Author's note: Again, thank you for reviews! It's fun to know people are
enjoying this as much as I am. I'll definitely try to keep the chapters
coming, and I'll hope you forgive me for making them short compared to
others I've seen. I just break them off when I get to a good place.
~~~*~~
Right before dinner, Jack left the dining room. First, he wanted to wash his hands, since the little green rock that Simon had brought to him was still fresh in his mind, but he also wanted to get out of the way of the cook's helpers as they were setting the tables. Besides, he was getting tired of the looks they were giving him, wincing every time they glanced his way.
He washed his hands and almost tripped over Jean on the way out of the bathroom. She smiled, although she did the customary 'glance at the bruises and wince in sympathy' thing as well.
"Hi Jack! How's the head?"
"Fine, Jean, thanks." He gave her an uncomfortable smile, and when she didn't make any move to leave, he groaned inwardly and continued the conversation. "How are you doing?"
"Oh, fine, thank you. We had a bit of a spat earlier, as you know, but it's been smoothed over now."
"Glad to hear that."
He was saved by the arrival of his boys. The entire cabin came at him in a rush, calling his name, and Jack smiled a welcome to them.
"Hi Jack!"
"Great brownies, Jack!"
"I had three!"
"He ate yours."
They dodged past Jean and surrounded their counselor, followed closely by Daniel and Teal'c.
"You guys know Jean, right?" Jack asked, introducing the other counselor.
"Sure. She's in Sam's cabin, right?"
"Right."
Shawn grinned up at Jean. "Nice to meet you. We'd better go get our seats, Jack, before dinner starts."
"Yes, we should." He smiled at Jean, able to be a little more sincere since he wasn't alone with her anymore. "I better go. If you see Sam, tell her I'm looking for her, will you, please?"
"Sure."
Leaving her in the hallway, Jack went to join his cabin at their table, pulling out his schedule as he did so, since he knew they'd want to know what was coming up after dinner.
He sat down in the chair that he was beginning to think of as 'his' and the boys saw that he had the schedule and predictably asked what they were doing next.
"Looks like we have free time in the gym right after dinner, until 8, then we have campfire." Great.
"Campfire? What's that?"
"You sit around a fire and sing songs and tell stories."
"The whole camp?"
"Daniel could tell the stories."
"Yeah."
"No, I think someone already has that job," Daniel said, looking up as he noticed the girls from France were coming into the dining room. As usual, they made a beeline right for the table next to China's, and half of them were looking directly at Daniel as they did so. Sam was with them, and she sat in the chair closest to Shawn and Jack, giving the boy a smile.
"Hi, Shawn, how was the Nature Walk?"
"It was great."
"He found an arrowhead," Jack told her, smiling fondly at the boy. "Show Sam your arrowhead, Shawn."
Sam smiled and admired the arrowhead that Shawn produced from his pocket.
"Very impressive."
"It's Ute."
"I'll bet Daniel told you, didn't he?"
"Yeah."
At the mention of his name, Daniel turned from studying his fork to Sam, and gave her a smile. "How'd you know?"
"Lucky guess?"
He laughed, and turned his attention to the boys sitting beside him, pointedly trying to ignore the looks of the girls sitting around France's table. Shawn grinned and put his arrowhead back in his pocket. He was coming to like Sam more and more the more he got to know her. Maybe girls weren't so bad after all. Or maybe it was just Air Force girls. Whatever it was, he thought he could eventually like her almost as much as he liked Jack. He gave the two of them a speculative look, an idea beginning to form in his young mind.
~~~*~~
Right before dinner, Jack left the dining room. First, he wanted to wash his hands, since the little green rock that Simon had brought to him was still fresh in his mind, but he also wanted to get out of the way of the cook's helpers as they were setting the tables. Besides, he was getting tired of the looks they were giving him, wincing every time they glanced his way.
He washed his hands and almost tripped over Jean on the way out of the bathroom. She smiled, although she did the customary 'glance at the bruises and wince in sympathy' thing as well.
"Hi Jack! How's the head?"
"Fine, Jean, thanks." He gave her an uncomfortable smile, and when she didn't make any move to leave, he groaned inwardly and continued the conversation. "How are you doing?"
"Oh, fine, thank you. We had a bit of a spat earlier, as you know, but it's been smoothed over now."
"Glad to hear that."
He was saved by the arrival of his boys. The entire cabin came at him in a rush, calling his name, and Jack smiled a welcome to them.
"Hi Jack!"
"Great brownies, Jack!"
"I had three!"
"He ate yours."
They dodged past Jean and surrounded their counselor, followed closely by Daniel and Teal'c.
"You guys know Jean, right?" Jack asked, introducing the other counselor.
"Sure. She's in Sam's cabin, right?"
"Right."
Shawn grinned up at Jean. "Nice to meet you. We'd better go get our seats, Jack, before dinner starts."
"Yes, we should." He smiled at Jean, able to be a little more sincere since he wasn't alone with her anymore. "I better go. If you see Sam, tell her I'm looking for her, will you, please?"
"Sure."
Leaving her in the hallway, Jack went to join his cabin at their table, pulling out his schedule as he did so, since he knew they'd want to know what was coming up after dinner.
He sat down in the chair that he was beginning to think of as 'his' and the boys saw that he had the schedule and predictably asked what they were doing next.
"Looks like we have free time in the gym right after dinner, until 8, then we have campfire." Great.
"Campfire? What's that?"
"You sit around a fire and sing songs and tell stories."
"The whole camp?"
"Daniel could tell the stories."
"Yeah."
"No, I think someone already has that job," Daniel said, looking up as he noticed the girls from France were coming into the dining room. As usual, they made a beeline right for the table next to China's, and half of them were looking directly at Daniel as they did so. Sam was with them, and she sat in the chair closest to Shawn and Jack, giving the boy a smile.
"Hi, Shawn, how was the Nature Walk?"
"It was great."
"He found an arrowhead," Jack told her, smiling fondly at the boy. "Show Sam your arrowhead, Shawn."
Sam smiled and admired the arrowhead that Shawn produced from his pocket.
"Very impressive."
"It's Ute."
"I'll bet Daniel told you, didn't he?"
"Yeah."
At the mention of his name, Daniel turned from studying his fork to Sam, and gave her a smile. "How'd you know?"
"Lucky guess?"
He laughed, and turned his attention to the boys sitting beside him, pointedly trying to ignore the looks of the girls sitting around France's table. Shawn grinned and put his arrowhead back in his pocket. He was coming to like Sam more and more the more he got to know her. Maybe girls weren't so bad after all. Or maybe it was just Air Force girls. Whatever it was, he thought he could eventually like her almost as much as he liked Jack. He gave the two of them a speculative look, an idea beginning to form in his young mind.