They stopped at a KFC and picked up chicken and side orders – macaroni and
cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, biscuits, corn – the works. They also
ordered a few extra sides of biscuits, which Daniel and Jack ate on the way
over, stuffing themselves full to counter whatever drinking they might end
up doing. Then they headed for Fraiser's. The entire group scowled as they
passed the Shamrock, which just happened to be on the way, and they all
silently vowed they weren't going to tell anyone else what had happened.
Janet wasn't home, yet, but Cassandra answered the door when Jack knocked, and she was more than enough to keep them all occupied while they waited for Fraiser to come home. They put the food where it could stay hot – or cold – and then sat in the living room and chatted while Jack got on the floor and rolled around, wrestling with Cassie's dog. Only a half hour or so later, the front door opened, heralding the arrival of the doctor. Who was carrying a couple paper bags.
"Sorry I'm late," She said, smiling and handing a bag to Daniel, who looked in and saw that there were a couple of six-packs of Jack's brand of beer. The man was right. As usual when it came to tactics.
"No problem," Jack said, looking up at her from where he was lying on the living room floor, holding Cassie's dog at arm's length so he couldn't lick his face –although he was definitely trying to!
Cassandra went over and hugged her mother, smiling up at her.
"How was work?"
"It was fine, honey." Janet ran her fingers through her daughter's hair, truly glad to be back home. They'd had their real homecoming the night before, of course, but it was still nice to greet each other like this, and she knew eventually Cassie was going to be old enough that she didn't want to hug every time they saw each other. "How was school?"
Cassie rolled her eyes, making Janet and Sam both laugh.
"Chicken for dinner, Doc." Jack told her, finally disengaging himself from the wrestling match with the dog and standing up.
"Good. I'm starved. I brought beer. Help yourself."
"Don't mind if I do." He headed for the kitchen and joined Daniel, and everyone else went to the table, leaving Jack and Daniel to do the serving.
"Carter? Want a beer?"
"No thanks, Daniel. I'm going to stick with tea."
Fraiser looked slightly disappointed with this, but she hid it well. You'd only have noticed if you were looking for it, which Jack was.
"Teal'c?"
"I will have juice." Daniel handed him a bottle.
No reaction from Fraiser that time, although Jack saw her smile when Daniel opened himself a beer and handed one to O'Neill. Dream on, Doc.
They had a nice evening. It was nice to get together with Cassie and Janet and have nothing more serious to do than talk about the last five days – her last five days, not theirs. None of them, including Janet, brought up any mention of the brawls. They talked, instead, about the planet Janet had been on, the people there, the weather there, and the herb that had been the whole point of her going.
Jack was interested enough in the weather and the people, but he started to zone out noticeably when they started discussing the plant life, as did Teal'c and even Daniel. Over diner, Daniel had finished his beer, but had declined another when Fraiser offered. Jack, on the other hand, had had a couple. And was now nursing another. He wasn't feeling any affects from it – he was better at holding his alcohol than that, but he was acting a bit mellower than he was truly feeling. Nothing serious, just a little less stiff than normal, and dropping a 'Sam' every now and then when he was talking to Carter. Enough to make Janet think her plan might have been working.
Yeah, it was a little devious, but Jack wanted to know what she was going to do next, and it was the only way to make her advance her plan.
"Another beer, Colonel?" Fraiser asked, offhandedly as she started clearing the table. Jack held his up, showing her that the bottle was still partially full.
"Thanks, Doc. I probably better stop at three."
"Why?" Daniel asked. "You're not driving."
Jack scowled.
"Because I don't want you guys to have to pour me into the car later."
Sam laughed, and shook her head. "I think you can handle it a little better than that, Sir."
"Yeah, probably." Jack shrugged, as if he was making up his mind, then drained his beer and stood up and went into the kitchen to get another one. They couldn't have done that better if they'd planned it that way, he thought approvingly. Obviously, Sam and Daniel wanted to know what the next step of the plan was, as well, and were eager to get Jack 'drunk' for Fraiser.
"Do you have any homework?" Janet asked Cassandra.
"Nope."
Damn.
"Then why don't you go show Sam what I brought you back from my trip?"
Cassandra smiled, and stood up. Looking over at Carter she beckoned for the Major to follow her. "You HAVE to see this, Sam. It's sooo cool."
"What is it?" Daniel asked.
"A collection of shells mom found on the beach. They're really pretty."
"I'll come look, too." Daniel said. Cassandra preened, and the two adults stood up.
"I shall come as well," Teal'c said. He didn't care about shells. Not really. But it was more interesting than watching O'Neill drink, and watching Fraiser fidget.
The four of them walked down the hall to Cassandra's room, and Janet looked over at Jack. Who looked back at her as he took another drink of his beer.
"You know what I'm doing, don't you?" She asked.
"Oh, yeah."
Fraiser scowled.
O'Neill grinned.
"The beer's good, though. And the company was nice."
"Why won't you just tell me?"
"It's a long story, Doc."
"We have all night."
Jack pretended to look shocked. "Was that an invitation?"
"You know better."
He nodded.
"Come on, just tell me. If it's embarrassing, I won't laugh."
"Yes, you would."
"So it's embarrassing?"
"Not for me."
"For the others?"
"Maybe."
Well... crap. He'd never tell her if it meant breaking a promise to one of his team not to tell. She'd have to get him seriously liquored up. Far more seriously than she wanted to.
"How embarrassing? On a scale of one to ten?"
He shrugged, and took another drink of his beer.
"I'm not going to tell you, Doc."
"Damn it, Colonel. Just a hint?"
"Uh uh."
"Was it at a bar?"
He shrugged.
"Someone's house?"
He shrugged again.
"Jack... come on... throw me a bone."
It was a measure of just how much she wanted to know. He could count on one hand the number of times Janet had called him by his first name. Maybe he felt a little guilty. Maybe he felt a little sorry for her. Maybe he just wanted to get her to leave him alone? Maybe he'd had a drink too many, but Jack decided to give her a hint.
"A new place opened up, and we checked it out. Things went... badly."
"What?" She couldn't believe he'd said anything. "What new place? Where?"
He shook his head.
"That's all you're getting, Doc. And I mean it. Stop asking."
He took another drink of his beer, and leaned back. The conversation was over, she knew it this time.
Janet wasn't home, yet, but Cassandra answered the door when Jack knocked, and she was more than enough to keep them all occupied while they waited for Fraiser to come home. They put the food where it could stay hot – or cold – and then sat in the living room and chatted while Jack got on the floor and rolled around, wrestling with Cassie's dog. Only a half hour or so later, the front door opened, heralding the arrival of the doctor. Who was carrying a couple paper bags.
"Sorry I'm late," She said, smiling and handing a bag to Daniel, who looked in and saw that there were a couple of six-packs of Jack's brand of beer. The man was right. As usual when it came to tactics.
"No problem," Jack said, looking up at her from where he was lying on the living room floor, holding Cassie's dog at arm's length so he couldn't lick his face –although he was definitely trying to!
Cassandra went over and hugged her mother, smiling up at her.
"How was work?"
"It was fine, honey." Janet ran her fingers through her daughter's hair, truly glad to be back home. They'd had their real homecoming the night before, of course, but it was still nice to greet each other like this, and she knew eventually Cassie was going to be old enough that she didn't want to hug every time they saw each other. "How was school?"
Cassie rolled her eyes, making Janet and Sam both laugh.
"Chicken for dinner, Doc." Jack told her, finally disengaging himself from the wrestling match with the dog and standing up.
"Good. I'm starved. I brought beer. Help yourself."
"Don't mind if I do." He headed for the kitchen and joined Daniel, and everyone else went to the table, leaving Jack and Daniel to do the serving.
"Carter? Want a beer?"
"No thanks, Daniel. I'm going to stick with tea."
Fraiser looked slightly disappointed with this, but she hid it well. You'd only have noticed if you were looking for it, which Jack was.
"Teal'c?"
"I will have juice." Daniel handed him a bottle.
No reaction from Fraiser that time, although Jack saw her smile when Daniel opened himself a beer and handed one to O'Neill. Dream on, Doc.
They had a nice evening. It was nice to get together with Cassie and Janet and have nothing more serious to do than talk about the last five days – her last five days, not theirs. None of them, including Janet, brought up any mention of the brawls. They talked, instead, about the planet Janet had been on, the people there, the weather there, and the herb that had been the whole point of her going.
Jack was interested enough in the weather and the people, but he started to zone out noticeably when they started discussing the plant life, as did Teal'c and even Daniel. Over diner, Daniel had finished his beer, but had declined another when Fraiser offered. Jack, on the other hand, had had a couple. And was now nursing another. He wasn't feeling any affects from it – he was better at holding his alcohol than that, but he was acting a bit mellower than he was truly feeling. Nothing serious, just a little less stiff than normal, and dropping a 'Sam' every now and then when he was talking to Carter. Enough to make Janet think her plan might have been working.
Yeah, it was a little devious, but Jack wanted to know what she was going to do next, and it was the only way to make her advance her plan.
"Another beer, Colonel?" Fraiser asked, offhandedly as she started clearing the table. Jack held his up, showing her that the bottle was still partially full.
"Thanks, Doc. I probably better stop at three."
"Why?" Daniel asked. "You're not driving."
Jack scowled.
"Because I don't want you guys to have to pour me into the car later."
Sam laughed, and shook her head. "I think you can handle it a little better than that, Sir."
"Yeah, probably." Jack shrugged, as if he was making up his mind, then drained his beer and stood up and went into the kitchen to get another one. They couldn't have done that better if they'd planned it that way, he thought approvingly. Obviously, Sam and Daniel wanted to know what the next step of the plan was, as well, and were eager to get Jack 'drunk' for Fraiser.
"Do you have any homework?" Janet asked Cassandra.
"Nope."
Damn.
"Then why don't you go show Sam what I brought you back from my trip?"
Cassandra smiled, and stood up. Looking over at Carter she beckoned for the Major to follow her. "You HAVE to see this, Sam. It's sooo cool."
"What is it?" Daniel asked.
"A collection of shells mom found on the beach. They're really pretty."
"I'll come look, too." Daniel said. Cassandra preened, and the two adults stood up.
"I shall come as well," Teal'c said. He didn't care about shells. Not really. But it was more interesting than watching O'Neill drink, and watching Fraiser fidget.
The four of them walked down the hall to Cassandra's room, and Janet looked over at Jack. Who looked back at her as he took another drink of his beer.
"You know what I'm doing, don't you?" She asked.
"Oh, yeah."
Fraiser scowled.
O'Neill grinned.
"The beer's good, though. And the company was nice."
"Why won't you just tell me?"
"It's a long story, Doc."
"We have all night."
Jack pretended to look shocked. "Was that an invitation?"
"You know better."
He nodded.
"Come on, just tell me. If it's embarrassing, I won't laugh."
"Yes, you would."
"So it's embarrassing?"
"Not for me."
"For the others?"
"Maybe."
Well... crap. He'd never tell her if it meant breaking a promise to one of his team not to tell. She'd have to get him seriously liquored up. Far more seriously than she wanted to.
"How embarrassing? On a scale of one to ten?"
He shrugged, and took another drink of his beer.
"I'm not going to tell you, Doc."
"Damn it, Colonel. Just a hint?"
"Uh uh."
"Was it at a bar?"
He shrugged.
"Someone's house?"
He shrugged again.
"Jack... come on... throw me a bone."
It was a measure of just how much she wanted to know. He could count on one hand the number of times Janet had called him by his first name. Maybe he felt a little guilty. Maybe he felt a little sorry for her. Maybe he just wanted to get her to leave him alone? Maybe he'd had a drink too many, but Jack decided to give her a hint.
"A new place opened up, and we checked it out. Things went... badly."
"What?" She couldn't believe he'd said anything. "What new place? Where?"
He shook his head.
"That's all you're getting, Doc. And I mean it. Stop asking."
He took another drink of his beer, and leaned back. The conversation was over, she knew it this time.