O'Neill Estate, Ballydehob, 1997

Jack arrived in the kitchen relatively early and immediately started making coffee. He was about to read the day's newspaper left on the counter when Liz came in from outside.

"Hey!" she greeted, taking off her boots and hanging her jacket by the front door.

Autumn in Ireland wasn't always kind, but the first signs of the day suggested they might avoid the rain.

He handed her a cup of coffee and greeted her with a nod.

"I'm not even going to ask if you slept well," added the young woman with a wink as she grabbed a toast.

Jack looked up from his newspaper and raised an eyebrow in a way that would make Teal'c jealous. "And why's that, Elizabeth?"

"Oh please, Johnny," his sister replied, rolling her eyes. "I'm talking about a certain Captain."

Feigning indifference, he went back to reading the newspaper and remained silent for a moment. "I fail to see the connection between Carter and my sleep," he finally said, grumpy.

"Jonathan," began Liz with a smile. "Johnny," she placed her hands flat on the table. "Jack," she added until he finally looked up at her. "I saw her leaving your room to go back to hers around 5 AM."

A silence settled in the kitchen, and Liz added in a completely nonchalant, almost mocking tone, "I know a walk of shame when I see one, you know. I'm not eight anymore."

"I liked you better when you were eight," he muttered in response.

Nan arrived at that moment, and Liz got up to kiss her while Jack gave her a smile. "Good morning, Nan," they said in unison.

The matriarch served herself a cup of tea and swiped the newspaper from her grandson's hands to read it. Jack was about to protest when Sam entered, freshly showered and with her backpack slung over her shoulder.

"Good morning," she said, cautiously stepping into the kitchen. Sam turned to Nan and gave her a smile. "Thank you again, ma'am, for your hospitality."

Nan seemed to inspect her from head to toe and finally nodded, returning her smile. "With pleasure, dear. Have a seat," she said, pointing to a chair. "Breakfast is too important to miss."

Sam glanced questioningly at Jack, who nodded. He poured her a cup of coffee and slid it over to her.

"Nan, let me introduce you to Captain Samantha Carter, my second-in-command," he said to his grandmother, realizing he hadn't taken the time to make introductions yesterday. "Carter, this is Nan O'Neill, my grandmother, and Elizabeth, my younger sister."

"Liz!" corrected the redhead. "Not Elizabeth."

"Nice to meet you," Sam smiled at them before taking a sip of coffee. "Call me Sam."

Nan returned her smile once again, and Liz jumped up from her chair. "Well, I've got work to do!" She turned to Sam. "Want a tour of the property?"

Sam looked uncertain. "I'm supposed to go back to the States. My mission was to bring the satellite phone to Colonel O'Neill; I hadn't planned on staying."

"Yeah, because deep-space radar telemetry can't wait, right?" Liz asked with a mischievous smile. "Really, that's the worst excuse you've ever used in your entire career."

Jack rolled his eyes but didn't respond. Instead, he looked at Sam and studied her for a long moment. Sam briefly wondered if he was recalling how he had to put his hand over her mouth to stifle her moans or if he was wondering how to politely get rid of her. Being sexual partners was one thing; staying a few days at her orgasm donor's family estate was another.

"Tell me, Carter," he began, getting up from his chair. "When was the last time you took a real vacation? No scientific studies, no astrophysics, no military training?" he asked.

If Sam was surprised by his question, she didn't show it. Sometimes it seemed like Jack O'Neill had so much more to show her behind his mask, but other times she felt she had no right to hope to see that side of him.

"Hammond expressly told me to take our time," he added with a sly smile. "Don't make me order you."

"Ohhh, kinky!" exclaimed Liz with a laugh. "Hm, sorry," she added, seeing the looks from the three people in the room. "Did I say that out loud?"

It was Nan who cracked Sam. The grandmother leaned toward her and whispered in a thick Irish accent, "Come on, dear."