Blonde hair.

Not that this should be unusual (although he could live with it being a little more frequent), but it was also wrong.

He just had to figure out why.

Smell.

It didn't smell like Sam.

So now he had to figure out why he was next to a blonde that didn't smell like Sam.

A blonde that was snuggling closer.

And smelled… odd.

Jack decided that tactically speaking, opening his eyes was probably a much better way of working this out than going back to sleep. It was the little things like this that could really bug at him til he worked them out.

Even if he really did want to go back to sleep.

He found himself face to face with a pair of chocolate brown eyes.

Surrounded by fur.

The smell that was pervading the air was decidedly doggy, now he thought about it. And on reflection, the claws digging into his side were definitely a subtle hint.

"Sam…?" he called out.

She appeared, cup of coffee in her hand, grinning from ear to ear.

"What do you think?" she said, fussing the Labrador as it bounded off the bed.

"It's a dog…." He replied, the smile beginning to break through.

She'd found out fairly early on in the relationship that a genuine smile from Jack was never going to be a common occurrence so she treasured each one as a gift well earned. And from the way he was enticing the half grown puppy back to him, this smile was going to be a permanent fixture for some time.

"So…. You like?"

Their eyes met, and she found herself grinning like one of his mystical loons that he always promised for their trips to Minnesota.

"It's a dog…"

"I'd noticed… I wanted something more like an opinion on him than a taxonomy lesson, Jack."

The look in his eye warned her that a straight answer was not going to be forthcoming.

"My considered opinon…." He paused, drawing it out.

"If the word "dog" is mentioned, this pillow wraps around your head…."

"Canine?" he offered. Then ducked.

Plucking the now empty coffee cup from her hands, he pulled her into his arms.

"Our dog, Carter?" The look in his eyes was incredibly intense. Neither of them had made any reference to the future of their relationship up until this point.

"What do you think?" she asked, glancing at him.

"I think, Lieutenant-Colonel, that you're not keeping him to yourself!"

"Promise?" she asked, entwining their fingers together.

Looking into her eyes, he did the only thing that could convey his feelings.

He kissed her.