A/N: This started off as a couple of separate one shots that eventually took life of their own. Also, I promise there is very little Pete here. I promise. Hope y'all enjoy!
CHAPTER 1: CAKE
Jack rounded the corner on Level 19 towards Carter's lab. He hadn't dropped by since the day she showed him the ring. That was two weeks ago. He grimaced at the subtle reminder of that conversation. Of course, just seeing her was enough of a reminder.
She was engaged. Pledged to be married. To another man.
She hadn't actually told him herself. No, Daniel let it slip out not so nonchalantly while Jack was hanging around his lab. He felt Daniel's eyes studying his reaction and cursed himself when his façade cracked. Even though a part of him wasn't surprised at all, there was an air of finality with the words "she said yes." How could something end when it never began?
He didn't know if Carter had asked Daniel to tell him so that she didn't have to or if Daniel decided to help spare both of them from the awkwardness. Either way, now he knew and it was just another one of their unspoken things. She knew that he knew. And he knew that she knew that he knew. And that was that.
However, he also knew that he couldn't avoid her forever, and of course he actually did need her report from their last mission. He heard her before he even got to the door.
"Ugh!"
"You ok there, Carter?" he asked entering the room to find her hunched over the table with papers sprawled across every inch. It was almost as bad as his desk when Walter was on vacation.
"Fine, sir."
Her sharp tone raised his eyebrows. "Want to try that again? Maybe a little more convincingly?"
"Sorry, sir. It's just, uh…wedding planning."
"Ah, I see."
"It's all just a little overwhelming. Pete gave me this list of things to do and I have no idea how it's all going to get done."
"Well I've heard it can be quite daunting; but hey, you've blown up a sun before. I'm sure this'll be a piece of cake."
"Cake!" she exclaimed and shuffled through the piles of papers. "There's a wedding dessert expo this weekend and I'm supposed to go find a baker for the cake."
"Cake is always good. You and Pete will have fun."
"Pete won't be able to make it this weekend. In fact, I'm not sure how much of this he'll be able to help with at all. They've got him working overtime to try and close a bunch of cases before he transfers."
She went back to studying the list. Jack could see her brain mentally incorporating the items on the piece of paper into her schedule of missions and projects. He was just about to interrupt when she sighed and her eyes shut tight.
"I wish Janet were here," she whispered almost to herself.
He studied her and knew exactly what she needed. He just didn't know if he was the right person to help her. But before he could tell himself how much of a bad idea it was, he heard the words leaving his mouth.
"I could go with you..." What was he doing?! She looked up at him mouth slightly agape that said she momentarily forgot he was still in the room. "That is, if you want."
"Uh…I appreciate the offer, sir, but really you don't have to. I was just rambling; I'll be fine. I'm sure you have plans for the weekend anyways."
"No, no plans. I don't mind Carter," he replied almost too quickly. He stuffed his hands deep into his pockets. "I do get to eat cake all day right?"
"Yes, sir." His heart leapt in his chest as a smile lit up her face.
"Great. How can I say no to that?"
Her smile grew even bigger, if that was possible, and he saw the genuine gratitude and relief in her eyes. "Thank you, sir. I'll text you the time and place."
He strolled out of her lab with his spirits a little lighter. That smile had become more infrequent over the past several months and when he did see it, he was rarely the recipient anymore. He cherished those moments because regardless of the circumstances, making Samantha Carter smile was his favorite thing. It wasn't until he got back to his office that he realized he never asked her for that report.
Jack strolled towards the entrance of the convention center among the horde of brides-to-be and their entourages. They had agreed to drive separately—a decision he was now regretting. He wasn't sure exactly how they were going to find each other in this crowd.
He was about to pull out his phone when he spotted her just as her eyes found him. Her demeanor relaxed as she waved and flashed him another megawatt smiles. Twice in one week! This was so not a good idea. His mind flashed back to the deflated look on her face in her lab. That reminder was enough to squash any uneasiness out of his body and he returned a genuine grin as he made his way to her.
"Hi, sir. Thanks again for coming with me."
"Well you know I can never turn down a chance to eat cake."
"Yes, sir, I do know and that has gotten us into some interesting situations in the past."
"Right, well, I'm counting on you to make sure I don't end up betrothed by the end of the day. Shall we?"
They followed the droves of people into the packed auditorium. Sam checked in at the registration booth and returned with a bag filled with goodies and map of all the vendors. As they started weaving their way through the maze, Jack flipped through one of the brochures.
"Pistachio?! Who the hell gets pistachio flavored cake?"
"That's actually the flavor Pete really wants."
"Oh, I mean, pistachio's great. Nothing beats a perfect vanilla cake, but it's still a good choice."
"The bakery Pete wanted to make sure I visited is right up front. Mind if we stop there first? They're really popular and book up super quick."
"Lead the way, Carter."
They walked up to the booth for Mélodie Cuite where a significant number of couples were already lined up to taste test and ask questions. There were several examples on display as well as a portfolio of past cakes. Sam and Jack flipped through the pictures while they waited. The cakes were extravagant, almost excessively so.
"A little over the top don't you think?" Jack mumbled so that only Sam could hear. She shifted uncomfortably.
"Hi, may I help you?" asked a young man as he approached them from the other side of the table.
"Yes, my fiancé and I were thinking of booking you for our cake."
"Excellent! First of all, congratulations and thank you for considering Mélodie Cuite to be a part of your special day. You two make a beautiful couple by the way."
"Oh, we're not…" they both stammered simultaneously.
"I mean he's just my…" "She's actually my…" "Well not just my General…" "We're just…" "Not that you're mine or anything…" "But we've never…"
"We're family," Jack finally managed to say.
"Oookay, well, we usually book up to 10-12 months in advance. Do you have a date set?"
"Um, yeah, October 20th," Sam answered as she shot a quick glance over to the General. His eyes never left the page he was staring at, but his lips pressed together and jaw twitched ever so subtly that anyone would miss it if they weren't looking for it.
"Great. Let me just double check to make sure that date is available."
"What's the average cost of one of your cakes?"
"It really depends on the number of guests, but typically they start at $750 for 100 people. There's also a $100 non-refundable deposit to secure your date."
"Wow…ok."
"Are you still interested in checking for availability?"
"Oh, yes please. Thank you. Do you have flavors to sample?"
"At the end over there. Please feel free to peruse our portfolios and I'll be right back with confirmation about your date."
"$750?! For a cake? It better have high end liquor in the batter for that price."
"It is a little exorbitant. But Pete has his mind set on them. And they are beautiful cakes."
Jack didn't dare ask why Pete would send Sam to a whole showcase if he already chose a baker obviously without her input.
"Why don't we see if they taste as good as they look?" he gestured towards the sample tasting section of the booth.
Their cake sample was red velvet. Sam watched him take a bite obviously wanting to see his reaction. Solid B-. Not bad, but definitely not worth the price tag. Luckily, before she could ask his opinion, the young man returned to confirm that her date was indeed available. Instead of placing a deposit, Sam just took a business card to call later once she confirmed with Pete. Jack could tell she still wasn't completely sold on the place and when she didn't move away from the booth, he gave her a gentle nudge with his shoulder which brought her attention back to him.
"C'mon Carter. Let's just enjoy cake the rest of the day."
And enjoy cake they did. Lots and lots of it. Jack was determined to try every vanilla cake in the state of Colorado. He insisted if you can't do vanilla cake right, then you can't be trusted with cake period. They had fun ranking all the cakes on a scale that had become very extensive expanding to nine categories as the afternoon progressed and even more fun rolling their eyes at some of the brides' specific requests. She even convinced him—more like forced him—to try a bite of pistachio for "completeness sake."
After eventually getting tired of correcting everyone that they weren't engaged and then trying to explain their relationship, they decided to split up to gather a couple samples before rendezvousing at a table in the corner. Sam was on her way back with four pieces in hand when she heard him call out to her.
"Carter, you've got to try this! It's the best chocolate cake you'll ever eat."
He held out a forkful of cake and offered it to her. She happily accepted it closing her lips around the fork as he pulled it out. Her eyes closed as she savored the rich, moist cake that melted in her mouth. She let out a delightful moan.
"I know right?! I would actually pay $750 for one of these."
"Oh goodness no, our prices are not that high," came a voice as a stout older woman walked up to join them.
"Carter, this is Aunt Sally, the genius behind the piece of heaven you just tasted."
"Oh, Jack stop it," the woman playfully batted him on the arm. "You must be the bride."
"Hi, yes, I'm Sam. Your cake is amazing."
"Oh thank you dear."
"Aunt Sally, how much would it be to make my birthday cake?"
"For you, honey, I'd do it for free."
"Now you know I would never let you do that. Ok, one more question. Do you have any vanilla cake I can try?"
"Of course, what kind of baker would I be without vanilla cake? Come with me over here. It's a recipe that's been in my family for generations. There's a secret ingredient…" Her voice trailed off as she pulled Jack to the other side of the table. He looked back over his shoulder at Sam with a boyish grin on his face.
"Your fiancé is quite the charmer. My aunt doesn't hand out free cakes and talk about our recipes to just anybody."
Sam didn't bother to correct the young woman this time as she smiled when Aunt Sally laughed again at something the General said. "He has his moments."
Sam was exhausted by the time she got home but surprisingly not completely drained emotionally or mentally. She had been dreading wedding planning alone, but the General made her feel at ease and she actually enjoyed herself today. She frowned when she thought about how little time they've spent together recently. She didn't realize just how much she missed being around him.
A smile crept back on her face when her mind wandered back to the image of him taking the first bite of Aunt Sally's vanilla cake. He was so engulfed in the deliciousness that he didn't notice all the frosting on his face. She giggled to herself until she remembered how she fought the urge to swipe her fingers over his lips...or her tongue. Before she could allow her thoughts to travel further into inappropriate territory, she was startled by her ringtone.
"Hey babe, how'd it go?"
"It was good. The bakery you liked said that our date was available and the cake wasn't bad."
"Did you reserve them?"
"Um, well no there was a $100 deposit to save the date."
"Why didn't you do it?"
"Well there were dozens of other bakeries there and those were kind of expensive so I thought we could maybe talk about it. Oh, there was this one really cute bakery with the sweetest woman—"
"Sam, that's really nice but Mélodie Cuite makes the best wedding cakes and I want only the best for you. I mean they were beautiful right babe?"
"Well, yeah."
"Beautiful cake for a beautiful bride."
"But the price—"
"This is our wedding Sam. Haven't you dreamt about a big beautiful cake for your wedding?"
"Actually I always thought—"
"Oh hey babe, I gotta go. I'm meeting some of the guys from work. So you'll reserve Mélodie Cuite tomorrow right?"
"Um, sure."
"Thanks. Love you! Bye."
"Love you—" Sam looked at the receiver with silence on the other end, "—too."