Previously on Forks in the Road: The O’Neill T-shirt – ‘Cassie’s Gift’….

“Carter…why do you have my name emblazoned across your front?”

….and now, the continuation:

*******

Sam closed her eyes. Now would be a good time for a hole to appear in the ground and swallow her up….

“Carter?”

Dammit! He was waiting for an explanation.

She opened her eyes and focused them on his chest. She didn’t dare meet his eyes. ‘I will not blush. I will not blush…’

“I…uhh…it was a present from Cassie, sir.”

“A present?”

“Yes sir.”

“From Cassie?”

“Yes sir.”

“Oh.”

Silence. Then….

“Well…I guess it shows she’s got good taste, if nothing else.”

Sam blinked. “You like it?” You don’t mind?

“Hey, it’s an O’Neill ya know? It’s gotta be good. I mean granted, it’s not my kinda style, but – “ he waved a hand in her direction “ - if you *like* having ‘O’Neill’ spread all over your chest, then yeah it’s great….”

Sam gawked at him for a moment, her mouth dropping open and her head rocketing up to look him in the face so quickly, it was amazing she didn’t give herself whiplash. ‘Did he just - ?’ Snapping her mouth shut, she looked at him suspiciously. Jack gazed back. His hands in his pockets, rocking slightly back on his heels, he looked the picture of casual innocence. Sam narrowed her eyes. His lips twitched upwards slightly at the sides. ‘Oh *yeah*, he did….’

She opened her mouth, but her sharp retort was halted by Cassie’s sudden appearance.

“Jack!”

Sam stepped smartly to the side. She’d witnessed Cassie’s greeting of her favourite ‘Uncle’ on more than one occasion. God help anyone who got in the way. Sixteen and almost an adult or not, this wasn’t a childhood ritual she was ready to give up just yet. Janet cautioned her about it every time, concerned that ‘she wasn’t getting any smaller’ and so was becoming harder to lift up. But she couldn’t do anything until Jack asked her to stop and he’d never do that.

Cassie had confided in Sam that she kept doing it to keep him on his toes – he never knew if she was going to decide to do it or not, and because he’d be disappointed if she stopped. Of course Sam knew that Cassie enjoyed it too. Cassie wasn’t scared that Jack would drop her, she trusted him to keep her safe. Sam wondered what Jack would say to that.

The man in question had yanked his hands out of his pockets at Cassie’s squeal and taken half a step back to brace himself. It was a good job he did, because the very next second he found himself with an armful of laughing teenager.

“Ooph!”

Sam couldn’t help but give an admiring glance as she watched his muscles tense and he swung his ‘niece’ off her feet and round in a circle, before placing her back down on the ground. She wasn’t worried that he would drop Cassie any time soon either. The man may not have Teal’c’s muscle man physique, but the strength was there all right. She’d seen him lifting his own body weight in the gym before now. He’d never dropped *her* yet either, the few times he’d had to sling her over his shoulder -‘Heh. Now *there* was a thought. Sigh. Mind *out* of the gutter, girl….’ - and she was heavier than Cass.

“Hey Cass.” He said, ruffling her hair.

“Hi Jack.” Cassie gave him another quick hug before stepping back.

“Wotcha doing here?”

Jack pinched her nose. “Stopped by to say hello to my two favourite ladies, of course. Why else would I be here?”

He cast a sideways glance at Sam. She flushed and looked away, folding her arms across her chest.

“Jack!” Cassie said exasperatedly, smacking him in the chest with the back of her hand.

“Gah!” He yelled, clutching at his chest. “She got me!”

Sam restrained the urge to roll her eyes. Put the two together and they turned into a couple of six- year olds….

Cassie giggled. “Stop being so silly.”

Jack shrugged. “Oh, alright then.”

“So?” Cassie asked, when he didn’t continue.

“Sooo?” Jack countered.

Cassie glared at him. “So why are you here *really* Jack?”

“Thought you might want these back. Hey! I’m a poet and I didn’t even know it!”

Cassie groaned “That’s *terrible*!”

Sam didn’t restrain the urge to roll her eyes this time. Jack feigned a hurt expression.

“No appreciation of talent, none at all…”

He shook his head in mock sadness and then reached down into the bag sat on the path behind him. Sam hadn’t even noticed it was there.

“I tried your Mom’s house first, but she said you were here, so I stopped off on my way home.”

He pulled out a pair of well-worn ice skates.

Cassie gave a squeal. Sam winced. There went her ear-drums….

“You got them fixed! Thank you!”

She lunged forward and flung her arms round him again. Jack quickly lifted the skates out of her way.

He patted her back. “Easy there Cass.”

She pulled back. “Can I?” She asked, gesturing at the skates.

Jack passed them to her. She turned them over, inspecting them carefully.

Jack’s hands went back in his pockets. “Figured I’d drop them off in case you guys decided to go skating this weekend. Thought you might need them.”

Cassie’s eyes lit up. “Dominic said he was going to go skating tonight! I didn’t think I’d be able to go ‘cos I couldn’t afford the hire, but…Sam?”

She spun round and gave her the pleading look of teenagers everywhere went they want something.

“Woah, hold on there Cass!” Jack said. “You’re supposed to be having a girls night in with Carter, aren’t you? That’s hardly fair.”

Cassie’s face fell. “Well Sam can come too! If you drive you can keep her company. It’ll only be for a couple of hours – I promise! We can come back here and do pizza and movies afterwards. It’ll only be ‘bout seven or so by then.”

Sam sighed. This was not what she had planned for her Saturday. She wasn’t prepared for it, wasn’t dressed for it…on the other hand, it would mean several hours in the Colonel’s company – Hmmm.

She looked up at him. He was staring at her with a rabbit in the headlights expression. Her heart sank a little. Maybe he didn’t want to spend time with her – ‘*them*, she meant *them*’….

“I dunno Cass.” She said carefully. “The Colonel’s probably got plans….”

Cassie whipped round and stared at him.

“Well have you?” She asked bluntly.

He blinked and tore his eyes away to look down at her. “Uh, no actually.” He said and looked back at Sam. “None worth mentioning anyway.”

Cassie turned round to look back at Sam. “Sam, pleeeease?”

Sam sighed. She knew when she was beaten. “Just let me get my keys….”

*******

Sam leant on the rail at the side of the rink and stared out over the ice, watching Cassie as she zipped around on her skates. She was better than a lot of the people who were older than her, out there. She’d been disappointed when they arrived to find Dominic hadn’t turned up, but she soon forgot all about that when Jack hired a pair of skates and went out on the ice with her. Sam declined. She wasn’t good on skates at the best of times. She’d spent many an hour as a teenager picking herself up after falling flat on her back trying to *roller* skate. She’d never really got the hang of it, so *ice* skates? With the Colonel watching? Not a chance in Hell. She had *some* pride.

He’d offered to teach her – he *was* the one who’d taught Cassie to skate after all - but she hadn’t had the courage to accept. At least not yet anyway. It brought them waay too close to ‘that which they did not mention’. However hard that was becoming these days. Besides, this way? She got the chance to watch him - uninterrupted and without needing an excuse. Which was a definite bonus to the whole non-skating thing.

She watched as he chased Cassie round the rink, effortlessly weaving in and out of the other skaters. He was laughing almost as hard as Cassie was and it was obvious to anyone who looked, that he was loving every minute of it. A smile ghosted its way across Sam’s lips. It was good to see him like this – like he didn’t have a care in the world. It didn’t happen often enough.

Sure, he joked around, but there was always this slight sense of…not sadness exactly, more…world-weariness. Yeah that was it, like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders sometimes. She supposed they all did really. In a way she was envious that he could just let it go like that, but it wasn’t something she would ever begrudge him. God knew he deserved it if anyone did and if goofing around with Cassie lifted that shadow for a few hours, then who was she to complain?

She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat and shook her head. ‘Getting maudlin now Sam….’

There was a yell of ‘Gotcha!’ from the rink, followed by a loud squeal. She looked up to see that Jack had skated between two people and caught Cassie on the other side. She watched as he used their momentum to lift her off her feet and spin her round like a figure skater. He placed her back down on the ice and they slid gracefully to a stop.

Cassie was laughing and clutching at him to stop herself falling over. Jack grinned down at her and hugged her tighter with the arm around her shoulders. He bent down slightly and pressed a soft kiss to the top of her hair. Then he looked up and seemed to look straight across the rink at her. As if he knew automatically where she was, without even trying. It was uncanny how he did that. He whispered something in Cassie’s ear and pointed over at her. Sam smiled and gave them a quick wave. Cassie shook her head, said something, then ducked out from under Jack’s arm and skated off.

Jack shrugged and then began to skate over to her. He made it look so easy.

“Hey.” He panted, coming to a stop against the side of the rink and leaning over the rail.

Sam grinned. “Hey.” She replied. “Had enough?”

He nodded. “I’m beat. Cassie’s gonna stay out a bit longer.”

He grinned back at her. “Must be getting old.”

She chuckled. “You’re not old, sir. You’ll never be old. *Older* maybe, but not old.”

The grin grew wider. “Thanks Carter. I knew there was a reason I kept you around - you’re good for my ego.”

“Any time, sir.”

He reached out to touch her arm. The light touch of his fingers against her skin made her shiver slightly. Normally any touching was done through layers of clothing. It was easier that way. She glanced down at where his hand lay on top of her arm and then looked up at him.

He was staring at her with a sober expression; the light-heartiness had vanished like someone had flicked a switch.

“Seriously though.” He said softly. “Thanks for this.” He jerked his head towards the rink. “I know it wasn’t what you had planned and I’m sorry about that, but – “

Sam cut him off with a shake of her head. “It’s okay sir, really. I’ve enjoyed it and I think Cassie has too.” ‘I’ve enjoyed watching you with Cassie.’

“You’re sure?”

“Yes sir.”

“Well...okay then.”

He gave her arm a slight pat and then began to skate down to the nearest exit from the rink. Sam followed on the other side.

He reached the exit and she gave him a hand as he stepped off the ice. He flashed her a smile.

“Thanks.”

He bent down and unlaced his skates. Sitting down with his back to the ice rink wall he pulled them off. She passed him his boots. She’d hung on to his and Cassie’s whilst they were on the ice. Putting them back on he stood up, holding his skates by the laces.

“Right.” He said. “I’m gonna go hand these back and get a drink. You want anything?”

‘Other than you, you mean?’ Sam forcibly dragged mind out of the gutter again. Christ - she was going to have to be careful, she’d nearly said that out loud….

She thought for a moment and then shivered as a chill went through her, raising Goosebumps on her arms. She hadn’t realised how cold she’d got standing there.

“Actually yeah…could I have a hot chocolate?” She asked.

He nodded. “Sure, no problem.”

Putting his fingers in his mouth he gave a shrill whistle making her jump. ‘Sorry’, he mouthed.

“Cassie!”

Out on the ice the girl looked up.

“Time out!” He yelled, pointing over towards himself and Sam.

Cassie nodded and held up her hand in acknowledgement. She began skating over to them. Jack turned to Sam.

“Be back in a sec. Hot choc, right?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

“No problem. Think Cassie’ll want one?”

Sam laughed. “Can’t see her turning one down, can you?”

Jack grinned back. “Guess not. Three hot chocs coming up then!”

He turned and strode off, swinging the skates.

Sam watched him for a second. She wondered if the man realised how good he looked in a pair of jeans. Probably not. He did seem to be completely oblivious to that sort of thing, as if he couldn’t understand why anyone would find him attractive. She understood though. ‘Only too well’, she thought with a wistful sigh.

Turning back she watched Cassie make her way towards her, a grin on her face. No doubt she’d have something to say about that little ‘Jack-watching’ indulgence. As much fun as Cassie was becoming as she got older, sometimes Sam wished for the innocent little girl who didn’t pick up on things like that. There was no mistaking from where – or should that be from whom - she’d got her sense of humour.

Sam shivered again and rubbed her hands up and down her arms. It was no good, she was gonna have to put on her jacket. She reached down and unhooked the small bag from her belt. Undoing the toggle she pulled out the jacket. It was one of the most useful presents Mark had ever bought her. It was a jacket that folded up really small into it’s own little bag. It took up hardly any room and could be taken anywhere.

She’d thrown it to Cassie when she’d got in the car to come here. Cassie had taken one look at the brand name on the side and broken into a huge smirk. ‘Jack in a Pack’? she’d mouthed silently. Sam had glared at her, her expression saying it all. ‘Not a *word* Cassandra Frasier, not a word…’

As she pulled the jacket on, Cassie came to a stop beside her, still on the ice.

“Hey Sam.”

“Hey Cass. Have a good time?”

“Yeah. Jack’s tough to keep up with though!”

‘Tell me about it…’

Cassie looked at her. “Where’d he go?”

“He went to take his skates back and get us some drinks.”

“Great! I could kill for a drink right now! The man’s a mind reader.”

‘God I hope not!’ Sam thought fervently. ‘Imagine the chaos that would cause…’

Silence reigned for a second. Cassie looked past Sam and grinned. Then she leant forward over the rail and looked back at her slyly, with a wicked glint in her eye.

“I’ve just realised something.” She said.

“What?”

“Well…with you wearing that jacket – “ she waved her hand at Sam’s ‘Jack in a Pack’.

“ – and that T-shirt…” she pointed at Sam’s O’Neill T-shirt.

“Ye-es….” Sam said slowly, suspicious of where this was going.

Cassie giggled. “…you really *are* wearing Jack O’Neill!”

For the second time that day, Sam’s mouth engaged before consulting her brain.

“Oh I *wish*!”

This time, it popped straight out before Sam could stop it.

There was a strangled noise from behind her as someone choked on their drink. Cassie’s eyes went wide.

Sam closed her eyes in frustration. ‘Open mouth, insert foot…’

“He’s stood right behind me isn’t he?”

END/TBC

Author's Note: If anyone wants to take up the challenge… feel free!

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