A Cooking Lesson
Title:
A Cooking
Lesson
Author: Suz W.
Feedback: Happily
Accepted!
Spoilers: After There But For The Grace Of God, Politics, and In Line Of
Duty (episode tag)
Rating: PG
Category: S/J Friendship
Summary: Jack and Sam learn to cook together.
Disclaimer: All publicity recognizable characters and places are
the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for
entertainment not monetary purposes and no infringement on copyrights or
trademarks was intended.
Copyright: The original characters, situations, and story are
the property of the author. Copyrighted
on August 24, 2003, by Suzanne R. Whitmarsh.
Author’s
Notes: This story follows “As
Fate Would Have It”.
Dedication: For all those devoted to S/J!
It was a beautiful, cloudless day. Late fall had taken its hold on Colorado, and the mountains echoed in response. The temperature was now averaging a chilly 50 degrees, never going above 55 degrees Fahrenheit, even in the warmth of the noonday sun. The trees had dropped most of their leaves, coloring the ground in reds, oranges, yellows, and browns. The sky above spun the heavens into a deep crystal blue, and a slight breeze blew down from the mountaintops, giving the valleys below the first hint of the coming winter.
As Jack drove, the beauty of the day went unnoticed. His mind was lost in a whirl of thought, going over SG-1’s previous mission a week ago. The team had been on stand down since, awaiting Carter’s recovery. Recovery, yes, but not from any wound that would heal with medicine and time. The kind of recovery Sam needed wouldn’t come any time soon. After being taken over by the Goa’uld, Jolinar of Malkshur, Sam had spent an agonizing few days being controlled by that snake. Jack gripped the wheel tighter as he continued to remember his own agony and hate at watching her being held ‘prisoner’. Attempting to talk to the Goa’uld had been awful, and his heart had practically ripped in two when Sam (or rather the Goa’uld using Sam’s voice) had begged him not to leave her. He’d had to convince himself over and over as he walked away from the holding cell that it wasn’t really her.
After finding her on the floor of her cell, unconscious and barely clinging to life, he’d felt completely helpless. He didn’t know how much torture she’d endured before succumbing to the Ashrack, but all he’d cared about at that moment was not losing her. He’d felt sick to his stomach as he watched Dr. Fraiser attempt to bring her back, refusing to leave her, even when the alarm had been sounded in the Gate Room.
But she had fought her way back. Seeing her alive had given his heart an unbelievable jolt of happiness. Yet at the same time, he could see that what she had gone through was going to leave permanent scars. Her eyes, those beautiful blue eyes that he loved to look at, were now pools of sadness. The Goa’uld had incredibly died in order to save her life, or so Sam kept saying. Jack was still trying to believe that any Goa’uld could have an ounce of decency in it. The memory stamp that had been left in her mind had seemed to haunt her ever since, and one week later, she was still at home, hiding from the world.
Jack knew that she needed her space, time to sort through things, away from the others. But it had been a week, and no one had seen her. No calls to the lab to see how things were going, no inquiries on Daniel’s latest project, and more importantly, no request to be put back on active duty. Jack had phoned her a few times to check on her, and to hear her voice. She had assured him that she was getting better, and would only need a few more days. But those days had past, and Teal’c and Daniel, along with General Hammond, were looking to him for answers.
He pulled his truck into the driveway and looked at Sam’s house. Taking a deep breath, he pushed his disturbing thoughts away for now, and gathered up the things he’d brought. Stepping into the brisk air revived his senses, and he closed his eyes and tilted his head to the sky, letting the warm rays of sun shine down on his skin.
‘I’m going to help you through this, Sam. I know you’ve got the strength to do it.’ Jack thought, as he put his keys in his coat pocket, grabbed the bag of groceries he brought off the seat, shut the door, and headed up her walkway.
“Jack,” Sam said, with a surprise in her voice as she opened the front door, squinting her eyes against the bright sunlight. “What are you doing here?” She sounded tired, and she knew Jack could hear it.
“Well, Sam, I thought it was about time that we re-introduced you to the world.” Looking at her, he could see that she hadn’t slept much. Her eyes, normally clear and bright, were dull and practically lifeless. He could also see she hadn’t eaten much, and had even possibly lost some weight. Seeing her like this only made his decision to come spend time with her more concrete.
Sam gave Jack a weak smile. “Oh, really? And how were you planning on doing that,” she asked him, feeling stronger the moment she saw him.
“Well, that’s easy. I figured it wouldn’t hurt if we both brushed up on our cooking skills, since we had to rely on the grocery store for the last dinner we had together. So,” Jack said, with a wink of his eye, “here I am, supplies and all!” He gave the bag he held a gentle lift and grinned at her.
Sam couldn’t help but return his smile. “Cooking, huh? And this will help ‘re-introduce me’ to the world?” She said, stepping aside to let him in.
Jack quickly looked around. The house was dark due to the shades being drawn, and everything looked untouched, as if she’d been in bed the entire time. He could have kicked himself right there for not having come sooner. It was obvious she needed a friend.
“Yes,” he said, answering her question, “I think it will be a good start. After all, we need to get you back on your feet so we can be cleared for our next mission. I think Daniel’s going to go nuts if he doesn’t get a new piece of culture to study.”
Smiling at the image that was created in her head of Daniel pacing endlessly by the Gate, she looked at Jack. “Well, I guess we’d better do something about that then.” She could feel herself slowly returning, even in the few minutes he’d been here. It was a welcomed relief, and made her suddenly realize how much she’d missed seeing him.
Jack, suddenly pleased with himself at her response, smiled and lifted his chin slightly. “Well, what do you say we get cooking then? I don’t know about you, but all this cool mountain air has worked up my appetite.”
Sam led him down the hall and into the kitchen. “So what are we having for dinner,” she said, looking over her shoulder at him as she rounded the island counter in the center of her kitchen.
Jack put the bag down and looked at her, glad to see a little enthusiasm showing up in her voice. “Assuming you have a barbeque grill, I’ve brought ingredients to put together some great Chicken Kabobs, along with an award winning apple pie recipe, or so I’m told. I’ve never actually made a pie before.” Jack said, hesitating in thought, and shrugging his shoulders in the process. “But, I figured, what the heck. Perfect time to learn how to do it, together.”
Sam laughed. “That sounds potentially hazardous. Are you sure we want to experiment with the grill and the oven in the same day?”
Jack pretended to act hurt. “Sam, I’m offended! Do you actually think that I can’t handle a grill? That’s a man’s basic territory!”
“Oh really! Well then, I guess you can be in charge of that side of our dinner.” Sam smiled playfully as she said this, still amazed that only an hour ago, she’d felt no type of emotion what so ever.
“Fair enough. But we’re going to share the responsibility of putting it all together. That way, if it turns out to be not quite edible, it won’t be all my fault.” Jack watched her as she nodded her head in agreement, glad to see the light returning to her eyes and face.
They unloaded the bag of ingredients he’d brought, including chicken, an assortment of vegetables, skewers, apples, and two recipe cards. On the counter, Jack sorted the items out as Sam got out the cutting board and a sharp knife.
Jack looked at the apple pie recipe, and then looked at her with a foolish grin. “Now, before we go any further, I’m assuming that you have the basic needed staples, such as butter and sugar?”
Sam smiled and gave his shoulder a slight shove with her hand. “Yes, Martha Stewart, I have sugar. I know I don’t cook that much, but I’m not totally in the dark ages!”
Jack held up his hands in defense, holding onto his grin. “Okay, just checking.”
After preparing the marinade and putting the cut up chicken into it to soak for a few hours, Jack and Sam proceeded to cut up the various colored bell peppers and mushrooms that would be needed.
As Sam cut up the onion, Jack watched with growing amusement at how the onion was making her eyes water. As tears started rolling down her cheeks, he couldn’t resist from being sarcastic. “Now, Sam,” he said as seriously as he could, placing a hand on her shoulder, “there’s no need to cry. I’m sure the onion will taste great, no matter how you cut it.”
Jack laughed as Sam wiped at her eyes with her sleeve. She turned her head towards him and giving him a dirty, but playful look. Suddenly, she straightened up and softened her expression, putting a purr into her tone. “Jack,” she said, turning her body towards him, “I want to show you something.”
As she took a closing step towards him, his feet became firmly planted on the ground, as his heart picked up speed. Wondering what she had up her sleeve, his mind raced with possibilities. When she was a hand width from him, she slowly raised her hand towards his face. Their eyes held momentarily, and his mind became void of all thought.
Seeing that she had him right where she wanted, Sam quickly raised her hand the rest of the way, bringing it right under his nose. Suddenly, he jerked back, his eyes instantly watering as the onion she held in her hand emitted its potent smell. She laughed softly as he rubbed his eyes, looking stunned.
“Now that wasn’t fair, Carter. What was that for,” Jack said, trying to act mad, but failing miserably as he returned her infectious smile.
“Serves you right! I wanted to show you that the way I cut my onion has nothing to do with my eyes watering.” Sam watched him as he finished wiping his eyes, placing a hand on the counter and smiling.
“Touché`” Jack said, really enjoying this side of her.
Having finished cutting up the onion, Sam held up her hands. “Okay, how `bout we call a truce, and get that apple pie made. One thing I do know is that with the apples in season, it should be really good.”
“That is if we don’t screw it up!” Jack responded.
“Now where’s that famous O’Neill confidence? We’re going to make that pie, and it’s going to be great! After all, with two of us here, it can’t be that hard.”
Jack took over the cutting board duties and proceeded to cut up the apples, while Sam mixed together the first batch of dough needed for the crust. Not having a rolling pin, she improvised, putting the dough between two sheets of wax paper and using a book to flatten it. Once that was done, she and Jack mixed the apples with the spices that the recipe called for. They placed the mixture in the pie pan, which was lined with the first batch of dough that Sam had flattened out.
Getting the top crust on was a little more of a challenge. After Sam had once again flattened out the dough, she and Jack tried to figure out the best way to get it on.
“Tell you what,” Jack said, “I’ll hold the pie up and you quickly flip the crust on over the top.”
Not seeing a better way to do it, Sam agreed. Working together (with some maneuvering), they managed to get it on with relatively little problem. Congratulating each other, Sam cut some slices in the top for steam to escape, and together, they sprinkled sugar and cinnamon on top.
With the pie in the oven for the next 45 minutes, and knowing the chicken wouldn’t be ready for the next 30 minutes, Jack and Sam each took a beer from the fridge and sat down in the living room. They’d wanted to go outside, but with the air as brisk as it was, they figured they’d spend more time listening to their teeth chattering than to each other.
The setting sun poured its golden rays into the room, lighting up everything in a soft glow. As they sat there, enjoying each other’s presence and the smells beginning to flow from the oven, Jack looked at Sam and admired how much better she looked from just a few hours ago. The sunlight danced in her hair, making her eyes shine. He didn’t realize until that moment how much he’d missed her this past week.
“I’m glad to see you’re doing better. We were all concerned for you,” Jack said with sincerity, and hesitating, continued. “How are you doing, dealing with the memories and all?”
Sam, sitting next to him on the couch, gave him a sad smile. “I seem to have all of Jolinar’s memories, his feelings, thoughts, and experiences. I know I’ve only begun to even scratch the surface of his life. I still am trying to form a clear picture in my head of what he looked like, who he knew. I guess I’ve been finding it difficult to separate out what are his feelings, and what are mine. He apparently has lived an amazing life.”
Jack moved uncomfortably on the couch. “I’m not going to pretend that I have a shared appreciation for whoever Jolinar was. All I know is what he did to you. He almost killed you, putting you through what I can only imagine as hell in the process.” Jack took a breath and looked at her. “Sorry, I guess I’m still dealing with it myself.”
Sam placed her hand on top of his, touched by his show of concern for her. As he looked at her, she smiled softly. “I’m not asking you to see this at my level. I appreciate you trying. It’s just something that I’ll have to gradually handle as the days go by. I don’t know how much more I’ll remember, if anything, but it’s nice to know I’ve got your support.”
Lost in the moment and by what she was saying, Jack instinctively pulled her into his arms. Holding her felt so right. All he wanted to do was protect her. Protect her from the nightmares she was sure to have, protect her from memories that were not her own. After a moment, he found his voice. “I promise you that I’ll always be here for you, whenever you need it.”
Hugging him tighter before he released her, she smiled. “Thanks, Jack. That means a lot.”
They sat there for a while longer, Jack filling her in on what he’d been doing over her week absence, which wasn’t much. Deciding it was time to put together the kabobs, Jack went out to light the grill as Sam started on the first skewer. Coming back in to help her, they each put together their own design of veggies, chicken, mushrooms, tomatoes, and the ‘famous’ onion. Once the kabobs were on the grill, they took the pie out and found their mouths watering as the sight and smell invaded their senses.
Twenty minutes later, they were seated at the table, enjoying not only each other’s company, but the dinner that they had made together. It had turned out wonderfully, surprising them both.
“Well,” Jack said, “I think we’ll have to do this more often. I haven’t eaten this well in,” he paused, thinking, “a long time.”
“Try never for me,” Sam said, smiling. “My meals usually consist of base food, or when at home, something I can throw in the microwave.”
“So how is it that you have a grill then,” Jack asked, curiosity getting the better of him.
“My dad gave it to me. I guess he thought it might inspire me to start cooking.”
Jack smiled at her. “And did it?”
Looking at him for a thoughtful moment, she gave him a shy smile. “It has now.”
Jack looked at her, hearing the meaning behind what she said. Feeling relaxed and at ‘at home’, he let his mind forget that Sam was his 2IC, and let his thoughts drift back to when Daniel had been in that alternate reality. He and Sam had been engaged. The idea of having her in his life this way, sitting across the table from him, looking beautiful, cooking together, going to bed and waking up with each other, forever, really had an appeal.
‘Who knows,’ he thought to himself, ‘maybe one day, if it works out, I’ll get a chance to make that reality happen here.’
Jack looked out of the window next to him, and gazed at the new night sky. And, at that very moment, a shooting star fell from the heavens and streaked across the sky. Feeling inspired, he took a leap of faith, and wished upon that star.
Recipes (from my kitchen to yours)
1 / 2 c. vegetable oil
1 / 4 c. soy sauce
1 / 4 c. Chablis or other dry white wine
1 / 4 c. light corn syrup
1 TBSP. Sesame seeds
2 TBSP. Lemon juice
1 / 4 tsp. Garlic powder
1 / 4 tsp. Ground ginger
4 chicken breast halves, skinned, boned, & cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
1 Green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Yellow/Orange bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 onion, quartered
8 large fresh mushroom caps
16 cherry tomatoes
Combine first 8 ingredients; stir well. Add chicken; cover and marinate at least 2 hours in refrigerator.
Remove chicken from marinade; bring marinade to a boil. Alternate chicken with peppers, onion, mushroom, and tomatoes (best to put cherry tomatoes on each end of skewer). Grill about 6 inches from medium-hot coals for about 15-20 minutes, or until done, turning and basting often with marinade. Yield: 4-8 skewers (depending on how much chicken and veggies are prepared).
Prize-winning Apple Pie (from an apple farm in Missouri)
7-8 medium apples (Jonathan are preferred)
3 / 4 to 1 c. sugar
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 dash Nutmeg
1 TBSP corn starch
1 dash salt
4 TBSP. Butter
Slice apples; mix sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, corn starch, and salt; mix with apples; place in unbaked pie crust; dot with butter; add top crust; pinch off sides with thumb and index finger; cut slits in the crust for steam to escape; sprinkle top generously with sugar and cinnamon; bake a 450 degrees for 10 minutes; then, reduce heat to 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Let cool on cooling rack.
1 3 / 4 c. flour
1 / 2 c. oil
1 tsp. Salt
3 TBSP. Cold water
Mix and roll out between two sheets of wax paper (no flour needed). If crust is too dry, add more oil. Repeat this twice for top and bottom crust.
Next Story---> "An Evening In The Park"