Epilogue
~*~
"Jack!"
Jack O'Neill looked over at the sound of his name being called, and scowled. He was standing on a path in the park, walking hand in hand with Sam on a rare day when the two of them had nothing to do and could spend it outside doing nothing together. Even better, Teal'c and Daniel were both free, too, so the team had all made a day of it. Spring had come, and after a winter of being cooped up, they were all eager to get out.
"Jack!"
The voice calling his name was deep and Jack scowled again, doing his best to ignore it. Teal'c never called Jack by his first name. Which meant he was calling someone else.
Down the path a ways a gangly young yellow lab puppy had raised his head from whatever interesting scent he'd been sniffing. The dog had grown quite a bit, and was every bit as handsome as his mother was. A true Champion in every form, even though all he was now was ears and feet.
"Come here, Jack!"
The puppy came running over, loping on long legs that were a promise of size to come when he finally grew into them. He rushed up to Teal'c, wuffling happily, his tail wagging so hard his entire back end was wagging as well.
"Good dog!"
Teal'c wasn't smiling, but he had that satisfied smirk on his face that he wore every time he and Jack took their dogs out together. Jack ignored it, like he always did, but Sam laughed and leaned against O'Neill.
"I think we should have gotten him a dog a long time ago."
"Oh, I don't think so."
Officially, Jack's name was Colonel Jack O'Neill. A name that Teal'c had had no trouble registering, since no one else in the entire country had thought to name their yellow lab that. But Teal'c just called him Jack, and everyone else went along with it. It was a good name for a very sweet animal.
"He's very good with him."
"We could have gotten him a hamster."
"Jack the hamster doesn't sound nearly so good."
"Yeah, yeah."
Jack looked down at the black lab puppy that was walking on the end of his leash, which Sam was holding. His dog was even larger than Teal'c's, and Jack felt just a little smug about that. The black hide gleamed with good health, and the brown eyes were so intelligent that Jack expected him to start speaking any day. Of course, he wasn't a perfect angel. Jack had brought him home, and had learned immediately that young labs loved to get into everything and chew on everything. Nothing had been safe from day one.
His bathroom floor had been ripped up one day while Jack was off world on a short mission with the rest of SG-1. He'd come home to find that there was a large hole in the middle of the floor, and his cute puppy was gnawing on a piece of tile. That was when Jack had decided that he'd start taking his baby to work with him. There were guard dogs at the base, and there was a kennel. He'd drop him off, with strict instructions about diet and exercise, and pick him up when it was time to go home. Things had been a bit better then. Except that shoes were vanishing from his closet at an alarming rate.
"Jack!"
This time the voice was younger, and Jack turned to look and see if he were being addressed. Shawn came running up, a tennis ball in each hand. Two very slobbery and well-worn tennis balls.
"Can I take Jaffer, Sam?" Shawn asked, looking down at the puppy, who was watching the tennis balls with great interest.
She grinned and handed the leash over to the boy, who then went over and mooched the yellow lab puppy from Teal'c as well.
"Keep an eye on them," Jack warned, smiling at the boy. "There's ducks somewhere around here, and you know how Jaffer gets when he sees a duck."
"I'll watch them," Shawn promised. Really the park was as safe for the dogs as any place was. It was fenced in, so they wouldn't have to worry about them getting loose and getting hit by a car, and it was filled with grass for them to run on. And Shawn was good about keeping an eye on them. Shawn took off at a run, with both puppies following him excitedly.
"Hi, Daniel!"
"Hi, Shawn." Daniel watched as Shawn ran past him with the two dogs, and grinned at the others, handing out hot dogs that he'd bought from the vendor. It was just as easy to do that as to go out and get some lunch, and they were going to have an early dinner before they took Shawn back home.
"You know, those dogs are going to be huge when they get older." Daniel said to Jack.
"Yup. I'm going to teach Jaffer how to fish."
"I am going to teach Jack how to play fetch."
"I'm going to teach Jaffer how to row a boat."
"I am going to teach Jack how to play dead."
"I'm going to teach Jaffer how to play cribbage."
"I am-"
"I get it," Daniel said holding up his hand. This was a favorite pastime of Teal'c and Jack's. They'd start making up different things they were going to teach their dogs, although at the moment all either of the puppies really knew were their names, and Jaffer didn't really know his all that well. Which is why he was usually on a leash.
"How's the leg, Daniel?" Sam asked, changing the subject before the two could start again.
"It's fine. I had my last physical therapy session yesterday."
Both Daniel and Jack had been taking therapy or their legs – from the same doctor that was giving Andrew his – but Jack had completed his before Daniel. His leg injury hadn't been as serious, after all. Both had been certified healthy, and neither had so much as a limp – although Jack's knees weren't all that great to begin with.
"That's good, Daniel," Jack said, looping his arm around Sam's shoulder and pulling her close as he turned and started to walk towards the field of grass that Shawn was playing tag with the puppies in. The others followed him, all of them watching the boy and the dogs. Jack smiled, his brown eyes plainly showing his satisfaction with his life just then. He turned, just a little, looking at Teal'c out of the corner of his eye.
"You know... I think tomorrow I'll start teaching Jaffer karate."
"I was thinking that I would teach Jack how to play shuffle board."
"Jaffer already knows how to play shuffle board... He's learning how to play badminton next week-"
Sam and Daniel both gave each other a look of long-suffering. Luckily, the labs were only supposed to have a lifespan of ten to fifteen years, so they wouldn't have to put up with this forever. It would just seem like it.
The End!
Author's note: Okay! Now for the usual... what did you like most, what did you not like the most? Best line? (I did make a couple errors in this one, and I don't like to do that, but I do appreciate when they get pointed out to me, so don't stop pointing them out if you find them!)
~*~
"Jack!"
Jack O'Neill looked over at the sound of his name being called, and scowled. He was standing on a path in the park, walking hand in hand with Sam on a rare day when the two of them had nothing to do and could spend it outside doing nothing together. Even better, Teal'c and Daniel were both free, too, so the team had all made a day of it. Spring had come, and after a winter of being cooped up, they were all eager to get out.
"Jack!"
The voice calling his name was deep and Jack scowled again, doing his best to ignore it. Teal'c never called Jack by his first name. Which meant he was calling someone else.
Down the path a ways a gangly young yellow lab puppy had raised his head from whatever interesting scent he'd been sniffing. The dog had grown quite a bit, and was every bit as handsome as his mother was. A true Champion in every form, even though all he was now was ears and feet.
"Come here, Jack!"
The puppy came running over, loping on long legs that were a promise of size to come when he finally grew into them. He rushed up to Teal'c, wuffling happily, his tail wagging so hard his entire back end was wagging as well.
"Good dog!"
Teal'c wasn't smiling, but he had that satisfied smirk on his face that he wore every time he and Jack took their dogs out together. Jack ignored it, like he always did, but Sam laughed and leaned against O'Neill.
"I think we should have gotten him a dog a long time ago."
"Oh, I don't think so."
Officially, Jack's name was Colonel Jack O'Neill. A name that Teal'c had had no trouble registering, since no one else in the entire country had thought to name their yellow lab that. But Teal'c just called him Jack, and everyone else went along with it. It was a good name for a very sweet animal.
"He's very good with him."
"We could have gotten him a hamster."
"Jack the hamster doesn't sound nearly so good."
"Yeah, yeah."
Jack looked down at the black lab puppy that was walking on the end of his leash, which Sam was holding. His dog was even larger than Teal'c's, and Jack felt just a little smug about that. The black hide gleamed with good health, and the brown eyes were so intelligent that Jack expected him to start speaking any day. Of course, he wasn't a perfect angel. Jack had brought him home, and had learned immediately that young labs loved to get into everything and chew on everything. Nothing had been safe from day one.
His bathroom floor had been ripped up one day while Jack was off world on a short mission with the rest of SG-1. He'd come home to find that there was a large hole in the middle of the floor, and his cute puppy was gnawing on a piece of tile. That was when Jack had decided that he'd start taking his baby to work with him. There were guard dogs at the base, and there was a kennel. He'd drop him off, with strict instructions about diet and exercise, and pick him up when it was time to go home. Things had been a bit better then. Except that shoes were vanishing from his closet at an alarming rate.
"Jack!"
This time the voice was younger, and Jack turned to look and see if he were being addressed. Shawn came running up, a tennis ball in each hand. Two very slobbery and well-worn tennis balls.
"Can I take Jaffer, Sam?" Shawn asked, looking down at the puppy, who was watching the tennis balls with great interest.
She grinned and handed the leash over to the boy, who then went over and mooched the yellow lab puppy from Teal'c as well.
"Keep an eye on them," Jack warned, smiling at the boy. "There's ducks somewhere around here, and you know how Jaffer gets when he sees a duck."
"I'll watch them," Shawn promised. Really the park was as safe for the dogs as any place was. It was fenced in, so they wouldn't have to worry about them getting loose and getting hit by a car, and it was filled with grass for them to run on. And Shawn was good about keeping an eye on them. Shawn took off at a run, with both puppies following him excitedly.
"Hi, Daniel!"
"Hi, Shawn." Daniel watched as Shawn ran past him with the two dogs, and grinned at the others, handing out hot dogs that he'd bought from the vendor. It was just as easy to do that as to go out and get some lunch, and they were going to have an early dinner before they took Shawn back home.
"You know, those dogs are going to be huge when they get older." Daniel said to Jack.
"Yup. I'm going to teach Jaffer how to fish."
"I am going to teach Jack how to play fetch."
"I'm going to teach Jaffer how to row a boat."
"I am going to teach Jack how to play dead."
"I'm going to teach Jaffer how to play cribbage."
"I am-"
"I get it," Daniel said holding up his hand. This was a favorite pastime of Teal'c and Jack's. They'd start making up different things they were going to teach their dogs, although at the moment all either of the puppies really knew were their names, and Jaffer didn't really know his all that well. Which is why he was usually on a leash.
"How's the leg, Daniel?" Sam asked, changing the subject before the two could start again.
"It's fine. I had my last physical therapy session yesterday."
Both Daniel and Jack had been taking therapy or their legs – from the same doctor that was giving Andrew his – but Jack had completed his before Daniel. His leg injury hadn't been as serious, after all. Both had been certified healthy, and neither had so much as a limp – although Jack's knees weren't all that great to begin with.
"That's good, Daniel," Jack said, looping his arm around Sam's shoulder and pulling her close as he turned and started to walk towards the field of grass that Shawn was playing tag with the puppies in. The others followed him, all of them watching the boy and the dogs. Jack smiled, his brown eyes plainly showing his satisfaction with his life just then. He turned, just a little, looking at Teal'c out of the corner of his eye.
"You know... I think tomorrow I'll start teaching Jaffer karate."
"I was thinking that I would teach Jack how to play shuffle board."
"Jaffer already knows how to play shuffle board... He's learning how to play badminton next week-"
Sam and Daniel both gave each other a look of long-suffering. Luckily, the labs were only supposed to have a lifespan of ten to fifteen years, so they wouldn't have to put up with this forever. It would just seem like it.
The End!
Author's note: Okay! Now for the usual... what did you like most, what did you not like the most? Best line? (I did make a couple errors in this one, and I don't like to do that, but I do appreciate when they get pointed out to me, so don't stop pointing them out if you find them!)
