A very loud horn sounded the next morning to wake the campers. A loud horn
that had to be right under Jack's pillow from the sound of it. The Colonel
groaned and lifted his head, noticing that daylight was filtering into the
cabin through the gaps in the blinds on the windows. There was a groan from
the other side of the cabin, and Jack heard Daniel rustling around in his
bunk.
"Morning already? It can't be." The archeologist covered his head with his pillow.
Jack checked his watch. Sure enough, it was. Although six AM was a little early to start the first day of his vacation. He sat up, and reached under his bed to pull out his bag. Better to get showered and dressed before all the boys started clogging the bathroom.
He nudged Teal'c silently as he passed his bunk, waking the Jaffa, and giving him a chance to get changed and showered before the boys were fully awake and moving around. As it was, from the looks of things, none of the boys had apparently even heard the horn. Or they were all pretending to be asleep so they could lounge in bed a few moments longer.
Teal'c joined O'Neill, closing the bathroom door behind the two, and then waiting patiently for his turn in the shower. They didn't speak much, not wanting to disturb their boys, but then, the two of them never really had a need to fill up empty spaces with small talk anyways. Jack showered and shaved, then dressed and left the bathroom to Teal'c and walked out to wake up the kids.
"Good morning, campers," he called, going from bed to bed, ruffling hair and tickling, and doing whatever else was necessary to make sure his charges were up. There was a lot of eye rubbing and yawning as the boys sat up in bed and looked over at the Colonel, waiting to see what he wanted them to do.
"Murray's in the bathroom now. As soon as he's done, you guys have about an hour to get dressed and wake up." He looked at the schedule he'd pulled from the pocket of his jeans. "It says there's going to be an inspection of the cabins, so that means you'd better make your beds, too, okay?"
There were general grunts of agreement, and a few groans, but Jack ignored them and looked back down at the schedule.
"Breakfast is at eight. How many of you have watches?"
A few boys raised their hands.
"Okay, Simon and Andrew. It's your job to make sure everyone knows when it's 7:45, okay? That way no one is late for breakfast. Daniel will help you round them up, if you need help."
He waited to see if there were any objections, but nobody said anything. Daniel privately thought that it was more because Jack had such a natural aura of command that the kids were obeying without even realizing it.
"Okay. I'm going to go down and see about breakfast." Which roughly translated into 'I need a cup of coffee so badly I'm going to abandon Teal'c and Daniel to the mercies of you kids'
"Make sure they having pancakes, Jack. I love pancakes."
"And bacon!"
"And sausage gravy."
"I want cereal!"
Jack nodded, grinned at Daniel, and then ducked out the front door of China and headed down the hill.
The camp was quiet in the early morning. There were a few noises coming from the girls' cabins, but Jack didn't go close enough to hear what they were. He had one objective on his mind. He walked into the main building, and headed for the cafeteria. Opening the door, he saw that it was deserted, except for a couple of cook helpers who were setting up tables for the kids to eat at.
The tables were round, and large. It looked to Jack as though they'd hold about twelve people or so, which was good, because that meant he could have his entire group of boys seated together where he could keep an eye on them. There was a smaller table near the door to the kitchen, and Jack saw that someone had set up a pot of coffee. He made a beeline for it, and gratefully poured a cup. The cook came out, then, and introduced himself. He was a tiny man with a grin that took up his entire face, and Jack liked him immediately.
"Jared Miller."
"Jack O'Neill."
"I've never seen you here, before, Jack. Is this your first time?"
"Yeah. First time being a counselor, too." Jack admitted.
"Ah. How do you like it so far?"
"It's a lot more fun than I expected it to be, truth to tell. I wasn't really enthusiastic when I was told I was coming, but I'm having a ball."
"Oh, you were volunteered, huh?"
"Oh yeah."
"Well, since you're new, how about I give you a rundown on how we're going to do the meals? That way you can pass it on to your boys when they come down."
"Sounds good to me." Jack took another sip of coffee.
Jared pointed at a serving window that separated the kitchen from the dining room. "That's where we put the food. Each table has one kid, called 'the runner' who is responsible for getting all the food for his or her table. This way we don't have a lot of kids on their feet when it's better to have only a few."
That made complete sense to Jack. He nodded that he understood, and Jared continued.
"The runner gets a plate of everything and takes it back to the tables until everyone has enough for firsts. Then he gets a chance to sit down and eat before he goes brings up the platters and bowls to get them refilled for seconds. We just keep loading them up until all the kids have had all they want."
The door to the cafeteria opened and Carter walked in with Sally, the other France counselor. Jack smiled a welcome, and gestured for the two to join him. They walked over and Jack handed his cup of coffee to Carter, who really looked like she could use a cup.
"Thanks." She took a sip, and Jack noticed that Jared was looking at her with appreciation. And not for her sharp mind.
"You remember Sally, Jack?" Sam said, using his first name deliberately, even though it wasn't common for her to.
"I do." Jack flashed Sally a smile, and poured her a cup of coffee as well. "Jared here was just explaining the runner system to me." He said, taking the other man's attention from Carter and bringing it back to him.
"Sally has counseled here, before," Sam said, noticing the look Jared had given her. "She explained it to me." She took another sip of her coffee. "She also said it's not a bad idea for one of the counselors to be sitting at the table when the kids get here. That way they don't wander around looking for where they're supposed to be."
"Good thinking."
Sally smiled, "I've learned quite a few ways to make things a little smoother when it comes to getting the kids organized."
"Sounds like it," Jack said. "I for one am always willing to get as many insider tips as I can."
Jared was concentrating on Sam again, with a look that Jack knew well. He'd seen it on Jean's face just the night before. He could understand the man's infatuation. Sam was lovely, Jack knew. Especially freshly showered and looking so natural. Dress blues and military green really didn't look as good on her as a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt did.
Sam noticed the looks as well, and reached out and took Jack's hand. She didn't say anything, although she did color slightly, and Jack understood immediately what she was doing. Preemptive strike! He squeezed her hand gently, to let her know that he was okay with the deception, and then turned back to his conversation with Sally and Jared.
"Let's go get our tables," Sally said, smiling. "Sam and I will get the one next to yours, Jack. That way you two can be as close as you can." She led them to a couple of tables that had been set, and claimed a spot. Carter released Jack's hand and sat down next to Sally, while O'Neill sat at the next table over, only a couple feet from the two women.
"So tell me, Jack," Sally said, as she got comfortable. "Is your friend Daniel married? Sam wouldn't say, although the girls pestered her all night with questions about him. Is he really an archeologist? That must make for some fascinating conversations."
Wondering what it was about Daniel that had all the females in the camp so crazy, Jack sipped his coffee and allowed himself to be interrogated as they waited for their kids to arrive.
"Morning already? It can't be." The archeologist covered his head with his pillow.
Jack checked his watch. Sure enough, it was. Although six AM was a little early to start the first day of his vacation. He sat up, and reached under his bed to pull out his bag. Better to get showered and dressed before all the boys started clogging the bathroom.
He nudged Teal'c silently as he passed his bunk, waking the Jaffa, and giving him a chance to get changed and showered before the boys were fully awake and moving around. As it was, from the looks of things, none of the boys had apparently even heard the horn. Or they were all pretending to be asleep so they could lounge in bed a few moments longer.
Teal'c joined O'Neill, closing the bathroom door behind the two, and then waiting patiently for his turn in the shower. They didn't speak much, not wanting to disturb their boys, but then, the two of them never really had a need to fill up empty spaces with small talk anyways. Jack showered and shaved, then dressed and left the bathroom to Teal'c and walked out to wake up the kids.
"Good morning, campers," he called, going from bed to bed, ruffling hair and tickling, and doing whatever else was necessary to make sure his charges were up. There was a lot of eye rubbing and yawning as the boys sat up in bed and looked over at the Colonel, waiting to see what he wanted them to do.
"Murray's in the bathroom now. As soon as he's done, you guys have about an hour to get dressed and wake up." He looked at the schedule he'd pulled from the pocket of his jeans. "It says there's going to be an inspection of the cabins, so that means you'd better make your beds, too, okay?"
There were general grunts of agreement, and a few groans, but Jack ignored them and looked back down at the schedule.
"Breakfast is at eight. How many of you have watches?"
A few boys raised their hands.
"Okay, Simon and Andrew. It's your job to make sure everyone knows when it's 7:45, okay? That way no one is late for breakfast. Daniel will help you round them up, if you need help."
He waited to see if there were any objections, but nobody said anything. Daniel privately thought that it was more because Jack had such a natural aura of command that the kids were obeying without even realizing it.
"Okay. I'm going to go down and see about breakfast." Which roughly translated into 'I need a cup of coffee so badly I'm going to abandon Teal'c and Daniel to the mercies of you kids'
"Make sure they having pancakes, Jack. I love pancakes."
"And bacon!"
"And sausage gravy."
"I want cereal!"
Jack nodded, grinned at Daniel, and then ducked out the front door of China and headed down the hill.
The camp was quiet in the early morning. There were a few noises coming from the girls' cabins, but Jack didn't go close enough to hear what they were. He had one objective on his mind. He walked into the main building, and headed for the cafeteria. Opening the door, he saw that it was deserted, except for a couple of cook helpers who were setting up tables for the kids to eat at.
The tables were round, and large. It looked to Jack as though they'd hold about twelve people or so, which was good, because that meant he could have his entire group of boys seated together where he could keep an eye on them. There was a smaller table near the door to the kitchen, and Jack saw that someone had set up a pot of coffee. He made a beeline for it, and gratefully poured a cup. The cook came out, then, and introduced himself. He was a tiny man with a grin that took up his entire face, and Jack liked him immediately.
"Jared Miller."
"Jack O'Neill."
"I've never seen you here, before, Jack. Is this your first time?"
"Yeah. First time being a counselor, too." Jack admitted.
"Ah. How do you like it so far?"
"It's a lot more fun than I expected it to be, truth to tell. I wasn't really enthusiastic when I was told I was coming, but I'm having a ball."
"Oh, you were volunteered, huh?"
"Oh yeah."
"Well, since you're new, how about I give you a rundown on how we're going to do the meals? That way you can pass it on to your boys when they come down."
"Sounds good to me." Jack took another sip of coffee.
Jared pointed at a serving window that separated the kitchen from the dining room. "That's where we put the food. Each table has one kid, called 'the runner' who is responsible for getting all the food for his or her table. This way we don't have a lot of kids on their feet when it's better to have only a few."
That made complete sense to Jack. He nodded that he understood, and Jared continued.
"The runner gets a plate of everything and takes it back to the tables until everyone has enough for firsts. Then he gets a chance to sit down and eat before he goes brings up the platters and bowls to get them refilled for seconds. We just keep loading them up until all the kids have had all they want."
The door to the cafeteria opened and Carter walked in with Sally, the other France counselor. Jack smiled a welcome, and gestured for the two to join him. They walked over and Jack handed his cup of coffee to Carter, who really looked like she could use a cup.
"Thanks." She took a sip, and Jack noticed that Jared was looking at her with appreciation. And not for her sharp mind.
"You remember Sally, Jack?" Sam said, using his first name deliberately, even though it wasn't common for her to.
"I do." Jack flashed Sally a smile, and poured her a cup of coffee as well. "Jared here was just explaining the runner system to me." He said, taking the other man's attention from Carter and bringing it back to him.
"Sally has counseled here, before," Sam said, noticing the look Jared had given her. "She explained it to me." She took another sip of her coffee. "She also said it's not a bad idea for one of the counselors to be sitting at the table when the kids get here. That way they don't wander around looking for where they're supposed to be."
"Good thinking."
Sally smiled, "I've learned quite a few ways to make things a little smoother when it comes to getting the kids organized."
"Sounds like it," Jack said. "I for one am always willing to get as many insider tips as I can."
Jared was concentrating on Sam again, with a look that Jack knew well. He'd seen it on Jean's face just the night before. He could understand the man's infatuation. Sam was lovely, Jack knew. Especially freshly showered and looking so natural. Dress blues and military green really didn't look as good on her as a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt did.
Sam noticed the looks as well, and reached out and took Jack's hand. She didn't say anything, although she did color slightly, and Jack understood immediately what she was doing. Preemptive strike! He squeezed her hand gently, to let her know that he was okay with the deception, and then turned back to his conversation with Sally and Jared.
"Let's go get our tables," Sally said, smiling. "Sam and I will get the one next to yours, Jack. That way you two can be as close as you can." She led them to a couple of tables that had been set, and claimed a spot. Carter released Jack's hand and sat down next to Sally, while O'Neill sat at the next table over, only a couple feet from the two women.
"So tell me, Jack," Sally said, as she got comfortable. "Is your friend Daniel married? Sam wouldn't say, although the girls pestered her all night with questions about him. Is he really an archeologist? That must make for some fascinating conversations."
Wondering what it was about Daniel that had all the females in the camp so crazy, Jack sipped his coffee and allowed himself to be interrogated as they waited for their kids to arrive.