DING DONG
Sam jerked awake. Who could be ringing the doorbell at this hour? He wondered, thinking it was still the middle of the night. The morning sunlight spilling through the windows and across the living room floor told him otherwise and the clock on the VCR told him it was a little after 11 AM. Huh… I didn't realize I was THAT tired. He rolled off the sofa and tossed the afghan carelessly across the back of it. He scurried to the door and opened it to find Daniel and Teal'c.
"'Morning, Jack," Daniel greeted with a pleasant grin.
"Good morning, Colonel O'Neill," Teal'c said with a nod.
"Hi, guys," Sam responded, "Aren't you a little early?"
He hadn't forgotten about the barbeque he 'accidentally' decided to have, but he figured everyone would be arriving later.
"We thought we'd drop by early and help you get things set up," Daniel explained.
"Well, come on in, then," Sam moved to the side to let his friends in. Daniel immediately took notice of the messy state of the sofa and afghan as well as Sam's disheveled appearance.
"Yeah, sorry for the mess," Sam apologized, "I was really tired when I got home last night that I just passed out on the sofa. I didn't have time to clean up."
Daniel took a seat on the sofa and Teal'c took an armchair opposite him. "We'll make ourselves at home," said Daniel, "You go get cleaned up."
"Right," Sam responded, "I'll try not to take long. Help yourselves to whatever's in the fridge." Sam hadn't even looked to see what was in the refrigerator. It could be empty or everything could be spoiled for all he knew! For his—Jack's—friends' sakes, he hoped there was at least something edible in there.
Sam took a quick shower and rifled through the dresser drawers and closet trying to find something to wear. This Jack O'Neill was extremely casual when he wasn't on base. Both the dresser and closet were littered with jeans, t-shirts, pajama pants, and flannels with the occasional pair of khaki's and polo shirts mixed in. Sam settled on jeans and a grey t-shirt that advertised some firearm manufacturer that Sam was unfamiliar with. He raked his fingers through his damp hair in a vain attempt to bring it under some kind of control. He made an appearance in the living room once more and was greeted with the fourth member of his team.
"Good morning, sir" she greeted cheerfully.
Sam grinned, "'Morning, Carter." He turned his gaze to Daniel who was downing the last of a beer purloined from the refrigerator.
"Daniel, go get the grill warmed up. I'll get some steaks marinated and seasoned." Sam dug into the freezer, pulled out four lean steaks, and set them in the sink to thaw. He assigned tasks to the rest of the team; Carter was in charge of making the salad, Teal'c was setting up the poker table, and Sam rummaged through a cabinet of videotapes looking for a movie for them to watch later. The aura of closeness and companionship that seemed to resonate throughout the house almost made Sam forget that this was Jack O'Neill's life, not his. He almost didn't want to leap and leave this behind but, at the same time, gatherings such as this were going to be a thing of the past if he didn't save Daniel…
