There were a lot of people out on the roads, but Jack handled the traffic easily – although there were a few times Ian wanted to flip someone off for being too slow, or reach on over and honk Jack's horn for him. The Colonel was a lot more patient than he was, apparently. Of course, driving in Colorado was a lot different than driving in New York, too. People expected to be flipped off and honked at in New York – and sometimes they'd look at you funny if you stopped so they could get into traffic, figuring it was just a way to get behind them so you could do something to them or follow them.

Ian was practically biting his lip to keep from yelling out the window at the folks around him, and was doing a good job suppressing his annoyance – mainly because he wasn't driving. Finally, though, he sighed.

"You know, she'd probably go faster if you tailgated her."

Jack nodded.

"But then I'd be setting a bad example for you, and we couldn't have that, could we?"

"Want me to drive?"

"Not a chance. I want a calm Friday morning, not a wild drive through the streets being chased by everyone you manage to piss off."

Ian smiled. Like he'd do any of that...? Well... maybe.

"This isn't some elaborate trick to get me to go shopping with you, is it?" He finally asked. As far as he could tell, they were heading downtown, and from what he knew that was the place to shop. And there weren't any wild trees growing there. Christmas or otherwise.

"Nope. I don't have the courage to try shopping today. We're just going to meet Daniel, and then go get a couple of Christmas trees. Nothing more."

He pulled the truck up to a fairly nice little coffee shop, parking in the rear.

"We're a little early, so we'll wait inside."

That was fine with Ian; he could use something warm to drink. Jack turned the truck off, and the two of them got out, leaving Jaffer in the front of the truck where it would be a lot warmer for him than if Jack had put him in the back. Jack led the way around front, and Ian had a feeling from the easy way he approached the place – almost with anticipation – that he'd been there more than a few times.

That was confirmed when they walked up to the counter and Jack smiled at the girl behind the register with far more familiarity than the cadet had seen him greet anyone else. Of course, it might have been because she was cute. A bit on the short side, but she had beautiful hair – even pulled back into that pony tail – just as dark as Ian's and curly as hell, and pretty green eyes, that warmed when she saw Jack.

"Hey, Jack," the girl said, warmly.

"Hi, Kira. One large coffee for me, and..." He looked over at Ian, who took that as a cue for him to make an order as well. He looked up at the menu, but he wasn't that much of a coffee drinker, so he shrugged.

"I'll have a cup of regular coffee, too."

Jack turned back to Kira.

"Two regular coffees, please."

"And a donut," Ian added. "Two of them."

"You just had breakfast."

"So?"

"Four donuts, and two large coffees."

Ian looked around the place while they waited for the order, while Jack asked the girl behind the counter how her Thanksgiving had been – once again telling Ian that he'd been there more than once or twice. When she walked over to get their coffee, he watched her going, admiring the way she looked in her all black ensemble with a dark green apron tied snugly across her slim waist. Looking around he realized that virtually all the baristas in the place were wearing black, but the girl seemed somehow to stand out more in hers. She was definitely a pleasant sight from behind, but Ian wished she were wearing a skirt so he could see if her legs were as nice as the rest of her.

He turned and saw Jack watching him admire the view, and couldn't help but feel just a little guilty.

"You come here a lot?"

"Daniel practically pays the rent here, himself."

Ian smiled, and took the cup of coffee the girl – Kira – handed him, with a nod of thanks. He set the cup down and reached for his wallet, but Jack pushed his hand away.

"I got this."

"You sure?"

"Yup. You can buy lunch."

He paid the bill, and then dropped a five in the tip jar.

"Thanks, Kira, we're going to hang out while we wait for Daniel."

Jack led them to a table in the corner, and as they sat down, Ian looked over at the girl once more – she was looking his direction as well, but he wasn't sure if that was because he was with Jack, or because she just happened to be looking that way. Of course the guy that had made their drinks was also looking their way, and Ian was fairly certain that the possessive look in his eyes was directed towards him – which made him scowl. Cute girls were one thing; but Ian hated being checked out by guys.

In the meantime, Jack had been trying to decide how best to bring up the subject of Ian's moodiness. He finally just decided that it would be best to just come out with it.

"Sam's worried about you..."

Ian turned his attention from the counter people to Jack, surprised.

"She is?"

Jack nodded.

"Why? Because I don't know what I want to do with my life?"

Jack shook his head. While he knew she was worried about that, too, that wasn't the reason they were there.

"No... she's worried about you. You don't seem to be sleeping well. Is everything all right? The bed uncomfortable? Not enough blankets?"

Ian felt a moment of absolute panic. What if they'd guessed he was having nightmares? Would they tell anyone? Shawn? Oh Jesus, Shawn would tell Hayden – who would make his life miserable, teasing him about them. Ian shook his head.

"I'm fine, Jack... I... just don't sleep all that much..."

Jack knew instantly that he was lying – and he knew that he was holding something back. Something rather serious to judge by the way he'd paled so quickly.

"You sure?" Jack pressed, not wanting to, but aware that he'd promised Sam he'd ask. "If something's bothering you, we can get-"

"It's okay, Jack," Ian said, shaking his head again. "I'm fine."

He was closing himself off, Jack knew immediately. And he knew that there was nothing he could do to stop it. It was exactly what Jack, himself, would have done in a similar situation. He sighed, but it was more to himself – and not as frustrated as he felt.

"If you need to talk about it... just remember, I'll listen."

Not about this, Ian knew, wishing he could talk about it. But no. There was no way he could just discuss these invisible guys with Jack. Jack had told him that the guys were some kind of super soldier who'd run off with a new prototype of an invisibility suit the Air Force was working on. Ian knew that was bullshit, but knew that if Jack had wanted Ian to know the truth, he would have told him the truth then.

"Thanks, Jack, I'll keep that in mind..."

"I-"

"Sorry I'm late."

They both looked up and saw that Daniel had come up to them while they were talking – and that he'd been there long enough to already have a steaming cup of who knew what in his hand.

Jack shook his head and stood up, and Ian followed suit.

"You're not late; we're early. You ready?"

Daniel nodded and Jack led them towards the door.

"Thanks, Kira!" He called, waving a quick goodbye. Ian looked over at her and she gave him an appreciative look that spoke volumes. She smiled openly, eyes twinkling, and it was clear to Ian that he'd be welcomed back in her shop any ole time. Ian wondered if he would have gotten the same look if he'd been on his own.

He returned it, heartily wishing that he had a chance to stop and get her number – although he'd never have time to call her all that often once the Thanksgiving break was over – and followed Jack and Daniel out of the coffee shop and back to the truck. They had a couple of Christmas trees to kill, after all. And hopefully that would make Jack forget about Sam being worried about him.