"You know, you don't really have to come to bed with me..." Sam told Jack sleepily as he deposited her a few moments later on their bed. "If you're not tired, stay up and-"

He cut her off with a soft kiss, and pulled the blankets back.

"I'm ready for a nap, Sam," he said, smiling as he pulled off his jeans and slipped into a pair of shorts – she was dressed in slacks made of a soft enough fabric that they wouldn't chafe her while she slept, but denim wasn't the thing to sleep in if you could avoid it. "I've been chasing that kid all day, after all."

She smiled, rolling over and watching him change. If she wasn't so sleepy, she might have told him not to bother with the clothes at all.

"He's certainly a different person when you get past that tough exterior, isn't he?"

Jack nodded, and slid under the covers, pulling her up against him so he could cuddle her.

"There's something wrong, though..."

"You saw it, too?" Sam asked. She shouldn't be surprised, she realized; Jack was far more observant than he led on – and far more intelligent than he let people think he was. She'd noticed the haunted looks that would cloud Ian's expression when he didn't think anyone was watching – why wouldn't Jack have noticed them as well?

"Yeah... something's bothering him."

"You didn't ask him what it was?" She asked.

"Did you?" He countered, gently.

She shook her head. She'd almost done just that, earlier, but had held back, not wanting to seem like she was pressuring him.

"I didn't want to be nosy..."

Jack smiled, and tucked her head under his chin.

"If I get an opening, I'll ask him about it, okay?"

She nodded, and slid her arm around him, her fingers idly sliding up under his shirt to caress his side. She dozed off only moments later, and Jack was only a little behind her.

OOOOOOOO

Ian watched as Jack and Sam disappeared down the hall and turned to Jaffer, who showed no inclination to follow them. The lab was warm and comfortable sprawled in front of the waning fire, and he wasn't ready for bed just yet.

"You don't have to stay up," Ian told him. "I don't have to have company..."

Jaffer's tail was the only part of him that moved, but it wagged cheerfully enough that the cadet smiled. Since the lab didn't show any signs of needing to go out, Ian flopped down on the couch and picked up the remote. He wasn't all that tired – and even if he was tired, he had absolutely no intention of going to bed just then. He debated going for a run – that coupled with having Jack chasing him all day might wear him down enough that he might actually sleep soundly – but he didn't want to jog in the dark in an unfamiliar neighborhood with half the sidewalks covered in ice. That would pretty much be asking for a nasty fall.

Remembering that he didn't have anything to wear the next day, Ian rolled off the couch and headed into 'his' room. He grabbed up all the clothes he'd worn – how had he gone through so many? – and carried them to the laundry room, which was off the kitchen. Far enough away that if he ran a load of clothes, he wouldn't disturb Sam and Jack. He started a load of clothes, and then stopped at the fridge, opening it up and looking for something to snack on. He wasn't starving or anything, but would never say no to a snack.

Jaffer was beside him in an instant, his big head in the fridge as well; looking to see what Ian was going to share with him. For himself, Ian snagged more pie. For Jaffer, he pulled out a few pieces of ham and turkey. Putting it all on a plate, he carried it into the living room and settled in to watch the last of the evening football games – there was always a college game on during the Thanksgiving holiday – and even if he didn't care for either team playing, it was as good a distraction as any.

OOOOOOOOOO

Two football games, three trips to the fridge and a couple of trips outside for Jaffer later, it was after midnight, and still Ian didn't feel like going to bed. He was getting tired, though, and needed more of a distraction than a rerun of a game that had played earlier. Disgusted with himself for being afraid to go to bed, he went into the bedroom just long enough to grab up the textbook he'd brought with him – figuring that eventually he'd have some downtime and might want to do a little reading. He carried it out to the dining room, though, deciding that if he read in bed, he'd fall asleep.

He poured himself a glass of milk and put his clothes from the washer to the dryer – he'd almost forgotten completely about them – and then he started reading.

OOOOOOOO

"You're up late."

He jerked his head up from the book only half an hour later, and saw that Sam had joined him. She gave him an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's okay."

She came over and looked over his shoulder.

"What are you reading?"

Ian handed the book to her without marking his place – he knew where he was.

"'Advanced theoretical mathematics, book 2'", Sam read. She looked at him. "You're not taking this class, are you?"

He shook his head.

"I might next year, though."

"So you thought you'd get a jump on it?"

He shook his head, giving her a slight smile.

"I thought I'd read the book and decide if it was interesting enough to take."

She handed him the book back.

"Is it?"

"I'm not sure. I'll probably take the class, anyways, just for the hell of it."

Not a lot of students took such an advanced class 'just for the hell of it'. It was a reminder to Sam just how intelligent he was. She smiled.

"It's a good class to take if you want a grounding in any of the advanced sciences."

"Yeah, I know. I read the prerequisites for the physics classes – the advanced and the Astrophysics – and saw it on the list."

"You're thinking about Astrophysics?" Sam asked.

He shrugged.

"It's good enough for you..."

Sam smiled.

"You just don't have a clue what you want to do with your life, do you Ian?"

He blushed slightly, and shook his head.

"Nothing interests me, Sam," he told her, honestly. "I'd take Medical studies – but I hate sick people, and I probably don't have the best bedside manner. I'm taking Mathematics – but I'm not sure what to do with them once I have them down – it's not like there's a huge demand for number crunchers, when a computer can do that just as easily. Physics is a breeze, but I have to take it, Biology is the same, and I could sleep through my other classes if it didn't mean running laps if I got caught."

She didn't say anything, figuring there was more on his mind, and a moment later he sighed, and pushed the book away.

"Hayden wants to be a pilot. He's absolutely ape-shit over flying, and knows exactly what he wants to do and how he's going to achieve that goal. Jesus, Shawn's all of fourteen and even he knows exactly what he's going to do with his life. I'm nineteen and I don't have the foggiest idea of what I want to do."

"And you think that's unusual?" Sam asked.

"It's not?"

She shook her head.

"I didn't know what I wanted to Major in until my Junior year, Ian. And then I had to work my butt off because I'd waited so long to decide. From what he tells me, Jack was even worse."

"Really?"

She nodded.

"You have all the time in the world, you know. There's a lot to choose from – and more fields opening up every day. Who knows? By the time you're ready to choose, there might be just the career waiting for you."

"I doubt it."

He looked gloomy, but Sam realized it wasn't the same bleak look that she and Jack had discussed – which told her that while this was a problem he'd been mulling over, it wasn't the one that had been bothering him.

"Well, maybe the Academy will come up with different programs – one that might interest you..." She'd have to talk with Hammond or some of the other brass about that. Ian was way too smart to be allowed to flounder for long. "I'll talk to the Commandant about it."

He shook his head.

"I don't-"

"I do." Sam smiled, "It's not a bad idea, actually. I'll see what they say – although it might not be for a few months, who knows? Nothing ever happens quickly in the Air Force."

"I've noticed."

She laughed.

"I'm going to go back to bed. Don't stay up too late, or you're going to be grumpy in the morning."

"Yes, Ma'am."

She slapped his shoulder in silent admonishment and headed back down the hallway, this time with Jaffer close behind her.

Ian sighed, and picked up the book again, then set it down on the table and stood up. Maybe he was tired enough to sleep without dreams...