Sam and her boys, 11a: Cats and dogs, PG13, Sam/Jack/Siler
Back to Chapter 10a: Intimacy
or to Chapter 1 for info
To read it all the chapters on one page, click here
Summary: Love me, love my kitten
Chapter 11a: Cats and dogs (PG13)
"I'll be at your place around 1600, I guess."
Jack grunted non-committedly, hanging up the phone with a growing frown.
"Jack?"
He turned at Sam's curious question, jaw clenching as the anger continued rising in him, " 'Your' place."
She blinked at him in confusion, eyes flickering to the phone and back, "What?"
"He keeps calling this *our* damned place. As in Us and Him."
Grimacing a little, well aware of the same thing, Sam watched him steadily, not bothering to comment, and Jack's eyes narrowed, obviously planning the best way to get some light into the sometimes very thick skull of the stubborn, late-working, man they both loved.
####
It was late, again, by the time he got his key in the lock, and Siler was a little surprised that Jack's truck was missing from the drive. He *could* have found something missing for supper, he supposed, though it was late even for that.
He called into the only dimly-lit house, "I'm home."
When Sam didn't answer, he frowned, movements slowing as he hung up his coat. What the hell? Pulling out his phone to make sure it was on and that he hadn't missed any calls, he hurried into the kitchen, figuring if they'd left him a note that's where it would be. One of them going for a drive was normal enough, but for both not to be home by now without having left word would be out of character. Even if they *had* been a little moody the last few days...
When he saw the stack of papers on the table, he didn't even look at them, searching for something more note-like, but when there was nothing else, and the answering machine was empty too, his eyes were drawn by default, finally noticing that there *was* a note on *them*.
--Sign here
He was about to again dismiss it as none of his business and dial Sam's cell when he caught sight of his name under the post-it note. Instincts froze his body for a minute and he stiffly put away his phone, eyes fixed on those official papers on which he could see Sam's and Jack's names and signatures. And his name. Waiting for its own signature.
He slowly looked around at the silent house, unable to explain why he felt on the edge of something. Why his lungs felt tight.
Eyes sliding back to the papers, Siler swallowed, turning away to get a beer without touching them.
The reassuringly commonplace action settled him enough to snap at himself for reacting so strongly when he had no idea what was even going on and he straightened, clenching his jaw with stubbornness as he marched back to the stack. How bad could it be? It wasn't as though they were married...
Familiar enough with legal documents, he undid the fold someone had put in the thick pile of papers and flipped back to stare at the first page. And stare some more. The deed to their house???
Putting his beer aside, he sat down and pushed his glasses higher, frowning fiercely as he read the details.
####
Sam broke the thick silence, "Relax, Jack. He probably got held up at work." It had been his idea to not be there when Siler got home, but as time passed without a word, she could see the tension accumulating. There was no real doubt about Siler's commitment to them, but doing this without discussing it had been one of those things Jack got stubborn about. Even though he knew Siler had his own temper and stubbornness.
Sometimes it was fun to watch them spark off each other, but other times, she wanted to bang their heads together until they saw sense. Watching Jack swallow too much of his beer for it to be enjoyment, she sipped her pop, glancing at the TV in the corner of the bar, thinking that Siler was probably- Sam exhaled in visible relief when his cell rang.
"O'Neill."
She shook her head at the almost-snarl, smirking wryly when his shoulders suddenly dropped visibly, relaxing, his eyes closing in relief.
He put his phone away without saying another word, his lips quirking as his eyes opened and met hers with that softness that would always steal her breath. The tone was just as heart-catching. "He said 'Come home'."
####
Sam smelled the fire as she got out of the driver's seat of the truck and they walked down the side of the house rather than go through the front door. Siler was sitting in one of the folding chairs, head thrown back and a glass on his knee. Two more chairs were lined on either side of him in front of the fire and the bottle of scotch and two glasses on the ground besides him.
Taking the wordless offer, she poured herself a shot and dropped a kiss on his forehead on her way to the chair on his far side. He waited until both she and Jack had taken a sip before speaking quietly, "I can't change my address."
Not letting Jack jump in, Sam responded calmly, "Whenever you retire-"
"Whenever *you* retire," his head lifted, eyes opening to frown at her, "I am *not* putting your career at further risk. Not a chance, Sam."
It wasn't often that they talked about the dangers their relationship posed to both their jobs. Of course, Siler retiring had also not made the table before as anything but chaff at being injured. Or Jack whining about their absence.
"We wasted a lot of years on 'careers' and 'duty' Siler, I'm not-" Her eyes narrowed and her jaw clenched as he shook his head, interrupting.
"I'm not-" his eyes flickered the house, obviously still unsettled at the thought of the added link between them, "I'm not volunteering to.. *end* this, Sam. If I leave my stats the way they are, keep having Monday night poker at my place; no one has any reason to probe. Where I sleep, where most of my clothe are," he shrugged, catching Jack's steady gaze, "You both know this is.. home."
"So call it that."
Sam rolled her eyes at Jack's grumpy order, knowing she was about to get one of the 'funny' versions of them clashing.
" 'Call' it??" Siler blinked, confused but responding to the bossiness by stiffening, obviously already too tense to take it in his usually accepting stride.
"You keep saying 'your place'."
"..*That*'s what this about?? Damn it Jack..! It's a reference point. A figure of speech for crying out loud!"
Sam choked a snicker as she thought of just how often Siler used *that* 'figure of speech' these days. Jack was a terrible influence on everyone around him, he really was.
"What's wrong with 'home'?" hearing that plaintive edge in the general's voice made her want to go to him and hug him though.
".." Siler deflated, the angry tension leaving him to a more normal mellow impassivity as he shrugged, "Nothing. Habit, I guess."
"Well.. make a habit of thinking of *us* as home, would you?"
This time she did get up, silently seating herself on the cold grass in front of Siler's chair and leaning on his legs, adding her own version of asking for his attention, feeling his free hand come to rest on her shoulder as he spoke softly, "I do. I will."
They sat quietly for a while, watching the fire and letting go of the tension. When the flames started going down, Siler stirred in his seat and added matter-of-factly, "My military will's empty, it just refers to a secondary one kept by a lawyer. Used to have most of it go to charity," he grinned at Jack, "Except for a few things," Jack watched the grin fade into a serious look, "I switched it to you a while back, with a comment about your saving my ass and my promising to put you in my will."
Part of him was ashamed for the fit at casual word-use, but he suspected they'd all needed this wake-up call. Cruising along on assumptions only worked for so long and he didn't want this relationship messed up any more than was inevitable. He'd lost his marriage and damned near lost Sam because of lack of action. It had taken damn near 60 years, but he'd finally learned that sometimes dreaded conversations really were better than the hellish alternatives.
####
She almost didn't recognize him with that openly tender expression, even though he'd hardly changed otherwise. Slowly reaching to undo her gas-cap, Fay smiled, genuinely pleased at the happenchance meeting, and called out, "Siler?"
Pausing in the act of opening his old leather jacket to hide the kitten he'd just picked up, the sergeant looked toward her with a frown that cleared into something closer to his old impassivity when he tracked her down and recognized her.
Watching him walk over, she wondered if she was imagining how different he looked, or if her memory was simply skewed. She remembered the man as reserved at a deep level; even when he'd smiled and teased, those lovely eyes had been shuttered tight.
As great as the sex had been, eventually she'd had to admit to herself that she wanted to look for more. His perfectly calm acceptance had been proof that she was doing the right thing; as was the casual friendship they'd settled into until she was reassigned a year later.
"Lieutenant Donovan?"
She laughed, shivering as the freezing wind rose up, "I'd forgotten how much you liked to be formal; sergeant Siler."
No. No, those eyes were definitely different. Fay was sadly sure that she wouldn't have given up if he'd ever smiled quite like that. It only lasted an instant, but it made the happy peace in his eyes utterly unmistakable.
"It's not a bad habit for a mere sergeant to have with so many officers about, ma'am. Are you back at the mountain?"
Reaching out to pet the gaunt little furball clinging to him under the protective leather, Fay pulled back when she saw him shift away instantly. Blinking in slight surprise, she gave him a bemused look, "Sorry." nodding to it instead, she asked, still a little thrown, "You taking it home?" He nodded, looking abashed; she *really* had to wonder at the strange reaction. "And no; I'm at the academy. And it's Major Donovan," she rolled her eyes at herself, "Although so recently I'm still getting used to it."
The bit of a self-deprecating smile was all the comment she was likely to get to the sudden physical distance from a man she remembered as willing enough to be touched, even if platonically. She'd heard rumours that people thought he was in a 'real' relationship, but hadn't really given it any credence until now... She had to bite her lip to keep from quizzing him. His eyes might be more open, but she'd be shocked if he was suddenly less private.
The hand he held out to shake hers would have once swung out to offer a hug -and more, even after they'd downgraded to friendship-, but she shook it as he spoke warmly, "Congratulations, Fay," his head tilted, looking lost in thought for a few seconds, "Uh. The years fly by sometimes.."
"Thanks, and yeah, sometimes," she nodded her chin at the kitten, "I better let you get it home." Yup, there was that little smile, again. He was definitely taken. "What are you calling it?"
He looked down at the dirty grey creature for a second before nodding decisively, "Leonardo."
"Da Vinci?" she laughed at the sheepish nod, "You always were a bit of a dork, Siler."
He froze for a second before shrugging, looking amused at some private joke, "Guess so. It was nice seeing you again," he winked, a hint of the old teasing sergeant, "*Major*."
Grinning, Fay watched him strut to his truck, the very image of a man on top of the world.
She wondered who the woman was. And how they'd kept it quiet enough that no one else knew either...
####
On her way to relax on the couch with her coffee, Sam smiled when Siler finally walked through the door. The way he was hunched and cupping something against his chest made her head tilt in curiosity though. "Siler?"
He looked over at her and grinned, carefully opening his jacket, "You'll never guess what I found." Unaware of Jack just stepping out of the kitchen, he gently pulled a very small ball of fur away from where it clung to his jumpsuit.
"Awww!" Sam smiled widely, getting back up and hurrying over to cuddle the small, bedraggled kitten, "Where did you find him??"
Siler smiled goofily at the baby noises Sam was making to the tiny creature clinging stiffly in his palm, feeling himself turn to complete mush.
"And more to the point, where are you *taking* him?"
Siler looked up at the grumpy snark, frowning at the man glowering from the entrance to the kitchen. "What??"
"A cat??"
Aware that Sam had shifted to stand besides him in physical solidarity, they both glared at the man giving the kitten the evil eye. Stroking the defenceless creature, Siler growled, "What's wrong with a cat?
Jack looked between the two of them and then down to the cat they were, between them, shielding protectively. When he looked back up, there was a grumpy, but half-resigned, expression in his eyes.
"You seriously want a cat?"
The very slight emphasis on 'you' made Siler blink and suddenly start to grin, amused as hell at his man's prejudices, "You want it to be *my* house too, and I happen to like cats. They're cuddly, purring is good for your health; and if you're stuck on base for a week they just give you an accusing look when you get home." Very like the one Jack was currently sending him, come to think of it.
Dropping a kiss on Sam's nose, he brought the new member of their family up to cling to his collar trustingly and ambled over to the grumpy general.
Bringing both hands up to cup Jack's jaw, he leaned over and pressed a soft kiss on his lips before puling his head back to whisper gently, "Love me, love my kitten."
He watched Jack's eyes drop to the tiny creature and then roll in exasperation, though his voice was a lot less harsh, "Beg to differ. Love you; *tolerate* the furball."
####
Home early for once, Siler ambled through the empty house, listening to the cold wind howling outside. Sam wasn't going to escape for a while and Jack was probably out shopping, but his days of feeling like an interloper here had passed long before they'd offered to add his name to the deed. Instead, he got the fire started, leaving most of the lights off to enjoy the flickering flames. In a good mood, he even took the time to pick some CDs and throw them in the player on random before he went to pour himself a tall glass of juice.
On the way, he stopped by the improvised enclosure where the little grey-stripped kitten was chasing a balled-up post-it note, laughing at how huge its tummy had gotten in just two days. It looked like a swaying beer barrel and Siler couldn't quite figure out why. Sure, they were feeding it, but only a reasonable amount. And yet- His eyes narrowed in sudden suspicion, shifting one of the newspapers covering the floor. Picking up the mystery item, he looked at it up close and sniffed.
And started laughing in earnest, snagging Leo to come cling to his chest and purr loudly. Jack was still professing to hate the newcomer, but a haphazardly cut piece of steak in his pen? No wonder the little tyke he'd found abandoned next to the stairs at the gas station was all at once catching up on the weight he'd been short of!
next in the verse Chapter 11b: Glow (NC17)
or to Chapter 1 for info
To read it all the chapters on one page, click here
Summary: Love me, love my kitten
Chapter 11a: Cats and dogs (PG13)
"I'll be at your place around 1600, I guess."
Jack grunted non-committedly, hanging up the phone with a growing frown.
"Jack?"
He turned at Sam's curious question, jaw clenching as the anger continued rising in him, " 'Your' place."
She blinked at him in confusion, eyes flickering to the phone and back, "What?"
"He keeps calling this *our* damned place. As in Us and Him."
Grimacing a little, well aware of the same thing, Sam watched him steadily, not bothering to comment, and Jack's eyes narrowed, obviously planning the best way to get some light into the sometimes very thick skull of the stubborn, late-working, man they both loved.
####
It was late, again, by the time he got his key in the lock, and Siler was a little surprised that Jack's truck was missing from the drive. He *could* have found something missing for supper, he supposed, though it was late even for that.
He called into the only dimly-lit house, "I'm home."
When Sam didn't answer, he frowned, movements slowing as he hung up his coat. What the hell? Pulling out his phone to make sure it was on and that he hadn't missed any calls, he hurried into the kitchen, figuring if they'd left him a note that's where it would be. One of them going for a drive was normal enough, but for both not to be home by now without having left word would be out of character. Even if they *had* been a little moody the last few days...
When he saw the stack of papers on the table, he didn't even look at them, searching for something more note-like, but when there was nothing else, and the answering machine was empty too, his eyes were drawn by default, finally noticing that there *was* a note on *them*.
--Sign here
He was about to again dismiss it as none of his business and dial Sam's cell when he caught sight of his name under the post-it note. Instincts froze his body for a minute and he stiffly put away his phone, eyes fixed on those official papers on which he could see Sam's and Jack's names and signatures. And his name. Waiting for its own signature.
He slowly looked around at the silent house, unable to explain why he felt on the edge of something. Why his lungs felt tight.
Eyes sliding back to the papers, Siler swallowed, turning away to get a beer without touching them.
The reassuringly commonplace action settled him enough to snap at himself for reacting so strongly when he had no idea what was even going on and he straightened, clenching his jaw with stubbornness as he marched back to the stack. How bad could it be? It wasn't as though they were married...
Familiar enough with legal documents, he undid the fold someone had put in the thick pile of papers and flipped back to stare at the first page. And stare some more. The deed to their house???
Putting his beer aside, he sat down and pushed his glasses higher, frowning fiercely as he read the details.
####
Sam broke the thick silence, "Relax, Jack. He probably got held up at work." It had been his idea to not be there when Siler got home, but as time passed without a word, she could see the tension accumulating. There was no real doubt about Siler's commitment to them, but doing this without discussing it had been one of those things Jack got stubborn about. Even though he knew Siler had his own temper and stubbornness.
Sometimes it was fun to watch them spark off each other, but other times, she wanted to bang their heads together until they saw sense. Watching Jack swallow too much of his beer for it to be enjoyment, she sipped her pop, glancing at the TV in the corner of the bar, thinking that Siler was probably- Sam exhaled in visible relief when his cell rang.
"O'Neill."
She shook her head at the almost-snarl, smirking wryly when his shoulders suddenly dropped visibly, relaxing, his eyes closing in relief.
He put his phone away without saying another word, his lips quirking as his eyes opened and met hers with that softness that would always steal her breath. The tone was just as heart-catching. "He said 'Come home'."
####
Sam smelled the fire as she got out of the driver's seat of the truck and they walked down the side of the house rather than go through the front door. Siler was sitting in one of the folding chairs, head thrown back and a glass on his knee. Two more chairs were lined on either side of him in front of the fire and the bottle of scotch and two glasses on the ground besides him.
Taking the wordless offer, she poured herself a shot and dropped a kiss on his forehead on her way to the chair on his far side. He waited until both she and Jack had taken a sip before speaking quietly, "I can't change my address."
Not letting Jack jump in, Sam responded calmly, "Whenever you retire-"
"Whenever *you* retire," his head lifted, eyes opening to frown at her, "I am *not* putting your career at further risk. Not a chance, Sam."
It wasn't often that they talked about the dangers their relationship posed to both their jobs. Of course, Siler retiring had also not made the table before as anything but chaff at being injured. Or Jack whining about their absence.
"We wasted a lot of years on 'careers' and 'duty' Siler, I'm not-" Her eyes narrowed and her jaw clenched as he shook his head, interrupting.
"I'm not-" his eyes flickered the house, obviously still unsettled at the thought of the added link between them, "I'm not volunteering to.. *end* this, Sam. If I leave my stats the way they are, keep having Monday night poker at my place; no one has any reason to probe. Where I sleep, where most of my clothe are," he shrugged, catching Jack's steady gaze, "You both know this is.. home."
"So call it that."
Sam rolled her eyes at Jack's grumpy order, knowing she was about to get one of the 'funny' versions of them clashing.
" 'Call' it??" Siler blinked, confused but responding to the bossiness by stiffening, obviously already too tense to take it in his usually accepting stride.
"You keep saying 'your place'."
"..*That*'s what this about?? Damn it Jack..! It's a reference point. A figure of speech for crying out loud!"
Sam choked a snicker as she thought of just how often Siler used *that* 'figure of speech' these days. Jack was a terrible influence on everyone around him, he really was.
"What's wrong with 'home'?" hearing that plaintive edge in the general's voice made her want to go to him and hug him though.
".." Siler deflated, the angry tension leaving him to a more normal mellow impassivity as he shrugged, "Nothing. Habit, I guess."
"Well.. make a habit of thinking of *us* as home, would you?"
This time she did get up, silently seating herself on the cold grass in front of Siler's chair and leaning on his legs, adding her own version of asking for his attention, feeling his free hand come to rest on her shoulder as he spoke softly, "I do. I will."
They sat quietly for a while, watching the fire and letting go of the tension. When the flames started going down, Siler stirred in his seat and added matter-of-factly, "My military will's empty, it just refers to a secondary one kept by a lawyer. Used to have most of it go to charity," he grinned at Jack, "Except for a few things," Jack watched the grin fade into a serious look, "I switched it to you a while back, with a comment about your saving my ass and my promising to put you in my will."
Part of him was ashamed for the fit at casual word-use, but he suspected they'd all needed this wake-up call. Cruising along on assumptions only worked for so long and he didn't want this relationship messed up any more than was inevitable. He'd lost his marriage and damned near lost Sam because of lack of action. It had taken damn near 60 years, but he'd finally learned that sometimes dreaded conversations really were better than the hellish alternatives.
####
She almost didn't recognize him with that openly tender expression, even though he'd hardly changed otherwise. Slowly reaching to undo her gas-cap, Fay smiled, genuinely pleased at the happenchance meeting, and called out, "Siler?"
Pausing in the act of opening his old leather jacket to hide the kitten he'd just picked up, the sergeant looked toward her with a frown that cleared into something closer to his old impassivity when he tracked her down and recognized her.
Watching him walk over, she wondered if she was imagining how different he looked, or if her memory was simply skewed. She remembered the man as reserved at a deep level; even when he'd smiled and teased, those lovely eyes had been shuttered tight.
As great as the sex had been, eventually she'd had to admit to herself that she wanted to look for more. His perfectly calm acceptance had been proof that she was doing the right thing; as was the casual friendship they'd settled into until she was reassigned a year later.
"Lieutenant Donovan?"
She laughed, shivering as the freezing wind rose up, "I'd forgotten how much you liked to be formal; sergeant Siler."
No. No, those eyes were definitely different. Fay was sadly sure that she wouldn't have given up if he'd ever smiled quite like that. It only lasted an instant, but it made the happy peace in his eyes utterly unmistakable.
"It's not a bad habit for a mere sergeant to have with so many officers about, ma'am. Are you back at the mountain?"
Reaching out to pet the gaunt little furball clinging to him under the protective leather, Fay pulled back when she saw him shift away instantly. Blinking in slight surprise, she gave him a bemused look, "Sorry." nodding to it instead, she asked, still a little thrown, "You taking it home?" He nodded, looking abashed; she *really* had to wonder at the strange reaction. "And no; I'm at the academy. And it's Major Donovan," she rolled her eyes at herself, "Although so recently I'm still getting used to it."
The bit of a self-deprecating smile was all the comment she was likely to get to the sudden physical distance from a man she remembered as willing enough to be touched, even if platonically. She'd heard rumours that people thought he was in a 'real' relationship, but hadn't really given it any credence until now... She had to bite her lip to keep from quizzing him. His eyes might be more open, but she'd be shocked if he was suddenly less private.
The hand he held out to shake hers would have once swung out to offer a hug -and more, even after they'd downgraded to friendship-, but she shook it as he spoke warmly, "Congratulations, Fay," his head tilted, looking lost in thought for a few seconds, "Uh. The years fly by sometimes.."
"Thanks, and yeah, sometimes," she nodded her chin at the kitten, "I better let you get it home." Yup, there was that little smile, again. He was definitely taken. "What are you calling it?"
He looked down at the dirty grey creature for a second before nodding decisively, "Leonardo."
"Da Vinci?" she laughed at the sheepish nod, "You always were a bit of a dork, Siler."
He froze for a second before shrugging, looking amused at some private joke, "Guess so. It was nice seeing you again," he winked, a hint of the old teasing sergeant, "*Major*."
Grinning, Fay watched him strut to his truck, the very image of a man on top of the world.
She wondered who the woman was. And how they'd kept it quiet enough that no one else knew either...
####
On her way to relax on the couch with her coffee, Sam smiled when Siler finally walked through the door. The way he was hunched and cupping something against his chest made her head tilt in curiosity though. "Siler?"
He looked over at her and grinned, carefully opening his jacket, "You'll never guess what I found." Unaware of Jack just stepping out of the kitchen, he gently pulled a very small ball of fur away from where it clung to his jumpsuit.
"Awww!" Sam smiled widely, getting back up and hurrying over to cuddle the small, bedraggled kitten, "Where did you find him??"
Siler smiled goofily at the baby noises Sam was making to the tiny creature clinging stiffly in his palm, feeling himself turn to complete mush.
"And more to the point, where are you *taking* him?"
Siler looked up at the grumpy snark, frowning at the man glowering from the entrance to the kitchen. "What??"
"A cat??"
Aware that Sam had shifted to stand besides him in physical solidarity, they both glared at the man giving the kitten the evil eye. Stroking the defenceless creature, Siler growled, "What's wrong with a cat?
Jack looked between the two of them and then down to the cat they were, between them, shielding protectively. When he looked back up, there was a grumpy, but half-resigned, expression in his eyes.
"You seriously want a cat?"
The very slight emphasis on 'you' made Siler blink and suddenly start to grin, amused as hell at his man's prejudices, "You want it to be *my* house too, and I happen to like cats. They're cuddly, purring is good for your health; and if you're stuck on base for a week they just give you an accusing look when you get home." Very like the one Jack was currently sending him, come to think of it.
Dropping a kiss on Sam's nose, he brought the new member of their family up to cling to his collar trustingly and ambled over to the grumpy general.
Bringing both hands up to cup Jack's jaw, he leaned over and pressed a soft kiss on his lips before puling his head back to whisper gently, "Love me, love my kitten."
He watched Jack's eyes drop to the tiny creature and then roll in exasperation, though his voice was a lot less harsh, "Beg to differ. Love you; *tolerate* the furball."
####
Home early for once, Siler ambled through the empty house, listening to the cold wind howling outside. Sam wasn't going to escape for a while and Jack was probably out shopping, but his days of feeling like an interloper here had passed long before they'd offered to add his name to the deed. Instead, he got the fire started, leaving most of the lights off to enjoy the flickering flames. In a good mood, he even took the time to pick some CDs and throw them in the player on random before he went to pour himself a tall glass of juice.
On the way, he stopped by the improvised enclosure where the little grey-stripped kitten was chasing a balled-up post-it note, laughing at how huge its tummy had gotten in just two days. It looked like a swaying beer barrel and Siler couldn't quite figure out why. Sure, they were feeding it, but only a reasonable amount. And yet- His eyes narrowed in sudden suspicion, shifting one of the newspapers covering the floor. Picking up the mystery item, he looked at it up close and sniffed.
And started laughing in earnest, snagging Leo to come cling to his chest and purr loudly. Jack was still professing to hate the newcomer, but a haphazardly cut piece of steak in his pen? No wonder the little tyke he'd found abandoned next to the stairs at the gas station was all at once catching up on the weight he'd been short of!
next in the verse Chapter 11b: Glow (NC17)