The morning of Thanksgiving, Jack rose with the sun. He wanted time to finish preparations before the kids got up. Otherwise, he knew he'd get nothing else done between the time the kids woke and when they all piled into the SUV and headed off to General Hammond's. He'd made the mistake of telling them the plan last night, and with their excitement at being able to see so many of their favorite people (Janet and Cassie had been invited as well) it was all he could do to get them in bed. On the other hand, they'd been up so late the night before, he knew he'd have plenty of time to finish what he'd started before going to bed.
Jack scowled at the pot of boiled potatoes that were to be part of the dish he had suckered himself into bringing to the dinner. He really needed to learn to keep his mouth shut. But no, he had to go and jokingly tell General Hammond to make sure the mashed potatoes were lumpy, but not too lumpy. But he hadn't stopped there. No, he'd signed his sentence by going on in great lengths how to prepare them. So much so, that Hammond had quite pleasantly suggested that Jack bring the mashed potatoes. After all, Jack had made it sound like he possessed the ultimate secret recipe for homemade mashed potatoes. The General's tone had further suggested that there would be no homemade mashed potatoes (with or without sufficient lumps) if Jack didn't bring them.
Savagely, Jack attacked the potatoes, first peeling them, and then going after the things with the hand masher. After all, doing it by hand was the only way to properly ensure the right amount of lumps. And if he was mashing them a bit more enthusiastically than absolutely necessary, all the better.
By the time the kids woke up, the potatoes were in a covered bowl ready to be warmed up when they got to the General's for dinner.
Jack smiled softly as he watched the kids eating. Sam was having a bit of difficulty because she kept forgetting that her cast was now gone, removed yesterday by Janet. The removal had gone surprisingly well. There had only been a minimum of screaming, drowned out by the whine of the cast saw. Despite the Doctor's reassurance that it wouldn't cut her, it had still looked sharp and scary, especially when it was turned on. She'd held still though, held securely in Jack's arms with eyes squeezed shut. Teal'c and Daniel had watched from the next bed, a nurse with a hand on their shoulders when they'd jumped up at Sam's cries, as if ready to come to her defense.
Cast removed, all three children had stared in amazement at Sam's intact skin. Janet had raised her eyebrows though at the Lego piece that had fallen out, the clump of mud, and the penny. Jack had scowled at the glitter. Sam had looked innocent. After Sam had been sent to wash up with a bit of assistance, Doctor Fraiser had let all three children try out the cast saw on the old cast pieces, a guiding hand over each child's. Any trace of lingering fear over the cutter had evaporated at the chance to actually play with it.
The cast removed, and some instructions for a few mild PT exercises for Jack to help the little girl with to regain any lost muscle strength, they'd headed off for the local Hair Cuttery to get haircuts for the kids. Well, Daniel and Sam at least. Teal'c had allowed hair to grow out and cover his head, but seemed to prefer it short. He'd asked for help and Jack had been more than willing to oblige with the electric home cutting kit he had. Military cuts were a piece of cake. Number one all over, and Teal'c's head looked neatly trimmed, the boy quite satisfied with the result.
Daniel however, flat out refused to let Jack anywhere near his head, shaking the mop of brownish blond wavy hair and vehemently shoving the too long bangs off his forehead. And Sam looked downright shaggy. The haircut that had looked stylish on a grown woman simply looked messy on a little girl. The inch or two it had grown didn't help matters either. Jack knew better than to even think about coming anywhere near a little girl's head with a pair of scissors. (The time she'd gotten gum in it hadn't counted.)
And so Jack had taken the kids in for haircuts, getting himself a trim too while he was at it. The kids looked good when they were done, and Jack couldn't help but silently hope that none of them would mind the children's haircuts they were sporting if a way was discovered in the near future to change them back to adults.
Jack smiled to himself as he surveyed the kids picking over breakfast. The haircut had been a good idea. And long sleeves neatly covered Sam's arm, making the evidence the cast had left behind a lot less noticeable. Jack had every reason to make Sam look as hearty and healthy as possible before evidence of her injury was discovered.
The breakfast dishes cleared away and a double check to make sure Billie had enough food and water to last the day, and the kids were loaded into the SUV. Fortunately, the vehicle had a fold down third seat, which they would need today since they were picking up Janet and Cassie on the way to the General's.
The kids greeted the Doctor like they hadn't just seen her the day before, and Cassie no less enthusiastically. The older teen seemed quite happy to slip into the middle seat with Teal'c, Daniel and Sam taking the third seat and Janet the front passenger seat. There was room enough for one more, despite the extra people, which left plenty of room for the mashed potatoes and things the kids were bringing to keep themselves occupied and out of trouble until dinner was ready.
Mercifully for the adults, the trip to the General's was only about thirty minutes. That meant that the younger passengers had only managed to get to about seventy or so bottles of non-alcoholic beverage on the wall. The enthusiastic singing had blessedly turned to cheers upon arrival at their destination.
Poor George Hammond was nearly bowled over by the kids excited greetings. Smiling over their heads indulgently, Janet and Jack trailed behind, carrying the items forgotten by the children in their haste to reach Hammond. Hammond quickly took second stage however, when Sam noticed who was standing behind the General.
"Daddy!" she shrieked, taking a running leap at the man. Somehow, Jacob deftly caught the girl, swinging her up into his arms and staggering back a step to keep his balance. Jack wasn't sure who was hugging who the tighter. Jacob managed to cast a grateful smile over Sam's shoulder as the little girl launched into a high speed retelling of just about everything that had happened since she'd seen him last. Jack smiled back, glad that Jacob had been able to get away from the Tok'ra for a visit. He'd invited the man several weeks ago, but they'd only found out the day before that he could come for sure. Teal'c, Daniel and Cassie had quieted some in curiosity at Sam's happy cry, but all now wore grins. Jack patted the scrapbook he'd smuggled along as Hammond ushered the group out of the foyer and into the living room. Smells of the turkey and a few other things already filled the house.
The three youngest monopolized everyone's attention for a while, though Cassie hung back at first, torn between the excited chatter of the kids and the more reserved atmosphere the adults exhibited. Soon, the kid's enthusiasm won her over though. It was hard to resist the kids after all. They swung back and forth between the various adults. When they wound down, Jack brought out the scrapbook, and everyone needed to take a look, including the kids, who were the object of the creation.
There had been no way of hiding Sam's broken arm from her father. After all, most of the pictures had been taken while she'd had the cast on. Somehow though, the cast and the story of how she'd gotten it hadn't even fazed Jacob, and he'd surprised Jack by launching into stories of a few of Sam's better scrapes, some of which Sam remembered and added to, and others she didn't since they had occurred beyond seven years. More ammunition for when she was an adult again to Jack's thinking. Not many people could claim a second childhood after all, and he might as well milk it for all it was worth.
Eventually, the children settled down to a less intense level and Hammond excused himself to tend to the meal preparations. Janet went with him. She'd offered to bring dessert, and had a few things she needed to do. After making sure Jacob was ok on his own with the four young people, Jack headed to the kitchen himself. He figured he could help out some, as well as make sure no one touched the potatoes. He didn't feel guilty over abandoning the man; he seemed to have things well in hand. Sam was snuggled securely into his side, and Teal'c and Daniel had seemed to adopt him as a long lost relative. Even Cassie looked relaxed, despite her earlier misgivings around the Tok'ra.
Jacob couldn't stay away from the kitchen though. After a time, he'd showed up, offering to lend a hand. It seemed Selmak had a thing for food preparation, and Jacob missed more than just the eating of Earth cuisine. The problem came when the kids gave up on amusing themselves, and joined the crowd in the kitchen. While generous in size, General Hammond's kitchen simply wasn't big enough for four adults, one teen and three overly helpful children, as well as a turkey and all the trimmings.
As much to get the kids out from underfoot, as to escape having to slice or peel any more vegetables, Jack offered to take the kids outside in order to run around and burn off a little energy. Cassie came with them, and Jacob followed a bit later having run out of things to help with. Jack had found a football in Hammond's hall closet with the kid's jackets, and Jacob's eyes lit up when he saw Jack tossing the ball around, and trying to teach the youngsters how to throw it. There was more to Thanksgiving than just eating after all. Jacob jumped right in with the lessons, quickly proving that his time among aliens had not affected his throwing arm in the slightest.
Between the two men, all the kids including Sam were soon able to make at least a halfway decent pass, and it was quickly decided to organize an impromptu touch football game. Jack ended up with Cassie and Daniel, while Teal'c and Sam were on Jacob's team. Everyone was careful of Sam's recently healed arm. The last thing anyone wanted was for the little girl to end up back in a cast so soon.
Despite the disparate ages, backgrounds, and sizes, both sides were fairly even in skill. Some shrubs marked one goal, and a clothesline the other. The battle began, both seasoned military men deploying the small troops about the field. By the time Janet and Hammond came out to watch (and take pictures) the score was evenly matched. Sam was in possession of the ball and was running as fast as she could towards the goal. She'd dodged Daniel's outstretched arm and avoided Cassie, but she was too far from the goal to make it before Jack would intercept her on the way, even though she was running for all she was worth.
Suddenly, Jacob was there, and scooped his daughter up ball and all. Tucking her under his arm like she was the football, Jacob put on a burst of speed. Startled by the surprise maneuver, Jack's steps faltered, and it was enough for the other man to get past him and under the clothesline. For a moment, Jacob pretended he was going to spike Sam on the ground like a ball, but then set the giggling little girl down instead. Sam performed the honor, and Teal'c joined them in the makeshift end zone, even joining in the obligatory "victory dance" after urging from the other two. The silly cavorting soon degenerated into a spur of the moment contest, with both sides participating. They even got Janet to show some moves. Jack suspected there would be more than a few goofy pictures of them, but at the moment he wasn't worried about it. After all, he had way more goofy pictures of the kids if they ever tried to use them against him.
They trooped back inside, everyone rosy cheeked and laughing. After they had relaxed and freshened up a bit, the dinner started coming out of the oven. The kids were given the task of setting the table under Cassie's supervision, and the finished dishes made their way to the dining room. The table had been decorated with creations the kids had done at school and brought along for the special occasion. Paper tube pilgrims and construction paper turkeys mingled with sweet potatoes, vegetables, and cranberry sauce.
The turkey was brought out at last, golden brown and juicy. George Hammond possessed a large oval table with drop in leaves, so there was more than ample room for everyone to sit. The kids ended up interspaced between the adults.
Hammond stood and cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention. "I would like to thank all of you for coming today. I had thought that I would just be having a quiet dinner today, with just myself seeing as my own daughters wanted to spend Thanksgiving with their husband's families. But having you all here today has shown me something else. And so, I would like to give thanks for families of all sorts, because I have realized that families come in all shapes and sizes, and I am with family today."
There were smiles and appreciative murmurs as Hammond sat down. Janet stood when the murmurs died down. "While I am also thankful for families, I would just like to say I'm especially thankful for daughters." Cassie smiled up her adoptive mother from her seat next to the doctor, and Janet laid her hand on the teen's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.
As Janet sat, Jacob stood, with a nod of appreciation at Janet for her words. "I am thankful for second chances," he said simply, with a look at Sam, but the other adults knew he meant more than just with his daughter, he meant with life too.
"I'm thankful for pumpkin pie," Daniel contributed into the silence that fell after Jacob's announcement, and amused titters came in response to the boy's declaration.
"Me too," announced Sam from her seat across from Daniel. There were a few more chuckles. Daniel made a silly face at her and in response Sam stretched her eyes and mouth with her fingers. Daniel moved to respond in kind when Jacob gave both of them a look.
"I'm thankful for moms," Cassie said having missed the silent exchange among the younger two, and looked at Janet with a small smile. Janet smiled back, and patted the girl's leg gently.
Teal'c stood up. "I am thankful that Billie Nye may stay with us." Jack tried not to scowl, while the other adults sent a few smiles his way. Cassie looked confused.
Before Cassie could voice her question though, and start another discussion about the darn cat, Jack made his own contribution. "Uh…" He coughed as if clearing his throat. "You all know I'm not one for speeches, so I'll make this simple. I'm thankful Jacob hasn't tried to kill me." Jack sat back down to amused laughter.
"Yet," Jacob said dryly, only the twinkle in his eye and twitching at the corners of his mouth gave away the fact he was joking. More amused laughter followed and Jack pretended to edge his chair away.
Hammond coughed discreetly as the laughter and teasing died down. When everyone was looking his way, he lifted the carving knife and gestured at the golden brown bird significantly. "Shall we eat?"
The affirmative responses were hearty and enthusiastic, and Hammond sliced into the bird to a round of appreciative murmurs. Plates bearing hot sliced turkey made their way down the table and for the next several minutes the only thing to be heard was an occasional request to pass a certain dish. The adults all made sure that children received portions of the good things as well as the good for them things, although the kids didn't seem to mind very much what with all the different things to try on their plates. As the plates filled, the adults settled into an easygoing conversation that mostly went over the kids' heads. For their part, the kids applied themselves to eating and sampling all the various offerings.
Sam took a bite of Jack's mashed potatoes, and a puzzled look crossed her face. For several long moments, she worked the mouthful around, head tilting from side to side, and face twisting into the one Jack recognized as her thinking face. The one she wore when presented with a problem. Her dilemma drew the attention of most of the adults at the table.
"Something wrong with your potatoes Sam?" her father asked. His question brought the attention of everyone else, including Daniel and Teal'c.
The little girl blinked, and hastily swallowed rather than risk an admonishment not to talk with her mouth full, even though she wasn't quite sure yet if she actually wanted to eat the potatoes. "They have lumps in them," she explained, before gazing down at the potatoes on her plate with narrowed eyes and poking them with her fork.
Jack chuckled, and there were a few smiles from the adults. Daniel and Teal'c looked curious, pausing in their own eating. Neither of them had sampled the potatoes yet. "They're supposed to have lumps," Jack told her.
The confusion on Sam's face didn't clear. She now studied the potatoes on her plate as if she could see the lumps. "The potatoes we usually have don't have lumps," she pointed out.
Jack bit his lip, and he could see more amused grins. "That's because… uh, well, those aren't real mashed potatoes," he tried to explain. "These are real mashed potatoes."
"If the other potatoes aren't real, than what are they?" This time Daniel beat Sam to the question. His face looked genuinely concerned. What exactly had Jack been feeding them if it wasn't real food? Teal'c looked vaguely alarmed.
No one seemed inclined to help the colonel out. Jack tried not to scowl. Didn't they know that even as children, they were still smarter than him? Likely they did, and were waiting to see how he'd bail himself out of this one. Not wanting to become the dinnertime entertainment, Jack invoked his authority as the parent figure. "They're just different. Now eat your dinner before it gets cold, all of you," He directed the parental command at all three children, ignoring the smirks and snorts from the grown ups. Jack scooped a big mouthful of potatoes into his mouth with an air of defiance. He liked lumps.
The kids exchanged a look, as the adults turned to other matters of discussion. Bravely, Teal'c took a large bite of the potatoes, the other two watching him. When Teal'c's face showed a look of pleasure, followed by a second bite, Daniel took his own scoop of potatoes. Daniel's face showed a bit less confusion and surprise than Sam's had. It looked like he was reserving judgment, at least until he'd had a few more samples. Sam on the other hand took a bite of turkey instead before she poked at the potatoes with her fork again, as if testing to see if they would somehow respond to the prodding.
Conversation proceeded to the usual topics of grown up discussions like politics, sports and the weather, and the kids were left pretty much to their own devices. That is until Jacob spotted that his daughter was too busy building a mashed potato tower to actually spend any time eating. It seemed that she had discovered that real mashed potatoes were much thicker and stiffer than instant mashed potatoes, making them uniquely suited to the task.
Keeping half of his attention on the debate about some new policies the Air Force was instituting, Jacob deftly captured Sam's spoon (she'd abandoned the fork in favor of the other tool) and squashed the tower to his daughter's dismay. Still, she watched in fascination as he neatly formed a crater inside the pile, and carefully filled it with gravy while adding his own opinion to the conversation. Filling the spoon with potatoes from the outside of the makeshift gravy bowl, Jacob dipped the spoonful into the gravy and presented it to the little girl. "Stop playing with it and eat, or you'll miss the pie later," he told her before giving his full attention back to the other adults.
Without a choice Sam took the filled spoon and put it in her mouth, sinking into her chair sullenly. Her face clearly said that lukewarm lumpy potatoes, even with gravy on them, were not very good. They were much more suited to constructing things. Across from her, Daniel gave her a little smirk; his plate was nearly empty. Nearly empty except for the carrots he had painstakingly separated from his peas to create what looked like the base of a miniature pyramid. Sam stuck her tongue out at him. In reply, Daniel tried to hold his spoon on the end of his nose, making her giggle. Seated next to Daniel, Janet noticed the boy's attention wasn't on his meal, and gave him a nudge and a discreet cough. Startled, Daniel lost the spoon, which fell with a clatter onto his plate, demolishing the carrot pyramid. Sam giggled again, earning a stern look from her father. Jack gave both children a pointed glance. Sufficiently chastened, the two children reapplied themselves to eating, although Sam spent an inordinate amount of time removing the peas from her vegetables. She didn't like peas. Curiously, Teal'c looked at the younger children, wondering what they were up to. He was nearly through a second portion of everything on his plate, and looked likely to ask for thirds. At least of the things he preferred best, which was just about everything.
Eventually though, even Sam's plate was clean enough for the satisfaction of the adults at the table. Her trick of trying to mash things into the plate and squish them around to make it look like she'd eaten more than she had failed. All of the adults were wise to that little disguise. The kids slipped away while the adults lingered over the meal. They gravitated back to the table predictably enough though, when the coffee and pie appeared. Fresh glasses of milk were served to the children in lieu of coffee. The whipped topping applied generously to each slice brought grins to the kid's faces. None of them needed any reminding to eat their dessert. Daniel wheedled a second serving.
As soon as everyone had eaten as much as they could hold, the table was cleared, the leftovers put away or placed on plates for the guests to take home. The dishwasher was loaded up and everyone migrated to the living room. Jacob put on the requisite football game and Jack allowed the kids to watch with him despite the no TV for a week restriction. After all, they weren't so much interested in the game as they were in snuggling up near Jacob and the others they didn't usually spend time with. Mention of the restriction caught Jacob's interest though, and so the other adults filled him in on the kids little adventure in between plays. Jacob had been just as amused about the kid's rationale for leaving as well as their insistence that they had been the ones to find General Hammond and not the other way around.
When the game finished, Jack stood and lazily stretched, taking in the appearance of the half asleep kids sprawled around the room. Even Janet and Cassie looked ready to sack out. It was time to head home.
Sam was reluctant to leave until she realized that Jacob was coming home with them. It seemed he had been given leave to take the entire weekend. As soon as she learned that, she all but dragged the poor man to the truck. The others followed in amusement, everyone giving their thanks to the General for his invitation. General Hammond followed them to the door, and the kids waved until they turned the corner and the house disappeared from sight.
The vehicle was a bit more crowded with the addition of Jacob, but they managed it with Jacob taking the front seat and Janet slipping between Teal'c and Cassie. By the time they got to Janet's home, Teal'c and Cassie both had their heads on Janet's shoulders, and Sam and Daniel were fast asleep in the very back leaning against each other. Teal'c shifted slightly when Janet slipped out, leaning against the window instead.
Teal'c roused when they pulled up and parked in front of the house, the cessation of engine noise waking him. Daniel woke at a gentle call. Sam was dead to the world, even after losing the support of Daniel's shoulder. Fortunately for Jack, Jacob voluntarily contorted himself to reach into the back and retrieve the little girl, leaving Jack to carry in the things. Luckily, Teal'c was awake enough, just barely, to assist and Daniel barely noticed when Jack slipped the strap of a lightweight bag over the boy's shoulder and pointed him in the right direction.
Leading the way, Jack unlocked the door and went inside, dropping a bag to reach for the light switch, and then suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. Daniel pushed around him to gain entry and stopped too as soon as he saw what had brought Jack up short.
"Whoa," Daniel muttered, his tone half tinged with awe, and half with sleep.
"Uh, you know, it's a little cold out here, I was wondering if we could come inside?" Jacob's voice sounded slightly impatient, and with a start, Jack moved out of the way.
Jacob entered, bearing his sleeping daughter and Teal'c followed behind them. Busy watching where he stepped to get inside, it took a moment for Jacob to notice what had caught Jack's attention. Blinking, the man took in the transformed room in front of him. Of course, he'd never been to Jack's house, so maybe this was the way it always looked. He coughed, pulling Jack out of his reverie. "Uh, Jack, someone not like you?" he asked, shifting Sam a bit in his arms.
Wordlessly, Jack shook his head, and then seemed to shake himself from his preoccupation. "Sam's room is upstairs, this way," he said. Teal'c and Daniel had already started to pick their way gingerly to the stairs, and Jack followed, taking another look around. It was hard to believe one little kitten could have done it all, but it had to have been Bill because Jack could not think of a single person that would break into his house to distribute a roll of toilet paper all over the furniture and floor.
And surely it looked like the whole roll, which Jack remembered changing it this very morning. Reaching the stairs, he saw that the trail led upstairs, confirming his suspicions. Before he started up, he cast one more look around the downstairs areas he could see. He was too tired to investigate much further, and what he saw was impressive enough. It looked like someone had TP'd his house on the inside, for toilet paper wound around chair legs and over top or under furniture all over the rooms he could see, crisscrossing back and forth on the floor, with a few shredded bits here and there.
Following the trail of thin tissue, Jack absently noticed it ended just outside the bathroom, the last sheet separated from the roll. Looked like the cat had only gone downstairs with it. Shaking his head, Jack waved Jacob toward Sam's room, ushering the boys toward the bathroom. The boys heading in the right direction, he ducked into Sam's room as Jacob was laying her on the bed. Opening a drawer, Jack pulled out a nightshirt and passed it to Jacob, receiving a thankful nod in reply. He didn't need to ask if Jacob was ok tucking Sam in, and left to get the boys settled.
By the time Jack had Daniel and Teal'c in bed, Jacob was done and had already headed downstairs. Jack paused to grab some things from the linen closet before following and locating the other man in the middle of the living room. Jacob was turning a slow circle and his face held a mix between speculation and awe. "You know Jack," he said, "I really can't say much for your choice of décor."
Jack snorted. "Want a cat Jacob?"
Jacob laughed, shaking his head ruefully. "I think the kids will notice. So… Couch?"
"Sorry, my guest rooms are all in use. But if you want, I really don't mind taking…"
"Nonsense," Jacob interrupted. "I wouldn't hear of it. Besides, I don't really need much sleep and you've seen Tok'ra beds. This will be like a featherbed in comparison."
"You mean that big shelf is really a bed?" Jack joked, pulling a few strands of toilet paper off the sofa with one hand. He'd get the rest later.
Jacob reached out and took the linens. "Goodnight Jack," he said, but his tone was full of amusement.
Gracing the man with a wry grin, Jack turned. "You too Jacob, see you in the morning," he said over his shoulder as he made his way out of the room, trying valiantly not to get paper attached to his foot.
Entering his bedroom, Jack realized he hadn't seen hide nor hair of the little hooligan since they'd gotten back. Hesitating, he wondered if he should look for the thing, when he heard something stir in his room. Flipping on the light, he realized there would be no need to look. Billie had found the perfect spot, smack dab in the middle of his bed. Innocently, she lifted her head and blinked her eyes at him as if to say 'What? I didn't do anything. I've been here sleeping all day.'
Jack scowled, grumbling under his breath a variety of uncomplimentary things about felines in general. He glared at the beast, as if ordering it to move, but the kitten just rolled over, looking at him upside down. Grumbling a bit more, he dressed for bed and slid under the covers, pushing the cat to make it move and hopefully leave, but only succeeded in making her roll to her other side, where she stretched out next to him purring. Still scowling, Jack turned over so that his back was to the kitten. She didn't seem able to take a hint though, as he could still feel her purring through the covers. And that was how he fell asleep, clinging to the edge of a queen sized mattress with a kitten curled up and pressing against his back.
A/N: Well, this one came out a bit later than I thought, but hopefully it's length was worth the wait! I only have a paragraph or so of the next chapter done too, so I really don't know when the next one will be out. Anyway, I guess a few days late isn't so bad, considering the fact that I'd really hoped to have the chapter out in November. Oops.