"Jack! Sam!"
The two stopped and turned, just in time to see Shawn rushing up to them.
"I captured the flag! Did you see it?"
"That was you?" Jack asked, grinning, and letting go of Carter's hand so he could catch the boy up into a bear hug. "Good job!"
"Thanks!" He let go of Jack and ran on, chasing the rest of the boys from his cabin as they rushed to get ready for bed. Of course, none of them would sleep any time soon with as much adrenaline as they had pumping through their little bodies, but at least they'd be in the cabin when it wore off.
Jack smiled over at Carter, and reached out and took her hand again. She echoed his smile, and they walked to her cabin in companionable silence.
"I'll see you in the morning," Jack told her, kissing her cheek and realizing for the first time that he'd managed to smear her up pretty well with his face paint. He grinned, unrepentant, and waved at all the girls that were watching through the windows of the cabin. With his face smeared with paint, they hadn't even noticed the bruises, so he'd managed to avoid the collective wince.
"Good night, Jack," Carter said, smiling as well. "Sweet dreams."
"Oh, they will be." He turned and headed back for his cabin, smiling at Sally as the woman walked past. She giggled, but didn't say anything, and Jack shook his head, wondering what had gotten in to her.
~*~
"Jack!"
"We won!"
"Shawn got the flag!"
"That was so cool!"
"The best game ever!"
"The best night ever!"
Jack had to agree with that, even though he had a different reason to be pleased with the night's outcome than the boys did. He handed out high- fives to all the boys as Teal'c came out of the bathroom, freshly showered and wearing another bandana over his head.
"Go get your faces and hands cleaned, and brush your teeth," Jack told them. "We'll have a Rummy tournament before bed, but I want you all in your PJ's before we start."
There was the usual mad dash to the bathroom they rushed to comply. Eager for the card game, but still yelling to each other about their various roles in the Capture the Flag game. Jack slapped Teal'c on the shoulder as the Jaffa sat on his bunk, and looked over at Daniel, who was grinning ear to ear.
"Rummy, Daniel?"
"Sure, Jack."
"Teal'c?"
"Indeed, O'Neill."
"Good. I'll go raid the kitchen and get us something to snack on. There should be leftover cookies from lunch."
By the time he got back with a plateful of cookies, the boys were all seated in a circle on the floor, each holding cards, and well into the first hand of the Rummy tournament. Jack declined an invitation to play, since he still needed to shower, but his cookies were a welcomed addition.
The game was progressing fairly well by the time he came out of the shower, although a couple of the boys had decided to call it a night and were lounging in their bunks. Jack went over and sat on the floor next to and slightly behind Teal'c, who was obviously losing, and could still use a little help with trying to decide what to discard.
"The winner gets to be the first to sign Daniel's cast," Shawn told him as he joined the group.
"That's a good prize," Jack agreed, looking at Daniel, who would start smiling every time Jack looked at him. It was almost unnerving. Jack gave him a quizzical look, but the archeologist just shrugged and went back to his cards.
In the end, it was extremely late when Devon signed his name carefully on Daniel's cast, taking up the prize position right across the back of the hand. A few of the boys had fallen asleep in their bunks, and a few more had dozed off on the floor where they'd been watching. Jack and Teal'c gently put them to bed, tucking them in and whispering good night, then had sent the rest of the boys to their bunks as well.
"What about Daniel's cast?" Andrew whispered as Teal'c tucked his blankets around him.
"You may sign it in the morning." The Jaffa ran his fingers through Andrew's hair, ruffling it as he'd seen Jack do to the boys many times. "If you need me in the night, Andrew, wake me. I would not have you suffering alone."
Andrew smiled, a brilliant smile that brightened the dim room. "I will, Murray. Good night."
The two stopped and turned, just in time to see Shawn rushing up to them.
"I captured the flag! Did you see it?"
"That was you?" Jack asked, grinning, and letting go of Carter's hand so he could catch the boy up into a bear hug. "Good job!"
"Thanks!" He let go of Jack and ran on, chasing the rest of the boys from his cabin as they rushed to get ready for bed. Of course, none of them would sleep any time soon with as much adrenaline as they had pumping through their little bodies, but at least they'd be in the cabin when it wore off.
Jack smiled over at Carter, and reached out and took her hand again. She echoed his smile, and they walked to her cabin in companionable silence.
"I'll see you in the morning," Jack told her, kissing her cheek and realizing for the first time that he'd managed to smear her up pretty well with his face paint. He grinned, unrepentant, and waved at all the girls that were watching through the windows of the cabin. With his face smeared with paint, they hadn't even noticed the bruises, so he'd managed to avoid the collective wince.
"Good night, Jack," Carter said, smiling as well. "Sweet dreams."
"Oh, they will be." He turned and headed back for his cabin, smiling at Sally as the woman walked past. She giggled, but didn't say anything, and Jack shook his head, wondering what had gotten in to her.
~*~
"Jack!"
"We won!"
"Shawn got the flag!"
"That was so cool!"
"The best game ever!"
"The best night ever!"
Jack had to agree with that, even though he had a different reason to be pleased with the night's outcome than the boys did. He handed out high- fives to all the boys as Teal'c came out of the bathroom, freshly showered and wearing another bandana over his head.
"Go get your faces and hands cleaned, and brush your teeth," Jack told them. "We'll have a Rummy tournament before bed, but I want you all in your PJ's before we start."
There was the usual mad dash to the bathroom they rushed to comply. Eager for the card game, but still yelling to each other about their various roles in the Capture the Flag game. Jack slapped Teal'c on the shoulder as the Jaffa sat on his bunk, and looked over at Daniel, who was grinning ear to ear.
"Rummy, Daniel?"
"Sure, Jack."
"Teal'c?"
"Indeed, O'Neill."
"Good. I'll go raid the kitchen and get us something to snack on. There should be leftover cookies from lunch."
By the time he got back with a plateful of cookies, the boys were all seated in a circle on the floor, each holding cards, and well into the first hand of the Rummy tournament. Jack declined an invitation to play, since he still needed to shower, but his cookies were a welcomed addition.
The game was progressing fairly well by the time he came out of the shower, although a couple of the boys had decided to call it a night and were lounging in their bunks. Jack went over and sat on the floor next to and slightly behind Teal'c, who was obviously losing, and could still use a little help with trying to decide what to discard.
"The winner gets to be the first to sign Daniel's cast," Shawn told him as he joined the group.
"That's a good prize," Jack agreed, looking at Daniel, who would start smiling every time Jack looked at him. It was almost unnerving. Jack gave him a quizzical look, but the archeologist just shrugged and went back to his cards.
In the end, it was extremely late when Devon signed his name carefully on Daniel's cast, taking up the prize position right across the back of the hand. A few of the boys had fallen asleep in their bunks, and a few more had dozed off on the floor where they'd been watching. Jack and Teal'c gently put them to bed, tucking them in and whispering good night, then had sent the rest of the boys to their bunks as well.
"What about Daniel's cast?" Andrew whispered as Teal'c tucked his blankets around him.
"You may sign it in the morning." The Jaffa ran his fingers through Andrew's hair, ruffling it as he'd seen Jack do to the boys many times. "If you need me in the night, Andrew, wake me. I would not have you suffering alone."
Andrew smiled, a brilliant smile that brightened the dim room. "I will, Murray. Good night."