Author's Note: In my bio, I put a link to a picture of my dogs, in case
anyone wants to see them
~*~
Carter opened the door and picked the puppy up, amazed at how much he'd grown in only the short time Jack had had him.
"Is he okay?" O'Neill asked, looking over his shoulder as he headed for the phone.
"Looks like it. He's not bleeding, anyways, and he's not making any noises like he's hurt." Of course, she wasn't a vet, so what did she know?"
"Don't let him lick your face until he's had something to clean the bird flavor out of his mouth," Jack warned her.
"How are you planning on doing that?" Carter asked him, holing the puppy away from her face, since Jaffer seemed determined to lick her face just because Jack had warned her against it.
O'Neill gestured towards the bottom drawer on the right side of the stove. "Open that and give him a treat. That'll do it."
Sam set Jaffer down and walked across the room to the drawer he'd indicated. Opening it up, she couldn't help the way her eyes widened. She'd expected a bag of treats, maybe two. She didn't expect the entire drawer to be filled. There was a dizzying array of treats for puppies – and Jack's puppy in particular. Liver chews, beef chews, chicken chews, rawhide strips, rawhide bones, rawhide chews in various shapes such as shoes, bow ties, bones, birds, Frisbees, and even sharks. There were little baggies of breath treats, teeth cleaning treats, just for fun treats, begging treats, bacon treats, fun-shaped treats. It was absolutely amazing. The puppy had far more food in his drawer than Jack had in his fridge. And these were just the snacks!
Jaffer romped over to join Sam at the drawer. He knew what was in there!
"Um... what do I give him?"
"Try a breath or teeth one. That should make him kissable."
"Uh huh." She opened one of the bags and handed Jaffer a treat, which he snatched from her hand without so much as a thank you.
"Hey! Watch my fingers, mister!" Sam scolded, tapping Jaffer's nose. The big brown eyes grinned cheerfully up at her, not in the least bit apologetic, and Carter smiled. He was too charming to resist. Sam dug a couple more treats out of the bag, closed it tightly, then closed the drawer and walked over and sat down on the sofa close to where Jack was standing with the phone, looking up the pizza place's number. Jaffer munched his treat quickly, and followed Sam. He'd seen that she had more than one treat. He wasn't dumb!
"What do you want on your pizza, Sam?" Jack asked her, leaning down and taking one of the treats from her before stealing a quick kiss.
"Everything?"
"But no fish."
"Fair enough."
Jack smiled and popped the puppy treat into his mouth, and grinned at the face Carter made.
"That's not going to make you kissable."
"I'm already kissable."
Jaffer made a soft yip, to remind Sam that he was down on the floor and he wanted another treat, and Carter picked him up and set him on the couch next to her before handing him another one.
"Gently," She reminded him, with a mock stern look on her face as she held the treat in front of his nose. To her surprise, he delicately took this one out of her hand, his little teeth coming close to her fingers, but so carefully that Sam wasn't even worried about getting nipped. Once it was clear of her hand, though, he gobbled it quickly, and Carter grinned, looking up at Jack, who'd been watching the exchange with contentment. He was glad that she and Jaffer got along so well.
"Did you see that?" Sam asked, gesturing to the puppy.
"Of course." He smiled. "He's not dumb, Sam, and he knows what gently means. I make him behave himself when my fingers are involved, too." Jack started to say something else, but someone obviously came on the other end of the line, because he turned and started giving his pizza order.
"You want anything to drink, Sam?" He asked a few minutes later as he hung up the phone. "I think I have some sun tea. Or there's coffee. Or we could go get some sodas before the pizza guy comes. Or a beer?"
She gestured to his wet jeans. "You don't want to go out like that."
"Nah. I can change, though."
"Tea's fine."
Jack nodded, and went into the kitchen. Sam looked down at Jaffer, who was watching her hand expectantly.
"Can you speak?" Sam asked, holding one of the treats up a little so he could see it. Jaffer wagged his tail, uncertainly.
"Say 'woof'." Sam told him, smiling.
Jaffer wagged his tail harder. He didn't understand the game, but he knew that was for him!
"Woof!" Sam told him again, demonstrating.
Jaffer sat down, and Sam laughed.
"Wrong trick." She told him. "But close enough." She handed the treat over, and Jaffer took it happily.
O'Neill came over, and held her glass out to her, but when Carter reached for it, he pulled it back slightly.
"What trick will you do for this?" He asked her, the positively naughty gleam in his dark eyes making her grin. She took it from him and he leaned over for another kiss. Which Jaffer moved in to give him, wriggling up onto Carter's lap and reaching his nose up high to give him before Jack could move. The wet tongue left a trail of beefy flavored dead bird slobber across O'Neill's jaw, and he grinned. Dead bird wasn't so bad, after all. Not when it was given with such willing affection.
"He's pretty quick," Sam noted as Jack came around the couch and sat down next to her. Jaffer moved from Carter's lap to Jack's, not minding the coffee dampness one bit. Which was only fair, since it was his fault it was there in the first place.
"That he is." Jack agreed. "I'm going to go take a quick shower and change. Do you mind keeping him occupied?"
"How many treats can he have before he gets sick?"
"As many as you want to give him."
"You're spoiling him."
"No, I'm not. He's a growing baby. He needs all the nutrition he can get."
"Uh huh." She didn't buy that one bit.
Jack grinned, and stood up, then handed Sam his wallet. "Dinner's on me, so if the pizza guy comes before I get back, pay him, okay?"
"Yes, Sir." She snapped him a perfect salute, and he grinned again. God, he loved her.
"I'll be right back."
~*~
Carter opened the door and picked the puppy up, amazed at how much he'd grown in only the short time Jack had had him.
"Is he okay?" O'Neill asked, looking over his shoulder as he headed for the phone.
"Looks like it. He's not bleeding, anyways, and he's not making any noises like he's hurt." Of course, she wasn't a vet, so what did she know?"
"Don't let him lick your face until he's had something to clean the bird flavor out of his mouth," Jack warned her.
"How are you planning on doing that?" Carter asked him, holing the puppy away from her face, since Jaffer seemed determined to lick her face just because Jack had warned her against it.
O'Neill gestured towards the bottom drawer on the right side of the stove. "Open that and give him a treat. That'll do it."
Sam set Jaffer down and walked across the room to the drawer he'd indicated. Opening it up, she couldn't help the way her eyes widened. She'd expected a bag of treats, maybe two. She didn't expect the entire drawer to be filled. There was a dizzying array of treats for puppies – and Jack's puppy in particular. Liver chews, beef chews, chicken chews, rawhide strips, rawhide bones, rawhide chews in various shapes such as shoes, bow ties, bones, birds, Frisbees, and even sharks. There were little baggies of breath treats, teeth cleaning treats, just for fun treats, begging treats, bacon treats, fun-shaped treats. It was absolutely amazing. The puppy had far more food in his drawer than Jack had in his fridge. And these were just the snacks!
Jaffer romped over to join Sam at the drawer. He knew what was in there!
"Um... what do I give him?"
"Try a breath or teeth one. That should make him kissable."
"Uh huh." She opened one of the bags and handed Jaffer a treat, which he snatched from her hand without so much as a thank you.
"Hey! Watch my fingers, mister!" Sam scolded, tapping Jaffer's nose. The big brown eyes grinned cheerfully up at her, not in the least bit apologetic, and Carter smiled. He was too charming to resist. Sam dug a couple more treats out of the bag, closed it tightly, then closed the drawer and walked over and sat down on the sofa close to where Jack was standing with the phone, looking up the pizza place's number. Jaffer munched his treat quickly, and followed Sam. He'd seen that she had more than one treat. He wasn't dumb!
"What do you want on your pizza, Sam?" Jack asked her, leaning down and taking one of the treats from her before stealing a quick kiss.
"Everything?"
"But no fish."
"Fair enough."
Jack smiled and popped the puppy treat into his mouth, and grinned at the face Carter made.
"That's not going to make you kissable."
"I'm already kissable."
Jaffer made a soft yip, to remind Sam that he was down on the floor and he wanted another treat, and Carter picked him up and set him on the couch next to her before handing him another one.
"Gently," She reminded him, with a mock stern look on her face as she held the treat in front of his nose. To her surprise, he delicately took this one out of her hand, his little teeth coming close to her fingers, but so carefully that Sam wasn't even worried about getting nipped. Once it was clear of her hand, though, he gobbled it quickly, and Carter grinned, looking up at Jack, who'd been watching the exchange with contentment. He was glad that she and Jaffer got along so well.
"Did you see that?" Sam asked, gesturing to the puppy.
"Of course." He smiled. "He's not dumb, Sam, and he knows what gently means. I make him behave himself when my fingers are involved, too." Jack started to say something else, but someone obviously came on the other end of the line, because he turned and started giving his pizza order.
"You want anything to drink, Sam?" He asked a few minutes later as he hung up the phone. "I think I have some sun tea. Or there's coffee. Or we could go get some sodas before the pizza guy comes. Or a beer?"
She gestured to his wet jeans. "You don't want to go out like that."
"Nah. I can change, though."
"Tea's fine."
Jack nodded, and went into the kitchen. Sam looked down at Jaffer, who was watching her hand expectantly.
"Can you speak?" Sam asked, holding one of the treats up a little so he could see it. Jaffer wagged his tail, uncertainly.
"Say 'woof'." Sam told him, smiling.
Jaffer wagged his tail harder. He didn't understand the game, but he knew that was for him!
"Woof!" Sam told him again, demonstrating.
Jaffer sat down, and Sam laughed.
"Wrong trick." She told him. "But close enough." She handed the treat over, and Jaffer took it happily.
O'Neill came over, and held her glass out to her, but when Carter reached for it, he pulled it back slightly.
"What trick will you do for this?" He asked her, the positively naughty gleam in his dark eyes making her grin. She took it from him and he leaned over for another kiss. Which Jaffer moved in to give him, wriggling up onto Carter's lap and reaching his nose up high to give him before Jack could move. The wet tongue left a trail of beefy flavored dead bird slobber across O'Neill's jaw, and he grinned. Dead bird wasn't so bad, after all. Not when it was given with such willing affection.
"He's pretty quick," Sam noted as Jack came around the couch and sat down next to her. Jaffer moved from Carter's lap to Jack's, not minding the coffee dampness one bit. Which was only fair, since it was his fault it was there in the first place.
"That he is." Jack agreed. "I'm going to go take a quick shower and change. Do you mind keeping him occupied?"
"How many treats can he have before he gets sick?"
"As many as you want to give him."
"You're spoiling him."
"No, I'm not. He's a growing baby. He needs all the nutrition he can get."
"Uh huh." She didn't buy that one bit.
Jack grinned, and stood up, then handed Sam his wallet. "Dinner's on me, so if the pizza guy comes before I get back, pay him, okay?"
"Yes, Sir." She snapped him a perfect salute, and he grinned again. God, he loved her.
"I'll be right back."