There were stacks of luggage and bags in the foyer of the main building,
telling Jack that he'd been wrong about keeping the bags in the cabins. He
didn't rush to go find the boys and tell them to get their things, though.
It wasn't as if the Earth was going to stop turning if they didn't have all
their stuff down here before breakfast. He and Daniel walked past it,
amazed at how much crap so few kids could generate, and walked into the
dining room, which was already filled with kids and campers.
"Jack! Daniel!"
The boys waved at him from China's table, and he and Daniel both waved back before heading for the table that held the coffee pot.
"Let me get that for you guys," Sally said, coming over. Undoubtedly, she was remembering dinner the night before and how much trouble they had with liquids. Both of them bit back any comment, and thanked her, figuring it was just as easy to go along as it was to argue that they could do it themselves. The smile Daniel gave her was warmer than the one Jack did, though.
They sat down at the table in their usual places, and the boy watched as they drank their first cup of coffee. There was almost a mournful quality in the looks they were giving them, and Jack picked up on it immediately. He reached over and ruffled Shawn's hair with his good hand.
"What's the matter, guys?"
"It's our last meal together, Jack," Simon said from his spot next to Daniel. Andrew was practically leaning against Teal'c, and the little boy looked as miserable as everyone else.
Jack looked over at Sam, but Carter was dealing with a similar situation with her own girls. France had as many sad faces as China did. For that matter, the entire room seemed a lot quieter than usual. Jack sighed, and looked into Shawn's sad dark eyes, then stood up.
"Come with me."
He limped out of the dining room, followed by his curious boys, Teal'c and Daniel. The other campers watched them go, but they were too wrapped up in their own miseries to wonder too much about where they were going. Walking slowly, both because he was sore, and to buy a little time, Jack thought quick as he led them out into the foyer, where he could talk to them without having the entire camp listening in.
"Huddle around, guys," he said, stopping in the middle of the room. The boys all gathered in close, looking up at him.
Jack gave them a smile. An honest to God I love you more than anything in the world smile. It wasn't one he used very often. For that matter, he hardly ever used it, but the boys immediately responded to it, some of them smiling automatically in return, others simply losing a little of their sadness.
"You guys..." Jack paused for a second, feeling a lump forming in his throat. "You guys are the greatest group of kids I've ever met. You're smart, you're brave, and you're funny. You're everything I wish I could have been when I was your age. When I found out that I was coming here, I wasn't really looking forward to it. I mean, I could think of a billion ways I'd rather spend my vacation than hanging out with a bunch of kids. I was wrong, though. There was no better way for me to spend my vacation than hanging out with you guys. I had more fun this week than I ever could have imagined. True, I got hurt..."
There were smiles and chuckles, and Jack could see the sadness was leaving their faces to be replaced with something else. Something more positive. He continued.
"... I got hurt. Daniel got hurt. Even Murray got hurt. But it was so much fun to be here with you guys. You guys made this week fun for us, and I wanted to thank you for that."
There were more smiles. Jack was being sincere with them, and they could recognize that. Even young children know when they are being talked down to, and they knew that Jack was speaking with them man to man.
"You made it fun for us, too, Jack." Devon said. The rest of the boys nodded their agreement with this statement.
"Good. I wanted it to be fun for you. Now. We're not done yet, guys. There's another meal to eat, and a little more time to cause trouble – not too much, though. We can't let everyone think we're a bunch of saps just because camp is going to be ending soon, can we? Besides, think of all the stories you'll have to tell your friends back home! You went horseback riding, and sailing, and hiking and you had a cliff come down on you. They're never going to believe all of that, you know?"
The boys nodded, grinning. It was all true. They'd have a ton of stuff to brag about to their friends. They'd just spent a week with two Air Force Seals, after all! And Jack was a Colonel!
Daniel could see that the sad looks were all gone, and he had to admit that Jack was a lot better at this sort of thing than he was. He'd never been good with good-byes. Jack, of course, had said good-bye a million times in his career in the Air Force. He was used to seeing people he'd come to like leave him. Good-byes were hard, but he was a pro. Although he'd never had to say good-bye to a group of nine year olds before. It was almost easier to do it with the kids, though. With the boys from China, it was simply a matter of opening up and letting them know how they affected him. Something he wouldn't have done with adults, but was finding it easy to do with the boys.
The boys all gathered in close for a moment, then Jack shooed them all away with a smile.
"Come on, guys, I'm hungry! Let's go get some breakfast and see what we're doing the rest of the morning."
They all raced back into the dining hall, suddenly feeling much better than they had all morning, leaving Jack, Daniel and Teal'c standing in the foyer alone watching them.
"Good speech, Jack." Daniel said.
O'Neill nodded, "Yeah, I know."
He put an arm over Daniel's shoulder, and the casted one over Teal'c's, and turned the three of them towards the dining room as well. "I meant it, though, you know?"
"Indeed, O'Neill," Teal'c said, smiling. "I agree with everything you told them."
"Me, too, Jack."
"Good. You can give the speech to Sam's girls, then, and see if you can get them to stop looking quite so miserable."
"Uh...."
Jack and Teal'c were still grinning when they all walked back into the cafeteria to join their boys, who were now sitting at their table, animatedly chattering with each other, and looking far happier than they had been when they'd left.
~*~
Author's note: Whew! This story is almost finished! I can't believe how far it went, and how much fun I've had with it. (Don't panic, it isn't done yet, and there's a lot of loose ends I need to tie up) But I should have the last chapters out tonight or tomorrow, depending on my schedule. Keep reviewing so I know what's good and what sucks.
"Jack! Daniel!"
The boys waved at him from China's table, and he and Daniel both waved back before heading for the table that held the coffee pot.
"Let me get that for you guys," Sally said, coming over. Undoubtedly, she was remembering dinner the night before and how much trouble they had with liquids. Both of them bit back any comment, and thanked her, figuring it was just as easy to go along as it was to argue that they could do it themselves. The smile Daniel gave her was warmer than the one Jack did, though.
They sat down at the table in their usual places, and the boy watched as they drank their first cup of coffee. There was almost a mournful quality in the looks they were giving them, and Jack picked up on it immediately. He reached over and ruffled Shawn's hair with his good hand.
"What's the matter, guys?"
"It's our last meal together, Jack," Simon said from his spot next to Daniel. Andrew was practically leaning against Teal'c, and the little boy looked as miserable as everyone else.
Jack looked over at Sam, but Carter was dealing with a similar situation with her own girls. France had as many sad faces as China did. For that matter, the entire room seemed a lot quieter than usual. Jack sighed, and looked into Shawn's sad dark eyes, then stood up.
"Come with me."
He limped out of the dining room, followed by his curious boys, Teal'c and Daniel. The other campers watched them go, but they were too wrapped up in their own miseries to wonder too much about where they were going. Walking slowly, both because he was sore, and to buy a little time, Jack thought quick as he led them out into the foyer, where he could talk to them without having the entire camp listening in.
"Huddle around, guys," he said, stopping in the middle of the room. The boys all gathered in close, looking up at him.
Jack gave them a smile. An honest to God I love you more than anything in the world smile. It wasn't one he used very often. For that matter, he hardly ever used it, but the boys immediately responded to it, some of them smiling automatically in return, others simply losing a little of their sadness.
"You guys..." Jack paused for a second, feeling a lump forming in his throat. "You guys are the greatest group of kids I've ever met. You're smart, you're brave, and you're funny. You're everything I wish I could have been when I was your age. When I found out that I was coming here, I wasn't really looking forward to it. I mean, I could think of a billion ways I'd rather spend my vacation than hanging out with a bunch of kids. I was wrong, though. There was no better way for me to spend my vacation than hanging out with you guys. I had more fun this week than I ever could have imagined. True, I got hurt..."
There were smiles and chuckles, and Jack could see the sadness was leaving their faces to be replaced with something else. Something more positive. He continued.
"... I got hurt. Daniel got hurt. Even Murray got hurt. But it was so much fun to be here with you guys. You guys made this week fun for us, and I wanted to thank you for that."
There were more smiles. Jack was being sincere with them, and they could recognize that. Even young children know when they are being talked down to, and they knew that Jack was speaking with them man to man.
"You made it fun for us, too, Jack." Devon said. The rest of the boys nodded their agreement with this statement.
"Good. I wanted it to be fun for you. Now. We're not done yet, guys. There's another meal to eat, and a little more time to cause trouble – not too much, though. We can't let everyone think we're a bunch of saps just because camp is going to be ending soon, can we? Besides, think of all the stories you'll have to tell your friends back home! You went horseback riding, and sailing, and hiking and you had a cliff come down on you. They're never going to believe all of that, you know?"
The boys nodded, grinning. It was all true. They'd have a ton of stuff to brag about to their friends. They'd just spent a week with two Air Force Seals, after all! And Jack was a Colonel!
Daniel could see that the sad looks were all gone, and he had to admit that Jack was a lot better at this sort of thing than he was. He'd never been good with good-byes. Jack, of course, had said good-bye a million times in his career in the Air Force. He was used to seeing people he'd come to like leave him. Good-byes were hard, but he was a pro. Although he'd never had to say good-bye to a group of nine year olds before. It was almost easier to do it with the kids, though. With the boys from China, it was simply a matter of opening up and letting them know how they affected him. Something he wouldn't have done with adults, but was finding it easy to do with the boys.
The boys all gathered in close for a moment, then Jack shooed them all away with a smile.
"Come on, guys, I'm hungry! Let's go get some breakfast and see what we're doing the rest of the morning."
They all raced back into the dining hall, suddenly feeling much better than they had all morning, leaving Jack, Daniel and Teal'c standing in the foyer alone watching them.
"Good speech, Jack." Daniel said.
O'Neill nodded, "Yeah, I know."
He put an arm over Daniel's shoulder, and the casted one over Teal'c's, and turned the three of them towards the dining room as well. "I meant it, though, you know?"
"Indeed, O'Neill," Teal'c said, smiling. "I agree with everything you told them."
"Me, too, Jack."
"Good. You can give the speech to Sam's girls, then, and see if you can get them to stop looking quite so miserable."
"Uh...."
Jack and Teal'c were still grinning when they all walked back into the cafeteria to join their boys, who were now sitting at their table, animatedly chattering with each other, and looking far happier than they had been when they'd left.
~*~
Author's note: Whew! This story is almost finished! I can't believe how far it went, and how much fun I've had with it. (Don't panic, it isn't done yet, and there's a lot of loose ends I need to tie up) But I should have the last chapters out tonight or tomorrow, depending on my schedule. Keep reviewing so I know what's good and what sucks.