Carter sat on the oversized suitcase, trying to smash the absurd amount of clothing she'd packed into the case's small confines. Growling at the case, she forcefully pulled the zipper shut. The sides bulged, threatening to burst open and spill that which she had worked so hard to stuff. Letting out a deep breath, she flopped backwards onto the bed, covering her tired eyes with her hands. Silence. She sometimes hated that her house was so quiet. Nobody else was there. She was alone. She missed having someone over, Pete, her father. She held her breath as her mind fumbled over 'her father'. She still wasn't past it. Nope, the pain was still there, knocking at her heart. She sighed, holding her tears back and rolling onto her stomach. As she closed her eyes, the sound of O'Neill's diesel engine thundered outside her house. She didn't want him to see her like this. Wiping her eyes, she rolled onto her back.
"Carter, you in there?" O'Neill called from the front door.
"Back here, sir!" She didn't move; she was too tired to move. The steady and rhythmic thud of heavy footsteps on the hardwood flooring echoed through the hall, and they stopped as he appeared in her doorway.
"Whatcha doin' Carter?" he said, leaning against the door jamb, his hands in his coat pockets.
"Nothing, really." She lifted her hands from her eyes, moving her head to look at him. He was in his civvies; a pair of blue jeans, green button up shirt, and his heavy brown Carhartt jacket, "You?"
"Yeah, well…was in the neighborhood."
"Sir?" She questioned, really not believing that the Colonel was just driving around in a completely different neighborhood from his own and that just coincidentally he ended up in hers. And pigs fly, she snorted mentally.
"Jack." O'Neill pointed at himself, "Downtime started two hours ago."
"Jack." Carter said acidulously, smiling his playful tone.
"All set for that wonderful vacation?"
"Just finished packing."
"Um, Daniel and Janet are hosting team night tonight. They sent me to pick you up."
"What time?"
Jack looked at his watch, "In an hour."
"Gah!" Carter grabbed a throw pillow, tossing it at her CO's head, and falling back on her bed.
"I take that as a no?"
"No, I'm coming. Just wanted the satisfaction of tossing a pillow at your head."
"We have to stop by Blockbuster and Wal-Mart on the way, so chop-chop!"
"Demanding, aren't we? I'm working on it. Now out!!" Jack jabbed his thigh into the dresser as Carter pushed him aside. "Owww!" he whimpered and Sam raised an eyebrow.
"You can get shot by a Zat and not feel a thing, but lightly ramming your thigh into the dresser causes pain?" Sam asked while digging through the drawer and Jack raised another eyebrow.
"Yes, well, that's a whole different story. Chock full of clichés and such." Jack shrugged and Sam grinned as she grabbed a random tee and a fresh pair of pants. Shuffling into the bathroom, she proceeded to get changed.
Ten minutes later, Jack reclined on the couch, wondering what was taking so long. "Carter, you alive back there?" he yelled from the living room.
"Almost done!" Sam ruffled her hair and sighed as a smile crossed her lips. "Same old Jack." She shook her head and slipped the new t-shirt on. Fixing the waist on her pants slightly, Sam walked out of the bathroom, grabbing her coat.
"Finally!" Jack said as Sam plopped down on the couch beside him, her favorite tennis shoes in hand.
"Oh, shush." She furrowed her brow and smacked him lightly on the arm. She tied her pink New Balances, and stood up, grabbing Jack's keys from his hand.
Janet and Daniel were in the kitchen when Jack and Sam let themselves in. The newly engaged couple had just moved in the large two-story Victorian mere weeks before, and Daniel secretly was excited to have team night at his new home.
Sam balanced the case of Guinness on her hip, closing the large oak door behind her. "Hi guys."
"I didn't think you would come." Janet said, watching Sam set the beer on the floor next to the refrigerator. "Are you ready for your trip?"
"I just finished packing when the Colonel stopped by to pick me up."
""I heard that Sam! It's Jack! We're on downtime, remember?" Jack shouted, from the living room, where he was putting the movie in.
"You so have selective hearing!" Sam said, rolling her eyes.
"Ne?!" he said, fully hearing what she had said. Sam and Janet appeared in the living room, carrying bowls of chips and dip, Daniel carrying three bottles of beer, one for himself, Sam, and Jack.
"Just start the movie, already!" Cassie whined from her seat in the recliner, "What did you guys pick anyway?"
"Star Wars." Jack grinned, watching Cassie's expression go from excited to scared.
"I have homework to do, I'm just gonna head upstairs now." Cassie let the footrest down, and jumped out of her seat.
"I'm joking!" Jack held up the case, "We're watching The Blue Collar Comedy Tour. I thought we could watch a funny movie."
"Oh, well, in that case, pass the popcorn."
"I thought so." Jack pressed play on the remote.
An hour later, Janet had fallen asleep on Daniel's lap, and the poor archeologist's arm was going numb from the poor circulation. He debated moving her, but just shifted his shoulder slightly, not wanting to wake her. Teal'c and Cassie were fully engrossed in the musings of Larry the Cable Guy, Cassie nearly choking on her popcorn when the bit about the flea market came on.
"It's snowing." Sam said quietly, noticing the flakes drifting by the window.
Jack lifted his head from her shoulder, furrowing his brow. "I thought it was going to hold off for a while." he shrugged, "It's not supposed to snow more than a dusting, so as long as we get you home before late, it'll be all right."
"I don't mind to leave early if you don't mind." She said, her voice turning to a whisper, "and I think I've had a little too much to drink."
"Sure, we can go ahead and go, it's almost over anyway." He said, sitting up. "Well, Danny, we're going to go ahead and leave, before the roads get slick."
"Bye everyone, I'll see you all when I get back!" Sam hugged Cassie and Teal'c and smiled at Daniel as she grabbed her coat off of the coat rack.
Once outside, Sam began to slip on the, but Jack managed to catch her from behind, "Maybe it was a good thing we left. It's getting icy out here." Taking the keys to his precious Powerstroke from her hand, Jack unlocked the doors and helped his passenger in.
There was no one on the roads in the normally bustling suburb of Colorado Springs, and quickly Jack found out why. He could feel the nearly ton truck slide under him, barely able to keep traction on the asphalt. Both sat in silence until Jack pulled up in front of Sam's house.
"Your home milady." Jack smiled and shut down the engine.
"Thanks, Jack." Sam said, her head resting on the frosty window.
"Thanks for what?"
"For the ride home, of course." Sam smirked, her eyes connecting with Jack's, "Wanna come in?"
Jack raised an eyebrow at the offer. "Nah, the roads are getting slick. I think I'll head home."
"Okay." She hung her head slightly, seemingly disappointed.
"I'll pick you up at 0500 sharp, Sam." Jack kindly reminded her as she climbed out of the truck and shut the door.