And suddenly without anyone realizing, Jake turned two. Sam still spend a considerable amount of time with him, despite her commanding job at SGC. Most of the times if things were calm and slow at the Mountain she would delegate on her 2IC, Colonel Harriman and go home, working from there and taking her time with Jake and Jack.
So she was able to be there when Jack taught Jake to play ball and he kicked the ball for the very first time. And he started to run. Faster. Because he already liked to run as soon as he learned how to walk alone. That made Sam's and Jack's heart stop several times. He was definitely a sprinter.
Sam had bought him several simple puzzles and of course he had no problems in putting them together. She had to buy him harder ones. The same with building a tower of four or more blocks. When Jack noticed he had built a wall.
"Jezzz…buddy. You're definitely your mother's son", he said smiling.
He had taken a picture to show Sam later. She had been obviously quite proud and bought him more blocks.
Physically, he definitely had inherited his father eye color. His eyes continued as chocolate as Jack's while his hair remained a dark blond.
But things started to get interesting when he moved from the babbling to using quite specific words. So besides the "mama" and "dada" and the more common "no" that both parents were getting, Jake was now very attached to the words "car", "ball", "play" and "book". He could use them almost in phrases and non-stop. It drove Jack crazy. Most days. So Jack took him more times to the park so he could play with other children. Chasing one another was a favorite. And he spent a lot of energy which was what Jack wanted.
But things at the kid's park had also brought a nasty reminder to Jack about his age when one of the mother's told him that he had a beautiful grandchild. Jack had just faintly smiled, picked Jake and gone home. That evening when Sam arrived she immediately noticed that something wasn't quite right with her husband. Jake was quietly playing in their living room and Jack was watching a basketball game on TV. Drinking beer.
He had stopped drinking beer when Jake was born. So definitely something had happened. After dropping her keys and taking her jacket, she gave him a kiss in the forehead and went to where Jake was, kneeling on the floor. He was playing with two cars.
"Hi honey", she said kissing and hugging her son.
"Mama, play, car", he said giving her a car.
Sam took the car and give her husband a side glance look. He continued to stare at the TV and sipping his beer.
"Okay, I'll play with you", she said starting to play with her son.
"So how was your day?", she asked looking at Jack now.
"The same", he said still looking at the TV.
Okay. Not in a mood to share.
"Well, Jake… so you want to take your bath now?", she asked picking him put.
"No", he said playing with one car in the air.
Sam was now used of him saying "no" to her questions or showing defiance, such as doing what he was told not to do. She tried again.
"It's a bubble bath. You can take your toys with you and play with the bubbles like I showed you the last time", she said.
"Bubbles", he repeated with a confused expression.
She already had him in her hip and was slowly walking towards the stairs.
"Yes, those little balls in the air that you liked so much", she said.
"Balls", he said excitedly.
"Yeah, balls", she said. She stopped next to Jack's chair and run her fingers through his hair.
"Are you okay, Jack?", she asked slowly.
"Peachy", he said drinking more beer.
She knew he was lying but didn't insisted. He would tell her when he was ready.
"I'm going to give him his bath", she said. Still with her fingers in his hair.
"Fine", he said not moving his eyes from the TV.
She finally turned her back and went upstairs. The bath was as usual a joyful and wet occasion. She was soaked in the end but he was cleaned and in his pajamas.
"Now slowly go downstairs to your daddy", she told him.
Jake already knew how to walk up and down the stairs holding on the wall.
"JACK! He's coming down!", she yelled, warning him.
"RIGHT!", he yelled back.
Sam took her wet clothes and decided to take a quick shower. After she finished she put an old shirt and some sweatpants and went downstairs. Jack was no longer watching TV and Jake wasn't also in the living room. So she went to the kitchen. They were both there. Jake in his high chair and Jack apparently preparing his dinner.
"Hi", she said entering the kitchen.
"Mama", Jake said waving his arms.
She gave him a kiss. Jack turned his back and put a plate in front of his son.
"Here you go, buddy", he said.
Jake studied the plate with his hands. It had sweet potatoes, carrots and small pieces of chicken. He started to eat them. Sam smiled and looked at her husband. Her smiled faded when she saw him taking another beer to his lips. He noticed.
"What?" he asked leaning on the counter.
"Why are you drinking?", she asked cleaning her son's mouth.
"Because I want to", he said taking another sip.
"Fine. Any other reason besides that?", she asked looking at him again.
This time he didn't answer and continued to drink until the beer ended. Then he threw it into the trash bin. With a loud bang. And he left the kitchen.
"Great", Sam muttered through her teeth, watching her son putting all the food in his mouth. He had a healthy appetite, thank God!
When he finished she put him on the ground, cleaned the kitchen and went after her husband. He was apparently catching some air on their backyard. Grabbing Jake, she sat on one of the chairs next to him.
"Come on Jack, spill it. What happened that make you drink two beers in a row? Or was it more than two?", she asked as Jake sat on the floor and started to play with his cars.
"So I can no longer drink a beer or two just because I want to?", he asked in a tone clearly annoyed.
"You can do whatever you want, Jack. I'm not your mother", she said starting to get pissed with his attitude.
That seemed to get him even more on edge.
"Evidently not, Sam. You're too young for that!", he said with a cynical smile.
"Oh, so we're back to the age difference again?", she asked sensing that the problem might be there.
He sulked and looked away.
"Jack? What happened?", she asked taking his hand. Her tone was as gentle as she could.
He continued to look at their garden but she could see the tension in his shoulders. Slowly she got up and sat on his lap. He shifted his legs and stood very still, not touching her. So something had definitely happened that was bothering him. A lot. She slowly started to caress the hairs in the back of neck.
"Jack, I can't read your mind. And if you don't talk to me I won't know what happened. That's what you usually say to me", she said trying to reach him.
He slowly put one hand in her back, just holding her. Well it was a start.
"Come on, General, talk to me", she asked again.
"Retired, I'm fucking retired, Sam", he said through his teeth.
She continued her caresses.
"Is that what's bothering you? Your retirement? Do you regret it?", she asked.
"No. I love staying with Jake", he said still not looking at her.
She put her other hand in his chin and lifted it to her, making him look at her.
"So what was it? Please tell me, Jack?", she asked.
He had his jaw clenched, his breath shallow and Sam could feel his neck and shoulders tensed.
"Just some comment I heard today", he finally said lowering his eyes.
She didn't let go off his chin.
"It must have been a very important comment to let you like this", she said
"I just didn't like it", he said taking her hand and moving his head away from her.
"Care to share that comment you didn't like?", she asked trying to stay calm.
"If I say no, will you let me alone?", he asked.
"Yes, Jack. I'll leave you alone. If you don't want to talk with me, I won't force it", she said.
"Okay, I don't want to talk about it", he said stubbornly.
"Okay, then", she said kissing his forehead. Then she got up and picked Jake from the floor.
"We'll be inside", she said moving through the big windows. He continued in silence.
Sam sighed and let her son continue to play while she picked some work she had brought from the Mountain. She sat on the couch, put her reading glasses and started making annotations in the several pages she had. She was so distracted she didn't even notice the time passing. Until Jack appeared and picked Jake who was almost asleep on the floor. He took him half asleep to his room and put him in his bed, closing the door. He slept fine alone.
Jack stood on the hallway for some seconds trying to decide what to do. Going downstairs or going to their room and to bed. He decided for the last. He really didn't want to talk anymore. So he just went to their room, went to the bathroom for the usual stuff and got into bed, shutting his light.
Sam was feeling her eyes tired when she took her glasses. She looked at the time. It was past 0200. She immediately looked at the floor where she had left Jake playing but he was no longer there. Putting the papers on the coffee table she went upstairs quickly to his room and took a breath of relief when she saw him asleep in his bed. Jack must had put him to bed and she didn't even notice. Which meant that he must also be asleep.
She opened their bedroom door quietly. The room was dark but she knew it well. Too many nights waking up to feed Jake in the dark. Her legs bumped at their bed and she went around until she found her empty side of bed. She slowly got in and pulled the bedsheets. Jack was softly snoring. Something he only did when he drank alcohol. She sighed. She really liked to know what the hell had happened to drive him to drink but if he didn't want to share it with her she wouldn't push him. She moved her body closer to his, spooning him. He was warm and cozy and she put her arms around his waist. He had been working out and although he no longer had the body he had when he was at SG-1 he still had a lot of muscles. And Sam was enjoying feeling them all.
"God, you're so stubborn", she mumbled against his back. Kissing it afterwards. She fell asleep not long after that.
When Jack woke up the next morning he had the beginning of a headache. Probably because of the two beers he no longer was used of drinking. He also had his wife very attached to his body. Which was quite surprising after the not so very welcoming mood he had yesterday. Despite all her efforts. He felt like a total jerk. He slowly started caressing her long hair. Her legs started to move a little as her body got more comfortable against his. He smiled.
"I know you're awake", he said continuing his caressing's.
"Not completely", she said moving her head closer to his neck.
"I'm sorry about yesterday", he said sighing.
"It's okay, honey. You don't have to tell me", she said starting to stretch.
He turned putting one elbow on the bed and looking at her.
"I want to tell you", he said.
She stopped stretching and looked at him. "Okay", she said slowly.
"I was in the park with Jake and one of the mothers told me that I had a beautiful grandchild. It got me, Sam. I know it shouldn't but it did. I couldn't think about anything else after that" he said throwing his head on the pillow and looking at the ceiling.
Sam put one hand on his forehead and gently caressed it going then to his hair.
"I don't suppose it will help you if I said again that age is nothing but a number", she said.
"Not really", he said truthfully.
She knew she had to continue to try.
"Honey, people will always talk. They already talked about us and we weren't even together. What matters is what you think, how you feel. What really counts is where your heart and soul are at. If two people are compatible, like we are, then one year or fifty years' age difference can't shake the relationship. Don't concern yourself with what you think other people think about our relationship, Jack. It's ours and your happiness in a loving relationship is all that should matter to you. That's how I think of us, honey", she said
"You've a lot of faith in us", he said holding her waist.
"Always have, always will", she said with a smile.
"I believe that line is mine", he said raising his eyebrows.
"You never claimed copyright so I'm stealing it", she said lowering her lips to his.
"Never had you for a thief, General Carter", he said kissing her.
"Well, I'm a woman of many talents", she said straddling him. He looked surprised at her.
"Don't you have to go to work?" he asked looking at the time.
"I might arrive a little late today", she said. Her hips started moving across his lap.
Sam grabbed his head with her hand holding his mouth to her, "I love you", she told him.
"I love you too", he said. His hands were under her ass grabbing it and started moving his length against her folds through their pants. His mouth moved to her neck kissing it open mouthed.
Sam rose up and grabbed his cock, moved it to her entrance and sank down on him.
"Oh God honey." Jack fell back.
She started moving up and down on him taking him all the way in and out.
"You feel so good...", he told her, holding her hips.
Sam started moving up and down in jerky movements which told him she was close.
"You make me feel good, Jack." She was breathy and leaned forward, "Feels so fucking good." She cupped his face and they kissed deeply.
Jack grabbed her ass and started thrusting up with her. He was as close as she was. Sam leaned back and started to ride him. He held her to keep her from falling off. Jack slouched down and she fell forward.
He held her and told her, "Hold on." He started thrusting up into her hard and steady.
"Oh God." Sam moaned and hugged him, "Oh fuck." She got louder and tensed up her walls grabbing tight around his cock about to let go. She started moving with him again feeling tingles starting through her body. Sam leaned back moving faster on him.
Jack leaned back and smiled thrusting up when she came down letting her control the pace. When she couldn't move fast enough he held her to him and started thrusting hard and fast. Within moments she cried out and started to come around him her walls clamping around his cock hard over and over.
"Sweet Lord...", he cried out and came hard inside her.
Jack fell back catching his breath overwhelmed by their climax. His body going limp on her.
Sam was breathing hard on his chest, hers hands in the bedsheets as she tried to recover. She slowly got off him and lay back on the bed.
"Don't you ever dare telling me you're old", she said punching him the arm.
"Dully noted", he said with a smile.
"I need to shower, get dressed and go to work. I'm so late…", she said glancing to the watch.
"Told you…", he said still smiling.
She gave him a quick kiss.
"Was worth it", she said getting off the bed and going to the bathroom.
He could ear the water running and five minutes later she was in their bedroom again, going to their walk-in closet. In less than ten minutes she was fully closed and ready to go. Jack got up and put his boxers and a t-shirt.
"I need to hurry", she said fixing her hair.
"Go, I'll take care of Jake", he said giving her a quick kiss.
She however grabbed his face and kissed him deeply. He groaned until she finally let him go.
"Now I have to go", she said smiling.
"Go before I change my mind and you won't work at all today", he said opening their bedroom door.
She left laughing.