Road to Nowhere

Part 20

A/N: Here's a little bit of fluff to balance out some of the darkness in the last chapter. Hope it's not too saccharine. For those waiting to see what's happening at the SGC, that's up next.

When Sam finally woke up it was late morning. She could feel Jack pressed tightly behind her, his arms wrapped around her. The night had been both wonderful and disturbing, but it was a beautiful morning. Well, except for the grey sky and the rain beating down on the large picture window.

"I thought it never rains in Hawaii," she murmured to herself.

"No, that's southern California," Jack said to her surprise, she hadn't thought he was awake.

"What?"

"Y'know the song. 'It never rains in southern California, but, girl, don't they warn ya, it pours, man, it pours'. It's probably before your time though."

She laughed, "I know the song." They fell into a comfortable silence. Sam was in no particular hurry to get up. It wasn't like she had to be at work. She had always felt particularly lazy on rainy days like this and if she wasn't on duty she usually spent most of the day lounging in bed and reading. Today it made her happy to have someone to lounge around in bed with, especially since that someone was Jack.

She felt Jack press a gentle kiss to her neck. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Last night."

She pulled out of his arms and rolled over to face him. She took in his earnest expression. "You don't have to thank me for that. You would have done the same for me."

He ran a hand over her cheek in a light caress. "Sometimes I wonder if you're a saint or certifiably insane to have put up with me all these years and to end up loving me."

"I'd bet on the latter."

Jack chuckled rolling over on his back and pulling her with him. "What a pair, a mad scientist and a scarred up old soldier."

"I like your scars, especially this one," she said tracing the scar dividing his eyebrow. "It makes you look sinister… rakish."

"God, you're weird," he teased.

"What? it's not like I don't have scars."

"I wish you didn't," Jack said turning serious. He ran his hand over a faint ragged scar on her shoulder he knew was from a staff blast.

Sam raised a questioning eyebrow.

"There's nothing wrong with them," he quickly amended. "I just wish you didn't have to go through the stuff to get them." His expression turned thoughtful and he absently traced the long thin scar curving around her side. "You were so green when I first met you. So naïve and innocent about things that I had been doing for a long time. You had a hell of chip on your shoulder, too." He quirked a smile remembering her feminist rants. "I thought I was going to have to physically knock it off, but you turned out okay." He huffed a sigh. "I'm just sorry you couldn't hang on to that innocence."

"If I had you wouldn't have had any use for me on your team." She thought a moment and added, "Or in your arms."

Jack snorted in amusement, "You're probably right. I'm not into little girls, in the field or other places."

"Well, I'm not into little boys."

"No, you're into old men."

"You're not old."

"See 'mad'," he teased, poking her in her side.

Sam smiled and relaxed back against him, unconsciously stroking his chest. After a while she asked, "So you think we're gonna be safe here?"

"As much as anywhere," he conceded. "I feel better about having Thomas, TC, and Rick as back up. And Higgins too."

"What's the story with you two?" Sam asked. She was just as curious as the guys. Jack had been so mysterious about it.

"Story for another day," he said being mysterious again. "I've got a surprise for you."

"What is it?"

"A housewarming gift." Jack pulled away from her and hopped out of bed. She watched as he hastily threw on the clothes he'd had on last night. "Stay there. I'll be right back."

---

By the time Jack came back, Sam had pulled on one of his shirts and was staring at the rain running down the window. She turned back to the door when she heard him enter. "You know," she began, watching him pull his wet shirt off. "We have these wonderful inventions called umbrellas. They keep you dry."

"I guess someone doesn't want their surprise," he said with a mock stern look.

"Okay. Okay. What is it?"

Jack unbuttoned the cargo pocket on his pants and a fuzzy grey head popped out. Sam laughed. "Is that a cat in your pocket or are you happy to see me?"

"Funny." He scooped the kitten out of his pocket and deposited it in her lap. "Meet Thor."

"Thor?" The kitten meowed loudly obviously recognizing his name. "I don't get to name him?"

Jack sank down on the bed and tugged playfully on the kitten's tail. Thor promptly attacked his hand. "I was afraid you'd give him a sciencey name like Oppenheimer or something."

Sam pulled the kitten away from gnawing on Jack's hand. "So you named him after the Supreme Commander of the Asgard Fleet?"

"Hey, he named a ship after me. Which you blew up I might add."

"You're never going to forgive me for that are you:

"Nope. Besides he kinda looks like Thor."

She held him up to study him. He was a Siamese with a grey face, ears, legs, and tail, the rest creamy. He was skinny with a tail that seemed as long as his body, oversized ears, bright slightly crossed blue eyes, and huge paws that might have been better suited to a Labrador puppy. Sam gave him a look that indicated she thought he was completely insane.

"No, really," Jack took the cat from her and pressed his ears to his head. "See, take away the ears and he kinda look like a blue eyed Thor. A fuzzy blue eyed Thor."

Sam reluctantly admitted he was right. Thor escaped Jack's hold and pounced on Sam's feet as they moved restlessly under the sheets.

Sam beamed at Jack. "Thank you." She leaned over and gave Jack a grateful kiss. Thor purring insinuated himself between them, breaking it up.

"You're welcome." Jack stuck his hand under the sheet and began moving it around, playing with the kitten. "I picked him up yesterday while you were out with TC. I was going to give him to you when you got home, but you were just so damn excited about your computers. So he got to hang out at the landladies' house and get to know Michael and Popo."

"Well, that's good. He'll have some playmates."

"We're obviously not talking about the same animals, Sam."

She realized he was right. The only thing she'd seen the massive orange cat and petite white cat do is lounge in the sun. She didn't think she's even seen them walk.

"How about some breakfast?"

Sam leaned back into her pillows and smiled sweetly at him, "As long as it's in bed."

"That can be arranged."

---

TBC