Jack and Daniel had polished off the entire pot of coffee by the time Sam
walked down to the dining room. Not only had they finished the first one,
but also Jared had made them another one when he arrived to start
breakfast, and he'd been a real good sport about cleaning up the mess Jack
had made with the coffee grounds. Jack had tried to apologize, and had
offered to clean it up later, but Jared had taken a look at him and Daniel,
and had just shaken his head and done it himself.
"Don't worry about it, Jack," Jared said, wincing at the dark bruise above Daniel's eye. "It's not that big a mess, and I've had worse to clean up."
Sam walked in as Jack was pouring another cup – he'd lost count – and came over to them, stopping only long enough to get a cup for herself.
"Morning, guys," she said, brightly, taking the pot from Jack and pouring his coffee for him, then freshening up Daniel's cup.
"Hi, Sam," Daniel said.
"Morning, Sam."
"You two look a little more alert this morning," she noted. They looked just as miserable, but they weren't staring at her blankly, either.
"No medication."
"Aspirin." Jack corrected.
"Don't you hurt?"
"Oh, yeah."
"Uh huh."
"Then why aren't you taking the pain pills?"
Jack rubbed his face, wincing when he hit a particularly sensitive area. "Carter... I don't even remember going to bed last night."
"Ah..."
"I remember you lied to Kim," Daniel said, helpfully.
"I did not." Jack objected, and then thought about that one. "Did I?"
"Something about granola."
"You told me cowboys danced square dances in shorts, Daniel," Carter told him.
"I did?"
"Yup." Sam smiled, wondering what else they remembered. She was glad they weren't going to be so doped up that morning. They were undoubtedly her favorite people in the world, but she would definitely have left them to Teal'c if she'd had to deal with the two of them as out of it as they'd been the night before.
"Why would I say something like that?"
"Just trust me on that one, okay?"
He nodded, looking confused, but unwilling to pres the issue. Besides, he was wondering now what else he'd told her – or anyone else for that matter.
"Sam dressed you!" Jack said suddenly, snapping his fingers and pointing at Daniel.
"And you." Carter reminded him.
"And me?"
"Oh, yes."
"Really?"
"Uh huh."
"Oh."
Jack went silent as he tried to remember other things from the night before, and Sam grinned into her coffee cup, taking another sip.
"Do you want to go fishing?" Daniel asked.
"Now?"
"No. This morning. It's a free day, and Jack and I were discussing the possibility of maybe getting the kids sent off hiking or riding or sailing or something..."
"The kids, or my girls?" Sam asked.
"Your girls," he confessed.
Sam grinned again. It was only fair, she thought. Daniel had really been a good sport, and deserved a chance to get some time away from them.
"I'm not sure about fishing..." She said, looking at O'Neill, who was staring into his cup, still wading through his fragmented memories of the night before.
"It was Jack's idea," Daniel assured her.
"Sounds good, then."
She was just going to ask if she should invite Sally when the first of the boys from China arrived, and came over to their table, laughing.
"Hi Jack! Hi Daniel!"
"Morning guys."
"Hey guys."
"Hi Sam."
"Morning guys."
"Andrew told us about your rat," William said as he slid into his chair.
"Rat?" Jack asked.
Sam nodded, "We had a muskrat in our cabin this morning. What a wonderful way to wake up, having Danin screeching in your ear."
"Teal'c and Andrew went running over to see what was wrong."
"'Teal'c'?" If anything, Jack looked even more confused, and not a little concerned. Sam smiled.
"Apparently, when you fell on Daniel, you called Murray by the nickname you have for him, and the boys caught it. So they asked him, and Murray said he didn't mind if they called him Teal'c, since all his friends call him that."
"Where'd you come up with that nickname, Jack?" Shawn asked. "It's a bit... odd."
"Teal'c?" Jack was still looking just as confused, and turned to Daniel, wondering what else he'd spilled, but Daniel only shrugged. He didn't remember Jack calling Teal'c by name. All he remembered was Jack falling on him.
"I think it's just a play on Murray's last name," Sam said, coming to the rescue when Jack didn't say anything. "Teallik."
"Ah."
Jack looked over at Sam, incredulously. She was a genius, and that was the best she could come up with? Sam shrugged, helplessly.
"Yeah, that's what it is," Jack agreed after a second. "Just a way to shorten his last name." He rubbed his face again, thinking longingly of his bed.
"Don't worry about it, Jack," Jared said, wincing at the dark bruise above Daniel's eye. "It's not that big a mess, and I've had worse to clean up."
Sam walked in as Jack was pouring another cup – he'd lost count – and came over to them, stopping only long enough to get a cup for herself.
"Morning, guys," she said, brightly, taking the pot from Jack and pouring his coffee for him, then freshening up Daniel's cup.
"Hi, Sam," Daniel said.
"Morning, Sam."
"You two look a little more alert this morning," she noted. They looked just as miserable, but they weren't staring at her blankly, either.
"No medication."
"Aspirin." Jack corrected.
"Don't you hurt?"
"Oh, yeah."
"Uh huh."
"Then why aren't you taking the pain pills?"
Jack rubbed his face, wincing when he hit a particularly sensitive area. "Carter... I don't even remember going to bed last night."
"Ah..."
"I remember you lied to Kim," Daniel said, helpfully.
"I did not." Jack objected, and then thought about that one. "Did I?"
"Something about granola."
"You told me cowboys danced square dances in shorts, Daniel," Carter told him.
"I did?"
"Yup." Sam smiled, wondering what else they remembered. She was glad they weren't going to be so doped up that morning. They were undoubtedly her favorite people in the world, but she would definitely have left them to Teal'c if she'd had to deal with the two of them as out of it as they'd been the night before.
"Why would I say something like that?"
"Just trust me on that one, okay?"
He nodded, looking confused, but unwilling to pres the issue. Besides, he was wondering now what else he'd told her – or anyone else for that matter.
"Sam dressed you!" Jack said suddenly, snapping his fingers and pointing at Daniel.
"And you." Carter reminded him.
"And me?"
"Oh, yes."
"Really?"
"Uh huh."
"Oh."
Jack went silent as he tried to remember other things from the night before, and Sam grinned into her coffee cup, taking another sip.
"Do you want to go fishing?" Daniel asked.
"Now?"
"No. This morning. It's a free day, and Jack and I were discussing the possibility of maybe getting the kids sent off hiking or riding or sailing or something..."
"The kids, or my girls?" Sam asked.
"Your girls," he confessed.
Sam grinned again. It was only fair, she thought. Daniel had really been a good sport, and deserved a chance to get some time away from them.
"I'm not sure about fishing..." She said, looking at O'Neill, who was staring into his cup, still wading through his fragmented memories of the night before.
"It was Jack's idea," Daniel assured her.
"Sounds good, then."
She was just going to ask if she should invite Sally when the first of the boys from China arrived, and came over to their table, laughing.
"Hi Jack! Hi Daniel!"
"Morning guys."
"Hey guys."
"Hi Sam."
"Morning guys."
"Andrew told us about your rat," William said as he slid into his chair.
"Rat?" Jack asked.
Sam nodded, "We had a muskrat in our cabin this morning. What a wonderful way to wake up, having Danin screeching in your ear."
"Teal'c and Andrew went running over to see what was wrong."
"'Teal'c'?" If anything, Jack looked even more confused, and not a little concerned. Sam smiled.
"Apparently, when you fell on Daniel, you called Murray by the nickname you have for him, and the boys caught it. So they asked him, and Murray said he didn't mind if they called him Teal'c, since all his friends call him that."
"Where'd you come up with that nickname, Jack?" Shawn asked. "It's a bit... odd."
"Teal'c?" Jack was still looking just as confused, and turned to Daniel, wondering what else he'd spilled, but Daniel only shrugged. He didn't remember Jack calling Teal'c by name. All he remembered was Jack falling on him.
"I think it's just a play on Murray's last name," Sam said, coming to the rescue when Jack didn't say anything. "Teallik."
"Ah."
Jack looked over at Sam, incredulously. She was a genius, and that was the best she could come up with? Sam shrugged, helplessly.
"Yeah, that's what it is," Jack agreed after a second. "Just a way to shorten his last name." He rubbed his face again, thinking longingly of his bed.