Jack can sleep under almost any circumstances, and despite the truth that he'll never completely get over traveling to other planets, off-world sleep is no different. There's a tent and a sleeping bag, and there's one of his teammates in the tent with him. It's usually Carter, and he likes that because she's easy to sleep next to. Carter is a quiet sleeper who rarely moves or fusses once she's out, which makes her an ideal tent mate. Daniel is a fitful sleeper who tosses and turns and talks in his sleep; it doesn't bother Teal'c, so they've fallen into a sort of assigned sleep buddies system that rarely changes.
At 0300, Teal'c takes over the watch and Jack creeps quietly into the shared tent. He drops his book and his tac-vest gently on the ground, removes his boots and BDU pants, and slides into his sleeping bag. Jack allows himself very few indulgences, but the first moment of bedtime is one; it's a perfect moment of relaxation-regardless of planet or circumstance-where he can release the stress and pressure of his life and simply exist before falling asleep. Only, in this moment of intended peace, he realizes he is not the only person who is still awake and occupying the tent. "Carter?"
"Sir?"
She sounds sleepy but something else, too, he thinks. "You're still awake? Carter, it's been three hours since I relieved you."
"I know, Sir. Sorry."
He rolls onto his side and looks over at her; the moonlight filtered through their tent lends a hazy glow to her skin and hair. Her eyes somehow shine bright in the darkness, and he feels a familiar catch of breath in his throat. "It's okay," he says. "I can't order you to sleep."
"You've ordered me to sleep before."
"But we both know I can't actually do it."
"Yeah."
Jack considers the softness of her troubled face and reaches out to push stray hairs behind her ear. He's not sure why he did it, but she doesn't seem to mind, so he allows his touch to linger before pulling back. "So what's up? You're usually my best sleeper."
She laughs quietly. "I dunno, Sir. Just a lot on my mind I guess, and I can't forget enough of it to go to sleep."
"There's certainly no shortage of shit that could and should keep us both awake, Carter."
"Yeah."
Moments pass with only alien crickets and wind weaving through creaking trees to fill the silence. Jack sighs and reaches for his flashlight, powering it on with the lowest setting. He pulls his BDU jacket into a curled pile behind his head as a pillow and grabs the book he'd been reading on watch. "C'mere," he says, opening his arm for Sam to scoot into. He's delighted but surprised when she snuggles against him and rests her head on his shoulder without question.
"Are you reading me a bedtime story, Sir?" The grin he can see on her lips is enough for him to excuse the definitely over the line activity he's chosen.
"Yeah, Carter. Did you ever read Odyssey?"
"Of course."
"Well, now you'll hear it," he says. He pushes his thumb against the pages of the book to flip back to the beginning of Homer's Odyssey, coughs gently to clear his throat, and starts reading to the woman lying against his chest. "Tell me, oh Muse, of that ingenious hero who travelled far and wide…"
Jack reads through the first few books before he notices the subtle rhythm of Sam's breaths against him. He glances down and sees that she's finally asleep and he smiles. Bedtime stories with cuddles were decidedly against Air Force regulations, but if it means they'll be well-rested and alert tomorrow, then he's fine with it. And if it means there's an excuse for him to sometimes hold Carter against his chest while they sleep, well, that's just fuckin' awesome.
