There really was a cake. Daniel had decided that Jack had been serious, and
he and Teal'c showed up on O'Neill's doorstep at 1:45 carrying a large two-
layer chocolate cake. Teal'c was also holding a paper grocery bag filled
with steaks.
"Can we bar-b-que, Jack?" Daniel asked as he walked in. He handed the cake to O'neill, and headed for the kitchen. "Is it too late to make that decision?" He stepped up to Sam, who was in the kitchen with Hammond slicing tomatoes for a salad and wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"Hi, Sam. How are you feeling?"
Carter leaned back against him, but since she was holding a knife, she didn't try to turn and hug him.
"I'm feeling better, Daniel, thank you."
"You look wonderful."
She couldn't see his face, but she knew from the very affection in his voice that he was absolutely serious, and Sam felt tears threatening. These she managed to quell, though. A little victory of her own, she supposed.
"Thank you."
"So? Can we bar-b-que?"
"If you want to do all the work."
"Major Carter," Teal'c had come into the kitchen as well, and Sam turned as Hammond took the grocery bag from the Jaffa. The big man's face was impassive, as it normally was, but his eyes were alight with what could only be called love, and Sam smiled as he carefully dodged the knife in her hand and wrapped his arms around her and held her close for a moment.
"It is good to see you up and about."
She leaned against him, allowing his own formidable strength to flood her own depleted reserves, and sniffed despite her best intentions.
"Thank you, Teal'c."
Jack came in with the cake, and set it on the counter, then made a show of stepping between Sam and Teal'c, looking up at his big friend with a purely mock-jealous look.
"Hey big guy, she's already taken."
It made Sam laugh, as Jack had known it would, and when she pulled away from Teal'c's shielding body Carter wasn't so close to crying as she had been.
"Daniel wants to bar-b-que. That okay with you guys?" She was asking Jack and Hammond both.
"I'm just here for the free meal," Hammond told her as he added the lettuce to the salad bowl. "I don't care how it's cooked."
"Bar-b-que is fine," Jack said. "I'll go set it up."
"I'll help," Daniel told him, hugging Sam again as he passed her.
"As will I."
"I think I'll have a piece of cake," Hammond said.
"You stay away from that cake." Jack told him. "Sam? Protect my cake, okay?"
"He's a General, Jack. What am I supposed to do?" Carter was truly smiling now, and Hammond was glad to see it.
"Think of something. You're a genius, for God's sake." He touched her cheek briefly, and then led Daniel and Teal'c out to the garage where he kept all the bar-b-que stuff.
"He really loves you," Hammond noted as soon as they were gone. There had been no missing the genuine caring and love.
"Yes, Sir, I know." She blushed slightly, but Hammond thought that only made her look more beautiful. "I love him, too."
"I only mention that because I want you to understand that I know how much the two of you mean to each other. And because I wanted to let you know how much the two of you mean to me." Hammond shrugged, "Although I have to admit I wasn't happy when Jack first told me about the secret re-"
"I'm sorry, Sir. We never-"
"Major. It's all right. I'm not going to hold it against either of you. I wanted you to know that. I also wanted you to know that when you're feeling up to coming back to work, your place is going to be there waiting for you. With Jack still on the same team."
"Thank you, Sir."
"I consider the topic closed, Sam. Okay?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Good." Hammond reached for the cake. "Now to exercise a little Rank Hath Its Privilege..."
The cake was saved by the ringing of the doorbell, and Hammond flinched, as all people do when they know they're doing something they're not supposed to be doing.
"Damn."
Carter laughed, "Will you get that, Sir?"
"Of course."
He turned and went to the hall, and Sam took the opportunity to hide the cake in the microwave.
"General Hammond!"
"Hi, Cassie, how are you?"
"Good, is Sam around?"
"She's in the kitchen." The girl ran by him, and he and Fraiser heard her greeting Sam, although they couldn't exactly hear what was being said.
Hammond smiled and moved so the doctor could get in.
"Did you think of-"
"Yes, it's taken care of."
"Good."
"We're bar-b-queing, Janet," Sam said, as the two of them walked down the hall and into the kitchen. Cassie was pressed tightly against Sam's side, and Carter had one arms wrapped around the girl, holding her close.
"Sounds good to me. I brought potato salad and deviled eggs."
"I made the eggs," Cassie bragged.
"Sounds great. Jack, Daniel and Teal'c are outside. Do you guys want anything to drink?"
"Iced tea."
"I'll have a beer."
"Hey! What happened to the cake?"
"Can we bar-b-que, Jack?" Daniel asked as he walked in. He handed the cake to O'neill, and headed for the kitchen. "Is it too late to make that decision?" He stepped up to Sam, who was in the kitchen with Hammond slicing tomatoes for a salad and wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"Hi, Sam. How are you feeling?"
Carter leaned back against him, but since she was holding a knife, she didn't try to turn and hug him.
"I'm feeling better, Daniel, thank you."
"You look wonderful."
She couldn't see his face, but she knew from the very affection in his voice that he was absolutely serious, and Sam felt tears threatening. These she managed to quell, though. A little victory of her own, she supposed.
"Thank you."
"So? Can we bar-b-que?"
"If you want to do all the work."
"Major Carter," Teal'c had come into the kitchen as well, and Sam turned as Hammond took the grocery bag from the Jaffa. The big man's face was impassive, as it normally was, but his eyes were alight with what could only be called love, and Sam smiled as he carefully dodged the knife in her hand and wrapped his arms around her and held her close for a moment.
"It is good to see you up and about."
She leaned against him, allowing his own formidable strength to flood her own depleted reserves, and sniffed despite her best intentions.
"Thank you, Teal'c."
Jack came in with the cake, and set it on the counter, then made a show of stepping between Sam and Teal'c, looking up at his big friend with a purely mock-jealous look.
"Hey big guy, she's already taken."
It made Sam laugh, as Jack had known it would, and when she pulled away from Teal'c's shielding body Carter wasn't so close to crying as she had been.
"Daniel wants to bar-b-que. That okay with you guys?" She was asking Jack and Hammond both.
"I'm just here for the free meal," Hammond told her as he added the lettuce to the salad bowl. "I don't care how it's cooked."
"Bar-b-que is fine," Jack said. "I'll go set it up."
"I'll help," Daniel told him, hugging Sam again as he passed her.
"As will I."
"I think I'll have a piece of cake," Hammond said.
"You stay away from that cake." Jack told him. "Sam? Protect my cake, okay?"
"He's a General, Jack. What am I supposed to do?" Carter was truly smiling now, and Hammond was glad to see it.
"Think of something. You're a genius, for God's sake." He touched her cheek briefly, and then led Daniel and Teal'c out to the garage where he kept all the bar-b-que stuff.
"He really loves you," Hammond noted as soon as they were gone. There had been no missing the genuine caring and love.
"Yes, Sir, I know." She blushed slightly, but Hammond thought that only made her look more beautiful. "I love him, too."
"I only mention that because I want you to understand that I know how much the two of you mean to each other. And because I wanted to let you know how much the two of you mean to me." Hammond shrugged, "Although I have to admit I wasn't happy when Jack first told me about the secret re-"
"I'm sorry, Sir. We never-"
"Major. It's all right. I'm not going to hold it against either of you. I wanted you to know that. I also wanted you to know that when you're feeling up to coming back to work, your place is going to be there waiting for you. With Jack still on the same team."
"Thank you, Sir."
"I consider the topic closed, Sam. Okay?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Good." Hammond reached for the cake. "Now to exercise a little Rank Hath Its Privilege..."
The cake was saved by the ringing of the doorbell, and Hammond flinched, as all people do when they know they're doing something they're not supposed to be doing.
"Damn."
Carter laughed, "Will you get that, Sir?"
"Of course."
He turned and went to the hall, and Sam took the opportunity to hide the cake in the microwave.
"General Hammond!"
"Hi, Cassie, how are you?"
"Good, is Sam around?"
"She's in the kitchen." The girl ran by him, and he and Fraiser heard her greeting Sam, although they couldn't exactly hear what was being said.
Hammond smiled and moved so the doctor could get in.
"Did you think of-"
"Yes, it's taken care of."
"Good."
"We're bar-b-queing, Janet," Sam said, as the two of them walked down the hall and into the kitchen. Cassie was pressed tightly against Sam's side, and Carter had one arms wrapped around the girl, holding her close.
"Sounds good to me. I brought potato salad and deviled eggs."
"I made the eggs," Cassie bragged.
"Sounds great. Jack, Daniel and Teal'c are outside. Do you guys want anything to drink?"
"Iced tea."
"I'll have a beer."
"Hey! What happened to the cake?"