Author's note: Well, crapola. Now I can't get FF to upload my documents… maybe this story isn't meant to be?
………
"It's beautiful, Sam…"
Carter smiled, enjoying the feel of the silk across her soft skin. It wasn't a luxury she had all that often, after all. Not in her line of work. She looked down at the dress she was wearing, and once more at her reflection in the mirror, then at Janet and Cassandra, who were standing close by, admiring the way her gown fit her curves perfectly.
"They didn't do a bad job, did they?" She asked, turning her head once more to look at her reflection.
"Jack's going to go crazy when he sees you," Cassandra said, smiling. "You look hot."
That was quite a compliment coming from a 16 year old, so Sam smiled again, and reluctantly started to take it off.
"We'd better get ready for the girls to get here," she said, sliding the silky fabric over her head and being careful not to wrinkle it. "Gina's mom said she'd bring them by around noon."
"I can't wait to see what they all look like in their dresses," Janet said, smiling.
"I know."
Sam and Janet had chosen a pale blue as the color of the bridesmaid's dresses, figuring it would go well with the uniforms that the men and most of the guests would be wearing. Sam, of course, would be in a traditional gown - that fit her like a silky glove - and Jack was going to be dressed in his dress blues. The boys and Daniel and Teal'c would all be in Tuxedoes, and the girls and Janet would be in gowns, but all the other military personnel would be in uniform. They very rarely had a chance to dress up - aside from funerals - and it was a fine time to show off your latest set of medals. Besides, they all had dress uniforms, so there'd be no excuse for them not to come.
As Janet hung up the wedding gown, Sam slid into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, more than ready to be in casual clothes today, since tomorrow would be filled with formal array.
"I think we should-"
She was interrupted by a knock on Janet's door, and Cassandra went to open it, revealing Gina's mother, flanked by nine young women ranging in age from 14 to fifteen, and one sixteen year old. These were the girls from France, and they were the ones who'd precede Sam down the aisle the next morning.
"Hi, Sam!"
There were assorted greetings and hugs all around, and Janet came out to greet the girls as well. She didn't know them as well as Sam did, of course, but she was learning about them the same way she learned everything. Quickly.
"Hi, Doctor Fraiser!"
"Hi, girls." Janet smiled, and gave Sally a smile when she saw that Daniel's girlfriend had come up the walk as well and joined the group by the door. "Hail, Hail, the gang's all here."
"Where's Jack?"
"He's at home," Sam said, ushering them all inside.
"Why?"
"It's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding…" Janet said.
"Why?"
"It just is."
Gina frowned, trying to figure out where such a weird tradition might have originated, but she couldn't.
"Do you want me to stay and help out, Sam?" Gina's mother asked. Nine girls and only three adults. It was badly mis-matched.
"Nah, we've got it, I think," Sam said, smiling gratefully. "You have a class today, don't you?"
"Yes." She nodded. "I'll be by to pick them up later, or call me when you're done. Gina has my cell phone number."
Sam nodded, and stood to the side so all the girls could slip through the door and into Janet's. They all told Gina's mom good-bye, thanking her for the ride, and she told them all to behave and have fun. Then she left, and Sam, Sally and Janet were on their own with the girls.
"We have hangers with each of your names on them," Janet said to the girls. Go try on your dresses so we can make sure they fit before tomorrow."
There was a mad scramble as Cassandra pointed half the girls to Janet's room and half to her own, where closet space had been made for the outfits, and rom had been cleared so they wouldn't be bumping into each other while they dressed.
"When we're done, maybe we'll go get some ice cream," Sam told them.
…………
Daniel didn't want ice cream. When Jack and the boys - along with Hammond, Dotty and Jaffer - all showed up on his doorstep (so to speak), he was still very much in the process of trying to wake up and clear out the cobwebs that were threatening to take over his brain. The cobwebs were better than the terrible headache he'd started his day with, but it wasn't as good as feeling 100 percent, and the archeologist was downing coffee and more coffee in his effort to get the world to focus more clearly around him. It wasn't working all that well, but coffee was about all his rebellious stomach would let him have at that moment, so he was doing the best he could. He stumbled to the door when he heard the knock, wearing a pair of shorts and one sock.
"Hey, Daniel," Jack said, when the door opened. Daniel was dismayed to see that not only was Jaffer with Jack - nothing unusual there - but so were all the boys as well as Hammond and Dotty.
"Jack… um… hi."
"Hi."
Daniel scowled. Jack looked far more awake than he felt, and he wondered if Dotty had done some kind of healing thing on him to help him get over his hangover. He knew Jack had drunk far more than he had the night before. Of course, Jack was also better at holding his alcohol than Daniel, but that was beside the point.
"How's it going, guys?" Daniel asked them over Jack's shoulder.
"We're going for ice cream, Daniel," Shawn said from where he was standing next to Jack. "Jack thought we should come see if you wanted to join us."
The young man's face was amused, and the expression he wore was almost an identical copy of the one Jack was wearing.
"He did, huh?" Daniel shot Jack a look, but the Colonel switched to an innocent, impassive look almost immediately.
"Yeah." Devon confirmed. "Come on, Daniel. Let's go get some ice cream."
He looked down at himself, and then at the boys, and shook his head. Even though he had absolutely no desire for ice cream, he would never say no to the boys when they ganged up on him like that.
"Okay, guys… let me get dressed."
He debated inviting them in, but there was a lot of stuff in his big apartment that they probably didn't need to see or play with, and Jack cut him off before he could, knowing that curious boys and Daniel's dusty shelves could only lead to questions better off unanswered - and unasked.
"Come on, guys, why don't you all go wait in the cars?"
Shawn and Andrew had ridden over with Jack. Simon, Devon and Tyler had hitched a ride with General Hammond, awed by the fact that a real General was chauffeuring them around, and the others had ridden with Dotty, who was just along to drive, she told Jack, and had proven that by hanging back out of the way during the conversation with Daniel. They all nodded, and headed for the elevator, talking noisily but obeying well. They were good kids, even for young teen-agers, and Jack and Daniel smiled as they watched them go, herded by Hammond, and Dotty.
"You realize I'm going to be forced to kill you for this, right?" Daniel asked.
Jack smiled.
"Yeah, probably. But it was worth it to see the look on your face when you opened the door."
He walked past Daniel and into his apartment, followed closely by Jaffer, who rarely left Jack's side. The Colonel took Daniel's cup of coffee from him, and took an appreciative sip - Daniel always made good coffee.
"Go get dressed, Cinderella. Your coach is outside."
………
"It's beautiful, Sam…"
Carter smiled, enjoying the feel of the silk across her soft skin. It wasn't a luxury she had all that often, after all. Not in her line of work. She looked down at the dress she was wearing, and once more at her reflection in the mirror, then at Janet and Cassandra, who were standing close by, admiring the way her gown fit her curves perfectly.
"They didn't do a bad job, did they?" She asked, turning her head once more to look at her reflection.
"Jack's going to go crazy when he sees you," Cassandra said, smiling. "You look hot."
That was quite a compliment coming from a 16 year old, so Sam smiled again, and reluctantly started to take it off.
"We'd better get ready for the girls to get here," she said, sliding the silky fabric over her head and being careful not to wrinkle it. "Gina's mom said she'd bring them by around noon."
"I can't wait to see what they all look like in their dresses," Janet said, smiling.
"I know."
Sam and Janet had chosen a pale blue as the color of the bridesmaid's dresses, figuring it would go well with the uniforms that the men and most of the guests would be wearing. Sam, of course, would be in a traditional gown - that fit her like a silky glove - and Jack was going to be dressed in his dress blues. The boys and Daniel and Teal'c would all be in Tuxedoes, and the girls and Janet would be in gowns, but all the other military personnel would be in uniform. They very rarely had a chance to dress up - aside from funerals - and it was a fine time to show off your latest set of medals. Besides, they all had dress uniforms, so there'd be no excuse for them not to come.
As Janet hung up the wedding gown, Sam slid into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, more than ready to be in casual clothes today, since tomorrow would be filled with formal array.
"I think we should-"
She was interrupted by a knock on Janet's door, and Cassandra went to open it, revealing Gina's mother, flanked by nine young women ranging in age from 14 to fifteen, and one sixteen year old. These were the girls from France, and they were the ones who'd precede Sam down the aisle the next morning.
"Hi, Sam!"
There were assorted greetings and hugs all around, and Janet came out to greet the girls as well. She didn't know them as well as Sam did, of course, but she was learning about them the same way she learned everything. Quickly.
"Hi, Doctor Fraiser!"
"Hi, girls." Janet smiled, and gave Sally a smile when she saw that Daniel's girlfriend had come up the walk as well and joined the group by the door. "Hail, Hail, the gang's all here."
"Where's Jack?"
"He's at home," Sam said, ushering them all inside.
"Why?"
"It's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding…" Janet said.
"Why?"
"It just is."
Gina frowned, trying to figure out where such a weird tradition might have originated, but she couldn't.
"Do you want me to stay and help out, Sam?" Gina's mother asked. Nine girls and only three adults. It was badly mis-matched.
"Nah, we've got it, I think," Sam said, smiling gratefully. "You have a class today, don't you?"
"Yes." She nodded. "I'll be by to pick them up later, or call me when you're done. Gina has my cell phone number."
Sam nodded, and stood to the side so all the girls could slip through the door and into Janet's. They all told Gina's mom good-bye, thanking her for the ride, and she told them all to behave and have fun. Then she left, and Sam, Sally and Janet were on their own with the girls.
"We have hangers with each of your names on them," Janet said to the girls. Go try on your dresses so we can make sure they fit before tomorrow."
There was a mad scramble as Cassandra pointed half the girls to Janet's room and half to her own, where closet space had been made for the outfits, and rom had been cleared so they wouldn't be bumping into each other while they dressed.
"When we're done, maybe we'll go get some ice cream," Sam told them.
…………
Daniel didn't want ice cream. When Jack and the boys - along with Hammond, Dotty and Jaffer - all showed up on his doorstep (so to speak), he was still very much in the process of trying to wake up and clear out the cobwebs that were threatening to take over his brain. The cobwebs were better than the terrible headache he'd started his day with, but it wasn't as good as feeling 100 percent, and the archeologist was downing coffee and more coffee in his effort to get the world to focus more clearly around him. It wasn't working all that well, but coffee was about all his rebellious stomach would let him have at that moment, so he was doing the best he could. He stumbled to the door when he heard the knock, wearing a pair of shorts and one sock.
"Hey, Daniel," Jack said, when the door opened. Daniel was dismayed to see that not only was Jaffer with Jack - nothing unusual there - but so were all the boys as well as Hammond and Dotty.
"Jack… um… hi."
"Hi."
Daniel scowled. Jack looked far more awake than he felt, and he wondered if Dotty had done some kind of healing thing on him to help him get over his hangover. He knew Jack had drunk far more than he had the night before. Of course, Jack was also better at holding his alcohol than Daniel, but that was beside the point.
"How's it going, guys?" Daniel asked them over Jack's shoulder.
"We're going for ice cream, Daniel," Shawn said from where he was standing next to Jack. "Jack thought we should come see if you wanted to join us."
The young man's face was amused, and the expression he wore was almost an identical copy of the one Jack was wearing.
"He did, huh?" Daniel shot Jack a look, but the Colonel switched to an innocent, impassive look almost immediately.
"Yeah." Devon confirmed. "Come on, Daniel. Let's go get some ice cream."
He looked down at himself, and then at the boys, and shook his head. Even though he had absolutely no desire for ice cream, he would never say no to the boys when they ganged up on him like that.
"Okay, guys… let me get dressed."
He debated inviting them in, but there was a lot of stuff in his big apartment that they probably didn't need to see or play with, and Jack cut him off before he could, knowing that curious boys and Daniel's dusty shelves could only lead to questions better off unanswered - and unasked.
"Come on, guys, why don't you all go wait in the cars?"
Shawn and Andrew had ridden over with Jack. Simon, Devon and Tyler had hitched a ride with General Hammond, awed by the fact that a real General was chauffeuring them around, and the others had ridden with Dotty, who was just along to drive, she told Jack, and had proven that by hanging back out of the way during the conversation with Daniel. They all nodded, and headed for the elevator, talking noisily but obeying well. They were good kids, even for young teen-agers, and Jack and Daniel smiled as they watched them go, herded by Hammond, and Dotty.
"You realize I'm going to be forced to kill you for this, right?" Daniel asked.
Jack smiled.
"Yeah, probably. But it was worth it to see the look on your face when you opened the door."
He walked past Daniel and into his apartment, followed closely by Jaffer, who rarely left Jack's side. The Colonel took Daniel's cup of coffee from him, and took an appreciative sip - Daniel always made good coffee.
"Go get dressed, Cinderella. Your coach is outside."