Dinner was finished rather quickly. They'd both been hungry, and whatever
they couldn't finish on their own Jaffer was more than willing to help them
with. Except the corn. It was one of the very few things that Jack had
noticed his lab didn't like. Which made watching him eat stew enjoyable,
since Jaffer would carefully pick out the corn and eat all the other meat
and vegetables around it. But that night it was burgers, and he loved
burgers.
After dinner, he handed her the remote control and told her to amuse herself while he did the dishes and cleaned up. Another reason Jack didn't cook all that often. Cooking required cleaning. Jaffer joined him in the kitchen, watching him as he washed the dishes and wiped off the counters, but not offering to help. He had other things in mind, and he'd be patient while he waited, but he wasn't going to let Jack forget that it was treat time. Finally Jack reached into the bottom drawer and pulled out a bag of dog treats, and brought it out to Sam.
"Here, make him do some tricks for you," He said as he handed it to her.
"Will he?"
"Of course he will, Sam." Jack smiled, wondering why she'd even ask that. "He loves you."
Jaffer barked softly, as if in agreement, and Sam smiled. The lab had followed Jack – or maybe he'd followed the bag of treats – out of the kitchen, and was watching it expectantly.
Sam nodded, and Jack went back into the kitchen to finish the pots and griddle, while Sam opened the bag of treats.
"Sit, Jaffer."
Yeah yeah. Sit. Easy as pie. He sat, and she gave him a treat.
Jaffer had a dizzying array of tricks and commands that he knew. Sam didn't even know what all he could do, so Jack would tell her what he knew, and give her the command to give him. He did them flawlessly.
He sat. He spoke. He shook hands, gave a high five, sat up and begged (which was so cute that Sam made him do it a few more times). He played dead. He did everything she asked him to.
"You should see him outside sometime," Jack commented when she told him how impressed she was. "They've really done a good job teaching him things."
He came into the room and sat down next to her on the couch, and closed up the bag of treats, ignoring the reproachful look Jaffer gave him.
"More tomorrow."
Jaffer sighed, and jumped up into the recliner, and closed his eyes. It was probably time for him to take a nap anyways. Doing tricks takes a lot out of you, after all. Sam smiled, enjoying the way Jack interacted with his dog, and then leaned against him carefully, testing her ribs to see how much they'd allow her to do.
His arm came around her, and she rested her head on his shoulder as he flipped through the channels.
"Anything in particular you want to do?"
Sam shook her head.
"Tomorrow I want to go to my house and get some things."
"Tomorrow I'll go to your house and get you some things," he told her. "You'll stay off your feet like you were told."
Sam scowled.
"You won't know what to get."
"You can write me a list."
"It's not the same."
"I know. I'm sorry." He ran his hand through her silky blonde hair, carefully avoiding the bump on her forehead she'd obtained in her fall the morning before. It was more bruise than bump, now, but he was sure it still hurt.
Sam closed her eyes, sighing. Arguing with him wasn't going to make him change his mind, she knew.
"I want my laptop, too." She told him.
"Okay."
"And my notes on the –"
"Sam..." He hushed her before she could start. "Just write me a list, okay?"
"Okay."
He wasn't going to remember it all, anyways, and they both knew it. Even with a list.
He put his feet up on the coffee table, and leaned back a little, careful not to jostle her, and found a documentary on the Discovery channel that caught his attention enough to watch. And the two of them lazed around the rest of the evening, doing nothing but watching TV and cuddling on the sofa like any ordinary couple might. It was a pleasant change from being shot at and chased around strange planets by snake carrying aliens.
No matter how relaxing the evening was, it had to come to an end eventually. Jack called it a night when he realized Sam was starting to fall asleep (although she claimed she'd only been resting her eyes). He picked her up carefully, stopped off at the bathroom so she could brush her teeth and take care of other things, then put her back into his bed and covered her up warmly. Then he went to let Jaffer out.
He stood on the deck, enjoying the chill night air as he waited for his black lab to run around the yard a few times, looking for the perfect spot to pee. He double-checked the lock on the door when the two of them came back in, something he did all the time, since he didn't want Jaffer to be able to let himself out in the middle of the night. Nothing worse than being froze in the morning because the dog had left the door open all night. A quick shower, and he rejoined Sam in the bedroom.
"Painkiller?"
She nodded. She wasn't going to be able to sleep with her ribs throbbing like they were. Especially if he slept with her – which she wanted. Jack tended to hold her closely when they slept, and while Sam liked that, she knew it wouldn't be comfortable that night without a little help.
"Maybe I shouldn't sleep in here tonight..."
Obviously he was following the same line of thinking she was. From the concern in his dark eyes she could tell he really was considering sleeping in the spare room, or on the couch. Sam shook her head.
"You definitely should." She told him. "What if I need you?"
"What if I hurt you?"
"You won't."
It wasn't like they were going to actually be intimate, or anything. She knew she wasn't up for that. Not tonight. And she knew even if she thought she was, he wouldn't do anything so physical with her when she was looking so bruised.
He wasn't so sure, but he allowed himself to be convinced. He didn't want to be apart from her, after all. He flipped off the light and got into bed, and Sam snuggled up next to him, her arm draping over him. She dozed off almost immediately, but Jack lay awake a long time, holding her and watching her as she slept. Yet another of his favorite past times.
Eventually, the long day, the warmth of the woman sleeping next to him, and the gentle snores of the dog that shared their bed all caught up with him. He closed his eyes, and allowed himself to drift off.
After dinner, he handed her the remote control and told her to amuse herself while he did the dishes and cleaned up. Another reason Jack didn't cook all that often. Cooking required cleaning. Jaffer joined him in the kitchen, watching him as he washed the dishes and wiped off the counters, but not offering to help. He had other things in mind, and he'd be patient while he waited, but he wasn't going to let Jack forget that it was treat time. Finally Jack reached into the bottom drawer and pulled out a bag of dog treats, and brought it out to Sam.
"Here, make him do some tricks for you," He said as he handed it to her.
"Will he?"
"Of course he will, Sam." Jack smiled, wondering why she'd even ask that. "He loves you."
Jaffer barked softly, as if in agreement, and Sam smiled. The lab had followed Jack – or maybe he'd followed the bag of treats – out of the kitchen, and was watching it expectantly.
Sam nodded, and Jack went back into the kitchen to finish the pots and griddle, while Sam opened the bag of treats.
"Sit, Jaffer."
Yeah yeah. Sit. Easy as pie. He sat, and she gave him a treat.
Jaffer had a dizzying array of tricks and commands that he knew. Sam didn't even know what all he could do, so Jack would tell her what he knew, and give her the command to give him. He did them flawlessly.
He sat. He spoke. He shook hands, gave a high five, sat up and begged (which was so cute that Sam made him do it a few more times). He played dead. He did everything she asked him to.
"You should see him outside sometime," Jack commented when she told him how impressed she was. "They've really done a good job teaching him things."
He came into the room and sat down next to her on the couch, and closed up the bag of treats, ignoring the reproachful look Jaffer gave him.
"More tomorrow."
Jaffer sighed, and jumped up into the recliner, and closed his eyes. It was probably time for him to take a nap anyways. Doing tricks takes a lot out of you, after all. Sam smiled, enjoying the way Jack interacted with his dog, and then leaned against him carefully, testing her ribs to see how much they'd allow her to do.
His arm came around her, and she rested her head on his shoulder as he flipped through the channels.
"Anything in particular you want to do?"
Sam shook her head.
"Tomorrow I want to go to my house and get some things."
"Tomorrow I'll go to your house and get you some things," he told her. "You'll stay off your feet like you were told."
Sam scowled.
"You won't know what to get."
"You can write me a list."
"It's not the same."
"I know. I'm sorry." He ran his hand through her silky blonde hair, carefully avoiding the bump on her forehead she'd obtained in her fall the morning before. It was more bruise than bump, now, but he was sure it still hurt.
Sam closed her eyes, sighing. Arguing with him wasn't going to make him change his mind, she knew.
"I want my laptop, too." She told him.
"Okay."
"And my notes on the –"
"Sam..." He hushed her before she could start. "Just write me a list, okay?"
"Okay."
He wasn't going to remember it all, anyways, and they both knew it. Even with a list.
He put his feet up on the coffee table, and leaned back a little, careful not to jostle her, and found a documentary on the Discovery channel that caught his attention enough to watch. And the two of them lazed around the rest of the evening, doing nothing but watching TV and cuddling on the sofa like any ordinary couple might. It was a pleasant change from being shot at and chased around strange planets by snake carrying aliens.
No matter how relaxing the evening was, it had to come to an end eventually. Jack called it a night when he realized Sam was starting to fall asleep (although she claimed she'd only been resting her eyes). He picked her up carefully, stopped off at the bathroom so she could brush her teeth and take care of other things, then put her back into his bed and covered her up warmly. Then he went to let Jaffer out.
He stood on the deck, enjoying the chill night air as he waited for his black lab to run around the yard a few times, looking for the perfect spot to pee. He double-checked the lock on the door when the two of them came back in, something he did all the time, since he didn't want Jaffer to be able to let himself out in the middle of the night. Nothing worse than being froze in the morning because the dog had left the door open all night. A quick shower, and he rejoined Sam in the bedroom.
"Painkiller?"
She nodded. She wasn't going to be able to sleep with her ribs throbbing like they were. Especially if he slept with her – which she wanted. Jack tended to hold her closely when they slept, and while Sam liked that, she knew it wouldn't be comfortable that night without a little help.
"Maybe I shouldn't sleep in here tonight..."
Obviously he was following the same line of thinking she was. From the concern in his dark eyes she could tell he really was considering sleeping in the spare room, or on the couch. Sam shook her head.
"You definitely should." She told him. "What if I need you?"
"What if I hurt you?"
"You won't."
It wasn't like they were going to actually be intimate, or anything. She knew she wasn't up for that. Not tonight. And she knew even if she thought she was, he wouldn't do anything so physical with her when she was looking so bruised.
He wasn't so sure, but he allowed himself to be convinced. He didn't want to be apart from her, after all. He flipped off the light and got into bed, and Sam snuggled up next to him, her arm draping over him. She dozed off almost immediately, but Jack lay awake a long time, holding her and watching her as she slept. Yet another of his favorite past times.
Eventually, the long day, the warmth of the woman sleeping next to him, and the gentle snores of the dog that shared their bed all caught up with him. He closed his eyes, and allowed himself to drift off.