What Should Have Been - Family Meetings
What Should Have Been - Family Meetings
by Katmellie
Summary: Jack meets Sam's brother and introduces Sam to his family.
Category: Future Story, Holiday, Humor, POV, Romance
Holiday: Christmas
Season: future Season
Pairing: Jack/Sam
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author(s).
Archived on: 08/26/03
There is no way, anyone can bring me down from my high, finally Sam's been able to get some time away, giving us three weeks do anything we want, till we have to be back for Christmas day, with people back in Colorado. We've been planning this for two months, over the phone and the times I've come down, for the weekend. Planning our first Christmas together as a couple, (I'll never get tired of hearing that), even though I'd rather just stay at hers over the Christmas holiday, sitting on the couch in front of the TV, with her in my arms and Linole watching the TV. But she wants to go see her niece and nephew, and since she found the letter from my mother, she wants to go and drop their presents off, in person. I hate her when she gets like that.
Shifting the strap of my bag further up my shoulder, I fell into line with everyone getting off the plane, excusing myself passed the people still collecting their baggage. Thanking the airhostess standing by the door, I exited the plane, flowing with the other passengers to arrivals. Even though, I know she's at the other end of the corridor, waiting for me with Linole, I can't help but feel nervous. It feels as if I'm going out on my first date. I remember feeling this way the last time I came down, my palms were all sweaty and I was making the worse jokes ever, to the airhostess on the flight and to the passengers surrounding me.
Squeezing behind the family in front of me, I held the door open for them, tagging along behind them till I heard my name called. Giving the door one last pushed, I greeted them both with smile, preparing myself for catching Linole, carefully watching her run through the crowds towards me. Groaning when all the force, she'd accumulated from the run up, impacted into my chest I picked her up. Kissing her on the cheek, I became aware of her beside me, edging the strap of my backpack, off my shoulder. Turning my head to her, I leaned over to her and kissed her on lips softly, a certain buzz going though my head.
Resting our foreheads together, lost in her smile and her eyes, I could honestly stand there with her, doing anything and nothing with her. Linole's constant badgering in my ear, broke the moment between us until we get home. Sliding my free hand behind Sam's back, snaking in behind my backpack, when she put it on the shoulder, furthest away from me.
Burrowing my hand underneath her coat, we started towards the baggage collection point; I leaned into Sam's ear. "I've missed you"
She smiled up at me, reaching up to stroke her thumb over my cheek, making all my heartache, for the past few weeks, seem to be all worth it. The nights I've spent pretending she was there, lairing to myself, so I can sleep or at least get some before I plant myself in front of the TV, logging down the things I want to buy, from the shopping channel. Times I'd spent reminding myself she's okay, she'll be back from her mission and give me a call, as soon as she steps through that gate.
Untangling my arms from the two of them, gently putting Linole down, to catch my bag, escaping to do another lap. Showing the bag in triumph to them, my arm automatically went back to lining Sam's lower back; bringing her closure to me with every step she took. Linole held onto Sam's hand, hanging on through the rapids of people, threatening to take her away, if she let go of us, her lifeline.
Over the four months we've been together, I've noticed a slight change in Sam; she's a lot happier than before. If someone was to greet her in the morning, with 'Good morning' or 'Isn't it a beautiful day', she'd be like 'what's so damn good about it?' Now in the mornings, I wake to find her smiling, being the person who says 'Good morning' and 'Isn't it a beautiful day?' Daniel's even told me, he's scared now to go off world with her, she gets a little cranky and depressed. He thought it could be, because there's no way for her to contact me. But I said, if she really wanted, to get in contact with me, she'd build something that could send messages, over the vast amount space between us.
Using the situation to my advantage, I placed brushed kisses behind her ear, her squirming causes me to do it more and chuckled at her response to something, I know she really likes. Moving away from me, she playfully raised an eyebrow at me, countering each of my steps as she walked backwards, holding onto the edges of my coat.
"We'll be having none of that." She said before falling in beside me again, tiptoeing up to my ear. "Not until we get home"
"This I can deal with" I say, sliding my hand between her coat and whatever other layers of clothing, she had on.
Inclining towards her for another kiss, the groan from the approaching car, made us both looked to the blonde, impatiently sprawled over the front of the car. Departing from Sam to go round to the passenger side, I dragged Linole off the front of the hood, struggling to keep hold of her puffy jacket. Letting her go near the back door, I met up with Sam at the back, putting my suitcase into the trunk with my backpack. Checking round for the annoying eight year old, I wrapped my arms round Sam, drawing her back against me as she shut the trunk, giggling into the side of my face. She twirled round in my arms, gently placing her hands on my cheeks, kissing me with the passion, I'd seen in the field and in her work, and yet so gentle, at the same time.
The pounding on the back window, encourage a groan from both of us, wishing Linole would grow up and move out. She's always groaning or the odd snide remark will come from her, carrying on the work of Uncle Daniel, still pretending he didn't have a love life with a certain doctor I know. (I really should start calling her Janet). The looks on their faces when they're together, you can certainly see there's something, between the two of them. It's taking all my strength sometimes, to keep Sam from telling them that we all know, her legs flailing in the air, fighting against the hold I'd have round her waist.
Getting into the passenger seat, I glared at Linole over my shoulder, pulling my seatbelt across me to fasten into the clip, sharing a look with Sam. She started the car, the window wipers were wiping somehow in time with the music, pumping out of the speakers, loud enough it could've imploded my eardrums. Sympathetically Sam turned the music down, patting my leg to silently promise never to do it again. Uncovering my ears of my hands, my head fell back against the headrest, feeling a headache coming on.
Parking up in front of the car, sat in front of Sam's garage, Linole was already out of the car, running off through the side gate, calling to someone I'd hoped wouldn't be ripping my head off. Whimpering to myself I got out of the car, I quietly shut my car door, almost sneaking round to the back of the car. Sam was very pleased with herself, throwing my backpack onto her shoulder, knowing I've been dreading meeting this man again. When I'd met him the first time, it'd been okay. He was a General, happened to be her dad and I got to work with him, on the odd occasion. Now, it was totally another ball game. He was her dad, who knew how to kick my butt, and she was his little girl, who no man deserved to be with.
Lifting the suitcase out of the trunk, she slammed it shut while taking my hand, towing me up to the front door. Standing behind her with only a centimetre for space, I kept an eye on my six while she opened the door, my nerves had suddenly develop into petrified, on the other side of that door was him. The door swung open on its own, letting us both enter until I shut it, sticking firmly behind Sam, my back up against the wall. Searching round the living room and dining room, there was no sign of him.
Bursting into Sam's bedroom, I dropped my suitcase in front of the wardrobe, sneaking a peek behind her net curtains, checking to see if he was in the garden with Linole, hopefully playing in the snow. Her hands pressed up against my chest, letting me know she was there, to be a shoulder to lean on. Elevating one of her hands to my mouth, I kissed the top of her knuckles, thanking her for the sentiment.
The subtle cough from the doorway, alerted me that was death was soon upon me, standing there waiting for me to hurt his little girl, something I'd never do until God's were really Goa'uld's. Her hands slid from my front, tracing over my back till they were gone. Slowly pivoting round to face him, I put my best smile on for him, believing my past encounters with this man should count for something, he had to remember the whole hell incident.
"Jack" He said, moving further into the room, his hands casually in his pockets.
Wafting my coat to calm myself down, I did my best not squeak under his scrutiny. "Jacob"
"It's good to see you after so long. How ya been?"
Taking it as a good sign that I was still standing, I tugged at the end of my sleeves, shrugging my coat off to drape over the bottom of the bed. "Oh good. Life's been really good to me lately"
"I heard. She wouldn't shut up about you two, when she was picking me up and driving home from the base." Jacob said, his hand coming out of his pocket to point between us. "In my entire life, I've never heard her sound so... ecstatic about anything. She wasn't even this excited when she told me about her first boyfriend. The way she describe him, he was..."
"Okay, dad. Let's go make a start on dinner. Jack's got to put his things away." She said, pushing him to the bedroom door, her cheeks flush with embarrassment.
Muffling my chuckled at her quick intervention, I unzipped my backpack, laying all my toys and... toys out onto the bed. My Gameboy and MP3 player were put on the bedside table, the two books were hidden under the bed, out of sight so no could make fun, and the rest of it were presents I'd brought for everyone. Packing them back into the bag, I hid the bag up on top of the wardrobe, out of the reaching distance of that woman and her daughter.
Kicking my boots off, I empty everything out of my pockets onto the nightstand, piling the lose change together. Sitting on the edge of her bed, I rolled my socks down and them pulled them off, finding it strange it hadn't gone bad with Jacob. I was expecting to get strangulated and asked me, 'What the hell, did you think you are doing, going out with my daughter?'. It's what I got from Sara's dad, when I first met him, pinned up the side of my car, a good three inches off the floor with his hands round my throat.
Untucking my shirt and t-shirt from my pants, I started towards the door, hearing it quietly close I stopped. Pouting my lips together, I looked up to see Jacob propped up against the door, scratching at the back of his head.
"Jack, I was wondering if we could have a little chitchat?" Jacob said, his hand sliding down the door.
"Sure"
Watching his every hand movement, judging which one was going to hit first, he took a step towards me. "I just wanted to warn you about Mark, he can be a little argumentative, when it comes to the Air Force, and very protective of Sam. I wouldn't mention the Air Force to him, he might get into one of his moods and ruin Christmas like he's done so many times in the past"
Letting out a deep breath, I rested my hands onto my hips. "Thanks for the heads up"
"Oh and another thing" Jacob said, reaching out towards me, pulling me over to him as his arm worked its way round my shoulders. "Sam says I should come spend sometime at your cabin, says the fishing there's good"
"There's no fish." I said, minding the door when Jacob pulled it open.
"I know, but it's not about the fishing, is it Jack? Or are you one of those fishermen, who caught the fish?" Shaking my head at him, he seemed pleased with my answer, patting me on the back.
Escaping away from him into the kitchen, the sanctuary of Sam hopefully keeping that man from his father talk. Using the refrigerator as my lifesaver, I watched Sam bobbed around the kitchen, peeling potatoes and chopping up some carrots. I wonder if she actually knows, how much I really need her?
Burrowing my head further into the pillow, the hands round my bare chest tighten, drawing her nearer to me, pressing her up against my back. A whispered kiss was placed onto my shoulder, her chin rested down where she'd kissed, and the heat from her breath, tickled the side of my face. Rolling over onto my back, she propped herself up onto her elbow, tracing her fingers through my lightly haired chest, beautiful even if her hair was all tossed about. Sliding my hands round her silky nightgown, I sat up slightly in the bed, capturing her lips for my own. Coaxing her round onto her back, I leant onto her, my hand travelling down her side, clutching at the back of thigh.
The alarm on her nightstand went off, beeping away in time with another alarm clock in the house, waking everyone and breaking up where we were going. Hovering above her, I listened to the pattered of feet, coming from the other side of the bedroom door. Flopping back onto my back when she gave me a push, I lay there looking up at the ceiling, the line of light coming through the curtains, split the room in half. She got dressed as I crawled out of bed, running my fingers through my hair, plodding my way over the carpeted floor.
Glancing back at her, I pulled the door open, playing with the waistband of my PJ bottoms. "Do you want anything before you go?"
"Coffee, please Jack"
Yawning into the back of my hand, I left the door a jar, raising a hand as hello to Jacob, sat at the dining room table with a feast fit for a king. Eyeing the bacon, sausages and everything else I much like in fry up, lying on his plate forgotten while he read the paper, from the day before. Drooling at the sight of them, I promised myself to nick a sausage or ration of bacon on the way back to Sam's room, hearing my stomach grumbled I went into the kitchen.
Linole was sat at the table in the kitchen, dressed ready for school, her packed lunch sitting on the table, beside her breakfast bowl, surprising me by not eating with Jacob, in the other room. Padding across the wooden floor to the coffee machine, I thank Jacob for freshly brewing the coffee, saving me some time to fit into Sam's morning routine. Selecting two mugs off the shelve, I filled them up to the brim with coffee, stirring in two sugars into Sam's. It's weird how she likes it sweet in the morning, yet finds it disgusting to have sugar in her coffee during the day.
"Linole, you all set for your last day at school today?" I asked, picking up the mugs, sipping tentatively at my own as I approached the doorway.
"Yeah, Mummy did my lunch last night and Grandpa said he'd take me to school before him and mummy go to work" She said, reading one of her comics, scooping up another spoonful of cereal.
Kissing her on the head, I left her grateful she was actually ready for school; her first day had been hectic. She'd woken both of us up, declaring she'd been up for five hours and wanted to be taken to school, at six in the morning. I was called half way through the day, to come collect the sleeping infant and to make sure the kid had a full nights rest, before she came back the following day. Guess she doesn't have her mother's ability, to stay awake for three days straight.
Avoiding any sight or smell of Jacob's breakfast, I kicked the door open to the bedroom, knocking it shut with my elbow. Crossing over to the bed, I climbed over it to her side of the bed, placing our mugs on the nightstand as I sat down. She came out of the bathroom in a rush, flicking at her hair, wiping along the edge of eye, at the untraceable eyeliner and that other stuff. What I want to know is how she gets it like that? I've watched her do it, she puts loads on, but the end result is nothing. It's like she washes it off or wipes it clean. Must be a trick of the trade.
Playfully pushing me backwards onto the bed, she sat down beside me, digging her elbow into my stomach, retrieving her mug from the nightstand. Holding myself up on my forearms, I mocked glared at her, breaking it off when she smiled at me, unable to fake it any longer after seeing that smile. Sitting up straight with my hand, on the small of her back, I quickly sipped at my coffee, putting it back onto her nightstand. With a smacked of a kiss on the cheek, she snatched her coat from the end of the bed, drinking her coffee to the door.
"Hold on a minute". She stopped just in reaching distance of the door, glancing back at me over her shoulder. "Come 'ere"
I rolled across the bed to the foot of it, meeting her on my side of the bed; she knelt down to my height, knocking back the rest of her coffee like a vodka shot. Cupping her face between my hands, I examined her face, memorising every detailed to the small scar, on the edge of her hairline, she'd acquired from the five months she'd be missing. Stroking my thumb across her cheek, I licked my lips before securing them onto hers, luring her back onto the bed, moving to accommodate. She mumbled something but it was lost, her hands soothed over my chest, weighing down her weight on me.
Pinning me down, she successfully broke the kiss, panting helplessly as she climbed off the bed. "I've gotta go. Can you pick me up from the base? Dad's meeting some of his friends late tonight, so I'll be leaving him my car"
"Sure"
Correcting her hair into some manner, I heard her rounding up the others, heading through the house to the kitchen. Some feet came stampeding into the bedroom, pouncing onto me when I didn't move. With a fleeting kiss on the cheek, Linole was gone back out the door, the distance shriek of bye echoed behind her. Jacob said something that sounded like, 'See ya later, Jack'.
The door creaked, but I remained still. "I'll see you about four, Linole's going to be round at Sarah's till five" This bit of information caught my attention, my head shot up, to see her head hanging round the corner of the door. "Oh yes, a whole hour to ourselves. I'll see you later"
Waving a hand, my head dropped back onto the bed, a very smug smile indeed, taking up residence on my face. I could feel those little lines by my eyes, get smaller and smaller, with the increasing wideness of my smile. So that will be nine hours, twenty-six minutes and fifty four seconds till picking her up. What the hell am I supposed to do with myself till then?!
Coasting through the checkpoints, the guards saluted me while the gates mechanically opened; I drove along the row of cars in the dark car park, spotting her by the elevator entrance not alone. Daniel was stood behind her; some guy was waving his finger not very friendly at her, his mouth going like the clappers, a very smug look to him. Parking up in the yellow-zoned area, the curses from Sam were easily heard over the CD player, beckoning me to get out and sort out whatever was going on. The guy must have said something as I stepped onto the pavement, because she was on her way over to him, her cheeks red with fury.
Catching her in mid air, I spun us round so she wasn't facing the guy behind me anymore, giving her a harder path to get to him, if she was to escape. She lunged at me over her shoulder, recognising me thankfully before elbow could do any damage, calming down within my wrapped arms. Placing her down on the ground, I fed some of her hair behind her ear, ignoring the prattling going on over my shoulder. Daniel hands clasped at her shoulders, when she went to go at it with whomever it was behind me, stopped by my body being pressed up against her, soothing her hair back with my hand.
Stealing a look over my shoulder, I noted his last name to be Hoskins, from the plastered brand name on his shirt. Keeping her firmly back with my arm, I whirled round putting on my Colonel look, daring him to say whatever he'd said to her to start her off.
"It's too bad, Carter. I'm telling ya; you'd have a better time if you dumped this guy, you're seeing and came out with me. From what I've heard, about this guy your seeing, he sounds ready for the retirement home" Hoskins said, brushing his finger nails over his uniform, polishing them for his big ego.
Praying that this guy wasn't stupid enough, to start with me, I stepped forward, invading his personal space, forcing him to take a step back. "You should watch that mouth of yours"
"Why? What's it to you? It's between her and me, not with you buddy." He said, bravely stepping forward only for me not to move.
"Well, have you ever met this guy, she's seeing?" He shook his head. "Then how do you know, you're not talking to him right now? The guy, who sounds ready for the retirement home, a full birded Colonel, standing at least, if not, a foot away from you"
Wiping at his nose, his Adam's apple bounced up and down, the pupils in his eyes dilated, removing all trace of the hazel in his eyes. "I... I don't"
"I know Colonel O'Neill personally, he doesn't like to be called old. I don't let my nieces and nephew call me Uncle if I can help it, because it makes me sound old. You either jump into that elevator over there, head on downstairs and ask someone, to remove your head from your butt, or you stay here and I'll make you wish you hadn't started, on my girlfriend?"
I've never in my whole life, seen someone move so fast, jamming the call button so many times, it could've broken his finger, and almost fall into the elevator, so amusing. When the doors had finally closed, I glared once more at the doors in Colonel mode, leaving the mode to be forgotten, slowly spinning round to face them. Sam seemed to be a little wide eye, gawping at me, while Daniel clapped his hands together, coming to stand next to me.
"You've got good timing, Jack. She's been trying to get rid of him, since level sixteen and three months" Daniel said, pinching my shoulder I glared at him; he was well aware I didn't like people touching that shoulder (with exceptions to Sam and Linole of course).
The giggling erupting from her, was really unforeseen, her hand covered her mouth as she headed to the car, sat waiting and running. Sharing a look with Daniel, he poked his glasses up his nose, giving me one of his lopsided grimaces. Daniel pressed in the call button for the elevator, I trailed after Sam to the car, her giggles turned into laughter when she looked, at me again.
"What?" I asked in a foolish attempt, to understand what she found so funny, it resulted in this uncontrollable laughter.
The full-hearted laughter carried on within the car, regretting that I ever said anything; I slammed my door shut, latching my seatbelt across my chest. Her hand slapped me effortlessly on the shoulder, waving at Daniel I put the car into drive, pursuing the marked out route on the road, strangely looking at the blonde beside me. Reaching the first gate, she calmed down some; only thing left now were the occasional giggle and the odd tear of laughter, rolling down her cheek.
Driving through the second checkpoint, I got fed up of not knowing what had her so amused. "What were you laughing at?"
Tilting her head slightly, she messed with the strap across her chest, fiddling with anything that was in reach. "I just... ya know, couldn't help it. You said girlfriend, and it sounded so funny, to hear that come from you. It's more something, I'd expected from a teenager or something. I thought you'd say partner, or woman, if you were going for the caveman thing again"
Slouching over the wheel, my eyes fixed onto the road, after hearing that something I said was so funny to her. I'm so glad that I can depend on her. (Humbug!) Wait till we get home, I'll put my foot down, no bedroom action for her. No way. Not even if she was to do something so amazing that it changes everyone's lifestyles, would I give in to her. I do have some restraint, when it comes to her. I've stared Goa'uld god wannabes in the face, I've died more times than I can count and I've helped blow a sun up. If I can do all that, I believe I can stand up to her. Can I?
Sitting in front of the living room TV, beating Linole at some racing game, I chuckled with a quick glance at her screen below mine, her car smashed into the circuit's wall, after I knocked into the side of her car. Crossing over the finish line, I threw my hands up into air, proud in my moment of glory, teasing her by letting the action replay, carry on longer than it was needed. Musing up her hair, I scrambled up onto my feet; the front door opening echoed though the house. Jacob shut the door with bit of a slam; his body language telling me, he's either had to endure a whole hour with Anise or this man isn't pleased about something.
Hanging up his coat on a peg, leaving his boots by the door, he dug his hands into his pockets, drifting through the living room, down the hallway to the guest bedroom. Scratching at the side of my face, I carried on to the kitchen, knowing if I did go to see what was up with Jacob, he wouldn't be able to tell me anything. Sam and I stay away from it; I don't ask what goes on so she doesn't feel bad, about not telling me. I get the low-down from Daniel anyway, he can't keep his mouth shut after three bottles of beer, and twelve secretly implanted shots of rum in his beer.
Setting the microwave off like Sam had instructed, Jacob's dinner spun round inside, lit up by the light bulb inside. Rubbing my hands together in satisfaction, I waltzed round the kitchen to the freezer, taking out a tub of ice cream. The tub made a thud against the kitchen top, leaning on the fridge door when I opened it; I collected three beers and an orange juice, bumping the door on its way with my hip. Carefully placing the bottles on the side, next to the ice cream, I wasn't surprised to find Linole, circling round the island kitchen top, her prey slowly defrosting.
"Linole, get some bowls out for everyone and get the scoop out of the draw. Oh and fill..."
"Fill a cup with hot water, I know." She said, unstacking four bowls from the cupboard, grumbling away to herself.
Sticking my tongue at her, I twisted the lids off the beers, throwing each one to the bin, in the corner. The microwave dinged behind me, stabbing the door button with my finger, I tested the plate before I picked it up, cursing the burning sensation between my fingers. Setting it down on the side, I waved my hand through the air. The giggling, on the other side of the counter, received a look. She peeled back the lid off the tub, keeping her head low while she smothered her giggles.
Protecting my hand with a tea towel, I carried the plate and two of the beers to Jacob's room, knocking quietly on his door before entering, greeting him as he came out of the bathroom, drying his face and neck.
"I warmed up your dinner and brought you a beer." I said, handing them over to him.
He carefully placed them down on the chest, at the end of the bed, saying. "Thanks Jack. Where's Sam?"
Pointing roughly towards her bedroom, I said. "She's doing her thing"
"The thing what women do?" Jacob asked, badly illustrating with his hands.
Agreeing with a grunt, I gave him some privacy, dropping into the kitchen on the way to Sam's room. Linole was perched over the counter, kneeling on a stool that brought her, to the height of the countertop, slowly scooping up a perfect ball of ice cream. When they do that assessment, to see what job she's suited for, I won't be stunned if they say she should work in ice cream parlour. The owner would be out of pocket, by the end of her first day, but she'd be good at it.
"Linole, can you take Jacob a knife and fork?" I asked, leaving her again when she waved a dismissive hand at me.
Creeping up to the door, I peered round the edge of it, finding the bedroom to be empty; faintly I heard music coming from the bathroom. Infiltrating into the bedroom, the door clicked shut, still the music played, soften by the pine door, blocking the entrance to the en'suite. Tapping the door softly, a voice came from the other side, reminding me of days back at the S.G.C. Turning the knob with a push, the steam, floating in from the bathroom, invading the bedroom with a heat wave.
Splashing round in the tub, her yucky love songs, playing in the background, scented candles displayed everywhere spare space, she sat there with the phone pressed up to her ear, one leg perched on the edge of the bath, her razor held in the hand, gesturing to the air. "Yeah, Cassie. I've been trying, for the past year, to get them to admit it. What ya mean?"
Showing her the bottle of beer, I put it on the edge of the sink above her, groaning at another 'Daniel and Janet' conversation. Missing a splash of water, I closed the door slightly, waiting for her to take a break, from the call, or finish it, so I can tell her Jacob's home. Another splash of water comes my way, staining my light blue jeans, the small patch wet patch turned the jeans back to their original colour.
"Cass, we'll sort this out, when we have Christmas dinner. Jack's coming... what? Okay, we'll see you at the Christmas dinner. Bye Cass"
She ended the call, dumping the phone on her towel, slumped up against the base of the tub. Running the blade of the razor up her leg, she looked expectantly at me, but I was too busy now, examining her handy work, on one of favourite parts of her body. In first place, would defiantly have to be her butt, I've done enough staring... studying of it, I could pick it out of a line up with my eyes closed. (That sounded so much better in my head). Second place, would have to be her breasts; there just right and so perfect, I couldn't imagine her with any others. Her legs come nearly in joint second, but it's too complicated to do things that way.
The sponge hitting my face, a scent of lavender to it, took me back a bit. "What?"
"You were staring at me. Is there a reason, apart from the beer, that you're still here?" She asked, checking at the back of leg.
"Oh, yeah. Dad's home. Doesn't seem very happy"
Getting up out of the tub, she picked up her towel, from the floor, drying herself she stood up in front of me. Leaning up the doorframe with my shoulder, a very pleased smile gloatingly pulled at the corners of my lips, loving every minute that I stood there. Covering her self up with the towel, tucking it in on itself, she sipped at her beer. My eyes roved down the back of her slender legs, the route of my eyes planned out by the wet shine, running down the back of her legs and up between her shoulder blades.
"Do you want me to get you something to drool into?" She said, shoving me aside, out of the way of the door.
Stalking after her into the bedroom, I tugged at the back of her towel, cocooning her into my arms when she came back on herself. Her hands lay on top of mine, she smelt so good. I hope I'll never get over. Sometimes in the mornings, when I was still her commanding officer, we'd be having a briefing, or we'd meet up for breakfast in commissary, I'd be able to catch a whiff of it across the table. I'm so glad I got shot now.
Sliding her fingers through my hair, her head turned towards me, capturing her lips, I hungrily ate at her lips, her hand clasping at my hair. Patting her on the stomach, I withdrew my arms from around, pressing a chasted kiss, to the back of her neck. Soothing a hand through my hair, I backed up away from her, departing from her to the other room, letting her get dress and get sorted.
Resting my feet up on the dining room table, the sun glistened over the snow covered garden, acting like a fresh canvas for nature, to paint its spring on when it comes. Sleep was evading me during the night, it didn't matter what position I was in, I just couldn't sleep. In about five hours time, we'd all be on a plane to San Diego, meeting Sam's brother at the airport and then onto his house. No matter, how much Jacob and Sam have told me not to threat, it doesn't change the fact, they're throwing me into the lion's den. I shouldn't have stayed up on Saturday night, I should've gone to bed when Sam did, instead of playing catch up with Jacob on subjects, we could talk about, a bit of coded info here and there.
Jacob and I found out the hard way, why they call Sunday the day of 'resting', both of us handling a hangover. And a telling off from Sam, for drinking all of her beer, the wine she kept in the larder cupboard, for the women's night in, and the bottle of whiskey, Jacob had in his room. The problem is, sleeping most of yesterday ruined my chance at sleeping last the night. Clasping my hands behind my head, the chair titled back on two legs, threatening to tip either way. A good thing about yesterday, Sam was always in every five minutes, checking up on me, bringing me some dried toast and some foul concoction she believed would cure the pain. I didn't drink any of it, Jacob's cried of mercy told me all I needed to know. Too bad he'd been served it first; otherwise I wouldn't have known it wasn't anything good.
A groan came up behind me, looking round to Jacob, he waved a hand at me, shoving it back into his dressing gown's pocket. The red and blue stripes didn't suit in with what I'd assumed he wears. He yawned sitting down in a chair his yawn becoming contagious, encouraging a yawn of my own. Putting all four legs of the chair on the floor, I unclasped a hand from behind my head, covering my mouth.
"How long have you been up?" Jacob asked, folding his arms onto the table, looking from me to the patio windows.
Reading the time on my watch, my feet slipped off the edge of the table, pounding down onto the wooden floor. "About four hours"
"Let me rephrase that. How long have you been awake?" Jacob said with a wry smile, wiping at the table top, with the sleeve of his dressing gown.
"Most of the night"
Rubbing a hand up and down my arm, I shuddered when my fingers touched the edge of my scars. "Is it as bad as it looks?"
Heightening my eyebrow, I looked between my shoulder and Jacob. "It doesn't hurt like it used to. I don't like to look at it or to touch it. But some things you just have to do"
"Isn't that a bit hard with... you know? Between you and Sam"
"For some reason, I don't mind her touching it. She's stopped wincing now, when she sees it"
He nodded his head at me, sitting back into his chair with his hands, resting on the edge of the table, fingers drumming out some tune. (I didn't recognised). Wiping at my eye I got up, I tapped Jacob on the shoulder, sauntering back to Sam's room. With my back turned to him, I scratched at my bare stomach, nudging the door wide open with my foot.
"I'll make a start on some breakfast." Jacob said as I shut the door some, venturing into the darkness.
She lay exactly how I left her, her hand lying across my side of the bed, the sheets engulfing her, endangering to take her under. Crawling onto the bed beside her, moving her arm I lay down next to her, holding her hand between our two bodies. She stirred for a moment, hiding her face in between the pillows, resurfacing from their dark depths. Stroking the backs of my fingers over her cheek, flattening some of her hair down, I traced my fingertips down behind her ear, carrying on down the path to her shoulder.
Her eyes began to move behind her eyelids, a small sleepy smile swept over her lips, I ran my fingers along her jaw line and her eyes fluttered open. Docilely she squeezed my hand, shifting under the sheets to me, burrowing her face into my chest.
"I woke up earlier and you were gone." She said slightly muffled, trying to dig her way into my chest.
Running my fingers through her hair, I said. "Couldn't sleep. Dad's up, he's making breakfast at the moment"
"As long as the two of you, haven't found anymore alcohol, I couldn't give a damn what he's doing"
Kissing her gently on the head, the door creaked open, a spray of light came through over the top of the door, a small shadow hurried into the room, bouncing onto the bed, and over me, to lay between us. Linole supported her head with the heel's of her hands, joyfully smiling at us, a feeling I used to get, stirred in the pit of my stomach, (only Jonas used to give me this feeling). He was always happy in the morning. Tell him they'd ran out of apples, he'd still be happy. But I can understand that, I always wake up with a smile now, every morning for the past four months to be exact.
Nursing a cooling cup of coffee, we all sat in a little caf in the airport, patiently waiting for Mark to pick us up. Jacob's distracted himself from the waiting with Linole, the two of them playing thumb wars over the table, I'm not even going to go into how unfair it is. Everyone, surrounding our little table, heard Sam threats of decapitation and sticking a Goa'uld, in her brother's neck; if he didn't get unstuck from the traffic jam he was in. I thought she had more patients than this. Most people have to have a lot of patients, when it comes to me.
Knocking my sunglasses off the top of my head, stopping just on the bridge of my nose, I poked them further up my nose, chilling out like some other people should be doing. Unbuttoning one of the many pockets on my shorts, I took my Gameboy out, scanning through the waves of people, for anyone heading our way. Flicking the switch across, the screen lit up with the Nintendo logo, loading up the game in its own time. Selecting to play a new game, I settled into the metal chair, putting myself in zone.
Wrapping myself into the game play, I ignored everyone else when they got up, greeting and hugging the man who'd approached our table. A face came into my view, out of the corner of my eye, sandy haired boy, blue eyes much like Sam's, his hair spiked up to the sky. Pausing the game, the boy's head jerked away out of my sight, inspecting the man stood the other side of the table; I got up carefully out of my seat.
"Jack, I'd like you to meet my brother, Mark. Mark this is Jack" Sam said, pointing at us in turn with our names.
Quickly switching the Gameboy off, I held my hand out for him, sliding the Gameboy into one of my pockets. "Hi"
"So you're this Jack, she talks about" Mark said, giving my hand a very tight squeeze, glad I'm used to General's with bone breaking grips.
"I'm just wondering, who she hasn't told about me" I said releasing his hand, reaching down for the suitcases next to me.
Gesturing to the boy beside me, Mark said. "This is my son, Alex"
Shaking hands with Alex, Jacob chuckled picking up some of the bags, littering around our small table, throwing the strap of his backpack over his shoulder. Jacob and Mark led the way through the crowds, Linole held onto her uncle's hand and to Alex's, more interest in what Sam and I were doing than where she was going. Relentless at giving up one of the suitcases to her, she exchanged it between her hands, grasping at my hand, interlacing out fingers together.
With a slow steady pace, we all ended up at blue mini van, Mark unlocked all the doors with the remote, elevating the back door while Alex slid opened the side door. Piling the bags neatly into the back, I shut the door climbing in after Sam, pushing the side door too while I sat down.
Shadowing behind Jacob and Sam, we entered into the traditional white picketed fence house, flowerbeds lining around the front garden, very freshly cut green grass. Discarding the suitcase to the pile, forming at the bottom of the stairs, I held onto Sam's t-shirt, going wherever we were going in the house. Passing through the kitchen, everyone went through the back door, joining a young girl and woman in the back garden. Mark was already talking to the woman; I'm presuming it's his wife, which is a good assessment on my end. (So I may have seen some photos with them in, so sue me).
Taking the seat next to Sam, Linole appeared out of nowhere, allocating herself my knee as her seat, her arms loosely clinging round my neck. Holding her steady with one arm, seizing Sam's hand for my own, observing Mark and his wife, sitting down on the garden furniture in front of us. Jacob was sat on the grass with his niece; giggling and excited chatter came from the two.
Mark support himself on the table, with his forearms. "Jack, this is my wife, Wendy. Wendy, Jack"
Wendy stood up, reaching across the table with her hand. "Hi Jack. It's a pleasure to meet you"
"And you" I said, shaking her hand with the hand, clutching Linole against my chest, preventing her from falling off my knee.
"I've set the bed up in the study, for the two of you" Wendy said directly to Sam, sitting back down into her seat. "I hope you don't mind, it's just as Jacob's spending the whole holiday with us, there's no point in having him sleep on the bed in the study, when he's going to be staying longer"
Sam waved her hand at her, moving her chair nearer to the table. "It's okay, Wendy. We can cope with a few nights on a pullout bed thing. Believe me, we've slept in more rougher places"
Staying out of it, they carried on talking for sometime, ignoring me completely except for Sam, a quick glance here and there directed to me, a flick at something on my t-shirt and picking something microscopic out of my hair. Mark filled Sam in on Alex's latest baseball game, Louise's ballet lessons and some other things that were meaningless to me. I looked behind me when I heard the screen door, squeaked opened and then clatter against its frame, when it slammed shut. Alex appeared to be a bit disgruntle, his hands deep into his pockets, stomping across the paving.
"Oh no. What's up now?" Mark asked, folding his leg up onto his other leg, balancing his drink on the arm of his chair.
Alex stood behind the empty chair beside me, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. "That damn TV's gone on the brink again. I was in the middle of Splinter Cell three, and the screen went all funny on me"
"I'm telling you, you need a ne..." Mark started to say before I cut in. "I could take a look at it, if you want?"
"What do you know about TV's?" Sam asked, poking me in the arm.
Easing Linole off my knee, I stood up with some help from the table, saying. "I know a lot more about TV's than I do about planetary shift things. TV's essential to my existence"
"I wouldn't want to trouble you with this, Jack" Mark said, pointing to Alex. "We can easily go out and buy him a new TV"
"No, no. You guys are happily chatting away, it'll give me something to do." I said sweeping my hand through the air, allowing Alex to lead the way to the TV of trouble.
A buzz of chatting exploded when I left the table, Linole tagging along after me, fighting to keep hold of my hand. It had to be the most I'd seen Alex smile, but I don't suppose teenagers smile a lot, always too grumpy or to comatose to care. Alex didn't seem as bad as some of the teenagers I knew; he looked to be good clean kid, a little droopy face but a good kid. Most the kids I knew, were either into drugs, or had something bad going for them, a lot of it brought onto themselves with the people, they hung out with. I should know I was one of them at one point.
Hiding in the back garden with a cold beer, it was getting late when I heard Linole being sent to bed, but I didn't feel like going inside, there was still enough light out for me. Gulping down some of my beer, I played with the lid on the wooden round table, flipping it into the air a couple of times, flicking it around the table. The scraping of the chair made me jump, Mark sat down with two beers, spacing them out on the table. Jacob appeared from round the corner, stuffing his face like he'd been doing since we arrived. By the way he's eating, you'd think we'd hadn't fed him. Though the rations that the Tok'ra, dared to call food, I'd probably be doing the same thing, stuffing myself silly with good old food from home.
Mark twisted the lids of the bottles, handing Jacob his when he sat down, washing down his sandwich it. "So... Jack, what are your intentions towards my sister?"
"Mark, for god's sake. You know she'll get all... clammy, if she finds out you've been cross-examining Jack. Anyway, Jack's nothing like the men she's been out with. He does care for her." Jacob said in my defence, butting in when I'd opened my mouth, cleanly biting into his sandwich.
"You know as well as I do, the men she dates are nut cases. She was engaged to that bastard Jonas, he'd always been strange from the start, accusing her doing things behind his back. A man pays her a little attention, she goes all mushy and the guy leaves her. He'll leave her soon. It's what happened with Duncan. He messed her about and look what it got her, a bastard kid..."
I didn't realised until all the crashing had finished, the bottles of beer smashing onto the patio, Mark's chair legs sticking up in air, with Mark lying flat on his back, what had happened. My fist ached from hitting him on the jaw, hitting him so hard everything went flying. Jacob was caught by Mark's hand, giving him a nice red mark on his cheek. Rolling onto his front, Mark groaned down at the floor while everyone, from inside, rushed outside. Wendy was at Mark's side, supporting him as he got to his feet, a little dizzy and disorientated. Flexing my fist out a few times, I nursed it close to my chest, wincing at the sourness.
Jacob righted the table, grinning to himself about something, collecting the broken glass together. Mark yelled out when Wendy touched his bleeding lip; already a nice bruise was forming, covering most of his chin and the corner of his mouth. Sam whacked my hand away, judging for her self whether my fist was all right.
Mark stumbled into the arms of Alex, Wendy turned to Jacob and I, while Alex took his dad inside. "What just happen?"
"Don't worry, Wendy. We were just talking" Jacob said, picking up the Mark's chair.
"Talking" I said, clenching my fists up. "Did you hear what he said about Sam? He even called his own niece a bastard. In my book that ain't talking"
"Whoa, Jack. Put those fighting fists away" Jacob said, grasping onto my fists, ready to stop anything I threw his way. "Me and Mark were just testing you, that's all. If I'd known you react like this, I wouldn't have let Mark sit next to you. Calm down, Jack. We were just messing with you"
"Calm down. Messing around"
Sam grabbed at my arm, pulling me away from her dad who'd soon be getting a punch, if he didn't watch where he was going. "Jack, don't. Come on, let's go inside"
Snatching my arm away from her, I straightened out my clothing, continuing to bend my fingers I stormed off back inside. She was right behind me, all of the way to the study, the bed was already folded out, ready when we turned into the study. Pacing up and down at the foot of the bed, Sam pushed the sliding doors shut, latching the door locked.
Stamping my foot on the carpeted floor, she spun me round to face her. "Calm down, you'll just work yourself into a big stress"
"Stress, I've dealt with stress before in my life, when I'm through with your dad and brother, they'll have more than stress to deal with. Calming down is not gonna be easy" I said, looking down at my hand, the knuckles turning red.
"That might need some ice." She said, gently cradling my throbbing hand.
"It'll be fine. Your brother's lip isn't going to be pretty in the morning"
Stroking her fingers over the top of my hand, it soothed my temper to the state of a sleeping dragon, my anger boiling but suppressed deep down, by her harmonising touch. Lolling my head onto her shoulder, she stroked the back of my head, shushing me like she does with Linole, when she's woken from one of her nightmares. Traipsing my arms around her waist, her arm encircles my shoulders, fondling with the hair on the back of my neck.
"They do this all the time, when I've got a new boyfriend, you're just the first one to actually hit one of them for doing it" She said into my ear, no matter how much I wanted to smack their heads together, I chuckled into her neck realising just how funny it was, to hear a grown woman, call me her boyfriend.
The atmosphere round the breakfast table was quiet; except for Linole and Louise who'd both been in bed, when the incident took place last night. They were both chatting away to one another, Louise being older than Linole, she was spending most of her time, occupying the little one with things to do, happily getting toys out of the garage that had long been forgotten. Mark's face had a perfect blue and purple mark, the exact diameter of my fist, if you were to measure the two. I kept my head down out of sight, playing with the cereal drowning in the milk, stirring the contents of the bowl round in circles, changing the direction every time someone moved.
Pushing my bowl away from me, I moved my glass of orange juice, to sit on the place mat, meekly pirouetting the glass round in a clockwise direction. Louise and Alex started clearing the breakfast plates away; it seemed a little too good to be true, the kids actually clearing away the plates without being asked. I could do with these two round the cabin; leave Linole to be trained in their ways.
Looking up to Sam, when she cleared her throat. "What are we going to be doing today? Testing how much weight he can lift? Put him through an assault course?"
"Sam, we didn't mean anything by it. We're just looking out for you. You understand, don't you Jack?" Mark said sucking his coffee through a straw, a bit over the top for a cut lip, he should try some of the things I've been through. (Actually I think not on second thought).
"Oh yeah. And you'll understand me, when I say don't wind me up again"
Surrendering to me with his hands in the air, Mark said. "Okay, Jack. If I promise no more 'Sam' tests, you've got to promise to let it drop. We can't have the two of us being enemies, when one day we're gonna be family"
An eruption of cries came from the table; a seat cushion was whacked over the top of Mark's head, from the woman who'd stood out of her seat next to me, cursing her brother for bringing the matter up. Crossing my eyes at the comedic scene before me, I held my head up with my hand, massaging the cruel lines of age on my forehead. The room soon fell into laughter; something clung round my neck with their arms, kissing me on the cheek, swinging back and forth with my neck standing in for a pole.
What Mark said though had struck home, the subtle hint of marriage, another topic Sam and me don't talk about. We've talked about Sara and Charlie, over one of our night session chats over the phone, but never marriage. I've nothing against getting married, it be a bit stupid to have something against it when I was once married. Some of my dreams have been watching her, grace her way down the aisle, a white dress streaming along the red carpet of the church, everyone in the pews, unable to take their eyes off her.
It's presumptuous of me, believing that she'd say yes, we might be madly in love with one another, a love that's grown from respect and admiration. But we're happy the way we are. Although trekking miles across airspace to see her, whenever she's not on missions or there isn't anything important on, isn't what I'd call a very happy relationship. I find myself sat on the jetty, doing absolutely nothing because I can't do anything without her being a round. I haven't done any work on the Pontiac; the poor thing only needs a whole new roof assembly and some rewiring to the lights, and the thing's ready to hit the road.
"Jack"
She's ruined me; I'm nothing now without her. What happened to the days, when I got along fine without her? I used to love being on my own, now I can't stand it. When I was younger, I never needed anyone to be there for me, I was always the one people needed. Kate relied on me when she was younger, to be her dad crossed brother, unable to understand how dad suddenly left and would reappear, to see us every now and then. Not putting my dad down, he's a great dad and so is my mom; she's a great mom. They just weren't meant to be together.
"Jack!"
Blinking my eyes a few times, I looked round to see what was up, everyone stared down the table at me. "What?"
Touching the back of my head, Sam angled herself over the table, forcing herself to be everything I could see. "You okay? You sorta went a bit AWOL there?"
"I'm fine, honest. Just thinking about things"
"Oh well, no wonder" She said, cheekily smiling round at everyone. "You know what the doctor said, your brain can't handle you thinking"
They laughed dispersing from the table, I tried my best to smile and be in with their humorous mood, but it just wasn't sitting right with me. Finishing off the rest of my orange juice, I remained sitting at the table, cracking my fingers in my lap. Who I am fooling? Thinking about marriage, when we've only been doing the 'intimate' thing, for a good long four months, knowing the other well from our eight years together as a team. So I miss them both when I'm in Minnesota, there's really not a lot I can do about that. There isn't much space in Sam's house, for me to move all my stuff in with them.
Alex is now my new best friend, he likes all the games I like, he's into most of the things I'm into, if he was much older and the opposite sex, we'd be a match made in heaven. Match made in heaven would be nice; I'd rather make my own match. I have made my own match. I wouldn't trade her in for anyone, even if she does threaten to throw my playstation out the window, lock my Gameboy away in her bedside draw and confiscate all my toys. But that's rectified when I threaten the existence of her kiddie's motorbike, hidden in the dark depths of her basement she'd hoped I'd forgotten about.
Shuffling through the various games, we'd got displayed out on the floor; I read the back of one of the games, delving into the chip bowl for a handful. Munching down on some of the chips, I handed the game over to Alex, dragging my controller to me with my sock clad foot. The girls returned with more snacks, they'd nabbed from downstairs, lifting their t-shirts slightly, the big bulges fell out onto the bed. Selecting the bag of Skittles off the pile, the others all scrambled on top to get what they wanted. Linole chomped away on a Mars bar, coming round to sit on my folded legs, doing nothing for my bad knee.
Positioning the open bag of sweets next to me, propped up against the leg of the bed, I balanced my head on Linole's shoulder, waiting for the game to start with the controller in my hands. Louise lay on the bed, fidgeting with my hair for some reason, combing it back, sideways and then forward with her fingers. Concentrating on the game, I sneaked around the platform, peeking round corners for Alex.
"So this is where you're all hiding." Sam said, coming into the room, kneeling down onto the floor.
She was answered with silence; I was too busy running away from Alex, and his bombardment of missiles, to care at that precise moment in time. Hiding in one of the many rooms, I searched through my inventory, healing myself with the medkit. Circulating through my weapons, I ran across into another room, ignoring the hand that was seeking its way up my back. Louise started giggling, shushed by Sam with a finger to her lip. The unknown hand crawled its way, up and down my spine, in an attempt to put me off the game.
Alex's character stood at the other end of the corridor, on the screen. "Bye, Alex" I said pressing the trigger button on the controller, hitting Alex with a blast from my machine gun, killing his character and giving me the victory.
Chucking a sweet out of his bag at me, he started his argument that had been heard all morning. "It's not fair. You're cheating with your training. And it's only a computer simulation" Losing his spirit his shoulder's slump. "Why won't dad let me join the Air Force? Granddad's in the Air Force, you're both in the Air Force, so what's so wrong with me joining?"
Taking her hand out from underneath my T-shirt, Sam wriggled over the floor to him, hugging him with one arm. "Alex, your dad wants you, to have the best. But we all had our reasons; I joined because I wanted to go into space one day. Your Granddad joined because he did and Jack joined... Why did you join?"
"Oh... err... no reason really." I said scratching the back of my neck, receiving a stern look from Sam for my answer. "Okay, I joined because I wanted to fly planes like my Uncle, and because... some girls... found it se... appealing"
"See! That's why I want to join" Alex said with much conviction. "I want to fly planes!"
Grinning at him, I said. "Just to fly planes?"
"Yeah, but if girls want to..." Gaining a look and a slap to the back of the head, Alex soon changed his mind. "I just want to fly planes"
"Have you tried talking this through with your dad?" Sam asked, stealing a sweet from Alex's bag of sweets.
Crossing his arms over his chest, Alex said. "I've tried and he just shoots me down. Maybe if you'd talk to him, he'd see it from my point?"
"I'm not going to tell my brother what to do"
"Not you" Alex said, shaking his head at Sam. "I was talking to Jack"
Choking on the sweet I'd put in my mouth, I hit my fist against my chest, coughing into my other hand. Linole became concerned, slapping her hand on my back, standing to the side of me. "Okay, okay. Linole stop, I'm fine." I said, catching her hand before she hit me again.
"You're the best." Alex said, tugging at my shirt, sliding me across the carpeted floor to the door. "You can go talk to him now"
"What? Hey! Hold ya horses!" I said rising to my feet. "I can't be meddling with this..."
The hurt look on his face screamed out 'traitor' to me, it seemed Sam wasn't the only who could get me to do things with a look. Defiantly a Carter trait. Nodding my head at him, I started off down the hallway to the stairs, jumping down two of them at the time, with Sam following behind me. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she pulled me aside to the front door, checking the close was clear.
"Jack, are you sure about this? Mark can get very pissed off about the Air Force." She said, lightly holding onto my forearm, keeping me still while she blabbed. "Dad's tried talking to him before into letting Alex, join the Air Force, they didn't speak for a whole month"
"Sam" I said, gently clutching at her bare shoulders, seeking a glance up and down her (I really love it when she wears a tank top). "We've got an ace up our sleeves"
The questioning frown grew deeper as my grin grew wider. "If Alex comes to the academy in Colorado, I can keep a smart eye on him and might be able to pull some strings"
"What do you mean?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest, giving me that insane look she gives me when I'm being nuts. "I can have him posted somewhere, where we both can ensure he'd be safe and wouldn't get up to too much trouble"
"Are you saying, that you'd down grade...?" I shook my head, butting in on her. "No, where's there a place, we can keep an eye on him? Or mainly you and Jacob?"
"Oh... there! I don't know if Mark would go for that, he's against the Air Force all together, went nuts when I wanted to join, so I could get to NASA"
Letting go of her, I strolled off towards the kitchen, where I'd last seen him, Sam keeping up easily with my long strides. "Who'd want to go to NASA? They've only been to the moon"
Checking round the kitchen with a quick look, we cut into the dining room and then into the study, to find Mark hard at it, papers all over his desk, lightly chewing on his pen. Knocking on the archway, Mark eyed us both for minute, discarding the pen onto the pile of papers in front of him. Uneasily stepping into the room, my hands found their way into my pockets and Sam's hand found it's way into my back pocket. I could've done with this kind of encouragement, when we'd been meeting people for the first time. Daniel and Teal'c would've had something to talk about. 'Sam, why's your hand in Jack's back pocket?' I could just hear Daniel saying that, cocking his head to the side.
"Mark" I started with, glimpsing to Sam for encouragement. "We've... Ow!" I shot a look at Sam after the nails, undug themselves from my butt. "I've been chatting with Alex upstairs in his room"
"Yeah?"
"He was telling me, how he'd like to join the Air Force. Now just hear me out and then you can go all nutso on me" Mark sat back down into his seat, screwing up a piece of paper. "I've got an arrangement in my head, which might be very appealing for you"
"Listen to him, Mark" Sam said, helping as much as she could.
Moaning into his hand, Mark said. "Go on"
"Alex could come with us to Colorado, I'm working at the Academy as a sort of... teacher thing. I can make sure, he gets into a program, where he can become everything he can be" I said, starting to sound like an enrolment video, join Uncle Sam and everything. "He can fly a plane if he wants, there's no problem with that, but I can put him somewhere, where me, Sam and even Jacob, could keep an eye on him. Keep him safe and out of danger"
"Oh and where's that? Ground keeping at the academy?" Mark said in a very distasteful sarcastic tone. "Jack, if you don't mine, keep your nose out of my son's business. He's going to come and work with me, at my business".
Sam moved to the desk. "Nice one, Mark. You really want your son to be hating you, like you did dad all those years?"
"That was different" Mark threw back in her face, kicking his seat back. "Mom died because of what he did"
"No, Mark. It wasn't dad's fault that guy wasn't with it that night. It wasn't his fault, he was late because of a traffic jam and it wasn't his fault, they held him up at the base. Things just happen. I'll tell you what will happen, he'll blame you because you stopped him, from doing something he really wants to do. There's a lot the Air Force can offer him, he'd always have something to do, challenging him to be better than what he can be." Sam said letting some stream off. "Jack can put him on the path, where he'll get the best and get to be where I am. Dad and I would be able to keep an eye on him. Mark, he wants to do this"
Pulling Sam away from the desk, by the waistband of her shorts, Mark unsteadily fell back into his chair, mulling over what she'd said to him. She'd even manage to convince me that I wanted to join, but I don't think they'd let me join up a second time. Her shoulders were all hunched over with tension, huffing and puffing the stream that had escape; from that place she stores it all to be used in battle situations, scaring me with the redness in her cheeks.
"If I was to let him join, I'd be intrusting you both to keep him save. One hair on that boy's head is harmed, and I'll have you both, understand?" Mark said, waving a violent finger at us both, I had a feeling Mark would've made a brilliant General with that finger.
Nodding our heads in agreement with him, we backed up out of that room; our mission accomplished and ready for the next family argument/crisis. I've put a lot of thought, into over the years, wondering whether there is anything out there, which the two of us, together, couldn't take care of. Her brains and brawn, and my brawn, and we can do anything. Except agree on what film to watch.
Spreading out across the bed, I'm a little miffed that Sam's already up, showing either my body clock's alarm wasn't set or I'm starting to get lazy, could be both as I'm involved. Switching to her pillow, her scent is all over the pillow, the smell of her shampoo and shower gel, mixed in with that smell that's just indescribable. It's just her. Hugging onto the pillow, I bring my knee up, near level with my hip, settling down to lapsed back to nod.
Last night after Mark told Alex, he could join if he wanted to, I was crowded by Alex for the whole night, my 'beckoning call' Sam called it. He wouldn't stop thanking me till I locked him in the hall closet, but even then you could hear his muffled 'thank you's', through the door. Then someone let him out, he positioned himself next to me, on the couch, staring at me like some puppy dog, interrupting my concentration on the game. Wherever I went he went. I'm so glad Sam put him off, when we went to bed, making up some baloney for him to cringe at, and the others to laugh about.
The sliding doors opened, alerting me to the presence of someone, I hope it wasn't Alex, I couldn't take a whole day of being stared at. Last night was enough. Cracking an eye slightly, a small figure shuffled up next to me, her long hair still messed up from a good nights rest. Gliding a hand down her long hair, another figure came in through the door, a tray held in their hands, walking round the bottom of the bed to the desk.
"Linole, go get washed and dressed for the beach" Sam said, the bed made a noise when she sat down near my leg.
Sleepily Linole got off the bed, going back to wherever she'd come from. Moving round so I could see her, the pillows supporting my back, I took the offered bowl of cereal. "Beach?"
"Yeah, dad made this big thing over breakfast, saying he hasn't been in the sea for years. So Mark and Wendy said, why don't we take the kids to the beach, while they go into town and sort some things out, at the office" She said before taking a clean bite, out of a slice of toast.
"Cool. Taking the kids to the beach, I can do that" I said while munching on a mouthful of cereal.
Her head shook with a playful smile. "No, I'm taking the kids to the beach, you're under my care. You big kid"
Jokingly I kicked her with my foot, devouring another spoonful of cereal, choking slightly when she nearly fell off the end of the bed, hanging onto my ankle, to keep from going over the edge. Leaving the half eaten slice of toast, she placed it by my side, rounding round the bed to our bags. A pair of shorts and t-shirt was thrown at me, over her shoulder, joined by a very fetching black bikini, a blouse and khaki shorts. She slid the doors shut, stripping herself on the other side of the room, far from my reaching distance.
The waves carried me, bobbing up and down with each wave, lapping onto the beach, lying there in the calming motion of the sea. I could've fallen asleep, if it hadn't been for Alex and the girls. Both of them were screaming their heads off, running away from the Alex's attempts, to throw them both in. Dunking my head backwards into the water, I came up, plastering my hair back over my head. Getting my footing underneath me, I was a bit alarmed when the water was up to chin, showing I'd floated out a fair bit on the waves.
Walking back towards the shore, pulling up my shorts, I wadded through the shallower water, wiping down my front. I've already noticed, many of the other people on the beach, grimacing and sympathetic looks at me. My scar was on show to everyone, when I took my t-shirt off. Reasoning for me to go into the sea, hiding it from the kids. Alex and Louise hadn't seen it yet; they'd been getting stuff from the car with Jacob, while Sam set up a base of operations.
Watching the kids run along the edge of the water, I couldn't stop the smile, seeing their enjoyment of life was so much like Charlie's. He'd always enjoyed it, when Sara and I found some time to spend a weekend, at the beach, teaching him how to surf and fly a kite. We'd been planning to take him to beach, but I guessed it's my fault; he never got to play in the waves that year, carelessly leaving my gun around. Sometimes I find myself envying Sam, her first turn at bringing up a child and the only mistake she's made, was making none at all.
She's always there for Linole, keeps her safe and loved, fights everyday to get back when Linole comes home. Keeping everything together as single parent must be hard for some, but somehow Sam manages to juggle, a 24/7 job of being a parent and the S.G.C, saving the world in between doing the parent thing. I was lucky that I had Sara, to do the parent gig, doing the 'nine to five' job and bring Charlie up, while I was off playing commandos with Kawalsky.
Disposing of the subject, I tumbled down onto the blanket that'd been laid out, showering Sam with sand I'd kicked up, causing a moan and slap from her book. Clambering over her to get to the cooler she'd got beside her, fighting with her to get a bottle of coke, pinning her down with my wet body, laughing at her moan and groans.
"Jack! You're all wet! Get off me!" She cried out from underneath me, pushing with her hands and her feet.
Twisting the lid off the bottle with a hiss, I scampered across the blanket away from her furious hands, swinging wildly for me. Drinking some of the coke, I smiled over at her, in her corner of the blanket, pleased at how wet her blouse got in one encounter. I did tell her by the end of the day, I'd make sure she'd be out of that blouse, and other things but they can wait till later.
Unbuttoning the three buttons, keeping her blouse together, and the knot she done with the tail ends, she said. "You just had to do that, didn't you?"
"Ooooohhhhh yes" I said putting the lid back on my bottle. "Where's Jacob gone?"
"He went off down there early, said he was going to introduced, Selmak to body surfing" She said pointing off down the beach, where a lot of people were surfing and the waves were a lot bigger and rougher.
Screwing up her blouse, she stuffed it into her bag, after passing me a towel and my sunglasses. Amazingly I had sand stuck to my body, showing up all the wet patches. Dusting them away with the towel, drying my legs another spray of sand covered me, and most of the blanket.
"Ooops! Sorry, Jack. Didn't mean to... Wow!" Alex said very excitedly, his hands starting to probe my shoulder, my 'bad' shoulder. "Cool scar! How ya get that, Jack? Jumping out an airplane?"
Concealing the scar behind the towel, I shuffled over the blanket to get away from him, saying. "I got shot in the shoulder"
"Ouch! Sam, you got any scars like Jack's?" Alex said, shifting the spotlight to Sam, compelling me to turn round to face her.
"Err... mostly electrical burns on my side. Jack's got more impressive scars than me"
Groaning into the towel, over my shoulder, I could feel the attention shift back to me. "Do I have to show him? Can't we get Janet here, to tell him about them?"
Her warm body pressed up against me, hugging her arms round my stomach, giggling into the back of my neck. "Why can't you tell him about them?"
"Because I'd have to show them to him, to explain them" I said gesturing with my hands. "I really don't want, to go into the one's, I got while in Iraq"
"Oh! Cool!" Alex said, getting comfortable on the blanket. "Tell me, please Jack"
Nose driving to the side of me, off the edge of the blanket into the sand, over the top of Sam's leg, I moaned into the sand, the two of them giggled. Staying like that for sometime, Sam pointed out the one's on my back, faded but still there, doing her best with guesswork. She carried on explaining each one after I sat up, turning and bending me so Alex could see the next scar. From the details, she knows about each one, I've got the feeling she's taken a peek at my medical file, because some of the injuries she comes up with, I didn't know about.
Carrying our bags to the terminal, the chatter of the whole group, was light hearted and slightly depressing, wishing us good luck on our plane journey to Chicago. But the way they're all acting, it's like they'll never see Sam and Linole ever again, hugging and kissing on the cheeks, strangulating them to the extent, where someone had to used a crowbar to split them up. Setting the suitcases and the backpack down, shoving my hands into my pockets I turned round to face the family, feeling the outsider, for the first time on this trip. Missing out on hugs and kisses; I reckon this is how Sam's going to feel, when we leave for Colorado from Chicago. Both of us getting a dose of this cruel medicine.
Wendy appeared next me out of the blob, which had formed from the Carter family; she smiled at me, awarding me with a hug and a polite kiss on the cheek. "Bye, Jack. Come back anytime even without Sam"
I smirked at her when she drew away, nodding my head in a thank you to her invitation, switching to the next person who'd taken my hand. Mark patted me on the shoulder, shaking my hand very viciously. "I second that. You're welcome in my house anytime, Jack. Especially as you keep Alex and Louise quiet, I swear I didn't hear a sound out of the two them while you've been here"
"It's called gagging them and tying them to chairs, works every time" I said, finally getting my hand back. "They're both great kids, could do them to tidy my cabin. I've never seen bedrooms as spotless as theirs"
Louise gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek, still a bit wary of me but happy enough to play with my hair, quickly moving to stand by her mother's side. Alex shook my hand, saying. "I guess I'll see the two of you, when I finish school"
"Guess so. But just because she's your aunt, doesn't mean I'm going to go soft on you"
"So I can't be tempting you with a bag of Skittles?" Alex asked playfully, everyone surrounding us laughed, Mark clipped him round the ear.
The intercom called out our planes details, the group all groaned, dividing down the middle of the ones taking the flight and not taking the flight. Jacob kissed and hugged both Sam and Linole, eyeing me suspiciously for a moment; he pulled me into a very winding and terrifying manly hug, knocking the life out of me with his pats on the back. Seeking support from anyone close when Jacob let me go, the family said one final goodbye, absorbed into the airports traffic to the main entrance.
Knocking on the windowpane in the door, I rubbed my hands together to warm them up, chuckling at the freezing pair behind me, sat on top of the suitcases. Blowing into the gap formed between my hands, I shrugged my shoulders at them, turning back to the door, seeing no moment inside, though I could hear music through the door. Ringing the bell and pounding, on the doorframe, I damn whoever was in this house and ignoring my knocking. Banging my head against the door, I stood there with my head against the door, finding myself wishing I were back in San Diego, where it was nice and warm, and they ANSWER the DOOR!
The door opened with a jolt, springing up away from it, my sister stood there with a towel round her head, clinging to the edges of her bathrobe. Scratching behind my ear, I stepped into the doorway, leaning up against it with my forearm, pinning her with my Colonel's look. Tying the tie round her waist, she shivered while looking over my shoulder, at Sam and Linole. How I'd like to take that tie from around her waist, strangulate her tiny little neck with it. Ten minutes we've been stood out here, waiting her for to answer the goddamn door.
"What in the hell, has kept you from answering this door? And where's mom?" I said, emphasising each bit by pointing at her, again and again, and at the door.
With her arms out to the sides, motioning to the bathrobe and the towel on her head, she said. "Hello! I've just nearly killed myself getting down here, running down the hallway from my bedroom, on a wooden floor with wet feet! That is a bad combination! And you're complaining, when you know very well this front door's never locked. Mom's over at dad's, getting Rob's and James's presents, to bring over here for Christmas day"
Draping my coat over the cabernet in the hallway, I gave Kate one last scrutinising look; ushering Sam and Linole in I went out to get the suitcases. Swinging them round I came in; Kate closed the door for me, helping me set the suitcases down, at the bottom of the stairs. Linole spun out of her coat, Sam held it by the collar, racing off into the living room where the fire was going, warming her hands up with the warmth.
Assisting Sam out of her coat, and taking Linole's from her, Kate ambled towards the kitchen, hugging herself. "You two want a cup of coffee or something?"
"Please" Sam said, pulling at the laces of her shoes, lining them up with my boots. "Black, no sugar or cream"
"Jack?" Kate asked, hovering around the banister, at the bottom of the stairs. "What do you want?"
"Erm..." I said shuffling across the wooden floor to the living room. "Hot chocolate, please"
She nodded her head, adding it to the order. "Linole, do you want anything?"
Linole appeared in the kitchen. "Yes, please! I'll have the same as Jack!"
Spinning round with surprise to Linole's excited answer, Kate risked going into the kitchen, tickling Linole as they disappeared behind the adjacent wall. Dusting a hand across the top of my head, I showed Sam the way to kitchen, easy as it was, I just couldn't help, placing a gentle hand on her lower back, giving her protection and quenching my need to touch her. It wasn't bad on the plane, sat in the middle of both of them, our hands sitting perfectly on the armrest.
Shocked by the mess over the kitchen tops, I froze in the doorway, gawping at the baking tins and the pans scatter everywhere. Unsteadily grabbing onto the refrigerator, gulping down the shock, I indicated the mess on the sides to my sister, who was happily boiling the kettle on the other side of the room. Lifting the lid on one of the pots, something black lurk at the bottom of the pan, smelling worse than any cooking I've done over the years. This scene was absolutely something my mother, would not leave willingly. So this was either done after she left or my mother had thought it better left till later, which is impossible when she's a confessed cleanaholic.
"Oh... yeah. The mess" Kate said, stirring Sam's coffee, passing it to her over the top of Linole's head. "I was going to tidy it before mom came back. I've ages before she's back from dads. You know what she's like when she's with her grandkids"
"Kate, I'm going to take our bags upstairs, unpack them and show Sam round the house. When I come back into this kitchen, I want to be able to see my face in this worktop." I said wiping my finger along the kitchen top.
Offering me my mug of hot chocolate, Kate said. "Jack, can I at least get dressed?"
I shook my finger at her, carefully sipping my hot chocolate, exiting the room to the main hallway. Checking over my shoulder, Sam saddled up behind me, overtaking me to the suitcases. I watched Kate make a start on the pans, promising Linole ice cream for her help. Sliding the backpack onto my shoulder, Sam started her way up the stairs, glancing back at me over her shoulder. Accompanying after her with the other suitcase, backpack and my mug of hot chocolate, I preceded her along the landing, guiding her up the next flight of stairs to 'my' floor.
"Another flight of stairs? It's like being at the S.G.C, always climbing bloody stairs." Sam said under her breath, making me chuckled at her dissatisfaction.
"Awe... I would've thought you'd be used it by now. Trampling your way around distant planets, running for your life back to the gate, from overgrown snakeheads, and stampeding your way up and down those control room stairs. I don't think anyone else has ran down those stairs faster than you." I said reaching the top, finding my bedroom door open. "You should be glad, it keeps you fit"
Stumbling forward, from her shoving the suitcase, into the back of my legs, she said. "More like you're glad"
Slinging, the suitcase and backpack onto the bed, I said placing my mug onto the bedside, where she'd already put her mug. "It wouldn't bother me, if you were fat or a twig, I'd be worried but I'd still love you"
"That's sweet." She said, sneaking her hands up to my neck. "But it'd bother me if I was fat or a twig"
"As long as you're happy and Linole's happy, that's all I care about" I said before kissing her, restraining the back of her jumper, jerking her nearer so her body was pressed up against mine.
It all seemed to drift away, the Christmas holiday, the other occupants of the house, my cares about the world and my future. All that matter was this woman, in my arms, thankful for the chance to be with her again, not just for being in her presence again, but having the chance to be with each other. I guess I have a lot to be thankful for this year. The signs over the years we'd worked together, telling us, and everyone else, that we were meant to be together. How can anyone ignore the proof, from two other realities, with us as a couple, (married or engage), to the extent that we had?
Mutually taking a 'Time out' for air, we stayed there in each other arms, the banging and clanging of pots and pans in the air, I couldn't find anything to fault our moment. For a few minutes an unearthly silence feel over the house, feet stomped up the stairs with a shrieked, coming from downstairs. "What in god's name have you done to my kitchen?!". It sounded a lot like my mother. It made me smile that for once, it wasn't me she was yelling at. From personal experience, I know never to be around when she starts, but my escape from my car one night, put me in the position to receive the whole treatment.
Grudgingly I drew away from Sam, missing the eight year old when she dived, into the room for cover, bouncing onto my bed to hide among the bags. Pulling my jumper up and over my head, I laid it on the chest of draws near the door, briskly returning back downstairs. Swinging round the banister at the bottom of the stairs, I used the speed to slide across the wooden floor, coming to an exact stop in the doorway.
"...you cooking? This isn't cooking, this is genocide of vegetables and whatever this was." My mother said, showing the contents of a pan to Kate.
Kate knew as well I did, to keep your mouth shut, head low and not to admit to anything, she may charge you with. My guidance and personal rules have helped us both, out of tight situations with our mother, too bad James and Rob never listened to me. They believed after a certain age to ignored whatever I said, thinking they knew better. Though Rob never really listened to me. They've both been grounded, yelled at, had their allowance taken away from them, more times than I count on my fingers and toes. Not that Kate and me set them up, for any of their punishments, dropping them in the deep end on the prank, all four of us played on kids in the street.
Rolling my eyes down at the floor, I cleared my throat to draw my mother's attention. "Jack, don't you even try to get your sister out of this." She said waving the pan, with the unidentifiable contents, at me
"Mum, would I do a thing like that? Can't your eldest son come down here, greet his mother and then leave the room, without being involved in this?" I said innocently approaching her, gliding my arm over her shoulders, kissing her on the cheek in a fluent movement.
"That charm of yours won't get you anywhere with me" My mum said, dumping the pan into the sink. "Your father's charm has built up my restraint against it. I'm glad you boys haven't inherited, your father's pathetic charm" The look she gave me wasn't promising. "Except you"
"Thanks mum. You really know how to hurt my feelings." I said, covering my eyes with my hand, turning into my mum. "I'm fragile at the moment and you start on me, and I haven't even done anything. (Pretending to cry into my mother's shoulder, I signal Kate to go for the door) How could you do this to me?"
The shuddering pain, and sound, of her stamping on my foot, I hopped around the kitchen, biting down on my hand, suppressing my need to scream like a girl. The kitchen top supported me while I slid off my sock, clutching onto my big toe. Kate sprung up next to me, stopping me when I began to slide to the left. Launching into a slow fall to the floor. Setting my foot carefully and gently as possible onto the floor, I gawped at my mother across the kitchen, noting Sam and Linole in the doorway.
Limping round the counter, in the middle of the kitchen, I put on my best smile, converging in with Sam and Linole, rebuilding my front. "Mum" I said latching my arm round Sam, this time for my support than hers. "I'd like you to meet Sam. Sam this is my mum, Mary"
Losing the whole 'I'm your mother, so don't mess with me' look, she offered Sam her hand, smiling down at Linole. "Hello, Jack's told me so much about you, after twisting his arm"
"I know what that's like, he can be a real pain in the butt sometimes" Sam said, shaking my mother's hand. "Which is probably why he's never mentioned, anything about his family or past to me"
"Why didn't you just take his Gameboy away, or take the keys to his truck? He can't live without the two" My mom said, steering Sam into the room and away from me, kidnapping my Sam away from me.
"It's a bit of a problem, I couldn't just twist his arm" My mother gave Sam a confused look, which she caught onto. "He could've, and can, bring me up on insubordination charges"
Spinning her round by the arm, I said. "You know, I wouldn't and would never do that, right Sam? I've let you get away with a lot more than I've let others, believe me I'm getting soft in my old age"
Bracing herself up against me, her eyes smiling at me in their own little way. "I'm kidding around, Jack"
Feeling the fool, I poked my tongue into the side of my mouth, edging my way around them, hissing at the shot of pain from my toe. Linole took hold of my hand, tagging along as I made my way to the dining table, biting into my lip to stop the cry. My mother introduced Kate to Sam, the three of them got on with getting to know each other, while I nursed my foot with Linole poking the bright red toe, amazed by how red my toe was, offering to test it on the other foot. I don't think so somehow.
Stacking up the last of the dinner plates, I dried my hands on a tea towel. Flinging it onto the side I pulled opened the fridge door, robbing the fridge of a beer. I'd been abandoned in the kitchen, the three older women took Linole who'd helped me, clean Kate's mess, when we'd started on our mess, we'd created preparing dinner, they taken her away. Dropping the lid into the trash, I detoured through the dining room to the living room; all of them were sprawled out on every comfortable feature of the room. The only seat for me is the floor. Pausing in the doorway, some romance girly film was on, the guy from ER (if my brain was recalling right) and some woman, running round a city with two kids.
A few disgruntle comments came my way, when I was crossing the living room, blocking their view of the TV for a matter of seconds, still feeling it warranted a comment and a swing of their arms to get me out of the way quicker. Groaning down onto the floor, I sat down on the floor in front of couch, Sam had claimed as her own, lining the whole couch with her body. Unstacking a coaster from the pile, I set my beer on top of it, doing my best to get into the film before I prejudge it. Fingers played with my hair and the skin on the back of my neck, pulling and tugging affectionately, tracing round the edge of my ear, with her full concentration on the film.
Dozing back against her shoulder, her arm skimmed down the front of my jumper, soothing the creases out of it. Snuggling up against her arm, she altered her position on the couch; so she could see the TV better and still keep her arm round me. Losing interest in the film, I lightly snooze against her upper arm, rubbing my thumb over the back of her hand. Someone made an awing noise, from the position of my mother, I thought about cracking an eye open but the topic of conversation, which had come from the awe, changed that idea.
"He's just like, his father." My mother said with some shifting on her couch, the springs crunching where her weight had spread.
"How so?" Sam asked, from the breathing on my neck, moving to see what my mother meant.
"He's a pain in the ass when he's awake, but too goddamn cute for his own good, when he's asleep. It makes up for all the stupid things, he's done during the day"
A chorus of giggles came from everyone but me. Feet sounding like Linole's came sluggishly over to the couch, knocking me sideways to the side table, stopped by Sam's arm round my neck. "I'm going to bed, mummy"
"Okay, sweet dreams Linole" Sam said, the sound of a kiss came close to my ear and then came again, when Linole kissed me on the cheek.
Her footsteps left the room quickly, distantly staggering her way up the two flight of stairs, this time staying in her own room, at the end of the hallway from my room. Someone lugged a cushion at me from somewhere, startling me out of my light sleep and from listening in, on their conversation. Shuffling back against the couch, I pretended to appear somewhat out of it for minute or two, idly reaching up for my beer, looking round to each of them in turn.
Kate shook her head at something, saying. "I think I'll go to bed too, got a lot of things to do tomorrow. Night all"
Grunting a 'goodnight' with a mouth full of beer, I piled the cushion into the corner of the couch, quarantine off by Sam's legs. The beer in my hand slowly left my hand, clunking down onto the table, Sam clambered off the couch, yanking me up to my feet and to the door. My mother watched with some amusement, chuckling at whatever her and Sam shared between one another with a very strange look.
"Night, Jack. Sam" My mother said, changing the channel on the TV, the volume increasing with each step up the stairs.
Coming out of Linole's from checking in on her, I tiptoed across the landing to the stairs, calculating how much pressure to put on each lose floorboard, climbing almost onto the banister to get down the stairs, without waking the two from their sleep. Downstairs I could already hear someone moving around, the shower was on earlier, with my sister's ear deafening singing accompanying it, and then the rampage of feet going down the stairs. Tightening my belt round my waist, I stepped off the last step, cursing the sight I saw in the corner of the kitchen, smoking away on the worktop.
Never, and I stress the word 'never', let my sister, Kate, use any kitchen appliance that generates heat. Toasters are her favourite to destroy, every time I've seen her used one, smoke and something black is the end result. Sprinting and sliding across the floor on my socks, I quickly unplugged the appliance from the wall, pressing the button to pop the... ashes. Emptying the ashes into the dustbin, Kate came in from outside, putting the de-icer and kettle on the side, pulling off her gloves.
"Not again!" Kate said examining the black and smoking contents of the bin. "That's twice I've done that this morning"
"How about I do you some toast and a coffee? Trust me, it'll be safer for everyone that way" I said plugging the toaster back into the wall. "The fire department can at least do with a break, it is the Christmas holidays"
Miming my badgering with her hand, she hid her hand behind her back (exceedingly late) not to be caught. "Ha ha. But I can't really stop for coffee, I was just going to do some toast, take it and leave. I've got to pick the tree up from dads. Get the big table from the basement and the decorations from the loft. And take care of Rob's and James's kids while doing all that"
Squeezing the back of my neck, I said. "Why don't I go get the tree from dad's, set it up and get the table from downstairs. And you take the kids and Linole; she could do with some company her own age. I can handle stuff round here"
Shaking me by my shirt, she said. "I can't stand their kids! Their money sucking, little beep beeps"
Breaking out of her hold, I spun her round to face the front door, shoving her out of the kitchen and then up stairs. "Go get Linole out of bed, and you will take those brats and Linole out for the day"
Regardless of her earlier remarks, she carried on up the stairs on her own, loathing me with some of the words under her breath. Ambling back down the stairs, I let go of the temptation, to kick my sister out the front door, face first into the cold snow. Roughening up my hair, I wrenched opened the fridge door, sorting through the healthy junk, my mother kept at the front of the shelves, finding the heavenly trickle sauce sitting at the back. My name printed on the side of the label in huge black letters.
Examining the back of the bottle, I placed it on the side, opening the cupboard door near my head, ducking out of the way of the door, delving inside for the holy doughnuts. Laying the precious box onto the counter, ever so carefully I lifted the cardboard lid, drooling at the sweet magical round doughnuts. Wriggling one of the magical rings from the third rows of doughnuts, displaying it a few inches from my face, memorising each ripple of the trickle , dripping down onto the doughnut, from the bottle I held over it.
"If you think I'm going to let you get away, with having doughnuts for your breakfast, you've defiantly got your wires crossed young man"
Horrified by how slow, the bottle of trickle fell on top of the doughnuts, dragging out the time to the most bone crushing moment in my life. Pulping the mass of doughnuts to flatten and crumbled doughnuts. Gawping at the hellish sight, I clutched onto the worktop, watching my whole existence be shown before my eyes. My first proper doughnut, the first taste of a jam filled doughnut, the chocolate filled doughnuts my first girlfriend, had made me to cushion the blow of breaking up with me, and the various other doughnuts and their history, flashed in front of me.
"Oh stop acting like a baby. Here" A bowl of cereal was shoved into my chest; splashing me with milk she took the sticky doughnut from my fingers. "Go sit down in the dining room and eat it." My mother said, eyeing the still smoking toaster with some suspicion, disgusted with the sticky doughnut.
Sniffing the tears away, I considered saluting my fallen comrades, but it would only give her more firepower. Munching down on the spoonful of cereal, Linole swung round the bottom of the banister, happily whistling to herself. Looking from the bowl of cereal to her, I gave it to her, diverting her into the dining room, wiping the escaping tear from my cheek.
Standing at the bottom of the stairs, Sam and Kate came down them chatting, oblivious to my inner pain of seeing; the images of the mass killing go over and over in my head. Pulling myself together, I did my best to smile with my grief for the doughnuts; missing the kiss she'd given me, musing with my hair from where she stood on the stairs.
"You okay?" Sam asked when I didn't return her kiss, sitting down on the stairs, bringing herself eye level with me.
"I'm fine. Fancy coming for a ride to my dad's, got a tree to pick up"
She nodded her head looking a little worried, I glared back down the hallway to my mother, stood in front of the toaster, fishing out the remaining bits of burned toast that hadn't come out, when I shook it over the bin. Tying the laces on my boots, I fed my arms into my coat, fastening it up to the top, wrapping a scarf round my neck to stuff down inside my coat.
"Dad said it's in his garage. Here are the keys to my truck. Jack O'Neill, if I find one scratch on that paintwork, I'll be swapping it with your truck" Kate said, poking me in the shoulder, clasping her hand round the hand I had the keys in.
The only reason she has that truck, is because it used to be mine. There were too many memories in it at the time, it was painful to reminded of them every time I went out in my truck. The day Sam wished me goodnight, tapping the edge of the door, keeping up the good soldier routine, by saying 'sir' with every goddamn sentence. Giving her a ride home, when it was raining or the weather had turned worse, making riding her bike home a treacherous ordeal. The tantrums I had with the steering wheel, blaming it for whatever happened that day, vibrating with every bashing from my fist, substituting it for that damn entity.
Reversing up onto the driveway, parking a good foot away from my dad's sporty number, still hanging around after his midlife crisis. Shutting off the ignition, with a turn of the key, I slid out of the driver's door, watching my sister parked up on the kerb. The door shut on its own, soon joined by the sound of Sam's door shutting, I jogged up and around the back of the truck, squeezing down the side of my dad's car. Stumbling on something hidden under the snow, I unlatched the screen door and opened the back door, trudging fresh snow into the kitchen.
A chorus of 'Uncle Jack' made me cringed and look up, in surprise at the three lunatics, dashing from the breakfast table to me, pinning up against the back door. Fighting my way through them, picking up Terz when she wouldn't move, losing my hat in the process. Handing the child over, to whoever came in from living room, I undid the zip halfway on my coat, wafting some of the heat out from underneath the layers. Ann set Terz down, sending the three terrors to the other room, getting a mug out of the cupboard.
Chatter came from the front door into the living room, my brother Rob leading Sam, Linole and Kate through the house, complaining about something as usual. This man has always been able to argue about something. A toy car that was never his in the first place, making a pleading argument to our parents he should have it, as I had came to the rightful age of sixteen and he was nine, so rightfully the toys should go to him. I should've known then that he would become a lawyer. Become very successful at it and own his own firm, by the age of twenty-seven. Still owns the forsaken company now, rubbing it in my face every time we encounter one another.
"Ah! Lookey here, big brother's here to see his very successful baby brother. How ya been, Jack?" Rob said, wrapping his arm round Ann's waist, showing off his pride possession and the woman he'd second dibs on.
"I'm fine, Rob. How's your backside? Had any new Harvard butt munchers, shove their noses up there lately?" I said as Sam and Kate came into the room, both growing silent with their proximity to us, but the kids in the other room were to busy, introducing themselves to one another, to notice. "Must be really painful, I feel for you"
Rob pointed his finger at me, puffing his chest out. "Watch it, Jack. You might be my big brother, but it doesn't make you bigger than me"
"Rob last time you tried showing how big you were, Ann had to take you to the emergency room. Unless you have some big desire to go there again, I'd keep your mouth shut, because most of the stuff you say is a load of bull..."
"Jack" My dad said in a warning tone, coming into the kitchen with James and Barbara, stood next to him. "Leave him alone, you know very well you could take him, he's not worth bothering with. Rob, shouldn't you go call your firm again? See if they've fallen apart, in the last half hour, without your 'over phone' guidance"
With one last hateful look at me, Rob left the room in a huff; shoulder barging James out of the way, causing the two to swap words. Ann got two more mugs out of the cupboard, smiling at me over her shoulder. Wryly smiling at her, I searched Sam out with my hand, finding her right beside me. Tugging her nearer, my dad rolled his eyes, shoving his hands into his jeans. Sam giggled next to me, causing everyone in the room to look at her.
Pleasantly accepting the mug of coffee from Ann, I sipped at it as my father said. "Jack, you've gotta stop aggravating your brother. You know bloody well he's easy to wind up"
"Whoa, dad! Big word for you, quick someone get a camera, we've got to capture the moment" A punch in the chest from my father, jolted me backwards. "Okay, okay. But he asks for it, trying to wind me up by how successful he is. I know how successful he is in his line of work, but he's not the only one out of the four of us, who's made something worthwhile with their life. Anyway Dad, this is Sam" I said draping my arm round her back. "Linole's mother"
Wide eye with surprise, my dad took her hand, graciously kissing the back of her hand, putting on the charm my mother been talking about last night. "It's an honour to meet, such a pretty young lady like yourself at my age, I can see where Linole gets it from. I'm Stan"
"Oh please" James said, hiding his face behind Barbara's shoulder. "He cannot be honestly hitting on her. Tell me it isn't true, someone"
Barbara patted him on the chest, smirking at everyone else in the room. Sam chuckled at James, her hand finding its way into the back pocket of my pants, the other placing her mug of coffee beside mine on the counter. Play acting the hurt to everyone; my dad excused himself passed Ann, hopelessly falling into a chair, at the breakfast table, keeping in with his 'stabbed in the heart' act. Everyone laughed while James came out of hiding, grinning at our dad as he came over to Sam and me.
Anticipating his hug, I put the mug of coffee down again, 'manly' hugging my brother, slapping the other on the back. "It's good to see you, Jack" James said, setting his hands onto his hips. "And about time you got back into the saddle, mighty fine this one I say, too bad I'm married"
"You weren't saying that last night." Barbara said coming up behind him, jokingly prodding James in the ribs.
"I hadn't met Sam last night" James said, shaking hands with Sam. "Nice to meet you, Sam. But I suggest you cut your losses and leave him, he's bad news. On the other hand, I'll be more..."
Pushing my brother away, I laughed at his attempted, briefly casting a look between me and Barbara, both of used to his 'God's gift to women' routine. Thinking every woman on earth would easily fall down at his feet, allowing herself, to be the ground he walked on, though Barbara fell under his spell, she's the only real woman he loved. I should know from the night we spent, sat on the front of my busted up sports car, listening to him babbled on about this chick Barbara and how he couldn't stop thinking about her. He'd been very depressing at time, moping round the house like some love sick puppy, causing major accidents in the mornings, when Rob, Kate and me cued for the bathroom.
I'm glad the high school sweethearts are still together, both at a ripe old age of forty-eight, next year. Makes me jealous sometimes when I think about them. Sitting in their back garden in Detroit, sorting through the problems and antics of the twins, Andrew and Jessica. It's funny how we've all started a family late; well... they've started a family late. Rob at the age of forty had Terz, and James had the twins when he was thirty-nine. Though I'll probably... hopefully start a family with Sam, (don't know what she thinks about that) it'll certainly be later than the pair of them. I still beat them, having Charlie when I was twenty-eight.
Barbara swept Sam away from me, the girls whisking her away into the other room, while Kate rounded up the kids, getting them ready for their day out. Dragging James by his shirt underneath his jumper, the door swung open sending a shiver down my spine, and from what I felt, run down James spine, trekking our way to the garage for this tree.
With my legs folded up, I untwisted and unweaved the fairy lights; from the torment someone had put these innocent lights into, when they'd been packing them away. Finally starting to get somewhere with the lights, I climbed up onto my feet, watchful of the lights trailing all over the floor. Lining it strategically along the floor, preventing it from twisting itself back up again. Arriving at the end of the line of lights, I pushed the plug into the socket in the wall; the moment they lit up I was distrustful of them. But genuinely surprised when they all lit up, flashing in the sequence they were set to last year.
Admiring the tree for a second, envisioning how I wanted the tree to look, I stepped widely over the lights, swiping my finger through the air, crisscrossing lines in my mind's eye, over the tree. Collecting the lights up, separating each line of lights with a finger, I approached the tree with some scepticism. Past experiences with Christmas trees, have not been my proudest moments. Beginning at the bottom branches, trailing the line of lights from one side to the other, moving to the next tier of branches, doing it till I ran out of lights.
Scratching the top of my head, I stepped back from the tree, sizing it up to give my approval before I put tinsel and bulbuls on it. A hand touched my shoulder, prompting me to turn to her, coming upon a bottle of beer. Throwing my arm over her head, lining her shoulders with it, grateful for her bringing me this desired drink.
"The trees slanted" Sam said, angling her head to the left.
Frowning I study the tree, changing my perspective by crouching down, angling my head and even standing on the nearest couch, finding the tree 'wasn't' slanted, hearing her giggle as I got off the couch. Accusing her with my finger, I sat down among the boxes that were loitering on the couch, tinsel sticking out the top of them. Perching herself on my knee, she combed some of my hair out of my face, ironically reminding me I've got to get it cut.
"Jack" Sam said, shifting along my knee to lean against me, threading her fingers through my hair. "What was that whole thing with Rob?"
"What thing with Rob?" I said, balancing the beer on top of the box beside me, creeping my hand underneath the back of her top.
"The emergency room thing"
"Oh... that" I said clearing my throat, grimacing at the memory. "Rob tried it on with me once, he just wouldn't stop winding me up and I said something I wasn't supposed to. He lost it completely and started hitting me; I swung for him and knock him out with one punch. And he's always been pig headed about things, like he's in competition with me"
Sitting forward away from me, she said. "What weren't you supposed to say to him?"
"Ann and I... dated for a while, well before she and Rob ever met, she didn't want me to tell him. But it sort of slipped out, in the heat of the moment kind of thing"
"Honestly?" I nodded my head. "No wonder Rob's like he is round you. Think about Jack, you dated Ann and now he's married to her, he's bound to feel some smugness when he's round you, and you just take the bate"
"No, no. He was like this even before he met Ann" I said pulling her legs up and over my other leg, cuddling up to her.
Fiddling with the buttons on my shirt, she said. "Maybe he feels over dominated by you, you do like to intimidate people and be the centre of attention, when you can be. Have you tried talking to him about it?"
"Talk with Rob? Are you kidding? We say hello to each other, and even then we're at each others throats." I said waving my hand through the air, gently slapping it against her thigh. "Rob's the most argumentative person I know. When I had my first car, he would always be hanging around, messing with my tools and it would it drive me nuts. He'd always be in my room, messing with my stuff"
"Jack, if you had the choice out of James, Rob and Kate, which two would you rather be with?"
"Kate and James" I said without hesitance.
She slapped me on the back of the head. "Have you ever thought he was trying to feel close to you? I bet he feels the black sheep, out of the four of you, where you are concern. He must have messed with your stuff, because he wanted to get to know you"
"Oh... so what hell can I do about now?"
"I don't know. I'm a doctor of astrophysics not psychology." She said, clambering off my lap, wobbling slightly when she got to her feet. "You'll have to work it out for yourself, Jack. He's your brother, you should know him better than me"
Snagging my beer off the top of the box, I bounced to feet after her, pulling her back round by her arm. "You mean, you started me on this path, where I have some clue why my brother does what he does, and you're just going to leave me in the lurch? Should I be warned of any more occasions, when you're going to leave me behind? A certain date here and there? Birthdays you'll be leaving...?"
"Jack, I'm not leaving you in the lurch" She said snatching her arm out of my hold. "You know I wouldn't like you, telling me how to deal with Mark, and you wouldn't like it if I told you how to deal with Rob. You can do this by yourself, it'll come to you if you think about it"
She left me standing there in the living room, thinking about what it would take to stop this... aggressive manner, Rob and I have going between us. I've never gotten on with him, I did try when he was younger, involving him in some of the things James and I, would do. But he wasn't interested in bombing, Mrs Flutter's house with flour bombs, too wrapped up in his books to care what we did. Then when he was interested, doing something out of this world, we were too interested in Kate to care.
The only reason he got involved, in some of things we did after Kate was born, was because Kate would beg him to join us, pleading with him as she clung to his leg, looking up at him with her puppy dog eyes. They'd been times, when I'd come home from hockey, or from an after school activity with my latest girlfriend, finding him snooping through my room. Going through my personal stuff, hidden on the top shelve of my closet. He creep me out some days, sitting on the back step, continuously watching me mess with my car.
I should've try and involved him more. Maybe that's the answer, something him and me can do together. Not on regular basis but something just him and me. What can Rob and me do together? Argue? Out of the question, leads to fighting. Hockey? He can't stand the cold. Boxing? Nah, that's as bad as arguing. Talk about the meaning of life stuff? No, I have Daniel for that. Geeky science stuff? Nope, that's Sam's department. Drinking? Yeah, we could do that. We both drink, might not be together but we both enjoy a beer. I'll take him out for a drink. Sam was right; it did come to me when I was thinking about it. Damn bloody woman, knows me too bloody well.
Knocking on my father's front door, I waited patiently for someone to open the door, jiggling round to get some warmth to my limbs, rubbing my hands together even though they were gloved. The door opened with a wave of heat, passing out into the cold night, Barbara stood there with a dressing gown on, her PJ's peeking out. Widening the door, she let me in quickly, shutting the cold out as other family members, appeared out of the woodwork. Rob came out of the study, his reading glasses resting above his eyebrows, cradling a file in his hands.
Unzipping my coat, I signalled for Rob to follow me, back into the study, scrubbing the freshly fallen snow, out of my hair. Perching myself on the edge of the oak desk, I banged my feet on the carpeted floor, loosening the snow that was lodge, into the treads in my soles. The file slapped against the oak top, my brother standing there with his arms folded, his glasses now hanging from the collar of his jumper.
"What ya want Jack?" Rob spat at me, saying my name like it was the plague, if it stayed in his mouth any longer he'd be dead.
"Rob, I came by to see if you wanted to go for a drink." I said, wiping the snow melting on the outside of my coat. "Just me and you have a quiet drink together"
"Why? What you going to do to me?" He asked suspiciously, his eyebrow doing a very good impression of Teal'c.
"I'm not going to do anything to you. I just want to take my baby brother, out for a drink to celebrate Christmas. I'm not going to be here Christmas day" I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "No catch, just you and me"
His eyebrow fell very slowly. "You mean that?"
Standing up in front of him, I said. "Would I ask if I didn't mean it? Come on, Rob. Just one drink, please"
Laying his glasses on top of the file on the desk, he nodded his head, going to get his coat. With a spring in my step, I took up position by the door, swing my arms back and forth, glad I was trying to make a mends. Sam would be so proud, but I'm not doing it for her, this is something I should've done a long time ago.
With a hang over from hell, I stumbled and fell down the stairs, trying to keep my head from exploding, with my hands on my head, holding my brain in side my skull. I must be the last one up; the sounds of life downstairs could not be cause by one person. If it was only one person, they had to be the noisiest son-of-a-bitch on this planet. Staggering round the banister, the TV blared away in the living room, going in there was out of the question. Rebounding off the walls, down the hallway to the kitchen, it sounded like Sam and Kate were in the kitchen; they'd be willing to pity me.
Waiting in the doorway for my eyes, to adjust to the brighter light, a pair of familiar hands ran over my chest and up round my neck, steering me into the room, with the arms she had round my neck. Steadying myself with my hands on her hips, Kate was cocooning a cup in her hands. Two other cups were waiting and cooling next to her by the kettle. Choking out the thumping in my head with my hand, I hooked an arm round Sam's back, surveying the bacon, sausage and other things in the frying pan. I had to look away in disgust, my stomach was not agreeing with how delicious, the food looked and smelled in the pan.
Sam popped the toaster, already estimating what I'd need this fine morning. "Here's some toast. Go sit down in the living and keep an eye on Linole"
Clutching the plate to my chest, swaying through the dining room into the living room, unsteadily stepping over the form, watching that damn Barney show, singing along to those damn songs. 'We love you, you love me... na na na' (Who the hell comes up with those songs?) Collapsing into the couch, I ripped away a piece of the toast, nibbling on it while not watching, but watching, some dinosaur pranced round some stage. I have to feel for the man in that suit, reduce to doing this show, even though his dreams of stardom won't come, from playing 'Barney'. Could anyone really see, a big purple dinosaur running round a film set, pretending to play a serious role? Reacting Vietnam in that suit? You couldn't really see the guy playing anyone else apart from Barney.
Kate came in from the dining room, a glass of water in one hand and a coffee in the other, happily grinning at me. She put the glass of water and coffee on the table beside me, placing two aspirin in my hand. Popping the pills into my mouth, I downed the glass of water; washing the pills down so they could start their good work, kill this headache off. Lulling back against the cushions, resting my eyes to the harsh sight of Barney, the couch dipped and crunched as someone joined me, squeezing my thigh to let me know, it was her.
"How'd it go last night with Rob?" Sam asked, messing with the plate on my lap.
Someone was spluttering and choking on the other couch, worried it was Linole, my eyes shot opened to see Kate, slapping herself on the chest. "He went out with Rob last night? I thought you two went out last night?"
"Oh no" Sam said, doing something with the collar of my T-shirt. "He went out with Rob last night, male bonding thing"
Arching an eyebrow at her, I broke another piece away from the toast, stuffing it into my mouth. "Him and Rob bond? Someone should have taken a camera, catch the two of them talking civilise to one another"
They both giggled, scaring me at how a tune they were, it was like sitting in the living room one morning, listening to her and Janet go on about stuff. Knowing when to giggle at the other one's joke, talking about recent news in the grapevine, filling me in on it. (Like I was interested). I'm pleased they're getting along, but do they already have to be doing the giggling thing.
"So how'd it go?" Sam said, biting into the slice of toast, I was slowly dismantling.
Wafting the toast around slightly, cringing at the big movements, I said. "We didn't kill each other. Though Kate, you've got to go pick your truck up from that bar, down the road from dad's house" She rolled her eyes. "We did some talking, he did some talking, I did some talking and we lived happily ever after"
"You're not going into details, are you?" Sam asked, folding one of her legs up underneath her. "After all that, you're not going to tell us anything"
I shook my head regrettably, scrunching up my eyebrows when the pain became tenfold. "I'll tell you later. Right now, can we just be quiet. Man suffering from too much alcohol"
They chuckled again, the only sound coming from the eight year old and the TV, but I could deal with that. Being interrogated by these two, I didn't need while handling a hangover. Luckily Sam hadn't offered to make her disgusting concoction. The icky green sludge stuff, she makes with whatever's in kitchen cupboards. At least knowing I'm not the only one, suffering from a good night out this cold fine morning, makes me feel that bit better.
I'm glad the rest week, went without incident. Rob and me didn't argue, both of us now, having a better understanding of the other and if we did have something to argue about, we've promised to talk it out. But what pulled my string was at the airport, boarding are flight to Colorado, Sam and my mother, and Kate, were all blubbering. A week together and now they can't live without each other. I can understand how they'd feel that way, but she's my Sam not theirs. She came with me to my mother's house and she was going to be leaving with me. The tug of war match we'd had in the airport, caused quite a stir with the other passengers, watching the O'Neill family fight over Sam and Linole, wanting to keep them forever.
She's already told Kate and everyone else, they're more than welcome to come to her house, spend some time in Colorado with her and Linole. No mentioned of me. No, 'with me, Jack and Linole. The plane journey to Colorado, was certainly not peaceful, she kept going on about how wonderful she thought my family was, even categorised us as the 'American' family. I'm nuts on her family but you don't hear me, going on about them 24/7. Though I did have a two-hour conversation with James and Rob, about how Alex would fit in with us, and how he'd be living with Sam and Linole, in a few months time. His dreams for the future... okay, okay. So did do some talking about her family, big deal.
But at least we're home now, their home and I'm staying with them till the day after Boxing Day. Sitting comfortable in front of the TV, watching the traditional Christmas films, they've got lined up on this Christmas Eve night. The tree, in the corner, lit the room with its fairy lights, set up by the gang while we were off visiting, all the presents lying at the bottom of the tree. Sam even added the presents, my mother had given me, from the rest of the family, and she won't let me open any of them till tomorrow. Linole got sent to her room, when we were sneaking presents out of the room to open, caught before any of the sellotape or wrapping had been ripped away.
It's for the best I guess, give me more presents to open tomorrow, I'll only complain when I've ran out of presents. I mean it's not going to hurt those presents, to sit there all night, screaming out to be open by the person, who's name is on the tag. Whimpering I sat forward on the couch, biting down on my thumb, the red and green wrapping on the big box, calling to me. It couldn't hurt to open one present, Santa isn't going to count that as being bad, hell he'd run out of coal for all, the bad things I've done over the years. Assassinating this guy, killing this guy and that guy, and anything else I've done.
Slipping down off the couch to the floor, I shuffled along the floor till my left foot wouldn't move. I didn't need to look to see what it was, her toes were pressing into the tips of mine, and I could smell that perfume she wears, when she's doing the whole 'romantic' thing. Pouting my lips at the presents, I knelt back onto my knees, tipping my head back to see her stood behind me, looking down at me not too pleased.
"What were you doing?" She asked, motioning towards the tree with a fling of her hand.
"Erm..." I said, casting an eye over the tree before looking back up at her. "One of the fairy lights was blinking, I was about to check it when you stood on my sock"
Resting my head back against her stomach, it felt smooth and silky, reaching a hand up to her. I was a little surprise to find it was the silky nightie, coming half way down her thigh. The one I found hiding at the back of her underwear draw. I wasn't doing anything kinky, if putting her washing away is kinky. Then I must be the kinkiest man, in the Colorado area. Pivoting round on my knees, she smiled down wickedly at me, the silky dressing gown I hadn't known about, slid elegantly against her skin and the silky fabric of the nightie.
"Now, Jack. What would you rather have, one of the presents under the tree or the present I've got lined up for you in the bedroom?" She asked, her finger trailing down the side of my face.
By the loudness of my gulp, the whole neighbourhood probably heard it or were woken up by it; actually the whole state, and the ones surrounding it, probably heard it. With the slightest of pressure underneath my chin with the tip of her finger, I got to feet, stepping back to take her whole appearance in. I'm always amazed when she gets all like this, controlling the situation in her favour, reeling me in with the side of her personality that I like to call, 'Sex maniac'. There's no escaping her, when she gets into one of those moods. What man in their right mind would try to escape from it?
Sighing into the crook of Sam's neck, I cracked an eye open to look at her clock, moaning into her shoulder, the clock didn't give me much inspiration, at half six in the morning. Firming my hold round her stomach, she mumbled something in her sleep, covering her head with the sheets, quietly snoring to herself. Gently taking my arm out from underneath her, I climbed out of bed, retrieving some jogging bottoms, from the draw that was mine. Pulling them on, I couldn't help but watch her for a minute or two, hugging onto the pillow I'd been sleeping on last night, swamping herself in the smell of it.
Running my fingers through my hair, I left the bedroom in silence, patting across the wooden floor with my bare feet. Looking out the window, it was snowing again but very lightly, the bits of white fluff floating slowly down, onto the already snow ridden grass. Clasping my hands behind my neck, I entered the kitchen finding Linole already in there, sat in front of the patio window, watching the snow displayed outside. My hands fell from around my neck, couching down behind her I sat down, spreading my legs out either side of her. Pulling her back against me, I kissed on the side of the head, brushing her hair back out of her face.
"Hey, you. What you doing up at this hour?" I said angling round to see her face. "Couldn't sleep, huh?"
She nodded her head, snuggling back into my chest, one of her many teddies, strangulated by the hold she'd round its neck. Rocking her side to side in my arms, we watched the snowfall together. I never did anything like this with Charlie; he'd always be conked out in his bed on Christmas morning, dreaming about all the presents, downstairs by the tree. Linole's nothing like that, nothing at all like Charlie, which is a God's sent. But she likes many of things Charlie did.
She likes her sports; a big fan of hockey like me after taking her to a live game, freezing our butts off but she enjoyed it. Especially when a guy was splattered up the safety glass, his face messed up against the glass. Crazy about computer games, though the Barbie game, and this other one, isn't really my thing. I'll play them if they keep her happy. Her sense of humour is much like Sam's, so I can easily make her laugh, lately though she's been showing signs of my sense of humour, which could be bad because mine, can get very dirty at times. Thinking about it, if I'd had a girl instead of a boy with Sara, I guess I would've wanted her to be something like Linole.
Licking at my lips I disentangled myself from her, standing up behind her, I lifted her up from the floor by her arms, waiting till she had her balanced. "You had breakfast yet?"
She shook her head, whizzing round the kitchen, getting two bowls out of the cupboard, struggling as she juggled her teddy and bowls. Taking the bowls from her before she broke them, I put them back in the cupboard, picking her up with an arm round the back of her legs. Swinging one of the cupboards doors open, I started acquiring the ingredients needed for making pancakes, chuckling when Linole realised what we were going to be making. Putting her on the floating island, she was humming away to herself while I got a mixing bowl and the pancake pan I'd brought, when Sam had confessed to not having one morning. (Sacrilege!)
"I want blueberry pancakes." She said behind me, dancing her teddy at arm length.
"There's a little word that goes with that sentence." I said lighting the ring under the pan, on the stove.
"Please!"
Chuckling I pulled opened the cutlery draw. "Shall we do your mom, some pancakes?"
"Mom, wants coffee before you wreck her kitchen" Sam said tying her robe securely around her waist.
Kissing her on the cheek, her hands slid across my back as she came passed, I dumped an estimated guess of flour into the bowl, her hand finding its rightful place on my back. With Linole merrily babbling, Sam got on with cleaning the coffee filter out, replacing it with her much needed coffee dose, a little coffee wouldn't do me any harm either. Dropping a pinch of salt into the bowl, I shook the bowl around, mixing up the salt into the flour.
The house was silent when the phone rung, shrilling at us from its cradle on the wall, Sam put Linole on the floor, touring round the counter. "I'll get it"
Herding Linole out of the kitchen, she answered the phone. "Carter residence. Hey Daniel"
Forming a hole in the middle of the flour, with the spoon I'd gotten out of the draw, I grumbled down at it, wondering if the S.G.C, and our friends, have the house watched. The minute we'd stepped through the door, coming home from the airport, the phone rung and low and behold, Sam had to rush off to the base, to help with some problem. They didn't need her during her three-week vacation, no phone calls or messages came through on her phone or pager, but they needed her when she was a five-minute drive away.
"Daniel, we said we'd be round at ten. You know as well as I do, what time I told you. You even wrote it down in your planner. Don't give me that tone of voice. Yeah, he's up. No, he can't he's making pancakes" She said leaning up the counter beside me with her hip. "Daniel, okay. I'll ask him" Covering the receiver with her hand, she said. "Daniel wants to know, if you would help him with something over at his apartment?"
"Put the phone against my ear." I said cracking an egg into the pit, formed by the surrounding flour, wedging the phone between my shoulder and my ear. "Daniel, what's this thing you want moving?"
"Janet's dining table isn't big enough for all of us, so I said I'd bring mine round, it can sit more people round it" Daniel said, a voice were chatting in the background.
"I'll be round at about half nine, good enough for you?" I said getting a very, very bad look from Sam, cracking another egg into the bowl.
"More than enough. You open your presents yet?"
Catching the phone when I moved my head, I went over to the fridge to get the milk. "Daniel, I've only just got up"
"Oh... I've been up since three" Daniel said very proudly, thanking someone who sounded very female. "We've open our presents and our just having our breakfast"
"Who's 'we'?" I said looking to Sam, raising an eyebrow at her. "Would this 'we' be you and Janet, or you and woman, we haven't met yet"
Fighting to keep Sam away from the phone, Daniel said. "Erm... none of your goddamn business. See ya later, Jack"
Handing her the phone, I flicked the lid off the milk, pouring some of into the bowl, beating it all together with a fork. Sam put the phone back in its cradle, coming back to my side, tapping her foot off the floor with her arms, folded across her chest. Weakly smiling at her, I opened the lid on the butter, digging into it with a fork, mixing the lump of butter into the bowl, with the rest of the ingredients.
Risking a longer look at her, she was still standing there, eyebrows heightening with every passing second. "What?"
"What! You asked me what! What did Daniel say on the phone?" She said poking me in the ribs. "What 'we' were you going on about?"
"Stop poking me!" I said, alternating from whisking and missing her finger. "There was a woman's voice in the background"
Pouring equal amounts of the mixture, into blobs on to the pancake pan, she said. "It must be Janet. They spent Christmas Eve together, isn't that sweet?"
"We spent Christmas Eve together, I can tell ya it was a lot more than sweet." I said grinning at memory, but then the image slowly turned into Daniel and Janet, and that was just down right not sweet. "Arrr... thank you very much, Sam"
"What?"
Shaking my head in a lame attempt in getting rid of the image, I put the mixing bowl onto the side, safe from me dropping it. "I've now got an image of them, doing 'it' in my head. I'm gonna be sat at the dinner table, with them doing 'it' in my head, making small talk with them. That's just not right"
"Awe... maybe we can do something later, to get that out of your head" She said close to my ear. "But right now, your pancakes are burning"
"Huh?" I looked at them to see smoke, coming out from underneath them.
Hurrying round the kitchen, I snatched the spatula out of the pot she kept aaaaallllll the way, on the other side of the kitchen, not a very well organised kitchen. Flipping them over, they weren't too far-gone, I little doctoring here and there and they'd be as good as new. Though Linole of course, will notice. She always does.
I must be the stupidest man on earth, running round Colorado in the winter, leaving my coat and gloves at Sam's. Warming myself in the elevator ride, up to Daniel's apartment, I stood under where the heat was coming in, showering in the warm heat. I'm quite pleased with the presents I got, some tickets to a hockey game from my mum. My dad gave me a game for my playstation 2, Linole and I were playing on it with Sam, straining to get us ready for this dinner thing. James and Barbara had given me a new barbecuing set. Kate must have been reading my mind, a new Simpsons tie, a new set of Simpsons socks, some Simpsons boxers and the new box set of Simpsons to go with it. Rob and Ann had brought me a load of Gameboy add-on stuff, which is kinda cool.
Teal'c's present had been expected, a Jaffa ritual thingy bobby thing, he gave to everyone every year, though Linole got another doll. I don't know what you're supposed to do with the Jaffa thingy. I've got about nine of them now; the others are sitting in the bottom of my wardrobe, waiting for me to figure out their function. Daniel gave me this photo album of all the pictures; he'd taken from the time I'd left to when I came back into their lives, of Sam and Linole. (Some of the ones when she's pregnant, she's vowed to burn when I'm not looking).
Cassie and Janet's presents were over at Janet's house, so I've got to wait till I get over there to open them. Sam's there now, with Linole, dropped me off on the way to Janet's. Meeting up with Janet, Cass and Jonas, who'd surprisingly come back for this special dinner, and found time to do some Christmas shopping. So I have three presents, waiting for me at Janet's. Sweet.
The doors to the elevator sprung open with a ping, shoving my hands into my pockets, I advance down the hallway to Daniel's apartment, pushing the bell when I got to his door. Through the door I could hear people talking, sorting myself out the door open, Teal'c stood very stoic in front of me, looking reasonably cheerful at the same time.
"O'Neill. How was your trip?" He said closing the door, when I took an adventurous step inside, the book-lined hallway.
"It was fantastic, Teal'c. Thanks for asking" I said flicking open one of the books, blowing some of the dust off the page. "Where's Danny boy?"
"I wish you'd stop calling me that." Daniel said, hauling what had to be the tabletop, pulling it along the floor. "Can you two come help me?"
"T, get the table"
Squeezing between the space, from the books against one wall and me, Teal'c bowed his head to Daniel, hoisting the table up with hand. Wiping the dust off my hands, I smiled at Daniel, chuckling while he grumbled to himself, fastening his coat. Where would he be without me?
Somehow I'd been made to sit, at the head of the table, it happened so fast, one minute I was talking to Jonas, the next I was shoved into this seat. Cassie was to my left, filling me in on what she'd gotten up at college this year, her latest boyfriend who couldn't come because he was seeing his family, over the Christmas hols. My head was spinning with her continuous chatter, changing the subject to something else hadn't work, she'd managed to get it back to her boyfriend and how kind he was, details I didn't want to know about.
Sam sat Linole down a place down from me, silently asking if I was okay, signalling towards Cassie with her eyes. Rolling my eyes at her, I sipped at my wine someone had put in front of me, the only thing numbing the pain, Cassie was causing to my brain. She'd disappeared for a minutes, coming back to sit down next to me, diverting Cassie's chatter to her. Holding her hand on the table, I sat back, watching Janet and Daniel set the food on the table, rushing round like superman.
The doorbell rang; Teal'c was off on his duty of answering the door, warding off the Christmas chill from the house. Jonas claimed the seat next to Cassie, waving to whomever Teal'c let in. Twisting in my chair, I smiled at the Texan, a sight for sore eyes in my books. His hand squeezed my shoulder, offering his other for me to shake.
"Merry Christmas, Jack. It's been a while." The General said, winking at Linole down the table.
Shaking his hand, I said. "Merry Christmas, sir. It's good to see you too"
Janet came in from kitchen, a golden brown turkey in her ovenmitt hands. "General, you're down this end"
Jumping to action at the fear of needles, everyone fears Janet's needles; the General sat down at the other end of the table, moving his chair nearer to the table. Janet gently placed the turkey in front of him, offering him the craving knife, all the phones and pagers, decided to go off at the same time. A round of groans and moans came from everyone, searching their pockets for the annoying ringing. Handing Sam's over to her, carrying it for her in my pants pocket, it's difficult to carry things in a dress.
Topping up my glass with some more wine, the occupants' whose phones and pagers that had gone off, collected their things together, putting on coats. Sam finished the call, folding down the top on her phone, saying. "I'm sorry, Jack. We've gotta go"
"Hey" I said, placing my hand in hers, affectionately squeezing her fingers together. "I totally understand, you go and we'll save you all some dinner, for later. I might hang round here for bit, then head on home with Linole. You go kick some ass for me"
The best Christmas present I could of asked for, bloomed itself across her face, that fantastic smile of hers, sending jolts to my heart. With a fleeting kiss on the cheek, a second thought longer kiss on the lips and then a full blown, knock your socks off, bring you back for more kiss, knocked me backwards on the chair. A quick apology and she was gone with the others, bailing into the cars outside. Smiling like a complete and utter fool, I stayed there sitting on the chair, lying on my back, my head pounding to the dozen, but I was happy. I couldn't have asked for a better Christmas.
Might be continued (Depending on Feedback)
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