"I'm going to go take a shower."
"We'll start dinner."
They'd jut arrived at Sam's house, and Jack was aching from toting Gina around all afternoon – she'd managed fairly well the morning hours, and had only really started flagging the last part of the day. A lot of hot water was just the remedy for the aches, Jack knew, and he was looking forward to it.
"Need me to do anything, first?" He asked Carter.
"Nope." She smiled at him and then down at Gina. "I have a helper."
The girl preened. She was the helper!
He smiled, and headed for the bathroom, and a few minutes later they heard the shower running.
"Sam?"
Carter looked up from the potato she was peeling, and over at Gina – who was the potato rinser.
"Hmmm?"
"Are you going to marry Jack?"
Sam almost cut her finger in surprise at the question. She put the knife down.
"What?"
"Jack. Are you going to marry him?"
"I don't know, Sweetheart. Why?"
"If you don't, can I marry him?"
Sam smiled.
"I think he'd rather you married someone a bit younger." Quite a bit younger.
"He's nice."
"Yes."
"And funny."
"I know."
"He likes you."
"I like him, too, Gina."
"So are you going to marry him?"
"Maybe. Someday."
Gina nodded, and went back to rinsing off the potatoes for Sam to peel. Carter picked her knife back up, thinking the questions were over, and went back to what she'd been doing, although she couldn't help but smile every time she thought of Gina asking her if she could marry Jack.
"He has sad eyes, sometimes..." Gina said, softly a few minutes later, making Sam look over at the girl once more. She wasn't looking up from her potatoes, though, and was rinsing them carefully, taking her job seriously.
"What do you mean, honey?"
"You can always tell what he's thinking," Gina told her, looking up. "If you look at his eyes. Today they were sad sometimes. Happy most of the time, but every now and then..." She trailed off, shrugging.
She was wrong, Sam thought. It was almost impossible to tell what Jack was thinking unless you knew him well. The fact that Gina could read him so well was only because he'd had so much trouble keeping the usual walls up that he normally used to keep himself apart from his emotions. Or maybe he just didn't think he needed to keep them up when he was around the little girl. He didn't use them so often with Sam, either.
"He's had sad things happen to him, Gina." Sam said. She wasn't going to go into any detail, though. "Sometimes he stops and thinks about them. We all do."
"I don't like seeing him sad."
"I know, honey. I don't either." She gave the girl a reassuring smile. "But he's not sad, now. And I know he's looking forward to another night of fun."
"Maybe we shouldn't watch Grease?"
Wow. Maybe she did read him better than Sam thought. She paused for a moment, but shook her head.
"We can watch whatever you want to." Sam said. "Jack is happy just being with us. He doesn't care what we're doing."
"She's right."
A new voice made them both start, and Sam dropped the knife she was peeling potatoes with as Jack came up behind them, still damp from his shower, and wearing a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. His brown eyes were sparkling with humor as he bent down and picked up the knife Sam had dropped and handed it back to her.
"I don't care what we do. As long as I'm spending time with you."
"Really?" Gina asked, smiling at him. Standing on the chair like she was, she was the same height as O'Neill and could look him in the eye.
"Yup."
"Will you let me teach you to dance?"
Ohhh! Busted! Sam grinned, the expression unnoticed by Gina, who was facing the other direction, but easily seen by Jack, who suppressed his scowl at the very last minute.
"I already know how to dance."
"What kind of dancing?" Gina challenged, smiling. She knew there'd be a dance he couldn't do, and she could teach him. Jack knew it, too.
"All kinds..."
"Can you line dance?"
"Uh..." He didn't have a clue what line dancing was. "I can disco."
Gina smiled, and behind her, Sam's grin was ear to ear.
"Line dancing's great, Jack. Can I teach you?"
Like he could say no to that face? Oh, not that he didn't want to, though! Line dancing??
"Only if you teach Sam, too."
"Sure!" Gina's smile was as big as the one that faltered on Sam's face at the stipulation, and it was Jack's turn to grin when he saw Carter's reaction. "One can learn as easily as two, or three... even a whole room of people."
"We'll stick with just us, for now," Jack said.
"We'll start dinner."
They'd jut arrived at Sam's house, and Jack was aching from toting Gina around all afternoon – she'd managed fairly well the morning hours, and had only really started flagging the last part of the day. A lot of hot water was just the remedy for the aches, Jack knew, and he was looking forward to it.
"Need me to do anything, first?" He asked Carter.
"Nope." She smiled at him and then down at Gina. "I have a helper."
The girl preened. She was the helper!
He smiled, and headed for the bathroom, and a few minutes later they heard the shower running.
"Sam?"
Carter looked up from the potato she was peeling, and over at Gina – who was the potato rinser.
"Hmmm?"
"Are you going to marry Jack?"
Sam almost cut her finger in surprise at the question. She put the knife down.
"What?"
"Jack. Are you going to marry him?"
"I don't know, Sweetheart. Why?"
"If you don't, can I marry him?"
Sam smiled.
"I think he'd rather you married someone a bit younger." Quite a bit younger.
"He's nice."
"Yes."
"And funny."
"I know."
"He likes you."
"I like him, too, Gina."
"So are you going to marry him?"
"Maybe. Someday."
Gina nodded, and went back to rinsing off the potatoes for Sam to peel. Carter picked her knife back up, thinking the questions were over, and went back to what she'd been doing, although she couldn't help but smile every time she thought of Gina asking her if she could marry Jack.
"He has sad eyes, sometimes..." Gina said, softly a few minutes later, making Sam look over at the girl once more. She wasn't looking up from her potatoes, though, and was rinsing them carefully, taking her job seriously.
"What do you mean, honey?"
"You can always tell what he's thinking," Gina told her, looking up. "If you look at his eyes. Today they were sad sometimes. Happy most of the time, but every now and then..." She trailed off, shrugging.
She was wrong, Sam thought. It was almost impossible to tell what Jack was thinking unless you knew him well. The fact that Gina could read him so well was only because he'd had so much trouble keeping the usual walls up that he normally used to keep himself apart from his emotions. Or maybe he just didn't think he needed to keep them up when he was around the little girl. He didn't use them so often with Sam, either.
"He's had sad things happen to him, Gina." Sam said. She wasn't going to go into any detail, though. "Sometimes he stops and thinks about them. We all do."
"I don't like seeing him sad."
"I know, honey. I don't either." She gave the girl a reassuring smile. "But he's not sad, now. And I know he's looking forward to another night of fun."
"Maybe we shouldn't watch Grease?"
Wow. Maybe she did read him better than Sam thought. She paused for a moment, but shook her head.
"We can watch whatever you want to." Sam said. "Jack is happy just being with us. He doesn't care what we're doing."
"She's right."
A new voice made them both start, and Sam dropped the knife she was peeling potatoes with as Jack came up behind them, still damp from his shower, and wearing a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. His brown eyes were sparkling with humor as he bent down and picked up the knife Sam had dropped and handed it back to her.
"I don't care what we do. As long as I'm spending time with you."
"Really?" Gina asked, smiling at him. Standing on the chair like she was, she was the same height as O'Neill and could look him in the eye.
"Yup."
"Will you let me teach you to dance?"
Ohhh! Busted! Sam grinned, the expression unnoticed by Gina, who was facing the other direction, but easily seen by Jack, who suppressed his scowl at the very last minute.
"I already know how to dance."
"What kind of dancing?" Gina challenged, smiling. She knew there'd be a dance he couldn't do, and she could teach him. Jack knew it, too.
"All kinds..."
"Can you line dance?"
"Uh..." He didn't have a clue what line dancing was. "I can disco."
Gina smiled, and behind her, Sam's grin was ear to ear.
"Line dancing's great, Jack. Can I teach you?"
Like he could say no to that face? Oh, not that he didn't want to, though! Line dancing??
"Only if you teach Sam, too."
"Sure!" Gina's smile was as big as the one that faltered on Sam's face at the stipulation, and it was Jack's turn to grin when he saw Carter's reaction. "One can learn as easily as two, or three... even a whole room of people."
"We'll stick with just us, for now," Jack said.