CHAPTER TEN
Daniel and Teal'c were indeed inside the house, lounging around a roaring fire. Daniel was sitting on the floor, with his feet propped up on the hearth. His toes wiggled in his socked feet as he tried to warm them from a recent trip outside for firewood. As Jack and Sam entered, followed by Frank and Kyle, he jumped to his feet and gently hugged Jack.
"Welcome home, Jack."
Teal'c also stood from his place in an armchair and nodded to his friend. "It is good to see you home at last, O'Neill."
Jack thanked them both, then sat in the armchair Teal'c had recently vacated. He still got tired easily, and while he was grateful for his friends, he needed a bit of a rest.
The others seemed to sense this, but wisely made no comment. Daniel rearranged himself on the floor and groused about the weather, while Teal'c joined Sam and Frank on the sofa that ran along the wall opposite Jack's chair. Kyle, like most boys his age, merely flopped down on the floor unceremoniously. Conversation sprang up, and the friends talked about everything and nothing for several minutes until Sam thought to bring drinks and snacks in from the kitchen.
When Sam returned to the living room, Frank and Kyle were pulling their coats back on. She looked at them questioningly for a moment.
"Where you guys off to so fast? Why don't you stick around for a bit?"
Frank shook his head. "Love to, Sam, but we have to get back to town. Kyle's got a lot of homework, and it's a school night. Besides," Frank said with a pointed look at Kyle, "Someone has to walk the puppy before it gets too dark."
Sam nodded in understanding, and the two men slid out the door as a blast of icy air blew through the house. As soon as Kyle was gone, Jack looked at his glass of fruit juice in disgust.
"Any way a guy can get a beer around here?"
Disapproving glances met his request from Daniel and Teal'c, but Sam seemed to consider the idea for a moment, then nodded slowly.
"Why not?"
Daniel seemed confused. "Sam…"
"Oh, lighten up, Daniel, one beer won't hurt anything."
Daniel shrugged and stood. "In that case, I'll help you. I could go for a glass of wine myself."
When Daniel and Sam returned to Jack and Teal'c, they found the two men leaning entirely too close together and talking in hushed tones.
"What are you two up to?" asked Sam.
"Oh, nothing… right, T?" mumbled Jack.
Teal'c nodded. "Indeed."
Sam thought she'd caught a flash of paper as she entered the room, but when she looked again, neither man had anything in their hands and while they looked a little too innocent to actually be innocent, she let it go.
One beer and a glass of wine ended up being a lot more than that by the time the pale wintry sunlight slipped below the horizon, and Jack O'Neill and his friends had a wonderful evening.
They talked about the past.
They talked about the future.
They talked about sports, movies, and books.
They talked about Rya'c and Walter and General Hammond and Cassie and how much they still missed Janet.
They reminisced and chatted as only the best of old friends can do.
The fire warmed their bodies, and their company warmed their souls.
Jack was indeed glad to be home.