Sam's feet were glued to the floor. She couldn't move.
Holy Hannah... How the heck did this happen? His mother? His mother?
She approached Sam, extending her hand, and Sam numbly took it. God, she needed coffee, preferably by intravenous, because her mind was playing tricks on her. His mother looked familiar. Really familiar. Maybe because of pictures he had around or....
"Holy Hannah..." she said aloud this time.
Jack looked up from feeding Lorelei. "Carter?"
"You're Madeline O'Neill?"
"Well, I used to be," his mother answered.
Yes... yes... damn! She was older than the last pictures Sam had seen, but the woman had to easily be in her seventies. A spry seventy, that was for sure... but seventies, nonetheless.
"Sir, why didn't you ever tell me your mother was Madeline O'Neill?"
Jack made his 'what the hell are you talking about' face and shook his head. "Why would I?"
"Colonel, your mother wrote the initial astral-navigation computer program we used to create the Star—"She nearly choked on the words, but caught herself. Jack raised a single eyebrow. "We used to create the star charts we're using now at Cheyenne Mountain."
"I wrote those programs decades ago," his mother said. "What are you doing there that you would use that program."
"Deep Space Telemetry," both she and Jack said together, which garnered a look from his mother.
Jack smirked and Sam tried to suppress her smile. They thought way too much alike sometimes. Sam cleared her throat and padded across the kitchen in her stocking feet to pick up the cup of coffee on the counter near Jack. She knew it was probably his, but since they took their coffee the same and she really needed to clear her head, she didn't really care. His gaze moved with her, and her skin warmed as his eyes dropped to her mouth as she took the cup away.
"Go ahead, Carter. Tell her what you are," Jack said, his voice sounding like a father letting his kid pick out their favorite piece of candy.
"I'm a theoretical astrophysicist for the Air Force."
Jack's mother arched her eyebrows. It had to be a family trait. "Impressive. She's a smart one, J.J."
Jack winced, and Sam snapped her head around to look up at him.
"J.J?"
"Not a word, Carter. Not a word! And that's an order."
Sam smiled, not trying in the least bit to hide it. Oh, no... this was a piece of blackmail material she was going to stow away for a rainy day. The possibilities were endless. Just as his smile began to spread, another flash of recollection hit her and she looked to his mother.
"I read somewhere, when I studied your work at the Academy, that you originally developed the program for your oldest son. Because he loved to look at the stars, and your program allowed him to plot them as he identified them." She looked back to Jack. "Your son, J.J."
Jack looked away, busying himself with extracting the dry bottle from Lorelei's mouth. He wouldn't look at her as he shifted the baby against his shoulder and proceeded to extract a satisfying burp from her tiny body.
"Colonel, I never knew I worked with the man responsible for inspiring the majority of computer programming and astronomical advances that have brought us to where we are today."
"Ah, cool it, Carter."
"Wait until Daniel hears this."
To anyone else, his glare might have been a silent threat. But Sam saw the smile behind his eyes. She knew he wasn't really all that upset. He was just putting on a front. Sam finished her coffee – Jack's coffee – and he handed Lorelei off to her to pour himself another cup.
"So... Ma. You gonna tell me why you're really here? Colorado is a bit of a hike from Chicago."
"We're here with Bobby and Jean."
Sam looked to Jack as she found a comfortable position for Lorelei in her arms. She realized they were probably standing a fraction of an inch too close. His hand was braced against the countertop, and with her hips set against the edge, one sway to the right would bring her against his side. Thoughts of their kiss flashed in her mind, and heat rose in her cheeks, but she didn't look away. Jack took a sip of his coffee before speaking.
"Bobby is my younger brother. Half-brother. Jean is his wife."
"If this is family talk, I should go."
His hand came up to touch her shoulder. "No need. Right, Ma? We're not sharing any deep, dark secrets. Are we?"
"No," she answered. "Just tragic ones."
Holy Hannah... How the heck did this happen? His mother? His mother?
She approached Sam, extending her hand, and Sam numbly took it. God, she needed coffee, preferably by intravenous, because her mind was playing tricks on her. His mother looked familiar. Really familiar. Maybe because of pictures he had around or....
"Holy Hannah..." she said aloud this time.
Jack looked up from feeding Lorelei. "Carter?"
"You're Madeline O'Neill?"
"Well, I used to be," his mother answered.
Yes... yes... damn! She was older than the last pictures Sam had seen, but the woman had to easily be in her seventies. A spry seventy, that was for sure... but seventies, nonetheless.
"Sir, why didn't you ever tell me your mother was Madeline O'Neill?"
Jack made his 'what the hell are you talking about' face and shook his head. "Why would I?"
"Colonel, your mother wrote the initial astral-navigation computer program we used to create the Star—"She nearly choked on the words, but caught herself. Jack raised a single eyebrow. "We used to create the star charts we're using now at Cheyenne Mountain."
"I wrote those programs decades ago," his mother said. "What are you doing there that you would use that program."
"Deep Space Telemetry," both she and Jack said together, which garnered a look from his mother.
Jack smirked and Sam tried to suppress her smile. They thought way too much alike sometimes. Sam cleared her throat and padded across the kitchen in her stocking feet to pick up the cup of coffee on the counter near Jack. She knew it was probably his, but since they took their coffee the same and she really needed to clear her head, she didn't really care. His gaze moved with her, and her skin warmed as his eyes dropped to her mouth as she took the cup away.
"Go ahead, Carter. Tell her what you are," Jack said, his voice sounding like a father letting his kid pick out their favorite piece of candy.
"I'm a theoretical astrophysicist for the Air Force."
Jack's mother arched her eyebrows. It had to be a family trait. "Impressive. She's a smart one, J.J."
Jack winced, and Sam snapped her head around to look up at him.
"J.J?"
"Not a word, Carter. Not a word! And that's an order."
Sam smiled, not trying in the least bit to hide it. Oh, no... this was a piece of blackmail material she was going to stow away for a rainy day. The possibilities were endless. Just as his smile began to spread, another flash of recollection hit her and she looked to his mother.
"I read somewhere, when I studied your work at the Academy, that you originally developed the program for your oldest son. Because he loved to look at the stars, and your program allowed him to plot them as he identified them." She looked back to Jack. "Your son, J.J."
Jack looked away, busying himself with extracting the dry bottle from Lorelei's mouth. He wouldn't look at her as he shifted the baby against his shoulder and proceeded to extract a satisfying burp from her tiny body.
"Colonel, I never knew I worked with the man responsible for inspiring the majority of computer programming and astronomical advances that have brought us to where we are today."
"Ah, cool it, Carter."
"Wait until Daniel hears this."
To anyone else, his glare might have been a silent threat. But Sam saw the smile behind his eyes. She knew he wasn't really all that upset. He was just putting on a front. Sam finished her coffee – Jack's coffee – and he handed Lorelei off to her to pour himself another cup.
"So... Ma. You gonna tell me why you're really here? Colorado is a bit of a hike from Chicago."
"We're here with Bobby and Jean."
Sam looked to Jack as she found a comfortable position for Lorelei in her arms. She realized they were probably standing a fraction of an inch too close. His hand was braced against the countertop, and with her hips set against the edge, one sway to the right would bring her against his side. Thoughts of their kiss flashed in her mind, and heat rose in her cheeks, but she didn't look away. Jack took a sip of his coffee before speaking.
"Bobby is my younger brother. Half-brother. Jean is his wife."
"If this is family talk, I should go."
His hand came up to touch her shoulder. "No need. Right, Ma? We're not sharing any deep, dark secrets. Are we?"
"No," she answered. "Just tragic ones."