A/N: I want to thank everyone for the following favs and reviews. This is a shorter one, a day trip.
The leaves were changing, and fall was in the air, October in Colorado. It wasn't unusual to see snow, but Sam loved the fall best. It was approaching Halloween, and although she had only been home twice while in The Springs to hand out candy, she never went without carving a pumpkin and setting it on her porch for the neighborhood to see. So, when the weekend found them at home, she decided that Teal'c and the rest of her team needed to go to the pumpkin patch to pick one to carve. Since the thought was last minute, without calling, she goes to Jack's first.
Sam sees his truck in the driveway and goes to the door knocking.
Jack answers, the door smiling at Sam.
"It's 9 am Carter, on the weekend. What could you possibly have planned now?" Jack asked.
"A short trip this time, all in one day," Sam claims.
"Alright, I'm in, let me get dressed," Jack claims.
Sam hadn't realized that Jack O'neill answered the door, in a black t-shirt and boxers.
He let her in, and Sam couldn't help but stare at his ass as he walked back to his bedroom.
Sam sat in his kitchen, familiar with the layout, grabbing a coffee mug and pouring a cup.
Sam sat looking around, waiting for Jack.
When he came back out, he had a plaid red and black long sleeve button-up and jeans.
Sam smiled at his perfect attire.
"So have you called Daniel and T, or we just kidnapping them?" Jack asked.
"The latter, sir," Sam claimed.
"Drop the sir for the day, Carter," Jack mentioned.
Sam nodded her head, and Sam once again claims Jack's truck may be a better idea than her car.
Jack nods and grabs his keys and the two drive to Daniels.
Sam and Jack go up to his apartment together.
Daniel looks confused.
"Unplanned day, you in?" Sam asked.
Daniel smiles.
"Alright, let me finish up here," Daniel claims.
Daniel has Jack and Sam step into his apartment. Sam had been there several times, but all she could think was she was in the messiest museum she had ever seen.
Sam and Jack sit on the couch, and Daniel puts away from scrolls.
"Aren't you supposed to have the day off?" Jack asks.
"I do, I am. This has nothing to do with work, just a private project," Daniel claimed.
Jack shook his head.
Sam smiled knowingly at Daniel.
The last stop was to the SGC to pick up Teal'c. Daniel decides he will be least likely to be asked a question or drawn in somewhere, so he goes to get Teal'c and 25 minutes later is back to the surface, Teal'c all in black with a matching beanie covering his mark.
When they all rearrange in the truck, Jack is still in the driver's seat.
"I kind of need to know where we're going, Carter," Jack mentioned.
Sam gives vague directions as they meander back towards town. Jack knows the roads and turns when she says. When they don't turn off where he expects, he looks at her questionably. She tells him to turn into a neighborhood which confuses him even more, but the further they go, he realizes they are going to the farm. He looks at her and smiles.
"Teal'c have you ever carved a Jack'O'Lantern?" Jack asks.
"No, I have not O'Neill, that is an American tradition associated with Halloween, is it not?" Teal'c asked.
"It is, and Carter here thinks now is a good time to show you how," Jack claims.
Teal'c says nothing about what they are doing, and when they get to the farm, there are multiple families out trying to pick out the perfect pumpkin. Some were already picked. Others were out in the field for you to pick yourself.
Jack instantly claims that they have to go in search of the perfect harvest.
"Now, remember campers, the bigger the pumpkin, the more you have to scoop," Jack claimed.
They all smile at Jack taking charge.
Sam buddies up with Teal'c explaining what to look for, and then they all four spread out looking for a pumpkin of their own.
Daniel finds his first, a small pumpkin that would sit nicely on his table on the balcony. He knew that Sam could easily rig a light on a timer so people could see it from the street.
Daniel takes the pair of sheers they gave him to cut the fruit. , Picking it up, not realizing how heavy it would be compared to its size but goes to look for another one of his team members. Teal'c is closest to him, and he shows off the round pumpkin with its dark orange hue.
Teal'c is surprised that Daniel has picked such a small pumpkin but agrees that the shape and color are ideal.
Jack is next to see his perfect pick. Jack would say it was medium size, it was more tall than round, but still pretty circular, it was a lighter orange than Daniel's he lobs off the vine and picks up his prize, walking over to Sam whose not too far away.
"I see you're pretty picky about your Pumpkins," Jack claimed as she walked by a whole row of ones that looked great to him. She smiled.
"It has to call to me," Sam claimed.
Jack laughed.
"That's the most unscientific thing I've ever heard you say," Jack claimed.
"Well, actually, sir, there is evidence that trees in the woods "talk" to each other, letting other trees know their health and well-being," Sam claimed.
"So the other pumpkins knew when I plucked this one?" Jack asked.
"Possibly," Sam claimed.
Jack looked at her, slightly terrified but went on.
He spotted Daniel and Teal'c.
"Daniel seemed to have gotten a baby." Jack pointed out.
Sam looked and smiled at her friend.
"No, it suits him," Sam claimed.
Jack eye-balled Daniel's pick again and agreed it was strangely Daniel.
"Found it!" Sam claimed.
Sam had looked at the Pumpkin, it was a decent size, about the size of Jacks, but it was rounder in the middle. The green hadn't left the flesh entirely, leaving green stripes on the outside. Sam cut it and picked it up, using both arms to carry it in front of her. They then met up with Daniel and Teal'c. Teal'c was still eyeballing, wandering, telling the group he couldn't make a final assessment until he had seen all the pumpkins the size he wanted. They wandered the patch for another 30 minutes. Sam occasionally shaking out an arm from carrying her pumpkin. Teal'c walked back about midway and declared a huge pumpkin as his own. None of them were sure Teal'c could carry it. Sam thought it was beautiful but not a carving pumpkin. She gave her advice, but Teal'c was determined and, instead of using the shears, ripped the pumpkin from the vine.
When they made their way back to the check-out, they measured each pumpkin's circumference and gave the team their price. Sam was happy to pay and threw in a tracing book for some ideas.
The four of them plopped the orange orbs into the back of the truck.
"So whose house is hosting the carving party?" Jack asked.
"You have the bigger porch, sir," Sam suggested.
"Mm, of course, I do, Carter, for all the pumpkin carving I do," Jack stated.
Sam smiled, and they make it back to his space, setting each pumpkin on the porch.
It's now lunchtime, and all were hungry from spending their morning out and about. Jack looks around in the cabinets.
"Grilled cheese and tomato soup?" Jack offers
Sam hadn't had the combo since a child, but it fits perfectly into the fall theme, and she frantically nods.
As they all sit in the kitchen waiting for their meal, Daniel proceeds to tell the group about Halloween.
"Did you guys know that several countries celebrate Halloween, and it's actually a time to celebrate the dead, light candles on their graves. Jack'O'Lanterns came by way of the Irish immigrants. They used to cut faces in radishes and leave them on their doorsteps to ensure the evil spirits didn't get them. There is even a story that a man named Jack tricked the devil, and when he died, he didn't get into heaven, and the devil wouldn't allow him into Hell and was free to roam the earth forever, so they were carved; to keep him away." Daniel smiled.
"Why does earth have such odd customs?" Teal'c asked.
"Over time, people developed many different beliefs, and people don't believe that carved pumpkins scare spirits anymore. It's just something fun to do," Daniel explained.
Teal'c nodded his head.
"Damn, it!" Jack yelled causing his three friends to look up at him.
"I burnt the grilled cheese," Jack claimed.
"I'll fix it," Sam claimed.
Jack looked at her questionable for a second as she grabbed the blackened bread. She grabbed a butter knife and scraped the carbon off, revealing a perfect piece of toast.
"Why didn't I think of that?" Jack asked.
Sam shrugged her shoulders, and the group went on talking more about the fall.
When Jack was done with the food, they all ate quickly and thanked Jack for the comforting meal.
Jack procured the needed instruments, Knives, scoops, scrapers, trash bags, and the book Sam had picked up.
They made their way out. The temperature was chilly, but the sun gave just enough heat. A Jacket wasn't required.
Sam made sure they all cut their tops at an angle so they wouldn't fall in. Teal'c was surprised by the number of seeds and strings inside the pumpkin itself. Jack had laid a big trash bag on the porch. They scooped out all the middle. Jack pointed out the less meat inside, the longer it will take to rot. Although Tealc's pumpkin was the largest, he was done first using a large scoop and scraping with a knife. Daniel was the next to be done, then Jack and finally Sam, who had been meticulous at making the inside perfect.
Next, they looked through the book for ideas.
Jack went traditional with triangle eyes, nose, and a toothy but semi frightening grin. Daniel had found a face in the book he thought would be easy to carve. Big round eyes, no nose, and mouth similar to Jack's. Teal'c had also chosen a face, but everything was rounded. The eyes were round. It had an oval nose, and the mouth was wide with curved edges and 2 teeth sticking out on the top.
Sam had taken to a pattern in the book of an owl. She was careful and took way longer than the guys, but when she was finished, she got the expression she was going after.
"That's amazing, Sam!" Daniel claimed.
Jack looked and smiled at the pumpkin, "add artist to the resume." Jack stated.
"you have depicted an owl on your Pumpkin," Teal'c said, surprised.
Sam smiled. "Does it look okay?"
They all nodded their head and stared at it for a few more minutes before Sam brushed herself off, and they lined the pumpkins on Jack's front porch before going inside. Jack decided that Teal'c needed to watch "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." He knew he had a copy of it somewhere and dug it out. Teal'c had seen the comic strip, and Daniel was sure he had seen the Christmas special, but this was new for Teal'c, and Daniel hadn't watched it since he was young.
"This was Charlie's favorite," Jack mentioned. Sam put her hand on his shoulder as he sat down next to her.
The group watches the child's cartoon as the afternoon goes into the evening. It's too early for dinner, and their reason for the group to hang around any longer. Sam feels bad for stealing the day. Sam tows Daniel and Teal'c back home pumpkins in tow.
Let me know what you think!