In the end it was the Morocco girls who won, with China coming in a close
second. The boys were whooping it up, though; glad that they'd beat all the
other boys in the camp, and most especially the France girls who were so
annoying. Jack grinned, swarmed by the boys who had gathered around he and
Daniel and Teal'c.
"We did it!"
"We would have won if our watermelon had more seeds."
"I think we did great!"
"Good swimming, Simon!"
Gary interrupted the yelling and cheering Morocco girls, and the hollering China boys and raised his hands for attention.
"Good job, everyone! Now, you're all excused to your cabins to get dried off, and then we want you back down here in half an hour for the next activity."
"I wonder what we're doing, next?"
"Probably a cantaloupe relay."
Jack grinned as he walked back up to the cabin with the others, and looked at Teal'c, who was walking beside him. "Are you having a good time?"
"Indeed, O'Neill." The Jaffa looked at the boys that were running ahead of their counselors and nodded. "It is not something I would have chosen to do, however."
"I was thinking the same thing," Jack agreed as they walked into the cabin.
"Guys! Get dry clothes on and dry your hair. Simon, jump into the shower and get any fish poop off you that you collected while you were swimming."
"Ewwww!" The boys laughed, and Simon did as he was told, heading into the bathroom.
Jack wasn't really worried about fish poop. He was worried that the boy might take a chill from the swim, and had just used the first excuse that he could think of. Luckily it was a good one.
He sat down on his bunk and reached under it, pulling out his bag and rummaging through it for a second. Finding a dry sweatshirt, he threw it to Shawn, who was peeling off the now soaked one that Jack had given him that morning.
"Put that on, Shawn."
The boy grinned, "Thanks Jack."
"Any time."
Daniel hadn't returned to the cabin with the others. He was dry, having been assigned an indoor job, so he had volunteered to help set up for whatever was next. Luckily, most of the girls from France were wet and had left, so he didn't have to face them all. Sally had stayed, though, and he was chatting with her as they cleared the seeds and plates from the tables and the folding them up and setting them in a stack to the far side of the cafeteria.
"What are we playing? Any clue?"
She shook her head, "It could be anything. They never do the same thing two times in a row, and I've never seen the watermelon thing, so it might be something completely different, and it might be something as simple as a rummy tournament."
"We already had one of those," Daniel said, smiling.
"So I heard. At least your guys have practice."
As it turned out, it wasn't Rummy. It was Twister. Again the cabins were each their own team, but this time they were separated. There would be one camper per cabin at each Twister station, and they would be competing for the chance to go on to the final round, which would be one game for all the winners.
Daniel was excused from the game – much to the disappointment of many of the girls, and a couple counselors - since he wouldn't be able to put any weight on his hand, but everyone else played, including Teal'c, who once again had to have the rules explained to him. Something Andrew was more than willing to do. The boy didn't even ask why Teal'c didn't know how to play games that every kid in the United States could play by the time they were five. Which was fine with Jack.
Once the games started, it was obvious that Jack wasn't going to win. His knees ached anyways, and throwing himself into a game that forced him into some of the oddest positions he'd ever attempted only aggravated them further. He tried his best, knowing that his kids would be counting on him, but he finally had to collapse, much to the dismay of Gina, who he fell on and squished.
She giggled when he lifted up, though, and pushed on his rear to help him stand up. Support that he actually needed.
"You okay?" He asked, kneeling down and checking on her. He hadn't even known she was under him until he landed on her and heard her 'eep'. She was made of sterner stuff than she looked, though, and she nodded, still giggling.
"I didn't smoosh you?"
"Uh-uh."
He smiled and walked over to the side of the room, where the other people who were out of their games were congregating. Unfortunately, it was a sign of just how bad he was that he was one of the first to go to the side.
"Not bad," Sally told him as he pointed this observation out to her. (she'd been knocked out of her game rather quickly, too) "Just old, or even better, 'less flexible'."
"That does sound better," Jack agreed, watching as Teal'c managed to get his right hand on blue while at the same time putting his left foot on blue, as well. The Jaffa was far more flexible than his bulk led people to believe, but Jack did find himself getting a little nervous anytime Teal'c's body was above one of the little girls. He might not have crushed little Gina, but if Teal'c fell on someone, it might be a bit more painful.
He didn't fall, though, and as the crowd around O'Neill grew, it became obvious that he was a natural. Even when playing with kids that were far more supple and lithe than he was. And from the grin on his face, he was thoroughly enjoying this game.
"I think he's enjoying this," Sam murmured from beside Jack.
"I think he's enjoying it too much," Daniel said, leaning close. "You think he'll try to get us to play it when we get back to the base?"
Gina came over and stood in front of Jack, leaning back against him in a not so subtle request to be held, and he obliged, pulling her against him and watching as yet another contestant fell in Teal'c's match.
"I'd come play with him."
"We did it!"
"We would have won if our watermelon had more seeds."
"I think we did great!"
"Good swimming, Simon!"
Gary interrupted the yelling and cheering Morocco girls, and the hollering China boys and raised his hands for attention.
"Good job, everyone! Now, you're all excused to your cabins to get dried off, and then we want you back down here in half an hour for the next activity."
"I wonder what we're doing, next?"
"Probably a cantaloupe relay."
Jack grinned as he walked back up to the cabin with the others, and looked at Teal'c, who was walking beside him. "Are you having a good time?"
"Indeed, O'Neill." The Jaffa looked at the boys that were running ahead of their counselors and nodded. "It is not something I would have chosen to do, however."
"I was thinking the same thing," Jack agreed as they walked into the cabin.
"Guys! Get dry clothes on and dry your hair. Simon, jump into the shower and get any fish poop off you that you collected while you were swimming."
"Ewwww!" The boys laughed, and Simon did as he was told, heading into the bathroom.
Jack wasn't really worried about fish poop. He was worried that the boy might take a chill from the swim, and had just used the first excuse that he could think of. Luckily it was a good one.
He sat down on his bunk and reached under it, pulling out his bag and rummaging through it for a second. Finding a dry sweatshirt, he threw it to Shawn, who was peeling off the now soaked one that Jack had given him that morning.
"Put that on, Shawn."
The boy grinned, "Thanks Jack."
"Any time."
Daniel hadn't returned to the cabin with the others. He was dry, having been assigned an indoor job, so he had volunteered to help set up for whatever was next. Luckily, most of the girls from France were wet and had left, so he didn't have to face them all. Sally had stayed, though, and he was chatting with her as they cleared the seeds and plates from the tables and the folding them up and setting them in a stack to the far side of the cafeteria.
"What are we playing? Any clue?"
She shook her head, "It could be anything. They never do the same thing two times in a row, and I've never seen the watermelon thing, so it might be something completely different, and it might be something as simple as a rummy tournament."
"We already had one of those," Daniel said, smiling.
"So I heard. At least your guys have practice."
As it turned out, it wasn't Rummy. It was Twister. Again the cabins were each their own team, but this time they were separated. There would be one camper per cabin at each Twister station, and they would be competing for the chance to go on to the final round, which would be one game for all the winners.
Daniel was excused from the game – much to the disappointment of many of the girls, and a couple counselors - since he wouldn't be able to put any weight on his hand, but everyone else played, including Teal'c, who once again had to have the rules explained to him. Something Andrew was more than willing to do. The boy didn't even ask why Teal'c didn't know how to play games that every kid in the United States could play by the time they were five. Which was fine with Jack.
Once the games started, it was obvious that Jack wasn't going to win. His knees ached anyways, and throwing himself into a game that forced him into some of the oddest positions he'd ever attempted only aggravated them further. He tried his best, knowing that his kids would be counting on him, but he finally had to collapse, much to the dismay of Gina, who he fell on and squished.
She giggled when he lifted up, though, and pushed on his rear to help him stand up. Support that he actually needed.
"You okay?" He asked, kneeling down and checking on her. He hadn't even known she was under him until he landed on her and heard her 'eep'. She was made of sterner stuff than she looked, though, and she nodded, still giggling.
"I didn't smoosh you?"
"Uh-uh."
He smiled and walked over to the side of the room, where the other people who were out of their games were congregating. Unfortunately, it was a sign of just how bad he was that he was one of the first to go to the side.
"Not bad," Sally told him as he pointed this observation out to her. (she'd been knocked out of her game rather quickly, too) "Just old, or even better, 'less flexible'."
"That does sound better," Jack agreed, watching as Teal'c managed to get his right hand on blue while at the same time putting his left foot on blue, as well. The Jaffa was far more flexible than his bulk led people to believe, but Jack did find himself getting a little nervous anytime Teal'c's body was above one of the little girls. He might not have crushed little Gina, but if Teal'c fell on someone, it might be a bit more painful.
He didn't fall, though, and as the crowd around O'Neill grew, it became obvious that he was a natural. Even when playing with kids that were far more supple and lithe than he was. And from the grin on his face, he was thoroughly enjoying this game.
"I think he's enjoying this," Sam murmured from beside Jack.
"I think he's enjoying it too much," Daniel said, leaning close. "You think he'll try to get us to play it when we get back to the base?"
Gina came over and stood in front of Jack, leaning back against him in a not so subtle request to be held, and he obliged, pulling her against him and watching as yet another contestant fell in Teal'c's match.
"I'd come play with him."