The first thing Jack was aware of was the painful cramp in his neck. The
second was the warm, slight weight on his chest. The third was Sam's head
resting on his thigh.
The fourth was the knock at the door.
Jack snapped his head up, immediately groaning at the sharp pain that shot down his neck to the knot between his shoulder blades. He looked down, and his heart jumped.
They were on the couch, having settled there somewhere around four in the morning when Lorelei had woken up again for another feeding. It was blurry at that point, but he vaguely remembered sinking into the soft cushions with Lorelei in his arms.
Where she still was. Sound asleep.
It was the other girl who had his heart racing. Sam stretched out on her side the length of the couch, with her head in his lap and her hand tucked beneath her cheek – sound asleep.
Damn.
Then he was jolted from his enjoyment of the whole situation when the knock came again, followed by the distinct sound of his front door opening.
Who the hell...?
"J.J? J.J Sweetheart, are you home?"
Oh, for cryin' out loud...
"Ma?" he called out in a restrained voice, hoping not to wake either of his girls.
His first instinct was to jump to his feet and meet her in the hall, but that was pretty much impossible with a sleeping baby against his chest and a sleeping woman in his lap.
Damn...
Too late. Before he could do a thing, Madeline Cambridge – formerly known as Madeline O'Neill – was in his house and coming down the steps into his living room.
"J.J, is that you? Why on earth are you sleeping on the couch... Oh, my Lord!"
The look on his mother's face told him she was thinking absolutely everything he didn't want her to think. Not that he blamed her. The three of them had to make quite the picture.
"Ma, it's not what you think. I swear."
"Not what I think? Just what is it you think I'm thinking, J.J O'Neill? Because what I'm thinking is that I'm a grandmother again, and you didn't bother call and tell me."
"No. Ma. Please... just... let me explain."
Lorelei stirred against his shoulder. Her soft sigh told him she was awake... again... and probably ready for another meal. The soy formula certainly seemed to have done the trick.
"I'm waiting, J.J."
Jack winced. He hated... no... detested being called J.J. His mother was the only person on the planet – make that any planet that could get away with it.
He ran a hand roughly over his face. Maybe this was a dream. A really sick, twisted dream. But when he opened his eyes, his mother was still there. Then to add to the agony, his stepfather came through the door and added his shocked expression to the mix.
"Jack?"
"Hey, Ed."
"J.J., don't avoid me."
"Okay, Ma. Can you just do me a favor? Take the baby for a minute so I can get up."
Unfortunately, his mother seemed all to eager to take Lorelei. He saw it on her face as soon as the newborn was in her arms. She had staked her claim. And possession was nine-tenths of the law. As his mother disappeared into the hall, his stepfather in tow, Jack worked at slipping out from beneath Sam's sleeping form. Somehow, he managed to and she moaned softly as she settled again on the couch cushion.
Jack stood in his spot, looking down at her. Oh, how he would have liked to enjoy the morning. He could have sat there for another hour, watching the two of them sleep.
But it was probably a good thing his mother had shown up. Things had gone a step too far last night. Kissing Sam was a mistake. The most pleasant kind of mistake, but a mistake all the same. He shook off the thoughts and took a steeling breath as he headed for the kitchen.
Lorelei was beginning to fuss, and he prepared a new bottle as his mother cooed and cajoled and Ed watched – dumbfounded.
"Don't get attached, Ma."
"J.J O'Neill... I come in to find you asleep with a beautiful woman and a newborn in your arms. What am I supposed to think? Are you going to tell me you and she aren't involved? That this isn't your baby?"
Jack took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. He busied himself with making coffee as the bottle warmed. "The woman on the couch is Major Samantha Carter. She's my 2IC."
Military service ran in the family, so is mother knew what he meant. "Did you become involved with your second in command?"
"No! Ma! Let me tell you."
"Please do."
He was never real good at making up cover stories on the spot, but he did the best he could. He just basically left out the whole 'the baby is from another planet' part. But by the time he was done, he was pretty sure his mother believed him. He figured as much by the disappointed look on her face.
After pouring a cup of coffee for each of them, and taking the bottle from the pot of water he'd set it in to warm, he took Lorelei from his mother's arms. He felt her gaze on him as he checked the heat of the formula, adjusted the burp cloth beneath Lorelei's chin, and proceeded to feed her breakfast.
"Don't even think it, Ma. It's not happening again. Not as far as I can see."
"Why not, J.J? You are a wonderful father."
"Don't!" he snapped out, but quickly reined in the rush of emotion that took him by surprise. This whole thing... the last two days ... had really screwed with his head. "I'm sorry, Ma. Just... don't. Okay?"
His mother nodded, but continued to watch him.
"Mmmm, coffee smells wonderful. You should have woken me up, Ja—"
Jack grimaced and turned to the kitchen door, where Sam now stood. Her cheeks were flushed from sleep, but her eyes were wide as she took in the scene.
"Morning, Carter," he said, resorting to their tried-and-true form of reference. "Ah... this is my mother and step-father. Madeline and Ed Cambridge. Mom... Ed... this is Sam Carter."
The fourth was the knock at the door.
Jack snapped his head up, immediately groaning at the sharp pain that shot down his neck to the knot between his shoulder blades. He looked down, and his heart jumped.
They were on the couch, having settled there somewhere around four in the morning when Lorelei had woken up again for another feeding. It was blurry at that point, but he vaguely remembered sinking into the soft cushions with Lorelei in his arms.
Where she still was. Sound asleep.
It was the other girl who had his heart racing. Sam stretched out on her side the length of the couch, with her head in his lap and her hand tucked beneath her cheek – sound asleep.
Damn.
Then he was jolted from his enjoyment of the whole situation when the knock came again, followed by the distinct sound of his front door opening.
Who the hell...?
"J.J? J.J Sweetheart, are you home?"
Oh, for cryin' out loud...
"Ma?" he called out in a restrained voice, hoping not to wake either of his girls.
His first instinct was to jump to his feet and meet her in the hall, but that was pretty much impossible with a sleeping baby against his chest and a sleeping woman in his lap.
Damn...
Too late. Before he could do a thing, Madeline Cambridge – formerly known as Madeline O'Neill – was in his house and coming down the steps into his living room.
"J.J, is that you? Why on earth are you sleeping on the couch... Oh, my Lord!"
The look on his mother's face told him she was thinking absolutely everything he didn't want her to think. Not that he blamed her. The three of them had to make quite the picture.
"Ma, it's not what you think. I swear."
"Not what I think? Just what is it you think I'm thinking, J.J O'Neill? Because what I'm thinking is that I'm a grandmother again, and you didn't bother call and tell me."
"No. Ma. Please... just... let me explain."
Lorelei stirred against his shoulder. Her soft sigh told him she was awake... again... and probably ready for another meal. The soy formula certainly seemed to have done the trick.
"I'm waiting, J.J."
Jack winced. He hated... no... detested being called J.J. His mother was the only person on the planet – make that any planet that could get away with it.
He ran a hand roughly over his face. Maybe this was a dream. A really sick, twisted dream. But when he opened his eyes, his mother was still there. Then to add to the agony, his stepfather came through the door and added his shocked expression to the mix.
"Jack?"
"Hey, Ed."
"J.J., don't avoid me."
"Okay, Ma. Can you just do me a favor? Take the baby for a minute so I can get up."
Unfortunately, his mother seemed all to eager to take Lorelei. He saw it on her face as soon as the newborn was in her arms. She had staked her claim. And possession was nine-tenths of the law. As his mother disappeared into the hall, his stepfather in tow, Jack worked at slipping out from beneath Sam's sleeping form. Somehow, he managed to and she moaned softly as she settled again on the couch cushion.
Jack stood in his spot, looking down at her. Oh, how he would have liked to enjoy the morning. He could have sat there for another hour, watching the two of them sleep.
But it was probably a good thing his mother had shown up. Things had gone a step too far last night. Kissing Sam was a mistake. The most pleasant kind of mistake, but a mistake all the same. He shook off the thoughts and took a steeling breath as he headed for the kitchen.
Lorelei was beginning to fuss, and he prepared a new bottle as his mother cooed and cajoled and Ed watched – dumbfounded.
"Don't get attached, Ma."
"J.J O'Neill... I come in to find you asleep with a beautiful woman and a newborn in your arms. What am I supposed to think? Are you going to tell me you and she aren't involved? That this isn't your baby?"
Jack took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. He busied himself with making coffee as the bottle warmed. "The woman on the couch is Major Samantha Carter. She's my 2IC."
Military service ran in the family, so is mother knew what he meant. "Did you become involved with your second in command?"
"No! Ma! Let me tell you."
"Please do."
He was never real good at making up cover stories on the spot, but he did the best he could. He just basically left out the whole 'the baby is from another planet' part. But by the time he was done, he was pretty sure his mother believed him. He figured as much by the disappointed look on her face.
After pouring a cup of coffee for each of them, and taking the bottle from the pot of water he'd set it in to warm, he took Lorelei from his mother's arms. He felt her gaze on him as he checked the heat of the formula, adjusted the burp cloth beneath Lorelei's chin, and proceeded to feed her breakfast.
"Don't even think it, Ma. It's not happening again. Not as far as I can see."
"Why not, J.J? You are a wonderful father."
"Don't!" he snapped out, but quickly reined in the rush of emotion that took him by surprise. This whole thing... the last two days ... had really screwed with his head. "I'm sorry, Ma. Just... don't. Okay?"
His mother nodded, but continued to watch him.
"Mmmm, coffee smells wonderful. You should have woken me up, Ja—"
Jack grimaced and turned to the kitchen door, where Sam now stood. Her cheeks were flushed from sleep, but her eyes were wide as she took in the scene.
"Morning, Carter," he said, resorting to their tried-and-true form of reference. "Ah... this is my mother and step-father. Madeline and Ed Cambridge. Mom... Ed... this is Sam Carter."