Sam and her boys, 8: Of home and friendship, PG13, Sam/Jack/Siler
Back to Chapter 7b: Life
or to Chapter 1 for info
To read it all the chapters on one page, click here
Summary: Just come home
Chapter 8: Of home and friendship (PG13)
AN: This chapter may be altered at some future date, should its past change.. (eg)
but I'll warn ya when that happens
Focused on the acres of long-winded garbage out of which he was trying to fish the one pertinent phrase, Jack was sub-consciously aware that Siler had come home, and even tilted his head up in automatic, vague welcome when he felt the sergeant walk by his chair.
It wasn't until Si's glasses clinked with his that Jack really focused on the present, though, resettling the frames on his nose and ears and blinking at the man grumbling tiredly in apology as he straightened. Watching the slow, stiff, fumbling movements of Siler's hands, Jack shook his head, exasperated, "Siler.." He reached up and took the skewed glasses carefully off his friend's nose, batting away the sergeant's own hands to fold and tuck away the lenses.
"Thanks." Siler's fingers stroked his lover's shoulder before he continued on his shambly way to the sink.
Narrowing his eyes and getting up as his -*again*- exhausted housemate sucked back a glass of water, Jack walked up and laid careful hands on his shoulder joints, rubbing very gently, mostly just conveying heat into the still-healing bruises he knew were under the dirty jumpsuit.
Leaning his head against the back of Siler's, he breathed in quietly, realizing for the first time that he 'recognized' him, now, at the back of his mind. That this simple closeness was enough to make tension that he hadn't even noticed ease out of his body -damned bureaucratic word-playing when he was supposed to be retired-. "Sam still working?"
The reply was slow in coming as the sergeant sighed, relaxing into the touch with a faint moan of relief at the offered comfort, "..Yeah, think so. Heard something about unexpected visitors."
Nodding to himself, Jack added conversationally, "Siler, I know you're used to being alone. Wearing yourself out every day, passing out and doing it all over again. Trust me, been there." He shifted back and lifted his hands long enough for Siler to turn around, then laid them back down, all too familiar with aching joints, never mind a beat-up body.
Ignoring Siler's automatic defencive frown, he leaned forward, distracted by the shine of water left on his lips. Neither lecture nor frown took away from the tenderness in the slow kiss he started, determined to replace the hello he'd gotten used to receiving and that was routed by their glasses. Lips parted and touching lightly, shifting to touch again; soft and gentle beyond anything anyone but Sam would have expected of either of them.
Finally pulling back, Jack shivered at the puff of air that brushed his now-damp lips and stubble-burned cheek when Si' sighed, leaning back on the counter. He looked the tired man in the eye, continuing his speech gently, "But you have a life now; you have a family. You don't have to push yourself to the breaking point to avoid the silence; just come home."
Siler watched him quietly, held in place by the softness in Jack's usually-protected eyes. Until they'd started.. spending time together, he wouldn't have thought his old commander would ever open up like this to anyone. Though seeing how much even the *thought* of Sam affected him had been less surprising than it could have been if he didn't have the personal knowledge of the effect Sam could have on a man. But that wasn't the same as acknowledging that same look directed at *him*.
A life. A **family**.
Partners.
No, he'd never had that. And he'd never really stopped to think about how hard he worked. He didn't consciously set out to wear himself out... did he?
Back when he'd joined, he'd just been glad to find a place where he felt like he belonged, a job that he felt satisfaction from and was good at. And the years since he'd been assigned to the SGC had had a tendency to be necessarily hectic; there was no question of working his ass off when lives or the planet or the galaxy were at stake.
But he supposed he *could* take it a little more easily when all he had to do was routine maintenance; could delegate some of the more pain-inducing jobs to those younger and more able to recover. The general was right: he'd never had any reason to want to have energy left when he got home, never cared if he simply fell into bed, sore and tired.
He lifted his hands slowly, glad Jack didn't move his palms away from his aching shoulders. Cupping the general's jaw, he essayed a smile, aware that he really *was* exhausted, and that it showed. "I'll.. try to remember that."
The quirk of Jack's grin under his fingers made resisting the temptation to glide his thumb over his lips impossible; which made the man's response a little smeary-sounding.
"Good. And we're well aware it takes a while to break the habit. Hell, I still have to remind Sam, every so often."
Chuckling in agreement, Siler pulled until he could return that kiss with a more exploratory one, tongue sliding between handily parted lips, smiling a little as he felt Jack's glasses brush his cheek, hearing in his mind the grumble he'd make before he pulled them off in disgust and cleaned them, glaring at the silver-rimmed proofs of age's effect.
When he finally raised his head, Siler's eyes met Sam's over Jack's shoulder and he smiled, lifting a hand from Jack to reach out to her.
Sam grinned softly, stepping forward as Jack turned his head toward her, "You boys like the kitchen, don't you?"
Siler snorted, straightening to pull her between him and Jack for a hug, "*You* like the kitchen too, Sam."
Jack's quick laugh of agreement was a little muffled by Sam's hair as he copped a snuggle, and Siler closed his eyes in contentment, wrapped around them both. Partners; who'd have thought he could manage *that*...
####
Idly wondering when Jack was going to get home from his supposedly *quick* Saturday phone conference with the Pentagon and thinking ironically about a lecture on overworking that *he'd* gotten just a few days ago, Siler fished through the mess of DVDs, starting to frown as he reached the last of them and calling out to the woman working at her laptop in the kitchen, "Hey Sam?"
"Ummm?"
"Where do you guys keep your Simpsons DVDs?" There was, after all, no way Jack could *not* have them.. was there??
"Errr, not sure," the vague, attention-less tone made him smile as he waited for more info, "Jack takes care of the DVDs."
Right. Siler stared ironically at the chaos he'd just filtered through, "..Well do you know if you have any?"
"Of course he does. Think I even helped him buy them. Though I have to admit, it's been a while since I've seen them. Actually.. yeah, was definitely before Jack moved back..."
####
Jack stopped whistling when he walked in the door, brightening as he listened, "Hey! I haven't seen that episode in ages!" Hurrying to toe off his runners and haphazardly throwing his raincoat toward the hooks, he quick-stepped over and dropped besides Siler on the couch.
He didn't notice how quiet the sergeant was until the lack of commercials registered and he gave him a grin, "One of... Yours?" His voice slowed and he started to frown at the tension in Si's posture, "Siler?"
The Simpsons suddenly went quiet and Siler turned uncomprehending eyes on him, speaking huskily, "They were yours, weren't they?"
Jack frowned worriedly, wondering what the hell he'd done *now*. "What was?"
"The discs."
Jack stared at his almost accusing eyes and tried to think of any disc of his that.. What?? "Siler, I *know* you can use full sentences. Just give it to me straight, will you?"
"You gave me *your* disks. Your *Simpsons* discs."
Ah. Busted. Jack grimaced, letting himself fall back in the corner of the couch, staring at Siler and trying to read his all too frozen expression. He wasn't sure what he was in trouble for, but obviously he *was*, and he'd learned it was safer to stay quiet until he knew what the accusation was. Guessing only seemed to bring about *more* accusations...
"Why?"
He shrugged, still watching his friend carefully. No. Not accusation. Only Silerese relationship confusion; okay, he could deal with this... He cleared his throat, taking a minute to actually think about his answer and glad that Siler was, among many other things, patient. "Siler- do you have any idea of much I hated being stuck in that job? That city?" The nod and attentive need to know in Siler's eyes encouraged him to keep talking better than Daniel's prodding ever could, "On top of that, for Sam to be out of even Stargate-reach on one of the extremely rare occasions when I *wanted* to go to the movies.." he shook his head, remembering those days, "I was *pissed*. The couple of weeks before you showed up were hellish; every damned person around me was bent on driving me crazy and I knew damned well there was no way I'd get an evening to myself."
When Siler seemed to relax a bit, Jack closed his eyes, laying his head back on the couch, sighing and shaking his head, "I'm surprised I didn't have a heart attack; or kill someone." Still with his eyes closed, he smiled slowly, "When the first of your minions appeared, I damn near handcuffed him to that damned car. *Good* coffee waiting for me? And blue jell-o??" he laughed, remembering just how absolutely shocked and delighted he'd been, "I didn't even care that it meant someone knew about me and Sam; it just cheered me right up."
Opening his eyes, still grinning, he looked at Siler, humour softening to affection, "I don't know how many favours you had to call in, but you saved my life, Si'. Not to mention that of every person I had to deal with. And then.. well hell, I actually had *fun* instead of spending the night glumly missing Sam," and wasn't *that* something to think about in view of their new life? "I just.. wanted to show my appreciation. Wasn't as though I got to watch those discs anyway."
"Sam asked me to do it."
Jack smiled at the quiet, uncomfortable words, shaking his head, "I know. Figured it back then. But I seriously doubt she asked you to make my life easier; I bet she just asked you to lay covering fire while I got to the theatre." He waited for the reluctant nod of acknowledgement, "Right. I owed you, Siler. Hell, everybody owes you for all the times you helped save the day, one way or another. Pass on a few DVDs? No hesitation involved."
"..Okay."
Watching Si's body slowly relax, Jack frowned, curious now that the danger seemed past. "Why the hell'd you freak out, Si'?" This was, after all, about as far from emotional *anything*...
The sergeant shrugged, impassive mask in place, "..If you'd done that today, I wouldn't have blinked; would have teased you for being a romantic. Couldn't.. figure out why you'd have done it back then."
Jack laughed softly, refusing to *touch* the first statement -*who* brought flowers home??-, "Now who's having problems with a man in his life?"
He took a reassured breath when Siler smiled shyly at the point before snarking quietly, "You weren't in my life."
Jack grinned, teasing, "No. I wasn't. But the idea that I might have considered you in mine threw you for a loop."
Si's humour faded into a slightly defencive shrug, "..Being crap at relationships does *not* mean I care to hurt people by not noticing how they feel. You *know* that."
Jack straightened, reaching over with an arm around Si's neck to drag him closer with minimal -it *was too* minimal- roughhousing, awkwardly laying back after a hesitation so Si' could lay on him. It was an odd thought to realize his too-competent friend needed the reassurance as much as Jack often did; so much easier to remember that Sam needed him. But that was just the damned cultural indoctrination again, wasn't it?
They slowly settled into each other and Jack was just relaxing when Siler spoke again.
"Brought some of my discs over."
He followed Siler's casually waved arm toward the shelves, seeing the rest of the cartoon series; torn between frowning at the implied 'returned gift' and cheering at even the *possibility* that the sergeant was finally accepting their home as his. Then he saw several unmarked, home-made discs next to them and his eyes widened, "Are those-"
"Yeah."
Grinning and belatedly looking around for Sam, Jack mentioned idly, "Better keep those in the bedroom; between the boys and Cassie, it's probably not a good idea to leave them out."
He nuzzled the neat hair under his chin as Si's laughed softly, putting the show back on and relaxing into Jack's hold comfortably, his feet hanging off the end of the couch. "Sam's upstairs having a bath, Jack. She needed some time to think. The new transporters aren't interfacing with-"
"Ah ahah!" Jack shook his head wryly as Siler snickered; yeah, he'd known he was going to be outnumbered, hadn't he? "Does she know what you brought over?"
"..No. We were each distracted when I came back."
Jack tried to focus on the Simpsons but his eyes kept drifting to those special DVDs, wondering what was on them and aware that a part of his anatomy was stiffening even before Si' chuckled, stroking a hand own the side of Jack's thigh. "Distracted, general?"
Huffing a self-deprecating snort, Jack didn't bother answering, sliding a hand inside the neck of Si's shirt and then settling back. Sam would come down sooner or later; in the meantime, he had episodes he hadn't seen in ages and the warm skin of his lover under his palm.
When the ep ended and Sam still hadn't come down though, Jack got restless, shifting and looking up the stairs, wondering if she was done 'thinking'.
"Trying to tell me something, Jack?"
"Just wondering if Sam went to bed..."
"..We *could* go check. Wouldn't want her to have gotten hurt..."
Jack grinned as Siler clambered up, "Love the way you think, Si'." He pretended to ignore the sergeant's slight stiffening at the innocent expression; he needed to get used to it sooner or later.
####
The warm water had thoroughly relaxed her and Sam had come up with a couple of ideas to try out before the Phoenix left port in a few days. In the meantime, she'd decided to take advantage of her tub while she could; shipboard showers were.. scarce, to put it mildly. She also had a feeling the boys had some hashing out to do.
It would be funny to watch the two of them slowly 'getting to know each other', considering that Jack had avoided most of that with her. Except that she cared about them and couldn't enjoy knowing they were hurting.
At least up to now they'd managed to get through the rough patches speedily. Conversely, she was *trying* not to feel jealous, remembering her own all-too-long rough times with Jack over the many years.
And however much she loved Jack and the life they'd settled into, they *still* tended to get into arguments... Watching him and Siler be so easy with each other, especially when she knew she'd have to leave them *both*... made a kernel of shameful envy grate at her nerves. It made *no* sense; she and Jack were as close as ever, she and *Siler* were closer than she'd ever thought she could be to the quiet, self-controlled sergeant. There was nothing for her to envy except the uncertainty and dramatic highs and lows of a new relationship. Wasn't established affection with hot sex better?
Dropping her head below the water and holding herself in the resulting utterly isolating, peaceful, dead silence, Sam called herself a fool ten times over for being ungrateful. No one in their right mind *wanted* trouble. And not even military adrenaline junkies asked for troubled relationships.
Maybe she could blame this stupidity on the time of the month.
She should get out of this no-longer-helpful bath, go downstairs, seduce her men and spend the rest of the night having crazy monkey sex. No one could be anything but ecstatically thankful with those two bent on making you happy.
Raising her head out of the water and taking a deep breath, Sam started to smile, remembering- She blinked as she suddenly focused on her surroundings and came face to face with the very expressions she'd just been daydreaming of.
Crouched besides her tub side by side, her lovers quite obviously had 'ideas' that rivalled hers. And likely had been staring at her naked self through the clear water.
Not that she minded. Sam grinned, forgetting the gloomy thoughts in favour of the zip of arousal and lounging back, deliberately rippling her body and thoroughly satisfied with the matching eye-zooms away from her face. Idly stroking her fingers over her breasts, hearing Siler's breath catch, she teased, "Yes? Are you boys going to stay there all night or are you going to join me?" When they stayed unmoving for another second, she bent one knee up and slid one hand down, teasingly slowly.
The only warning she had of the coming change was the raised-browed glance they shared; and then they reached under her and she found herself carried between their grinning selves toward the bed. Laughing, she didn't try to get free; how could she feel envy when they both made it so plain they wanted her?? "Which of you is sleeping the body-sized wet spot you're about to make in our bed?"
Watching Jack's expression as they stopped and he looked over her head at Siler, she laughed even harder. Even if they were getting away with acting like Neanderthals; she was just waiting to hear them grunt rock/paper/scissor at each other in Morse.
"King size..." she felt Siler's accompanying shrug as a ripple, his hold under her shoulders making her feel eerily as though she were 5 and getting birthday lifts.
And the man who negotiated intergalactic treaties did indeed *grunt* in response.
Next in the verse is kirsty841's It's all in the training
And then Chapter 8a: Training
or to Chapter 1 for info
To read it all the chapters on one page, click here
Summary: Just come home
Chapter 8: Of home and friendship (PG13)
AN: This chapter may be altered at some future date, should its past change.. (eg)
but I'll warn ya when that happens
Focused on the acres of long-winded garbage out of which he was trying to fish the one pertinent phrase, Jack was sub-consciously aware that Siler had come home, and even tilted his head up in automatic, vague welcome when he felt the sergeant walk by his chair.
It wasn't until Si's glasses clinked with his that Jack really focused on the present, though, resettling the frames on his nose and ears and blinking at the man grumbling tiredly in apology as he straightened. Watching the slow, stiff, fumbling movements of Siler's hands, Jack shook his head, exasperated, "Siler.." He reached up and took the skewed glasses carefully off his friend's nose, batting away the sergeant's own hands to fold and tuck away the lenses.
"Thanks." Siler's fingers stroked his lover's shoulder before he continued on his shambly way to the sink.
Narrowing his eyes and getting up as his -*again*- exhausted housemate sucked back a glass of water, Jack walked up and laid careful hands on his shoulder joints, rubbing very gently, mostly just conveying heat into the still-healing bruises he knew were under the dirty jumpsuit.
Leaning his head against the back of Siler's, he breathed in quietly, realizing for the first time that he 'recognized' him, now, at the back of his mind. That this simple closeness was enough to make tension that he hadn't even noticed ease out of his body -damned bureaucratic word-playing when he was supposed to be retired-. "Sam still working?"
The reply was slow in coming as the sergeant sighed, relaxing into the touch with a faint moan of relief at the offered comfort, "..Yeah, think so. Heard something about unexpected visitors."
Nodding to himself, Jack added conversationally, "Siler, I know you're used to being alone. Wearing yourself out every day, passing out and doing it all over again. Trust me, been there." He shifted back and lifted his hands long enough for Siler to turn around, then laid them back down, all too familiar with aching joints, never mind a beat-up body.
Ignoring Siler's automatic defencive frown, he leaned forward, distracted by the shine of water left on his lips. Neither lecture nor frown took away from the tenderness in the slow kiss he started, determined to replace the hello he'd gotten used to receiving and that was routed by their glasses. Lips parted and touching lightly, shifting to touch again; soft and gentle beyond anything anyone but Sam would have expected of either of them.
Finally pulling back, Jack shivered at the puff of air that brushed his now-damp lips and stubble-burned cheek when Si' sighed, leaning back on the counter. He looked the tired man in the eye, continuing his speech gently, "But you have a life now; you have a family. You don't have to push yourself to the breaking point to avoid the silence; just come home."
Siler watched him quietly, held in place by the softness in Jack's usually-protected eyes. Until they'd started.. spending time together, he wouldn't have thought his old commander would ever open up like this to anyone. Though seeing how much even the *thought* of Sam affected him had been less surprising than it could have been if he didn't have the personal knowledge of the effect Sam could have on a man. But that wasn't the same as acknowledging that same look directed at *him*.
A life. A **family**.
Partners.
No, he'd never had that. And he'd never really stopped to think about how hard he worked. He didn't consciously set out to wear himself out... did he?
Back when he'd joined, he'd just been glad to find a place where he felt like he belonged, a job that he felt satisfaction from and was good at. And the years since he'd been assigned to the SGC had had a tendency to be necessarily hectic; there was no question of working his ass off when lives or the planet or the galaxy were at stake.
But he supposed he *could* take it a little more easily when all he had to do was routine maintenance; could delegate some of the more pain-inducing jobs to those younger and more able to recover. The general was right: he'd never had any reason to want to have energy left when he got home, never cared if he simply fell into bed, sore and tired.
He lifted his hands slowly, glad Jack didn't move his palms away from his aching shoulders. Cupping the general's jaw, he essayed a smile, aware that he really *was* exhausted, and that it showed. "I'll.. try to remember that."
The quirk of Jack's grin under his fingers made resisting the temptation to glide his thumb over his lips impossible; which made the man's response a little smeary-sounding.
"Good. And we're well aware it takes a while to break the habit. Hell, I still have to remind Sam, every so often."
Chuckling in agreement, Siler pulled until he could return that kiss with a more exploratory one, tongue sliding between handily parted lips, smiling a little as he felt Jack's glasses brush his cheek, hearing in his mind the grumble he'd make before he pulled them off in disgust and cleaned them, glaring at the silver-rimmed proofs of age's effect.
When he finally raised his head, Siler's eyes met Sam's over Jack's shoulder and he smiled, lifting a hand from Jack to reach out to her.
Sam grinned softly, stepping forward as Jack turned his head toward her, "You boys like the kitchen, don't you?"
Siler snorted, straightening to pull her between him and Jack for a hug, "*You* like the kitchen too, Sam."
Jack's quick laugh of agreement was a little muffled by Sam's hair as he copped a snuggle, and Siler closed his eyes in contentment, wrapped around them both. Partners; who'd have thought he could manage *that*...
####
Idly wondering when Jack was going to get home from his supposedly *quick* Saturday phone conference with the Pentagon and thinking ironically about a lecture on overworking that *he'd* gotten just a few days ago, Siler fished through the mess of DVDs, starting to frown as he reached the last of them and calling out to the woman working at her laptop in the kitchen, "Hey Sam?"
"Ummm?"
"Where do you guys keep your Simpsons DVDs?" There was, after all, no way Jack could *not* have them.. was there??
"Errr, not sure," the vague, attention-less tone made him smile as he waited for more info, "Jack takes care of the DVDs."
Right. Siler stared ironically at the chaos he'd just filtered through, "..Well do you know if you have any?"
"Of course he does. Think I even helped him buy them. Though I have to admit, it's been a while since I've seen them. Actually.. yeah, was definitely before Jack moved back..."
####
Jack stopped whistling when he walked in the door, brightening as he listened, "Hey! I haven't seen that episode in ages!" Hurrying to toe off his runners and haphazardly throwing his raincoat toward the hooks, he quick-stepped over and dropped besides Siler on the couch.
He didn't notice how quiet the sergeant was until the lack of commercials registered and he gave him a grin, "One of... Yours?" His voice slowed and he started to frown at the tension in Si's posture, "Siler?"
The Simpsons suddenly went quiet and Siler turned uncomprehending eyes on him, speaking huskily, "They were yours, weren't they?"
Jack frowned worriedly, wondering what the hell he'd done *now*. "What was?"
"The discs."
Jack stared at his almost accusing eyes and tried to think of any disc of his that.. What?? "Siler, I *know* you can use full sentences. Just give it to me straight, will you?"
"You gave me *your* disks. Your *Simpsons* discs."
Ah. Busted. Jack grimaced, letting himself fall back in the corner of the couch, staring at Siler and trying to read his all too frozen expression. He wasn't sure what he was in trouble for, but obviously he *was*, and he'd learned it was safer to stay quiet until he knew what the accusation was. Guessing only seemed to bring about *more* accusations...
"Why?"
He shrugged, still watching his friend carefully. No. Not accusation. Only Silerese relationship confusion; okay, he could deal with this... He cleared his throat, taking a minute to actually think about his answer and glad that Siler was, among many other things, patient. "Siler- do you have any idea of much I hated being stuck in that job? That city?" The nod and attentive need to know in Siler's eyes encouraged him to keep talking better than Daniel's prodding ever could, "On top of that, for Sam to be out of even Stargate-reach on one of the extremely rare occasions when I *wanted* to go to the movies.." he shook his head, remembering those days, "I was *pissed*. The couple of weeks before you showed up were hellish; every damned person around me was bent on driving me crazy and I knew damned well there was no way I'd get an evening to myself."
When Siler seemed to relax a bit, Jack closed his eyes, laying his head back on the couch, sighing and shaking his head, "I'm surprised I didn't have a heart attack; or kill someone." Still with his eyes closed, he smiled slowly, "When the first of your minions appeared, I damn near handcuffed him to that damned car. *Good* coffee waiting for me? And blue jell-o??" he laughed, remembering just how absolutely shocked and delighted he'd been, "I didn't even care that it meant someone knew about me and Sam; it just cheered me right up."
Opening his eyes, still grinning, he looked at Siler, humour softening to affection, "I don't know how many favours you had to call in, but you saved my life, Si'. Not to mention that of every person I had to deal with. And then.. well hell, I actually had *fun* instead of spending the night glumly missing Sam," and wasn't *that* something to think about in view of their new life? "I just.. wanted to show my appreciation. Wasn't as though I got to watch those discs anyway."
"Sam asked me to do it."
Jack smiled at the quiet, uncomfortable words, shaking his head, "I know. Figured it back then. But I seriously doubt she asked you to make my life easier; I bet she just asked you to lay covering fire while I got to the theatre." He waited for the reluctant nod of acknowledgement, "Right. I owed you, Siler. Hell, everybody owes you for all the times you helped save the day, one way or another. Pass on a few DVDs? No hesitation involved."
"..Okay."
Watching Si's body slowly relax, Jack frowned, curious now that the danger seemed past. "Why the hell'd you freak out, Si'?" This was, after all, about as far from emotional *anything*...
The sergeant shrugged, impassive mask in place, "..If you'd done that today, I wouldn't have blinked; would have teased you for being a romantic. Couldn't.. figure out why you'd have done it back then."
Jack laughed softly, refusing to *touch* the first statement -*who* brought flowers home??-, "Now who's having problems with a man in his life?"
He took a reassured breath when Siler smiled shyly at the point before snarking quietly, "You weren't in my life."
Jack grinned, teasing, "No. I wasn't. But the idea that I might have considered you in mine threw you for a loop."
Si's humour faded into a slightly defencive shrug, "..Being crap at relationships does *not* mean I care to hurt people by not noticing how they feel. You *know* that."
Jack straightened, reaching over with an arm around Si's neck to drag him closer with minimal -it *was too* minimal- roughhousing, awkwardly laying back after a hesitation so Si' could lay on him. It was an odd thought to realize his too-competent friend needed the reassurance as much as Jack often did; so much easier to remember that Sam needed him. But that was just the damned cultural indoctrination again, wasn't it?
They slowly settled into each other and Jack was just relaxing when Siler spoke again.
"Brought some of my discs over."
He followed Siler's casually waved arm toward the shelves, seeing the rest of the cartoon series; torn between frowning at the implied 'returned gift' and cheering at even the *possibility* that the sergeant was finally accepting their home as his. Then he saw several unmarked, home-made discs next to them and his eyes widened, "Are those-"
"Yeah."
Grinning and belatedly looking around for Sam, Jack mentioned idly, "Better keep those in the bedroom; between the boys and Cassie, it's probably not a good idea to leave them out."
He nuzzled the neat hair under his chin as Si's laughed softly, putting the show back on and relaxing into Jack's hold comfortably, his feet hanging off the end of the couch. "Sam's upstairs having a bath, Jack. She needed some time to think. The new transporters aren't interfacing with-"
"Ah ahah!" Jack shook his head wryly as Siler snickered; yeah, he'd known he was going to be outnumbered, hadn't he? "Does she know what you brought over?"
"..No. We were each distracted when I came back."
Jack tried to focus on the Simpsons but his eyes kept drifting to those special DVDs, wondering what was on them and aware that a part of his anatomy was stiffening even before Si' chuckled, stroking a hand own the side of Jack's thigh. "Distracted, general?"
Huffing a self-deprecating snort, Jack didn't bother answering, sliding a hand inside the neck of Si's shirt and then settling back. Sam would come down sooner or later; in the meantime, he had episodes he hadn't seen in ages and the warm skin of his lover under his palm.
When the ep ended and Sam still hadn't come down though, Jack got restless, shifting and looking up the stairs, wondering if she was done 'thinking'.
"Trying to tell me something, Jack?"
"Just wondering if Sam went to bed..."
"..We *could* go check. Wouldn't want her to have gotten hurt..."
Jack grinned as Siler clambered up, "Love the way you think, Si'." He pretended to ignore the sergeant's slight stiffening at the innocent expression; he needed to get used to it sooner or later.
####
The warm water had thoroughly relaxed her and Sam had come up with a couple of ideas to try out before the Phoenix left port in a few days. In the meantime, she'd decided to take advantage of her tub while she could; shipboard showers were.. scarce, to put it mildly. She also had a feeling the boys had some hashing out to do.
It would be funny to watch the two of them slowly 'getting to know each other', considering that Jack had avoided most of that with her. Except that she cared about them and couldn't enjoy knowing they were hurting.
At least up to now they'd managed to get through the rough patches speedily. Conversely, she was *trying* not to feel jealous, remembering her own all-too-long rough times with Jack over the many years.
And however much she loved Jack and the life they'd settled into, they *still* tended to get into arguments... Watching him and Siler be so easy with each other, especially when she knew she'd have to leave them *both*... made a kernel of shameful envy grate at her nerves. It made *no* sense; she and Jack were as close as ever, she and *Siler* were closer than she'd ever thought she could be to the quiet, self-controlled sergeant. There was nothing for her to envy except the uncertainty and dramatic highs and lows of a new relationship. Wasn't established affection with hot sex better?
Dropping her head below the water and holding herself in the resulting utterly isolating, peaceful, dead silence, Sam called herself a fool ten times over for being ungrateful. No one in their right mind *wanted* trouble. And not even military adrenaline junkies asked for troubled relationships.
Maybe she could blame this stupidity on the time of the month.
She should get out of this no-longer-helpful bath, go downstairs, seduce her men and spend the rest of the night having crazy monkey sex. No one could be anything but ecstatically thankful with those two bent on making you happy.
Raising her head out of the water and taking a deep breath, Sam started to smile, remembering- She blinked as she suddenly focused on her surroundings and came face to face with the very expressions she'd just been daydreaming of.
Crouched besides her tub side by side, her lovers quite obviously had 'ideas' that rivalled hers. And likely had been staring at her naked self through the clear water.
Not that she minded. Sam grinned, forgetting the gloomy thoughts in favour of the zip of arousal and lounging back, deliberately rippling her body and thoroughly satisfied with the matching eye-zooms away from her face. Idly stroking her fingers over her breasts, hearing Siler's breath catch, she teased, "Yes? Are you boys going to stay there all night or are you going to join me?" When they stayed unmoving for another second, she bent one knee up and slid one hand down, teasingly slowly.
The only warning she had of the coming change was the raised-browed glance they shared; and then they reached under her and she found herself carried between their grinning selves toward the bed. Laughing, she didn't try to get free; how could she feel envy when they both made it so plain they wanted her?? "Which of you is sleeping the body-sized wet spot you're about to make in our bed?"
Watching Jack's expression as they stopped and he looked over her head at Siler, she laughed even harder. Even if they were getting away with acting like Neanderthals; she was just waiting to hear them grunt rock/paper/scissor at each other in Morse.
"King size..." she felt Siler's accompanying shrug as a ripple, his hold under her shoulders making her feel eerily as though she were 5 and getting birthday lifts.
And the man who negotiated intergalactic treaties did indeed *grunt* in response.
Next in the verse is kirsty841's It's all in the training
And then Chapter 8a: Training