"Sam! Look who I found!"
Carter looked up from her schedule at the sound of Gina's voice and smiled. Jack was coming through the door, holding the little girl upside down by her ankles as he was walking, swinging her side to side. Gina was loving it.
Sam stood up and walked over, grinning. "It looks like he found you."
"I did," Jack said, swinging her up high so Sam could catch her. Otherwise he was going to have to just drop her on her head. "I was walking through the woods, and I turned over a rock, and there she was."
"Uh-uh!" Gina said, giggling.
"I was swimming in the lake, and this huge whale came up to me and spit her out. So I had to bring her into shore."
"Uh-uh!"
Jack smiled, and rubbed his sore shoulder. "Okay, I was walking down the hill and she came running up to me, hollering my name."
"Yup!"
Sam set the little girl down, and Gina ran over to claim the chair next to Carter's. Jack and Sam walked over a little more slowly.
"I'm tempted to keep her." Jack told Sam.
"No, no... you remember what General Hammond said about bringing pets back to the base with you."
"There's always an exception."
"She won't always be little and cute."
"Yes, she will."
Sam smiled and sat down again, listening to Gina tell her all about Jack swooping her up in his arms and swinging her around on the way down the hill. O'Neill walked over and poured himself a cup of coffee, then sat down with the two of them and denied everything that was said.
"Jack!"
He looked up to see Andrew and Shawn running into the room. Both of them were panting, as though they'd sprinted down from the cabin, and they took the chairs on either side of him.
"Hey guys. Rummy done already?"
"Yeah. Murray lost."
Big surprise there.
"But he was doing better," Andrew said, loyally.
"Yeah, he's getting better."
"Murray's a fast learner," Jack agreed. He heard a commotion at the door and saw a group of campers coming in, and among them were the rest of China. Daniel came in with a group of the girls from France, and Sally, who was apparently keeping them at a reasonable distance. Jack didn't miss the fact that Daniel was holding Sally's hand, and from the speculative look on Sam's face, Carter hadn't missed it, either.
"Jack?"
"Huh?" Jack turned his attention back to Andrew. "Sorry, Andrew. What?"
"I asked what we are doing this afternoon?" The boy looked over to see what had captured Jack's attention, but all he saw was Daniel and some of the girls from Sam's cabin.
Jack pulled out his schedule, once again telling himself he was going to ask for a new copy to replace the battered one, and looked down for the right day.
"Ropes course."
"Ooo. We did that," Gina said. "It was scary. You're really high up."
"But you have a harness on," Sam said.
"It's still scary," Gina said.
"I wouldn't be scared," Several of the boys said at once.
"Me, either."
"It's really high," Gina said once more.
Sam was looking at Jack, though, and ignoring the boys. Jack looked back, his eyes twinkling with good humor. He knew exactly what she was thinking, and he opened his mouth to tell her that there wasn't any way they were going to get hurt, when Daniel did it for him.
"They use harnesses," Daniel said, responding to Gina, and not Sam's look, which he hadn't noticed. "How much danger can there be?"
"How many of you were wearing harnesses when you broke the mountain?" Danin asked.
"That's different," Shawn said, jumping to Jack's defense. "That wasn't our fault."
Carter looked up from her schedule at the sound of Gina's voice and smiled. Jack was coming through the door, holding the little girl upside down by her ankles as he was walking, swinging her side to side. Gina was loving it.
Sam stood up and walked over, grinning. "It looks like he found you."
"I did," Jack said, swinging her up high so Sam could catch her. Otherwise he was going to have to just drop her on her head. "I was walking through the woods, and I turned over a rock, and there she was."
"Uh-uh!" Gina said, giggling.
"I was swimming in the lake, and this huge whale came up to me and spit her out. So I had to bring her into shore."
"Uh-uh!"
Jack smiled, and rubbed his sore shoulder. "Okay, I was walking down the hill and she came running up to me, hollering my name."
"Yup!"
Sam set the little girl down, and Gina ran over to claim the chair next to Carter's. Jack and Sam walked over a little more slowly.
"I'm tempted to keep her." Jack told Sam.
"No, no... you remember what General Hammond said about bringing pets back to the base with you."
"There's always an exception."
"She won't always be little and cute."
"Yes, she will."
Sam smiled and sat down again, listening to Gina tell her all about Jack swooping her up in his arms and swinging her around on the way down the hill. O'Neill walked over and poured himself a cup of coffee, then sat down with the two of them and denied everything that was said.
"Jack!"
He looked up to see Andrew and Shawn running into the room. Both of them were panting, as though they'd sprinted down from the cabin, and they took the chairs on either side of him.
"Hey guys. Rummy done already?"
"Yeah. Murray lost."
Big surprise there.
"But he was doing better," Andrew said, loyally.
"Yeah, he's getting better."
"Murray's a fast learner," Jack agreed. He heard a commotion at the door and saw a group of campers coming in, and among them were the rest of China. Daniel came in with a group of the girls from France, and Sally, who was apparently keeping them at a reasonable distance. Jack didn't miss the fact that Daniel was holding Sally's hand, and from the speculative look on Sam's face, Carter hadn't missed it, either.
"Jack?"
"Huh?" Jack turned his attention back to Andrew. "Sorry, Andrew. What?"
"I asked what we are doing this afternoon?" The boy looked over to see what had captured Jack's attention, but all he saw was Daniel and some of the girls from Sam's cabin.
Jack pulled out his schedule, once again telling himself he was going to ask for a new copy to replace the battered one, and looked down for the right day.
"Ropes course."
"Ooo. We did that," Gina said. "It was scary. You're really high up."
"But you have a harness on," Sam said.
"It's still scary," Gina said.
"I wouldn't be scared," Several of the boys said at once.
"Me, either."
"It's really high," Gina said once more.
Sam was looking at Jack, though, and ignoring the boys. Jack looked back, his eyes twinkling with good humor. He knew exactly what she was thinking, and he opened his mouth to tell her that there wasn't any way they were going to get hurt, when Daniel did it for him.
"They use harnesses," Daniel said, responding to Gina, and not Sam's look, which he hadn't noticed. "How much danger can there be?"
"How many of you were wearing harnesses when you broke the mountain?" Danin asked.
"That's different," Shawn said, jumping to Jack's defense. "That wasn't our fault."