Jack and Jaffer didn't make it very far down the hall before Jack heard
someone calling his name. He stopped and turned, and saw Daniel coming
towards him.
"Hey, Jack. How's the head?"
"How'd you hear about that?"
"Janet told me."
"When?"
"When she came to my office to see my newest artifact."
"Oh?"
"Yeah."
"Impressive?"
"She didn't get to see it. I told her she had to wait for a couple days." He looked pointedly down at Jaffer, who was wandering away as the two men stopped and conversed.
"The little rock?"
"It's not a rock, it's a fossil."
"Which is... a little picture of a dead something stuck in a rock, if I'm not mistaken?"
"Well... technically." Daniel scowled. He hated it when Jack was right.
"I'm sure the picture won't rub off, Daniel."
That wasn't something the archeologist even wanted to think of.
"So?"
"So?"
"How's the head? I heard you bumped it pretty good."
"The head is fine, thank you." It was Jack's turn to scowl. "Do you have any coffee made? I-"
They were interrupted by a commotion at the end of the hall.
Hammond had been walking down the corridor. Well aware that he outranked everyone he was going to run across, the General had a habit of reading his reports while he was walking, knowing that everyone else would move so he really didn't need to pay all that much attention to where he was going. As long as he didn't run into walls, he'd be fine. And his peripheral vision was god enough to keep that from happening. What the older man hadn't counted on, however, was Jaffer.
Jaffer didn't know anything about rank. He didn't know that when a superior officer was walking down the hall reading a report and drinking a cup of coffee, it was a good idea to move out of the way. What he did know was that something smelled interesting down the corridor, and that even though Jack was stopped to talk to his friend, Jaffer was more than willing to do a little exploring on his own.
Hammond tripped over the puppy. He didn't fall, which was only because he threw out his hands to regain his balance when he got tangled with Jaffer. Of course, his report went flying, and his coffee was spilled. All over himself, his report and Jaffer. The little black lab had been startled when he'd been tripped over and had let out a yelp. When the hot coffee hit his rump, he let out a squeal that escalated quickly into a series of ki-yi-ing and he high-tailed it back down the corridor to Jack, who was just looking down the hall to see what was happening. The puppy came at him full speed, and stopped too late. He crashed into Jack's leg, which made him cry all that much louder, and Jack scooped him up, worriedly.
"Colonel!"
"Oh, boy." Daniel wasn't actually in the Military, but he knew that yell fairly well, and drew himself up a little straighter. Not necessarily at attention, but something close to it. Jack came to attention as well – as close as he could since he had a handful of coffee-drenched puppy.
"Yes, Sir?"
Hammond had coffee all over the front of his shirt, and the papers he picked up off the floor were just as wet as Jaffer's fuzzy black hide. Jack thought he could see steam coming out Hammond's ears as the older man came over.
"Don't you have a leash for him?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Why aren't you using it?"
"He chewed it up, Sir."
"I suggest you get another one." He stopped, and then shook his head. "No. Belay that. I don't suggest, I ORDER you to go get him a new one."
"Yes, Sir."
"How's the head?"
"Sir?"
"I jut came from the commissary, Colonel, where I heard all about your... accident."
"It wasn't my fault, Sir."
"So I've been told." Hammond looked at Jaffer, who had tucked his little black nose into Jack's armpit and was still whining softly. The General sighed, but he was just as soft-hearted as anyone when it came to puppies. "Is he okay?"
"He's tougher than he looks, Sir," O'Neill said.
"He smells good," Daniel said, trying to lighten the mood a little. "Is that a Columbian roast, General?"
Hammond glared at Daniel. "It was. And just for that, Doctor Jackson, you can drive Colonel O'Neill and his... dog... to the pet store to get him a leash."
"Drive him, Sir?" Daniel looked at Jack, wondering what was wrong with the Colonel's truck.
"Doctor Fraiser informs me that O'Neill has a recent head injury. We don't want to risk him blacking out in traffic or anything, do we?"
"Um...well actually, General, I have some translations that I was... um... and a couple of different artifacts that..." Daniel sighed. "I'll be happy to drive them."
"Good." Hammond reached out and touched the wet fur, and Jaffer poked his head out of Jack's armpit and looked over at the General with his mournful eyes. "You might want to get him dried off, first, Colonel. It's pretty cold out."
"We will, Sir."
Hammond nodded, and left the three of them standing in the hall, and walked back towards his office, shaking his reports to try and get the coffee off them.
"We?" Daniel asked.
"You heard him. I have a head injury, Daniel." Jack said, his brown eyes shining with good humor. "You wouldn't want me to black out while I'm washing that fine Columbian roast coffee out of his fur, now would you?"
"Anyone ever tell you that you're annoying sometimes, Jack?" Daniel complained, knowing that it wasn't going to do him any good to try and return to his office and get any work done.
"Oh, once or twice."
"Hey, Jack. How's the head?"
"How'd you hear about that?"
"Janet told me."
"When?"
"When she came to my office to see my newest artifact."
"Oh?"
"Yeah."
"Impressive?"
"She didn't get to see it. I told her she had to wait for a couple days." He looked pointedly down at Jaffer, who was wandering away as the two men stopped and conversed.
"The little rock?"
"It's not a rock, it's a fossil."
"Which is... a little picture of a dead something stuck in a rock, if I'm not mistaken?"
"Well... technically." Daniel scowled. He hated it when Jack was right.
"I'm sure the picture won't rub off, Daniel."
That wasn't something the archeologist even wanted to think of.
"So?"
"So?"
"How's the head? I heard you bumped it pretty good."
"The head is fine, thank you." It was Jack's turn to scowl. "Do you have any coffee made? I-"
They were interrupted by a commotion at the end of the hall.
Hammond had been walking down the corridor. Well aware that he outranked everyone he was going to run across, the General had a habit of reading his reports while he was walking, knowing that everyone else would move so he really didn't need to pay all that much attention to where he was going. As long as he didn't run into walls, he'd be fine. And his peripheral vision was god enough to keep that from happening. What the older man hadn't counted on, however, was Jaffer.
Jaffer didn't know anything about rank. He didn't know that when a superior officer was walking down the hall reading a report and drinking a cup of coffee, it was a good idea to move out of the way. What he did know was that something smelled interesting down the corridor, and that even though Jack was stopped to talk to his friend, Jaffer was more than willing to do a little exploring on his own.
Hammond tripped over the puppy. He didn't fall, which was only because he threw out his hands to regain his balance when he got tangled with Jaffer. Of course, his report went flying, and his coffee was spilled. All over himself, his report and Jaffer. The little black lab had been startled when he'd been tripped over and had let out a yelp. When the hot coffee hit his rump, he let out a squeal that escalated quickly into a series of ki-yi-ing and he high-tailed it back down the corridor to Jack, who was just looking down the hall to see what was happening. The puppy came at him full speed, and stopped too late. He crashed into Jack's leg, which made him cry all that much louder, and Jack scooped him up, worriedly.
"Colonel!"
"Oh, boy." Daniel wasn't actually in the Military, but he knew that yell fairly well, and drew himself up a little straighter. Not necessarily at attention, but something close to it. Jack came to attention as well – as close as he could since he had a handful of coffee-drenched puppy.
"Yes, Sir?"
Hammond had coffee all over the front of his shirt, and the papers he picked up off the floor were just as wet as Jaffer's fuzzy black hide. Jack thought he could see steam coming out Hammond's ears as the older man came over.
"Don't you have a leash for him?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Why aren't you using it?"
"He chewed it up, Sir."
"I suggest you get another one." He stopped, and then shook his head. "No. Belay that. I don't suggest, I ORDER you to go get him a new one."
"Yes, Sir."
"How's the head?"
"Sir?"
"I jut came from the commissary, Colonel, where I heard all about your... accident."
"It wasn't my fault, Sir."
"So I've been told." Hammond looked at Jaffer, who had tucked his little black nose into Jack's armpit and was still whining softly. The General sighed, but he was just as soft-hearted as anyone when it came to puppies. "Is he okay?"
"He's tougher than he looks, Sir," O'Neill said.
"He smells good," Daniel said, trying to lighten the mood a little. "Is that a Columbian roast, General?"
Hammond glared at Daniel. "It was. And just for that, Doctor Jackson, you can drive Colonel O'Neill and his... dog... to the pet store to get him a leash."
"Drive him, Sir?" Daniel looked at Jack, wondering what was wrong with the Colonel's truck.
"Doctor Fraiser informs me that O'Neill has a recent head injury. We don't want to risk him blacking out in traffic or anything, do we?"
"Um...well actually, General, I have some translations that I was... um... and a couple of different artifacts that..." Daniel sighed. "I'll be happy to drive them."
"Good." Hammond reached out and touched the wet fur, and Jaffer poked his head out of Jack's armpit and looked over at the General with his mournful eyes. "You might want to get him dried off, first, Colonel. It's pretty cold out."
"We will, Sir."
Hammond nodded, and left the three of them standing in the hall, and walked back towards his office, shaking his reports to try and get the coffee off them.
"We?" Daniel asked.
"You heard him. I have a head injury, Daniel." Jack said, his brown eyes shining with good humor. "You wouldn't want me to black out while I'm washing that fine Columbian roast coffee out of his fur, now would you?"
"Anyone ever tell you that you're annoying sometimes, Jack?" Daniel complained, knowing that it wasn't going to do him any good to try and return to his office and get any work done.
"Oh, once or twice."