"I'll leave Jaffer here," Jack told Sam the next morning after breakfast. He was going to run a few errands, and wasn't at all fond of the idea of leaving Sam alone while he did.
"You don't have to do that."
"Yeah, I do."
Duh. Of course he did. She couldn't come with him, and he wouldn't leave her home alone when she wasn't at her best. Jaffer would be good company for her and he could keep an eye on her while Jack wasn't able to.
Sam looked at the black lab, who was watching them both. Carter was on the sofa, leaning against a pile of pillows with her feet stretched out and her cast covered. (They'd finally noticed the marks on the cast left by Jaffer's teeth when the lab had taken a taste of the plaster to see if it was good for eating, and Jack had decided that the small nibble was more than enough plaster for Jaffer.)
"Don't forget my laptop."
"I won't."
He patted the pocket that held the list – the incredibly long list – of things she wanted from her house and from her lab. It was shorter than it had started, though, since Sam had taken a look at the gnaw marks on her cast, decided that Jaffer wasn't over his chewing stages after all, and had scratched a number of the more expensive items off the list.
Jack looked over at her. The coffee table held a bottle of juice, a glass of water and a small plate of snacks (that would vanish the moment Sam fell asleep if she didn't eat them first). She should be fine. He'd also thought to lock the sliding glass door so Jaffer couldn't get out and leave it open and freeze her out of the living room. Then, he'd drawn the curtains closed, because she mentioned the bright sunlight was giving her a headache from the glare of it coming off the TV.
"Need anything else before I go?"
"No. I'm fine, Jack."
She shooed him away.
"I don't have to tell you to stay off your feet, do I?"
She rolled her eyes, and shook her head. He'd been telling her that all morning. She had a very good memory, after all.
"No, Sir! I will stay right where I am until you come back." She snapped him a salute.
"I'll be back soon." He looked at Jaffer, who was sprawled on the floor, stretched out like a big black rug (with a wagging tail). "You keep her on the couch, little man."
Jaffer raised his head and his tail wagged harder.
"Don't you dare tell him to sit on me." Sam protested.
"I won't." Jack said, leaning over and stealing a quick kiss. "I don't need to. He won't let you up."
It was an empty threat, because Jack really wasn't all that sure that Jaffer would keep her on the couch. Luckily, Sam didn't know that. He grinned at the look she gave him, and headed for the door, grabbing his keys on the way out, and locking the door behind him.
Sam scowled down at Jaffer, who had stayed still while Jack left.
"You wouldn't really keep me here if I didn't want to stay, would you?"
He growled softly, but the threatening rumble in his chest was offset by the cheerful gleam in his brown eyes and the wagging tail. He most certainly would keep her there.
"Bah."
She tossed him one of the snacks from her plate, and he caught it easily and gobbled it down. Then Sam picked up the remote control, and turned on the TV. There was a thing on NOVA she wanted to watch, and since she couldn't go anywhere anyways, she figured she might as well watch it.
.................
"There he goes."
"He's alone, though."
"He lives alone, stupid."
"He's got a dog. I've seen it."
"Yeah. Where's the dog?"
"Back yard?"
"Hopefully."
The three men looked at each other from the van they were sitting in that was parked at the end of the street. Big men, all three of them, and tough looking. But that didn't mean they liked dogs.
"I'll go knock on the door. Dogs bark, right?"
"Yeah. All dogs bark."
"So, if he barks, we'll know he's inside and needs to be dealt with. If he's outside, he'll be out of the way, anyways."
They watched as O'Neill got into his truck and pulled out of the driveway, and then ducked slightly as he drove past them.
"Go knock on the door, Tom." One of the men urged his friend.
The biggest of the three shook his head.
"Not yet. We'll wait and make sure he didn't forget something and come back home after it. Give it a few minutes."
"Fine."
The three waited silently for a few minutes, impatiently tapping fingers on the dash of the van, or making annoying clicking noises with their tongues, and finally Tom opened the door. He was more annoyed by the noises his partners were making than he was worried about the guy coming back.
"I'll be right back."
He walked up the sidewalk, and looked around when he reached the driveway Jack had just pulled out of a few minutes earlier. No one was around – which had been the whole idea. Most people thought that burglaries take place during the middle of the night, but a mart robber will go during the day, when people are at work. (The person they're stealing from, as well as the neighbors who were potential witnesses). The three men had been making a small fortune the last few months doing this, and had been looking for a good house on the quiet street to make their next move. The nice truck, and the fact that there weren't any signs of a family – kids and a wife – to maybe be home during the day and complicate things, made the O'Neill house look very attractive to the three, and they'd been by a couple nights before to take a preliminary look.
They'd noticed that the guy that lived in the house tended to stay up all night. His bedroom light had been on all evening, and he'd been up and down all night to judge by the lights going off and on in various parts of the house. Obviously a night robbery was out of the question, even if they didn't prefer to work during the day. The only thing that bothered them was the dog. He was a big dog, although as near as they could tell he was friendly, since his tail always seemed to be wagging. But big dog or not, they had chosen the house, and if the dog got in the way, well... they had ways of dealing with dumb dogs.
Tom walked up the driveway and to the door and knocked lightly on the door. He didn't expect anyone to answer, of course, but just in case he had a story ready. He'd be looking for someone who he thought lived here, but might be on the next block over.
Inside the house, Jaffer came immediately to his feet as soon as he heard the door. A knock on the door usually meant a pizza! Or someone was coming to visit that he knew and liked, and that meant attention. Which was almost as good as a pizza. He walked over, looking at the door expectantly, his tail wagging idly, even though he didn't recognize the smell of the person on the other side, and he certainly didn't smell a pizza. He looked over at Carter, waiting to see what she was going to do.
Sam groaned, softly, but she couldn't get up. Besides, Janet had called already that morning and said she was going to be on base all day, Daniel and Teal'c were both off-world, and she knew Jack wasn't expecting company. It was probably someone selling something, and certainly that wasn't worth trying to get to the door for.
The knock sounded again, but then whoever it was must have given up, because she didn't hear it again, and Jaffer eventually moved away from the door.
"You don't have to do that."
"Yeah, I do."
Duh. Of course he did. She couldn't come with him, and he wouldn't leave her home alone when she wasn't at her best. Jaffer would be good company for her and he could keep an eye on her while Jack wasn't able to.
Sam looked at the black lab, who was watching them both. Carter was on the sofa, leaning against a pile of pillows with her feet stretched out and her cast covered. (They'd finally noticed the marks on the cast left by Jaffer's teeth when the lab had taken a taste of the plaster to see if it was good for eating, and Jack had decided that the small nibble was more than enough plaster for Jaffer.)
"Don't forget my laptop."
"I won't."
He patted the pocket that held the list – the incredibly long list – of things she wanted from her house and from her lab. It was shorter than it had started, though, since Sam had taken a look at the gnaw marks on her cast, decided that Jaffer wasn't over his chewing stages after all, and had scratched a number of the more expensive items off the list.
Jack looked over at her. The coffee table held a bottle of juice, a glass of water and a small plate of snacks (that would vanish the moment Sam fell asleep if she didn't eat them first). She should be fine. He'd also thought to lock the sliding glass door so Jaffer couldn't get out and leave it open and freeze her out of the living room. Then, he'd drawn the curtains closed, because she mentioned the bright sunlight was giving her a headache from the glare of it coming off the TV.
"Need anything else before I go?"
"No. I'm fine, Jack."
She shooed him away.
"I don't have to tell you to stay off your feet, do I?"
She rolled her eyes, and shook her head. He'd been telling her that all morning. She had a very good memory, after all.
"No, Sir! I will stay right where I am until you come back." She snapped him a salute.
"I'll be back soon." He looked at Jaffer, who was sprawled on the floor, stretched out like a big black rug (with a wagging tail). "You keep her on the couch, little man."
Jaffer raised his head and his tail wagged harder.
"Don't you dare tell him to sit on me." Sam protested.
"I won't." Jack said, leaning over and stealing a quick kiss. "I don't need to. He won't let you up."
It was an empty threat, because Jack really wasn't all that sure that Jaffer would keep her on the couch. Luckily, Sam didn't know that. He grinned at the look she gave him, and headed for the door, grabbing his keys on the way out, and locking the door behind him.
Sam scowled down at Jaffer, who had stayed still while Jack left.
"You wouldn't really keep me here if I didn't want to stay, would you?"
He growled softly, but the threatening rumble in his chest was offset by the cheerful gleam in his brown eyes and the wagging tail. He most certainly would keep her there.
"Bah."
She tossed him one of the snacks from her plate, and he caught it easily and gobbled it down. Then Sam picked up the remote control, and turned on the TV. There was a thing on NOVA she wanted to watch, and since she couldn't go anywhere anyways, she figured she might as well watch it.
.................
"There he goes."
"He's alone, though."
"He lives alone, stupid."
"He's got a dog. I've seen it."
"Yeah. Where's the dog?"
"Back yard?"
"Hopefully."
The three men looked at each other from the van they were sitting in that was parked at the end of the street. Big men, all three of them, and tough looking. But that didn't mean they liked dogs.
"I'll go knock on the door. Dogs bark, right?"
"Yeah. All dogs bark."
"So, if he barks, we'll know he's inside and needs to be dealt with. If he's outside, he'll be out of the way, anyways."
They watched as O'Neill got into his truck and pulled out of the driveway, and then ducked slightly as he drove past them.
"Go knock on the door, Tom." One of the men urged his friend.
The biggest of the three shook his head.
"Not yet. We'll wait and make sure he didn't forget something and come back home after it. Give it a few minutes."
"Fine."
The three waited silently for a few minutes, impatiently tapping fingers on the dash of the van, or making annoying clicking noises with their tongues, and finally Tom opened the door. He was more annoyed by the noises his partners were making than he was worried about the guy coming back.
"I'll be right back."
He walked up the sidewalk, and looked around when he reached the driveway Jack had just pulled out of a few minutes earlier. No one was around – which had been the whole idea. Most people thought that burglaries take place during the middle of the night, but a mart robber will go during the day, when people are at work. (The person they're stealing from, as well as the neighbors who were potential witnesses). The three men had been making a small fortune the last few months doing this, and had been looking for a good house on the quiet street to make their next move. The nice truck, and the fact that there weren't any signs of a family – kids and a wife – to maybe be home during the day and complicate things, made the O'Neill house look very attractive to the three, and they'd been by a couple nights before to take a preliminary look.
They'd noticed that the guy that lived in the house tended to stay up all night. His bedroom light had been on all evening, and he'd been up and down all night to judge by the lights going off and on in various parts of the house. Obviously a night robbery was out of the question, even if they didn't prefer to work during the day. The only thing that bothered them was the dog. He was a big dog, although as near as they could tell he was friendly, since his tail always seemed to be wagging. But big dog or not, they had chosen the house, and if the dog got in the way, well... they had ways of dealing with dumb dogs.
Tom walked up the driveway and to the door and knocked lightly on the door. He didn't expect anyone to answer, of course, but just in case he had a story ready. He'd be looking for someone who he thought lived here, but might be on the next block over.
Inside the house, Jaffer came immediately to his feet as soon as he heard the door. A knock on the door usually meant a pizza! Or someone was coming to visit that he knew and liked, and that meant attention. Which was almost as good as a pizza. He walked over, looking at the door expectantly, his tail wagging idly, even though he didn't recognize the smell of the person on the other side, and he certainly didn't smell a pizza. He looked over at Carter, waiting to see what she was going to do.
Sam groaned, softly, but she couldn't get up. Besides, Janet had called already that morning and said she was going to be on base all day, Daniel and Teal'c were both off-world, and she knew Jack wasn't expecting company. It was probably someone selling something, and certainly that wasn't worth trying to get to the door for.
The knock sounded again, but then whoever it was must have given up, because she didn't hear it again, and Jaffer eventually moved away from the door.