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“I give up.”
The sound of her friend’s voice in the kitchen doorway made Sam chuckle. Pulling her hands out of the water, she wiped them on the towel lying on the counter beside the sink and turned around.
“Sorry, Daniel. I probably should’ve warned you the study wouldn’t be a good place this morning.”
He stretched, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck. “Yeah, I probably should’ve known better myself, but I’d been waiting on that report for a while.” He walked over to her and looked out the window. “You didn’t want to join them?”
Despite the snow that had fallen the previous night and the chill in the air, several people were involved in a game that bore only a slight resemblance to football. Sam’s husband stood on invisible sidelines, vainly trying to control things, and shouting commands no one was obeying. Daniel’s wife was laughing heartily while trying to grab the ball from her teammate’s hands. Another man was waving his hands and shouting, clearly wanting the ball. Two young women were off to the side, one looking like she was explaining something to the other. Finally, an obvious father and son stood tall at each end of the playing area apparently ready to defend what had loosely been defined as end zones.
Sam shook her head. “Nope. Besides, you know full well someone has to have the food ready when they come in.”
“And you never want to leave everything to Jack.”
She rolled her eyes. “The man who grills even when he’s eating alone? I don’t think so. Besides, he’s in his element out there.”
“With the rest of the kids,” Daniel said with a smirk.
“Does your wife know you call her a child?”
“Okay, okay, so kids in mental age maybe. Especially when it comes to sport. Mitchell always gets fired up, and it’s easy to forget how competitive Teal’c is. Davis has surprised me though.”
“I know. I had no idea until moving here either. We were so used to him being the Pentagon liaison and having to give the official line that I had no clue he wasn’t the boring, uptight ass he came across as. Turns out he’s got a wicked sense of humor too.”
“You’re kidding?”
“No. When Jack finally got him transferred to Homeworld earlier this year, he said it was like a whole different person emerged. That man can compartmentalize like no one’s business. He’s involved in an amateur theater company and he… what?”
Daniel was shaking his head, laughing. “Theater?”
“You’ve not seen him do his version of the Master of Ceremonies in Cabaret. Jack and I to opening night a couple of months ago. I didn’t recognize him.”
“I don’t think I would’ve either.”
The man in question was now being hustled away from Mitchell and Vala by an enthusiastic Cassandra. As Daniel and Sam watched, Davis swiftly planted a kiss on his captor’s lips before ducking away.”
“And does Jack know about that?” Daniel asked, with an incredulous tone to his voice.
“I think we’re going with don’t ask don’t tell on that one,” Sam replied with a sigh. “Not that he can really say anything without sounding like a total hypocrite.” She turned away and walked over to the oven. “She seems happy, and he has to know Jack would tear into him if he hurt her in any way. Looks like the turkey’s almost ready. You want to call Jack in to do the honors?”
There was chaos at the back door as everyone came running in, pulling off coats and boots and leaving them in a pile. Teal’c’s booming laugh could be heard as a female voice complained about the cold.
“Get to the fire, Kar’yn,” the former Jaffa told his daughter-in-law. “I’m sure Rya’c can add more wood should it be needed.”
Vala bounded over to Daniel, wrapping her arms around him from behind. “Hello, darling, finally found your way out of the study, did you?”
“You lot were too loud. I couldn’t concentrate.”
“Aw, poor you.” She kissed his cheek. “All work and no play, isn’t that what Jack says?”
“That’s because Jack finds his reports boring.”
“Yours can be too.”
“I think you’ll like this one,” he told her with a grin.
“Does it say anything about treasure?”
Sam silently observed her ragtag band of friends and adopted family only briefly before turning her focus back to the food. Her husband, for so many years out of her reach in his role as her commanding officer, was attacking the cooked bird with gusto. Her honorary niece emptied pans of hot side dishes into ceramic serving bowls, which her partner then moved to the table. Mitchell had already reached into the refrigerator, removing the drinks before getting to the salads and other cold sides. This was a well-oiled machine, accomplished through five years of practice and adaptation.
Ishta entered the room, leading a small child by each hand and carrying a baby in a sling. Sam thought the seasoned warrior had never looked more comfortable and made a note to thank her later for taking care of all the children. The doorbell rang, someone answered it, and here was Hank and his family having flown in the previous day so Hank could meet with Jack at the Pentagon. Jack was close to retirement now, and Hank would be taking over from him while the O’Neills moved back to Colorado Springs so Sam could lead the SGC. This, this was her life, as crazy on Earth as it often could be off world. She knew her ship waited for her in orbit, but right now she didn’t care. Today was a hard fought for day off, a time for celebration and thanksgiving, and she wouldn’t have anything disturb it.
FIN