Wedding Night Blues: A Team Approach

Karen Greim Mullian
©2003

Jack was furious. He had been planning on spending the first night of his marriage to Sam Carter in the Bridal Suite of the best hotel in Vegas. The reservations had been made months in advance, long before he
had even proposed to her.

“There’s a slight problem,” the hotel manager said, after apologizing profusely. “But Ms. Presley always has the Bridal Suite when she stays

with us. And she won’t stay in any other hotel. This was her father’s favorite, you know.”

“A slight problem?” Jack asked, cocking his head to one side.

“You call this a slight problem? You can tell Lisa Marie–”

“Come on, Jack,” Sam said, willing to accept a little alteration to their immediate future. “I’m sure there’s another hotel with a bridal suite.”

“Well, actually, madam,” the manager said, squirming under Jack’s glare, “we’ve called around, and they’re all booked. Every hotel in the city is booked solid. Not a room to be found anywhere. There are seventeen conventions in town, and Engelbert Humperdinck is playing the Sands for twelve nights. I’m sorry, but there’s simply not another room available.”

“We’ll take a broom closet and a cot,” Jack offered.

“Jack,” protested Sam. “I am not spending our wedding night in a broom closet. What are you thinking?”

“I’m special ops. I can sleep anywhere.”

“Maybe you can.”

Sam picked up her overnight bag and walked toward the elevator.

“Hey,” Jack called after her, “where do you think you’re going?”

“I’m going up to Daniel and Teal’c’s room.”

“Sam.”

“They have two king-size beds,” she snapped at him. “They don’tneed both of them.”

In the elevator, they barely spoke to one another. Jack followed in her wake when the elevator stopped on Sixteen and she stomped down the hall to 1617.

“It’s 2 a.m., Sam,” he said. “Teal’c must be doing his kel-no-rim, and Daniel’s probably been asleep for hours. He did have a beer a dinner, you know.”

“Then they won’t even notice we’re in the room,” Sam replied.

She turned toward him, forgetting her annoyance and enjoying his closeness. “And all those candles will be so romantic.”

“How do you propose getting in?” he asked.

“Simple,” she answered, smiling up at him and holding something up in her hand. “While you were discussing the matter with the hotel manager, took the other cardkey for their room.”

“Well, what if they put that latch thing across?”

“No problem, Sir, I mean, Jack. I’ve got bolt cutters in my bag.”

“You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?” he smiled, giving her a quick hug.

Fortunately, the bolt cutters weren’t necessary, and the door opened easily. At the foot of the far king-size bed sat Teal’c, meditating in a circle of soft candlelight. He opened one eye and looked at them.

“Little mix up about the Bridal Suite,” Jack explained in a whisper. “Seems Lisa Marie dropped in, and she is the King’s daughter so she pretty much gets what she wants.”

“The king of what?” Teal’c asked.

“The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” Jack explained. “Long story. Ask me tomorrow.”

“I shall, O’Neill,” remarked the Jaffa, returning to his meditation.

Jack turned around to see Sam gazing fondly at Daniel asleep in the other bed, his legs sprawled, his mouth open, blankets pulled up from

the bottom and twisted around his waist, a pillow clutched tightly in his arms.

“That’s our boy,” Jack said sarcastically. “Come on, Danny, you’re in the wrong bed. You’re bunking with Teal’c tonight.”

Without waking up, Daniel allowed Jack to pull him to his feet. He shuffled across the floor to the other bed, dead drunk, collapsing in a crumpled heap with the pillow still in his arms.

“I might need that,” Jack told him; but Daniel whined, and Jack let him keep it. God knew who Daniel thought he was holding.

“I think we can share a pillow for one night,” Sam said with a sweet smile as she slipped into the bathroom.

In the meantime, Teal’c arose from his meditation and blew out all the candles, filling the room with the acrid smell of smoke. Why the smoke alarm didn’t go off was a mystery. In the darkness, Jack undressed, throwing his clothes across a chair. He straightened out the covers and lay down in the spot still warm from Daniel's body. The bathroom door opened, and a moment later, Sam slipped into bed beside him. Jack put an arm around her as they cuddled on the single pillow.

“Euw,” Jack complained. “What is that?”

“What do you expect when Daniel sleeps with his mouth open?” Sam giggled.

Jack got out of bed with the pillow in his hand. Still sleeping, Daniel fought him for the pillow he held onto but lost. Jack considered smothering him with the drool-sodden one, but thought better of it. After all, this was his and Sam’s wedding night, and homicide might not be the best thing to remember it by.

“Good night, Col. and Mrs. O’Neill,” said Teal’c.

“Good night, Teal’c,” said Sam.

Jack didn’t say anything. He put his arms around his wife.

“What the hell are you wearing?” he asked suddenly.

“Sweats, why?”

“Carter, do you realize what night this is?”

“You don’t think I’m going to put on that slinky black teddy when we’re in the same room as those two, do you?”

“But there’s no way into these things,” Jack complained.

“That’s right, Sir,” Sam said as she snuggled down into the covers. In a few minutes, her steady breathing told him she was already asleep.

Jack swore under his breath, a little confused. No, a lot confused. He’d waited seven years for this moment. Seven freaking years to be alone with the woman he loved. This was their wedding night, and --

In the other bed, he heard a commotion.

A moment later, Teal’c said firmly, “Daniel Jackson, stay on your side of the bed or you will be hurt severely.

Daniel rolled onto his back and sighed.

For a few minutes the room was actually quiet. Then Daniel began to snore loudly.

“Oh, for cryin’ out loud,” complained Jack.