Just Fishin'
A/N #1: For Majorsal of GateWorld. Her comment was "If the series…had went on, I would have liked to have seen Sam and Jack married, with two kids…older brother, with the little blonde girl running after her older bro." I hope this little fluff bunny touches that shippy place in your heart, Sal.
A/N#2: at the end.
Jack leaned back in his chair and stretched his legs out in front of him. The water lapped gently against the old wooden pilings of the dock and the leaves rustled in the cool breeze. It was a perfect late spring afternoon in Minnesota. He closed his eyes and drew in a breath, appreciating the scent of decaying leaves, new growth, and rich earth. Closer at hand a more familiar scent mingled with the others. He was constantly amazed at how little kids smelled of soap, regardless of how dirty they got. The animated conversation beside him had become more strident, and he could tell they were building to another argument...he sighed. He opened his eyes and cut a sidelong glance at the pair sitting on the dock beside him.
"Son...be nice to your sister," he said seriously.
The conversation ended abruptly as the little boy pressed his lips together and glanced up into his father's face. He looked chagrined to have been caught...again...arguing with his younger sibling.
Jack's features softened slightly as he looked into the upturned faces. Both heads were crowned with platinum locks; the boy's was straight as straw, and the girl's was a mass of curls drawn up into twin pigtails. Will's eyes were brown, like Jack's, and at six he thought he was a grown man, and consequently the boss of his little sister. Jack's eyes captured the little girl's brilliant blue ones – four-year-old Mary was the picture of her mother, and it made his heart hitch in his chest.
"Where's Mommy?" Mary asked.
Jack smiled...apparently she was telepathic, too. "She's setting up the telescope, sweetheart. She'll come fish with us when she's done."
"Yeah...remember, Mary? Mom said we're gonna look at the stars tonight!" Will said with shining eyes.
Mary opened her mouth to reply, but at that moment the line on her fishing rod zinged as a hungry fish took the bait and ran. "DADDY!" she cried, letting go of her rod in the excitement.
Jack grabbed the tiny rod to keep it from going into the lake, and scooping his daughter up into the circle of his arms, he helped her to reel in the struggling fish. His hand covered Mary's tiny fingers as she gripped the reel and they turned the handle together. He could tell from the tension on the line that whatever had taken the bait was big. Will leaned in, his own rod forgotten, his eyes wide.
As the fish leapt from the water and flopped onto the dock, Mary squealed in surprise and retreated against her daddy's chest. Will whooped with glee, bouncing up and down on his toes.
Suddenly the riot of noise on the dock was drowned out by a peal of laughter from behind them. Jack turned to see Sam standing on the lake's edge, her arms wrapped around her as she shook with giggles. Her eyes twinkled as she hit him with that heart-stopping grin.
Married eight years, and she could still leave him stunned with that smile.
"Mom…" Will began.
"Mommy…" Mary cut over him.
Abandoning their dad, they both ran to Sam and threw their arms around her as they spoke. For a few moments the two children's efforts to relay the story cut over and wound around each other.
Jack tore his eyes from the scene to pick up the still-struggling fish. He lipped it deftly, turning it to admire its size.
The fish had been his wedding gift from Sam; she had woken him on the second day of their honeymoon here, and after a minor…distraction…had taken his hands and bodily tugged him out to the dock. It had taken only a few moments of silence in the dawn light to witness the frenetic breeching of largemouth bass propelling themselves out of the water to capture the insects that hovered over the surface.
There were fish in his pond.
Fish. In. His. Pond.
Sam had had someone stock his pond with fish.
It was amazing that fish could provoke the rush of affection he was feeling for the beautiful blonde woman hugging his children. He knew it wasn't about the fish, really. It had never been about the fish.
He tossed the bass back into the pond and strolled over to where his family stood. He wrapped his arm around Sam's shoulders, one hand on Will's tousled head.
"Mom! Can I go see the telescope?" Will asked.
"Sure," she said, "On two conditions: you take Mary with you, and you don't touch anything."
Will turned and looked at Mary, weighing his options. "Ok," he finally relented, obviously not happy about having his little sister tag along; "Come on, Mary!" he exclaimed as he ran off ahead of her. With a cry of protest, Mary released her mother's leg and hurried after her brother.
Jack watched the children go, Mary's pigtails bouncing in rhythm with her step, and as they turned the corner of the cabin he slipped his arms around Sam's waist and drew her in against him. She had gathered her hair up into a ponytail, but a few rebellious strands had escaped and framed her face, glittering gold in the afternoon sun. He had yet to find a single gray strand in that mass of sunshine. He brought one hand up to cup her face and gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. She took his face in her hands and pulled him down to her, capturing his lips in a passionate, silky kiss. Her hand slid around the back of his neck and fingered the short gray hairs there. They reveled in the gentle touch and caress of lips for several long moments before parting breathlessly.
"I love you, Carter," he murmured against her lips.
"I love you, too, Jack," she replied.
"Always?"
"Always," she agreed.
Fin.
A/N #2: This drabble was also strongly influenced by the song "Just Fishing" by Trace Adkins. View the video at http:/youtube.com/watch?v=IheODRwalEw.