"Sam?"
She heard someone very close at hand say her name very softly, but Carter wasn't really positive she was ready to open her eyes yet. It seemed like she'd only just fallen back to sleep. The voice was insistent, though, although it was still a whisper.
"Sam? Are you awake?"
"Yes..."
She was, kinda.
"Jack says breakfast will be ready in ten minutes and if you're not there, he's going to feed it to the pigs."
She opened her eyes. Gina was leaning over her; her big green eyes wide awake, although she looked like she might have only been awake a short time herself.
"What?"
"Jack says that breakfast will be ready in ten minutes, and if you're not there to eat it, he's going to feed it to the pigs." She repeated. "Can I see your pigs?"
"I don't have any pigs, honey," Sam said, sitting up and wondering what time it was. And also wondering how the two of them had managed to get out of bed without waking her up.
"Then he's going to feed your breakfast to something else, I guess..." Gina told her.
"Breakfast?"
"Pancakes."
"Jack's making pancakes?"
"Uh huh. Mine's going to be shaped like a cow."
"On the grill? He's not just making toaster waffles or something?"
"No, he's making pancakes. He said he was, anyways."
Oh, this was bad. He was cooking? In her kitchen? She didn't hear the smoke detector going off, or smell smoke, but she had a feeling it was only a matter of time.
"Ask him if I have time to take a shower, will you?" Might as well be clean for the firemen.
The little girl hopped off the bed and ran out of the room, still wearing her nightgown, Sam saw. She heard the murmur of conversation, mostly Gina's voice, since Jack's wasn't so high and didn't carry down the hallway so easily. A moment later, she was back, running into the room and jumping back up onto the bed.
"He says if you shower fast. Otherwise he's going to feed your breakfast to the goats."
"I don't have..."
"He says he's going to."
"Then I'd better get up, huh?"
She nodded.
"Tell him I'll be right out."
"Okay."
She jumped off the bed again, and left, and Sam stretched leisurely before she dragged herself out of bed and went to her room to get some clothes to change into after her shower.
............
She probably took longer than the ten minutes he gave her, but by the time Carter stepped out of the bathroom, she could smell breakfast cooking, and she had to admit it smelled pretty good. Sausage and pancakes, her nose was telling her. And coffee. And still no smoke. She walked out into the dining room, and saw the table was made, and there were glasses of orange juice already waiting for the three of them for when they sat down.
"Good morning."
Jack turned from the griddle, still holding the spatula in his hand, and smiled when he saw her up. She always looked so good fresh from the shower like that. Or fresh out of bed. Or fresh from the base. Or fresh... well, she always looked good to him, no matter where she'd been.
"Good morning. How'd you sleep?"
"Great. How long have you been up?"
"Quite a while."
It looked like it, too. Sam could tell he'd showered and shaved, and he'd changed into one of the spare sets of clothing he kept at her house for just such an event. He looked awake enough that she knew he'd been awake long enough to actually wake up. Something that it normally took him a while to do on the weekends.
"Coffee?"
"Please."
"Go sit down, I'll bring it to you."
"Breakfast, too?"
"Yup, it's ready. We've just been waiting on you."
"I'm lucky you didn't feed it to the goats, then, huh?" Sam said as she went over to the table and sat down, watching as Jack shooed Gina out of the kitchen and to the table as well.
"I was ready to."
He brought her a cup of coffee, and set a platter of pancakes and sausages down in the middle of the table.
"Those are for you and me. Gina's is special ordered."
"Shaped like a cow?" Sam remembered the girl mentioning that.
"Yup."
It wasn't really shaped like a cow. Kind of like a camel with upturned ears, but it was the thought that counted, and Gina obviously loved the fact that he went to so much trouble for her. Sam did, too. Jack was at his outrageous best, playing server to the two of them, fetching everything they asked for, and cutting Gina's pancakes even though she said she could do it herself.
It was nice to be waited on, and especially by Jack, Sam thought privately as she started in on her breakfast. It was really good – she knew he could cook when he set his mind to it, but he rarely proved it. She wouldn't have been surprised to come out from the bedroom and find the two of them eating cereal and toast. Usually a real breakfast was a sign of a celebration or something exciting happening, which meant that Jack was truly enjoying having time with Sam and Gina, and not just going through the motions.
"What are you planning on doing today, Sam?"
"I thought Gina and I could hit the zoo." She took a sip of her coffee, noticing for just a moment that his eyes were filled with pain, and then it passed so quickly she almost might have believed she'd imagined it. "Do you want to come?"
"I don't think so..."
"Please come, Jack?" Gina asked, looking at him with her big green eyes that Sam knew Jack couldn't say no to.
"He probably has things to do, Sweetheart." Sam said, softly, knowing that he didn't have things to do, but also knowing that there was a definite reason he didn't want to go to the zoo.
"Nah," Jack put on a look of indifference, then a smile. But it was one that didn't quite light up his brown eyes. Sam noticed. Gina didn't. "If I won't be in the way, I'll be happy to come with you two."
"Yay!"
She smiled at the girl's reaction, but when she looked it him, it was with a look that plainly told him he didn't have to come if he didn't want to. Jack's look was just as easy for her to read. He'd come, because Gina wanted him to.
"But only if you eat all your breakfast," Sam said.
Gina started shoveling pancakes in her mouth so fast that Jack smiled. This time, it did reach his eyes.
She heard someone very close at hand say her name very softly, but Carter wasn't really positive she was ready to open her eyes yet. It seemed like she'd only just fallen back to sleep. The voice was insistent, though, although it was still a whisper.
"Sam? Are you awake?"
"Yes..."
She was, kinda.
"Jack says breakfast will be ready in ten minutes and if you're not there, he's going to feed it to the pigs."
She opened her eyes. Gina was leaning over her; her big green eyes wide awake, although she looked like she might have only been awake a short time herself.
"What?"
"Jack says that breakfast will be ready in ten minutes, and if you're not there to eat it, he's going to feed it to the pigs." She repeated. "Can I see your pigs?"
"I don't have any pigs, honey," Sam said, sitting up and wondering what time it was. And also wondering how the two of them had managed to get out of bed without waking her up.
"Then he's going to feed your breakfast to something else, I guess..." Gina told her.
"Breakfast?"
"Pancakes."
"Jack's making pancakes?"
"Uh huh. Mine's going to be shaped like a cow."
"On the grill? He's not just making toaster waffles or something?"
"No, he's making pancakes. He said he was, anyways."
Oh, this was bad. He was cooking? In her kitchen? She didn't hear the smoke detector going off, or smell smoke, but she had a feeling it was only a matter of time.
"Ask him if I have time to take a shower, will you?" Might as well be clean for the firemen.
The little girl hopped off the bed and ran out of the room, still wearing her nightgown, Sam saw. She heard the murmur of conversation, mostly Gina's voice, since Jack's wasn't so high and didn't carry down the hallway so easily. A moment later, she was back, running into the room and jumping back up onto the bed.
"He says if you shower fast. Otherwise he's going to feed your breakfast to the goats."
"I don't have..."
"He says he's going to."
"Then I'd better get up, huh?"
She nodded.
"Tell him I'll be right out."
"Okay."
She jumped off the bed again, and left, and Sam stretched leisurely before she dragged herself out of bed and went to her room to get some clothes to change into after her shower.
............
She probably took longer than the ten minutes he gave her, but by the time Carter stepped out of the bathroom, she could smell breakfast cooking, and she had to admit it smelled pretty good. Sausage and pancakes, her nose was telling her. And coffee. And still no smoke. She walked out into the dining room, and saw the table was made, and there were glasses of orange juice already waiting for the three of them for when they sat down.
"Good morning."
Jack turned from the griddle, still holding the spatula in his hand, and smiled when he saw her up. She always looked so good fresh from the shower like that. Or fresh out of bed. Or fresh from the base. Or fresh... well, she always looked good to him, no matter where she'd been.
"Good morning. How'd you sleep?"
"Great. How long have you been up?"
"Quite a while."
It looked like it, too. Sam could tell he'd showered and shaved, and he'd changed into one of the spare sets of clothing he kept at her house for just such an event. He looked awake enough that she knew he'd been awake long enough to actually wake up. Something that it normally took him a while to do on the weekends.
"Coffee?"
"Please."
"Go sit down, I'll bring it to you."
"Breakfast, too?"
"Yup, it's ready. We've just been waiting on you."
"I'm lucky you didn't feed it to the goats, then, huh?" Sam said as she went over to the table and sat down, watching as Jack shooed Gina out of the kitchen and to the table as well.
"I was ready to."
He brought her a cup of coffee, and set a platter of pancakes and sausages down in the middle of the table.
"Those are for you and me. Gina's is special ordered."
"Shaped like a cow?" Sam remembered the girl mentioning that.
"Yup."
It wasn't really shaped like a cow. Kind of like a camel with upturned ears, but it was the thought that counted, and Gina obviously loved the fact that he went to so much trouble for her. Sam did, too. Jack was at his outrageous best, playing server to the two of them, fetching everything they asked for, and cutting Gina's pancakes even though she said she could do it herself.
It was nice to be waited on, and especially by Jack, Sam thought privately as she started in on her breakfast. It was really good – she knew he could cook when he set his mind to it, but he rarely proved it. She wouldn't have been surprised to come out from the bedroom and find the two of them eating cereal and toast. Usually a real breakfast was a sign of a celebration or something exciting happening, which meant that Jack was truly enjoying having time with Sam and Gina, and not just going through the motions.
"What are you planning on doing today, Sam?"
"I thought Gina and I could hit the zoo." She took a sip of her coffee, noticing for just a moment that his eyes were filled with pain, and then it passed so quickly she almost might have believed she'd imagined it. "Do you want to come?"
"I don't think so..."
"Please come, Jack?" Gina asked, looking at him with her big green eyes that Sam knew Jack couldn't say no to.
"He probably has things to do, Sweetheart." Sam said, softly, knowing that he didn't have things to do, but also knowing that there was a definite reason he didn't want to go to the zoo.
"Nah," Jack put on a look of indifference, then a smile. But it was one that didn't quite light up his brown eyes. Sam noticed. Gina didn't. "If I won't be in the way, I'll be happy to come with you two."
"Yay!"
She smiled at the girl's reaction, but when she looked it him, it was with a look that plainly told him he didn't have to come if he didn't want to. Jack's look was just as easy for her to read. He'd come, because Gina wanted him to.
"But only if you eat all your breakfast," Sam said.
Gina started shoveling pancakes in her mouth so fast that Jack smiled. This time, it did reach his eyes.