Author's note: Okay, this takes place after Happy Father's Day, Jack. Just so you have a time reference... (So basically, aside from the quick visit to the future in Scion, this is the latest story in the campers! universe) That said, enjoy! It's not going to be a long story, but it's definitely worth reading. (if I do say so myself)
...................
"What are you going to do tonight, Daniel?"
"I'm not sure, Sam. Why?"
"You know it's Jack's birthday?"
Daniel nodded. "I also know he doesn't want to do anything special, and doesn't want it to be any kind of big deal."
"So you're going to let him get away with that?"
"With what?"
"Not doing anything special for his birthday."
"He doesn't want anyone to make a fuss, Sam. It's not like he's pretending he doesn't want anyone to make a fuss in hopes that they throw him a surprise party or something. He really doesn't want a party."
He and Jack had already had this conversation, and Daniel knew Jack well enough to know that he'd been serious. No party. No presents. Just a peaceful night at home. Daniel had already decided that he'd do what Jack asked. Kind of make it his own present to SG-1's commanding officer. Now Daniel was trying to convince Sam to do the same, but he could tell by the rebellious look on her face that she wasn't as accepting of things as Daniel was.
"We could just take him out for dinner or something..."
He shook his head.
"I already told him I wasn't going to do anything, Sam. I gave him my word that I wasn't going to throw him a party, or be part of throwing him a party. I won't break that promise."
"Daniel..."
He shook his head. She scowled.
"Fine. I'll see you in the morning."
"Good night, Sam."
He could hear the frustration in her voice, and definitely could see it on her face, but he wasn't going to conspire with her. Not this time. He smiled, and shook his head, knowing she wasn't going to listen to him. Ah, well. Jack liked her, maybe he wouldn't kill her.
......................
"Hey Teal'c."
"Good afternoon, Major Carter."
"What are you doing tonight?"
"I am staying here and not doing anything with O'Neill."
How did he know what she was going to discuss with him? Sam wondered if she were so transparent. Certainly Daniel hadn't had a chance to warn the Jaffa she was coming. She hadn't said anything about trying to enlist Teal'c, after all.
"Aw, come on, Teal'c. It's tradition to have a party on your birthday."
"Is it not a Tau'ri tradition to allow a person to have what they want on the anniversary of their birth?"
"Well... yeah... I suppose so..."
"O'Neill does not wish to have a birthday party, nor does he wish to be presented with gifts. As his friend, I will not go against his desire to be alone."
Sam scowled again.
.................
"This is stupid..."
"What is?"
Sam looked up from her pouting and saw that Janet Fraiser had joined her at her table in the Commissary.
"Today is Jack's birthday."
"I know." Janet smiled. Sam looked frustrated. "I was under the impression he didn't want to make a big deal out of it."
Carter scowled.
"Apparently everyone is under that impression. What? Did he gather you guys up and tell you to leave him alone?"
"He spoke with me about it yesterday." Fraiser said. "He asked me – asked me, mind you – not to make a big deal out of his birthday, and I told him I wouldn't." She shrugged. "If he'd tried to bully me into it, I might have resisted, but when he was so nice about it, how could I say no?"
"How could you say yes?" Sam asked, complaining. "I want to do something special, but no one else will. It's pretty hard to have a birthday party with only two people."
"He doesn't want a party, Sam," Janet told her. "He told me he was going to spend a quiet evening at home. Just him, Jaffer and a ball game."
"It's not right. We're supposed to have parties when we can. This is a perfect opportunity."
"Not if he asks me not to."
Sam scowled again. It was a conspiracy. No one wanted to have a good time.
"We'll see about this," Sam said, getting to her feet. "I'm going to make him want a party."
"Good luck."
Janet knew there were very few times you could make Jack do something he didn't want to do. But she supposed that Sam had a better chance at it than most people.
.............
Jack sighed when he heard the knock on his door. He looked up from the paperwork he was actually trying to do and looked over at Jaffer, whose tail was wagging as he looked over at the door. The way it was wagging meant it was either Sam or Daniel or Teal'c on the other side, and Jack was fairly certain it was Sam.
"Better let her in."
Jaffer went over and turned the doorknob with his nose, opening the door for Carter, who smiled down at the black lab, rubbing his ears as she walked into Jack's office.
"Busy?"
"Never too busy for you, Sam." That was true, even though he had a feeling he knew what she was doing in his office, and really didn't want to have the conversation that was coming.
She smiled. "Too busy to have a birthday party?"
He shook his head. "I'm not too busy to, Sam. I just don't really want to have one." He stood up and walked over, closing the door before coming over and sitting on the edge of his desk. "I thought it'd be nice to spend the night relaxing."
"Just you and Jaffer?"
"You're always welcome at my house," Jack told her, reaching out and taking her hand. "I didn't think you needed to be told that."
Oh, sure. It sounded so reasonable when he put it that way. Sam scowled.
"You should have a party."
"Why?"
"Because it'd be a nice way to get together with your friends and celebrate the continuation of your life."
He shook his head. "I can do that without having a party. It's called the after mission physical. You know, where Janet tells me I'm lucky to be alive after all the Jaffa have been shooting at me?"
"We could have cake."
"Would you make it?"
"There's no time to make you a cake."
"Then I could have the same effect if I just go to the store and buy myself a cake, sit at home and eat it in front of the game."
"Jack..."
"Sam..." He wasn't going to back down on this. He didn't want a birthday party. "Come over and keep me company tonight, if you're of a mind to. Just don't bring anyone."
"But Jack..."
He looked at her, his brown eyes pleading for her to understand that he really didn't want company.
"Please, Sam? Just you."
She sighed, but she nodded.
"If that's what you want."
...................
"What are you going to do tonight, Daniel?"
"I'm not sure, Sam. Why?"
"You know it's Jack's birthday?"
Daniel nodded. "I also know he doesn't want to do anything special, and doesn't want it to be any kind of big deal."
"So you're going to let him get away with that?"
"With what?"
"Not doing anything special for his birthday."
"He doesn't want anyone to make a fuss, Sam. It's not like he's pretending he doesn't want anyone to make a fuss in hopes that they throw him a surprise party or something. He really doesn't want a party."
He and Jack had already had this conversation, and Daniel knew Jack well enough to know that he'd been serious. No party. No presents. Just a peaceful night at home. Daniel had already decided that he'd do what Jack asked. Kind of make it his own present to SG-1's commanding officer. Now Daniel was trying to convince Sam to do the same, but he could tell by the rebellious look on her face that she wasn't as accepting of things as Daniel was.
"We could just take him out for dinner or something..."
He shook his head.
"I already told him I wasn't going to do anything, Sam. I gave him my word that I wasn't going to throw him a party, or be part of throwing him a party. I won't break that promise."
"Daniel..."
He shook his head. She scowled.
"Fine. I'll see you in the morning."
"Good night, Sam."
He could hear the frustration in her voice, and definitely could see it on her face, but he wasn't going to conspire with her. Not this time. He smiled, and shook his head, knowing she wasn't going to listen to him. Ah, well. Jack liked her, maybe he wouldn't kill her.
......................
"Hey Teal'c."
"Good afternoon, Major Carter."
"What are you doing tonight?"
"I am staying here and not doing anything with O'Neill."
How did he know what she was going to discuss with him? Sam wondered if she were so transparent. Certainly Daniel hadn't had a chance to warn the Jaffa she was coming. She hadn't said anything about trying to enlist Teal'c, after all.
"Aw, come on, Teal'c. It's tradition to have a party on your birthday."
"Is it not a Tau'ri tradition to allow a person to have what they want on the anniversary of their birth?"
"Well... yeah... I suppose so..."
"O'Neill does not wish to have a birthday party, nor does he wish to be presented with gifts. As his friend, I will not go against his desire to be alone."
Sam scowled again.
.................
"This is stupid..."
"What is?"
Sam looked up from her pouting and saw that Janet Fraiser had joined her at her table in the Commissary.
"Today is Jack's birthday."
"I know." Janet smiled. Sam looked frustrated. "I was under the impression he didn't want to make a big deal out of it."
Carter scowled.
"Apparently everyone is under that impression. What? Did he gather you guys up and tell you to leave him alone?"
"He spoke with me about it yesterday." Fraiser said. "He asked me – asked me, mind you – not to make a big deal out of his birthday, and I told him I wouldn't." She shrugged. "If he'd tried to bully me into it, I might have resisted, but when he was so nice about it, how could I say no?"
"How could you say yes?" Sam asked, complaining. "I want to do something special, but no one else will. It's pretty hard to have a birthday party with only two people."
"He doesn't want a party, Sam," Janet told her. "He told me he was going to spend a quiet evening at home. Just him, Jaffer and a ball game."
"It's not right. We're supposed to have parties when we can. This is a perfect opportunity."
"Not if he asks me not to."
Sam scowled again. It was a conspiracy. No one wanted to have a good time.
"We'll see about this," Sam said, getting to her feet. "I'm going to make him want a party."
"Good luck."
Janet knew there were very few times you could make Jack do something he didn't want to do. But she supposed that Sam had a better chance at it than most people.
.............
Jack sighed when he heard the knock on his door. He looked up from the paperwork he was actually trying to do and looked over at Jaffer, whose tail was wagging as he looked over at the door. The way it was wagging meant it was either Sam or Daniel or Teal'c on the other side, and Jack was fairly certain it was Sam.
"Better let her in."
Jaffer went over and turned the doorknob with his nose, opening the door for Carter, who smiled down at the black lab, rubbing his ears as she walked into Jack's office.
"Busy?"
"Never too busy for you, Sam." That was true, even though he had a feeling he knew what she was doing in his office, and really didn't want to have the conversation that was coming.
She smiled. "Too busy to have a birthday party?"
He shook his head. "I'm not too busy to, Sam. I just don't really want to have one." He stood up and walked over, closing the door before coming over and sitting on the edge of his desk. "I thought it'd be nice to spend the night relaxing."
"Just you and Jaffer?"
"You're always welcome at my house," Jack told her, reaching out and taking her hand. "I didn't think you needed to be told that."
Oh, sure. It sounded so reasonable when he put it that way. Sam scowled.
"You should have a party."
"Why?"
"Because it'd be a nice way to get together with your friends and celebrate the continuation of your life."
He shook his head. "I can do that without having a party. It's called the after mission physical. You know, where Janet tells me I'm lucky to be alive after all the Jaffa have been shooting at me?"
"We could have cake."
"Would you make it?"
"There's no time to make you a cake."
"Then I could have the same effect if I just go to the store and buy myself a cake, sit at home and eat it in front of the game."
"Jack..."
"Sam..." He wasn't going to back down on this. He didn't want a birthday party. "Come over and keep me company tonight, if you're of a mind to. Just don't bring anyone."
"But Jack..."
He looked at her, his brown eyes pleading for her to understand that he really didn't want company.
"Please, Sam? Just you."
She sighed, but she nodded.
"If that's what you want."