They stayed outside until hunger and the chilly weather drove them back in. The dogs didn't mind, of course, but Sam and Jack weren't wearing jackets, and their goose bumps had goose bumps.
"Pizza?" Jack asked as Abby and Jaffer bolted through the door, panting happily. The two labs headed for Jaffer's water dish, which was plenty big enough that they didn't have to take turns drinking out of it.
"Pizza's fine," Sam agreed, sitting down on the sofa and wrapping up in the throw blanket Jack had draped over the back of it. Abby came over and looked at her, her brown eyes questioning, and Sam patted the spot next to her in open invitation. In a flash, the little lab jumped up to sit next to her, leaning against Sam as she rubbed her ears.
"Pizza it is." Jack smiled as he watched her with Abby, and picked up the phone, looking down at Jaffer who was watching him expectantly. Knowing what he wanted, Jack dialed the pizza place as he fished through the treat drawer for a bag of munchies for the dogs. "Take that to Sam," He told Jaffer, handing the bag over as someone answered the other end of the phone.
While Jack ordered their dinner, Jaffer carried the bag over to Sam who took it from him with a smile. Abby's attention was on the bag, too. Obviously she knew what was in it.
"Abby? Can you do tricks?"
The little lab wagged her tail. Sure, she could do anything.
"Speak."
Woof!
Woof!
Jaffer and Abby both responded to the command at the same time, and Sam grinned, handing them both a treat, which vanished immediately.
"Hey, tubby, you're in my seat..." Jack had finished ordering the pizza and walked over to the sofa, smiling to find Abby comfortably seated next to Sam, her attention completely focused on the treat Sam had pulled out of the bag. When Jack put his hand on her shoulder, though, she turned her head and looked at him cheerfully, waiting to see what he wanted.
"If you let me sit there, I'll give you two of those treats," Jack told her. She jumped down immediately, as if she understood perfectly well what he'd just said, and Jack took the bag from Sam and fished out a couple treats, which he handed over.
"You're going to make her sick," Sam chided, as Jack handed a couple treats to Jaffer as well, just to keep things fair.
"Nah." He sat down and handed the bag back to her. "I asked Marissa what she could and couldn't eat, and apparently Abby's pretty much allowed whatever she wants – although that'll change when she gets pregnant. Then Marissa will have to watch what she eats more carefully." He put an arm around Sam, smiling. "Which is why it's a good thing Jaffer's not having the puppies, since he'd never go for a diet."
"That's because he's spoiled." Sam tossed the two labs another treat, and then closed the bag firmly, much to their disappointment.
"He's not spoiled," Jack said, defensively as she cuddled against him, sharing the throw blanket she was wrapped in. "He's just..."
"Spoiled."
"Indulged."
"Over-indulged."
"There's no such thing."
Sam shook her head. There really was no reasoning with him when it came to Jaffer. She wondered if Charlie had been spoiled, too, but she'd never have asked him that. Instead, she slid her hand up under his shirt, warming her cold fingers against his warm belly. He flinched, but he didn't move away. Sam smiled, knowing that he was allowing her to do it because he'd let her do anything to him. Maybe she was a little spoiled, too?
Jaffer jumped up onto the couch next to Jack, who moved closer to Sam to make room, and then looked down at Abby, who was watching, her brown eyes mournful once more. She wanted up, too, but there wasn't any more room. Of course, Jack didn't see it that way. He patted his lap.
"Come on, little girl," he said. "If Jaffer doesn't flatten me when he sits on me, I doubt you will."
She leaped up gracefully, landing in his lap, and she, Jack and Sam all squirmed around a little until they were all comfortable. It ended up with Abby sprawled on both of them, her head resting right next to Jaffer's on Jack's thigh, and her butt resting on Sam's thigh. Both of them felt the warmth of the lab blanketing them immediately, and Jack felt it doubly so, since he had Jaffer's warm body beside him as well.
"I could get used to this," Jack said, one hand resting on Jaffer, the other around Sam. She still had one hand under his shirt, but the other was resting on Abby's flank now, and both dogs and Jack were getting all the loving they needed.
"It's nice," Sam agreed, closing her eyes and relaxing against him.
"Don't fall asleep before dinner gets here," he warned her. "The dogs and I can't guarantee you'll get more than a slice or two if you're not awake to take your share."
Sam smiled, but didn't open her eyes. "I'm not going to fall asleep. I'm just resting my eyes."
She didn't fall asleep. She wasn't tired, just comfortable, and she was enjoying the nearness and warmth of Jack and Abby far too much to sleep and miss any of it. By the time the pizza guy knocked on the door, she'd pretty much decided that when she and Jack had kids, she was going to make them all sit with her like this every night.
Then there was a stampede to the door as Jaffer and Abby shouldered each other aside trying to be the first to greet whoever it was on the other side, and at the same time Jack was trying to find his wallet – which had been buried under the pile of supplies for Abby, and trying to get the dogs to move aside for him so he could let the pizza guy come in, and Sam couldn't help but grin. From serenity to chaos in only a matter of moments. There had to be a lesson in there somewhere, but she didn't have a chance to figure out what it was, because she was roped into helping the pizza guy keep the hungry labs from devouring their dinner before Jack and Sam even had a chance to pick what slice they wanted.
"Pizza?" Jack asked as Abby and Jaffer bolted through the door, panting happily. The two labs headed for Jaffer's water dish, which was plenty big enough that they didn't have to take turns drinking out of it.
"Pizza's fine," Sam agreed, sitting down on the sofa and wrapping up in the throw blanket Jack had draped over the back of it. Abby came over and looked at her, her brown eyes questioning, and Sam patted the spot next to her in open invitation. In a flash, the little lab jumped up to sit next to her, leaning against Sam as she rubbed her ears.
"Pizza it is." Jack smiled as he watched her with Abby, and picked up the phone, looking down at Jaffer who was watching him expectantly. Knowing what he wanted, Jack dialed the pizza place as he fished through the treat drawer for a bag of munchies for the dogs. "Take that to Sam," He told Jaffer, handing the bag over as someone answered the other end of the phone.
While Jack ordered their dinner, Jaffer carried the bag over to Sam who took it from him with a smile. Abby's attention was on the bag, too. Obviously she knew what was in it.
"Abby? Can you do tricks?"
The little lab wagged her tail. Sure, she could do anything.
"Speak."
Woof!
Woof!
Jaffer and Abby both responded to the command at the same time, and Sam grinned, handing them both a treat, which vanished immediately.
"Hey, tubby, you're in my seat..." Jack had finished ordering the pizza and walked over to the sofa, smiling to find Abby comfortably seated next to Sam, her attention completely focused on the treat Sam had pulled out of the bag. When Jack put his hand on her shoulder, though, she turned her head and looked at him cheerfully, waiting to see what he wanted.
"If you let me sit there, I'll give you two of those treats," Jack told her. She jumped down immediately, as if she understood perfectly well what he'd just said, and Jack took the bag from Sam and fished out a couple treats, which he handed over.
"You're going to make her sick," Sam chided, as Jack handed a couple treats to Jaffer as well, just to keep things fair.
"Nah." He sat down and handed the bag back to her. "I asked Marissa what she could and couldn't eat, and apparently Abby's pretty much allowed whatever she wants – although that'll change when she gets pregnant. Then Marissa will have to watch what she eats more carefully." He put an arm around Sam, smiling. "Which is why it's a good thing Jaffer's not having the puppies, since he'd never go for a diet."
"That's because he's spoiled." Sam tossed the two labs another treat, and then closed the bag firmly, much to their disappointment.
"He's not spoiled," Jack said, defensively as she cuddled against him, sharing the throw blanket she was wrapped in. "He's just..."
"Spoiled."
"Indulged."
"Over-indulged."
"There's no such thing."
Sam shook her head. There really was no reasoning with him when it came to Jaffer. She wondered if Charlie had been spoiled, too, but she'd never have asked him that. Instead, she slid her hand up under his shirt, warming her cold fingers against his warm belly. He flinched, but he didn't move away. Sam smiled, knowing that he was allowing her to do it because he'd let her do anything to him. Maybe she was a little spoiled, too?
Jaffer jumped up onto the couch next to Jack, who moved closer to Sam to make room, and then looked down at Abby, who was watching, her brown eyes mournful once more. She wanted up, too, but there wasn't any more room. Of course, Jack didn't see it that way. He patted his lap.
"Come on, little girl," he said. "If Jaffer doesn't flatten me when he sits on me, I doubt you will."
She leaped up gracefully, landing in his lap, and she, Jack and Sam all squirmed around a little until they were all comfortable. It ended up with Abby sprawled on both of them, her head resting right next to Jaffer's on Jack's thigh, and her butt resting on Sam's thigh. Both of them felt the warmth of the lab blanketing them immediately, and Jack felt it doubly so, since he had Jaffer's warm body beside him as well.
"I could get used to this," Jack said, one hand resting on Jaffer, the other around Sam. She still had one hand under his shirt, but the other was resting on Abby's flank now, and both dogs and Jack were getting all the loving they needed.
"It's nice," Sam agreed, closing her eyes and relaxing against him.
"Don't fall asleep before dinner gets here," he warned her. "The dogs and I can't guarantee you'll get more than a slice or two if you're not awake to take your share."
Sam smiled, but didn't open her eyes. "I'm not going to fall asleep. I'm just resting my eyes."
She didn't fall asleep. She wasn't tired, just comfortable, and she was enjoying the nearness and warmth of Jack and Abby far too much to sleep and miss any of it. By the time the pizza guy knocked on the door, she'd pretty much decided that when she and Jack had kids, she was going to make them all sit with her like this every night.
Then there was a stampede to the door as Jaffer and Abby shouldered each other aside trying to be the first to greet whoever it was on the other side, and at the same time Jack was trying to find his wallet – which had been buried under the pile of supplies for Abby, and trying to get the dogs to move aside for him so he could let the pizza guy come in, and Sam couldn't help but grin. From serenity to chaos in only a matter of moments. There had to be a lesson in there somewhere, but she didn't have a chance to figure out what it was, because she was roped into helping the pizza guy keep the hungry labs from devouring their dinner before Jack and Sam even had a chance to pick what slice they wanted.