Mornings and Love Part 22
Sam waddled down the halls of the SGC, beaming at the sight of the usually gray, bland halls. It was wonderful to be "home"!
"Hey, Sam!" Daniel greeted eagerly when she entered his office. "Does Jack know you're on base?" he asked, looking suddenly suspicious.
"No, and if you tell him I'm gonna have to hurt you," she said through her smile, her mood not dampened.
To say that Jack was a bit overprotective of his pregnant girlfriend would be an understatement. Sam had now an official bedtime, a diet dictation (three square meals a day, and if Jack didn't see dirty dishes he'd be extremely peeved), had her laptop confiscated, and when Jack was home from missions, she wasn't to cook or lift one single finger. And if he saw the house (both hers and his) freshly cleaned, he would go into a frenzy of sighs and pleads not to work herself to the ground.
Daniel winced. "He can't be that bad," he said gently.
Sam sighed. "I'm taking the fifth on that one," she said grimly. And she was; not a peep was to get out about her irritation unless it was said to Jack specifically. There were to be no rumors, especially not on her first friendly visit to the SGC after three weeks of maternity leave. Sam couldn't handle not being in the atmosphere for much longer; simply being at the SGC was a joy. She belonged here; it was her home.
She was just surprised Jack hadn't taken away her clearance to get on base.
"I'm going to stop by my lab then visit Teal'c," she decided aloud suddenly. Daniel looked up with his eyebrows raised.
He had an uneasy look on his face.
Oh no. "Oh no, please, Daniel, tell me he DIDN'T…" she moaned, briskly walking to the elevator.
When she got to her lab, she found a note taped to the blast door.
Sam –
Don't even think about it.
Love,
Jack.
Crushing the frail paper in her hand, she swiped her card into the slot. It beeped, and…nothing. She tried it again. And again.
And again.
"I can't BELIEVE he locked me out of my own LAB!" she yowled angrily. She stomped off to see Teal'c. Maybe she could convince him to seriously maim O'Neill for her…
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"I do not understand the nature of your request, Major Carter," Teal'c stated as he lifted a 200-pound weight with the ease of a superhuman (aka Jaffa).
Okay, so she had let her anger simmer long enough to convince her to ask Teal'c to simply talk to Jack, not hurt him. "He's not going to listen to me," she said calmly, "and I wouldn't want Daniel to go through the torture. Daniel's always playing peacemaker, and let's face it, it infuriates him the way Jack blows him off."
"Would he not pay your concerns the respect and attentions they desire," he asked, confused, "as you are the mother of his unborn child?"
Sam envisioned herself asking him to lay off, and pictured him laughing, patting her shoulder, and telling her to trust him, that everything would be alright. As though she were a small child that didn't know how to take care of herself.
"Teal'c, I am not a little kid. I can take care of myself. Do you disagree?" she asked, plopping down on one of the weight machine seats, tired.
"I do not. You are a very capable warrior, and as such I believe you to be very capable of mere health matters."
"Then why can't he see that?" she groaned, burying her face in her hands, frustrated beyond belief.
"Perhaps he does indeed see it, but wishes to provide you with the opportunity to enjoy your many months of leave as much as possible," Teal'c suggested.
Sam sighed. "Maybe." It sounded probable, but didn't Jack realize that by limiting her he was driving her crazy? "Alright, I'll talk to him," she gave in, glaring at Teal'c.
Teal'c smiled smugly, as he convinced her to converse with O'Neill herself without actually saying so.
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"Sam, here you are!" Jack exclaimed as he opened her front door with his key.
Gee, I'm at my house. What a shock, Sam thought bitterly, then chastised herself. She had to make an effort to be civil and understanding, despite the spike in hormonal differences and her growing irritation. She was unbelievingly, totally, completely, head-over-heels in love with him, and planned to stay that way. "Yeah, here I am," she agreed awkwardly as he kissed her on the cheek, rubbing her belly fondly.
"I thought you'd be at my place," he said.
Sam shrugged. "Want some coffee?" she asked, immensely glad that that wasn't one of the beverage/food items her weird cravings prohibited.
"Sure," Jack agreed.
"Okay, I'll make some," she said quickly, moving towards the kitchen.
"Oh, no you don't!" he said, swinging her back around to face him. He kissed her again with one smooth movement, and she frowned. When he stopped the kiss, he pulled back and gave her a coy smile. "I'll make the coffee," he said, shaking a finger at her.
While his grin would have normally made her giggle or blush, or provoked some loving feeling in her, it further increased her irritation. The finger shaking just flat pissed her off. "I think we need to talk about this," she said demandingly as she followed him into the kitchen.
Jack began fixing the coffee. "About what, Sam?" he asked nonchalantly.
"This!" she exclaimed, waving her hand between the two of them to emphasize. "I…I think you're being a little unfair," she declared firmly. That was about as lightly as she was ever going to put it, but she was trying to be civil and calm for their relationship's sake.
"About what?" he asked, turning and frowning at her, looking bewildered.
Sam sighed. "One word," she said. "'Bedtime'. I'm a grown woman, Jack, I don't need one!"
Now Jack sighed. "I just want to make sure you're getting the healthy amount of sleep!" he said.
"1700, Jack? I didn't go to bed 'lights out' at 1700 when I was a kid!" Sam bit her lip, trying desperately to get her emotions under control. "I just want a little space," she whispered.
Her soft, vulnerable-sounding voice must've caught his attention. He moved toward her and stroked her cheek, worry still etched across his face. "I'm listening," he whispered back.
Sam closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "The bedtime goes," she said firmly. "I'd like for you to stop obsessing over what I eat, too. When I'm hungry, I'll eat, and you can bet I'll eat healthy meals. I like healthy food, remember?"
"You're eating for two now!" he protested. "You need three square meals a day and if I don't watch what you're eating, you'll get so engrossed in some doohickey that you forget to eat!"
"Which brings me to my third…request," she said, wisely avoiding "demand", though it was exactly that. "You locked me out of my lab." She couldn't disguise her anger this time; her voice sounded low and deadly, even to her.
"I just want you to relax," Jack said softly.
"Jack, I wanted so much not to have this argument with you, but the truth is, it's driving me crazy! Jack…" She sighed and took one of his hands in hers, stroking it softly and squeezing it hard, willing her action to translate her need to him. "I feel caged," she confessed.
She saw pain flash in his eyes and instantly wished she'd worded it better. He hastily untangled his fingers from hers and walked past her. "Right. Sorry," was all he said before the door shut loudly, leaving her an empty house and an empty heart.
Tears trickled down her cheeks, despite how hard she fought them. "I tried," she whispered to the silent air. "I tried! I was calm and collected; I don't understand! I don't understand!"
Sam was openly sobbing by now. "Why?" she demanded as she looked up at the ceiling. "Why? Why does it keep happening to me! It's not my fault! Damn it, do you hear me! It's NOT MY FAULT!"
She sobbed there, in the kitchen, for many more minutes before her sobbing subsided. She wiped her eyes several times and looked around, sniffing. The house was still empty. Was…was that a breakup? The thought sent her into tears again, and she went upstairs to cry comfortably, on her large, lazy bed.
What would she do if he didn't want her anymore? What about their child? Tears cascaded faster and harder as she pondered. The brand-new Kleenex box was half empty after an hour of pondering.
Jack couldn't have dumped her. She was the mother of his unborn child. He loved her, didn't he?
…
Didn't he?
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Oh, dear :( Those two never stop, do they? Didn't I title this "Mornings and Love"? reviews title …Hmm…Well, rest assured, Jack's gonna get off his high horse sooner or later…Sam hopes… evil, smug grin