Daniel stayed the rest of the afternoon, but they didn't really talk all that much about the wedding. Jack really had other things on his mind besides his wedding, and he wouldn't have dreamed of making plans without Sam there, anyways. Daniel didn't mind. There was plenty of time to talk about the wedding and there were other things to talk to Jack about just then.

"So..."

Jack sighed – again – and reached for the phone.

"I'm not telling you, Daniel. Stop asking."

"Come on, Jack..." He'd been trying to get him to tell him who was going to get the puppy for the last hour, while Jack had been munching on donuts and coffee and sharing with Jaffer and Abby. Now that the bag was empty, he was fully fueled and ready to talk to Monica or Marissa. He tried Marissa's number, first, and the cell picked up on the first ring.

"Hello?'

"Marissa?"

"Jack? Is everything okay?"

He smiled, but only Daniel saw it.

"Everything's great. We... uh... they did their thing."

"Yes!"

Even Daniel heard that, and his grin matched Jack's. So much excitement over such a little thing.

Jack gave her a second, listening as she told whoever she was with all about how her Abby was going to have puppies, then he interrupted.

"So...? Uh, do we have to leave them alone together some more? Or are we done?"

"Tired of her already, Jack?" Marissa's voice was amused. She didn't know him all that well, but she knew very well that no one could ever get tired of her precious Abby. Not someone who liked labs as much as Jack did, especially.

"Nah, she's cute," Jack said. "I'm thinking about trading Jaffer in on a new model... maybe a little girl like her."

"Liar."

He laughed. Of course not. There was no way he'd ever give up Jaffer. He'd give up his heart, first.

"Yeah, I'm too fond of the goober to trade him in. I was just wondering how many times they had to... you know... before you wanted her back?"

"Keep her another night, Jack. Then I'll come over and give her a quick check up tomorrow."

"Ooh, a house call? On a Saturday?"

Marissa laughed again.

"We have special circumstances."

"Indeed, we do. Will you be able to tell if she's pregnant already?"

"It doesn't take long for the body to react to the hormones that are given off by the fertilized eggs, Jack. All that's needed once the sperm and egg are joined is-"

"Eh!" Jack interrupted her in a manner that Daniel was so very familiar with that even though he wasn't able to hear her end of the conversation, he knew that Marissa must have started giving technical details. He grinned. "Yes or no, Marissa? That's all I need to know."

"Yes." She didn't sound at all offended. Of course, she was in a very good mood, and it'd take a lot more than an interrupting Jack O'Neill to change that.

"Good! I'll see you sometime tomorrow."

"I'll be by."

She hung up.

Jack propped his feet up on the coffee table and looked at Jaffer.

"You get her for one more night. Try to keep your... activities... off my bed, okay?"

Jaffer snorted.

"So, Jack..."

"Yes?"

"Who's getting the puppy?"

"I'm not telling you." Yeesh. "How many days is a dog pregnant before she has her puppies?" He asked Daniel.

"How should I know?"

"You're a doctor, right?"

"I'm an archeologist. Arch-eee-oooool-ooogist. Not vet. I study old things."

"Well, how long did it take for dogs in the olden days?"

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Why don't you look it up?"

"Why would I do that?"

Jack picked up the phone again and dialed a number by memory. Daniel was about to ask who he'd called when someone obviously answered the phone, and he got his answer.

"Monica? This is Jack O'Neill."

She said something, but Daniel couldn't hear what it was, only Jack's end of the conversation.

"They're fine."

"Oh, yeah."

"Last night. In my bed."

He scowled, and Daniel could hear Monica Ray laughing on the other line. He grinned, and Jack debating covering his friend in powdered sugar and turning him over to Jaffer.

"Hey... if she is pregnant, how long does it take for her to have them?"

"Great. Marissa said she'd come by tomorrow and check."

"Sure. You're always welcomed here."

"Okay, see you then."

"Bye."

Jack turned to Daniel.

"58 to 66 days."

"Two months?"

"Yup."

"Then who are you going to give the puppy to?"

"Well, it'll be another month and a half or two months before I actually give it to anyone. It'll need to be with Abby for a while." He'd had to wait forever for Jaffer, it had seemed.

Daniel was doing some quick math.

"You do realize that's going to put that at sometime around your wedding day?"

Jack hadn't, but he wasn't about to admit that to Daniel.

"Yeah."

"So..."

"So...?"

"Who are you giving it to?"

"Are you hungry, Daniel?" Jack asked, standing up. "I thought I'd have dinner ready when Sam gets here. Want to help?"

"Jack..."

"Daniel..."

The younger man sighed. He wasn't going to find out.

"What are you going to make?"

"Spaghetti?"

"That sounds easy enough."

"Oh, sure... but we'll make the sauce from scratch."

"What?"

"Sam likes it better that way." Jack said, defensively.

"What? Do you even know how to make sauce from scratch?"

"Well... I've seen her do it a few times. How hard can it be?"

Jack stood up and headed for the kitchen, and a few moments later, a very reluctant Daniel followed him.

"How hard... of course..."