Jack scowled, his brown eyes looking at the couch with a definite pout in them. Jaffer met his gaze levelly, and didn't so much as blink. Yup. He had the couch. Yup. He had the hot blonde leaning against him while she slept, and oh, yeah, she was warm and soft, and her hand was on his side, where it had been since she fell asleep. Oh, yeah... she had also called him a doggie genius. When was the last time she called you a genius, hot shot?
"That's just decidedly unfair..." Jack murmured.
Jaffer didn't reply, of course, but his brown eyes grinned cheerfully.
Jack scowled. But he didn't mean it. Sam looked comfortable. Jaffer looked comfortable. He'd have slept in hot ashes as long as those two were happy.
He'd woken only a few minutes before, with a stiff neck, sore legs, and a rumbling stomach. It was already getting dark out, he saw through the sliding glass window – it was winter, so it happened early - but it was still later than he'd thought it would be. He'd looked over and saw that Jaffer had somehow managed to worm his way onto the couch with Sam, and saw the half-filled juice bottle and assumed he knew how the lab had accomplished it.
He got up. Aches and pains not withstanding, he needed to take care of some things, and he needed to cook them all some dinner. Sam hadn't eaten, and she'd be hungry when he woke her. And Jack was hungry, too. Definitely time to get a solid meal into the two of them. He started for the kitchen.
"You stay there, little man," Jack said, when Jaffer showed every intent of giving up the hot blonde sleeping against him for a chance at whatever O'Neill was going to make in the kitchen. With a sigh, the lab relaxed once more, looking at Jack and then down at Sam, whose cheek was resting lightly against his silky shoulder. Ah well. At least she smelled good, and wasn't drooling on him.
Jack went into the kitchen, and pulled out his counter top grill. Hamburgers, macaroni and cheese, and some kind of vegetable. It wasn't a gourmet meal, but it was filling, and it was something he could make fairly quickly. He filled a saucepan with water and set it to boiling, then got to work on the burgers. Before too long the house smelled good, and Jack's stomach rumbled even more. So did Jaffer's.
.......................
"Sam?"
She heard him whisper her name, but she was warm, and comfortable, and she tried to ignore it.
"Sam?"
She sighed, and turned her head slightly, feeling the silky warmth under her, and wondering absently to herself when Jack had gotten such comfortable pillowcases. Then the pillow moved slightly, and Carter felt something warm and wet running across her cheek and nose. Oh, didn't she just know what that was by now?
"Jaffer... stop..." Her hand was resting against the warm silkiness that she now was certain was Jaffer's side. She stroked him gently to distract him from licking her face. The licking continued. He didn't really obey other people all that often, after all.
"Sam? Wake up..."
She felt a hand brushing her already wet cheek, and opened her eyes. Two sets of brown eyes were watching her intently, and before she could say anything, the devastating tongue snaked out once more and caught her on the chin.
"Blech..."
"The price you pay when you let him sleep with you," Jack told her, smiling. "When he thinks it's time to wake up, he makes sure you know it."
"Is it time to wake up?" She asked, sitting up with an effort, and looking around, rubbing her face sleepily.
"It's dinner time. You definitely need to eat."
She was aware just then of how good the house smelled. And how warm the living room was. Both were wonderful.
"I'm starving..."
"Good."
Jaffer slid out from beside Sam, and headed for the door and opened it, and Sam felt a blast of fairly cold air. She shivered as she watched the black lab leave the house and head out onto the deck, then smiled in appreciation when O'Neill covered her shoulders warmly with a blanket and went to close the door.
"What's for lunch?" She asked him when he came back and sat down in the place Jaffer had vacated.
"Dinner." He corrected with a smile. "Hamburgers, mac and cheese and corn."
"Sounds good." Pretty much anything would have sounded good, just then.
"Good. Stay put and I'll bring you some."
She nodded, and he started to stand up, but Sam reached out and took his arm.
"Kiss me?"
Like she had to ask twice?
He gathered her into his arms gently, and kissed her. It could have been incredibly heated, she knew, but he held back slightly. Not enough for her too feel that he didn't care – she knew better than that, of course – but enough that the two of them weren't gasping for breath and trying to control their reactions when he broke it off. It was the perfect pre-dinner kiss as far as Sam was concerned, and she smiled sleepily when he released her, instead of groaning and longing for more.
"Thanks."
"No problem." He planted another kiss on her lips, but this one was short – although no less sweet. "You need more, just give me a call."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"You do that."
He smiled, and disappeared into the kitchen, but Sam could hear him, and knew he wasn't going to be gone long.
"How hungry are you?" He called, dishing up her plate.
"Starving."
He made her a burger with all the trimmings, and put it on her plate with her corn and mac and cheese.
"Juice, soda, milk or coffee?"
"Coffee?"
"You got it."
Jaffer's dark form appeared outside the glass door, but the lab couldn't open the door from the outside. It was designed that way on purpose. Not to keep Jaffer out, but to keep people who didn't belong from using the door the same way the lab did. Sam wondered briefly what Jaffer would ever do if there was a burglar in the house. He was such a laid back dog; she couldn't imagine him even growling at anyone seriously.
"Jaffer wants in."
"I'll be right there, Sam."
"Want me to let him in?"
"No. You stay put. He's not going to die if he stays outside a minute longer than he wants to."
Jaffer barked, obviously not agreeing. He was fairly certain he was close to death out there in the cold.
Sam smiled. She turned her head and saw Jack was filling Jaffer's food dish with actual dog food. A crunchy kind that was good for his teeth, and his coat and other parts of him. O'Neill let his dog pretty much eat whatever he wanted, but he also made sure he ate what he was supposed to, Sam knew. The minute Jaffer stopped eating the dry food Jack put out was the minute O'Neill would stop giving him sandwiches and other such people food that he liked so much. Jaffer seemed to understand this, because Jack went through a ton of dog food every month, and Jaffer went through a lot of people food.
Jaffer barked again, watching as his food dish was filled. He had a very deep bark. One that wouldn't be ignored long.
"Hold your horses, little man," Jack called, wiping off his hands and heading out of the kitchen. He stopped just long enough to kiss am once more, then went to the door and opened it. Jaffer bounded in, stopped long enough to sniff Jack and make sure he was okay, then went over to Sam and sniffed her as well. A quick check to make sure the cast still didn't have maple syrup on it – damn, it didn't – and the lab went to his food dish, acting as though he hadn't eaten in weeks.
"You know... he's not little any more..."
Jack nodded.
"Monica thinks he's got a bit of growing in him, still."
"Really?"
"Yup."
"You're not going to be able to call him little man much longer. Soon he'll weight more than you."
"Well, probably not that much, but he's already getting heavier than Shawn."
He disappeared into the kitchen once more and returned with a plate and a cup of coffee, which he handed to her to hold while he pulled the coffee table close enough for her to use as a table.
"Thank you."
It looked delicious, and her stomach growled impatiently.
"Chef Jack, at your service." He gave her a self-mocking bow, and vanished into the kitchen again, returning with his own dinner, and another cup of coffee.
"No one would ever believe you can cook, you know?" Sam told him, picking up her burger and biting into it hungrily.
He grinned, watching her enjoy the first bite before picking up his own.
"Saves me the trouble of cooking for people I don't want to feed."
"That's just decidedly unfair..." Jack murmured.
Jaffer didn't reply, of course, but his brown eyes grinned cheerfully.
Jack scowled. But he didn't mean it. Sam looked comfortable. Jaffer looked comfortable. He'd have slept in hot ashes as long as those two were happy.
He'd woken only a few minutes before, with a stiff neck, sore legs, and a rumbling stomach. It was already getting dark out, he saw through the sliding glass window – it was winter, so it happened early - but it was still later than he'd thought it would be. He'd looked over and saw that Jaffer had somehow managed to worm his way onto the couch with Sam, and saw the half-filled juice bottle and assumed he knew how the lab had accomplished it.
He got up. Aches and pains not withstanding, he needed to take care of some things, and he needed to cook them all some dinner. Sam hadn't eaten, and she'd be hungry when he woke her. And Jack was hungry, too. Definitely time to get a solid meal into the two of them. He started for the kitchen.
"You stay there, little man," Jack said, when Jaffer showed every intent of giving up the hot blonde sleeping against him for a chance at whatever O'Neill was going to make in the kitchen. With a sigh, the lab relaxed once more, looking at Jack and then down at Sam, whose cheek was resting lightly against his silky shoulder. Ah well. At least she smelled good, and wasn't drooling on him.
Jack went into the kitchen, and pulled out his counter top grill. Hamburgers, macaroni and cheese, and some kind of vegetable. It wasn't a gourmet meal, but it was filling, and it was something he could make fairly quickly. He filled a saucepan with water and set it to boiling, then got to work on the burgers. Before too long the house smelled good, and Jack's stomach rumbled even more. So did Jaffer's.
.......................
"Sam?"
She heard him whisper her name, but she was warm, and comfortable, and she tried to ignore it.
"Sam?"
She sighed, and turned her head slightly, feeling the silky warmth under her, and wondering absently to herself when Jack had gotten such comfortable pillowcases. Then the pillow moved slightly, and Carter felt something warm and wet running across her cheek and nose. Oh, didn't she just know what that was by now?
"Jaffer... stop..." Her hand was resting against the warm silkiness that she now was certain was Jaffer's side. She stroked him gently to distract him from licking her face. The licking continued. He didn't really obey other people all that often, after all.
"Sam? Wake up..."
She felt a hand brushing her already wet cheek, and opened her eyes. Two sets of brown eyes were watching her intently, and before she could say anything, the devastating tongue snaked out once more and caught her on the chin.
"Blech..."
"The price you pay when you let him sleep with you," Jack told her, smiling. "When he thinks it's time to wake up, he makes sure you know it."
"Is it time to wake up?" She asked, sitting up with an effort, and looking around, rubbing her face sleepily.
"It's dinner time. You definitely need to eat."
She was aware just then of how good the house smelled. And how warm the living room was. Both were wonderful.
"I'm starving..."
"Good."
Jaffer slid out from beside Sam, and headed for the door and opened it, and Sam felt a blast of fairly cold air. She shivered as she watched the black lab leave the house and head out onto the deck, then smiled in appreciation when O'Neill covered her shoulders warmly with a blanket and went to close the door.
"What's for lunch?" She asked him when he came back and sat down in the place Jaffer had vacated.
"Dinner." He corrected with a smile. "Hamburgers, mac and cheese and corn."
"Sounds good." Pretty much anything would have sounded good, just then.
"Good. Stay put and I'll bring you some."
She nodded, and he started to stand up, but Sam reached out and took his arm.
"Kiss me?"
Like she had to ask twice?
He gathered her into his arms gently, and kissed her. It could have been incredibly heated, she knew, but he held back slightly. Not enough for her too feel that he didn't care – she knew better than that, of course – but enough that the two of them weren't gasping for breath and trying to control their reactions when he broke it off. It was the perfect pre-dinner kiss as far as Sam was concerned, and she smiled sleepily when he released her, instead of groaning and longing for more.
"Thanks."
"No problem." He planted another kiss on her lips, but this one was short – although no less sweet. "You need more, just give me a call."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"You do that."
He smiled, and disappeared into the kitchen, but Sam could hear him, and knew he wasn't going to be gone long.
"How hungry are you?" He called, dishing up her plate.
"Starving."
He made her a burger with all the trimmings, and put it on her plate with her corn and mac and cheese.
"Juice, soda, milk or coffee?"
"Coffee?"
"You got it."
Jaffer's dark form appeared outside the glass door, but the lab couldn't open the door from the outside. It was designed that way on purpose. Not to keep Jaffer out, but to keep people who didn't belong from using the door the same way the lab did. Sam wondered briefly what Jaffer would ever do if there was a burglar in the house. He was such a laid back dog; she couldn't imagine him even growling at anyone seriously.
"Jaffer wants in."
"I'll be right there, Sam."
"Want me to let him in?"
"No. You stay put. He's not going to die if he stays outside a minute longer than he wants to."
Jaffer barked, obviously not agreeing. He was fairly certain he was close to death out there in the cold.
Sam smiled. She turned her head and saw Jack was filling Jaffer's food dish with actual dog food. A crunchy kind that was good for his teeth, and his coat and other parts of him. O'Neill let his dog pretty much eat whatever he wanted, but he also made sure he ate what he was supposed to, Sam knew. The minute Jaffer stopped eating the dry food Jack put out was the minute O'Neill would stop giving him sandwiches and other such people food that he liked so much. Jaffer seemed to understand this, because Jack went through a ton of dog food every month, and Jaffer went through a lot of people food.
Jaffer barked again, watching as his food dish was filled. He had a very deep bark. One that wouldn't be ignored long.
"Hold your horses, little man," Jack called, wiping off his hands and heading out of the kitchen. He stopped just long enough to kiss am once more, then went to the door and opened it. Jaffer bounded in, stopped long enough to sniff Jack and make sure he was okay, then went over to Sam and sniffed her as well. A quick check to make sure the cast still didn't have maple syrup on it – damn, it didn't – and the lab went to his food dish, acting as though he hadn't eaten in weeks.
"You know... he's not little any more..."
Jack nodded.
"Monica thinks he's got a bit of growing in him, still."
"Really?"
"Yup."
"You're not going to be able to call him little man much longer. Soon he'll weight more than you."
"Well, probably not that much, but he's already getting heavier than Shawn."
He disappeared into the kitchen once more and returned with a plate and a cup of coffee, which he handed to her to hold while he pulled the coffee table close enough for her to use as a table.
"Thank you."
It looked delicious, and her stomach growled impatiently.
"Chef Jack, at your service." He gave her a self-mocking bow, and vanished into the kitchen again, returning with his own dinner, and another cup of coffee.
"No one would ever believe you can cook, you know?" Sam told him, picking up her burger and biting into it hungrily.
He grinned, watching her enjoy the first bite before picking up his own.
"Saves me the trouble of cooking for people I don't want to feed."