Samantha Carter looked at the map for the hundredth time, and once more
wondered if she was headed in the right direction. She wasn't normally one
to get lost. That was usually Jack's department. But it was hard to see any
of the normal road signs, since the heavy snowfall the night before had
blanketed the area and the wind had caused many drifts to bury the signs –
completely in some cases. She swore again when she realized she had to have
passed the road without noticing. There really weren't a lot of places to
turn around up here, but it looked like she was going to have to find one.
Carter looked at her watch. It was about lunchtime, and she'd been on the go since before breakfast. When Jacob hadn't shown at the agreed on time the day before, she'd waited around, just in case something was wrong. Nothing had been wrong, though. Not with Jacob, anyways. There were a couple Tok'ra missing, however, and he needed to stick around to see if they were missing because they were late getting back from their latest mission, or if they were missing because they failed their latest mission. If the latter was the case, then they'd be launching a rescue and Jacob needed to be there.
He'd sent her a message, but by then it was far too late to try and catch up with Jack and the others that night. For one thing, she didn't know where she was going, and for another it was snowing hard, and getting dark. Sam wasn't dumb enough to drive in the mountain passes in the dark when she didn't know exactly where she was supposed to be. She'd called Shawn's house, to see if Dotty and James had one of the maps that had been faxed out. They did, of course, and had been happy to fax her a copy.
So here she was. Driving around the mountains, chains on her tires for added safety on the slick roads, looking for a lodge she'd never been to in a mountain of new fallen snow. Add in that the sun was shining so brightly on the pristine snow that even with her sunglasses she was getting a headache, and it was no surprise that she was more than a little annoyed. And didn't have anyone to be annoyed with, since it wasn't anyone's fault, really. And that was even more annoying. She studied the map again – even though she already had it memorized – and then drove on, looking for a place to turn around. She was certain she'd passed the road.
~*~
Jack ate lunch in the same place he'd eaten breakfast. On the sofa. His knee felt a lot better than he could have imagined it would have. It was swollen, and it hurt, but with the careful exercises that morning - and the ice packs - he was able to bend it a little, and was pretty certain he'd be able to put weight on it in the event of an emergency. Of course, according to Shelby and Lucille, getting to the dinner table to eat lunch wasn't an emergency. So Jack was brought a tray, like he'd had his breakfast.
He had different company this time, too. Shawn was eating at the table with the other boys, who were discussing everything from comics to sledding after lunch, to Daniel's wipe out, which sounded spectacular from what Jack had heard described. Darrin was sitting with Jack, eating his lunch and chatting animatedly about his theories of mankind's evolution. Apparently, everyone in his own family had already heard them, so he was always looking for new people to bounce his ideas off, and since Jack was a close friend to Daniel – who was renown for having revolutionary ideas of his own – Darrin naturally assumed Jack did as well. Which couldn't have been further from the case.
Jack had never heard of a planet called Atlantis, and had never heard the Asgard, Tok'ra or any of the other allies even mention such a place. He was willing to go out on a limb and assume that unless Atlantis was a top secret Goa'uld stronghold, the planet didn't exist. Unfortunately, he couldn't tell Darrin that. He couldn't even tell Darrin that he'd seen other planets, and none of them looked anything like his description of what he thought this planet that mankind had originally come from looked like. Of course, even if Jack COULD have told him all that, he still wouldn't have been able to. Darrin wasn't giving him much chance to say anything.
Jack couldn't figure out how the guy was eating anything, since his mouth was almost constantly moving, but his sandwiches and chili were vanishing faster than O'Neill's, so he was doing it somehow. And all the while discussing fossil remains that absolutely HAD to prove his own theories. Jack was developing a headache that had nothing to do with his hurt leg.
~*~
David and Teal'c brought Daniel back to the lodge just as lunch was finishing up. The two supported him between them and half-carried him over to the sofa Jack was on. Darrin took his tray and moved it out of the way, and they deposited Daniel next to O'Neill, who looked him over carefully. After all, despite all the teasing, Jack was more concerned about Daniel than anyone there, with the possible exception of Teal'c.
There was a bandage on his forehead about the size of Jack's hand that covered the cut that had been bleeding so freely, and Daniel's leg was swathed in bandages and wrapped up tightly from mid thigh to below his knee.
"No cast?"
"It isn't broken." Daniel told him. Teal'c handed the archeologist a pair of crutches and Daniel stashed them on the floor along the front of the sofa. David brought over another padded footstool, and helped Daniel get comfortable.
"It's not?"
"Don't sound so disappointed, Jack."
"I'm not." Was he? Well... maybe a little. More of that misery loves company thing, probably.
"He was fortunate to have escaped serious injury," Teal'c said as the rest of the family left the dinner table in the other room, and came in to see how Daniel was.
"Daniel!"
"Does it hurt?"
"Looks like it."
"Can I sign it?"
"It isn't a cast, Simon, sorry."
"It's not broken?"
Daniel sighed.
The boys gathered around the two on the sofa, some leaning over the back, some sitting next to them, the rest just standing with the adults as they gathered as well.
"We're going to go sledding now that lunch is over, Jack. Do you want to come?" Andrew asked.
Jack looked over at Shelby. It was an automatic reaction to the question. He knew instinctively that she was the one who would say whether he COULD go or not. Kind of like Janet Fraiser debating whether he was fit for duty.
She saw the look and shrugged, which meant he might or might not be well enough, but he wasn't so injured that she would keep him on his butt the rest of the day.
"It won't be dangerous, Jack," Carol assured him. "Just inner tubes and sleds. You let the towrope pull you up – on the sled or tube – then just let go of the rope and slide down the hill. Unless you're trying to do the bumps, you probably won't even tip over."
Probably.
"Come on, Jack," Andrew pleaded, "It'll be great. I'll take care of you, I promise!"
He looked at the boys, who were all looking equally hopeful, and at Shawn, who he'd never say no to when it came to something like this, and shrugged. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad?
"You guys should probably give Jack a bit more time on the couch," Darrin said, coming over and dragging one of the recliners. "He's hurt, remember?" It was obvious how Darrin planned to spend his afternoon. He had a captive audience in Daniel now, since Daniel wasn't going anywhere, and that meant more discussion of theories and assumptions. Jack didn't need any more urging. If he could have leapt to his feet he would have. As it was, he nodded.
"I'd love to guys. Someone help me up."
Carter looked at her watch. It was about lunchtime, and she'd been on the go since before breakfast. When Jacob hadn't shown at the agreed on time the day before, she'd waited around, just in case something was wrong. Nothing had been wrong, though. Not with Jacob, anyways. There were a couple Tok'ra missing, however, and he needed to stick around to see if they were missing because they were late getting back from their latest mission, or if they were missing because they failed their latest mission. If the latter was the case, then they'd be launching a rescue and Jacob needed to be there.
He'd sent her a message, but by then it was far too late to try and catch up with Jack and the others that night. For one thing, she didn't know where she was going, and for another it was snowing hard, and getting dark. Sam wasn't dumb enough to drive in the mountain passes in the dark when she didn't know exactly where she was supposed to be. She'd called Shawn's house, to see if Dotty and James had one of the maps that had been faxed out. They did, of course, and had been happy to fax her a copy.
So here she was. Driving around the mountains, chains on her tires for added safety on the slick roads, looking for a lodge she'd never been to in a mountain of new fallen snow. Add in that the sun was shining so brightly on the pristine snow that even with her sunglasses she was getting a headache, and it was no surprise that she was more than a little annoyed. And didn't have anyone to be annoyed with, since it wasn't anyone's fault, really. And that was even more annoying. She studied the map again – even though she already had it memorized – and then drove on, looking for a place to turn around. She was certain she'd passed the road.
~*~
Jack ate lunch in the same place he'd eaten breakfast. On the sofa. His knee felt a lot better than he could have imagined it would have. It was swollen, and it hurt, but with the careful exercises that morning - and the ice packs - he was able to bend it a little, and was pretty certain he'd be able to put weight on it in the event of an emergency. Of course, according to Shelby and Lucille, getting to the dinner table to eat lunch wasn't an emergency. So Jack was brought a tray, like he'd had his breakfast.
He had different company this time, too. Shawn was eating at the table with the other boys, who were discussing everything from comics to sledding after lunch, to Daniel's wipe out, which sounded spectacular from what Jack had heard described. Darrin was sitting with Jack, eating his lunch and chatting animatedly about his theories of mankind's evolution. Apparently, everyone in his own family had already heard them, so he was always looking for new people to bounce his ideas off, and since Jack was a close friend to Daniel – who was renown for having revolutionary ideas of his own – Darrin naturally assumed Jack did as well. Which couldn't have been further from the case.
Jack had never heard of a planet called Atlantis, and had never heard the Asgard, Tok'ra or any of the other allies even mention such a place. He was willing to go out on a limb and assume that unless Atlantis was a top secret Goa'uld stronghold, the planet didn't exist. Unfortunately, he couldn't tell Darrin that. He couldn't even tell Darrin that he'd seen other planets, and none of them looked anything like his description of what he thought this planet that mankind had originally come from looked like. Of course, even if Jack COULD have told him all that, he still wouldn't have been able to. Darrin wasn't giving him much chance to say anything.
Jack couldn't figure out how the guy was eating anything, since his mouth was almost constantly moving, but his sandwiches and chili were vanishing faster than O'Neill's, so he was doing it somehow. And all the while discussing fossil remains that absolutely HAD to prove his own theories. Jack was developing a headache that had nothing to do with his hurt leg.
~*~
David and Teal'c brought Daniel back to the lodge just as lunch was finishing up. The two supported him between them and half-carried him over to the sofa Jack was on. Darrin took his tray and moved it out of the way, and they deposited Daniel next to O'Neill, who looked him over carefully. After all, despite all the teasing, Jack was more concerned about Daniel than anyone there, with the possible exception of Teal'c.
There was a bandage on his forehead about the size of Jack's hand that covered the cut that had been bleeding so freely, and Daniel's leg was swathed in bandages and wrapped up tightly from mid thigh to below his knee.
"No cast?"
"It isn't broken." Daniel told him. Teal'c handed the archeologist a pair of crutches and Daniel stashed them on the floor along the front of the sofa. David brought over another padded footstool, and helped Daniel get comfortable.
"It's not?"
"Don't sound so disappointed, Jack."
"I'm not." Was he? Well... maybe a little. More of that misery loves company thing, probably.
"He was fortunate to have escaped serious injury," Teal'c said as the rest of the family left the dinner table in the other room, and came in to see how Daniel was.
"Daniel!"
"Does it hurt?"
"Looks like it."
"Can I sign it?"
"It isn't a cast, Simon, sorry."
"It's not broken?"
Daniel sighed.
The boys gathered around the two on the sofa, some leaning over the back, some sitting next to them, the rest just standing with the adults as they gathered as well.
"We're going to go sledding now that lunch is over, Jack. Do you want to come?" Andrew asked.
Jack looked over at Shelby. It was an automatic reaction to the question. He knew instinctively that she was the one who would say whether he COULD go or not. Kind of like Janet Fraiser debating whether he was fit for duty.
She saw the look and shrugged, which meant he might or might not be well enough, but he wasn't so injured that she would keep him on his butt the rest of the day.
"It won't be dangerous, Jack," Carol assured him. "Just inner tubes and sleds. You let the towrope pull you up – on the sled or tube – then just let go of the rope and slide down the hill. Unless you're trying to do the bumps, you probably won't even tip over."
Probably.
"Come on, Jack," Andrew pleaded, "It'll be great. I'll take care of you, I promise!"
He looked at the boys, who were all looking equally hopeful, and at Shawn, who he'd never say no to when it came to something like this, and shrugged. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad?
"You guys should probably give Jack a bit more time on the couch," Darrin said, coming over and dragging one of the recliners. "He's hurt, remember?" It was obvious how Darrin planned to spend his afternoon. He had a captive audience in Daniel now, since Daniel wasn't going anywhere, and that meant more discussion of theories and assumptions. Jack didn't need any more urging. If he could have leapt to his feet he would have. As it was, he nodded.
"I'd love to guys. Someone help me up."
