plane and turned to start walking up the beach towards where she'd dumped the stuff they'd brought, only to stop when she saw the flash of disappointment cross Mac's face.
"What's wrong?" she asked, suddenly concerned in case her friend was having a change of heart. As difficult as it was for Sam to navigate the shark infested waters that were the military's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy, she couldn't begin to imagine how challenging that must be for Mac, given her position as the JAG's Chief of Staff, charged with upholding those rules; at least Sam had the ability to make the case that her skills were truly unique…
"I was hoping for a kiss…" muttered Mac, feeling silly now she had to voice it. This whole booking of leave and flying to an isolated sandy beach was a level of spontaneity she normally didn't venture to, and especially not when it involved a potential risk of charges…but there was something about Sam Carter that made her forget all of that…she just hoped to anyone who'd listen to her prayers that the feeling was mutual.
"Ah…and you'll get one…" promised Sam, setting off striding through the shallow water again, not letting go of her precious cargo, if anything, pressing Mac tighter against her body, "…but not just yet…."
"You forget to use your toothbrush?" teased Mac, remembering the very strange text message she'd received from Sam's CO the night before.
"Nope…" grinned Sam, before deliberately exhaling heavily in Mac's face, assaulting her with a wave of minty fresh breath that proved she hadn't forgotten to make very thorough use of her toothbrush. Mac wasn't to know it was one of the more enjoyable orders she'd received from her long time friend and CO.
"So what's the wait?" asked Mac, hoping her flirtatious tone concealed her insecurity.
"I don't want to drop you…"
"I'm too heavy…."
"No…too sexy…"
"Huh?" Distracted from not being kissed, Mac's eyes sparkled with amused confusion. She recognised it was a compliment, but wasn't making the connection.
"I…" began Sam, before snatching a quick kiss from Mac, "…didn't…" another kiss stolen, "….want…" this time it was Mac who snatched the kiss, recognising that now was not the moment for anything more intense than playful pecks, "…to drop…" continued Sam, hoping her slightly longer kiss might stop Mac from spotting Sam dropping to her knees, "…you…" finished Sam, before dipping her head and initiating what was definitely a 'proper' kiss, that left them both breathless and Mac lying on her back on the picnic rug, looking slightly dazed, her legs still locked around Sam's waist.
"Ok?" asked Sam nervously, unable to stop a half grin of cocky satisfaction gracing her face – had she managed to make a JAG officer speechless?
"Mmm…" agreed Mac, releasing her legs and tangling her fingers in the short hairs at the nape of Sam's neck, preparing to coax her back for another mind-numbing kiss, "…very ok…"
The End