The next morning Jack was up early. Earlier than usual. Mainly because he'd
slept lousy the night before. His face was throbbing, his shoulder hurt,
and every time he moved in his sleep a stabbing pain in the muscles of his
chest would jerk him back into wakefulness. He was awake when Andrew
crawled into Teal'c's bunk with him, and listened as Teal'c rumbled the boy
to sleep telling him about his son. Jack couldn't help but be impressed by
the patience the Jaffa showed Andrew. He'd always known Teal'c was far more
kind-hearted than his exterior made you think, but Teal'c was showing a
soft side that Jack had never seen before. Mushy soft.
Andrew and Teal'c had both fallen asleep eventually, but Jack didn't. He tried. And was woken up painfully again when he moved, and eventually he just stopped trying. When the glow in the dark hands on his watch showed him it was four am, he decided he might as well just get up and get his day started.
Against the wishes of the Nurse, Jack decided to take a shower. He was gritty and dirty, and washing your hair in the sink and taking a sponge bath type bath wasn't the same as actually being clean, and Jack wanted to be clean. Quietly, he snuck into the bathroom and pulled the bandages off his chest, then undressed and got into the shower and turned it on. Discipline was all that kept him from waking the kids up with a round of cursing when the first spray of water hit the scraps and bruises on his body. Oh, that hurt! It hurt when he got in. It hurt when he lathered himself carefully, and it hurt when the shampoo from washing his hair got into the cuts. All in all, he was in a foul mood by the time he got out.
He patted his bleeding chest with a towel until he managed to get the bleeding to stop, then rebandaged himself as well as he could. Then, dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, he headed down to the cafeteria for a much-needed cup of coffee.
In the early morning the camp was beautiful. Fog was coming off the lake, and drifting in among the trees. Jack even saw the tawny flash of what was probably a deer, startled by him walking past. The sun wasn't up yet, but the sky was bright enough that he could find his way easily enough, and there was an edge of pink and gold on the eastern horizon that said it was going to be beautiful. And all of it was lost on Jack. He didn't care about the deer, the fog, or the sun. He just wanted to get some coffee.
He walked into the main building and found the cafeteria was deserted. No big shock, he should have known, but it didn't help his mood that there wasn't any coffee ready. Walking over to the table that held the pot and grounds, he put a pot to brewing and hovered as he waited for enough to fill his cup. When that task was complete, he took his cup and walked over to the bay windows that encompassed one entire wall of the cafeteria and looked out over the lake. Here he stood and brooded as the sun came up.
"Morning Jack!" The friendly voice of Jared pulled Jack out of his reverie and he turned to see the cook pouring himself a cup of coffee.
Jack grunted a good morning.
"Made coffee, I see."
Another grunt.
"It's a beautiful day."
Grunt.
Figuring that Jack was probably thinking deep thoughts or something, Jared shrugged off the cold shoulder.
"I better get breakfast started. We're having waffles with strawberries and whipped cream."
"Joy." This last was said so softly that Jared didn't actually hear it, but he knew that O'Neill had said something, so he figured it was probably something good.
"See you later," he called as he entered the kitchen. Jack turned back to the window, and continued his brooding.
He wasn't actually brooding about anything in particular. He was just in a foul mood. When he got grumpy, he tended to clam up and become rather introverted. So he watched the ducks come and go on the lake, watched the sun brighten the day as it rose, and didn't enjoy any of it.
A hand slid under his sweatshirt and caressed the small of his back. This got his attention immediately, and Jack turned to see that Carter had joined him by the window. He hadn't even heard her come in. She smiled a good morning to him, and noticed that he looked fairly tired and not a little grumpy. After all, who knew his moods better than she did?
"Good morning, handsome," she said to him, smiling brightly, knowing even as she did it that if he was grumpy she was only going to make him grumpier by being sweet and sunny.
"Hi Carter."
Ah, the first sign of grumpiness. He was calling her by her last name instead of Sam.
"Good morning," She repeated. "How do you feel?"
"Fine."
Second sign of grumpiness. He was feeling fine. Fine was his answer to everything when he was moody, Sam knew. She tried again.
"How'd you sleep?"
"Like I had a cliff fall on me yesterday."
Sam gave up. She reached up and ran her fingers tenderly along his cheek to let him know she loved him, then walked out of the dining room.
Jack sighed, knowing that he'd been a jerk. He'd make it up to her later, he promised himself.
Carter walked up to China, intending to talk with Teal'c and Daniel and see if anything had happened in the cabin to upset him. She knocked on the door, and heard the yells and shouts of the boys as they rushed to be the one to answer it.
"Sam!" Shawn was the first to open the door and he grinned a welcome to her. "Jack's not here."
"I know, Shawn. Is Daniel or Murray around?"
"Daniel! Murray! Sam wants you!"
Carter smiled. The boy had just turned his head and shouted. She could have done that. A moment later Daniel and Teal'c were both at the door, and Sam told them about O'Neill's foul mood.
"He did not sleep well last night," Teal'c said. The Jaffa had heard grunts of pain when Jack had woken up, and he knew that his friend had been restless.
"That would probably explain it," Daniel said.
"You want me to go cheer him up, Sam?" Shawn asked.
"No, Shawn." The last thing Shawn needed was to deal with a grumpy O'Neill, something that none of the boys had seen yet. And wouldn't see if Sam had her way. "Daniel can go down and cheer him up."
"What?" Daniel protested. "Why me?"
"You're dressed and ready. Go tell him a joke or something."
"Why don't you do it, Sam?"
"I already tried. I got nothing."
"But – "
"Just go, Daniel."
He sighed, and walked out the door and headed down to the main building.
Jack was still at the window when Daniel walked up to him. Hesitating, the archeologist cleared his throat.
"Morning Jack."
"Daniel."
Well, that was a start.
"How'd you sleep?"
"Fine."
"Hey... Jack... did you hear the one about the lion tamer and the three legged lion?"
"Daniel... I have a gun."
"Right. Well... I'll see you at breakfast, then, eh?"
"Good bye."
Daniel walked back to the cabin where the boys and Sam were waiting with Teal'c.
"How'd it go?"
"It didn't."
Sam looked around, trying to think of something she could use, and her eyes settled on the one thing that might just do it.
"Time to pull out the big guns, I guess." She said. "I hate to do it... but he's left us no other choice."
Andrew and Teal'c had both fallen asleep eventually, but Jack didn't. He tried. And was woken up painfully again when he moved, and eventually he just stopped trying. When the glow in the dark hands on his watch showed him it was four am, he decided he might as well just get up and get his day started.
Against the wishes of the Nurse, Jack decided to take a shower. He was gritty and dirty, and washing your hair in the sink and taking a sponge bath type bath wasn't the same as actually being clean, and Jack wanted to be clean. Quietly, he snuck into the bathroom and pulled the bandages off his chest, then undressed and got into the shower and turned it on. Discipline was all that kept him from waking the kids up with a round of cursing when the first spray of water hit the scraps and bruises on his body. Oh, that hurt! It hurt when he got in. It hurt when he lathered himself carefully, and it hurt when the shampoo from washing his hair got into the cuts. All in all, he was in a foul mood by the time he got out.
He patted his bleeding chest with a towel until he managed to get the bleeding to stop, then rebandaged himself as well as he could. Then, dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, he headed down to the cafeteria for a much-needed cup of coffee.
In the early morning the camp was beautiful. Fog was coming off the lake, and drifting in among the trees. Jack even saw the tawny flash of what was probably a deer, startled by him walking past. The sun wasn't up yet, but the sky was bright enough that he could find his way easily enough, and there was an edge of pink and gold on the eastern horizon that said it was going to be beautiful. And all of it was lost on Jack. He didn't care about the deer, the fog, or the sun. He just wanted to get some coffee.
He walked into the main building and found the cafeteria was deserted. No big shock, he should have known, but it didn't help his mood that there wasn't any coffee ready. Walking over to the table that held the pot and grounds, he put a pot to brewing and hovered as he waited for enough to fill his cup. When that task was complete, he took his cup and walked over to the bay windows that encompassed one entire wall of the cafeteria and looked out over the lake. Here he stood and brooded as the sun came up.
"Morning Jack!" The friendly voice of Jared pulled Jack out of his reverie and he turned to see the cook pouring himself a cup of coffee.
Jack grunted a good morning.
"Made coffee, I see."
Another grunt.
"It's a beautiful day."
Grunt.
Figuring that Jack was probably thinking deep thoughts or something, Jared shrugged off the cold shoulder.
"I better get breakfast started. We're having waffles with strawberries and whipped cream."
"Joy." This last was said so softly that Jared didn't actually hear it, but he knew that O'Neill had said something, so he figured it was probably something good.
"See you later," he called as he entered the kitchen. Jack turned back to the window, and continued his brooding.
He wasn't actually brooding about anything in particular. He was just in a foul mood. When he got grumpy, he tended to clam up and become rather introverted. So he watched the ducks come and go on the lake, watched the sun brighten the day as it rose, and didn't enjoy any of it.
A hand slid under his sweatshirt and caressed the small of his back. This got his attention immediately, and Jack turned to see that Carter had joined him by the window. He hadn't even heard her come in. She smiled a good morning to him, and noticed that he looked fairly tired and not a little grumpy. After all, who knew his moods better than she did?
"Good morning, handsome," she said to him, smiling brightly, knowing even as she did it that if he was grumpy she was only going to make him grumpier by being sweet and sunny.
"Hi Carter."
Ah, the first sign of grumpiness. He was calling her by her last name instead of Sam.
"Good morning," She repeated. "How do you feel?"
"Fine."
Second sign of grumpiness. He was feeling fine. Fine was his answer to everything when he was moody, Sam knew. She tried again.
"How'd you sleep?"
"Like I had a cliff fall on me yesterday."
Sam gave up. She reached up and ran her fingers tenderly along his cheek to let him know she loved him, then walked out of the dining room.
Jack sighed, knowing that he'd been a jerk. He'd make it up to her later, he promised himself.
Carter walked up to China, intending to talk with Teal'c and Daniel and see if anything had happened in the cabin to upset him. She knocked on the door, and heard the yells and shouts of the boys as they rushed to be the one to answer it.
"Sam!" Shawn was the first to open the door and he grinned a welcome to her. "Jack's not here."
"I know, Shawn. Is Daniel or Murray around?"
"Daniel! Murray! Sam wants you!"
Carter smiled. The boy had just turned his head and shouted. She could have done that. A moment later Daniel and Teal'c were both at the door, and Sam told them about O'Neill's foul mood.
"He did not sleep well last night," Teal'c said. The Jaffa had heard grunts of pain when Jack had woken up, and he knew that his friend had been restless.
"That would probably explain it," Daniel said.
"You want me to go cheer him up, Sam?" Shawn asked.
"No, Shawn." The last thing Shawn needed was to deal with a grumpy O'Neill, something that none of the boys had seen yet. And wouldn't see if Sam had her way. "Daniel can go down and cheer him up."
"What?" Daniel protested. "Why me?"
"You're dressed and ready. Go tell him a joke or something."
"Why don't you do it, Sam?"
"I already tried. I got nothing."
"But – "
"Just go, Daniel."
He sighed, and walked out the door and headed down to the main building.
Jack was still at the window when Daniel walked up to him. Hesitating, the archeologist cleared his throat.
"Morning Jack."
"Daniel."
Well, that was a start.
"How'd you sleep?"
"Fine."
"Hey... Jack... did you hear the one about the lion tamer and the three legged lion?"
"Daniel... I have a gun."
"Right. Well... I'll see you at breakfast, then, eh?"
"Good bye."
Daniel walked back to the cabin where the boys and Sam were waiting with Teal'c.
"How'd it go?"
"It didn't."
Sam looked around, trying to think of something she could use, and her eyes settled on the one thing that might just do it.
"Time to pull out the big guns, I guess." She said. "I hate to do it... but he's left us no other choice."