He leaned against the door of the kitchen entranceway and watched while Sam pulled his birthday cake out of the oven. It looked good, and the house smelled good because of it, although he was thinking he should have chosen chocolate because that smelled even better. Of course, had he chosen chocolate, Jaffer wouldn't have been allowed to have any, and Jack wouldn't leave Jaffer out by doing something like that.
"We'll have to let it cool before we put frosting on it." Sam told him, pulling off the oven mitts and walking over to put her arms around him, and resting her head against his chest, her eyes once more going to her hand, and the shining ring on her finger. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her, but didn't pull her so close that it blocked her view of her hand.
"How about some dinner?" He asked. "Are you hungry?"
"Depends..."
"On?"
"What are we having and are you cooking it?"
"Birthday pizza?"
"Ugh, no."
"Birthday Chinese food?"
She shook her head, and took a step back, and headed for his fridge. "You know, some day – soon – you're going to have to realize that there are other ways to get food than just picking up the phone and ordering it."
"But the phone works so well..."
He followed her over and looked over her shoulder as she opened the door. Jaffer walked over as well, always willing to take a look at the contents of the refrigerator.
"How about a birthday omelet?" Sam asked him, looking over her shoulder, and smiling to see both of them so close to her.
He nodded. Really, he didn't care what they had to eat. "Want me to make it?"
"You don't mind?"
"Course not." He stole a quick kiss, and then moved past her to reach into the fridge and pull out the eggs.
Sam moved out of his way, and found herself standing in the spot next to the doorway that he'd vacated. She leaned against the doorframe and alternated between looking at the ring on her hand, and watching him as he moved around the kitchen, gathering the utensils he needed to make their dinner. She always did love to watch him.
"You really bought this after the first visit to camp?" She asked; admiring the way the diamond sparkled.
He looked over and promptly paid for the lack of concentration by dropping an egg on the floor. No problem; Jaffer ambled over and cleaned it up for him. The black lab loved raw eggs, and these were the only times he ever got one, although Jack did reach down and take the shell before he could eat that.
"I bought it the day that Janet let me and Daniel out of the infirmary."
"Does Daniel know?"
"No one knows, Sam," Jack told her, looking over as he scrambled the eggs. "What if you'd said no?"
She smiled, and looked down at her finger again. There was no way she'd have said no.
"Ham?"
She nodded. "And onions?"
"Whatever you want."
"Green peppers, too, then."
Jaffer didn't like green peppers, but Jack could work around that. He'd just make the black lab his own omelet. He turned on the stove, and started heating the pan, and the phone rang.
"Damn." His hands were full of egg batter. "Get that, Sam?"
She nodded, and picked up the phone. Jack could only hear her end of the conversation, but it was enough.
"Hello?" She mouthed 'General Hammond' and he nodded. At least he knew who it was, but since Hammond rarely made social calls to Jack's house, he knew it was something important also.
"Yes, Sir." Sam scowled, which meant something bad.
"We'll be right there, Sir."
Well, shit. That didn't sound like a relaxing evening at home. Jack didn't scowl, but he wanted to.
She hung up and looked at him.
"No dinner?"
She shook her head. "We need to get to the base. There's an emergency."
"Of course there's an emergency," Jack grumbled, reaching over and turning off the stove. God forbid the world save itself on the most important day of his life. It wasn't Sam's fault, though, and he wasn't going to take it out on her. He forced down a scowl. "What's going on?"
"The General didn't say. Just that he needed us there as soon as we could get there." She shrugged. "I told him we'd be right there."
He nodded, looking down at himself. Probably sweats and a sweatshirt weren't proper attire, but he could change in the locker room at Cheyenne Mountain.
"We'd better get going, then, huh?"
"I'm sorry."
Jack smiled, this time, and shrugged. "It's not your fault, Sam. At least the cake will be cooled by the time we get back."
................
Everyone else was already present in the briefing room when Sam and Jack arrived about fifteen minutes later with Jaffer. Daniel and Teal'c were sitting side by side, with Jack sitting upright on the floor between them, his blonde head just barely visible over the top of the table. Hammond was seated as well, but he was looking through a stack of papers on the table, and didn't look up right away when they walked in.
"What's going on?" Jack asked as he nodded to the others and sat down next to Teal'c. Carter sat down beside him and Jaffer flopped down on the floor next to her feet.
Hammond looked up from his papers, his face serious. "SG-3 is late checking in. We sent a probe, but we can't gain radio contact with them."
"How late are they?" Jack asked, looking at his watch. He couldn't remember exactly when SG-3 had went to their latest assignment, which was supposed to have been a simple recon of a new planet that the computer had dialed in a couple of weeks ago – of course, he'd had a lot on his mind the last few days, so he had reason.
"They were supposed to check in six hours ago." Hammond said. "They could just be lost."
"Or they could be in trouble."
Hammond nodded. "Since SG-1 has Jack and Jaffer, I want you to go look for them. If they're simply lost or experiencing radio problems, the dogs will hopefully be able to help find them. If it's something more serious, you'll have them as back up in case you need it." He hesitated. "I don't need to tell you to be careful, right?"
"Of course not, Sir." Jack shrugged. "We're always careful."
"You leave as soon as you get supplies." Hammond stood up and left the room.
"We'll have to let it cool before we put frosting on it." Sam told him, pulling off the oven mitts and walking over to put her arms around him, and resting her head against his chest, her eyes once more going to her hand, and the shining ring on her finger. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her, but didn't pull her so close that it blocked her view of her hand.
"How about some dinner?" He asked. "Are you hungry?"
"Depends..."
"On?"
"What are we having and are you cooking it?"
"Birthday pizza?"
"Ugh, no."
"Birthday Chinese food?"
She shook her head, and took a step back, and headed for his fridge. "You know, some day – soon – you're going to have to realize that there are other ways to get food than just picking up the phone and ordering it."
"But the phone works so well..."
He followed her over and looked over her shoulder as she opened the door. Jaffer walked over as well, always willing to take a look at the contents of the refrigerator.
"How about a birthday omelet?" Sam asked him, looking over her shoulder, and smiling to see both of them so close to her.
He nodded. Really, he didn't care what they had to eat. "Want me to make it?"
"You don't mind?"
"Course not." He stole a quick kiss, and then moved past her to reach into the fridge and pull out the eggs.
Sam moved out of his way, and found herself standing in the spot next to the doorway that he'd vacated. She leaned against the doorframe and alternated between looking at the ring on her hand, and watching him as he moved around the kitchen, gathering the utensils he needed to make their dinner. She always did love to watch him.
"You really bought this after the first visit to camp?" She asked; admiring the way the diamond sparkled.
He looked over and promptly paid for the lack of concentration by dropping an egg on the floor. No problem; Jaffer ambled over and cleaned it up for him. The black lab loved raw eggs, and these were the only times he ever got one, although Jack did reach down and take the shell before he could eat that.
"I bought it the day that Janet let me and Daniel out of the infirmary."
"Does Daniel know?"
"No one knows, Sam," Jack told her, looking over as he scrambled the eggs. "What if you'd said no?"
She smiled, and looked down at her finger again. There was no way she'd have said no.
"Ham?"
She nodded. "And onions?"
"Whatever you want."
"Green peppers, too, then."
Jaffer didn't like green peppers, but Jack could work around that. He'd just make the black lab his own omelet. He turned on the stove, and started heating the pan, and the phone rang.
"Damn." His hands were full of egg batter. "Get that, Sam?"
She nodded, and picked up the phone. Jack could only hear her end of the conversation, but it was enough.
"Hello?" She mouthed 'General Hammond' and he nodded. At least he knew who it was, but since Hammond rarely made social calls to Jack's house, he knew it was something important also.
"Yes, Sir." Sam scowled, which meant something bad.
"We'll be right there, Sir."
Well, shit. That didn't sound like a relaxing evening at home. Jack didn't scowl, but he wanted to.
She hung up and looked at him.
"No dinner?"
She shook her head. "We need to get to the base. There's an emergency."
"Of course there's an emergency," Jack grumbled, reaching over and turning off the stove. God forbid the world save itself on the most important day of his life. It wasn't Sam's fault, though, and he wasn't going to take it out on her. He forced down a scowl. "What's going on?"
"The General didn't say. Just that he needed us there as soon as we could get there." She shrugged. "I told him we'd be right there."
He nodded, looking down at himself. Probably sweats and a sweatshirt weren't proper attire, but he could change in the locker room at Cheyenne Mountain.
"We'd better get going, then, huh?"
"I'm sorry."
Jack smiled, this time, and shrugged. "It's not your fault, Sam. At least the cake will be cooled by the time we get back."
................
Everyone else was already present in the briefing room when Sam and Jack arrived about fifteen minutes later with Jaffer. Daniel and Teal'c were sitting side by side, with Jack sitting upright on the floor between them, his blonde head just barely visible over the top of the table. Hammond was seated as well, but he was looking through a stack of papers on the table, and didn't look up right away when they walked in.
"What's going on?" Jack asked as he nodded to the others and sat down next to Teal'c. Carter sat down beside him and Jaffer flopped down on the floor next to her feet.
Hammond looked up from his papers, his face serious. "SG-3 is late checking in. We sent a probe, but we can't gain radio contact with them."
"How late are they?" Jack asked, looking at his watch. He couldn't remember exactly when SG-3 had went to their latest assignment, which was supposed to have been a simple recon of a new planet that the computer had dialed in a couple of weeks ago – of course, he'd had a lot on his mind the last few days, so he had reason.
"They were supposed to check in six hours ago." Hammond said. "They could just be lost."
"Or they could be in trouble."
Hammond nodded. "Since SG-1 has Jack and Jaffer, I want you to go look for them. If they're simply lost or experiencing radio problems, the dogs will hopefully be able to help find them. If it's something more serious, you'll have them as back up in case you need it." He hesitated. "I don't need to tell you to be careful, right?"
"Of course not, Sir." Jack shrugged. "We're always careful."
"You leave as soon as you get supplies." Hammond stood up and left the room.