samandjack.net

Story Notes: Spoilers/ Sequels: None.

Notes: Inspired - if you can call it that - by the events of the weekend when we babysat my nephews, who have guest-starring roles in this fic. They weren't quite as well behaved as their fic-counterparts, and events have altered somewhat for creative license. The opening scene was inspired by my favourite Danielle Steel novel, 'Heartbeat', though I'm not usually into that style of story.


'Thank God for late night supermarkets!' thought Jack as he pushed his trolley down the Bakery section in search of a small loaf of bread. SG-1 hadn't been on down-time for nearly a fortnight, what with one thing or another, and he had absolutley nothing in the house to eat. It was next to impossible to keep a kitchen stocked up in their line of work. Having picked up a loaf, he headed off in the direction of the beer. Suddenly there was an almighty crash as his trolley collided with another.

"Oh for cryin' - Carter?" he gazed in shock at the other person, recognising that it was his 2IC.

"Sir? I - I'm sorry, sir!" she stammered, looking very harrassed and flustered, "I couldn't control this damn trolley - it's got a wonky wheel or something."

"Wonky? That a technical term?" quipped Jack, earning himself a look, "It's pretty overloaded too," he noted, looking at all the stuff in Carter's trolley, "Sweets, crisps, pop, choco-cornflakes? Developing a sweet tooth, are we Major?"

Sam blushed, "No sir, my nephews are staying for the weekend while my brother and his wife attend a wedding."

"Really?" Jack smiled, "Sounds like fun!"

Sam snorted, her eyes taking on an evil glint, "If that's what you think, then be at my place nine-thirty am tomorrow," she challenged.

"You're on!" Jack grinned back at her.

"Oh, and bring your bathers!" And she was gone.

By nine am the next morning, Jack was wondering if he was certifiable. Why had he promised to help babysit Sam's nephews, exactly? And taking them swimming of all things! A mental image of Sam in a bathing suit popped unbidden into his head, and he groaned. He really didn't need that kind of imagery just now!

At nine-thirty he was knocking on the door of Sam's appartment. A little boy of eight, with blonde hair that was slowly turning dark, opened the door and peered out at him.

"Hi," said Jack, "Your aunt's expecting me."

The boy smiled shyly and let him in. Sam was bustling around the living room packing some bags for the outing.

"Aunty Sam!" the boy called, "The Colonel's here!"

"Call me Jack," Jack ammended, "What's your name?"

"Jamie."

"Nice to meet you, Jamie."

Sam looked up from her packing, "Oh, hi sir, glad you could make it."

"Jack." he gave her a stern look. She blushed,

"Right. Sorry Jack." she then turned to the boys, "This is my commanding officer, Jack O'Neill. Jack, this is Lee-" she pointed to a boy of seven, who had the exact same colouring as his brother, "-and you've already met Jamie."

"Nice to meet ya, kids." Jack grinned. The boys responded in kind, then Lee decided to show Jack his new toy. It was a plastic model of some kind of cartoon cat. It looked Japanese in style. "What's this?"

"That's Mew." Lee declared, as though that were enough. Jack looked to Sam for help.

"It's from a cartoon series, 'Pokémon'," she smiled, "Mew is the rarest Pokémon there is, and there are about 151 seen so far - if you don't count Togapei." She had the air of someone who had very recently learned far more than she ever actually wanted to. Jack shrugged, having never heard of the show.

"Ready to go?" he asked. Sam nodded, grabbing the bags, and the boys cheered.

They took the senic route on foot to the Leisure Centre, following a river and some woodland. All the while, the boys chattered away at them about Pokémon, and they tried to look interested.

"Could you look after the boys in the changing room?" Sam asked as she paid the admission fees, "You'd be sparing them the embarrassment of having to change with all the ladies." The boys gasped at the idea and turned pleading faces to Jack, begging him to save them from the humiliation.

"Aha! So that's why you invited me!" Jack teased.

Sam laughed, "Guilty as charged."

"Well, c'mon then boys! Let's get into our swimsuits."

Sam was first in the pool, having worn her costume underneath her clothes and not had to supervise small boys as they got changed. Jack was having a good time, though; it was reminding him of all the times he had taken Charlie swimming, and the memories always made him smile.

As they emerged from the foot pool, all three looked for Sam. They spotted her sat at the shallow end letting the water lap past her, having already gone for a brief swim. The pool had a kind of beach motif, with the shallow end as the shore - had it been a real beach, Sam would have been sunning herself in the surf. Jack couldn't help but admire the simple black one-peice she was wearing.

"Aunty Sam! Watch me!" called Lee as he ran past her and began to splash around a little deeper in, pretending to swim. Sam was up in a flash - giving Jack a glimpse of long slim legs - and waded closer to her nephew, keeping an unobtrusive eye on him. "They can't swim." she mouthed to Jack. He nodded understanding, and from that point on it became almost a military operation; they always had one of the children in their line of sight at all times. It was easier when they were all playing together, but Lee had a tendancy to dash off to the little slide on the 'beach', so whoever was closest and not already watching Jamie would watch him.

The boys were eager to go on the big Hydroslide, but it wasn't due to open for another half hour, so to pass the time Jack and Sam did the best they could to start teaching the boys to swim. Lee liked the idea of being held afloat by strong arms under his ribcage, but Jamie was a little less trusting. And, as is typical of boys their ages, they were much more entertained by jumping off the side of the pool, confident that Sam and Jack would be there to hoist them afloat again.

After about fifteen minutes, a siren went off, startling Jack. Sam grinned at her nephews, "Wave machine, kids!"

The boys cheered, and Jack smiled too, remembering how Charlie had enjoyed this. "Who wants to ride the waves with me?" he asked. Jamie practically jumped into his arms and they waded in as far as Jack's shoulders, Sam and Lee a little behind them. The boys giggled and cheered as they were buffeted back and fore by the waves. Jack looked back at Sam, who was smiling happily, and winked at her. She graced him with her most stunning smile yet and he gulped, unable to supress the shiver that had coursed down his spine at the sight.

After a couple of minutes - and far too soon, in the boys' opinion - the waves died away, and Jamie and Lee resumed their jumping antics. They also discovered the new game of 'Jaws', watching Jack duck under the water during a moment when both boys were on the poolside and not going anywhere, and grab their aunt by the waist, pulling her under. She struggled fiercely, spluttering when she resurfaced, and the look she gave Jack was someplace between murderous and amused.

"Payback is hell, Colonel!" She warned him, "And not always fast in arriving either!" Jack merely smiled.

When the Hydroslide was opened, Jack accompanied the boys up to it. As they queued with the others, a lifeguard approached and asked if Jamie and Lee could stand up against the height-tester, as he wasn't sure they were tall enough for the ride. Sure enough, they were - by a mere inch! The boys were bitterly disappointed, but took it in stride. Sam was watching them from the middle of the pool the entire time.

"Too short?" she asked as they returned.

"By that much." Jack indicated a small amount.

Her mouth twisted in sympathy, "Never mind, boys," she soothed, "Only a couple more months and you'll be tall enough." They nodded sad agreement.

They were in the pool for about an hour and a half before Sam got fed up and persuaded Jamie and Lee it was time to go. It took them more than five minutes to actually leave the pool though, due to several "Hang on Aunty Sam! Look what I can do!" In the end, Jack and Sam half-carried the boys out of the pool.

Getting showered and changed again was an adventure for Jack, as he was out of practise in washing children's hair. It took the three of them so long, and Sam was so hungry, that she sent a male lifeguard into the room to hurry them up. They tucked into cheeseburgers and fries in the cafe overlooking the pool, the boys running back and fore between the vending machine and their aunt's purse, wanting sweets.

On the way home, they passed a small park with a rope climbing-frame of intricate design, and decided to stop for a while. Jamie and Lee clambered all over it, from top to bottom, racing each other. Jack watched, amused, remembering the last time he and Daniel had brought Cassandra Fraser here and how the young anthropologist had climbed on the contraption, grinning like a ten-year-old. Jack had called him 'Rope-Monkey' for about a week after that.

They continued the walk home through a woodland shortcut Jamie decided to lead them along. He diverted them into a tiny clearing filled with bluebells, Jack and Lee picking a few to make a small bouquet for Sam. She was quite touched when Jack shyly handed her the posy, and the boys giggled, recognising the looks on their faces.

"She's got a boyfriend, she's got a boyfriend!" chanted Lee, bouncing amoungst the trees like he was insane. Sam blushed, and Jack ran a hand through his still-damp hair, embarrassed.

"C'mon then, fearless leader," he turned to Jamie, "Take us home!"

The boy grinned, and lead them up an embankment - right onto the main road, minutes from Sam's house, in the right direction. "Told ya I could!" he said proudly.

As they got to Sam's street, they spotted an Ice Cream van making it's rounds. "Quick Jack!" cried Sam, "Don't let it get away!"

He dashed up to it, followed quickly by the boys, and ordered four ice creams, which they ate on Sam's couch, having collapsed there from exhaustion. Sam found a small vase in her kitchen for the bluebells, which she placed lovingly on the mantlepeice in the living room. She inhaled their scent and smiled slightly to herself, giving serious consideration to getting them pressed so she could always keep them.

'You're getting sentimental, Sam,' she shook her head, 'He didn't mean anything by it.' But they were so pretty, and his shy expression as he gave them to her had been so cute, she couldn't help but wonder.

"He likes you." Jamie stared at her inquizatively, as though reading her thoughts, "And you like him too."

Sam sighed, "I'm not allowed to though, sweetheart. The Air Force has rules against it."

The eight-year-old frowned, "That isn't fair." he stated, pouting,

"No, it isn't," Sam agreed, unaware that her sentiment was shared by the man listening in the kitchen doorway. He paused for a few seconds, watching the brief family moment, and then deliberately bustled into the room noisily.

"Here's your coffee, Sam," he declared. She turned to look at him, and took the proffered cup with a grateful smile, "So what do you have planned for the rest of the day?" It was only two in the afternoon, but they were so worn out from the swimming it seemed later than that.

"Aunty Sam promised to take us to see the new Pokémon movie," said Jamie with a mischevious twinkle in his eye, "And you have to come too!" he declared in a tone that would stand no arguement.

"I did not promise that," admonished an amused Sam, "But if that's what you want to do, then fine. But Jack's free to decline."

Jack just grinned, "Heck, I know half the words to the Poké-rap by now - the film won't kill me." Besides, it gave him an excuse to hang out with Sam for longer. Jack was startled when Jamie gave him a conspiratorial wink - the kid was sharp!

At the cinema, Jack bought the boys some popcorn while Sam collected their tickets from the Box Office. There was a small pre-film feature, called 'Pikachu's Vacation', which gave Jack the background knowledge nessercary to understand the film itself. He found himself beginning to enjoy it - it wasn't nearly as bad as he had feared. Though the concept of creatures with a one-word vocabulary couldn't quite sit properly with him.

The boys were literally bouncing as they left the cinema, exclaiming how awesome the movies was and discussing the plot in such detail it astounded Jack and Sam. All Jack really wanted to know was how come Team Rocket's Meowth and the film's villain Mew Two were the only ones who could talk, but Jamie and Lee just shrugged.

They stopped off at the supermarket on the way home and picked up a fresh pizza and some garlic bread to have for dinner. The boys wolfed it down as they sat around Sam's living room watching a hockey game on the television. It was getting late when Jack decided he had better head home, but the boys protested noisily.

"You can't go, Jack!" Jamie said, distraught,

"Yeah, you gotta stay with us!" piped up Lee, "We're all sleeping in here, on Aunty Sam's sofa-bed."

Jack eyed Sam carefully, "What do you think?" he asked.

She tried her best to shrug nonchalantly, "It's up to you Jack. You're welcome to stay." she said, secretly praying he would.

It was all Jack needed to hear. He grinned and settled himself back onto the sofa, "Looks like you guys are stuck with me, then."

"Yay!" cheered the boys.

The rest of the evening was taken up by bath-time and supper, before Jack helped Sam make up the sofa-bed. All four cuddled up under the duvet - Jamie and Lee insisting on sleeping on the edges to Sam and Jack would be stuck in the middle together - watching the episodes of Pokémon Sam had taped to entertain them with. After a while they settled down to sleep, but then a minor thunderstorm started up which disturbed the boys. Sam quickly took their minds of it by explaining the old trick of counting the seconds between the lightning and the thunder to work out how many miles away from you the storm was. So both the boys began counting, reassured by the increasing length of time it took to hear the thunderclap, and they were soon asleep.

Jack and Sam were another matter entirely. They lay awake for a long time, listening to each other breathe and trying to ignore the physical reaction their nearness caused. It was only the presense of the sleeping children that stopped Jack from reaching out for Sam, so great was his need to touch her.

He drifted off into a restless slumber, and awoke in the small hours of the morning by Lee kicking him in the back as he slept. He was shocked to discover that at some point during the night he and Sam had wrapped their arms around each other and were cuddled close together, her blonde hair resting on his chest. He lovingly placed a kiss on the top of her head, feeling blissfully contented. She stirred, and looked up at him with sleepy eyes.

"You okay?" he whispered, "Not uncomfortable?"

She smiled at him and shook her head no. He smiled back and held her a little tighter to him. Then she surprised him by reaching up and gently kissing him on the lips. It was only the very briefest of touches but it sent shivers right through every fibre of Jack's being. He kissed her back with slightly more passion, testing the waters, and she did not disappoint. Sam responded with vigour, eliciting a tiny groan from Jack. The kiss broke off gradually and they smiled at each other, embracing tightly. There would be time for more later, both knew. Happy, they cuddled up close and drifted back off to sleep, dreaming of very pleasant things.

"Oh Jaaack...."

Jack woke up from a dream where he was having a very important conversation with General Hammond, to see Sam leaning over him, grinning wickedly.

"Wha?" he murmered, his mouth fuzzy from sleep.

"Remember what I said about payback?" She asked, an evil glint in her eye. The memory of his 'Jaws' antics in the pool the day before surfaced to his concious - if sleepy - memory just as Sam and her nephews launched themselves on him, tickling him mercilessly. He squirmed and wriggled, laughing, trying his very best to escape, but it was no use, they had him cornered!

"Okay, okay!" he gasped, grinning, "You win! We're even."

Sam beamed at him with satisfaction, before touching his nose with her forefinger and leaving the bed to sort out breakfast for Jamie and Lee, who were still giggling, thrilled to be able to turn the tables on a grown-up for once. Jack followed her into the kitchen, not wanting to be seperated from her.

"Sam..." he began awkwardly, "About this morning..." They both knew he was talking about their kissing in the wee small hours.

Sam rummaged in the fridge, not yet meeting his eyes, "This where you give me some lecture about regulations and appropriate behaviour in the military, Jack?" she asked with forced neutrality,

"Not if you don't want me to," Jack told her.

She stared at him, startled, "I want to explore what's happening between us, if you feel the same way," he continued, determined to get his thoughts out before he lost courage, "I believe we can keep our relationship discreet on duty - it shouldn't be a problem. So give us a chance Sam, please?" It wasn't the slightest bit romantic, but it came from the heart.

"Speech over?" asked Sam, putting down the bottle of milk she held. Jack nodded. "Good." With that, she walked over to him and kissed him soundly. He responded instantly, his heart soaring at her acceptance.

There was laughter from the kitchen door, then the boys began to chant; "Sam and Jack sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

Sam and Jack rolled their eyes, then all four of them started laughing again.

"So, they been behaving themselves?" Mark Carter demanded, smiling.

"They've been good as gold," replied Sam, "No problem at all.."

"Glad to hear it. Okay kids! Time to say goodbye."

Jamie and Lee hugged and kissed their aunt with exhuberance,

"Thank you for a wonderful weekend Aunty Sam!" said Jamie.

"You're very welcome, sweetheart." Sam beamed.

They then surprised them by hugging Jack too, "Bye Uncle Jack!" They chorused, hugging him tightly.

Jack was so moved his eyes nearly watered, "Bye kids," he managed with difficulty, "Hope I see you again sometime soon - like when you're tall enough for the Hydroslide."

Jamie and Lee grinned widely at him.

"Well, lets be off then!" Mark hugged his sister, "Thanks for taking care of them Sam," he nodded to Jack, "Nice to meet you, Jack."

"Likewise." he smiled.

As soon as they were gone, the appartment seemed strangely empty. Jack and Sam surveyed the disaster area that was her living room with affection. "I can't believe they called me Uncle!" he exclaimed, still shocked.

Sam grinned, "I know! They must really like you."

"Well they're great kids, I had a wonderful time!" he turned to look at her, "So what do we do now?"

"I have a few suggestions." Sam smiled at him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Major Carter, I like the way you think!"

Their lips met, and they began to take advantage of the fact that they were, finally, alone.



Diwedd. (The end)




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