They were still chatting when Sam came through the door a little after five. Jack was surprised to see her, assuming that she was going to stay late at the base and work on whatever it was she was working on, but his surprise didn't stop him from greeting her with a smile. Shawn, of course, greeted her with a bigger smile and a hug, and Jaffer and Abby both swarmed her. All in all, it was a very pleasant way to be welcomed home after a long day, Sam decided.
"What did you guys do today?" Sam asked when the initial greetings had been handed out and the dogs were settling once more.
"We talked about girls," Jack said. Shawn blushed.
Sam smiled.
"Jennifer?"
Shawn's face got even redder and he nodded, wordlessly.
"Ooooo, Jennifer..." Jack wasn't above teasing the boy. Especially since he'd spent the day learning far more about her than he really needed to know. Shawn smiled, sheepishly, but the blush didn't fade.
"Did you have lunch?"
"Yup."
"Dinner?"
"Nope."
"Shawn? You want to stay for dinner?"
"I can't, Sam. Mom told me I had to be back by 6, or I was going to be sold to a wandering band of Gypsies."
"It's almost 5:30, now." She said looking at her watch. "You'll never make it home if you don't get a ride." It'd take him about 40 minutes to ride his bike home.
"I was counting on getting one." Shawn's blush was fading, and he turned an expectant glance toward Jack.
"What kind of Gypsies?" Jack asked. "I wonder how much we could get for you..."
Shawn grinned, and Jack ruffled his hair.
"Why don't you take him home, Jack? I'll start on some dinner for us."
"You just got home, Sam," Jack protested, pulling her down over the back of the sofa and into his lap, much to Shawn's amusement. Jack didn't realize it, but he was already teaching Shawn how to treat the woman he loved. He was a long ways off from that day, of course, but the boy was a good learner, and he paid attention. "Why don't you take it easy, and I'll bring something home?"
"Because I don't want a burger." Sam said, hugging him and then reaching over with her foot to nudge Shawn, and winking at him. Jack and Sam could lose themselves easily in their own world, but neither would let Shawn feel left out of that world when he was with them. Another lesson the boy was learning from example.
"I'll stop and get something better." Jack promised.
"Better doesn't mean pizza, Jack."
"Chinese?"
"No."
"Italian?"
"That would bring us back to pizza."
He scowled, which made Shawn smile.
"I'll figure out something."
"If you come home with pizza, I'm going to find those Gypsies and sell you to them."
"They'd never be able to afford to feed Jaffer."
Sam laughed and rolled out of his lap, and leaned over and pressed a kiss against Shawn's forehead. He rolled his eyes, but secretly, he loved it when Sam did that. It was a reminder that she loved him as much as Jack did, and he knew it.
"Don't let him bring me home pizza, Shawn."
"I'll do my best, Sam."
She smiled, and Jack and Shawn got off the couch as well. Jaffer looked at him expectantly, but Jack looked over at Sam.
"I'm going to leave Jaffer with you and Abby."
Sam nodded; she'd pretty much expected that. All part of the whole keep them together and hope they make babies thing.
"You stay here and keep an eye on things for me, little man," Jack told the black lab. "Okay?"
Jaffer snorted, softly, but wagged his tail. He'd have rather went with Jack, but staying with Sam was the next best thing, and he knew that if it was him and Sam, then he was in charge of her safety.
Jack grabbed up his keys, and headed for the door, with Shawn close behind him.
"No pizza!" Sam reminded him as he closed the door, and tossed Shawn his keys.
"You start the truck, and I'll load your bike."
The boy grinned, excitedly, and got into the truck, behind the wheel. He wasn't really learning how to drive yet, but learning to start the truck had been the first step. He didn't actually need to touch anything, he just turned the key in the ignition, but he was proud and excited every time Jack let him do it. The engine roared to life, and Shawn scooted over into the passenger seat as Jack opened the driver's side door and got in, Shawn's bike loaded into the back of the truck and ready to go.
Jack smiled, and waited for Shawn to buckle up, then he put the truck in gear and pulled out of the driveway.
..............
It wasn't that long of a drive, and soon they were in the Adams' driveway. Jack stopped the truck and looked over at his son.
"Thanks for coming over today."
"I had a good time."
"Me, too."
"You'll talk to Sam?" Shawn hadn't forgotten his original reason for coming.
"I'll talk to her. But no promises."
Shawn nodded, smiling, and Dotty came to the door to see who'd pulled up. Even at a distance, Jack could see her smile. He turned off the truck and got out to unload Shawn's bike.
"Jack! Where's Jaffer?" Dotty asked, walking over as Shawn got out.
"He's home with Sam and Abby."
"Abby?"
"That's another dog, mom," Shawn explained. "She's going to have Jaffer's puppies!"
Dotty smiled, delighted.
"Good for him!"
"Well, they have to decide they like each other, first," Jack said with a shrug. "So far there's a lot of chasing, but not much else."
"They'll figure it out, I'm sure. Would you like to stay for dinner?"
"Nah, Sam's waiting, and I've still got to stop and get something for us to eat."
"Ah."
"We'll see you soon, though," Jack promised.
"Don't forget, Jack," Shawn said as he wheeled his bike up to the garage.
"I won't." Jack rolled his eyes, and Dotty smiled, even though she didn't know what Jack wasn't supposed to forget. "I'll see you later, Dotty." Jack said, softly. "Thanks for letting me have him this afternoon."
"You can have him anytime, Jack," she reminded him. "Tell Sam hi, and give Jaffer a kiss for me."
"I'll kiss them both."
Like he needed any reason for doing that.
He gave her a nod of farewell, and got back into his truck and drove off. He had to figure out what to get Sam for dinner, still, since he was pretty sure she didn't want pizza.
"What did you guys do today?" Sam asked when the initial greetings had been handed out and the dogs were settling once more.
"We talked about girls," Jack said. Shawn blushed.
Sam smiled.
"Jennifer?"
Shawn's face got even redder and he nodded, wordlessly.
"Ooooo, Jennifer..." Jack wasn't above teasing the boy. Especially since he'd spent the day learning far more about her than he really needed to know. Shawn smiled, sheepishly, but the blush didn't fade.
"Did you have lunch?"
"Yup."
"Dinner?"
"Nope."
"Shawn? You want to stay for dinner?"
"I can't, Sam. Mom told me I had to be back by 6, or I was going to be sold to a wandering band of Gypsies."
"It's almost 5:30, now." She said looking at her watch. "You'll never make it home if you don't get a ride." It'd take him about 40 minutes to ride his bike home.
"I was counting on getting one." Shawn's blush was fading, and he turned an expectant glance toward Jack.
"What kind of Gypsies?" Jack asked. "I wonder how much we could get for you..."
Shawn grinned, and Jack ruffled his hair.
"Why don't you take him home, Jack? I'll start on some dinner for us."
"You just got home, Sam," Jack protested, pulling her down over the back of the sofa and into his lap, much to Shawn's amusement. Jack didn't realize it, but he was already teaching Shawn how to treat the woman he loved. He was a long ways off from that day, of course, but the boy was a good learner, and he paid attention. "Why don't you take it easy, and I'll bring something home?"
"Because I don't want a burger." Sam said, hugging him and then reaching over with her foot to nudge Shawn, and winking at him. Jack and Sam could lose themselves easily in their own world, but neither would let Shawn feel left out of that world when he was with them. Another lesson the boy was learning from example.
"I'll stop and get something better." Jack promised.
"Better doesn't mean pizza, Jack."
"Chinese?"
"No."
"Italian?"
"That would bring us back to pizza."
He scowled, which made Shawn smile.
"I'll figure out something."
"If you come home with pizza, I'm going to find those Gypsies and sell you to them."
"They'd never be able to afford to feed Jaffer."
Sam laughed and rolled out of his lap, and leaned over and pressed a kiss against Shawn's forehead. He rolled his eyes, but secretly, he loved it when Sam did that. It was a reminder that she loved him as much as Jack did, and he knew it.
"Don't let him bring me home pizza, Shawn."
"I'll do my best, Sam."
She smiled, and Jack and Shawn got off the couch as well. Jaffer looked at him expectantly, but Jack looked over at Sam.
"I'm going to leave Jaffer with you and Abby."
Sam nodded; she'd pretty much expected that. All part of the whole keep them together and hope they make babies thing.
"You stay here and keep an eye on things for me, little man," Jack told the black lab. "Okay?"
Jaffer snorted, softly, but wagged his tail. He'd have rather went with Jack, but staying with Sam was the next best thing, and he knew that if it was him and Sam, then he was in charge of her safety.
Jack grabbed up his keys, and headed for the door, with Shawn close behind him.
"No pizza!" Sam reminded him as he closed the door, and tossed Shawn his keys.
"You start the truck, and I'll load your bike."
The boy grinned, excitedly, and got into the truck, behind the wheel. He wasn't really learning how to drive yet, but learning to start the truck had been the first step. He didn't actually need to touch anything, he just turned the key in the ignition, but he was proud and excited every time Jack let him do it. The engine roared to life, and Shawn scooted over into the passenger seat as Jack opened the driver's side door and got in, Shawn's bike loaded into the back of the truck and ready to go.
Jack smiled, and waited for Shawn to buckle up, then he put the truck in gear and pulled out of the driveway.
..............
It wasn't that long of a drive, and soon they were in the Adams' driveway. Jack stopped the truck and looked over at his son.
"Thanks for coming over today."
"I had a good time."
"Me, too."
"You'll talk to Sam?" Shawn hadn't forgotten his original reason for coming.
"I'll talk to her. But no promises."
Shawn nodded, smiling, and Dotty came to the door to see who'd pulled up. Even at a distance, Jack could see her smile. He turned off the truck and got out to unload Shawn's bike.
"Jack! Where's Jaffer?" Dotty asked, walking over as Shawn got out.
"He's home with Sam and Abby."
"Abby?"
"That's another dog, mom," Shawn explained. "She's going to have Jaffer's puppies!"
Dotty smiled, delighted.
"Good for him!"
"Well, they have to decide they like each other, first," Jack said with a shrug. "So far there's a lot of chasing, but not much else."
"They'll figure it out, I'm sure. Would you like to stay for dinner?"
"Nah, Sam's waiting, and I've still got to stop and get something for us to eat."
"Ah."
"We'll see you soon, though," Jack promised.
"Don't forget, Jack," Shawn said as he wheeled his bike up to the garage.
"I won't." Jack rolled his eyes, and Dotty smiled, even though she didn't know what Jack wasn't supposed to forget. "I'll see you later, Dotty." Jack said, softly. "Thanks for letting me have him this afternoon."
"You can have him anytime, Jack," she reminded him. "Tell Sam hi, and give Jaffer a kiss for me."
"I'll kiss them both."
Like he needed any reason for doing that.
He gave her a nod of farewell, and got back into his truck and drove off. He had to figure out what to get Sam for dinner, still, since he was pretty sure she didn't want pizza.