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Daniel’s birthday was not something Sam would usually have anything to do with, save the actual attending part. But when Vala had come bounding up to her after briefing, enthusiastically telling her she was planning it all, Sam knew she had to step up and help. Vala’s parties were known to be a lot like her: energetic, quirky, loud, unpredictable, never what they first appear to be; the list goes on. Daniel’s feelings towards Vala were… often hostile, and Sam assumed his attitude toward that kind of party may be scarily similar. So she’d helped tone it down a little. She hadn’t completely taken over, she’d just removed some of the Vala from it.
Sam was headed to Jack’s room. Jack had returned to SGC for the occasion; he thought a lot of Daniel, and to show the man up on his own birthday by wearing something ridiculous, Sam knew was something he’d never want to do. So she’d promised to give him a look over before they left.
She tapped on the door and waited until Jack’s voice beckoned her. The edges of her mouth curved into a smile when she saw him standing in the middle of the room wearing a black suit, white shirt… looking very well-groomed. Sam was not one for fashion, but it wasn’t long until her eyes noticed the material that hung around his neck. It was a colour she couldn’t put a name on; somewhere between brown and green, adorned with circles of a pink/orange colour within which were squares of a blue/black colour.
“Um, Jack?” Her eyes never left the tie.
“Yes?” He was smiling triumphantly, as if he didn’t see the monstrosity of a tie he was wearing that clashed with everything in the room. Including itself.
Sam approached him, loosened it, and pulled it over his head before casually throwing aside.
“Not this tie.”
The look Jack gave her was one usually only found upon someone’s face after witnessing a puppy being kicked.
“Jack, you can’t seriously-”
His laughter stopped her.
“Oh, no. I just wanted to see what you’d do.” She punched him lightly on the arm. “It’s not even mine. I took it from Landry’s room.”
Sam giggled and walked over to the dresser, wondering why on earth Landry owned such a tie. She pulled a plain black one from one of the drawers and tied it around Jack’s neck.
“Much better,” she smiled.
Jack smiled back.
“Ready?” he asked, holding his arm out to her.
“As I’ll ever be,” she replied, taking it. “At least we it’s not gonna be as disastrous as Cam’s birthday. Vala had entire reign on that one.”