A low growl permeated the air. It was deep and loud, like a rumble of thunder, and Sam heard it all the way from the other side of the house when she walked up the front walk. She smiled; not at all concerned to hear Jaffer growling, since she knew the lab very well, and knew that was a level one growl, as Jack liked to call them.
Jaffer had three levels of growls. There was the low growl Sam had just heard – and just heard again, this time louder. This was a growl he used when he was playing – usually with Jack, but occasionally with someone else. It meant absolutely nothing.
The next growl was even deeper, but nowhere near as loud. It was a warning. Jaffer had never used this growl with someone he liked – except Daniel once, and the situation had been a bit serious – since Jaffer had been badly cut up and wanted to be with Jack, who had been equally seriously cut up – and Daniel had tried to pull the dog away from the bed. Usually this growl was a warning to someone who was doing something Jaffer didn't like. Pretty much; it meant, stop, or you're going to be facing me in a minute.
The third level wasn't a growl at all. It was a snarl, and it was the last sound someone would hear before Jaffer attacked them. This only happened after the second growl had been handed out and ignored, or if the person or persons in question had done something – or were doing something – that Jaffer didn't like, such as attacking someone he liked, or sneaking up on him. Jaffer didn't like to be snuck up on by people he didn't know or like.
But the growl Sam heard was the first level growl, and since it was coming from the backyard, she knew Jaffer was in the back, and Jack probably was as well. So she set down the bag she was carrying and walked around the house and looked over the fence. And smiled.
Jack was on his hands and knees in front of Jaffer, staring the black lab down. Jaffer was watching Jack equally carefully, although his attention was also on the object that was lying on the ground between he and Jack. A very battered stick about the size of Jack's forearm, and definitely the bone of contention between the two of them at the moment.
It was a sign of just how intent Jaffer was on Jack, because the black lab didn't even notice Sam – or he noticed her and was more intent on what he was doing and was ignoring her. He simply growled low once more as Jack's hand reached out towards the stick, and tensed as if he knew what was going to happen next.
Then it did!
In a motion that was far swifter than Sam would ever have thought him capable of, Jack snatched the stick from the ground between he and Jaffer and was on his feet in an instant, tearing off down the yard at a full run. Jaffer paused only for a moment – maybe to give Jack a head start – and then took off after him, running low to the ground and overtaking the running Colonel in only a few paces. With a caution that only came with playing with Jack or little kids, Jaffer pounced on O'Neill, grabbing him by the back of the scruffy sweatshirt he was wearing and pulling him to the ground, where he proceeded to swarm over him, his low growls warring with the ferociously wagging tail.
Sam smiled and opened up the gate to the backyard as Jack wrapped his arms around Jaffer and tried to wrestle him over so he wasn't being stepped on by the black lab, but Jaffer was well planted, and he wasn't moving.
"All right! You win! You win!" Jack handed Jaffer the stick, and the lab immediately turned to rush over and say hello to Sam, still carrying his prize in his mouth. Carter, grinning, knelt down and greeted him just as enthusiastically, pulling the stick from his mouth and kissing his soft ears to make up for taking the prize away.
"Are you beating up daddy?" Sam asked him, receiving a sloppy kiss in return, although Jaffer's eyes were on his stick, since he knew from experience Sam would throw it for him.
"Beating me up?" Jack walked over just as Sam threw Jaffer's stick, and she smiled when she saw he was covered in grass stains and dog drool. "He just pulls me down and sits on me. The fat cow."
She laughed, and Jack smiled, even though he'd been caught playing with his baby. Something he preferred to do in private, since it was definitely a private time between him and Jaffer. Of course, that rule didn't apply to Sam. She was always welcomed to join in or watch. Jack had no secrets from her, and he'd long since dropped the barrier that he'd erected to protect his private self from her.
"If you put him on a diet, he'd lose a little weight," Sam told him as Jaffer ran back up with the stick in his mouth. The black lab was in fine shape, though. Even with the extra food Jack was always letting him have, he didn't have extra weight to lose.
"If I put him on a diet, he'd eat me in the middle of the night," Jack told her, sliding an arm around her waist and using the other one to pry the stick away from Jaffer. "You can come inside or you can play outside, but you can't bring the stick in." He told the black lab, who snorted. Jaffer ignored the stick. He didn't want the stick, anyways. He had plenty of toys inside – and now that Sam was here, he could play with her, too!
Sam went through the house and opened the front door so she could collect the items she'd left on the front step. Jaffer was there immediately, sniffing the bag with interest, which told Jack there was something that was at least marginally edible in it. He called Jaffer back to give Sam a chance to come back inside, then smiled.
"You're late."
"I had a little shopping I wanted to do."
"Oh?"
"I'm going to make you a birthday cake." Sam told him, pulling out a bag of flour and a few other baking necessities.
"From scratch?"
She nodded.
"Why not just get a mix?" Why bake him a cake at all? Jack was a little puzzled, although he liked the thought of her making something for him – whether he'd admit it or not. "Wouldn't that be easier?"
"I want to make it from scratch, Jack." She told him, setting all the stuff on the counter, and putting her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. "It's your birthday, and since you won't let me have a party for you, I want to do something special."
"You don't have to..."
"I know. I want to."
He shrugged, and kissed her cheek softly, since he was covered with Jaffer slobber and didn't want to kiss her too seriously until he'd had a chance to clean up.
"Can I help?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because it's your birthday." She told him, her hand running up and under the back of his sweatshirt. "You can watch, but nothing more."
"Have you ever actually made a cake from scratch?" He asked her, his own hand sliding under her shirt as well. Two could definitely play at that game!
"Sure. I used to do it all the time." Sam stepped out of his arms before she could become too distracted by his touch, and poked his chest with her finger. "Why don't you go take a shower and get cleaned up? By the time you're done, I should have this mixed up and into the oven."
"Why don't you join me in the shower, and make the cake later?"
She shook her head, smiling. "Because it'd never get made."
He shrugged. "I could live with that..."
Sam laughed, and resolutely turned her back on him, reaching into one of the cupboards for a large mixing bowl. If she gave him half the chance, she knew he'd be able to talk her out of making the cake, and she wanted to make it, so she had to avoid those brown eyes. "Go shower, Jack O'Neill. Or I'll tell Jaffer you have a chicken nugget hidden in your pocket and sic him on you."
He smiled, and wrapped his arms around her from behind for just a moment, then let her go and headed for the hallway.
"I want a vanilla cake, Sam," He called. "With white frosting." If he was going to have it his way, he might as well make sure she knew what his way was.
Jaffer had three levels of growls. There was the low growl Sam had just heard – and just heard again, this time louder. This was a growl he used when he was playing – usually with Jack, but occasionally with someone else. It meant absolutely nothing.
The next growl was even deeper, but nowhere near as loud. It was a warning. Jaffer had never used this growl with someone he liked – except Daniel once, and the situation had been a bit serious – since Jaffer had been badly cut up and wanted to be with Jack, who had been equally seriously cut up – and Daniel had tried to pull the dog away from the bed. Usually this growl was a warning to someone who was doing something Jaffer didn't like. Pretty much; it meant, stop, or you're going to be facing me in a minute.
The third level wasn't a growl at all. It was a snarl, and it was the last sound someone would hear before Jaffer attacked them. This only happened after the second growl had been handed out and ignored, or if the person or persons in question had done something – or were doing something – that Jaffer didn't like, such as attacking someone he liked, or sneaking up on him. Jaffer didn't like to be snuck up on by people he didn't know or like.
But the growl Sam heard was the first level growl, and since it was coming from the backyard, she knew Jaffer was in the back, and Jack probably was as well. So she set down the bag she was carrying and walked around the house and looked over the fence. And smiled.
Jack was on his hands and knees in front of Jaffer, staring the black lab down. Jaffer was watching Jack equally carefully, although his attention was also on the object that was lying on the ground between he and Jack. A very battered stick about the size of Jack's forearm, and definitely the bone of contention between the two of them at the moment.
It was a sign of just how intent Jaffer was on Jack, because the black lab didn't even notice Sam – or he noticed her and was more intent on what he was doing and was ignoring her. He simply growled low once more as Jack's hand reached out towards the stick, and tensed as if he knew what was going to happen next.
Then it did!
In a motion that was far swifter than Sam would ever have thought him capable of, Jack snatched the stick from the ground between he and Jaffer and was on his feet in an instant, tearing off down the yard at a full run. Jaffer paused only for a moment – maybe to give Jack a head start – and then took off after him, running low to the ground and overtaking the running Colonel in only a few paces. With a caution that only came with playing with Jack or little kids, Jaffer pounced on O'Neill, grabbing him by the back of the scruffy sweatshirt he was wearing and pulling him to the ground, where he proceeded to swarm over him, his low growls warring with the ferociously wagging tail.
Sam smiled and opened up the gate to the backyard as Jack wrapped his arms around Jaffer and tried to wrestle him over so he wasn't being stepped on by the black lab, but Jaffer was well planted, and he wasn't moving.
"All right! You win! You win!" Jack handed Jaffer the stick, and the lab immediately turned to rush over and say hello to Sam, still carrying his prize in his mouth. Carter, grinning, knelt down and greeted him just as enthusiastically, pulling the stick from his mouth and kissing his soft ears to make up for taking the prize away.
"Are you beating up daddy?" Sam asked him, receiving a sloppy kiss in return, although Jaffer's eyes were on his stick, since he knew from experience Sam would throw it for him.
"Beating me up?" Jack walked over just as Sam threw Jaffer's stick, and she smiled when she saw he was covered in grass stains and dog drool. "He just pulls me down and sits on me. The fat cow."
She laughed, and Jack smiled, even though he'd been caught playing with his baby. Something he preferred to do in private, since it was definitely a private time between him and Jaffer. Of course, that rule didn't apply to Sam. She was always welcomed to join in or watch. Jack had no secrets from her, and he'd long since dropped the barrier that he'd erected to protect his private self from her.
"If you put him on a diet, he'd lose a little weight," Sam told him as Jaffer ran back up with the stick in his mouth. The black lab was in fine shape, though. Even with the extra food Jack was always letting him have, he didn't have extra weight to lose.
"If I put him on a diet, he'd eat me in the middle of the night," Jack told her, sliding an arm around her waist and using the other one to pry the stick away from Jaffer. "You can come inside or you can play outside, but you can't bring the stick in." He told the black lab, who snorted. Jaffer ignored the stick. He didn't want the stick, anyways. He had plenty of toys inside – and now that Sam was here, he could play with her, too!
Sam went through the house and opened the front door so she could collect the items she'd left on the front step. Jaffer was there immediately, sniffing the bag with interest, which told Jack there was something that was at least marginally edible in it. He called Jaffer back to give Sam a chance to come back inside, then smiled.
"You're late."
"I had a little shopping I wanted to do."
"Oh?"
"I'm going to make you a birthday cake." Sam told him, pulling out a bag of flour and a few other baking necessities.
"From scratch?"
She nodded.
"Why not just get a mix?" Why bake him a cake at all? Jack was a little puzzled, although he liked the thought of her making something for him – whether he'd admit it or not. "Wouldn't that be easier?"
"I want to make it from scratch, Jack." She told him, setting all the stuff on the counter, and putting her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. "It's your birthday, and since you won't let me have a party for you, I want to do something special."
"You don't have to..."
"I know. I want to."
He shrugged, and kissed her cheek softly, since he was covered with Jaffer slobber and didn't want to kiss her too seriously until he'd had a chance to clean up.
"Can I help?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because it's your birthday." She told him, her hand running up and under the back of his sweatshirt. "You can watch, but nothing more."
"Have you ever actually made a cake from scratch?" He asked her, his own hand sliding under her shirt as well. Two could definitely play at that game!
"Sure. I used to do it all the time." Sam stepped out of his arms before she could become too distracted by his touch, and poked his chest with her finger. "Why don't you go take a shower and get cleaned up? By the time you're done, I should have this mixed up and into the oven."
"Why don't you join me in the shower, and make the cake later?"
She shook her head, smiling. "Because it'd never get made."
He shrugged. "I could live with that..."
Sam laughed, and resolutely turned her back on him, reaching into one of the cupboards for a large mixing bowl. If she gave him half the chance, she knew he'd be able to talk her out of making the cake, and she wanted to make it, so she had to avoid those brown eyes. "Go shower, Jack O'Neill. Or I'll tell Jaffer you have a chicken nugget hidden in your pocket and sic him on you."
He smiled, and wrapped his arms around her from behind for just a moment, then let her go and headed for the hallway.
"I want a vanilla cake, Sam," He called. "With white frosting." If he was going to have it his way, he might as well make sure she knew what his way was.