Stuffed Chapter 5 – Dessert

Jack stacked the dinner dishes, put the leftover turkey carcass on the kitchen table, and took the piece de resistance from the fridge. The idea for dessert came to him quite suddenly and he just knew that it would be the perfect ending to a special meal. He didn’t even consult a cookbook.

So far, Sam seemed to be enjoying everything he set in front of her. He looked down at the now bare drumstick from her plate. Lord, that woman could eat. He was thrilled that everything was going so well.

Sam had not felt so relaxed in a long, long time - actually, euphoric. She felt pampered and loved and would never have imagined that Jack could be so attentive in such a homey kind of way. The dinner was wonderful. They talked and teased and seemed so at ease.

Months before, both of them were finding ways to run from each other. Her dad was trying to tell her something when he died; she was afraid to listen. The truth did catch up with her, though, and by some miraculous twist of fate, she and Jack disengaged themselves from desperate relationships and finally faced each other. Today confirmed what she always knew, that she and Jack were meant to be together.

She stood up to stretch her leg and studied the picture of the exploding star. Without knowing it, she began to hum.

Jack peeked in to ask if she wanted coffee or tea and was surprised to hear Sam humming. Her back was turned to him and that gave him an advantage. He stayed silent and drank in her presence.

Forget the sexy pink sweater; she was a knockout in his blue shirt. The candlelight flickered on her back and hair. God, how he wanted her, but they would take it slowly, as he promised. It would be her choice to change the pace.

“Humworthy?”

She jumped, caught in her own reverie, and turned to face him.

“Excuse me?”

“You were humming.”

“I was?” The color in her cheeks deepened.

“Penny for your thoughts.” He came to her side and put his arms around her.

“Nothing much, nothing profound.”

“No techno babble to confuse me?”

There it was again, the Sam Carter megawatt smile. He could fill himself on a diet of her smiles and never go hungry.

Her eyes were shining brightly. “I never knew I could be this happy.”

“Now that is definitely humworthy.” His lips found hers and they lingered over a long, loving kiss.

“Ready for dessert?”

“Can anything be more tasty than this?” She pulled his face down to her again and they kissed once more, tongues touching and eliciting sounds of pleasure.

He was grinning widely as he placed his fingers on her lips. “Sit down. I’ve got a surprise. I made an original dessert, just for you.”

The room had suddenly gotten very, very 'hot' and he was glad to return to the safety of the kitchen for the final course.

“Do you want coffee or tea?” he called back.

“Coffee, black. That would be great.”

Jack put the coffee on, added whipped cream to his original concoction, and then marched proudly into the dining room.

At first, Sam wasn’t quite sure what was on the plate. In the candlelight, she could only discern a rather large, dark mass of something in the middle of whipped cream, lots of whipped cream.

Jack was beaming. He set the dessert in front of her, awaiting her reaction.

“Jack?”

She seemed a bit … puzzled? How could she not know what this was? She remained quiet, probably touched by his thoughtfulness. Impress, impress. Way to a woman’s heart, Jack. Why wasn’t she gushing?

“Jack, could you turn on the room lights?”

“Sam, why would I do that?”

“To let me see what I’m about to put in my mouth. Did you say this is an original recipe?”

“Yes, one of your favorites with a slightly exotic flair.”

Sam took her dessert spoon and poked at the wriggling circle of …

Omigod, it was blue jello! A mound of quivering blue jello with some kind of dark raisins or fruit swimming inside …surrounded by a ring of whipped cream.

“Jack, it’s quite … unique. Does it have a name?”

She was trying hard to work up some enthusiasm. She sure as heck didn’t want to hurt his feelings.

“You can’t tell?” He seemed surprised.

She decided to bluff. “I think the chef should be the one to first utter the name of any new creation. It’s a form of 'owning'.”

She could see that he wasn’t getting her drift. “Jack, all great artists name their paintings first and then unveil them to the world. I think you should say the name first and I’ll … I’ll applaud.”

Jack looked down at the blue jello and then back at her. Not taking his eyes off her face, he quickly spoke, “Le Stargate Bleu”.

Sam clapped politely and said “Magnificent!”

Jack was getting even more excited. Taking a knife, he used it as a pointer to further define all the nuances of his creation.

“Sam, you really did catch on, right? I mean, I used the whipped cream for the Gate and then set the blue inside for the event horizon – kawoosh! It came to me in a dream last night.”

Sam had never struggled so hard in her life to keep a straight face.

“Jack, it’s brilliant – art as life. The little dark things inside are just the only parts confusing me a bit.”

Jack prodded the blue jello with a fork and extracted a cranberry. He held it up for Sam’s inspection.

“Cranberries inside the event horizon?”

“Sure, they symbolize the molecular deconstruction – I thought you’d be impressed. Besides, it’s Thanksgiving.”

A very full Sam Carter rested her head languidly against Jack O’Neill’s shoulder. Suddenly, she sat up and shook him awake.

“What?”

“Stuffing. You never made the stuffing.”

“Yeah, I thought I forgot something. We’ll do it tomorrow.”

Sam lay back against Jack’s shoulder.

“Guess I should set you up in the guest room.”

Both were too exhausted to move and continued to watch the flames flicker in the fireplace.

“It’s been an awesome day, couldn’t have asked for better. We have a lot to be thankful for.”

“Jack?”

“What?”

“Don’t make the spare bed up on my account. I’ll be glad to sleep with you.”