"He actually got down on his knees?" Jacob asked about twenty minutes later, as the two of them walked on a path in the park near Sam's house, Jaffer walking between them, with Sam holding his leash.
Sam had allowed him a chance to get finished dressing, and finish his cup of coffee, but she'd refused to speak with him about the engagement, giving Jacob a chance to get over his surprise before he and she discussed it further. This also gave Sam a chance to think about any arguments her father might think up and come up with a counter for them.
Once they'd started walking, Sam started to tell him the story of how Jack proposed. Jacob, of course, was full of interruptions.
"Yep. Of course, the box was covered in slobber, since Jaffer had been carrying it, but it was so sweet..."
"Yeah, I bet..."
Sam smiled at the sour note in her father's voice.
"What's wrong, dad? You can't be mad that he asked me. You had to know it was coming."
"I knew it was coming... I just assumed he'd wait until things were a little more... stable..."
"What? Wait until the Goa'uld are defeated and there's peace on Earth?" Her sarcasm was gentle, but it didn't make Jacob's scowl any less serious.
"What's wrong with that?"
"Oh, please... who knows when that'd happen – if ever? Why should we wait?"
"You're both Air Force officers. On the same unit. There's regulations."
"We're not going to get married tomorrow, dad." Sam said, shrugging. "Things change, you know? Someday he and I will be in the position where we can get married, and won't have to worry about regulations."
"Why couldn't he wait till then to ask you?"
"Why should he?" Sam asked, her hand resting on Jaffer's head to keep the lab calm. Jaffer was fine, though. He was between Sam and Jacob, and knew that the man couldn't hurt his Sam without going through Jaffer. Something that he'd never be able to do. Jaffer was very confident of his abilities, after all. With good reason. "We've waited a long time, already. If Jack-"
She paused as a little girl came rushing up, drawn to Jaffer, and followed by an anxious mother, who grabbed her daughter's hand before she could get within reach of Jaffer's nose, and asked if he would let her pet him. Sam smiled and nodded, assuring the woman her daughter would be fine, and the little girl reached out and touched the black lab, whose tail was wagging happily at the touch. He loved little kids! Jaffer licked the little girls' face and she giggled, and the mother's nervous look faded a bit. The mother and Sam chatted for a moment while the little girl was gently mauled by Jaffer, then they moved off, separating Jaffer from yet another child who'd already fallen in love with him.
"You were saying?" Jacob asked as soon as they were out of earshot of the pair.
"I was saying that if Jack hadn't proposed soon, I probably would have."
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why do you have to be married? Why can't you just... I don't know... be friends a while longer?"
Sam smiled. "Friends who sleep together?" She asked, pointedly, causing Jacob to flush slightly. He did not want to discuss Sam's love life.
"Sam..."
"Dad... Jack proposed. I said yes. I'm going to marry him. I don't know why you're so upset about this, it's not like I chose some bum off the street. Jack's a good man, and you know it."
"Jack's-"
Jacob broke off when a crowd of children – obviously from a daycare or a preschool of some kind – came rushing up to see the big black lab. They crowded around, petting him and oohing and ahhing and giggling when Jaffer managed to land a few licks on ticklish ears and faces. A moment later they were ushered off by their teachers, or guardians, leaving Jacob and Sam alone again with the lab.
"Does this happen all the time?" Jacob asked, annoyed that he couldn't have a full conversation with his daughter without being interrupted.
Sam nodded, "Kids love Jaffer. He's like a kid magnet." She arched a brow at him, a trick she'd learned from Teal'c. "You were saying something about Jack?"
Jacob frowned, trying to figure out how to say what he wanted to say without getting her upset.
"Jack's been hurt a few times, Sam, hasn't he? On missions, I mean?"
"Yes. So have I. So have Daniel and Teal'c."
"What if something happens to him?" He wasn't saying it exactly how he wanted to, but he had to try. "What if, God forbid, he gets killed? Then what?"
"What if he crashes on his way home and dies, dad?" She countered. "What if you and I get hit by a bus on the way back to my house and we die?" She couldn't believe he'd tried to come up with such a lame argument. "Life is what you make it. Jack and I know we have dangerous jobs, but we're not going to let that hold us back. If anything, it's more reason than ever to not wait."
Yeah, okay. That had been a bad example. Jacob bit his lower lip, but Sam was done with his arguments.
"Dad. I love Jack, and I'm going to marry him. Not tomorrow, of course, but if he asked me to marry him tomorrow, I would. He's a good man, and I've loved him for a long time."
"Sam..."
"I love him."
Jacob sighed. Yeah, he knew she loved him. And he'd seen enough to know that Jack O'Neill really loved her as well. He wasn't really against them getting married, he supposed. He just didn't like being the last to know, and... well, he didn't know. He just... "Damn it, Sam. You're too young to get married."
She laughed, and reached out and took his hand, loving him even more because he was still trying to figure out an argument when she knew he didn't really have one.
"You and mom were married and had two kids by the time she was my age." She reminded him.
"Yeah, yeah. But... I wasn't good enough for her, and Jack's not good enough for you."
"He knows that."
She smiled when he looked surprised, and Sam squeezed his hand. "He told me the same thing just a couple days ago."
"See? Then I'm right."
"And you weren't good enough for mom, and yet she was deliriously happy with you – most of the time. And I'll be the same way with Jack."
She looked at her watch, realizing that they'd spent longer in the park than she'd intended to.
"We have to get going, dad. I need some breakfast before I go in and ask for the day off."
Jacob nodded. He was hungry, too. And he needed some time to think a few things through.
"I'll ride in with you, if you don't mind, Sam. I need to talk to George."
Sam had allowed him a chance to get finished dressing, and finish his cup of coffee, but she'd refused to speak with him about the engagement, giving Jacob a chance to get over his surprise before he and she discussed it further. This also gave Sam a chance to think about any arguments her father might think up and come up with a counter for them.
Once they'd started walking, Sam started to tell him the story of how Jack proposed. Jacob, of course, was full of interruptions.
"Yep. Of course, the box was covered in slobber, since Jaffer had been carrying it, but it was so sweet..."
"Yeah, I bet..."
Sam smiled at the sour note in her father's voice.
"What's wrong, dad? You can't be mad that he asked me. You had to know it was coming."
"I knew it was coming... I just assumed he'd wait until things were a little more... stable..."
"What? Wait until the Goa'uld are defeated and there's peace on Earth?" Her sarcasm was gentle, but it didn't make Jacob's scowl any less serious.
"What's wrong with that?"
"Oh, please... who knows when that'd happen – if ever? Why should we wait?"
"You're both Air Force officers. On the same unit. There's regulations."
"We're not going to get married tomorrow, dad." Sam said, shrugging. "Things change, you know? Someday he and I will be in the position where we can get married, and won't have to worry about regulations."
"Why couldn't he wait till then to ask you?"
"Why should he?" Sam asked, her hand resting on Jaffer's head to keep the lab calm. Jaffer was fine, though. He was between Sam and Jacob, and knew that the man couldn't hurt his Sam without going through Jaffer. Something that he'd never be able to do. Jaffer was very confident of his abilities, after all. With good reason. "We've waited a long time, already. If Jack-"
She paused as a little girl came rushing up, drawn to Jaffer, and followed by an anxious mother, who grabbed her daughter's hand before she could get within reach of Jaffer's nose, and asked if he would let her pet him. Sam smiled and nodded, assuring the woman her daughter would be fine, and the little girl reached out and touched the black lab, whose tail was wagging happily at the touch. He loved little kids! Jaffer licked the little girls' face and she giggled, and the mother's nervous look faded a bit. The mother and Sam chatted for a moment while the little girl was gently mauled by Jaffer, then they moved off, separating Jaffer from yet another child who'd already fallen in love with him.
"You were saying?" Jacob asked as soon as they were out of earshot of the pair.
"I was saying that if Jack hadn't proposed soon, I probably would have."
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why do you have to be married? Why can't you just... I don't know... be friends a while longer?"
Sam smiled. "Friends who sleep together?" She asked, pointedly, causing Jacob to flush slightly. He did not want to discuss Sam's love life.
"Sam..."
"Dad... Jack proposed. I said yes. I'm going to marry him. I don't know why you're so upset about this, it's not like I chose some bum off the street. Jack's a good man, and you know it."
"Jack's-"
Jacob broke off when a crowd of children – obviously from a daycare or a preschool of some kind – came rushing up to see the big black lab. They crowded around, petting him and oohing and ahhing and giggling when Jaffer managed to land a few licks on ticklish ears and faces. A moment later they were ushered off by their teachers, or guardians, leaving Jacob and Sam alone again with the lab.
"Does this happen all the time?" Jacob asked, annoyed that he couldn't have a full conversation with his daughter without being interrupted.
Sam nodded, "Kids love Jaffer. He's like a kid magnet." She arched a brow at him, a trick she'd learned from Teal'c. "You were saying something about Jack?"
Jacob frowned, trying to figure out how to say what he wanted to say without getting her upset.
"Jack's been hurt a few times, Sam, hasn't he? On missions, I mean?"
"Yes. So have I. So have Daniel and Teal'c."
"What if something happens to him?" He wasn't saying it exactly how he wanted to, but he had to try. "What if, God forbid, he gets killed? Then what?"
"What if he crashes on his way home and dies, dad?" She countered. "What if you and I get hit by a bus on the way back to my house and we die?" She couldn't believe he'd tried to come up with such a lame argument. "Life is what you make it. Jack and I know we have dangerous jobs, but we're not going to let that hold us back. If anything, it's more reason than ever to not wait."
Yeah, okay. That had been a bad example. Jacob bit his lower lip, but Sam was done with his arguments.
"Dad. I love Jack, and I'm going to marry him. Not tomorrow, of course, but if he asked me to marry him tomorrow, I would. He's a good man, and I've loved him for a long time."
"Sam..."
"I love him."
Jacob sighed. Yeah, he knew she loved him. And he'd seen enough to know that Jack O'Neill really loved her as well. He wasn't really against them getting married, he supposed. He just didn't like being the last to know, and... well, he didn't know. He just... "Damn it, Sam. You're too young to get married."
She laughed, and reached out and took his hand, loving him even more because he was still trying to figure out an argument when she knew he didn't really have one.
"You and mom were married and had two kids by the time she was my age." She reminded him.
"Yeah, yeah. But... I wasn't good enough for her, and Jack's not good enough for you."
"He knows that."
She smiled when he looked surprised, and Sam squeezed his hand. "He told me the same thing just a couple days ago."
"See? Then I'm right."
"And you weren't good enough for mom, and yet she was deliriously happy with you – most of the time. And I'll be the same way with Jack."
She looked at her watch, realizing that they'd spent longer in the park than she'd intended to.
"We have to get going, dad. I need some breakfast before I go in and ask for the day off."
Jacob nodded. He was hungry, too. And he needed some time to think a few things through.
"I'll ride in with you, if you don't mind, Sam. I need to talk to George."