"Jack!"
The front door opened with a loud bang, startling Jack and nearly making him jump out of his skin. He'd been sitting on the sofa, flipping through channels, and since Jaffer was outside, he hadn't had any warning that anyone was coming. He hadn't even heard the car doors slam. He wondered if they'd tried to sneak up on him.
Shawn came diving over the back of the couch, landing next to Jack with a big grin on his face, and Jaffer came pelting in through the open sliding glass door to give Sam a greeting as she came through the front door only moments behind Shawn, although far more controlled. The Major was carrying a large, flat package in one hand, and her smile was just as broad as Shawn's. And just as welcoming.
"Hey, kiddo." Jack reached over and ruffled Shawn's hair then turned and greeted Sam with a smile.
"Where have you two been?"
"Picking up your Father's Day present."
He frowned, looking over at Shawn.
"That was last weekend."
"Duh."
Didn't they just know that?
Jack looked over at Sam, confused, but he couldn't help but smile again. She had such a wonderful expression on her face; a mixture of happy anticipation, and just a little mischief. It was hard to not smile at that. Shawn's face looked equally pleased.
"You got me a present?"
"It was Shawn's idea."
He looked over at the boy, who was rubbing Jaffer's face, and trying not to look too pleased with himself.
"Well?"
"Well, what?"
"Where is it?"
"Sam has it."
He looked over his shoulder again, and saw that Carter hadn't walked over to the sofa to join him and Shawn. Instead she'd gone over to the Wall.
Almost everyone has an 'I love me' wall. It's a wall that holds their degrees, diplomas, pictures pf their graduations, things like that. Jack didn't. Oh, he had his degrees somewhere in a nice frame stashed in his desk, and his Air Force commission was framed and in a drawer somewhere as well, along with the citations that went along with all his various medals and ribbons he'd earned during his Military career. But those weren't the things that Jack was the most proud of, and they weren't the things that he showcased on his Wall.
His Wall was filled with pictures. And almost every one of those pictures was of Jaffer. There was a picture of Jack lying sprawled across a bed, dressed in only a pair of sweats and his favorite necklace, looking as though he'd only just woken up. Next to him in the bed was a large black lab, at whose side was a swarming mass of puppies. Seven buffed colored ones, and two little black ones. This was Jack's very first picture of him and Jaffer, and it was one of his favorites.
Surrounding that picture were many, many more. Pictures of a fuzzy black puppy sitting in the middle of a chewed up bathroom floor. Pictures of the same fuzzy puppy running in the park with another fuzzy puppy – this one blonde – chasing balls and sticks and each other. There were pictures of Jaffer posing. Pictures of Jaffer that chronicled his growing years; some of the cute little puppy he'd been, some of the huge, gorgeous dog he'd become. Almost all of them were of Jaffer, although occasionally there was one of Jack and Jaffer, and even rarer still – since he and Sam couldn't really flaunt their relationship just yet – there was a picture of Sam and Jaffer. There was even one of Shawn and Jaffer.
Hanging neatly on pegs, lined up according to size from small to big, Jack had also showcased Jaffer's collars and leashes. His first collar – a small blue one that had little puppy paw prints. His first leash, which was actually chewed into pieces. A little coat that proudly proclaimed Jaffer to be the world's best puppy. All the way up to sturdy collars and leashes that still had the occasional tooth mark in them.
Basically, it was Jaffer's Wall. But that was going to change.
"Come here, Jack." Sam said, not looking at O'Neill, but looking at the pictures hanging there.
Shawn and Jack both walked over to stand by her, and Jack looked at her, confused.
"What are-"?
Sam handed him the package in her hand, and Jack took it and looked at Shawn and her, smiling despite his confusion. They were both looking way too pleased with themselves. If not for the smiles, he'd have been nervous.
He unwrapped the package, and almost dropped the picture that had been carefully wrapped inside.
It was a picture of Jaffer. Sitting next to Jaffer – obviously at a portrait studio somewhere – was Shawn, and on the other side of Jaffer was Sam. Both were dressed in casual clothing, and both were smiling broadly, as though in anticipation of the giving of the picture to Jack. Jaffer had been groomed until his black coat was shining glossy, and it even reflected the flash of light from the camera. The picture itself was beautifully matted in black and whites, and framed in a delicate but simple black frame that only accentuated just how perfect the people in the picture were.
"Oh..."
He couldn't think of anything to say. Nothing. It was really the greatest gift they could have given him, and it was a measure of how well the two of them knew him that they'd thought of it. In one picture, he had his whole world. Oh, he had other friends, of course, and other interests. But this was the essence of his life, right here in his hands. And in the room watching him as he looked at the picture.
Jack felt the sting of tears, but he forced them down by sheer will. He was not going to cry. Not even for those two. Not if he could help it. Instead, he cleared his throat of the lump that had suddenly sprung up.
"How... when...?"
"When was easy," Sam said, taking the picture from Jack and pulling down a picture of Jaffer sitting in the bathtub. That one would be rehung, since it was adorable, but the one she had in her hand would fit perfectly there. "We had it done while you and Daniel were off-world looking at those ruins Daniel had told you all about."
"You tricked me?"
"You told him you were interested." Sam said, innocently.
"You told me to tell him that. You said it'd make him feel better."
"Oh, yeah..." She shrugged. "Then, yes, I guess you could say I tricked you."
Shawn laughed.
"The how was a little more difficult." Sam said, frowning down at Jaffer, who looked up at her innocently. "He wasn't very cooporative."
"Jaffer?" Jack acted surprised, and Sam stuck her tongue out at him, much to Shawn's amusement.
"We bribed him with everything to get him to sit still." Shawn said. "The camera guy wasn't happy."
Sam hung the picture, and Jack couldn't stop looking at it, even though he had trouble deciding who to look at in the picture the longest.
"Do you like it, Jack?" Shawn asked.
O'Neill nodded, feeling those damned tears trying to sneak past his defenses once more.
"It's great. The best Father's Day present I've ever had."
God, how could he have ever thought he was going to be alone?
The End
...............
Author's Note: Okay! So there you have it. Shawn knows who he is, now, and doesn't that open up a whole bunch of possibilities? Well, yeah, it does, but I'm not sure what I'll write, and what I'll leave up to your imaginations. So... what did you like most? Like least? Favorite line? Let me know! Also, let me know what you want to see more of, and I'll consider writing it out for you!
The front door opened with a loud bang, startling Jack and nearly making him jump out of his skin. He'd been sitting on the sofa, flipping through channels, and since Jaffer was outside, he hadn't had any warning that anyone was coming. He hadn't even heard the car doors slam. He wondered if they'd tried to sneak up on him.
Shawn came diving over the back of the couch, landing next to Jack with a big grin on his face, and Jaffer came pelting in through the open sliding glass door to give Sam a greeting as she came through the front door only moments behind Shawn, although far more controlled. The Major was carrying a large, flat package in one hand, and her smile was just as broad as Shawn's. And just as welcoming.
"Hey, kiddo." Jack reached over and ruffled Shawn's hair then turned and greeted Sam with a smile.
"Where have you two been?"
"Picking up your Father's Day present."
He frowned, looking over at Shawn.
"That was last weekend."
"Duh."
Didn't they just know that?
Jack looked over at Sam, confused, but he couldn't help but smile again. She had such a wonderful expression on her face; a mixture of happy anticipation, and just a little mischief. It was hard to not smile at that. Shawn's face looked equally pleased.
"You got me a present?"
"It was Shawn's idea."
He looked over at the boy, who was rubbing Jaffer's face, and trying not to look too pleased with himself.
"Well?"
"Well, what?"
"Where is it?"
"Sam has it."
He looked over his shoulder again, and saw that Carter hadn't walked over to the sofa to join him and Shawn. Instead she'd gone over to the Wall.
Almost everyone has an 'I love me' wall. It's a wall that holds their degrees, diplomas, pictures pf their graduations, things like that. Jack didn't. Oh, he had his degrees somewhere in a nice frame stashed in his desk, and his Air Force commission was framed and in a drawer somewhere as well, along with the citations that went along with all his various medals and ribbons he'd earned during his Military career. But those weren't the things that Jack was the most proud of, and they weren't the things that he showcased on his Wall.
His Wall was filled with pictures. And almost every one of those pictures was of Jaffer. There was a picture of Jack lying sprawled across a bed, dressed in only a pair of sweats and his favorite necklace, looking as though he'd only just woken up. Next to him in the bed was a large black lab, at whose side was a swarming mass of puppies. Seven buffed colored ones, and two little black ones. This was Jack's very first picture of him and Jaffer, and it was one of his favorites.
Surrounding that picture were many, many more. Pictures of a fuzzy black puppy sitting in the middle of a chewed up bathroom floor. Pictures of the same fuzzy puppy running in the park with another fuzzy puppy – this one blonde – chasing balls and sticks and each other. There were pictures of Jaffer posing. Pictures of Jaffer that chronicled his growing years; some of the cute little puppy he'd been, some of the huge, gorgeous dog he'd become. Almost all of them were of Jaffer, although occasionally there was one of Jack and Jaffer, and even rarer still – since he and Sam couldn't really flaunt their relationship just yet – there was a picture of Sam and Jaffer. There was even one of Shawn and Jaffer.
Hanging neatly on pegs, lined up according to size from small to big, Jack had also showcased Jaffer's collars and leashes. His first collar – a small blue one that had little puppy paw prints. His first leash, which was actually chewed into pieces. A little coat that proudly proclaimed Jaffer to be the world's best puppy. All the way up to sturdy collars and leashes that still had the occasional tooth mark in them.
Basically, it was Jaffer's Wall. But that was going to change.
"Come here, Jack." Sam said, not looking at O'Neill, but looking at the pictures hanging there.
Shawn and Jack both walked over to stand by her, and Jack looked at her, confused.
"What are-"?
Sam handed him the package in her hand, and Jack took it and looked at Shawn and her, smiling despite his confusion. They were both looking way too pleased with themselves. If not for the smiles, he'd have been nervous.
He unwrapped the package, and almost dropped the picture that had been carefully wrapped inside.
It was a picture of Jaffer. Sitting next to Jaffer – obviously at a portrait studio somewhere – was Shawn, and on the other side of Jaffer was Sam. Both were dressed in casual clothing, and both were smiling broadly, as though in anticipation of the giving of the picture to Jack. Jaffer had been groomed until his black coat was shining glossy, and it even reflected the flash of light from the camera. The picture itself was beautifully matted in black and whites, and framed in a delicate but simple black frame that only accentuated just how perfect the people in the picture were.
"Oh..."
He couldn't think of anything to say. Nothing. It was really the greatest gift they could have given him, and it was a measure of how well the two of them knew him that they'd thought of it. In one picture, he had his whole world. Oh, he had other friends, of course, and other interests. But this was the essence of his life, right here in his hands. And in the room watching him as he looked at the picture.
Jack felt the sting of tears, but he forced them down by sheer will. He was not going to cry. Not even for those two. Not if he could help it. Instead, he cleared his throat of the lump that had suddenly sprung up.
"How... when...?"
"When was easy," Sam said, taking the picture from Jack and pulling down a picture of Jaffer sitting in the bathtub. That one would be rehung, since it was adorable, but the one she had in her hand would fit perfectly there. "We had it done while you and Daniel were off-world looking at those ruins Daniel had told you all about."
"You tricked me?"
"You told him you were interested." Sam said, innocently.
"You told me to tell him that. You said it'd make him feel better."
"Oh, yeah..." She shrugged. "Then, yes, I guess you could say I tricked you."
Shawn laughed.
"The how was a little more difficult." Sam said, frowning down at Jaffer, who looked up at her innocently. "He wasn't very cooporative."
"Jaffer?" Jack acted surprised, and Sam stuck her tongue out at him, much to Shawn's amusement.
"We bribed him with everything to get him to sit still." Shawn said. "The camera guy wasn't happy."
Sam hung the picture, and Jack couldn't stop looking at it, even though he had trouble deciding who to look at in the picture the longest.
"Do you like it, Jack?" Shawn asked.
O'Neill nodded, feeling those damned tears trying to sneak past his defenses once more.
"It's great. The best Father's Day present I've ever had."
God, how could he have ever thought he was going to be alone?
The End
...............
Author's Note: Okay! So there you have it. Shawn knows who he is, now, and doesn't that open up a whole bunch of possibilities? Well, yeah, it does, but I'm not sure what I'll write, and what I'll leave up to your imaginations. So... what did you like most? Like least? Favorite line? Let me know! Also, let me know what you want to see more of, and I'll consider writing it out for you!