Jack's house was clean. Oh, it was normally fairly well picked up, since Jaffer had a tendency to chew up anything that was left on the floor or at dog level, so O'Neill tended to keep things picked up, but when they walked through the front door Sam saw that the place was positively glowing with cleanliness.
"Wow, are you trying to impress Sally?"
"Not really," Jack told her, smiling as he dropped his keys on the stand by the door. That wasn't true, of course. The house was cleaned because he and Daniel had decided it should be clean. So it was clean. "It just needed cleaned."
"Uh huh." She didn't buy that, but she wasn't going to make a federal case out of it.
"Something to drink?"
"Tea?"
"You got it. Go ahead and sit down, I'll bring it to you."
Sam had just sat down when there was a knock on the door. Jaffer trotted over, his tail wagging. That told Sam that there was someone Jaffer knew and liked on the other side, and she assumed it was Daniel.
"I'll get it," Jack said from the kitchen, already heading over to the door. Sam got up, though, and stood next to the sofa, watching as Jack opened the door.
Daniel was standing there, dressed just as well as Jack was. Black slacks and a pale blue shirt that brought out the blue in his eyes beautifully. He, too, was wearing a tie, and on his arm was an equally baffled looking Sally holding a long stemmed red rose.
Sally was a pretty woman a year older than Sam, who had long dark hair with hazel eyes. She was dressed as casually as Sam was, wearing jeans and a blouse, but she smiled when she saw how Jack was dressed, and the smile only grew when she saw Jaffer's bowtie.
"Hi, Sally," Jack greeted her, moving so they could go inside. "You look good."
"Thanks, Jack. You look wonderful." She reached down and patted Jaffer's head, and the black lab's tail wagged furiously at the attention. "You look wonderful, too, Jaffer."
"Can I get you something to drink?" Jack asked. "Anything from beer to tea or coffee..."
"I'll have a beer, Jack, thank you."
Jack left and Sally walked over to Sam, giving her a hug and looking at Daniel who had gone into the kitchen with O'Neill.
"Am I missing something?" She asked.
Carter shrugged. "I don't have a clue," She whispered. "Jack's acting odd, too."
They laughed, and Jaffer trotted over to see what was going on.
.......................
The afternoon started out exactly as planned. Sam and Sally were hustled out onto the deck out back, where a table was set up with a table cloth, actual matching dishes and even candles, although they weren't lit, and probably wouldn't be. There was a centerpiece on the table – a bunch of flowers mixed in with some leaves of all colors and a few decorative items that were designed just for added color.
"Did one of you make this?" Sally asked.
Jack snorted, and shook his head.
"Home Depot."
Nature was behaving nicely as well, and the day was lovely and bright with no wind to speak of. Nothing was being blown around, and it was nice but not too hot. Jack opened a large screen that was rarely used on his deck, which sheltered the table from the direct rays of the sun, then set a bag of dog treats on the table. He and Daniel needed time to finish their preparations, and Jaffer was a perfect diversion.
"Run him through his paces, Sam," he said, smiling. "Show Sally what my doggie genius can do."
"Well... let's see... he can chew up my laptop... he can chew off the knobs off-"
"Show her his tricks, smart ass." He grinned and kissed her cheek to soften the rebuke, and Sally laughed, looking down at Jaffer.
"I've seen some of his tricks, Jack..."
"Nah, he's learned new ones, Sally. He's always learning new tricks. If he doesn't, he gets bored, and then he starts chewing on stuff."
Sally took the bag and opened it, taking out a treat, which Jaffer eyed expectantly.
"What do I tell him to do, Sam?"
"Tell him to count to four..."
Jack grinned and headed back inside, knowing that they were going to be distracted as long as the treats held out.
"How's it going, Jack?" Daniel asked when he joined the younger man in the kitchen. Daniel was starting to cut up lettuce for their salad.
"So far, so good. Did Sally say anything to you when you picked her up?"
"Nothing bad. I think she was too surprised by the way I was dressed."
"We'll just have to keep her surprised, then, huh?"
"Yup."
Suddenly there was a faint beeping from out on the deck, and another faint beeping from someplace down the hall.
"What's-?"
Another beeping – this one much louder – came from Daniel's pocket, and both men groaned, realizing what it was. Daniel pulled his beeper out of his pocket, just as Sam came in, carrying hers, and followed by Sally, who looked curious as to what was going on.
"Are you guys getting paged?" Sam asked, although the answer was given when she saw the beeper in Daniel's hand.
Jack's phone rang, and Jaffer came rushing in through the kitchen door, grabbing it before Jack could and bringing it over.
"O'Neill."
There was a pause, and the others watched, although none of them could hear what was being said on the other end. Jack's face was serious immediately.
"Yeah."
"No, don't bother. They're both here with me."
"Yeah. We'll be right there. Tell Hammond."
He hung up, and looked at the others.
"There's trouble."
Daniel looked over at Sally, unsure how to explain what was happening. She sighed, looking annoyed.
"You have to go?"
Jack nodded. "It's an emergency, Sally."
"A deep space telemetry emergency?" She scowled, but there was no denying the serious look on Jack's face. He was the only one who really knew what was wrong, after all. The others looked worried, but they didn't know what had happened.
"You can take my car, Sally," Daniel said, reaching into his pocket and handing her his keys. "I'm really sorry."
"I am, too, Daniel." She didn't look nearly as sorry as she did angry, but Daniel couldn't think of anything to say.
Jack was already heading for the door, Jaffer right beside him, and Sam close behind.
"Come on, Daniel!"
"I'm sorry..." His face troubled, his eyes worried, Daniel turned and followed Jack and Sam out the door.
What a perfect day.
"Wow, are you trying to impress Sally?"
"Not really," Jack told her, smiling as he dropped his keys on the stand by the door. That wasn't true, of course. The house was cleaned because he and Daniel had decided it should be clean. So it was clean. "It just needed cleaned."
"Uh huh." She didn't buy that, but she wasn't going to make a federal case out of it.
"Something to drink?"
"Tea?"
"You got it. Go ahead and sit down, I'll bring it to you."
Sam had just sat down when there was a knock on the door. Jaffer trotted over, his tail wagging. That told Sam that there was someone Jaffer knew and liked on the other side, and she assumed it was Daniel.
"I'll get it," Jack said from the kitchen, already heading over to the door. Sam got up, though, and stood next to the sofa, watching as Jack opened the door.
Daniel was standing there, dressed just as well as Jack was. Black slacks and a pale blue shirt that brought out the blue in his eyes beautifully. He, too, was wearing a tie, and on his arm was an equally baffled looking Sally holding a long stemmed red rose.
Sally was a pretty woman a year older than Sam, who had long dark hair with hazel eyes. She was dressed as casually as Sam was, wearing jeans and a blouse, but she smiled when she saw how Jack was dressed, and the smile only grew when she saw Jaffer's bowtie.
"Hi, Sally," Jack greeted her, moving so they could go inside. "You look good."
"Thanks, Jack. You look wonderful." She reached down and patted Jaffer's head, and the black lab's tail wagged furiously at the attention. "You look wonderful, too, Jaffer."
"Can I get you something to drink?" Jack asked. "Anything from beer to tea or coffee..."
"I'll have a beer, Jack, thank you."
Jack left and Sally walked over to Sam, giving her a hug and looking at Daniel who had gone into the kitchen with O'Neill.
"Am I missing something?" She asked.
Carter shrugged. "I don't have a clue," She whispered. "Jack's acting odd, too."
They laughed, and Jaffer trotted over to see what was going on.
.......................
The afternoon started out exactly as planned. Sam and Sally were hustled out onto the deck out back, where a table was set up with a table cloth, actual matching dishes and even candles, although they weren't lit, and probably wouldn't be. There was a centerpiece on the table – a bunch of flowers mixed in with some leaves of all colors and a few decorative items that were designed just for added color.
"Did one of you make this?" Sally asked.
Jack snorted, and shook his head.
"Home Depot."
Nature was behaving nicely as well, and the day was lovely and bright with no wind to speak of. Nothing was being blown around, and it was nice but not too hot. Jack opened a large screen that was rarely used on his deck, which sheltered the table from the direct rays of the sun, then set a bag of dog treats on the table. He and Daniel needed time to finish their preparations, and Jaffer was a perfect diversion.
"Run him through his paces, Sam," he said, smiling. "Show Sally what my doggie genius can do."
"Well... let's see... he can chew up my laptop... he can chew off the knobs off-"
"Show her his tricks, smart ass." He grinned and kissed her cheek to soften the rebuke, and Sally laughed, looking down at Jaffer.
"I've seen some of his tricks, Jack..."
"Nah, he's learned new ones, Sally. He's always learning new tricks. If he doesn't, he gets bored, and then he starts chewing on stuff."
Sally took the bag and opened it, taking out a treat, which Jaffer eyed expectantly.
"What do I tell him to do, Sam?"
"Tell him to count to four..."
Jack grinned and headed back inside, knowing that they were going to be distracted as long as the treats held out.
"How's it going, Jack?" Daniel asked when he joined the younger man in the kitchen. Daniel was starting to cut up lettuce for their salad.
"So far, so good. Did Sally say anything to you when you picked her up?"
"Nothing bad. I think she was too surprised by the way I was dressed."
"We'll just have to keep her surprised, then, huh?"
"Yup."
Suddenly there was a faint beeping from out on the deck, and another faint beeping from someplace down the hall.
"What's-?"
Another beeping – this one much louder – came from Daniel's pocket, and both men groaned, realizing what it was. Daniel pulled his beeper out of his pocket, just as Sam came in, carrying hers, and followed by Sally, who looked curious as to what was going on.
"Are you guys getting paged?" Sam asked, although the answer was given when she saw the beeper in Daniel's hand.
Jack's phone rang, and Jaffer came rushing in through the kitchen door, grabbing it before Jack could and bringing it over.
"O'Neill."
There was a pause, and the others watched, although none of them could hear what was being said on the other end. Jack's face was serious immediately.
"Yeah."
"No, don't bother. They're both here with me."
"Yeah. We'll be right there. Tell Hammond."
He hung up, and looked at the others.
"There's trouble."
Daniel looked over at Sally, unsure how to explain what was happening. She sighed, looking annoyed.
"You have to go?"
Jack nodded. "It's an emergency, Sally."
"A deep space telemetry emergency?" She scowled, but there was no denying the serious look on Jack's face. He was the only one who really knew what was wrong, after all. The others looked worried, but they didn't know what had happened.
"You can take my car, Sally," Daniel said, reaching into his pocket and handing her his keys. "I'm really sorry."
"I am, too, Daniel." She didn't look nearly as sorry as she did angry, but Daniel couldn't think of anything to say.
Jack was already heading for the door, Jaffer right beside him, and Sam close behind.
"Come on, Daniel!"
"I'm sorry..." His face troubled, his eyes worried, Daniel turned and followed Jack and Sam out the door.
What a perfect day.