Carter woke early the next morning. The sun was filtering into her bedroom window, but the length of the shadows were enough to tell her that the day had barely begun, yet, so she stretched and debated going back to sleep for a while. She probably had a while before Jack or Gina were awake, after all. Then she smiled, and decided she'd get up and surprise them with breakfast like they had surprised her the morning before. With that in mind, she pushed back the covers and got up, padding down the hallway on bare feet. Only to find the two of them were already up, and sitting at the dining room table, eating and conversing in quiet voices.
They both looked up when she appeared, and they both gave her welcoming smiles.
"Good morning, Sam." Jack said, his eyes lighting up when he saw her. Which was one way she knew just how much he loved her, since they never lit up like that for anyone else. Well... sometimes for Shawn, but that was different, and Sam knew it.
"Morning, Sam." Gina said at the same time, smiling broadly, and taking another bite of her breakfast.
Sam smiled in returned, and then realized what they were eating, and the smile faded slightly.
"Good morning... Jack? Is that ice cream?"
"Yup. Want me to get you some?"
"You can't eat ice cream for breakfast..." God, her mother would never let her come back if she found out Gina was eating like that here.
"We're not. We had toast for breakfast. This is dessert."
"Yeah."
"Oh." Yeah, that made everything all right. Sam shook her head, and Jack smiled.
"Don't worry, Sam. Ice cream's good for you. It's frozen milk, right?"
"Um... yes..."
"There ya have it."
Yeah, that made a ton of sense, Sam thought wryly.
"Want some, Sam?" Gina asked, taking another bite. She, of course, didn't have a problem having ice cream for breakfast. Jack was corrupting her nicely.
"Um... no." Carter gave a wobbly smile, "I think I'll have some coffee, and then take a shower."
Jack stood up and went into the kitchen to get it.
"Sit down, Sam." He told her, smiling, as he reached for a mug.
She did what he told her, mainly because she really wanted some coffee, and that was the best way to get it.
Sure enough, he brought it to her, with a soft smile and a gentle touch, and Sam took a sip gratefully.
"So, what have you two been talking about over your... um... breakfast?"
"Dessert." Jack corrected. "Oh, Gina's trying to convince me to do some more dancing this morning, since I told her you didn't have anything specific planned." There wasn't the expected 'God help us all' look in his eyes, so Sam had a feeling Gina had said something really convincing to him.
"And...?"
"And apparently I'm going to learn how to waltz before her sister gets here."
"Just you?"
"Oh, no."
"And Gina?"
"Guess again."
The twinkle in his eyes was so contagious that Sam smiled, too, despite the fact that she was condemning herself to a morning of waltzing.
"Do I have time to shower?"
"Of course." Jack took a bite of his ice cream. "I don't want a stinky partner, after all."
Gina snorted – an act that reminded Sam that despite her mature act, the girl was still only 10, and very much amused by such things. Jack grinned, and Sam knew that no matter how old he got, such things'd always amuse him as well. And she loved that.
"Let me go get showered, then." She said, taking another sip of her coffee. "You guys set up the dance floor."
She stood up, took another look at their 'breakfast' and shook her head as she walked back down the hall and towards her bedroom. Oh, no child was safe from him!
..............
She showered quickly. Not because she was in a hurry to get back out there and dance, but because she was in a hurry to get back out there before they decided they'd better have seconds – or thirds – while they waited for her. Of course, she had no idea how long he'd been awake, so they could already be on their thirds for all she knew. She dried off, dressed comfortably in jeans and a polo shirt, and headed back into the living room with only socks on her feet.
They'd pushed the furniture aside again, and the dance floor was waiting. So were her partner, and her instructor. Jack held out his hand to her, and she took it, smiling at him, but then looking at Gina for instruction. She didn't know how to waltz, either.
"It's easy," Gina said.
Oh, sure. Everything was easy for her.
"It seems easy enough, Sam," Jack assured her. "She's already given me the steps..."
He moved his feet, looking down at them, and Carter did the same. Yeah, that was basic enough.
"It's not as complicated as line dancing, Sam, although it looks more impressive when there's a lot of people." Gina told her, clearly going into instructor mode.
Sam nodded, and gave herself up to the two of them, figuring the worst that could happen was that he'd tromp all over her feet, and they'd end up falling on their collective rears. At least her carpeting was soft.
.............
It didn't happen, of course. Jack was more graceful than that, and a quicker learner than most people thought, and Gina was a better teacher than that, also. Sam, of course, learned the steps quickly, and since she'd long since lost any self-consciousness with Jack, they had no problem blending together for the close dance. It was simply a matter of getting their feet to go along with them. Gina clapped out the time, calling out which foot to move, or which way to turn, and they responded as best as they could.
For a little over two hours they danced, until Jack finally called a halt to it. His knees weren't really up to a lot of dancing in the morning, although he didn't say that. He simply told them he was ready to stop, and they agreed. If Jack didn't want to dance anymore, Gina was, of course, willing to let him stop. And while it was fun and sweet to be with Jack, 9 am dancing wasn't the best way to wake up, as far as Sam was concerned, so she was ready to stop, too.
"What time will her sister be here?" Jack asked as they put the couch and other furniture back.
"About noon."
"We have time to go get something to eat, then?"
"Yeah." She smiled. "I thought you had toast?"
"We did, but that was hours ago. I'm hungry." He looked over at Gina, who was stowing her waltzing CD. "Are you hungry, Gina?"
"Starving."
"See?"
"Okay, so we go eat." She was hungry, too. She hadn't even had toast or ice cream. Just a little coffee.
"Go get your stuff together, honey," Jack told Gina, pulling her into a hug. "Then we'll go get breakfast – or brunch or whatever – and send you home stuffed to the gills."
"Okay Jack."
She took off down the hall, and Sam looked over at him.
"How did she convince you to dance all morning?"
"Hmm?" He acted like he didn't have a clue what she meant, but Sam knew better.
"Come on... what did she say?"
"Nothing..."
"You're lying."
"Yeah, a little." He smiled, and pulled her close for a second. "I'll tell you later, if you remember to ask."
Oh, she'd remember.
"I'd better go get some shoes on."
"Yup."
He let her go so she could head to her room for shoes, and Jack sat down on the couch to wait for them, grinning.
They both looked up when she appeared, and they both gave her welcoming smiles.
"Good morning, Sam." Jack said, his eyes lighting up when he saw her. Which was one way she knew just how much he loved her, since they never lit up like that for anyone else. Well... sometimes for Shawn, but that was different, and Sam knew it.
"Morning, Sam." Gina said at the same time, smiling broadly, and taking another bite of her breakfast.
Sam smiled in returned, and then realized what they were eating, and the smile faded slightly.
"Good morning... Jack? Is that ice cream?"
"Yup. Want me to get you some?"
"You can't eat ice cream for breakfast..." God, her mother would never let her come back if she found out Gina was eating like that here.
"We're not. We had toast for breakfast. This is dessert."
"Yeah."
"Oh." Yeah, that made everything all right. Sam shook her head, and Jack smiled.
"Don't worry, Sam. Ice cream's good for you. It's frozen milk, right?"
"Um... yes..."
"There ya have it."
Yeah, that made a ton of sense, Sam thought wryly.
"Want some, Sam?" Gina asked, taking another bite. She, of course, didn't have a problem having ice cream for breakfast. Jack was corrupting her nicely.
"Um... no." Carter gave a wobbly smile, "I think I'll have some coffee, and then take a shower."
Jack stood up and went into the kitchen to get it.
"Sit down, Sam." He told her, smiling, as he reached for a mug.
She did what he told her, mainly because she really wanted some coffee, and that was the best way to get it.
Sure enough, he brought it to her, with a soft smile and a gentle touch, and Sam took a sip gratefully.
"So, what have you two been talking about over your... um... breakfast?"
"Dessert." Jack corrected. "Oh, Gina's trying to convince me to do some more dancing this morning, since I told her you didn't have anything specific planned." There wasn't the expected 'God help us all' look in his eyes, so Sam had a feeling Gina had said something really convincing to him.
"And...?"
"And apparently I'm going to learn how to waltz before her sister gets here."
"Just you?"
"Oh, no."
"And Gina?"
"Guess again."
The twinkle in his eyes was so contagious that Sam smiled, too, despite the fact that she was condemning herself to a morning of waltzing.
"Do I have time to shower?"
"Of course." Jack took a bite of his ice cream. "I don't want a stinky partner, after all."
Gina snorted – an act that reminded Sam that despite her mature act, the girl was still only 10, and very much amused by such things. Jack grinned, and Sam knew that no matter how old he got, such things'd always amuse him as well. And she loved that.
"Let me go get showered, then." She said, taking another sip of her coffee. "You guys set up the dance floor."
She stood up, took another look at their 'breakfast' and shook her head as she walked back down the hall and towards her bedroom. Oh, no child was safe from him!
..............
She showered quickly. Not because she was in a hurry to get back out there and dance, but because she was in a hurry to get back out there before they decided they'd better have seconds – or thirds – while they waited for her. Of course, she had no idea how long he'd been awake, so they could already be on their thirds for all she knew. She dried off, dressed comfortably in jeans and a polo shirt, and headed back into the living room with only socks on her feet.
They'd pushed the furniture aside again, and the dance floor was waiting. So were her partner, and her instructor. Jack held out his hand to her, and she took it, smiling at him, but then looking at Gina for instruction. She didn't know how to waltz, either.
"It's easy," Gina said.
Oh, sure. Everything was easy for her.
"It seems easy enough, Sam," Jack assured her. "She's already given me the steps..."
He moved his feet, looking down at them, and Carter did the same. Yeah, that was basic enough.
"It's not as complicated as line dancing, Sam, although it looks more impressive when there's a lot of people." Gina told her, clearly going into instructor mode.
Sam nodded, and gave herself up to the two of them, figuring the worst that could happen was that he'd tromp all over her feet, and they'd end up falling on their collective rears. At least her carpeting was soft.
.............
It didn't happen, of course. Jack was more graceful than that, and a quicker learner than most people thought, and Gina was a better teacher than that, also. Sam, of course, learned the steps quickly, and since she'd long since lost any self-consciousness with Jack, they had no problem blending together for the close dance. It was simply a matter of getting their feet to go along with them. Gina clapped out the time, calling out which foot to move, or which way to turn, and they responded as best as they could.
For a little over two hours they danced, until Jack finally called a halt to it. His knees weren't really up to a lot of dancing in the morning, although he didn't say that. He simply told them he was ready to stop, and they agreed. If Jack didn't want to dance anymore, Gina was, of course, willing to let him stop. And while it was fun and sweet to be with Jack, 9 am dancing wasn't the best way to wake up, as far as Sam was concerned, so she was ready to stop, too.
"What time will her sister be here?" Jack asked as they put the couch and other furniture back.
"About noon."
"We have time to go get something to eat, then?"
"Yeah." She smiled. "I thought you had toast?"
"We did, but that was hours ago. I'm hungry." He looked over at Gina, who was stowing her waltzing CD. "Are you hungry, Gina?"
"Starving."
"See?"
"Okay, so we go eat." She was hungry, too. She hadn't even had toast or ice cream. Just a little coffee.
"Go get your stuff together, honey," Jack told Gina, pulling her into a hug. "Then we'll go get breakfast – or brunch or whatever – and send you home stuffed to the gills."
"Okay Jack."
She took off down the hall, and Sam looked over at him.
"How did she convince you to dance all morning?"
"Hmm?" He acted like he didn't have a clue what she meant, but Sam knew better.
"Come on... what did she say?"
"Nothing..."
"You're lying."
"Yeah, a little." He smiled, and pulled her close for a second. "I'll tell you later, if you remember to ask."
Oh, she'd remember.
"I'd better go get some shoes on."
"Yup."
He let her go so she could head to her room for shoes, and Jack sat down on the couch to wait for them, grinning.