They chatted for maybe fifteen minutes, with various sporadic little groups
of counselors and campers making their way into the dining room. Jack was
just beginning to wonder if he should go check on his guys when there was a
scuffling at the door that made them all look up. Sam snorted, despite
herself, and Jack was hard-pressed to hide a smile of his own. Teal'c had
decided to use a red bandana on his head to cover his Apophis seal,
wrapping it at his forehead and tying it around in the back. In the time-
honored tradition of monkey-see-monkey-do, the boys had imitated him, and
each of them was wearing a bandana as well.
"They look like a band of pirates," Sam whispered as the boys, Daniel and Teal'c made their way across the room. It was true. Especially with Teal'c leading them, all muscles and serious face.
Jack snickered, and Sally wiped a silent tear from her eye. They tried to hide their mirth as the group came closer, and Shawn came running up and took the seat on Jack's right.
"Hey, Jack! What do you think?" he asked, pointing to the teal bandana he had on his head.
"Looking good, Shawn."
The boy beamed, and handed an identical bandana to O'Neill. "We brought one for you, too."
The rest of the boys sat down, watching excitedly as Jack tied his own bandana on, and they cheered when he posed once he was done.
"Looking good, Jack," Shawn said, grinning.
Jean appeared, then, with the remainder of the girls from France, who were all looking at the boys from China as if they'd grown extra ears. They sat down at their table and Jack was relieved to see that Jean wasn't looking at him any differently than she was looking at the others at his table.
"Good morning, ladies," he said to the girls.
A couple of them smiled a little, but none replied. All of them were more or less watching Daniel, who was studiously looking at his fork. Sam grinned, knowing that Daniel wasn't used to this much attention, but unsure what she could do to help him out. Daniel was a good-looking guy. Besides, their other choices were Teal'c and O'Neill. Teal'c made all the girls – and most of the counselors – nervous just because of his sheer size, and Jack was older, and taken by Sam. They would interrogate Jack, eventually, because of that relationship, but also because of it, Jack was off limits. Which was fine with him, Sam was sure.
Gary Hines came into the room, rescuing Daniel without even realizing it when he walked over to stand by the door. He explained the Runner rule to the new campers and counselors, then told everyone that each cabin would be inspected after breakfast, just to make sure beds were being made and messes were being cleaned up. He looked pointedly at the girls from France, and Jack wondered if something had happened in the past to make him wary of the France girls. After the announcements were made, Hines told the campers to pick a runner at each table and to enjoy their breakfast.
"Who wants to be runner?" Jack asked his pirates. The boys all raised their hands. He grinned, and pointed at Simon.
"You were one of the watch guys this morning, and you made sure that your cabin mates all made it here on time, so you get to be runner."
"Andrew was a watch guy, too, Jack," Shawn said, pointing at the other boy, who was sitting next to Teal'c.
"I know, Shawn," Jack said, smiling. "But we can only have one runner for each meal. Andrew? Do you mind waiting until lunch to be the runner?"
The boy shook his head, grinning at the thought of being given such an important job.
"All right." He gestured for Simon to get their food. "Let's eat, Simon."
Breakfast was noisy. The campers – not just China – were all practically yelling to make themselves heard, and the clatter of dishes and silverware added to the banging of pots and pans from the kitchen only added to it. Not to mention the occasional spilled glass of milk, or dropped pancake, and the syrup bottle that spilled all over the middle of France's table, eliciting screams of dismay from the girls.
None of the experienced counselors seemed concerned about the loud noise, or the messes, so Jack and his team assumed these were normal goings on in the course of camp life, and ignored them as well. Except Sam, who couldn't ignore the fact that syrup somehow seemed to be dripping into her shoe from the table.
When the last pancake had been eaten, and the last kid had pushed his plate away, claiming he'd never be able to eat again, they were told to stack their dishes and then head up to their cabins, where they'd be dismissed to their morning activity.
"What's our morning activity, Jack?" Asked one of the boys as he took O'Neill's plate and stacked it on Shawn's, then on his own.
Jack pulled out the ever-present schedule and consulted it. "Looks like we're sailing this morning," he told them. Figures, since they were already dressed like pirates.
Daniel finished his cup of coffee and stacked his cup with Jack's.
"Should be fun, eh, Murray?"
Teal'c raised an eyebrow at this. "I have never been sailing before."
"Don't worry, Murray," Andrew said, patting his arm. "Sailing's easy. As long as you have wind. I've been lots of times with my dad."
"Well, let's get up to the cabin and get ready for inspection," Jack said, standing up and looking down at his boys. The boys cheered and rushed out of the room in a group, leaving Daniel, Teal'c and Jack standing there alone.
"Arrgghh," Sam gave O'Neill her best pirate impersonation, and the girls at the table started giggling. Jack tapped her on the nose, and Sam saw a twinkle in his brown eyes that she hadn't seen in a long time. "Watch it, Sam. Your turn is coming."
Carter only grinned as the men left, and she couldn't help but think that maybe this trip hadn't been such a bad idea after all.
"They look like a band of pirates," Sam whispered as the boys, Daniel and Teal'c made their way across the room. It was true. Especially with Teal'c leading them, all muscles and serious face.
Jack snickered, and Sally wiped a silent tear from her eye. They tried to hide their mirth as the group came closer, and Shawn came running up and took the seat on Jack's right.
"Hey, Jack! What do you think?" he asked, pointing to the teal bandana he had on his head.
"Looking good, Shawn."
The boy beamed, and handed an identical bandana to O'Neill. "We brought one for you, too."
The rest of the boys sat down, watching excitedly as Jack tied his own bandana on, and they cheered when he posed once he was done.
"Looking good, Jack," Shawn said, grinning.
Jean appeared, then, with the remainder of the girls from France, who were all looking at the boys from China as if they'd grown extra ears. They sat down at their table and Jack was relieved to see that Jean wasn't looking at him any differently than she was looking at the others at his table.
"Good morning, ladies," he said to the girls.
A couple of them smiled a little, but none replied. All of them were more or less watching Daniel, who was studiously looking at his fork. Sam grinned, knowing that Daniel wasn't used to this much attention, but unsure what she could do to help him out. Daniel was a good-looking guy. Besides, their other choices were Teal'c and O'Neill. Teal'c made all the girls – and most of the counselors – nervous just because of his sheer size, and Jack was older, and taken by Sam. They would interrogate Jack, eventually, because of that relationship, but also because of it, Jack was off limits. Which was fine with him, Sam was sure.
Gary Hines came into the room, rescuing Daniel without even realizing it when he walked over to stand by the door. He explained the Runner rule to the new campers and counselors, then told everyone that each cabin would be inspected after breakfast, just to make sure beds were being made and messes were being cleaned up. He looked pointedly at the girls from France, and Jack wondered if something had happened in the past to make him wary of the France girls. After the announcements were made, Hines told the campers to pick a runner at each table and to enjoy their breakfast.
"Who wants to be runner?" Jack asked his pirates. The boys all raised their hands. He grinned, and pointed at Simon.
"You were one of the watch guys this morning, and you made sure that your cabin mates all made it here on time, so you get to be runner."
"Andrew was a watch guy, too, Jack," Shawn said, pointing at the other boy, who was sitting next to Teal'c.
"I know, Shawn," Jack said, smiling. "But we can only have one runner for each meal. Andrew? Do you mind waiting until lunch to be the runner?"
The boy shook his head, grinning at the thought of being given such an important job.
"All right." He gestured for Simon to get their food. "Let's eat, Simon."
Breakfast was noisy. The campers – not just China – were all practically yelling to make themselves heard, and the clatter of dishes and silverware added to the banging of pots and pans from the kitchen only added to it. Not to mention the occasional spilled glass of milk, or dropped pancake, and the syrup bottle that spilled all over the middle of France's table, eliciting screams of dismay from the girls.
None of the experienced counselors seemed concerned about the loud noise, or the messes, so Jack and his team assumed these were normal goings on in the course of camp life, and ignored them as well. Except Sam, who couldn't ignore the fact that syrup somehow seemed to be dripping into her shoe from the table.
When the last pancake had been eaten, and the last kid had pushed his plate away, claiming he'd never be able to eat again, they were told to stack their dishes and then head up to their cabins, where they'd be dismissed to their morning activity.
"What's our morning activity, Jack?" Asked one of the boys as he took O'Neill's plate and stacked it on Shawn's, then on his own.
Jack pulled out the ever-present schedule and consulted it. "Looks like we're sailing this morning," he told them. Figures, since they were already dressed like pirates.
Daniel finished his cup of coffee and stacked his cup with Jack's.
"Should be fun, eh, Murray?"
Teal'c raised an eyebrow at this. "I have never been sailing before."
"Don't worry, Murray," Andrew said, patting his arm. "Sailing's easy. As long as you have wind. I've been lots of times with my dad."
"Well, let's get up to the cabin and get ready for inspection," Jack said, standing up and looking down at his boys. The boys cheered and rushed out of the room in a group, leaving Daniel, Teal'c and Jack standing there alone.
"Arrgghh," Sam gave O'Neill her best pirate impersonation, and the girls at the table started giggling. Jack tapped her on the nose, and Sam saw a twinkle in his brown eyes that she hadn't seen in a long time. "Watch it, Sam. Your turn is coming."
Carter only grinned as the men left, and she couldn't help but think that maybe this trip hadn't been such a bad idea after all.