Chapter 3

"Movie time," Jack said as he opened a large cedar cabinet in the corner of the living room next to the stone fireplace. Janet was curled up on the couch, nursing a Guinness. When he opened the large storage cabinet, her eyes widened.

"Holy - Jack, you must have at least four or five hundred movies in that cabinet!"

He raised the beer in his hand in acknowledgement and took a long swig. She did the same and then moved from her perch on the couch and got down on her knees beside him to look at the movies on the lowest levels. He looked down at her and chuckled.

"How long did it take you to, to, to-" she paused, tying to find the word she was looking for. They had been drinking steadily since dinner, around 6:30. She looked down at her watch to remind herself what time it was. It was eight and she wasn't sure how many beers she had had.

"To what, Jan?" He was amused. She was clearly tipsy, if not more than a little drunk and he had never seen her like this before. It was definitely something he could get used to seeing.

She let out a healthy laugh and brought her hand up to her mouth. "Sorry, I got distracted. Can you believe its only eight o'clock? It feels so much later. Oh, and to build this collection is what I meant to say." She actually giggled.

"A year or two.. or fifteen." He was staring at the top her head and the way her hair shone red in the light. It was as red as fire and looked warm to touch. He reached his hand out, about to test his theory. Okay, maybe he was little drunk, too."Pick one out and I'll put it in."

She suddenly became very serious, as if so much depended on picking out this one movie. He found her focus endearing. Not long passed until she handed him a movie, struggled to her feet, and made her way back to the couch. He looked at what she had handed him. She would want to watch The Shining. I guess I did let her pick the movie, though. He stuck the movie in the DVD player. Janet patted the open spot on the couch next to her feet and he dutifully took the seat offered to him.

"Have you seen this?" He asked her, downing a little more of his beer. He had a beer cooler next to the couch, something he got early on after his divorce to prevent excess trips into the kitchen, a real concern and nuisance of his. Now he wouldn't even have to get up off the huge couch to get a drink. He finished off his current beer and pulled out one more for the each of them.

"I have. Are you trying to get me drunk, Colonel?" She asked playfully, grabbing the beverage out of his hand.

He put on his innocent face and said, "I don't have any idea what you are talking about."

"That's what they all say!" The laughed together and she straightened her legs over his lap without touching him, stretching languidly, then swinging her legs back over the couch so she would be sitting up straight with her legs dangling. He caught her legs mid swing at the ankle and pulled them onto his lap. "You don't mind?" He shook his head. She smiled, wiggled her bare toes, and turned her focus to the movie.

He liked seeing her like this - actually relaxed. It seemed like she had not thought about Sam all day, besides the phone call. He was glad to see that this trip was actually taking her mind off of things because he was worried about her after the incident on Thursday when she told him about the split. Janet also liked seeing him in a stress free environment. They were getting along splendidly.

From in her purse in the kitchen, her cellphone rang. She shared a worried look with Jack, hoping that it was not Sam again.

"Be right back. Pause, please?" He nodded and she bounded off the couch. Jack rubbed a hand over his face and sighed. Give it a rest, Carter. When Janet came back into the living room ten minutes later with a smile on her face, he let out a sigh of relief. "It was Cassie. She says camp is great and she wanted me to tell you that she says hi. She promised to talk to you next time she called but they are about to tell ghost stories around a campfire."

"Living the life." He snorted. "Good to know she's having a good time."

"It really is. A friend from school convinced her to go to this camp. I'm hoping she will make some more friends while she's there. She's still not as outgoing as I'd like her to be."

"She'll get there. Don't worry about her so much. She's a great kid." They both sipped their beers. Janet sat back down on the couch, definitely feeling the alcohol go to her head. She felt warm and tingly and it had nothing to do with the season. She straightened her legs again with her feet in his lap and they resumed the movie.

He looked down at her dainty feet resting in his lap. Propelled by some unknown force or want, he cupped his hand around toes, warming them with the heat from his fingers. She looked over at him and gave a crooked smile. "Thanks, my feet were getting pretty cold." She focused on the movie again.

He ran his hand down the length of her foot, surprised at how little her feet were. He wondered if he would be as surprised when he was sober. He pressed his thumb into the arch and she let out a low hiss. "Sore?"

"Mmhm. You try wearing heels to work sometime and let me know how that works out for ya." He pressed again, harder this time, moving his thumb in small circles, and a soft moan escaped her lips. Her eyes slipped shut, as well. That moan rattled something in Jack's gut that he hadn't felt in a long time. He didn't dare label it or acknowledge it, even though he knew full well that it was desire. And it was spreading, fast.

After completing the little massage, he picked up her other foot and began the same thing. "My god, does that feel good." He grunted a response that she took as a 'you're welcome'. She couldn't remember the last time anyone gave her a massage. Sam sure as hell never did. She was always either working, sleeping, or asking Janet to do things, such as massage her feet or rub her back. Janet could never say no to her. It felt good to be on the receiving side of things for a change.

A few minutes later, he set her other foot back into his lap and kept his hands on top of them. He looked over her and she was fast asleep. Her head was drooped to the side, her breathing deep and even. Deciding not to wake her, he stopped the movie and gently moved her legs. He stood and put on arm under her knees and the other around her back and grasping her abdomen and lifted her up. She sure was light. And beautiful, Jack thought. He shook his head. Where did that come from? Her head lolled onto her his shoulder, her face buried in his neck, her lips on the collar of his shirt. He was genuinely surprised she didn't wake up.

He carried her into the guest bedroom and stopped in the doorway when he realized her sheets where still in the washer. They had forgotten about them, probably around beer number five. Her blankets were in the washer, too. Without a moments hesitation, he carried her into his room. The entire bed was made. If need be, he could somehow pinpoint this on his intoxication in the morning. And it's not like the bed was smalll. Holding her with only one hand, he pulled down the covers on the side he didn't sleep on, and gently laid her in the bed. She opened her eyes briefly as he was setting her down, but closed them again quickly.

Jack felt the stirring in his loins again when she moaned as she snuggled into the pillow and unconsciously pulled her pink pajama pants that she adorned after dinner off and tossed them to the floor. Janet Fraiser is in my bed in her panties. He could not comprehend what was happening due to the alcohol, but he wasn't complaining. The thought of his doctor in her underwear in his bed elicited deeper feelings than he cared to admit. He pulled the sheet and comforter over her small body and then stripped off his tee shirt and pajamas pants, leaving him in his boxers. He hadn't realized how tired he was until he set her down on the bed. He yawned, turned off the light, and then laid in bed beside his newest companion. He pulled the blankets over himself and turned on his side to face her. Before he could be held accountable for his actions, he placed a kiss to her forehead that lingered longer than a friendly kiss. She stirred slightly and opened her chocolate brown eyes.

"Bed time?" She asked, her speech slurred and her voice groggy.

"Yes, Jan. Bed time." She smiled, turned on her side that wasn't face him, and scooted as close to him as humanly possible. Jack tried not to think about the way her nice ass pressed against his hips and his dick, but it was honestly too hard to focus on anything else.

"Hold me?" She asked, holding her arm up so he could slide his arm around her. Once he did, she sighed again. "Thank you."

He held her tightly. He couldn't remember the last time that he had shared a bed with somebody. He buried his face in her hair, inhaling her scent and pulling her even closer.

"Sweet dreams," She said, covering his hand over her chest with her own.

"Goodnight, Janet."

Janet groaned softly and put a hand to her forehead. She was definitely hungover, a headache pounded at her temples and behind her eyes. But hey, it's not like I have to actually do anything today.

She looked over at the clock - 9:03 - and her jaw dropped. She hadn't slept in this late in over six or seven years. She closed her eyes in an attempt to the stop the room from spinning and tried to remember why that wasn't her clock on the nightstand.

She ran her hands over the comforter on top of her. This also isn't mine. She was even more startled to feel a steady stream of breath on her back and a hand in her hair. In her groggy state of mind, still not full awake, she was extremely startled when she switched sides and saw Jack O'Neill sleeping peacefully next to her when she was expecting Sam Carter.

Jack was awakened by a soft whine and opened his eyes to find Janet staring directly at him, her brown eyes huge and confused. He jerked his head back, the proximity of her face startling. He untangled his hand from her hair and smiled.

"Good morning." He didn't really know what else to say, so he kept it simple.

Her mouth still hung open in a pretty comical o shape and her eyes were unblinking.

"Are you as hungover as me? Last night was pretty fun, though." He asked, stretching his arms over his head and then moving to lie on his back.

Still silent, Janet tried to make sense of the words he was saying. She did remember having a good time last night. Hell, she had a great night. It was probably the first time she wasn't holding herself back and just let everything go and had fun. She wanted to fully believe that that was the effect that Jack had on her, but she had to admit to herself that a large part of it was probably due to the large quantities of alcohol she consumed. She remembered watching a little bit of a movie, though she wasn't sure what they had put on. Something told her, though, that she had picked the movie.

She had to wonder, though, if he meant something else when he had said 'fun' than what she remembered. She was in the pajamas she had put on earlier that evening, which was a good sign. She also didn't feel the slight ache between her legs that you usually feel after having sex, so she hoped that option was ruled out of the equation.

When she still didn't answer, Jack reached out and pushed her chin up so her mouth closed. She blushed and smiled crookedly.

"Don't take offense to this question," She said, rubbing a hand across her forward and staring at the collar of his tee shirt, "but why the hell did I wake up beside you?"

He laughed. "No offense taken. You fell asleep on the couch last night. Instead of waking you up, I carried you to the guest room, but the bed was unmade and that was just way too much hassle, so I put you in here." He paused, and then added quickly, "I hope that's okay."

She blinked a couple of times and then let out a laugh full of relief. "Definitely okay. Was just an odd thing to wake up to. The end of last night is pretty hazy and I wanted to make sure I didn't embarrass myself by passing out in your bed or something."

He smiled sympathetically and climbed out of bed. "Hungry? I make it this time since you did yesterday. Stay in bed if you; just relax. Chef au chez O'Neill, at your service!" He kissed his fingers, smiled, and left the room.

Janet groaned and pulled the blankets up over her head. She decided she would take the time to appreciate the floor to ceiling windows in his bedroom another time because right now they were seriously antagonizing her headache.