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Chapter 17.
Jack's cabin.
"Okay, while we are here no one is allowed to call anyone by their rank or titles or surnames. Only first names." Jack said. "Is that clear?"
"Sir, yes Sir!" Answered half of the group.
The three tents had been put up and everyone had unpacked. It was a very hot day and people (and Jaffa/Tok'ra) needed cooling down.
"So who's for a swim in the lake?" Jack asked everyone as they sat around the table drinking beers and orange juice (not in the same glass for obvious reasons!).
Everyone agreed that a swim in the lake and lounging around would be a good idea.
"Hey, where's Paige?" Sam asked as they were setting up towels on the grass.
"I'll go find her." Offered Cassie and ran into the cabin to look for her friend.
Paige was sitting on her bed with her arms wrapped around her legs.
"What's up Paige?"
"I can't do it Cass." She said quietly. "I thought it would be alright, but it's not. Just being near it is hard enough, but to think that you're all going to be swimming in there...it scares me."
"It's okay," She said sitting next to her friend and wrapping an arm around her. "Jack has been swimming in that lake since he was a little boy, there's nothing in there."
"I know that, the rational part of my brain is saying that if there's no fish then nothing would be able to survive in there. But the irrational part of my brain is saying that there could be something in there, something horrible. I can't get the images out of my head."
"Look, you stay in here and do something, I'll tell them you don't feel too well."
"Thanks Cassie, I've never really talked about this to anyone."
"It's understandable, I mean, it only happened three years ago. It'll just take time." She smiled and left the room.
"Paige isn't feeling too good so she's having a lie down." Cassie told Sam.
"Does she want anything?" Janet asked.
"No, she said she'd be fine." She made eye contact with her mother.
"Okay." Janet went over to talk to Daniel.
----------
A knock on the door startled Paige. She pushed down her top and turned towards the door.
"Come in." She called.
Her father walked in. "Hey, Janet said you weren't feeling well."
"I'm okay, I just..." She stopped. "Dad, I need to tell you something. Well, show you something." She pulled up her baggy t-shirt to reveal a mass of scars covering her stomach and back.
"What happened?" He asked. "How...when?" "Three years ago, my parents took me on a business trip with them. There was a beach there and lots of people were surfing, so I rented out a surfboard and went out everyday. On the fourth day I was attacked by a great white shark, taken to hospital and stitched up."
"Oh my God." Daniel whispered.
"Apparently sharks can't see too good, so they think that people on surf boards look like big fat seals." She laughed.
"You must have been so scared."
"Still have nightmares, I suppose I never actually got over it. I can't go near large amounts of deep water because I think something will happen." She started to cry. "I thought I could deal with a lake with all you guys, but I can't. I keep thinking...oh I don't know, it's stupid I know, but I can't help it."
Daniel walked over to her and pulled her into his embrace. "It's okay. It's alright to cry, especially over something like this." He stroked her back. "Don't worry."
She pulled away. "You've got a wet t-shirt now and you haven't even been for a swim yet!" She laughed.
"So you beat Jack to it, he was threatening to throw me in before I got changed, but there's not much point now." He joked.
"One nil to me."
"Look Paige," He said seriously. "You could have told me sooner, I know you never told your other parents anything but you can tell me everything. Absolutely anything."
"Thanks, just don't tell anyone else. Cassie and Janet know already, but no one else okay?"
"If you try and make an effort to at least sit outside, then I won't tell anyone. Deal?"
Paige thought it over for a while. "I'll try."
"Good, I'm going to go and have a swim, in a lake with no life in it what so ever. You come out when you're ready."
"Okay, thanks Daniel."
"Anytime." He said closing the door behind him.
Half an hour later he smiled as he saw his daughter walk out of the cabin and sit with her back up against it. He waded over to the side of the lake and pulled himself out, he walked over to his towel next to where Janet and Sam were sun bathing.
"She's out." He whispered to Janet.
"Really?" She said sitting up.
"Yep."
"How did you manage that?"
"Skill." He grinned.
"What are you on about?" Sam said sitting up.
"It doesn't matter." Janet said and lay back down again.
Daniel shrugged at Sam who lay back down next to Janet. Daniel shook his head and waved to Paige, she waved back. Daniel ran back to the lake and dive bombed in splashing Cassie and Ry'ac who were having a race to the centre.
Sam was dozing off when she felt freezing coldwater splash onto her stomach. Sitting up screaming, she could see Jack with a water pistol laughing his head off.
"That's it!" She yelled and chased him halfway around the lake.
Jack managed to wrestle Sam to the ground, pick her up and throw her into the lake. Everyone was laughing, including Teal'c and Bra'tac who were wearing swimming shorts and t-shirts supplied by Jack, and were swimming back to the edge of the lake to challenge George and Jacob to a diving competition.
When Sam surfaced she was covered in algae, she glared at Jack. Her CO offered her his hand to help her out of the water. She accepted his hand but pulled him in instead.
"You deserved that Jonathan O'Neill." She said swimming away from him.
"Maybe I did, but I'm going to beat you to the shower!" He yelled and started to swim to the other end of the lake. Closely followed by Sam.
Sam managed to get to the cabin first and locked him out.
"Play fair Sam!" He shouted through the glass.
"No!" She yelled and ran to the bathroom to get the algae off her.
Chapter 17.
Jack's cabin.
"Okay, while we are here no one is allowed to call anyone by their rank or titles or surnames. Only first names." Jack said. "Is that clear?"
"Sir, yes Sir!" Answered half of the group.
The three tents had been put up and everyone had unpacked. It was a very hot day and people (and Jaffa/Tok'ra) needed cooling down.
"So who's for a swim in the lake?" Jack asked everyone as they sat around the table drinking beers and orange juice (not in the same glass for obvious reasons!).
Everyone agreed that a swim in the lake and lounging around would be a good idea.
"Hey, where's Paige?" Sam asked as they were setting up towels on the grass.
"I'll go find her." Offered Cassie and ran into the cabin to look for her friend.
Paige was sitting on her bed with her arms wrapped around her legs.
"What's up Paige?"
"I can't do it Cass." She said quietly. "I thought it would be alright, but it's not. Just being near it is hard enough, but to think that you're all going to be swimming in there...it scares me."
"It's okay," She said sitting next to her friend and wrapping an arm around her. "Jack has been swimming in that lake since he was a little boy, there's nothing in there."
"I know that, the rational part of my brain is saying that if there's no fish then nothing would be able to survive in there. But the irrational part of my brain is saying that there could be something in there, something horrible. I can't get the images out of my head."
"Look, you stay in here and do something, I'll tell them you don't feel too well."
"Thanks Cassie, I've never really talked about this to anyone."
"It's understandable, I mean, it only happened three years ago. It'll just take time." She smiled and left the room.
"Paige isn't feeling too good so she's having a lie down." Cassie told Sam.
"Does she want anything?" Janet asked.
"No, she said she'd be fine." She made eye contact with her mother.
"Okay." Janet went over to talk to Daniel.
----------
A knock on the door startled Paige. She pushed down her top and turned towards the door.
"Come in." She called.
Her father walked in. "Hey, Janet said you weren't feeling well."
"I'm okay, I just..." She stopped. "Dad, I need to tell you something. Well, show you something." She pulled up her baggy t-shirt to reveal a mass of scars covering her stomach and back.
"What happened?" He asked. "How...when?" "Three years ago, my parents took me on a business trip with them. There was a beach there and lots of people were surfing, so I rented out a surfboard and went out everyday. On the fourth day I was attacked by a great white shark, taken to hospital and stitched up."
"Oh my God." Daniel whispered.
"Apparently sharks can't see too good, so they think that people on surf boards look like big fat seals." She laughed.
"You must have been so scared."
"Still have nightmares, I suppose I never actually got over it. I can't go near large amounts of deep water because I think something will happen." She started to cry. "I thought I could deal with a lake with all you guys, but I can't. I keep thinking...oh I don't know, it's stupid I know, but I can't help it."
Daniel walked over to her and pulled her into his embrace. "It's okay. It's alright to cry, especially over something like this." He stroked her back. "Don't worry."
She pulled away. "You've got a wet t-shirt now and you haven't even been for a swim yet!" She laughed.
"So you beat Jack to it, he was threatening to throw me in before I got changed, but there's not much point now." He joked.
"One nil to me."
"Look Paige," He said seriously. "You could have told me sooner, I know you never told your other parents anything but you can tell me everything. Absolutely anything."
"Thanks, just don't tell anyone else. Cassie and Janet know already, but no one else okay?"
"If you try and make an effort to at least sit outside, then I won't tell anyone. Deal?"
Paige thought it over for a while. "I'll try."
"Good, I'm going to go and have a swim, in a lake with no life in it what so ever. You come out when you're ready."
"Okay, thanks Daniel."
"Anytime." He said closing the door behind him.
Half an hour later he smiled as he saw his daughter walk out of the cabin and sit with her back up against it. He waded over to the side of the lake and pulled himself out, he walked over to his towel next to where Janet and Sam were sun bathing.
"She's out." He whispered to Janet.
"Really?" She said sitting up.
"Yep."
"How did you manage that?"
"Skill." He grinned.
"What are you on about?" Sam said sitting up.
"It doesn't matter." Janet said and lay back down again.
Daniel shrugged at Sam who lay back down next to Janet. Daniel shook his head and waved to Paige, she waved back. Daniel ran back to the lake and dive bombed in splashing Cassie and Ry'ac who were having a race to the centre.
Sam was dozing off when she felt freezing coldwater splash onto her stomach. Sitting up screaming, she could see Jack with a water pistol laughing his head off.
"That's it!" She yelled and chased him halfway around the lake.
Jack managed to wrestle Sam to the ground, pick her up and throw her into the lake. Everyone was laughing, including Teal'c and Bra'tac who were wearing swimming shorts and t-shirts supplied by Jack, and were swimming back to the edge of the lake to challenge George and Jacob to a diving competition.
When Sam surfaced she was covered in algae, she glared at Jack. Her CO offered her his hand to help her out of the water. She accepted his hand but pulled him in instead.
"You deserved that Jonathan O'Neill." She said swimming away from him.
"Maybe I did, but I'm going to beat you to the shower!" He yelled and started to swim to the other end of the lake. Closely followed by Sam.
Sam managed to get to the cabin first and locked him out.
"Play fair Sam!" He shouted through the glass.
"No!" She yelled and ran to the bathroom to get the algae off her.
