"Jack!"
He was sitting in the cafeteria. An almost completely empty cafeteria that had no little girls being lectured by their counselors. Jean and Shelly had cleared out, and Jack had peeked in to see if they were really gone before he went in and started a pot of coffee.
Jared had come out and chatted with him for a while, mostly asking about his relationship with Sam, although he changed the subject to politics and the military when he found out Jack was in the Air Force. The cook had to get dinner going, though, so he hadn't stayed long, leaving O'Neill to enjoy his cup of coffee in peace.
He looked up at the sound of his name being called, and smiled when he saw his boys all pouring through the door, dirty and excited to see him. Jack found he was just as happy to see them.
"Hey, guys!"
They crowded him, pushing and shoving to get a chance to hug him.
"How was the walk?"
"It was great! We found fool's gold!"
"And neat rocks!"
"And a lizard, but I didn't keep him so his mom wouldn't miss him."
"Shawn found a arrowhead! A real one!"
"Really?" Jack looked with interest at the boy who'd managed to snag the chair next to his, and Shawn nodded and handed it over. Jack studied it carefully, although Daniel knew he was doing it more for show than anything.
"It's Ute," Shawn said. "Daniel said that they lived all over this area."
"Daniel's usually right about such things," Jack told the boy, handing the arrowhead back to him. "It's a great find, Shawn. Good job!"
Shawn preened, and put the arrowhead back into his pocket.
"We found stuff for you, too, Jack!" One of the boys said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out an assortment of rocks and twigs and setting it on the table in a stack.
"Yeah, I found this for you. It's a four leaf clover, but I think the other leaf fell off, so now it's just a three leaf clover, which isn't so lucky."
"I got a piece of tree bark that looks like Murray!" The bark landed in the middle of the growing pile and Jack picked it up and compared it to Teal'c, who was standing next to the table. It actually did look a little like him.
"We found all sorts of stuff."
"This rock is purple. I thought that was kind of neat, huh?"
"I got you a dirt clod that looked like a horse, sort of, but it crumbled in my pocket when I tripped. Sorry." A handful of dirt joined the pile.
"I found a green rock." A small green rock was put into the pile and Jack picked it up, looking at it carefully.
"This isn't a rock, Simon," he said grinning. "It's deer droppings."
"A deer dropped it?"
"No," Said one of the other boys who knew what Jack meant. "It's deer poop!"
"Eewww!"
"Cool!"
"Let me see!"
The boys handed the deer droppings back and forth as the adults looked on in amusement.
"What did you do while we were gone?" Shawn asked.
"Oh, I read Simon's comic books, and talked to the nurse, and hung out at the cabin for a while. Then I came down here and talked to Sam, and then I talked to the cook and convinced him that you guys would need a special treat when you got back from your hike because you'd be extra hungry from all that walking."
"You got us a treat?"
"Where?"
"Is it chocolate?"
"There's a plate of brownies up in the cabin. Wait!" The boys had all rushed towards the door, but came back when Jack beckoned them to come back to the table. "First things first. You need to take my pile of goodies, sans the deer droppings, and put them on the floor by my bunk where I'll be able to find them. Then put the deer droppings outside the cabin, so we don't have to worry about smelling it all night. THEN you have to wash your hands before you have your brownies. Deal?"
"Deal!"
They all grabbed up the treasures they'd brought Jack, and rushed out of the room.
"I think I'll go make sure they dispose of the deer poop properly," Daniel said, smiling. "How's the head?"
"It feels awful, thank you." Jack grinned, though, to show he didn't really mean it.
"It looks positively painful."
"Yeah, well. Next time I go sailing I'll wear a helmet." He looked at Teal'c. "Did you enjoy the walk?"
"Indeed. Much more than sailing."
"Yeah, well. I agree, Murray. Feet definitely belong on the ground."
Daniel and Teal'c left him alone to clean up, and get ready for dinner, and Jack sat in relative silence once more, enjoying his cup of coffee while he had the chance.
He was sitting in the cafeteria. An almost completely empty cafeteria that had no little girls being lectured by their counselors. Jean and Shelly had cleared out, and Jack had peeked in to see if they were really gone before he went in and started a pot of coffee.
Jared had come out and chatted with him for a while, mostly asking about his relationship with Sam, although he changed the subject to politics and the military when he found out Jack was in the Air Force. The cook had to get dinner going, though, so he hadn't stayed long, leaving O'Neill to enjoy his cup of coffee in peace.
He looked up at the sound of his name being called, and smiled when he saw his boys all pouring through the door, dirty and excited to see him. Jack found he was just as happy to see them.
"Hey, guys!"
They crowded him, pushing and shoving to get a chance to hug him.
"How was the walk?"
"It was great! We found fool's gold!"
"And neat rocks!"
"And a lizard, but I didn't keep him so his mom wouldn't miss him."
"Shawn found a arrowhead! A real one!"
"Really?" Jack looked with interest at the boy who'd managed to snag the chair next to his, and Shawn nodded and handed it over. Jack studied it carefully, although Daniel knew he was doing it more for show than anything.
"It's Ute," Shawn said. "Daniel said that they lived all over this area."
"Daniel's usually right about such things," Jack told the boy, handing the arrowhead back to him. "It's a great find, Shawn. Good job!"
Shawn preened, and put the arrowhead back into his pocket.
"We found stuff for you, too, Jack!" One of the boys said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out an assortment of rocks and twigs and setting it on the table in a stack.
"Yeah, I found this for you. It's a four leaf clover, but I think the other leaf fell off, so now it's just a three leaf clover, which isn't so lucky."
"I got a piece of tree bark that looks like Murray!" The bark landed in the middle of the growing pile and Jack picked it up and compared it to Teal'c, who was standing next to the table. It actually did look a little like him.
"We found all sorts of stuff."
"This rock is purple. I thought that was kind of neat, huh?"
"I got you a dirt clod that looked like a horse, sort of, but it crumbled in my pocket when I tripped. Sorry." A handful of dirt joined the pile.
"I found a green rock." A small green rock was put into the pile and Jack picked it up, looking at it carefully.
"This isn't a rock, Simon," he said grinning. "It's deer droppings."
"A deer dropped it?"
"No," Said one of the other boys who knew what Jack meant. "It's deer poop!"
"Eewww!"
"Cool!"
"Let me see!"
The boys handed the deer droppings back and forth as the adults looked on in amusement.
"What did you do while we were gone?" Shawn asked.
"Oh, I read Simon's comic books, and talked to the nurse, and hung out at the cabin for a while. Then I came down here and talked to Sam, and then I talked to the cook and convinced him that you guys would need a special treat when you got back from your hike because you'd be extra hungry from all that walking."
"You got us a treat?"
"Where?"
"Is it chocolate?"
"There's a plate of brownies up in the cabin. Wait!" The boys had all rushed towards the door, but came back when Jack beckoned them to come back to the table. "First things first. You need to take my pile of goodies, sans the deer droppings, and put them on the floor by my bunk where I'll be able to find them. Then put the deer droppings outside the cabin, so we don't have to worry about smelling it all night. THEN you have to wash your hands before you have your brownies. Deal?"
"Deal!"
They all grabbed up the treasures they'd brought Jack, and rushed out of the room.
"I think I'll go make sure they dispose of the deer poop properly," Daniel said, smiling. "How's the head?"
"It feels awful, thank you." Jack grinned, though, to show he didn't really mean it.
"It looks positively painful."
"Yeah, well. Next time I go sailing I'll wear a helmet." He looked at Teal'c. "Did you enjoy the walk?"
"Indeed. Much more than sailing."
"Yeah, well. I agree, Murray. Feet definitely belong on the ground."
Daniel and Teal'c left him alone to clean up, and get ready for dinner, and Jack sat in relative silence once more, enjoying his cup of coffee while he had the chance.