The mixers were a success. As the experienced counselors had known they
would be. The boys didn't mingle with the girls all that much, and vice
versa, but they weren't really expected to. The mixers were intended to get
the kids in each cabin to bond a bit with their counselors. This was
particularly easy for Jack, Teal'c and Daniel's boys. They were already in
serious throes of hero worship when they looked at Jack and Teal'c. Daniel
played in the rocks and that wasn't quite so cool, but he was obviously
best friends with Jack and Teal'c, and that was cool by association. Which
was close enough when you were nine.
There were no tug of wars, much to the disappointment of the boys, who were certain that with Murray on their team they would have won easily, but there plenty of games that required thinking and remembering, and Daniel had proven a master at them, much to the boys' delight. They giggled and laughed, and thoroughly enjoyed themselves, running through the gym doing relays, learning the names and birthdays of everyone else in their cabins (which made Teal'c think fast, since he couldn't use his actual birthday, of course) and finally doing the fall of trust.
The fall of trust had been quite an experience. Daniel and Jack knew they could trust Teal'c to catch them when they took turns closing their eyes and falling backwards into the arms of their boys and Teal'c. Teal'c knew that Daniel and Jack would have trouble catching him when he fell. Not that they wouldn't try, for he was certain they would, but they weren't all that strong, he knew. He pressed his hat down further on his head, and turned around to look at the group of boys that were supposed to catch him, with the help of their counselors. There was an identical look of determination on all their faces, and Teal'c wondered how many of them would be crushed under him when he fell.
"Don't worry, Murray," Andrew told him from the middle of the pack, his scrawny body poised to catch his newest friend. "We won't let you fall."
"I am not worried, Andrew," Teal'c told him. "I know you will do the best you can."
He'd fallen then. Crossed his arms over his chest, closed his eyes and leaned backwards. And they'd caught him. Jack and Daniel had taken the brunt of his weight, but there were a dozen small hands on Teal'c when he felt his fall being halted, and he knew that none of the little ones had moved backwards in fear of being flattened. He grinned up at them when they lowered him to the floor, and they'd all smiled back, cheering for themselves, and him, while the rest of the campers continued their game.
"We did it!"
"He weighs a lot!"
"Hey, Murray, did you see me catch you?"
"Indeed I did not, but I felt you catch me."
"Yeah. Just like a Air Force Seal would have done it!"
Jack grinned; reaching his hand down and helping Teal'c back to his feet. "You expected to fall on your butt, didn't you?"
"Indeed, I did, O'Neill." Teal'c said, still smiling. A truly fearful sight.
"Amazing what kids can do when they get their minds made up, isn't it?"
"Indeed." The kids had learned a lesson in trust, but so had Teal'c. He'd always trusted O'Neill and Daniel, but the big Jaffa was always reserved with who he could put his trust in, and had in one evening, playing one game, just added nine very small boys.
That had been the last of the games, and when everyone had been caught by their cabin mates, they were sent off to get ready for bed and write letters home. The boys in China ran up the hill, screaming like banshees as soon as they were dismissed, proving that no matter how many games were played, they weren't anywhere near ready to go to sleep.
Jack and Daniel were watching them run, followed closely by Teal'c, who was in charge of making sure they all brushed their teeth, when Sam and Jean and their brood of fifth grader girls came walking up to them. Jean smiled at Jack, who looked helplessly at Carter, and the little girls smiled at Daniel, en mass, who looked helplessly at Carter as well.
"How's it going so far, Sam?" Daniel asked her.
"Great, Daniel. You?"
"We're fine." He looked uncomfortably down at the girls who were crowding around Sam and Jean, but were just as obviously watching him. Sam noticed the looks, and smiled.
"Girls, you all remember Jack, right? And this is my friend Daniel."
"Hi Daniel."
"Hello."
"Hi."
Daniel waved his hand, smiling uncertainly. "Hello, you all. Having fun?"
"Yeah."
"Uh huh."
Sam smiled, and took pity on him, telling them all they needed to get up the hill and get ready for bed. There were groans all around, but they did as they were told, all of them heading up the hill, casting looks back at Daniel every now and then.
"Is it my imagination, or are they watching you, Daniel?" Jack asked, grinning at his friend's discomfort.
"They think you're cute," Jean said to Daniel, smiling and leaning a little towards Jack, who found it was his turn to feel a little uncomfortable at the attention.
"Cute?" Daniel asked, slightly startled. "They're what, eleven?"
"They're at the age," Jean said, knowledgeably, smiling.
"Carter, we need to talk," Jack said suddenly, feeling Jean reaching out and touching his hand. He moved away suddenly, taking Carter's hand and pulling her off to the side, leaving Daniel and a surprised looking Jean standing there alone.
Sam grinned, knowing full well what had made Jack so uncomfortable.
"Yes, Sir?"
"What's with her?" He asked, whispering, but making no effort to hide his discomfort.
"She thinks you're cute, Sir." Sam said, hiding her smile behind her hand.
"She's about as discrete as those girls are," he complained in a whisper.
"I'm sorry, Sir. There's not really much I can tell you that might help. She's hooked."
Desperation coursed through Jack. He had to do something, or he was going to be dodging that crazy counselor all week. Jack was a preemptive strike kind of guy, one who saw a potential problem and took care of it before it could become a problem. Only one thing popped into his frantic mind at that moment, and he did it before he could stop and think about it. Bringing his hands up, he caught Carter's face in his palms and kissed her, hard. A deep kiss that caught Sam so completely off guard that she was returning it before she even realized what she was doing.
Daniel stared. Jean stared. Everyone in the area stared. The kiss deepened for a moment, then Jack released Sam slowly, tenderly. He smiled, and took her hand, walking back to Jean and Daniel. Sam was too stunned to do anything more than follow him.
"Sorry about that," Jack said to Jean and Daniel. "Couldn't wait a moment longer."
"Um, yes." Daniel said, looking at Jack, and then Sam, who was blushing prettily. "I can understand that."
"We'd better go help Murray get the boys settled for the night," Jack said, kissing Sam's hand before releasing it. "See you both in the morning."
He turned and walked up the hill, followed closely by Daniel.
"Um, Jack?"
"Yeah, Daniel?"
"What was that?"
"What was what?"
"That... um... incredibly sexy kiss that you just shared with Sam."
"Ah." Jack smiled. The kiss had been very nice, he had to admit, but it had definitely had another purpose. "That was my way of keeping Jean at a distance. Think it worked?"
Daniel looked down the hill to where Jean was obviously pressing her new friend for information on a relationship she hadn't even known existed. Unfortunately, Sam hadn't known it existed, either, and was thinking up a story off the top her head.
"Um. Oh yeah, I'd say so."
There were no tug of wars, much to the disappointment of the boys, who were certain that with Murray on their team they would have won easily, but there plenty of games that required thinking and remembering, and Daniel had proven a master at them, much to the boys' delight. They giggled and laughed, and thoroughly enjoyed themselves, running through the gym doing relays, learning the names and birthdays of everyone else in their cabins (which made Teal'c think fast, since he couldn't use his actual birthday, of course) and finally doing the fall of trust.
The fall of trust had been quite an experience. Daniel and Jack knew they could trust Teal'c to catch them when they took turns closing their eyes and falling backwards into the arms of their boys and Teal'c. Teal'c knew that Daniel and Jack would have trouble catching him when he fell. Not that they wouldn't try, for he was certain they would, but they weren't all that strong, he knew. He pressed his hat down further on his head, and turned around to look at the group of boys that were supposed to catch him, with the help of their counselors. There was an identical look of determination on all their faces, and Teal'c wondered how many of them would be crushed under him when he fell.
"Don't worry, Murray," Andrew told him from the middle of the pack, his scrawny body poised to catch his newest friend. "We won't let you fall."
"I am not worried, Andrew," Teal'c told him. "I know you will do the best you can."
He'd fallen then. Crossed his arms over his chest, closed his eyes and leaned backwards. And they'd caught him. Jack and Daniel had taken the brunt of his weight, but there were a dozen small hands on Teal'c when he felt his fall being halted, and he knew that none of the little ones had moved backwards in fear of being flattened. He grinned up at them when they lowered him to the floor, and they'd all smiled back, cheering for themselves, and him, while the rest of the campers continued their game.
"We did it!"
"He weighs a lot!"
"Hey, Murray, did you see me catch you?"
"Indeed I did not, but I felt you catch me."
"Yeah. Just like a Air Force Seal would have done it!"
Jack grinned; reaching his hand down and helping Teal'c back to his feet. "You expected to fall on your butt, didn't you?"
"Indeed, I did, O'Neill." Teal'c said, still smiling. A truly fearful sight.
"Amazing what kids can do when they get their minds made up, isn't it?"
"Indeed." The kids had learned a lesson in trust, but so had Teal'c. He'd always trusted O'Neill and Daniel, but the big Jaffa was always reserved with who he could put his trust in, and had in one evening, playing one game, just added nine very small boys.
That had been the last of the games, and when everyone had been caught by their cabin mates, they were sent off to get ready for bed and write letters home. The boys in China ran up the hill, screaming like banshees as soon as they were dismissed, proving that no matter how many games were played, they weren't anywhere near ready to go to sleep.
Jack and Daniel were watching them run, followed closely by Teal'c, who was in charge of making sure they all brushed their teeth, when Sam and Jean and their brood of fifth grader girls came walking up to them. Jean smiled at Jack, who looked helplessly at Carter, and the little girls smiled at Daniel, en mass, who looked helplessly at Carter as well.
"How's it going so far, Sam?" Daniel asked her.
"Great, Daniel. You?"
"We're fine." He looked uncomfortably down at the girls who were crowding around Sam and Jean, but were just as obviously watching him. Sam noticed the looks, and smiled.
"Girls, you all remember Jack, right? And this is my friend Daniel."
"Hi Daniel."
"Hello."
"Hi."
Daniel waved his hand, smiling uncertainly. "Hello, you all. Having fun?"
"Yeah."
"Uh huh."
Sam smiled, and took pity on him, telling them all they needed to get up the hill and get ready for bed. There were groans all around, but they did as they were told, all of them heading up the hill, casting looks back at Daniel every now and then.
"Is it my imagination, or are they watching you, Daniel?" Jack asked, grinning at his friend's discomfort.
"They think you're cute," Jean said to Daniel, smiling and leaning a little towards Jack, who found it was his turn to feel a little uncomfortable at the attention.
"Cute?" Daniel asked, slightly startled. "They're what, eleven?"
"They're at the age," Jean said, knowledgeably, smiling.
"Carter, we need to talk," Jack said suddenly, feeling Jean reaching out and touching his hand. He moved away suddenly, taking Carter's hand and pulling her off to the side, leaving Daniel and a surprised looking Jean standing there alone.
Sam grinned, knowing full well what had made Jack so uncomfortable.
"Yes, Sir?"
"What's with her?" He asked, whispering, but making no effort to hide his discomfort.
"She thinks you're cute, Sir." Sam said, hiding her smile behind her hand.
"She's about as discrete as those girls are," he complained in a whisper.
"I'm sorry, Sir. There's not really much I can tell you that might help. She's hooked."
Desperation coursed through Jack. He had to do something, or he was going to be dodging that crazy counselor all week. Jack was a preemptive strike kind of guy, one who saw a potential problem and took care of it before it could become a problem. Only one thing popped into his frantic mind at that moment, and he did it before he could stop and think about it. Bringing his hands up, he caught Carter's face in his palms and kissed her, hard. A deep kiss that caught Sam so completely off guard that she was returning it before she even realized what she was doing.
Daniel stared. Jean stared. Everyone in the area stared. The kiss deepened for a moment, then Jack released Sam slowly, tenderly. He smiled, and took her hand, walking back to Jean and Daniel. Sam was too stunned to do anything more than follow him.
"Sorry about that," Jack said to Jean and Daniel. "Couldn't wait a moment longer."
"Um, yes." Daniel said, looking at Jack, and then Sam, who was blushing prettily. "I can understand that."
"We'd better go help Murray get the boys settled for the night," Jack said, kissing Sam's hand before releasing it. "See you both in the morning."
He turned and walked up the hill, followed closely by Daniel.
"Um, Jack?"
"Yeah, Daniel?"
"What was that?"
"What was what?"
"That... um... incredibly sexy kiss that you just shared with Sam."
"Ah." Jack smiled. The kiss had been very nice, he had to admit, but it had definitely had another purpose. "That was my way of keeping Jean at a distance. Think it worked?"
Daniel looked down the hill to where Jean was obviously pressing her new friend for information on a relationship she hadn't even known existed. Unfortunately, Sam hadn't known it existed, either, and was thinking up a story off the top her head.
"Um. Oh yeah, I'd say so."