In the next hour everyone in the lodge had been to Jack's room to see the
puppies. Even Shelby and Lucille, who normally would have had to just
looked at the pictures since they weren't so good with stairs anymore,
went. Teal'c offered his arm to Shelby, allowing her to lean heavily on him
on the way up the stairs, and Darrin helped his mother.
Andrew was ecstatic. He cooed at Shadow, and petted her and made a great deal out of her puppies, while the rest of the boys looked on, but didn't touch, since they didn't want too many people handling the newborns. Time enough for that when they were a little older. The camera was put to good use, however, and Jack had a feeling that there would soon be a lot more pictures added to the walls of the room the boys had slept in.
David brought up a large wicker basket, and set it in the corner of Jack's room, as far from the door as he could.
"We'll let her keep the comforter, since she made such a mess of it," He decided, as everyone picked up a puppy or two and held them while Andrew's dad put the soft comforter into the wicker basket and cajoled Shadow into getting into it. Once she was settled, the puppies were returned to her and Andrew and his friends ran down to the kitchen to get her a bowl of water and some food. Then they all left the room so Jack could get dressed.
When he came downstairs to join the others, he found most of them were in the living room, already looking at pictures that had been printed off the computer. The boys had been gathered around Teal'c and Daniel – actually, Simon was pretty much sprawled on Teal'c, and Shawn was more or less sprawled on Daniel, since they were all sitting on the same large sofa and it wasn't really large enough. They were admiring the pictures and handing them around and asking Andrew what he was going to name them.
"Jack!"
All heads turned – including the adults – as Jack entered the room. Shawn rolled off Daniel and walked over, grinning up at him. O'Neill rested his hand on the top of the boy's head for a moment – sort of a greeting mixed in with a wordless 'I love you', and then looked around. He smelled coffee. And wanted some in the worst way. The other adults waved a good morning to him, but they were all caught up in looking at the pictures. Apparently, there'd been a number of bets on Shadow's litter – colors of the puppies, day they'd be born, how many, male and female ratios, etc. - and they were figuring the winners out.
"Coffee, Jack?" Asked Brittany, walking over with a steaming cup. Jack smiled, and took it gratefully.
"Thanks."
He took an appreciative sip, and Brittany grinned.
"Ready to learn to ski?"
"Before breakfast?"
"Why not?"
Well, because he didn't want to crash and die, for one thing. Of course, he didn't say this; he just thought it to himself. He was trying to think of something to say to get out of it, but his mind wasn't quick enough.
"Okay."
He turned and looked at the sofa.
"You guys coming?"
"Carol said she'd teach us after breakfast," Daniel said, grinning. "Besides, it's cold outside, and I'm warm."
"I will wait, O'Neill." Teal'c wasn't in all that much of a hurry to learn to ski anyways, and if he could put it off until later, that would be fine.
"Just you and me, Jack," Brittany said, smiling. "Come on, I'll get you suited up."
"Good luck!" Daniel called as Jack followed his instructor to the supply room. Or equipment room, as she called it when they got there.
~*~
"You'll want these," Brittany said, handing Jack a pair of snow pants, and a loose jacket. "They're a lot warmer than jeans, and they're water proof." She sorted through the shelves of gear as Jack put them on, and then handed him gloves and goggles, and a pair of ski poles, and picked up a pair of boots and skis and carried them all out of the room and into the back foyer.
"Skiing isn't all that hard, Jack. It just takes balance and good knees."
Great.
She had him put on the boots while she went back into the room and got her own gear, then they went outside, Jack finding it very difficult to walk in the uncomfortable boots.
The snow had stopped sometime during the night, and the sun was almost blinding as it reflected off the brilliant snow. The lodge was covered in a thick layer of white, and the trees were blanketed as well. It was beautiful. Brittany led him over to an area that was cleared of trees all the way up a very steep looking hill. To one side there was a machine of some kind with a thick heavy rope that went all the way up the hill. Brittany explained that this was the towrope.
"You just hold on and it pulls you up the hill. When you get as far up as you ant to go – or when you reach the end of it – you just let go and head down the hill." She smiled. "You're not quite ready for that, though."
No, he wasn't. Jack looked up the slope, and then at the rope, and then at the skis he was carrying. All he could think of was the theme song to the opening credits of the Wide World of Sports.
"Don't look so panicked, Jack," Brittany said, smiling at him as reassuringly as she could. She was used to seeing trepidation on the faces of the people she was teaching to ski, and was doing her best to keep him from getting too nervous. She'd even stopped flirting with him! "Skiing isn't that hard, I promise. You'll see."
Jack nodded, but didn't say anything as she set her skis down on the snow, and motioned for him to do the same. As she showed him how to put his boots into the bindings, she patted his shoulder, thinking he still looked a little nervous.
"Honestly, Jack, just think about it. What's the worst that could happen?"
Andrew was ecstatic. He cooed at Shadow, and petted her and made a great deal out of her puppies, while the rest of the boys looked on, but didn't touch, since they didn't want too many people handling the newborns. Time enough for that when they were a little older. The camera was put to good use, however, and Jack had a feeling that there would soon be a lot more pictures added to the walls of the room the boys had slept in.
David brought up a large wicker basket, and set it in the corner of Jack's room, as far from the door as he could.
"We'll let her keep the comforter, since she made such a mess of it," He decided, as everyone picked up a puppy or two and held them while Andrew's dad put the soft comforter into the wicker basket and cajoled Shadow into getting into it. Once she was settled, the puppies were returned to her and Andrew and his friends ran down to the kitchen to get her a bowl of water and some food. Then they all left the room so Jack could get dressed.
When he came downstairs to join the others, he found most of them were in the living room, already looking at pictures that had been printed off the computer. The boys had been gathered around Teal'c and Daniel – actually, Simon was pretty much sprawled on Teal'c, and Shawn was more or less sprawled on Daniel, since they were all sitting on the same large sofa and it wasn't really large enough. They were admiring the pictures and handing them around and asking Andrew what he was going to name them.
"Jack!"
All heads turned – including the adults – as Jack entered the room. Shawn rolled off Daniel and walked over, grinning up at him. O'Neill rested his hand on the top of the boy's head for a moment – sort of a greeting mixed in with a wordless 'I love you', and then looked around. He smelled coffee. And wanted some in the worst way. The other adults waved a good morning to him, but they were all caught up in looking at the pictures. Apparently, there'd been a number of bets on Shadow's litter – colors of the puppies, day they'd be born, how many, male and female ratios, etc. - and they were figuring the winners out.
"Coffee, Jack?" Asked Brittany, walking over with a steaming cup. Jack smiled, and took it gratefully.
"Thanks."
He took an appreciative sip, and Brittany grinned.
"Ready to learn to ski?"
"Before breakfast?"
"Why not?"
Well, because he didn't want to crash and die, for one thing. Of course, he didn't say this; he just thought it to himself. He was trying to think of something to say to get out of it, but his mind wasn't quick enough.
"Okay."
He turned and looked at the sofa.
"You guys coming?"
"Carol said she'd teach us after breakfast," Daniel said, grinning. "Besides, it's cold outside, and I'm warm."
"I will wait, O'Neill." Teal'c wasn't in all that much of a hurry to learn to ski anyways, and if he could put it off until later, that would be fine.
"Just you and me, Jack," Brittany said, smiling. "Come on, I'll get you suited up."
"Good luck!" Daniel called as Jack followed his instructor to the supply room. Or equipment room, as she called it when they got there.
~*~
"You'll want these," Brittany said, handing Jack a pair of snow pants, and a loose jacket. "They're a lot warmer than jeans, and they're water proof." She sorted through the shelves of gear as Jack put them on, and then handed him gloves and goggles, and a pair of ski poles, and picked up a pair of boots and skis and carried them all out of the room and into the back foyer.
"Skiing isn't all that hard, Jack. It just takes balance and good knees."
Great.
She had him put on the boots while she went back into the room and got her own gear, then they went outside, Jack finding it very difficult to walk in the uncomfortable boots.
The snow had stopped sometime during the night, and the sun was almost blinding as it reflected off the brilliant snow. The lodge was covered in a thick layer of white, and the trees were blanketed as well. It was beautiful. Brittany led him over to an area that was cleared of trees all the way up a very steep looking hill. To one side there was a machine of some kind with a thick heavy rope that went all the way up the hill. Brittany explained that this was the towrope.
"You just hold on and it pulls you up the hill. When you get as far up as you ant to go – or when you reach the end of it – you just let go and head down the hill." She smiled. "You're not quite ready for that, though."
No, he wasn't. Jack looked up the slope, and then at the rope, and then at the skis he was carrying. All he could think of was the theme song to the opening credits of the Wide World of Sports.
"Don't look so panicked, Jack," Brittany said, smiling at him as reassuringly as she could. She was used to seeing trepidation on the faces of the people she was teaching to ski, and was doing her best to keep him from getting too nervous. She'd even stopped flirting with him! "Skiing isn't that hard, I promise. You'll see."
Jack nodded, but didn't say anything as she set her skis down on the snow, and motioned for him to do the same. As she showed him how to put his boots into the bindings, she patted his shoulder, thinking he still looked a little nervous.
"Honestly, Jack, just think about it. What's the worst that could happen?"
