Author's note: Okay, for those of you who need the information (and those who don't) Sam's about three months pregnant in this story. So she's still not showing or anything, and she's over the morning sickness – which is probably just as well. Ian is nineteen in the story and Cassandra is seventeen. River's nineteen, too – although he'll probably mention that himself later on when he shows up. Feel free to ask questions in reviews – or send me emails, I'll answer them.

OOOOOOOO

Ian found out almost immediately why Sam hadn't kept him at home with Jack while she'd gone to Fraiser's to pick up Cassandra and the food. It was just like Sam had told him; if he had company out in the yard, he wasn't going to get anything done.

The moment Jack handed him the rake he'd been holding and had gone over to get the spare that had been leaning against the house, Jack had decided he'd had enough raking. When he picked up the spare rake, he held the tool by the bottom end, so the handle was sticking out like an overly long sword. And he poked Ian in the side with it before the cadet realized what he was up to.

Ian turned, rubbing his side – although Jack hadn't really hurt him, since it would have been a jerk thing to do – and tossed his own rake up a little, catching the handle much lower than he'd been holding it. Giving himself a weapon to defend himself with, since O'Neill was already advancing on him, ready for another poke.

"Ever taken fencing?" Jack asked.

"No, Sir."

"Good."

Ian snorted, and lunged, dealing Jack a fairly gentle whack that he couldn't parry quick enough.

"Well... maybe a class or two." He said as he stepped back, giving O'Neill a chance to rub the spot he'd gotten him.

"You took fencing?"

Ian shrugged.

"It was that or Ballet."

Jack advanced again, his eyes watching Ian's hips, because he knew that was where he'd find out what direction the young man was going to move. He swung his 'sword' and managed to clip Ian before the cadet could bring his 'blade' up to defend himself.

Ian scowled, rubbing his shoulder, and Jack smiled.

"I might have just managed to pick a few things up from Teal'c."

Ian's scowl turned into a challenging grin as the two of them took a measure of each other – both with a little more respect for the other's prowess – then they lifted their 'swords' in a mirrored salute, and attacked.

OOOOOOO

"Oh, good Lord, what happened to you two?"

Sam had just put the last of the apple pies into the oven when the front door opened, and Jaffer came trotting in happily, making a beeline for the oven to see what she was making him. Behind the black lab came Ian and Jack, both of them dirty and grass stained and Jack holding a hand against his forehead – which was bleeding. Ian was holding the broken end of a handle of some sort – but Sam wasn't sure what it went to, since... well... it was broken.

"He got lucky," Jack grumbled, as Sam took charge of him and pressed him down into one of the dining room chairs, moving his hand so she could see what was wrong with him.

"It was an accident," Ian said, setting the stick on the table.

"Want some water, Sam?" Cassie asked, coming over to look at Jack's head, too. It wasn't a huge cut, she could see, but head wounds tended to bleed a lot. She knew that. It probably looked a lot worse than it was.

"And the first aid kit, Cassie, please..." Sam said, shaking her head, and running her fingers along Jack's scalp, looking for other injuries that might be hidden in his hair. "How did you manage to cut your head raking leaves?"

"Ian hit me."

Sam looked over at the Cadet, who scowled – although Sam could see the amusement in his eyes.

"He started it. He poked me."

"You poked him?" She asked Jack.

"With the handle of his rake," Ian added. He pulled up his sweatshirt and t-shirt, revealing his flat well-muscled stomach (which Cassie admired as she returned at exactly the right moment) and showed Sam the red mark made against his side from Jack's initial assault. "See?"

"He stole my rake..." Jack mumbled, pretty much aware he wasn't going to win this one – since he had started it. So he'd have to just make up something.

"He gave it to me. I was minding my own business... passing out food to homeless people... when he just came up behind me and poked me – for no reason."

"He was throwing rocks at passing cars," Jack said.

"I was just getting ready to save some children from a burning building when-"

"He was pulling the wings off flies and-"

"Enough!" Sam was near tears from suppressed mirth, listening to the two of them. It was like they'd planned this; only they'd never have planned the cut on Jack's head – which was going to bruise, she decided. "You two were supposed to be raking the yard." Staying out of trouble...

"It's raked." Jack told her. "More or less..."

"Oh?"

Ian nodded his own agreement.

"So if I go out there and check it...?"

"Well... some leaves have probably fallen from the tree since we came in – it's pretty windy out, you know?"

"Besides, we broke the rakes, so we had to stop," Jack added.

"You broke them both?"

"I only broke one. Ian here broke the other."

"Over your head?"

"No, that was later."

"Oh?" She looked at Ian, curiously. He shrugged, once again trying for an innocent look and once again failing miserably. He just didn't do innocent all that well, she decided – probably, he didn't have much reason to practice it.

"I... well, he poked me."

Sam took an alcohol wipe from the first aid kit and started cleaning the cut on Jack's head – she had plenty of practice at this, after all – while Ian and Cassie and Jaffer watched.

"Are you hurt?" She asked the cadet.

"Nah."

"Then you can go clean the-"

"Did I mention he poked me?" Ian reminded her, suddenly rubbing his side as if it ached abominably. "I probably have internal injuries or something that I just don't know about..."

"-rest of the brownies out of the pan on the stove so I can use it again..." Sam finished, giving him a smile.

"I suddenly feel much better."