A/N: Fun Fact -- Shades of Grey was aired on February 11, 2000, which means it and 100 Days took place just before Sam and Jack's third Valentine's Day.
Valentine's Day #3 - February 14, 2000
The third year, Jack wasn't exactly planning to buy his 2IC a Valentine's Day present. It just sort of happened.
He had accompanied Cassie's class to the Space Foundation Discovery Center a few days before Valentine's Day. He never really thought of himself as a chaperone, but the teacher had asked him, and Cassie had looked up at him with those big puppy dog eyes and he'd caved.
As Jack was keeping an eye on the kids running around the gift shop, he saw it . A coffee mug that read:
"I'm a Girl Astrophysicist.
Go Ahead.
Underestimate Me.
That'll Be Fun."
They hadn't been on the best of terms lately. He'd been a complete ass after she rewrote the laws of physics to rescue him from Edora. Then he'd been drawn into that undercover op and was ordered to alienate his entire team. He'd already made up with Daniel and Teal'c, but Carter was still "sir-ing" him to death and giving him the cold shoulder.
Her attitude shouldn't bother him; she wasn't being insubordinate, but it did bother him. He really missed the Carter who let him tease her and who smothered a giggle at his bad jokes. So, when he saw the mug, he knew immediately that it would make the perfect peace offering/Valentine's Day gift.
When Valentine's Day arrived, he woke up extra early to ensure he made it to base before her — quite a feat given Sam's normal 0500 arrival time. He snuck into her lab and left the mug filled with candy hearts and a note that said:
I hope you have a sweet day. —J.
Later that day, he found a homemade card taped to the inside of his locker. It was signed by Cassie and covered with inordinate amounts of glitter. But what made him smile the most was the smaller note in Sam's handwriting that read:
Happy Valentine's Day, Sir. —C.