Jared and his crew of helpers had gone all out on the last breakfast of the
week. Sausage and scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, and pancakes were brought
to the tables in huge quantities by the runners, and Jack wondered if there
was just a large surplus that they were trying to get rid of before the
week was out. Jack's boys didn't question it, they just ate everything that
was put in front of them, and carefully made sure that they took care of
pouring the milk and coffee whenever Daniel or Jack reached for it. Since
their talk with Jack, they were more boisterous, and they were by far the
noisiest table of the lot. Something that didn't bother their counselors at
all. Even Daniel didn't worry about getting a headache. It was much more
preferable than them moping and looking sad.
Gary wasn't through with surprises, though. He waited until all the dishes were stacked and the tables had been wiped down, and then asked for the Runner from each table to come up to him. Jack sent Devon up with a shooing motion of his hand, and the boy returned with his arms full of what Gary called Memory Books, which were handed out to each camper and counselor.
It looked more like a miniature yearbook to Jack. It was about the same size as one, only paperbacked, and when Jack opened it up, he saw that it was filled with pictures of the campers and counselors at their daily activities thru out the week. Jack had only vaguely been aware of the camp photographer running around snapping pictures of everyone. He'd been paying more attention to other things, but as he flipped through it, he saw that there were quite a few of him and the boys from China. And a fair number of him and Daniel that showed them getting more and more battered as the week progressed.
He flipped through it, idly, as the boys – and the campers all around them – talked excitedly and poured through theirs, looking for pictures of themselves or of the people in their cabin. Jack was pleased to see that at the very end of the book there were three full pages that showed all the camper's names and addresses. This was perfect. He'd planned to make sure he had them all, but now he didn't need to. He'd just save the book. He also noted that the counselors were in the address section, and saw that Teal'c had been written down as Murray Teallik, care of Jack O'Neill, with Jack's address. That was fine, too. The boys would be able to write to them.
"Hey! Jack's got a picture in here with Sam!"
Simon pointed the picture out to all the boys, and Carter and Jack both looked over his shoulder as well, and saw that it had been taken while they were swimming. The picture was in black and white, but the bruises on Jack's chest stood out. As did the fact that Jack had his arm firmly around Sam's waist and was holding her close. It wasn't a picture they'd want Hammond to see, but Jack loved it.
"Jack? Will you sign my book for me?" Shawn asked.
"Of course I will."
This was what the schedule had planned for after breakfast. It was a camp tradition that memory books be handed out, and it was expected that everyone would want their friends to sign them. Gary had a huge basket of pens sitting on a table for just such a purpose.
It was pandemonium for a while after that. Jack was seated at his table next to Daniel and the two of them were asked to sign book after book. Especially Daniel, who was literally swamped with girls - and not just the ones from France. Sally couldn't help him this time, since they all had a legitimate reason for hanging around him, and Jack had a feeling that some of the books he was asked to sign were just excuses to stay close to Daniel a little longer. Especially since he wasn't even sure who some of the girls were.
Gina handed him her book as well, and Jack made a point to write something long and sappy in it. He had thoroughly enjoyed the very rare opportunity to cuddle a little girl all week, and the fact that she'd enjoyed his company as much as he'd enjoyed hers just made it all that much sweeter. He was really going to miss her. She must have felt the same way. Once she had every signature she wanted, Gina came back to O'Neill and climbed up in his lap, and wouldn't budge after that, which made signing Memory Books even more difficult, but Jack didn't ask her to move. He just did the best he could.
"We'd like you and the other counselors to stick around a little while after the campers are gone, Jack," Gary told him as the Camp director came by and asked Jack to sign the official Camp Yearbook. This one was all in color, and a photo of Jack and Daniel sitting side by side at the Square Dancing graced the cover. Jack thought he and Daniel both looked stoned in the photo, and decided there was a pretty fair reason that neither of them could remember much from that evening.
"That's fine," Jack said, looking over to see if Daniel had heard. He nodded to show he had, and Gary moved on to tell Teal'c and Sam, who were sitting at France's table signing books with Sally and Jean (who had all the males campers hanging around her like Daniel had the female ones). Jack signed his name under a picture of him up on Thunderball – another one he'd not noticed was being taken but was glad to have – and handed the book over to Daniel, who looked at the picture on the front for a long time, as if he were trying to remember where it had been taken.
Gary wasn't through with surprises, though. He waited until all the dishes were stacked and the tables had been wiped down, and then asked for the Runner from each table to come up to him. Jack sent Devon up with a shooing motion of his hand, and the boy returned with his arms full of what Gary called Memory Books, which were handed out to each camper and counselor.
It looked more like a miniature yearbook to Jack. It was about the same size as one, only paperbacked, and when Jack opened it up, he saw that it was filled with pictures of the campers and counselors at their daily activities thru out the week. Jack had only vaguely been aware of the camp photographer running around snapping pictures of everyone. He'd been paying more attention to other things, but as he flipped through it, he saw that there were quite a few of him and the boys from China. And a fair number of him and Daniel that showed them getting more and more battered as the week progressed.
He flipped through it, idly, as the boys – and the campers all around them – talked excitedly and poured through theirs, looking for pictures of themselves or of the people in their cabin. Jack was pleased to see that at the very end of the book there were three full pages that showed all the camper's names and addresses. This was perfect. He'd planned to make sure he had them all, but now he didn't need to. He'd just save the book. He also noted that the counselors were in the address section, and saw that Teal'c had been written down as Murray Teallik, care of Jack O'Neill, with Jack's address. That was fine, too. The boys would be able to write to them.
"Hey! Jack's got a picture in here with Sam!"
Simon pointed the picture out to all the boys, and Carter and Jack both looked over his shoulder as well, and saw that it had been taken while they were swimming. The picture was in black and white, but the bruises on Jack's chest stood out. As did the fact that Jack had his arm firmly around Sam's waist and was holding her close. It wasn't a picture they'd want Hammond to see, but Jack loved it.
"Jack? Will you sign my book for me?" Shawn asked.
"Of course I will."
This was what the schedule had planned for after breakfast. It was a camp tradition that memory books be handed out, and it was expected that everyone would want their friends to sign them. Gary had a huge basket of pens sitting on a table for just such a purpose.
It was pandemonium for a while after that. Jack was seated at his table next to Daniel and the two of them were asked to sign book after book. Especially Daniel, who was literally swamped with girls - and not just the ones from France. Sally couldn't help him this time, since they all had a legitimate reason for hanging around him, and Jack had a feeling that some of the books he was asked to sign were just excuses to stay close to Daniel a little longer. Especially since he wasn't even sure who some of the girls were.
Gina handed him her book as well, and Jack made a point to write something long and sappy in it. He had thoroughly enjoyed the very rare opportunity to cuddle a little girl all week, and the fact that she'd enjoyed his company as much as he'd enjoyed hers just made it all that much sweeter. He was really going to miss her. She must have felt the same way. Once she had every signature she wanted, Gina came back to O'Neill and climbed up in his lap, and wouldn't budge after that, which made signing Memory Books even more difficult, but Jack didn't ask her to move. He just did the best he could.
"We'd like you and the other counselors to stick around a little while after the campers are gone, Jack," Gary told him as the Camp director came by and asked Jack to sign the official Camp Yearbook. This one was all in color, and a photo of Jack and Daniel sitting side by side at the Square Dancing graced the cover. Jack thought he and Daniel both looked stoned in the photo, and decided there was a pretty fair reason that neither of them could remember much from that evening.
"That's fine," Jack said, looking over to see if Daniel had heard. He nodded to show he had, and Gary moved on to tell Teal'c and Sam, who were sitting at France's table signing books with Sally and Jean (who had all the males campers hanging around her like Daniel had the female ones). Jack signed his name under a picture of him up on Thunderball – another one he'd not noticed was being taken but was glad to have – and handed the book over to Daniel, who looked at the picture on the front for a long time, as if he were trying to remember where it had been taken.