"What do you mean you're closed?" Jack repeated into the phone. "It's just a blizzard. It's not that big a d- I'll go get everyone! That's not a problem! I have a 4-door Jeep Wrangler. It can drive thro- Listen, I'm not trying to be diff- Watch your tone! Do you have any idea who you- hello? Hello?" He glanced down at his phone. "He hung up on me!" Growling, he pulled up another restaurant. One of them had to be-

"Hello?" A recording gave him the devastating news. "Is there no place open?!" Running to the window, he pulled back the curtain. "Oh it's hardly a blizzard. A foot of snow is no big deal. And who cares if you can't see the neighbor's house from here? I've driven through worse," he hissed before falling into a panic.

"What do I do," he moved from the kitchen to the living room. "What do I do? I promised her an exquisite meal. And everything is closed. How do I live up to that kind of promise? What do I do. What do I do!?"

Tugging at his hair, he scrolled through his list of contacts. Someone had to have a plan. Someone had to know someone who could open up a restaurant for a romantic night out. Someone-

"Mom!" He hit dial.

"Morrison residence," a male's voice answered the phone.

"Dad, is mom home?"

"Jack, that you?"

"Give mom the phone... I don't have time to play around."

Over the phone he could hear, "Honey, it's our ungrateful son. Should I hang up?"

"DON'T HANG UP," he shouted into the phone. "This is an emergency!"

"Oh Jack, stop it. Your father is only joshing you."

"Mom," his tone was serious, stern. "This is serious."

"Oh my god," she breathed into the phone. "Is she pregnant."

"WHAT?!" Jack did a double take. Did he really call his mom? Or were Reyes and Jesse pranking him again. Nope, it was mom and dad.

"Well you said it was serious so I figured you'd finally started working on getting me a granddaughter. I ain't living forever. Ya got to start pounding out my precious grand babies before I land myself in a grave."

"My god, mom. We are not having this talk right now." Pinching his nose, Jack continued pacing. "Look, listen, it's important and yes it does involve a woman. BUT NO! No she's not pregnant! I do like her... and I asked her out on a date... but..."

"I'm so sorry, sweetie." The sound of kisses could be heard. "Whoever rejects my handsome son gets put on the naughty list this Christmas."

"Mom..." He groaned. "There's a blizzard. All the restaurants are closed." She started to laugh. "This isn't funny! How do I sweep her off her feet when I can't buy her fine food and wine?!"

"Ya ever think of cooking for her?" His father was speaking. Mom must have put them on speaker phone. "Anyone can take a lady out but only a real man bring her in and give her a home cooked meal. It's how I won your mother over. Works every ti-"

"Dad," Jack was blunt, "we all know I can't cook. Remember the grilled cheese? Black on one side. Soup was caked to the pot for three weeks. Or that time I made mac 'n cheese. I made enough to feed the whole town for a week. Or remember the expired milk pancakes..."

"That's because you lose focus. Now you've got something on the line." His mother jumped back in. "You claim you love this woman? Then you'll stay focused and listen."

"Listen?" Jack cocked a brow at the phone.

"Yes. You still have that Skype thing?" she asked.

"Yes, why?"

"Go call me on there. We're going to cook in the kitchen. Together. I'll walk you through everything."

Staring at his phone, Jack shook his head. "Mom, we have less than four hours. There's no way I can make her a meal she'll love. I... I should just... I should call this whole thing off. Gabe was right. She deserves better..."

"Coward," his father scoffed. "And you call yourself a soldier. Psh, you're no soldier. You're a whiny wimp."

Growling, Jack moved to the smart TV. Connecting to Skype, he hung up the phone just as his mom's face appeared on the screen. "I'm not a coward," Jack sneered.

"Then get in line. Your mom will walk you through it. Now text that woman of yours and tell her change of plans."

Jack did as his father suggested. "Okay, now what?"

"Preheat the oven to 375." Walking over to her oven, she showed Jack how to input the temperature. "While that's heating up, we're going to fry some bacon. Get out one of your skillets. Oh and put on a pot of water. No, larger than that. We're making potatoes."

Grabbing a bigger bowl, Jack set it on the large front burner. "Okay so what do I do to make the potatoes?"

"We're going to need to bring them to a boil for five minutes. Then you're going to drain the water and pat those potatoes dry."

"What the hell are we making?" Jack looked over at the camera. "How can potatoes be cooked in five minutes?"

"You said she was Swiss, right?"

Jack cocked a brow. "Swiss don't eat cooked potatoes?"

"No, no, no. We're making oven-baked rosti cake!"

"The hell is that?"

His father stepped into the frame. "According to it's a hash brown style patty that is a 'convenient and tasty' side dish."

"Oh good, that's just great. Here, Ang, I made you potatoes. I hope that's all you wanted fo-" He caught his mother's scornful stare. "Oh," he blushed, "we're making something else too."

"Heavens, boy, didn't you learn anything?"

"I've been eating MREs too much lately. Honestly don't think I've stepped foot in a kitchen since... oh, jeez, maybe two Thanksgivings ago. And it was only to bring things out of the oven and to a table."

"Jack... that was our Thanksgiving."

"Oh... oops." He rubbed the nape of his neck. "I've just..."

"We know," his parents said in unison. "Been busy."

Fist slamming into his open palm, Jack slapped on a smile. "Okay, now what!" Enthusiasm found its way into his voice and there was a slight sparkle to his eyes.

"Bacon. Skillet. Like this."

He watched as his mother peeled apart the slices of bacon and laid them in the skillet. Repeating her actions, he shot the webcam a nervous grin. "Am I...?"

"You're doing fine. Stop worrying. Your mother, despite being old as dirt, has the eyes of a hawk. She'll let you know when to take the bacon off," his dad chimed in. Of course, with his comment, he received a slap. "I mean being as young as a wee little lassie."

Once the bacon was fried up nice-this happened to coincide with the water boiling-he removed the bacon from the heat and added the whole potatoes to the water. "What do I do with the bacon now?" He went to chew on a piece.

"Jack Morrison!" his mother berated him, "don't you dare eat a piece! We need all of that. Now start chopping it. Little pieces. Small little crumbs, please."

Grumbling, he complied though the thought of sneaking a piece never left his mind.

"Potatoes are ready to come off the heat," she quipped while pulling hers off the stove. Jack mimicked her. "Don't burn your hands, but pat the potatoes down. We need them dry."

"What do I do with the bacon?" He looked over at the finely chopped pieces of meat.

"Just leave them. Now go fetch your grater."

"...the... cheese... grater?" Jack's brow rose. Why would he need one of those? Looking at his mom, he saw her take the utensil to the potato. She was... grating the potato?

"Toss in some olive oil as you grate. Also, we're going to need to grate in that onion too. Squeeze out any excess juice and stir it into your potatoes along with the bacon. Add in some other spices-pepper, salt, and parsley-too."

The back of his hand rubbed his sweating forward. "This cooking thing is a lot of work."

"But it's fun," his mother commented from her kitchen in Indiana.

"Yeah," Jack blushed. "It is. Maybe we should do this more often?"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's see what this Angela thinks first." She offered him a motherly smile. "Take a baking sheet and put it in the oven. While it's warming, get that loose bottom cake tin and coat it with butter. Once the baking sheet's ready, you're going to put that beneath your tin. Then start packing it full of your potato, onion, and bacon mixture."

"Like this?" Jack gestured to his handiwork. Her gleeful nodding made him grin from ear to ear. "I assume we're putting it in the oven now?"

"Yes and set the timer for 1 hour and 20 minutes."

"Done and done," Jack whipped his greasy hands on his towel. "What's next?"

As time passed him by, the menu for the evening grew. The rosti cake was complete and set on low in a smaller oven. The old-fashioned Swiss steak would be done in the next thirty minutes. The cheese and veggie tray was set and ready to go too.

"What are we doing for dessert?" Jack asked.

"Afraid we don't have time to make that," his mother worried her lip. "We need to setup the table."

"The... table?" He moved his mom from the kitchen tv to a portal tablet. Walking into the dining room, he showed her the very plain room. "What am I supposed to do here?"

"Do you have candles?"

"Yeah, the ones you gave me last Christmas. Which dishes should I use? The black and gold ones you and dad got me?"

With her crafty instructions, Jack was able to prepare the table so it looked pretty damn close to what they might have found at that exquisite restaurant that was closed due to the weather.

"Wow, mom, this..." Jack couldn't stop staring. "This place looks and smells amazing!" Twirling around with the tablet, he gave it a hug. "Is there anything else I need to do?"

"Do you have wine?"

"Uh..."

"Jack," his mom groaned, "how do you not have wine."

"I don't like it." He moved to the fridge. "I have beer. Beer. More beer. Oh and look, more beer."

"You might have a problem," his father huffed.

"Soldiers aren't allowed to have it on base. This is all confiscated stuff. I haven't bought a beer since my birthday," he stated with a coy grin in tow.

"Impressive. Though the lack of wine will be an issue."

"Maybe I can get her to bring it?"

"That's not very polite..."

"Well... ugh. I'll see if a place is open." Jack checked his watch. "I should probably go get her. Who knows how long it'll take to drive 10 miles. Can you... stay on the line and watch my kitchen? I don't want to come back to a fire."

"Ha ha," his mother chuckled, "of course. Put me back on the tv and angle it so I can see both ovens." Kissing the camera, she smiled at her son. "I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, mom. I... I uh... I couldn't have done this without you."

"Honestly," she paused to wait for Jack to open the door, "I thought you were going to text me that our plans were off. Thank you for not forcing me to spend another night at the lab."

"Wait," Jack held out his hand to receive her hat, his scarf, and her coat. "Why would you sleep at the lab?"

Angela rubbed her cold shoulders. "I don't have a way to get back to my apartment. This blizzard plus my car... I'd probably end up in a ditch. Afraid you're the only one crazy enough to brave the storm." The way she looked at him melted the snow that clung to his eyelashes. "So," she leaned forward. Her cold, moist lips brushes lightly against his soft stubble. "Thank you."

As she stepped away, Jack grinned. Bashfully, he hung up her coat and couldn't stop thinking about the warmth the kiss left on his jaw. He hadn't even shown her the dinner he prepared and she was already gracing him with her precious lips.

"Y-you know," Jack cleared his throat to calm his nerves, "if you ever get trapped at the lab, you're more than welcome to call me."

As if straight from a Hollywood movie, Angela turned slowly toward him. Her timid face stared up at him as her lips pursed. Blinking, the sides of her mouth folded up into a smile. "Th-that's too much to ask." Nervously, she ran a hand down her sweater dress as if to pull out the wrinkles. "I-I couldn't ask you to risk your life to save me."

He drew closer. Resting his hand on the wall just behind her, Jack's charm engulfed her. She felt her heart skip a beat. He was... he was like a knight in shining armor. Pure and kind. Brave and bold. Handsome. Unbelievably handsome, especially in this dimly lit room.

Blush painting its way across her cheeks, Angela turned her head to the side. Flitting her lashes, she prayed he'd pull her in.

"Angela," his sweet tone caused a shiver to run down her spine-the way he spoke her name made her weak in the knees. "You know I'd risk everything for you."

Pulling up her blue glaze, she beheld him. Beheld his endearing stare. He, he was the first man to truly see her. And not for her looks or brains. But for all she was. He saw the scars from her past and always helped her overcome those nightmares. He saw the torment in her eyes brought on by war so he'd never talk about the battlefield and what he saw. He was her weakness and she hated that she never got to spend endless hours with him.

Smiling down at his feet, she sighed happily. "Well," her gaze moved back up to greet his, "then I guess I'm the luckiest woman alive."

Head tilting to the side, Jack's brow quirked.

Angela leaned forward and pushed up on her tiptoes. Only, just before their lips met, her nostrils flared. Falling softly back to her feet, she sniffed the air. "Is that...?"

"Swiss steak and rosti cake?" Jack interrupted her. "Yup!"

Eyes wide, her lips curled into an 'o' before pulling apart into a large grin. Leaping into his arms, she gave him a giddy embrace. "Are you serious?" She pulled back and followed her nose into the kitchen." Pulling open the oven, she breathed in the delicious scents before purring. "J-Jack," she melted, "y-you..." Tears started to twinkle behind her eyelids. "I-I-"

He was at her side in a second. Catching her as she wavered, Jack's pride fell into concern. "Is something wrong? Was this..." Was it a reminder of her past? Her dead parents? Was this a mistake?

Turning into his chest, she buried her face. The moisture from tears a constant stab to the heart. He broke her heart... tore it right open. Made her cry right in his home.

"Angela, I'm... I'm so s-" Her fingers crawled into his spine. Was she... was she hugging him tighter than before?

Rolling up her head, she stared up at Jack with the largest yet most broken smile on her face. "Thank you," she mouthed to him for she was at a complete loss for words. "Thank you," she mouthed again before letting her head rest peacefully against his thundering heart. "It's... it's perfect," she finally manager to speak. "Thank you."

Arm wrapping loosely around her back, Jack smiled down at the beautiful blonde. "You're welcome." Although he was beyond nervous, he forced himself to carry this one action out. Bending into her, Jack's lips found their spot across her forehead. Planting a tender kiss there, he continued to smile at her.

She giggled lightly before regaining composure. Stepping away, she stepped toward the oven mitts. "Well we should get these out so we can e-"

She froze. Every hair on the back of her neck rose.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" She flung the oven mitt forward before reeling back and flying behind Jack. Burying her face into his shoulder blades, she pointed a shaking finger forward. Forward towards the...

"Oh yeah." Jack's hand moved to rub the back of his head. "Uh... Angela. I uh... these are... um." He stepped to the side and held her in place. "These are my parents."

Angela's hand fell on her racing heart. "Why didn't you tell me you were Skyping with them?" She was completely out of breath and still trembling. "I had no idea."

"I..." he tried not to laugh, "I might have forgotten."

"Yup," his father piped up, "that's Jack. When he likes a woman, he has a tendency to get stupid."

"Dad!" He turned beet red.

Sneering, Angela's lips curled into a coy grin. "Does someone like me." She strummed a finger across his chest. "Hmmmmm?"

"I... I... uh..." the blush spread from his cheeks to his ears.

"So cute," she said while covering her mouth and laughing.

"Well..." his mother stepped into view. "Are you going to introduce us?"

Shaking his head, Jack took a step toward the screen. "Doctor Angela Ziegler, I'd like to intr-"

"Wait. Angela Ziegler. The Doctor Angela Ziegler?"

Angela nodded. "Yes, that's me."

"Jack," his mother turned a cold glare his way. "You didn't tell me that's who we were cooking for!"

"What's it matter?" Jack cocked a brow before shrugging.

"We'd have done some-"

Angela shook her head. "Nonsense! This meal smells perfect. Swiss steak and rosti? How could you top that? I haven't had food from my homeland since... well, I left." For a moment, torment flickered in her eyes.

"We should probably let them go and stop sabotaging Jack's date," his father suggested. "You two have fun."

"Remember to use protec-"

"AND WE'RE GOING," Jack flicked the tv off. Face completely red, he couldn't turn to face Angela. Talk about embarrassing!

"Protection?" Angela purred while running a hand down Jack's spine. "How is that enjoyable?"

Jack shuddered. Why was she doing this?

"Everyone knows the best experience is r-"

Spinning around, Jack immediately covered Angela's lips. "How about we eat. I'm staring!"

He felt her lips curl up into yet another grin. And the look in her eyes? Oi, he knew she was a devious one. Despite having the name 'Angela,' this woman was all devil.

Pulling his hand away, Angela grinned up at Jack. "You know, Jack," she erased the space between them, "we're not getting any younger."

"And the food not getting any warmer!" he tried to change the subject again.

Shaking her head, she laughed. "You're cute, Jack. But I will have my way with you."

His face paled. His palms went sweaty. Just... just what was she getting at.

"But first, let's eat!" Pulling out the rosti, she moved into the dining room. Before vanishing into the next room, she stopped to wink at him. "You going to keep staring at me like that or are you going to come join me?"

Gulping, he grabbed the steak and joined her in the other room.

After the enjoyable meal, they decided to sample Jack's plethora of beer and spirits.

"You know," Angela hiccuped before taking a seat right on Jack's lap.

"What?" Jack was starting to feel fuzzy.

"We're cooler than a blizzard."

"The hell is that supposed t-"

He never got to finish his statement for her lips were soon colliding against his. Hot and heavy. Steamy. Passionate.

The rocking motion, the way she ran her fingers through his hair, and the taste of her breath across his tongue, it destroyed his comprehension. His ability to even care about her backwards statement (didn't she mean hotter than a blizzard?). All he cared about was her, which seemed to coincide with her desires.

Scooping her up, Jack carried her off so they could continue this elsewhere.