Creamy and decadent, the dark chocolate cheesecake melted, flooding her mouth with flavor. The crisp sweetness of Pinot Grigio followed, the cool wine cleansing her palate and adding to the heated buzz she felt in her head. Sounds, flavors, warm skin, and moonlight bathed her senses as Sam reached for the glass pressed to her lips, but his hand swatted hers away.

"No, that's against the rules, major," he said behind her, his voice husky as he spoke, his breath tickling her ear.

"And this isn't, sir?" She laughed as she said the words, knowing full well they'd overstepped every rule and regulation during the past few hours, though she felt too wonderful to care. She turned slightly within his arms to see his face. "When do I get to return the favor?" she asked.

"How about now?"

Jack kissed her, and she relished the warmth of his lips against hers, opening her mouth to him and allowing him entry. She slipped her fingers through the hair on his chest as leaned more fully against him, settling within the strength of his arms.

The movement caused the wine to slosh out of the glass across his fingers and down her chest. She giggled against his mouth as she felt the cool, sticky liquid trickle over her skin. "Whoops."

"Yeah, 'whoops.' Here, let me take care of that," he said.

"Colonel?"

He sat the glass on her nightstand and pushed up into a sitting position. "Come here, Sam."

She obeyed his order without question. Turning to face him as he pulled her close, she caught her breath as she felt his tongue against her heated skin, sensually savoring the spilled wine, and stoking years of pent-up passion.

"Colonel, wow, this is . . . but I meant the cake."

He continued to place kisses along her skin as he spoke. "The cake? We finally decided to screw the regs and you want more cheesecake?"

"I need more cheesecake if you want to screw the regs again, Jack."

Laughing, he captured her mouth again and kissed her deeply, slipping his long fingers behind her head, his other hand pressing firmly against her heart . . .

"Sam? Sam, wake up."

"No," she said in her sleep. She didn't want to leave him, but even as she fought to remain, the warmth of his kisses, the flavor of the chocolate, the feel of his arms all were fading. "Janet?"

"How are you feeling?"

Sam sat up in the bunk--her hair, her tank top drenched with sweat. "What?"

"I don't know why, but I'm not running a fever-the virus seems to have run its course." Janet's voice was floating up from under her-the bottom bunk.

Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, Sam dropped to the floor, grabbing the bed frame to steady herself.

"Sam, are you okay?"

"Just a little woozy. It's nothing."

The door opened and light poured in from the other room as Dr. Osbourne rushed in. "She's missing. Woods is unconscious."

Ayianna, Sam thought, as the remnants of her dream faded rapidly and reality came crashing down. She grabbed her fleece jacket and followed Janet out as they began searching for the discovery of the millennia.