Author's Note: Thank you for the well wishes about my novels! I'm very privileged to have gotten experience in writing here and then being able to transfer those skills to my original fiction. For those who asked for more information about my novels, you can find me on Amazon under the pen name Rachel A. Andersen. I write sweet romance (think Hallmark Channel), and I have three books coming out before the end of the year, including the one that comes out in June. Stay safe and healthy and enjoy! - RS
Friday, March 27, 2020
Lieutenant General Jack O'Neill's old battle senses were on alert as he tried to concentrate on his paperwork. His wife, the woman who couldn't lie to save her life and yet somehow managed to beat him at strip poker last night, was too quiet.
No cello.
No smell of bread baking.
He hadn't even heard her laugh as she caught up with Daniel, Vala, or Cassie.
So, either he was going to get a report that she'd invented something to save the planet or she was up to something.
Normally, he would have bet on the former, but given how playful she'd been the last few days...
Funny how this global pandemic had turned into a giant role reversal with Jack the one trying to concentrate and Sam the one trying to keep herself entertained. He blamed Jacob. Though he'd been dead for fifteen years, this was the kind of thing the old man would have found hilarious.
The doorbell rang, and before Jack could say anything, he heard Sam's footsteps scurry across the hardwood floor. "I'll get it!"
Like that wasn't their normal routine during his work hours.
Yeah, she was up to something.
Only a second after the door opened, it closed again, and Jack half stood up out of his seat. "Sam?"
No answer.
Something fishy was going on around here.
He poked his head out the home office door as the front door opened and closed again. "Sam?"
She looked up at him with that mega-watt smile she reserved for him. "Just a delivery guy who had the wrong address. Unless you felt like eating curry tonight?"
He grimaced. "No. I'm good."
"Go back to work."
Now, he knew something was up. "Carter, that wasn't a delivery guy, was it?"
She looked affronted at the accusation. "Of course it was."
He raised an eyebrow as he took a step down the stairs. Her blue eyes widened in panic, and her gaze darted to the back door. "No, Jack. Wait."
Some days he wondered why he wore three stars on his shoulders. Other days, like today, he knew he'd earned every one of these stars.
He crossed his arms. "You wanna tell me what's going on? Or do I have to guess?"
She chewed on her bottom lip as a bark came from the backyard.
Jack's senses went on alert as Sam's worry turned to chagrin. "I was trying to surprise you, but it's not really ready yet."
His eyes widened as her plan came together in his mind. He felt like a kid on Christmas morning as he raced down the steps toward her. "You didn't."
She grinned. "Every kid on Earth has to have a dog, Jack. Even the ones who are just kids at heart."
He spun her in the air as she laughed, that beautiful sound that always made him feel like he was the king of the world. "I love you."
He set her down, and she blushed. "We're just fostering right now. Apparently, the shelters need the help, but if we find one we like—"
She let the possibility hang in the air.
He kissed her soundly, catching her off-guard enough that it took a moment before she crushed the collar of his shirt in her fists and melted in his arms.
There was a dreamy look on her face as he pulled away. "I should have done this years ago. You haven't even met the dog, and my toes are curling."
He smirked. I bet Pete never put a look like that on her face.
He rocked back on his heels, trembling in excitement, as Sam took a long moment to recover her senses.
She shook her head affectionately before she gestured to the deck. "Go ahead. She's just outside."
He didn't need to be told twice.
Jack sat on the deck step, the chocolate-colored Aqua eagerly nuzzling in for Jack's belly rubs and scratches. Though she was a medium size dog, he couldn't quite figure out what breed she was, and at only a year old, there was a significant chance she could get much bigger. Still, he loved the shock of white fur on her chest and the patches of white fur on two of her paws. "Oh, you are gorgeous, aren't you? I always thought I had a thing for blonds, but you might convince me to go for brunettes."
Sam sat beside him, and the move had Aqua maneuvering so she poked her nose between the two of them. Sam chuckled as she ran her fingers over the dog's fur. "Should I be worried?"
"Very. I'm leaving you for the dog."
She didn't bat an eye. "Why do you think I waited so long to introduce you? I had to make sure I'd get the house."
"Says the woman who spends most of her time in space." He leaned across the dog and kissed her. "Seriously. Thank you."
Her cheeks pinked in pleasure as she turned back to Aqua. "I was thinking this would be a great way to see if she's a good fit. Apparently, she likes to play catch, especially with a tennis ball."
"Obviously a match made in heaven." There was a moment of silence as Jack eyed his wife. "I thought you were going to redo the backyard."
Sam shrugged as she produced a tennis ball Jack hadn't seen and threw it across the yard.
Aqua bolted from the deck.
"I'm still going to get some patio furniture, but I think I'll stick with potted plants until we get used to our new friend."
Jack chuckled as Aqua returned the ball to Sam. "I think she likes you."
Sam shook her head and handed the ball to him. "She likes the toy."
Aqua's tail wagged, her eyes following the ball, though she stayed firmly in front of Sam.
Sam looked taken aback by the dog's apparent loyalty.
Jack snickered. "Oh, yeah. I don't think she's going to be my dog, Sam."
"Well, she's not sleeping in the bed with us."
Jack tossed the ball, and Aqua took several moments before she went to retrieve it, waiting for Sam to give her a wave toward the ball before she trotted off. "Good luck with that."
She threw her hands in the air. "Well, that backfired."
"I don't know. I think it's kind of cute."
She threw a pointed look at him. "You won't think it's so cute when I leave for the ship and she starts whining."
Jack couldn't get rid of his grin. "We're just fostering, right?"
She rolled her eyes. "As if you're not already head over heels."
He took her hand in his as Aqua licked their fingers. "I think she'll be okay."
Sam inhaled sharply the way she did whenever she was uncomfortable with one of her emotions. He leaned in and kissed her cheek. "And so will you."
He brought an arm around her shoulders as she settled in closer to him. "Even if she likes you better than me, you shot it out of the park, Carter. Thank you."
He didn't think he'd ever get used to the look in her eye right now, like he'd hung the moon and the stars just because she thought they were beautiful. And he would have found a way to do it, too, if they hadn't already been there.
Aqua rested her snout on Sam's lap, and they both reached down and scratched her behind the ears.
"I love you, Jack. I always feel like I'm leaving part of my heart behind when I board the Hammond, and I wanted to do something to thank you for keeping me grounded without taking away my wings."
He ran a hand through her silky blond hair. "Backatcha. Now, how about we order a little Italian and watch one of those sci-fi movies you like to rip apart."
She laughed into his shirt. "Now, I know it's true love."
"You better. I still haven't watched Star Wars with Teal'c, and it's been almost twenty years since he made me promise I'd watch it."
She raised an eyebrow. "You know, we could watch Star Wars."
He eyed her. "Seriously?"
She nodded. "Disney released a streaming service last fall, and if I remember correctly, they put all the Star Wars movies on there."
"Oh, don't make me. . ."
She snickered. "I could always tell Teal'c."
He groaned. "Okay, fine. I'll order dinner. You get the TV set up."
"I think you'll like Han Solo."
"Oh?"
"Yep. He's a pilot."
He pulled himself up by the railing to the stairs. "You think I'm so predictable."
"Says the man whose favorite movie is Top Gun."
He offered her his hand and helped her up. "Yes, well—"
She put her hands on his cheeks and caught his eye. "I love predictable, Jack."
She kissed him, her hand dropping to his waist before they turned and walked back to the house.
As Jack opened the door, he hesitated and sent his wife a nonverbal question.
She rolled her eyes with a slight nod. He patted his thigh and whistled. "Come on, girl. Movie night."
Aqua's tail wagged as she climbed up the stairs and followed them inside.
Aqua is a real dog currently being fostered in the DC area (not by me...I wish!), and she sounds like a sweetheart. Needed to have a quick shout out to the #stayhomeandfoster movement, especially given Jack's affinity for dogs.
