Jack loved the fine art of crock-pots. Crock-pots – as far as he was
concerned – were the greatest things ever made. You put a piece of meat and
some vegetables into it with a little water, waited a few hours, and
presto! Dinner. The best thing about it; they were cheap, so if you didn't
really feel like cleaning the dumb thing when you were done eating out of
it, you could pretty much just throw it away and go buy another one. Jack
knew this, because he'd done it. More than once.
Since he didn't have a clue how long Sam would sleep, and he didn't know how long it would be before Daniel came over, Jack decided to do a little crock-pot cooking. He reached under the counter and pulled out his newest one – he'd lost count of which number this one was – and rinsed it out. Then he went to the freezer and pulled out a fair sized roast and plopped it into the crock-pot with a little water, and a few spices, and put the lid on. Viola! Dinner was cooking.
Impressed with himself, Jack pulled a beer from the fridge and went into the living room and sprawled in Sam's chair. It was only fair, after all. She was sprawled in his bed. He picked up the remote control and turned on the TV, but the phone rang almost immediately. It was Daniel.
"Hey, Jack."
"Daniel. Where are you?"
"In my office, still."
"Still?"
"I fell asleep at my desk." Even over the phone he sounded sheepish, and Jack grinned, although he didn't laugh.
"With your cheek pressed against your keyboard?"
"No... not this time." He'd learned that lesson.
"You coming over?"
"No, I'm going home. I'm beat. I just didn't want you waiting for me, wondering where I was."
"Okay, if you're sure? I have plenty of food."
"But you don't have enough beds, and that's really all I'm interested in right now."
Jack didn't mention that he'd have enough beds if he doubled up with Sam in his own, but he thought it, and that caused him to actually look down the hall towards his bedroom.
"All right, Daniel. I'll give you a rain check. You okay to drive home?"
"Yeah."
Leave it to Jack to mother hen him, even when he wasn't right there next to him. Daniel understood though that Jack felt his responsibility to his team didn't end just when they came back through the gate, or when they left the SGC.
"Okay. I'll see you later. Get some sleep."
He hung up the phone, walked into the bathroom and retrieved all the dirty clothes that were strewn around, took a moment to check on Sam and make sure she was still asleep – which she was – and then went back into the living room and plopped down in front of the TV. It wasn't exactly how he'd planned to spend his evening, but he didn't mind.
~*~
O'Neill fell asleep in the chair. He hadn't actually planned to. He did have a guest room, after all, that he could have slept in. But he was tired from the long week, too, and watching TV without a care in the world was as relaxing as things ever got for him, so it didn't take much.
"Sir?"
He opened his eyes and in the flickering light of the television saw Sam was kneeling next to the chair he was in. She was wrapped in the blanket that he'd covered her up with, and still looked sleepy. He could understand that. He still felt sleepy, too.
"Hmmm?"
"Where are my clothes?"
"What?"
"My clothes?" She tried speaking slowly, so he would understand her. Sam hated trying to talk to Jack right after he woke up. "Where are my clothes?"
He turned and looked over his shoulder at the clock. It was late, and the room was dark, since he hadn't bothered to turn any lights on before settling in front of the TV. Who ever turned lights ON to watch TV?
"Washing machine?"
"What?"
"Huh?"
Sam sighed, and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to find some patience. He did, after all, just wake up. And only because she'd woken him.
"My clothes are in the washer?"
"Eh..." Jack stared at her for a second, then nodded as he remembered that yes that was what he'd done with them. "Yeah. Washer."
"I need clothes, Sir."
"Why?"
"To wear."
"I have some."
She waited, and he stared at her a moment longer. Then realized she wanted them now. Sam sighed.
"Where's Daniel?"
"He fell asleep in his office."
Jack stood up, and headed down the hall.
"How was the nap?"
"It was nice, Sir. Thank you."
"How do you feel? Relaxed?"
Well, she had. Right up until she'd woken up in his bed, butt-naked and wondering where she was and how she'd managed to fall asleep in such a compromising position.
"I feel good, Sir. Thanks."
"Good."
Jack opened up his dresser drawers and pulled out a well-worn pair of sweats and handed them to her. Then found a t-shirt for her.
"You get dressed, I'll put your clothes in the dryer."
"Thank you."
She watched as he left the room, and then dropped the blanket and put on his clothes. Yeah, they were too big for her, but they were comfortable, and clean. And warm.
"Are you hungry, Sam?" Jack asked her, calling into the bedroom from the kitchen. The crock-pot had done its job and the roast was nicely cooked, and smelled wonderful. Carter walked down the hall and joined him in the kitchen, leaning against the counter as he peered at the roast and wondered why he hadn't put any potatoes in it or something.
"You're not sending me home?"
He looked over at her, his brown eyes soft. "Why would I do that? I promised you dinner, didn't I?"
"Aren't you tired?"
"Yup. But I'm hungry, too, now that I'm awake. You're not?"
"I should go. Then you can get some sleep."
"You can stay. And I can still get some sleep." Jack smiled at her, and turned on the charm once more. "Come on, Sam. Stay. It's not like I don't have the extra room. And I DID just make a huge roast, and there's no way I'll be able to eat it all by myself." He shrugged. "Besides. You can't leave dressed like that, so you'll have to wait until your clothes are dried at the very least, and while you're waiting, you might as well eat something."
Carter shook her head, but she couldn't really refuse. Besides, she really didn't want to. Not only because of how she was dressed, but because she wanted his company.
"Fine. I'll stay. But only because you went to so much effort to make dinner."
Since he didn't have a clue how long Sam would sleep, and he didn't know how long it would be before Daniel came over, Jack decided to do a little crock-pot cooking. He reached under the counter and pulled out his newest one – he'd lost count of which number this one was – and rinsed it out. Then he went to the freezer and pulled out a fair sized roast and plopped it into the crock-pot with a little water, and a few spices, and put the lid on. Viola! Dinner was cooking.
Impressed with himself, Jack pulled a beer from the fridge and went into the living room and sprawled in Sam's chair. It was only fair, after all. She was sprawled in his bed. He picked up the remote control and turned on the TV, but the phone rang almost immediately. It was Daniel.
"Hey, Jack."
"Daniel. Where are you?"
"In my office, still."
"Still?"
"I fell asleep at my desk." Even over the phone he sounded sheepish, and Jack grinned, although he didn't laugh.
"With your cheek pressed against your keyboard?"
"No... not this time." He'd learned that lesson.
"You coming over?"
"No, I'm going home. I'm beat. I just didn't want you waiting for me, wondering where I was."
"Okay, if you're sure? I have plenty of food."
"But you don't have enough beds, and that's really all I'm interested in right now."
Jack didn't mention that he'd have enough beds if he doubled up with Sam in his own, but he thought it, and that caused him to actually look down the hall towards his bedroom.
"All right, Daniel. I'll give you a rain check. You okay to drive home?"
"Yeah."
Leave it to Jack to mother hen him, even when he wasn't right there next to him. Daniel understood though that Jack felt his responsibility to his team didn't end just when they came back through the gate, or when they left the SGC.
"Okay. I'll see you later. Get some sleep."
He hung up the phone, walked into the bathroom and retrieved all the dirty clothes that were strewn around, took a moment to check on Sam and make sure she was still asleep – which she was – and then went back into the living room and plopped down in front of the TV. It wasn't exactly how he'd planned to spend his evening, but he didn't mind.
~*~
O'Neill fell asleep in the chair. He hadn't actually planned to. He did have a guest room, after all, that he could have slept in. But he was tired from the long week, too, and watching TV without a care in the world was as relaxing as things ever got for him, so it didn't take much.
"Sir?"
He opened his eyes and in the flickering light of the television saw Sam was kneeling next to the chair he was in. She was wrapped in the blanket that he'd covered her up with, and still looked sleepy. He could understand that. He still felt sleepy, too.
"Hmmm?"
"Where are my clothes?"
"What?"
"My clothes?" She tried speaking slowly, so he would understand her. Sam hated trying to talk to Jack right after he woke up. "Where are my clothes?"
He turned and looked over his shoulder at the clock. It was late, and the room was dark, since he hadn't bothered to turn any lights on before settling in front of the TV. Who ever turned lights ON to watch TV?
"Washing machine?"
"What?"
"Huh?"
Sam sighed, and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to find some patience. He did, after all, just wake up. And only because she'd woken him.
"My clothes are in the washer?"
"Eh..." Jack stared at her for a second, then nodded as he remembered that yes that was what he'd done with them. "Yeah. Washer."
"I need clothes, Sir."
"Why?"
"To wear."
"I have some."
She waited, and he stared at her a moment longer. Then realized she wanted them now. Sam sighed.
"Where's Daniel?"
"He fell asleep in his office."
Jack stood up, and headed down the hall.
"How was the nap?"
"It was nice, Sir. Thank you."
"How do you feel? Relaxed?"
Well, she had. Right up until she'd woken up in his bed, butt-naked and wondering where she was and how she'd managed to fall asleep in such a compromising position.
"I feel good, Sir. Thanks."
"Good."
Jack opened up his dresser drawers and pulled out a well-worn pair of sweats and handed them to her. Then found a t-shirt for her.
"You get dressed, I'll put your clothes in the dryer."
"Thank you."
She watched as he left the room, and then dropped the blanket and put on his clothes. Yeah, they were too big for her, but they were comfortable, and clean. And warm.
"Are you hungry, Sam?" Jack asked her, calling into the bedroom from the kitchen. The crock-pot had done its job and the roast was nicely cooked, and smelled wonderful. Carter walked down the hall and joined him in the kitchen, leaning against the counter as he peered at the roast and wondered why he hadn't put any potatoes in it or something.
"You're not sending me home?"
He looked over at her, his brown eyes soft. "Why would I do that? I promised you dinner, didn't I?"
"Aren't you tired?"
"Yup. But I'm hungry, too, now that I'm awake. You're not?"
"I should go. Then you can get some sleep."
"You can stay. And I can still get some sleep." Jack smiled at her, and turned on the charm once more. "Come on, Sam. Stay. It's not like I don't have the extra room. And I DID just make a huge roast, and there's no way I'll be able to eat it all by myself." He shrugged. "Besides. You can't leave dressed like that, so you'll have to wait until your clothes are dried at the very least, and while you're waiting, you might as well eat something."
Carter shook her head, but she couldn't really refuse. Besides, she really didn't want to. Not only because of how she was dressed, but because she wanted his company.
"Fine. I'll stay. But only because you went to so much effort to make dinner."