Keep the streets empty 2
Title: Keep the streets empty 2
Author: ardvari
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Sam/Jack
Disclaimer: Not mine
A/N: Jack's having some trouble with his retirement.
Keep the streets empty 2
I was just guessing at numbers and figures
Pulling the puzzles apart
Questions of science, science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart
- Coldplay
Why exactly he’d started digging a pond in the middle of November he didn’t know. Probably because he’d finished the platform for his telescope he’d built on the roof of their house, because he’d spent a lonely weekend at the cabin to get it ready for winter, because the dog knew how sit, and lay down, and roll, and he no longer chewed on the heels of Carter’s shoes. For all those reasons and about a dozen more he found himself in the backyard, hacking away at the frozen ground to make a pond.
His breath made wispy clouds in front of his face as he leaned on the shovel again, chipping away at the grass while the dog watched him. He’d named the dog Thor, arguing that Thor had once named a ship after him and he was now returning the favor. Oddly enough, the expression on Thor’s furry face matched that of his Asgard counterpart almost exactly.
Looking back at his work, he sighed. He’d only been able to dig out a puddle so far, a barren spot of frozen dirt that mocked him. He threw the shovel down in frustration, wondering if Carter would bring home some C4 if he asked real nicely. Smirking at the mental image his thoughts provided, he walked towards the house. He could just picture her calibrating the amount of C4 needed to blow a hole into their backyard to satisfy his craving for a pond.
Pulling off his gloves and jacket, he walked into the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of beer out of the fridge and eyed the dog sitting at his feet. Though it had originally been his idea to get a dog, and even though she’d been opposed to it in the beginning, the dog’s heart belonged to her. Thor tolerated him, Thor listened to him, Thor allowed Jack to play with him. But never in a million years would Thor look at Jack the way he looked at Sam, adoration shining clear through his dark eyes.
He couldn’t even blame the dog. He was pretty sure that same look stole into his own eyes now and again. Checking the clock above the stove, he wandered into the bathroom, setting his beer bottle on the sink before he started shedding his clothes. Maybe he could take her out for supper today instead of torturing her with another of his cooking attempts. He was trying, he really was, and she’d admitted to a smidgen of progress when it came to his cooking. Now if only his hand didn’t automatically seek out the beer bottle when things went pear shaped, maybe some of his dishes would be… okay. Less yeasty.
Really, this whole retirement thing was hard; the cooking thing was the least of his problems. He wasn’t very good at sitting around. He wasn’t very good at waiting for her, at trying to fit into this normal lifestyle. While she was off coordinating the planet’s safety, he was… digging holes in their backyard.
The water was almost scalding as it pounded his scalp, making him wince slightly until he grew used to the temperature. Blindly reaching for the shampoo, he rubbed some of it into his more-salt-than-pepper hair.
At first retirement had been easy. It had involved long hours of mindlessly watching the Simpsons. After they’d moved into the house, he’d occupied himself with fixing it up, painting the rooms, building his platform on the roof. Gradually he’d run out of things to do, and while he’d only been retired for three months, he was starting to get bored. Hence his idea to dig a pond.
At least the dog kept him company after Carter left the house in the mornings. She was still struggling with her new position, not that she’d have told him or anyone else that. She didn’t need to, he could tell by how thoughtful she was, her brain wrapping itself around the concept of being back on Earth. Of course the IOA played a vital part in her inability to leave work on time or spend the weekends away from her laptop. There was another good use for some C4, maybe enhanced by a little naquada. Blow up the IOA, blow up the back yard… blow up the IOA in their back yard…
Smirking about his elaborate little fantasy, he didn’t hear her come in. Thor never barked when Carter came home, though he usually announced Jack’s arrival loudly. He jumped when she pulled away the shower curtain, exposing him to a gush of cold air.
“Hey!” he exclaimed, turning away and glaring at her.
“Pshaw, as if I haven’t seen everything there’s to see of you,” she said, rolling her eyes.
Unbuttoning her dress shirt on the way back into the bedroom, she waved a hand through the air in some kind of dismissal. Washing the rest of the shampoo and soap off his body, he turned the water off and wrapped a towel around himself. He left wet footprints on the shower mat as he followed her, watching her peel off her skirt and pantyhose. Sitting on their bed in her underwear, she looked up at him tiredly.
“I want steak. I need steak, in fact,” she sighed.
“Read my mind.”
He smiled at her, waiting for her to smile back before he turned around in search of some clean clothes. He could feel her eyes on him as he got dressed, facing her when he buttoned his shirt.
“Like what you see General?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow at her.
“You know I do,” she replied quietly, winking at him before she pulled a shirt over her head and slipped into a pair of jeans.
Undoing her braid, she ran her fingers through her hair before she bent down to scratch Thor’s fuzzy belly. The dog wagged his tail, ecstatic about the sudden attention he was getting.
“C’mon Carter, let’s get you fed,” Jack said, pulling her to her feet.
He still liked calling her Carter, mostly because calling her Sam still felt so new and raw, even though it had been five years since he’d stopped having to refer to her by her rank. She’d told him that she liked the way he said Carter now; that it sounded like a word wrapped in cotton and safe from harm.
Thor was left in the kitchen, where the chances of him destroying anything were slim to none, and his whines emphasized exactly how much he hated this arrangement. Driving the short distance to what had become one of their favorite restaurants; he held the door open for her. He slipped into the booth across from her, smiling to himself as he watched her relax, her head resting against the back of the booth.
“How was work?”
“I had a meeting with the IOA,” she said, enough of an explanation to make him nod gravely.
He’d warned her, had told her in minute detail the kind of stuff she’d have to deal with. She’d thought he was exaggerating at the time, had told him so on several occasions, now she knew he’d been exactly right.
“I had this fantasy earlier about shoving some explosives right into…”
“Are you ready to order?” the young waitress interrupted, pen perched over a piece of paper.
Sam giggled, nodding to the waitress while her eyes never left Jack’s. They ordered steaks and baked potatoes, and Jack knew that today would be a lava cake day by the look in her tired eyes.
“About those explosives, I had an idea…” he trailed off, gesturing with his hands.
“Uh oh,” she said, taking a sip of her diet soda.
“I kinda attempted digging a pond in the back yard.”
She gulped, stared at him for a moment and set her glass down.
“You’re aware of the fact that the ground’s frozen, right?” she asked.
One of the many reasons why he loved this woman so much was that she didn’t ask him why on god’s green Earth he was digging a pond. She didn’t have to; merely wanting to make sure he knew that this was probably the worst season for his endeavor.
“Hence the explosives. Some C4 would really make this whole digging part go a lot faster.”
She snorted, shaking her head at him.
“Right, I’ll get right on that,” she said sarcastically.
Once their food came they ate in silence, the kind of silence that wrapped itself around them like a blanket, cushioning them comfortably and shielding them from the world. These were the moments that made up for all those times retirement drove him crazy. Sitting here with her, watching her as the tension left her body, as she started to relax in his presence. He’d probably finish digging the pond this winter, despite the frozen ground and the impending snow, and would have to find other stuff after that to keep him from losing his mind. When it came right down to it though, this was the life he’d worked towards, the life they’d both waited for. It wasn’t perfect but it was good, good enough for now.
Author: ardvari
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Sam/Jack
Disclaimer: Not mine
A/N: Jack's having some trouble with his retirement.
Keep the streets empty 2
I was just guessing at numbers and figures
Pulling the puzzles apart
Questions of science, science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart
- Coldplay
Why exactly he’d started digging a pond in the middle of November he didn’t know. Probably because he’d finished the platform for his telescope he’d built on the roof of their house, because he’d spent a lonely weekend at the cabin to get it ready for winter, because the dog knew how sit, and lay down, and roll, and he no longer chewed on the heels of Carter’s shoes. For all those reasons and about a dozen more he found himself in the backyard, hacking away at the frozen ground to make a pond.
His breath made wispy clouds in front of his face as he leaned on the shovel again, chipping away at the grass while the dog watched him. He’d named the dog Thor, arguing that Thor had once named a ship after him and he was now returning the favor. Oddly enough, the expression on Thor’s furry face matched that of his Asgard counterpart almost exactly.
Looking back at his work, he sighed. He’d only been able to dig out a puddle so far, a barren spot of frozen dirt that mocked him. He threw the shovel down in frustration, wondering if Carter would bring home some C4 if he asked real nicely. Smirking at the mental image his thoughts provided, he walked towards the house. He could just picture her calibrating the amount of C4 needed to blow a hole into their backyard to satisfy his craving for a pond.
Pulling off his gloves and jacket, he walked into the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of beer out of the fridge and eyed the dog sitting at his feet. Though it had originally been his idea to get a dog, and even though she’d been opposed to it in the beginning, the dog’s heart belonged to her. Thor tolerated him, Thor listened to him, Thor allowed Jack to play with him. But never in a million years would Thor look at Jack the way he looked at Sam, adoration shining clear through his dark eyes.
He couldn’t even blame the dog. He was pretty sure that same look stole into his own eyes now and again. Checking the clock above the stove, he wandered into the bathroom, setting his beer bottle on the sink before he started shedding his clothes. Maybe he could take her out for supper today instead of torturing her with another of his cooking attempts. He was trying, he really was, and she’d admitted to a smidgen of progress when it came to his cooking. Now if only his hand didn’t automatically seek out the beer bottle when things went pear shaped, maybe some of his dishes would be… okay. Less yeasty.
Really, this whole retirement thing was hard; the cooking thing was the least of his problems. He wasn’t very good at sitting around. He wasn’t very good at waiting for her, at trying to fit into this normal lifestyle. While she was off coordinating the planet’s safety, he was… digging holes in their backyard.
The water was almost scalding as it pounded his scalp, making him wince slightly until he grew used to the temperature. Blindly reaching for the shampoo, he rubbed some of it into his more-salt-than-pepper hair.
At first retirement had been easy. It had involved long hours of mindlessly watching the Simpsons. After they’d moved into the house, he’d occupied himself with fixing it up, painting the rooms, building his platform on the roof. Gradually he’d run out of things to do, and while he’d only been retired for three months, he was starting to get bored. Hence his idea to dig a pond.
At least the dog kept him company after Carter left the house in the mornings. She was still struggling with her new position, not that she’d have told him or anyone else that. She didn’t need to, he could tell by how thoughtful she was, her brain wrapping itself around the concept of being back on Earth. Of course the IOA played a vital part in her inability to leave work on time or spend the weekends away from her laptop. There was another good use for some C4, maybe enhanced by a little naquada. Blow up the IOA, blow up the back yard… blow up the IOA in their back yard…
Smirking about his elaborate little fantasy, he didn’t hear her come in. Thor never barked when Carter came home, though he usually announced Jack’s arrival loudly. He jumped when she pulled away the shower curtain, exposing him to a gush of cold air.
“Hey!” he exclaimed, turning away and glaring at her.
“Pshaw, as if I haven’t seen everything there’s to see of you,” she said, rolling her eyes.
Unbuttoning her dress shirt on the way back into the bedroom, she waved a hand through the air in some kind of dismissal. Washing the rest of the shampoo and soap off his body, he turned the water off and wrapped a towel around himself. He left wet footprints on the shower mat as he followed her, watching her peel off her skirt and pantyhose. Sitting on their bed in her underwear, she looked up at him tiredly.
“I want steak. I need steak, in fact,” she sighed.
“Read my mind.”
He smiled at her, waiting for her to smile back before he turned around in search of some clean clothes. He could feel her eyes on him as he got dressed, facing her when he buttoned his shirt.
“Like what you see General?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow at her.
“You know I do,” she replied quietly, winking at him before she pulled a shirt over her head and slipped into a pair of jeans.
Undoing her braid, she ran her fingers through her hair before she bent down to scratch Thor’s fuzzy belly. The dog wagged his tail, ecstatic about the sudden attention he was getting.
“C’mon Carter, let’s get you fed,” Jack said, pulling her to her feet.
He still liked calling her Carter, mostly because calling her Sam still felt so new and raw, even though it had been five years since he’d stopped having to refer to her by her rank. She’d told him that she liked the way he said Carter now; that it sounded like a word wrapped in cotton and safe from harm.
Thor was left in the kitchen, where the chances of him destroying anything were slim to none, and his whines emphasized exactly how much he hated this arrangement. Driving the short distance to what had become one of their favorite restaurants; he held the door open for her. He slipped into the booth across from her, smiling to himself as he watched her relax, her head resting against the back of the booth.
“How was work?”
“I had a meeting with the IOA,” she said, enough of an explanation to make him nod gravely.
He’d warned her, had told her in minute detail the kind of stuff she’d have to deal with. She’d thought he was exaggerating at the time, had told him so on several occasions, now she knew he’d been exactly right.
“I had this fantasy earlier about shoving some explosives right into…”
“Are you ready to order?” the young waitress interrupted, pen perched over a piece of paper.
Sam giggled, nodding to the waitress while her eyes never left Jack’s. They ordered steaks and baked potatoes, and Jack knew that today would be a lava cake day by the look in her tired eyes.
“About those explosives, I had an idea…” he trailed off, gesturing with his hands.
“Uh oh,” she said, taking a sip of her diet soda.
“I kinda attempted digging a pond in the back yard.”
She gulped, stared at him for a moment and set her glass down.
“You’re aware of the fact that the ground’s frozen, right?” she asked.
One of the many reasons why he loved this woman so much was that she didn’t ask him why on god’s green Earth he was digging a pond. She didn’t have to; merely wanting to make sure he knew that this was probably the worst season for his endeavor.
“Hence the explosives. Some C4 would really make this whole digging part go a lot faster.”
She snorted, shaking her head at him.
“Right, I’ll get right on that,” she said sarcastically.
Once their food came they ate in silence, the kind of silence that wrapped itself around them like a blanket, cushioning them comfortably and shielding them from the world. These were the moments that made up for all those times retirement drove him crazy. Sitting here with her, watching her as the tension left her body, as she started to relax in his presence. He’d probably finish digging the pond this winter, despite the frozen ground and the impending snow, and would have to find other stuff after that to keep him from losing his mind. When it came right down to it though, this was the life he’d worked towards, the life they’d both waited for. It wasn’t perfect but it was good, good enough for now.