Chapter two
Jack put away the hand set and looked into the bathroom. Daniel and Vala would be there in just a few minutes to get Kelly, and Jack needed to get her ready. But his attention was drawn to his wife of two months, who was standing at the counter, looking at her face in the mirror. The way she was leaning in toward the glass and making a face, it was obvious to Jack that she was upset about something she saw there.
Part of him asked "what now?" But the part that loved her beyond words had decided to try and be more supportive and understanding. No matter whether they involved her shortened days at the SGC or how long or short she wore her hair, he was going to show her he cared about her feelings, damn it!
"What's wrong, honey?" he asked as he came up behind her. She continued to stare at her reflection, as Jack put his hands on her hips.
"Do you think I look old?" Now there was a trap with a steel door, if ever Jack had heard one! If he said 'yes', of course he was a dead man. But if he said 'no', was that really the answer she wanted to hear?
"I think you look more beautiful with each passing year." There! He had been diplomatic and thoughtful! Surely there was no way Sam could take what he'd said the wrong way, could she? He waited on pins and needles for her response.
"But what about these lines here...in my forehead? Don't you think they make me look old? Maybe I should get Botox injections."
"No! You let anyone touch this face," he said, turning her around, "and I'll cut off their hands and make them eat them for breakfast!" Then he kissed her forehead and said, "Speaking of breakfast; we're going out for brunch tomorrow morning, and I've got to go pack Kelly's bag."
"You've got to pack Kelly's bag, because we're going out to eat in the morning? Jack, did you hit your head on something?" she asked, trying to stifle a laugh.
"No, that's not why I'm packing her bag, smarty pants. She's spending the night with Daniel and Vala. Two nights, actually," he corrected, as he hurried out of the bathroom. Sam quickly followed him to Kelly's room.
"Hey, squirt! Put your socks and shoes back on. You're going to Uncle Daniel's and Auntie Vala's for two nights," Jack told the child, who was sitting on her bed, playing with her GI Joe and Barbie dolls.
"Can I take Joe and Barbie?"
"Sure! Pack their bags! But put on your shoes first!" Jack said, as he grabbed her pink tote bag off the closet shelf and began stuffing clothing inside. Kelly got off the bed and picked up her shoes and socks. Sam held out her hands and Kelly handed them to her. Then Kelly climbed up on the bed and put her feet in Sam's lap.
"Jack, what are you up to?" Sam asked cautiously, as she always did when Jack seemed to be having one of his brain storms.
"Kelly's going visiting. That's all," he said, as he took the child's coat and hat out of the closet. It was mid April, but it was still quite cold and a late snow was predicted for the weekend.
Just then the door bell rang. Kelly was off the bed like a bullet shot from a gun. Jack and Sam were walking down the hallway when they heard Daniel's voice. Sam went to him, her arms open. "I missed you guys!"
After Sam hugged both Daniel and Vala, Jack gripped Daniel in a bear hug and slapped him on the back. "I'm glad your back, Danny, me boy!" Jack said in his best Irish accent. Then he reached out awkwardly to take Vala's hand. She, however, had decided she'd had enough of Jack O'Neill's aloofness, so she jumped up on tiptoe, latched onto his shoulders and planted a kiss on his left cheek.
"It's good to see you too, Jack," she said enthusiastically. Then she bent down and picked up Kelly, who had been babbling away about something or other ever since the adults had entered the house. "What is it, little one? Aren't these people treating you properly?" Vala asked in her oddly English/Australian accent.
"I want to take my GI Joe and Barbie, but Daddy forgot to pack them!" she whined.
"Well, leave it to Auntie Vala. Let's to get your dolls, princess," she said, and she took Kelly's hand and headed down the hallway with her. Sam went along, giving Jack an opportunity to talk to Daniel alone.
"Jack, has it occurred to you to teach Kelly NOT to open the front door every time the door bell rings?"
"Ya, Daniel, I'll do that. But first listen! Sam is very upset about being made to cut back on her hours at work, so you gotta help me out! If you could see to it that she leaves the base by five each day, that would be great! Oh, and starting next month, she has to cut back to four days a week, or six hours a day."
"Six hours or four days! She must really be upset about that, Jack." Knowing his good friend Sam as he did, Daniel suspected that 'upset' really didn't begin to describe how Sam was feeling about the matter! It was no wonder Jack was asking for help! A Sam without her doohickeys was a Sam to be feared!
"You have no idea! In fact, she hasn't said much to me since we got home from talking with Dr. Lam. That's why I wanted to plan something nice for her this weekend...to kinda take her mind off things," Jack confided.
"Ah, I see! Well, for what it's worth, I do think Sam works too much. But for heaven's sake don't tell her I said that."
"Don't tell WHO you said WHAT?" Sam asked, as she walked up to them, and Daniel cringed inwardly. Then he thought fast and came up with something that he hoped sounded plausible.
"Oh, I was just telling Jack about Vala and her love of all things from McDonald's. I can't stand the place, but she loves it. So... Hey there! You all ready?" he asked as Kelly and Vala came skipping toward him.
"Yes, Uncle Daniel!"
"I put her mittens in her bag too. We were thinking of going to the skating rink tomorrow if the weather's nice," Vala told Jack and Sam, smiling. "Are her skates in the garage?"
"Yes, they are." Jack said. "I'll get them."
"No, I can do it," Vala offered. And before Jack could move, she was heading for the side door that led into the attached garage. Jack thought Vala was in a particularly good mood, even for Vala.
Sam thought the young woman seemed much happier the past few months, since she and Daniel had become inseparable, and Daniel seemed a lot more cheerful too and less obsessed with his work.
'God, maybe that's how people see me!' Sam thought, as she and Jack stood on the front porch and said their good-byes to Daniel, and Kelly. Sam kissed her daughter and then hugged her. Maybe she shouldn't be sending her away like this? Maybe what she needed to do was spend more time with her? Suddenly the feeling that she was neglecting her daughter flooded her mind, and she felt like crying...something she seemed to be doing a lot of lately.
"Found them!" Vala called out as she skipped through the foyer and out the front door to join Daniel and Kelly.
"Kelly, are you certain you want to go? If you stay we could all roast marshmallows in the fireplace and watch any movie you choose," Sam offered, as she felt tears threatening to fall. Sam blinked rapidly, trying to clear her vision and hide her emotional reaction from the others. But it was too late.
"Don't cry, Mommy! I'll be back soon, and then we can do whatever you want to do," Kelly consoled Sam, in a very grown up tone of voice. All three adults smiled, and Sam wiped away a tear from her cheek.
"Sam, come on. She'll be back before you know it," Jack said, hugging her. Now what had he gone and done? He had been trying to get them some time alone, and all he'd done was manage to upset her!
"Sam, if you really don't want her to go..." Vala began. Vala had lifted Kelly up in her arms, while Daniel opened the back door of his car. Sam put up a hand to stop her.
"No, Vala, forgive me. I'm just being silly. Take her. Kelly, please be a good girl for Uncle Daniel and Auntie Vala. And have fun, sweetheart!"
"Bye, baby!" Jack called out.
"I'm not the baby anymore, Daddy, so you have to stop calling me that!" she called back to him with a smug grin.
"Right! You're the big sister now," Jack replied with a smile, which was met with a thumbs up from Kelly. Sam shook her head, wondering which of their friends had taught her that mannerism. A certain engineer named Siler came to mind. 'My daughter the human sponge,' Sam thought, feeling nothing but pride.
The O'Neills moved to the open doorway and waved until they could no longer see the car. Then Sam turned and headed down the hall, as Jack shut and locked the front door. He followed after her, wondering what he should say. He was feeling very guilty by now. Sending Kelly away had been his idea, and it had made Sam cry. Damn!
When he got to Kelly's bedroom, the light was on and he saw Sam standing by her bed.
"Sam. Sam, I'm sorry I even suggested she go. I just wanted us to have some time alone together. I was gonna take you out to brunch at that nice hotel in Denver that you like so much and then to the planetarium. We haven't been there in a while. Remember the last time?" Jack asked, as he put his arms around her, and pulled her back toward his body. Sam leaned against him, and he could feel her body shaking. He knew she was still crying, and he hated to see her cry!
"Yes, I remember. It was right after you moved in with us. Kelly loved it. She wanted a telescope. I was glad you already had one, and that you could show her how to use it. You've been such a good father, Jack...in so many ways," she said as she turned around in his arms.
Jack could see the streaks of tears on her face now, and he tried to wipe them away with his thumb before more came to take their place.
"Please, Sam, don't cry! I can't stand it when you cry, baby," he told her, and then he kissed her gently on the lips, swallowing her shuddered exhale.
"Don't call me baby, Jack. I'm not your baby anymore," she said, paraphrasing what Kelly had said to him a few minutes earlier.
"You'll always be my baby, Sam. But I only call you 'baby' when we're alone together...like now," he said, kissing her forehead and then her eyelids, as more tears escaped from under them. "Now...what can I do to make you stop crying?" he asked as he kissed the tip of her nose.
"You can take me out for brunch in the morning and to the planetarium, but right now I could use some of those special talents of yours," she said coyly, her eyes glistening with more than just tears.
Jack took her hand and led her to the guest room, where he told her to stand still while he rounded up a few things. Sam was very curious why he wanted to be in this particular room. It wasn't even fully furnished yet! But it did have a king-sized bed with a nice wrought iron headboard, and so she did as he asked. In a minute he was back with three silk scarves in one hand and a small duffel bag in the other.
"What on earth!"
"Just stand still, honey. We're gonna play a little game," Jack told her as he dropped the bag on the floor next to the bed.
TBC