AN: Sorry this wasn't first thing. I have been working on house renos and had to get an oil change then go pick up closet shelving stuff. I've hit fed up with my staff. I'm constantly trying to get them enthused so they at least try. They do not try. They are almost all seasonal. They will not have jobs after Christmas just like last year when we fired all the stock clerks. I'm not keeping people who won't do basic crap like ask guests about the coupon program. I've had it. Mom level I've had it.

Chapter 10

Jack hit the hardware store on his way home from work and picked up the color he'd ordered once Sam's 'job' confirmed that yes the color was fine and yes they should paint the hallway too. For a bunch of con men stealing government tech, they were either extremely stupid or Sam was so good at giving off innocent dumb blond vibes when she wanted to that any suspicions they might have had flew out the window after weeks of her doing nothing but file paperwork while humming pop songs and looking at wedding magazines dreamily.

Jack had chuckled at that addition. They hadn't been discussing 'the wedding plans' in front of Lisa because they didn't want to confuse her later but Sam had no such qualms about it as her cover and would ask the guys random questions about their weddings, their sibling's weddings… In reality, she was gathering intel she was feeding to Jeannie to pin down exactly who these guys were but none of it came off as her fishing for personal info because she also asked about color schemes, hall decorations, and party favors.

Jack had come in on a Friday night and measured all the walls. They had a bit over two-thousand square feet so he figured since they weren't priming he'd just order a five-gallon bucket and two one-gallon ones and some primer to touch up everywhere he hit with spackle, which was half the freaking walls apparently. The guys had let him into the hall which led to the lab and covertly watched him the whole time, but all Jack did was measure walls and make notes about where he needed to make repairs. Eventually, Sam's questionable employers lost interest in him entirely. He seemed to be exactly what he appeared to be. A part time schoolteacher who did odd jobs to pick up a bit of extra cash to help pay for his upcoming wedding.

In fact, the only thing Jack did that wasn't job related was to grin foolishly at Sam which further cemented him in the harmless column as far as the tech thieves were concerned.

The next Friday, with Lisa was at home with a babysitter, Jack showed up at the office dressed in old jeans and a t-shirt that had seen better days intent on starting the paint job, He also brought Sam a bag of work clothes to change into too.

"Aw. thank you." Sam told him sincerely and kissed his cheek affectionately. "As soon as I clock out, I'll go get changed. If you want to start taping off though go right ahead. We probably have to move some things away from the walls. You brought the dolly, didn't you?"

"Yup. It's in the truck." Jack said, hugging her. The bugs were hidden in the cross brace of the dolly. "I'll grab it while you get changed." He said and kissed her on the lips just as affectionately then grinned when Sam blushed.

Less than ten minutes later, Sam returned dressed in a tank top and cut off denim shorts that made Jack whistle appreciatively at her long legs.

Sam put her head down and bit her lip. "That should really offend me." she admitted. "But it doesn't from you."

"Well, I hope it's because you know I think your fantastic legs are just an added bonus to your brain and heart and not the main event."

"Awww." Sam said in a teasing voice. "You're so sweet." She was grinning at him in amusement.

"Yah yah." Jack grumbled pretending to be exasperated but secretly enjoying her teasing.

"Grab a roll of tape. When we get to something heavy we'll tag team it."

"Okay." She said grinning. There were a handful of cabinets against the walls and a couple of desks too. She pulled a roll of painter's tape from the bag Jack had brought in of brushes and other supplies and started taping off the baseboards around her desk.

Jack really couldn't stop himself. Sam had gotten on all fours and all he could do was stare at her delectable ass sticking up in the air and envisioning things he'd like to do to her in that position. Shaking his head, he got back to work. Not the time, O'Neill, he reminded himself.

Bill finally walked out of the lab and scrutinized Jack and Sam's work so far. "We're heading out for the night. Here's the pass key for the lab. Just have Sam return it Monday. If you have to come in tomorrow to touch up, that's fine." He handed Jack the credit card sized piece of white plastic that fit into the slot by the lab door.

"Thanks, man. I appreciate the job. We're trying to save up for a wedding." Jack said with a goofy grin at Sam.

"Yah. I heard." Bill said and muttered 'at length' under his breath which made Jack's grin take on an amused quirk. "The lab equipment can't be moved right now so only paint the hallway that leads there. The card will open both doors so you can paint the door jamb if you need to."

"Great." Jack said. "I think you'll be happy with how it looks when I'm done. I do handyman repairs too so if you need electrical stuff done or something breaks, don't hesitate to give me a call." Jack was laying it on a little thick like he was desperate for extra cash which fit in with the whole having to pay for the expense of a wedding and having a part-time schoolteacher salary. He lowered his voice conspiratorially. "I want to take her someplace nice for the honeymoon."

"Right." Bill agreed with the look of a man who now wanted to desperately escape a conversation. "Well, see you Monday."

"See you Monday." Sam called from the main part of the office where she was busily taping off another part of a wall around the blueprint counter that was still there from it's days as an aeronautics lab.

Bill made his escape and Jack and Sam continued to work as though their sole concern was painting the office.

They worked until long after his headlights disappeared down the road. "I'm going to go grab the drop-cloths" Jack told Sam.

"All right. I'll start cutting in these corners." She said absently.

There were no cameras in the main office and no bugs. Sam had already sat in the parking lot one night and checked. There were cameras in the lab but no sound so Sam planned to have them paint around the door just as expected then set the cameras on a time loop so they recorded an empty lab while she placed bugs and a small camera in there. She and Jack would have to be careful with the camera placement. It couldn't be anywhere obvious like a rafter but it needed full view. She'd have to consider her options when she got in there.

Jack came back a bit later. "Well?"

"Just put it on my desk below the partition so it can't be seen from the outside. There's a cover program that runs music."

"Sweet." Jack said and did as he was told. He might be team leader but when it came to this stuff, Sam was his expert and he deferred to her implicitly.

"Turn on the program that says 'Hot Mix'. It should start right up."

Jack chuckled.

When Rock with You by Michael Jackson starts playing, Jack sweeps Sam into his arms and twirls her around the office furniture while she laughs.

"Not too bad for a beat up old retiree." He told her.

She grinned and pecked his cheek. "I like you the way you are." She told him honestly. "Scars and all."

"Well, there's a lot of those." He agreed which made her swat his arm.

"We have work to do." she reminded him as Stayin' Alive by the Bee Gees started up.

Jack nodded and sighed internally. He started to wonder at her playlist though. Almost all the music was from the late 70s and early 80s which made sense. Sam was a teenager in the mid 80s. But tellingly, almost all the songs were about love or more specifically about realizing what you are feeling is love. He wasn't sure if she'd done it with intent or subconsciously but with each song Jack's mood lifted a bit more. Knowing the woman you love is in love with you is all well and good but her inability to hide that fact from her actions meant so much more to him.

When Sam came back around the corner from cutting in the hallway to the washrooms, she looked at him oddly. "What's got you in such a good mood?"

Jack just shrugged though. He wasn't about to tell her. "I like painting. Makes me feel like Bob Ross." He told her flippantly.

Sam giggled and rolled her eyes. "You could just buy some canvas like a normal guy." She suggested, still laughing.

"Since when am I normal?" He reminded her with a grin.

"Good point." She agreed and 'accidently' knocked over the furniture dolly. "Oops." She said with a grin and set it upright, deftly pocketing the bugs that bounced out of the open brace bar when she did it.

Without a word, she moved to the door for the hallway. "Hey, could you give me that key card? I need to tape off that hallway." she told him. In reality, she needed to know where the cameras were.

Her computer was currently recording the empty room off their feeds. They had a solid forty five right now and there had been zero movement at all so the loop should be fairly smooth. She cut off the feed just before she went into the hallway. She needed the camera facing the hallway to match the whole time so it would look like neither had left the main room until she started cutting in on the door frames and corners. They were less then likely to examine the feed but if they did It would just show her entering the hall then coming out after in her estimation. The camera wasn't angled to view all the way down the hallway which was to their advantage. She and Jack could pass by the inside door if they needed to without anyone noticing. But the camera would pick up the corner of the door when it opened, so she needed to finish before they painted. Not after.

Sam silently signaled Jack to turn off the music and turn on the feed. Once he nodded he was ready, Sam slid the key card through its slot, waited the moment for a green light, and swung open the door and then headed into the lab. She had no interest in actually finding their tech or specs. She knew it was here. What she needed was a recording of them talking about their project. They needed to know what they intended to do with the stolen tech.

The bugs she had were passive. They didn't broadcast unless she asked them to. It would make them harder for their suspects to detect if they were bothering to sweep the room. Placing them in places close to other tech would make them even harder to detect but other equipment might make noise that would drown out the conversation they were recording. Sam's other option was out of the way corners behind things but she had to be careful not to leave evidence she had been there so she paid close attention to any dust and chrome, and was meticulous about making sure she didn't disturb any.

All told it took her about ten minutes to place the small recording devices in places she was confident they wouldn't be discovered until it was too late. She backed out of the lab silently in her sneakers and closed the door. She went back to taping around the door and signaled Jack to stop the recording loop. When he gave her the 'all clear' she swiped the card and acted like she'd been talking to Jack about their wedding plans the whole time.

"So I looked at that hall your aunt suggested. It was all right but, honestly, Jack, I thought it was a little pricy." Sam said over her shoulder.

"The radio cut out again." Jack grumbled.

"Sorry. Try playlist three. Sometimes that other music program goes crazy on that laptop."

"We should have just brought my boom box."

"I couldn't find it. Besides, this way I can do my classwork while I wait for you to finish." She said reasonably. "What did you think of that place near Uncle George's house?"

"You really want to go all the way back home to get hitched, Sam?" he asked her in apparent surprise. "Why don't we just go to the courthouse, get it over with, then have a reception when we can afford it better?" Jack argued.

Sam sighed as she taped off the carpet in the access hallway. "Jack, I know we can't have a big church wedding because you're divorced but I still want it to be… I don't know. Special." Sam almost whined.

Jack sighed. "I'll just have to figure out how to pay for it." He said as though he felt a bit put upon. In reality, he and Sam could probably afford the wedding of their dreams if they wanted it. And something told him Sam's dreams were fairly simple.

"I bet if you talked to dad, he'd help you pay for it."

"I am definitely not asking your dad for money for our wedding. He barely tolerates me as it is."

Sam had to bite back a chuckle. That was a damned lie. Her dad adored Jack and if Sam went to him tomorrow and said dad, Jack is retiring so we can get married he'd probably jump for joy and hire the band himself. She wasn't about to tell Jack that though. Dad liked giving him a hard time a little too much to ruin his fun. "Okay, okay. We won't ask dad. But we had better think of something and pretty quick."

"Why? You aren't pregnant are you?"

"What?! No! Jack!"

Laughter floated back to her as his only response and she fumed. She'd walked into that. Once she had the hallway taped off, she started cutting in with the paint. The door was still open on their side and not knowing if there was audio feed on the camera on the other side of the door she continued her conversation with Jack. If for no other reason that if they saw her, her mouth would be moving and if they could read lips all they would get would be the vapid ramblings of a moony secretary.

She proceeded to ask him about wedding colors, flower preferences, anything she could think of while she painted the corners of the hallway. When she got done she took the wood wedge out of the door and let it swing closed. Jack could open it again to paint.

Jack rolled his eyes at her and made a silly face for her endless wedding prattle. Sam stuck her tongue out at him then chuckled and shrugged.

They got back to work and Sam actually did do some course work for a local community college she'd applied at as her cover. She'd hacked an admissions test score and was taking some easy classes in engineering. Jack had just rolled his eyes at the basic metallurgy class she was currently writing a composite test report for. Her professor said she had a real knack. Sam had beamed at the sweet older man and gushed her thanks.

Once finished, they packed up their things and headed out for the night, grabbing burgers from the only all night burger joint in town and went home. Lisa was long in bed. Jack paid the babysitter while Sam put their equipment back int the garage. Goose greeted her outside.

"Have you been out all day? Poor baby. I bet you're hungry."

"Merow." Goose agreed and rubbed on her legs hopefully.

"Well, come inside and I'll fill your bowl." She told him. Goose followed her willingly. The back of the tag had 'SHD' punched on it but nothing else. Sam assumed it was his owner's initials and hoped the signs up in the area would lead his owner here. Otherwise she and Jack were taking a cat back to Colorado at the end of this mission. Sam just hoped he'd not just been dumped by the previous owner of their current house.

She came inside the house the babysitter was driving off. "How was Lisa tonight?"

"Sitter said she was good as gold but I expect that of her." Jack admitted. "Her aunt is fairly well behaved."

"Ha ha." Sam told him sarcastically and went into the cupboard to get the cat some food.

"Hey Goose. What's up, buddy?" Jack asked the cat.

Goose meowed at Jack at length for all the world like he was reporting back to him about the day's events.

Jack scratched the cat's head affectionately. "I'm beat." He admitted.

"I am too. I'll meet you in bed as soon as Goose eats."

"Okay. Don't take too long." Jack said sleepily and walked out of the kitchen. Before retiring to the bedroom, he checked all the doors, deciding that Goose would be staying indoors with them for the night as that was his current habit.

Moments later, Sam came into the bedroom by herself, stripped and put on a short sleeveless nightgown then slid into bed. Once she settled, Jack rolled over and wrapped his arm around her and started nuzzling her neck. "I thought you said you were beat."

"I lied." He admitted and claimed her mouth.

His lovemaking was tender, gentle that night which Sam might have attributed to trying to be quiet so they didn't wake Lisa but Jack would later admit to himself had more to do with a night's discussion about wedding plans they couldn't commit to even though Jack would guarantee if it ever came up again… that they had just actually planned their wedding should they have one.