Chapter 2
The room spinned around Jack as he twirled on Sam's desk chair. She smiled at him as she said a quick goodbye and closed her cell phone. "Was there something you wanted, Colonel?"
"Yes."
She waited patiently for a moment, but after no further response, attempted to prod more information out of him. "What is it?"
"I don't remember. I came in to ask you something, but it kind of
flew out as I spun around."
Sam looked at him queerly, wondering if he had really come in to ask her something, or if he had just wanted to play with her new chair. "Uh huh."
"So, uh, who was on the phone?"
"My brother Mark. He and Julie are planning a surprise party for my
niece's birthday and he wanted to invite me."
"It must be nice having them live so close."
Sam smiled. "Yeah, it is. I didn't get to see the kids much when they were little, but thanks to Mark's job transfer they're just on the other side of the city instead of in San Francisco." A moment passed before Sam spoke again. "Mark said I should feel free to bring someone..."
Jack raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Oh yeah? Who are you gonna take?"
"I don't know yet."
Jack mused thoughtfully. "You should take Teal'c. He's a party animal."
"Teal'c in a house full of teenagers? Somebody would get hurt...or
locked in a closet."
"Ok, how about Danny? He's quite the social butterfly."
"And he also happens to be an archeologist. How am I going to explain
how I know him? He works with me on my deep space radar telemetry? No
one will buy it."
"You could say he's your boyfriend..."
Sam glared at him. "I don't think so."
"Yeah...well...you could take me..."
She stared at him in shock. "Do you really want to go to a teenage girls' birthday party?"
"Well, there are worse places to be. Besides, I want to meet your family."
"Maybe this isn't such a good idea..."
He gave her a pleading look. "Aw come on, I really want to meet the rest of the Carter clan. I mean your dad's a riot, you're a ...so uh, speaking of Jacob...is he gonna be able to make it to the party?"
Sam smiled as he changed the subject, then frowned at the thought of her father.
"I haven't been able to get a hold of him. The Tok'ra said that he's
on a mission and they don't know when he'll be back."
"That's too bad."
"Yeah..."
"So, uh, when's the party?"
"Well, her birthday is in four days, but they're gonna have the party
the day before, so that she won't suspect anything."
Jack nodded in admiration. "There's that brilliant Carter thinking."
"Yeah...I'm kind of hungry. Would you like to grab a bite to eat from the mess?"
"Sure."
Jack took one last spin on the chair and then jumped off, a huge smile on his face. "That's a quality piece of furniture you have there."
"Your approval means so much to me."
"As it should. Hmm...do I want cake or pie?"
"I don't know, sir. I think you're going to have to decide that."
"Hmm..."
They headed to the mess with Jack still contemplating his snack choices.
The room spinned around Jack as he twirled on Sam's desk chair. She smiled at him as she said a quick goodbye and closed her cell phone. "Was there something you wanted, Colonel?"
"Yes."
She waited patiently for a moment, but after no further response, attempted to prod more information out of him. "What is it?"
"I don't remember. I came in to ask you something, but it kind of
flew out as I spun around."
Sam looked at him queerly, wondering if he had really come in to ask her something, or if he had just wanted to play with her new chair. "Uh huh."
"So, uh, who was on the phone?"
"My brother Mark. He and Julie are planning a surprise party for my
niece's birthday and he wanted to invite me."
"It must be nice having them live so close."
Sam smiled. "Yeah, it is. I didn't get to see the kids much when they were little, but thanks to Mark's job transfer they're just on the other side of the city instead of in San Francisco." A moment passed before Sam spoke again. "Mark said I should feel free to bring someone..."
Jack raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Oh yeah? Who are you gonna take?"
"I don't know yet."
Jack mused thoughtfully. "You should take Teal'c. He's a party animal."
"Teal'c in a house full of teenagers? Somebody would get hurt...or
locked in a closet."
"Ok, how about Danny? He's quite the social butterfly."
"And he also happens to be an archeologist. How am I going to explain
how I know him? He works with me on my deep space radar telemetry? No
one will buy it."
"You could say he's your boyfriend..."
Sam glared at him. "I don't think so."
"Yeah...well...you could take me..."
She stared at him in shock. "Do you really want to go to a teenage girls' birthday party?"
"Well, there are worse places to be. Besides, I want to meet your family."
"Maybe this isn't such a good idea..."
He gave her a pleading look. "Aw come on, I really want to meet the rest of the Carter clan. I mean your dad's a riot, you're a ...so uh, speaking of Jacob...is he gonna be able to make it to the party?"
Sam smiled as he changed the subject, then frowned at the thought of her father.
"I haven't been able to get a hold of him. The Tok'ra said that he's
on a mission and they don't know when he'll be back."
"That's too bad."
"Yeah..."
"So, uh, when's the party?"
"Well, her birthday is in four days, but they're gonna have the party
the day before, so that she won't suspect anything."
Jack nodded in admiration. "There's that brilliant Carter thinking."
"Yeah...I'm kind of hungry. Would you like to grab a bite to eat from the mess?"
"Sure."
Jack took one last spin on the chair and then jumped off, a huge smile on his face. "That's a quality piece of furniture you have there."
"Your approval means so much to me."
"As it should. Hmm...do I want cake or pie?"
"I don't know, sir. I think you're going to have to decide that."
"Hmm..."
They headed to the mess with Jack still contemplating his snack choices.