When the alarm went off and woke Sam, the first thing she noticed was that she was alone in the bed. Even half asleep she could tell this, because when he was in bed with her, Jack was always in contact with her – usually with his arms around her in one position or another. And if Jack wasn't in bed with her, and Jaffer was, the lab almost always had his big head resting comfortably on her leg or side or was at least a heavy solid presence leaning warmly against her. Since she didn't feel either of them as she reached blindly for the alarm, she knew she was alone before she even woke up.

Her hand slid along the swelling of her lower abdomen for a moment as she tried to focus her thoughts enough to at least sort of wake up. It wouldn't do to try and get out of bed without being awake, now, because her balance and equilibrium were both off in the morning because of the baby, and the first time she'd tried it she'd taken a fall that had terrified Jack, even though she'd been fine. Now, she was always careful to wake up before getting up.

A little more awake now, she reached out and touched the spot he slept in. It was cold, meaning he'd been out of bed for sometime. Of course, given the circumstances, she wasn't surprised. When things were going well, Jack was a heavy sleeper, but if there was anything going on that had him concerned, or that was bothering him, he was restless, and prone to brooding, and he did his best brooding alone.

In response to her touch, she felt the baby move slightly under her hand, and Sam smiled, following the motion with her fingertips.

"Good morning, Sunshine…" she murmured, then frowned when he replied with a nudge against her bladder that suddenly made it mandatory that she get up – and soon.

"That wasn't nice…"

He didn't seem to care, though, because there was another nudge, and she rolled over and got out of bed, grumbling to herself about how much he was like his dad already.

Since they had company, she took the time to dress instead of just tossing on a robe, and then headed for the bathroom.

OOOOOOOOO

When she came out into the living room half an hour later, showered and more or less ready to start her day, she saw immediately where her husband and his dog had ended up. Cuddled with Shawn on the sofa, the three of them were a tangle of arms, legs and a whole lot of black fur. They had been covered with a blanket, but that had fallen to the floor, and now the only thing keeping the two of them warm was Jaffer, and he moved as soon as he noticed Sam was up and around.

Untangling himself from the others, he hopped off the couch and came over to her, his tail wagging a good morning that was far more preferable than the one he'd given them the day before. Using him to brace herself, she crouched down by him, running her hands along his velvety fur, luxuriating in the fact that it was a lot thicker in the winter, which made it even softer to the touch.

"You look better today," she murmured, rubbing his ears and face, and working her way along his body, scratching and caressing.

Jaffer's tail wagged a little faster, and his eyes turned cheery. How could he not be better when he was with her and being loved up like this? He whuffled her hand and face, but was careful not to lean against her and tip her over, almost as if he knew she needed a little more consideration these days – and Sam wouldn't have been surprised if he did know it. After a few minutes, though, he moved away from her and towards the back door. He needed out.

She obliged him, and stood at the open door, watching as he went running down the yard looking for the perfect place to pee.

"You should have a coat on…"

Sam bit back a surprised noise and turned, finding Jack and Shawn both standing behind her, watching her. Both of them looking rumpled and tired, and Shawn looking puffy-eyed from all the crying he'd done the day before.

She closed the door, and walked over to Shawn, who'd been the one to tell her to get a coat, and she cupped his cheeks in her hands.

"For your information, I can't fit into my coat anymore, so I have to wear Jack's."

Shawn smiled. It was a sad smile, and his eyes were still just as sad, but it was an attempt at a smile, and it warmed her heart to see it. He was trying.

"You can use mine…"

She kissed his forehead, and let him go.

"Are you hungry?"

He nodded.

"I can make it, though."

"I can help him," Jack added, coming over and wrapping his arms around Sam. "Why don't you go get off your feet?"

"I just got on my feet, and I'm not ready for a rest, yet," she told him. "Besides, I'm not turning the two of you loose in my kitchen. Shawn, you can help me cook breakfast while Jack gets dressed and showered."

The two of them nodded, more than willing to allow her to tell them what to do. Jack because he was used to it – and would let her boss him around any day as long as it wasn't in the field (and he didn't want to cook anyways) – and Shawn because it was comforting to have her around him. She had been as much a figure in his life as Jack had, really, after all.

He followed her into the kitchen, and they started rifling through the fridge, debating what to make for breakfast as if it was simply a regular day and he'd spent the night with them. Not like the morning after the worst day of his life.

OOOOOOOOOOO

The rear hatch of the Ford Explorer slammed down, and Ian double-checked to make sure it was locked before going back to the driver's side and getting behind the wheel. The sun was barely starting to come up over the mountains, but he was already ready to go. The rental place hadn't been far from the bus station, and even better, it opened early, and Ian was there when the doors were unlocked. His Visa card – which was actually Nathan's with Ian's name on it – and his driver's license were more than enough to get him the choice of vehicles from the lot, but even though he was tempted to get a sports car, he knew that on a drive through the mountains this time of year, he was much better off with something a bit bigger, and with four wheel drive capabilities. He chose the Explorer, and added the extra insurance – because you always got the extra insurance whether you wanted it or not – and then bought a map from the display so he wouldn't get lost.

The woman who had rented him the car brought him a cup of coffee, saying he looked like he could use a pick-me-up, and Ian thanked her and took it. He could use a pick-me-up. What he really wanted was a few hours of sleep, but there wasn't time for that – not to mention he didn't actually have a place to sleep unless he went back to the Academy – which wasn't going to happen – or he went to Jack's. Which wasn't going to happen. So he took the coffee gratefully, and pulled the Explorer out of the lot. It was a little over a thousand miles from Denver to LA, and he wanted to get there as soon as possible.