Ties that Bind pt 4
I didn't realized how tired I was.
I swore I was just arguing with Jack because I had things to do and I wasn't tired. Of course he didn't care and ordered me to get some sleep or else.
I stretched and felt Cassie next to me. I knew she had to be tired too.
I was hoping she would sleep well. Taking a deep breath, I could have sworn I smelled bacon. Jack must have gotten back from the market and was probably making breakfast for us.
He never ceased to amaze me. This is the man who could face a whole army of Jaffa and not blink an eye, and still have the tenderness to handle Cassie with care. Just when I thought I had him figured out, he throws meanother curve. Ah, the many sides of Jack O'Neill.
Getting up carefully, I checked the clock. It was 0900 hours. Wow! I hadn't realized it was that late, but I couldn't remember what time it had been when we finally fell asleep. We had talked for a little while after Jack left; nothing important, just girl talk.
Right before I went to sleep, Cassie asked me if there was any way possible that she could see her mom at the SGC. I told her I would speak to Jack and see what we could do. I asked her if she really wanted to do that.
She answered me. "Yes. I didn't get a chance to do it yesterday." She looked down. "Sam, it's something I have to do, I can't explain it. I have to let her know that I'm going to be okay, and since the SGC is like a second home to me, I want to see her there."
I held her and said that I would be there with her if she wanted. She nodded yes, and said she wanted Jack, Daniel and Teal'c to be there with her too. I told her it shouldn't be a problem, and when we got up in the morning, we'd talk to Jack.
Checking to see that she was still asleep, I walked out of the room and headed to the kitchen. He was standing there in front of my stove flipping pancakes and keeping an eye on the bacon.
"I didn't know you could cook, Sir?"
Turning around, he cocked his head to the side. "That's classified information Major, and now that you found out, I'm going to have to kill you."
Smiling, I responded. "I'll keep my lips sealed, I promise. I can't let the other women at the SGC know that besides giving the Goa'uld a run for their money, you can cook too. You'll be beating them off with a stick."
"I'm not to worried about the other women at the SGC. I'm focused on just one."
Looking at me when he said that, I knew I had opened the door again to last night's conversation. Seeing me fidget and trying not to look at him, he went back to cooking .
Changing the subject, he asked, "how'd you sleep?"
"Good. Cassie's still asleep. I want to jump in the shower and get cleaned up. I just came in here to see if you needed any help, but it looks like you've got everything under control. Also, Cassie asked me if she could come with us to the SGC."
Jack looked at me. "Why?"
"She wants to see Janet. She said she wanted to yesterday but..."
"Yeah, it was pretty hectic yesterday. What do you think Carter? Should we let her see Janet?"
I took a deep breath. "She said it's something she has to do. She wants to reassure Janet that she is going to be okay."
Jack nodded. "I see no harm in doing it. It might help her deal with her grief."
"I agree with you, Sir. She also requested that all of us be there with her."
"All of us?" Jack asked
"Daniel, Teal'c, you and me. I know it's going to be awkward, but I'll talk to Daniel. He should have sobered up a little by now."
"You have nothing to apologize to him about, Sam."
"Yes, I do, and that includes Teal'c. I'll call them after breakfast and tell them what Cassie requested. Hopefully I'll get to talk to him before we do this for her. I don't want her to have deal with my mess. She deserves better, and I need to deal with it as quickly as possible."
"This is our mess. Don't shut me out, Sam. I still say you have nothing to apologize to Space Monkey about. He was hurt and drunk, two very bad combinations. If anyone should apologize, it's him." Taking my hand, he put it up to his cheek and gave my palm a light kiss. Struggling to get my hand back, I was surprised that I had let him do that.
"Sir, please," I whispered.
Letting my hand go, he sighed. "You'd better go take your shower. I stopped by my place and brought some extra clothes. Do you mind if I shower here? I could always wait till we get to the SGC if you do."
"No, that's fine, Sir. I have two bathrooms. You could use the one in the hall. There are extra towels in the linen closet. Help yourself."
"Okay. I'll go see if Cassie is awake yet, and then jump in and take a quick shower. Don't take to long, Carter. I wouldn't want you to eat my pancakes cold."
Giving him a mock salute I headed for my bedroom. I showered, dressed, and was ready in 10 minutes. My hair was still a little damp as I headed down the hall. Hearing the water running, I imagined Jack in my shower.
Okay, nope, not going to image him in my shower. Now is not the time for that. I was chastising myself as I walked into the kitchen and straight into Jack.
Letting out a small scream from surprise and shock to see him, he raised his hands. "Hey, its just me, Carter. I didn't mean to scare you."
I couldn't speak. Just a second ago, I was thinking of him in my shower, naked. Having him here in the kitchen was taking me longer to digest. I could feel myself getting red from embarrassment.
I finally spoke. "I'm sorry about the scream. It's just I wasn't expecting you in here. Is Cassie in the shower? I thought she was still asleep"
Jack was staring at me, trying to figure out what I was hiding. "She was already up when I went to check on her. She wanted to shower before she ate, so I let her go in first. Are you okay, Carter? "
"I'm fine, Sir, just a little hungry and jumpy. Why don't you use the bathroom in my room? Cassie takes longer than most people and I should get her something to wear. She left some sweats and t-shirts last time she spent the night. So feel free to use my bathroom."
"Okay, Carter, that will be great. I'll only be a couple of minutes. Everything is set up. I hope you don't mind me going through your drawers to find plates and glasses. You guys can start without me if Cassie gets out before I do."
"No, like I said, you'll probably beat her out. So get going. The quicker you get done, the quicker we can eat."
Picking up his bag, Jack headed to my bathroom. Walking back to the spare bedroom, I wanted to kick myself. 'You know the effect he has on you, and you still let him get to you,' I thought to myself. 'Samantha Carter, you have Cassie to take care of. That's your only mission right now, so stop thinking about your CO.'
Grabbing Cassie's clothes, I walked down the hallway and knocked on the bathroom door. "Cassie," I yelled out. "I have some clean clothes for you. I'm coming in, okay?" I heard her answer back to come in.
She had just stepped out of the shower and was sitting on the edge of the bathtub. Drying her hair, she thanked me for the clothes. "I totally forgot that I didn't have anything to wear. I'm glad I left those here."
"How'd you sleep, Cassie?"
"Okay, I guess. I keep seeing her, being killed, even though I wasn't there. Have you ever experience anything like that?"
"Yes, I have. It's weird. I dreamed once that I was in the car with my mom right before the accident happened, and I had warned the driver before the other car hit us. I woke up thinking I had saved her, but it was just a dream."
Getting her up, I said, "You get dressed. Your Uncle Jack has out done himself."
"What did he do?" Cassie asked
" He made us breakfast fit for a queen."
Cassie looked shock. "I didn't know he could cook."
"Yeah, neither did I. He has a lot of secrets that we don't know about. Get dressed so we can eat."
Leaving her in the bathroom, I walked back into the kitchen. Jack had already finished his shower and was getting a cup of coffee when I came in.
"Cassie not out yet?" he asked.
"She's dressing. I told her to hurry, that breakfast was getting cold."
"Well, do you want a cup of coffee?"
"Yes, please. I need my caffine fix, and if I don't get it soon, I can't be accountable for my actions."
Chuckling, he poured me a cup and handed it to me. Taking a sip, I closed my eyes and savored the flavor. "This is good. I didn't know I had this in my cupboards."
"You didn't. It's a breakfast blend. It's not bad. I'm glad you like it."
"Like what?" Cassie asked walking into the kitchen.
"This coffee I bought." Putting the cup down, he brought his arm around Cassie's shoulder and gave her a kiss on her cheek.
"Feel better after the shower?"
"Yeah. It woke me up. I'm hungry, though. I didn't eat anything last night. So, what's for breakfast?"
To be continued.
