When Sam came into the house, Abby was the only one that rushed to the door to greet her. Jaffer was too busy licking sauce off the floor; Jack was trying to put out the grease fire, while Daniel was nursing a cut on his forehead, and didn't even hear the door open.
Unaware right away of what was going on, Sam knelt and greeted Abby with a smile and a scratch, but almost immediately realized that she smelled smoke, and looked around. Just as the smoke alarm started to go off. She dropped her keys on the stand next to the door and hurried into the kitchen, and into chaos.
There was sauce everywhere. Sauce on the counter tops, running down the front of not only the cupboards below the stove and sink, but also above them. Every cupboard had sauce on it, and the front of the fridge was splattered with some kind of greasy substance. There was a pot lying on the floor – the obvious source of the sauce, since there was still some in it although it was steadily leaking out onto the floor, making the puddle Jaffer was cleaning even bigger.
Jack was just spraying a small fire extinguisher, smothering the top of the stove with the foam and muttering under his breath with a thunderous scowl on his face. Daniel was sitting on the floor with his back to one of the cupboards, splattered in sauce as well, his hand pressed against his forehead. He, too, was muttering under his breath, but Sam thought it sounded like he might have been muttering in some other language since she couldn't understand what he was saying. There was no denying the scowl on his face, though.
"What in the world happened?"
Jack looked up from his fire, which was mostly out – although the smoke detectors were still blaring – and Sam saw his face was smeared with sauce. Jaffer and Daniel both noticed her for the first time, too, and the black lab abandoned his sauce to come and say hello.
"Hi, Sam." Daniel hadn't moved from his spot.
"What's wrong with you?"
"Jack hit me."
"I did not." Jack had turned off the fire extinguisher, and was looking to make sure all the flames were out.
"Yes, you did."
"It was an accident."
"What happened?" Sam asked, shaking her head. The place was a mess.
"I opened the cupboard and he got in the way of the door."
"I slipped on sauce."
"I can't help that." Jack said, reaching into a drawer and pulling out a wash towel. Then he went to the sink – slipping on sauce once more and almost falling – ran it under cold water and handed it over to Daniel.
"Thanks."
"You okay?"
"It'll probably have to amputated."
"Too bad I didn't hit you in the nose, then."
Sam smiled. If they could joke about it, then it couldn't be that bad.
"What are you two doing in here?"
"Making spaghetti." Jack told her.
"Why?"
"I thought it'd be a nice surprise..."
"So you beat up Daniel and tried to burn your house down? That is a surprise."
"I didn't beat him up, Sam," Jack said reasonably. "He got in the way when I was going for the fire extinguisher."
"Which you needed to put out the fire that...?"
"Got started when I spilled the grease from the hamburger I was cooking onto the burner."
"Hamburger? I thought you were making spaghetti?"
"With meat sauce."
"Ah."
"Don't worry, Sam," Jack told her, coming over and slipping on sauce right before he was going to kiss her, and almost falling. "I'll clean it up."
She'd automatically reached her hand out to support her, and she smiled once she knew he wasn't going to fall.
"Daniel? Are you okay?"
"Yeah."
"You're not bleeding too badly."
"Joy."
Jack scowled, but Sam laughed.
"Want to stay for dinner?"
"No, thanks, Sam. I'm having dinner with Sally."
Daniel got to his feet and wiped the sauce off his face with the towel Jack had given him. Sam winced at the red mark, and decided that Jack must have hit him with a corner of the cupboard door and not an edge, because it was going to bruise beautifully. At least it really wasn't bleeding all that much. Daniel had had worse.
"I'll see you two later."
"Hey, where are you going?"
"Home."
"You can't leave until you help me clean this mess up."
Daniel looked around. "I'll clean the floor."
Jack scowled. Jaffer was already doing a fine job of cleaning the floor off.
Sam laughed again, and took Jack's hand, pulling him close so she could put her arm around his waist.
"Go home, Daniel. You might stop and have that cut checked out on the way."
"It's fine, Sam." Daniel picked his way across the floor, and looked back over his shoulder. Yeah, the kitchen was a mess. "You sure you don't want me to stay and help?"
"Nah, go ahead and go, Daniel," Jack said. He wasn't anywhere near as miffed as he was pretending to be. "I'll clean it up. Get your face fixed."
"Do I still get to be your best man?"
Sam looked at Jack, smiling at this piece of information.
"Yeah, I suppose so. I'll see you Monday."
"Have a good weekend, you guys."
He beat a hasty retreat before Jack could change his mind about him helping with the cleaning. O'Neill looked around the messy kitchen and sighed.
"You go relax for a while, Sam. Dinner'll be a little later than I first expected it to be."
"I'll help you clean."
"Nah, I got it. Go do something more interesting. And take Jaffer with you before he makes himself sick."
She wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him softly.
"If you change your mind, call me."
Jack smiled and hugged her close for a long moment, then released her.
"I will. Jaffer, go with Sam, little man."
Jaffer's head came up and he gave Jack a reproachful look, but his tail was wagging as he walked over to Sam, trailing red paw prints in his wake as he smeared sauce.
"Maybe we'll go outside," Sam said, noticing the red paw prints as well. No sense going all over the house and letting him spread them everywhere. She took the towel Daniel had handed her, and one by one cleaned Jaffer's feet off as Jack got started on the sauce mess.
..................
"Dinner was good," Sam murmured, softly. The two were on the sofa once more, and the remains of Chinese take-out were on the coffee table in front of them. Jack had stretched out on the couch with his head in Sam's lap this time, and he smiled as he looked up at her.
"One does one's best."
Sam smiled, running her hand along his cheek and then his jaw. Jack closed his eyes, enjoying the touch, which just encouraged her to keep doing it.
"Did you call Marissa?" She asked.
Jack nodded, still not opening his eyes.
"She'll be over tomorrow some time to give Abby a check up."
"Will she know so soon?"
"She says she will."
"She should know, I suppose."
Jack nodded.
"We're giving them another night, just to insure things – maybe – and if she doesn't need to be here, then Marissa will take her home."
Sam looked over at the smaller lab, who was stretched out next to Jaffer, resting her head on his flank.
"I'm going to miss her."
"You'll see her again. You can come help me pick out the puppy."
Unaware right away of what was going on, Sam knelt and greeted Abby with a smile and a scratch, but almost immediately realized that she smelled smoke, and looked around. Just as the smoke alarm started to go off. She dropped her keys on the stand next to the door and hurried into the kitchen, and into chaos.
There was sauce everywhere. Sauce on the counter tops, running down the front of not only the cupboards below the stove and sink, but also above them. Every cupboard had sauce on it, and the front of the fridge was splattered with some kind of greasy substance. There was a pot lying on the floor – the obvious source of the sauce, since there was still some in it although it was steadily leaking out onto the floor, making the puddle Jaffer was cleaning even bigger.
Jack was just spraying a small fire extinguisher, smothering the top of the stove with the foam and muttering under his breath with a thunderous scowl on his face. Daniel was sitting on the floor with his back to one of the cupboards, splattered in sauce as well, his hand pressed against his forehead. He, too, was muttering under his breath, but Sam thought it sounded like he might have been muttering in some other language since she couldn't understand what he was saying. There was no denying the scowl on his face, though.
"What in the world happened?"
Jack looked up from his fire, which was mostly out – although the smoke detectors were still blaring – and Sam saw his face was smeared with sauce. Jaffer and Daniel both noticed her for the first time, too, and the black lab abandoned his sauce to come and say hello.
"Hi, Sam." Daniel hadn't moved from his spot.
"What's wrong with you?"
"Jack hit me."
"I did not." Jack had turned off the fire extinguisher, and was looking to make sure all the flames were out.
"Yes, you did."
"It was an accident."
"What happened?" Sam asked, shaking her head. The place was a mess.
"I opened the cupboard and he got in the way of the door."
"I slipped on sauce."
"I can't help that." Jack said, reaching into a drawer and pulling out a wash towel. Then he went to the sink – slipping on sauce once more and almost falling – ran it under cold water and handed it over to Daniel.
"Thanks."
"You okay?"
"It'll probably have to amputated."
"Too bad I didn't hit you in the nose, then."
Sam smiled. If they could joke about it, then it couldn't be that bad.
"What are you two doing in here?"
"Making spaghetti." Jack told her.
"Why?"
"I thought it'd be a nice surprise..."
"So you beat up Daniel and tried to burn your house down? That is a surprise."
"I didn't beat him up, Sam," Jack said reasonably. "He got in the way when I was going for the fire extinguisher."
"Which you needed to put out the fire that...?"
"Got started when I spilled the grease from the hamburger I was cooking onto the burner."
"Hamburger? I thought you were making spaghetti?"
"With meat sauce."
"Ah."
"Don't worry, Sam," Jack told her, coming over and slipping on sauce right before he was going to kiss her, and almost falling. "I'll clean it up."
She'd automatically reached her hand out to support her, and she smiled once she knew he wasn't going to fall.
"Daniel? Are you okay?"
"Yeah."
"You're not bleeding too badly."
"Joy."
Jack scowled, but Sam laughed.
"Want to stay for dinner?"
"No, thanks, Sam. I'm having dinner with Sally."
Daniel got to his feet and wiped the sauce off his face with the towel Jack had given him. Sam winced at the red mark, and decided that Jack must have hit him with a corner of the cupboard door and not an edge, because it was going to bruise beautifully. At least it really wasn't bleeding all that much. Daniel had had worse.
"I'll see you two later."
"Hey, where are you going?"
"Home."
"You can't leave until you help me clean this mess up."
Daniel looked around. "I'll clean the floor."
Jack scowled. Jaffer was already doing a fine job of cleaning the floor off.
Sam laughed again, and took Jack's hand, pulling him close so she could put her arm around his waist.
"Go home, Daniel. You might stop and have that cut checked out on the way."
"It's fine, Sam." Daniel picked his way across the floor, and looked back over his shoulder. Yeah, the kitchen was a mess. "You sure you don't want me to stay and help?"
"Nah, go ahead and go, Daniel," Jack said. He wasn't anywhere near as miffed as he was pretending to be. "I'll clean it up. Get your face fixed."
"Do I still get to be your best man?"
Sam looked at Jack, smiling at this piece of information.
"Yeah, I suppose so. I'll see you Monday."
"Have a good weekend, you guys."
He beat a hasty retreat before Jack could change his mind about him helping with the cleaning. O'Neill looked around the messy kitchen and sighed.
"You go relax for a while, Sam. Dinner'll be a little later than I first expected it to be."
"I'll help you clean."
"Nah, I got it. Go do something more interesting. And take Jaffer with you before he makes himself sick."
She wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him softly.
"If you change your mind, call me."
Jack smiled and hugged her close for a long moment, then released her.
"I will. Jaffer, go with Sam, little man."
Jaffer's head came up and he gave Jack a reproachful look, but his tail was wagging as he walked over to Sam, trailing red paw prints in his wake as he smeared sauce.
"Maybe we'll go outside," Sam said, noticing the red paw prints as well. No sense going all over the house and letting him spread them everywhere. She took the towel Daniel had handed her, and one by one cleaned Jaffer's feet off as Jack got started on the sauce mess.
..................
"Dinner was good," Sam murmured, softly. The two were on the sofa once more, and the remains of Chinese take-out were on the coffee table in front of them. Jack had stretched out on the couch with his head in Sam's lap this time, and he smiled as he looked up at her.
"One does one's best."
Sam smiled, running her hand along his cheek and then his jaw. Jack closed his eyes, enjoying the touch, which just encouraged her to keep doing it.
"Did you call Marissa?" She asked.
Jack nodded, still not opening his eyes.
"She'll be over tomorrow some time to give Abby a check up."
"Will she know so soon?"
"She says she will."
"She should know, I suppose."
Jack nodded.
"We're giving them another night, just to insure things – maybe – and if she doesn't need to be here, then Marissa will take her home."
Sam looked over at the smaller lab, who was stretched out next to Jaffer, resting her head on his flank.
"I'm going to miss her."
"You'll see her again. You can come help me pick out the puppy."