Jack didn't bother to wake Sam up for her watch when his four hours were up. He wasn't sleepy, and he knew he would have ended up just laying around in his sleeping bag, wide-awake. He could have woken Sam and spent her watch with her, but then they would definitely have been distracted, and that wasn't how you stood a watch. Besides, Jaffer wasn't ready to settle down, anyways.
The big lab kept looking out into the forest, as though something had half his attention, although Jack couldn't see or hear anything, and he knew by the way Jaffer acted that he wasn't feeling threatened. Not to judge by the way his tail was wagging and his ears were cocked forward like that. Something might be out in the darkness, but whatever it was, it wasn't a threat to them, and while Jack kept his side arm handy, he didn't keep his hand on the butt.
The sky was just starting to get light out when Daniel woke up. He got out of his blankets and sat up with a groan. He needed coffee, especially after sleeping on the ground all night. Sam would have some made, he was sure. He'd grab a cup and head back to the ruins before Jack woke up and told him he had to eat breakfast. Daniel rolled over and staggered to his feet, shivering in the damp cold of the morning, and left his tent. He definitely smelled coffee brewing.
"Morning, Daniel."
It wasn't Sam standing by the newly rekindled fire. It was Jack. He hid the scowl that formed almost automatically, and forced a smile as Jaffer ambled over to say good morning as well.
"Hi, Jack. You're up early."
"No, I'm up late. You're up early."
"You stood a double watch?"
Jack nodded, and handed Daniel a cup of coffee, which the younger man took gratefully.
"It was a pretty calm night, and I couldn't get Jaffer to settle, so I figured what the hell?"
Daniel looked down at Jaffer, who waiting for Daniel to share his coffee with him. Which wasn't going to happen.
"Was he sneezing?"
"Only a couple times. We stayed clear of the ruins."
Daniel nodded, and took a sip of his coffee, glancing over in the direction of the wall, but unsure of how to get Jack to let him escape without being rude, and without being forced to eat.
Jack grinned, knowing exactly what Daniel was thinking. Or probably pretty close to what he was thinking, anyways. Daniel could be fairly transparent when he was focused on something like he was focused on translating those little bark chips.
"Just go, Daniel," Jack said, shooing him away.
"What?"
"Someone will bring you breakfast. Go to your wall, and do your thing."
Daniel smiled, relieved, and nodded.
"Thanks, Jack."
O'Neill didn't say anything, he just watched as the younger man scurried off to gather his notes from his tent, and then headed back to the ruins.
Jaffer looked up at Jack, and O'Neill shrugged.
"Must be getting soft in my old age..."
................
The morning was a nice one. By the time Sam and Teal'c had made their appearances Jack had breakfast started, and had already fed Jaffer, who had his nose in his dish. These kinds of missions were the best, as far as Jack was concerned. No one chasing them, no one after them for anything, and no screaming and yelling. He didn't even have to listen to anyone yell Kree.
Jack pulled his bedroll out of the tent and spread it out next to one of the big rocks that he'd been leaning against the night before, and while Sam and Teal'c went to help Daniel with his translations (and took him some breakfast), Jack and Jaffer stretched out on the blanket and napped in the morning sun.
............................
"How's it coming, Daniel?" Sam asked, handing him a canteen filled with coffee, and looking down at him.
"Hey, Sam, good morning." Daniel took the coffee with a smile; he was fully awake now, and immersed in his work. "It's going good."
It was, too. Daniel felt refreshed from his night's sleep, and although he'd never admit it, Jack had been right. He was able to concentrate a lot better than he had the night before because of it. He found he was going through the squares a little faster than he had the evening before, although there were few he just couldn't figure out, simply because he didn't know all the Mayan glyphs. No one did, really. He was just going to hope he knew enough that he could get around the ones he didn't, and maybe figure them out from the context of the others.
"You really understand this stuff?" Sam asked, picking up one of the chips.
"Most of it."
He took a bite of the sandwich Sam handed him, and washed it down with another swallow of coffee. "Hopefully I'll have the glyphs translated by tonight – tomorrow morning at the latest, then I can start figuring out what this all says." He gestured to the crumbled walls all around them.
"Well, we're here to help in any way we can." She told him, pointing at herself and Teal'c, who nodded. He had his staff weapon close at hand, but he could help and guard for anything unexpected at the same time.
"Could you see if you can find this symbol on any of the walls?" Daniel asked, handing the chip up to Sam, who showed it to Teal'c. The two of them went off in search of a match to it, and Daniel went on with the next picture.
And so their morning went...
................
Jack slept, even though a part of him was aware of pretty much everything that was going on around him. It was the way he was when he was off-world, even on a planet that so far hadn't posed much of anything in the way of danger. It was just the way he was. And it had kept him alive so far. So he slept, but he also was conscious of when Jaffer's head came up from where it was resting on his thigh, although he didn't open his eyes, and he didn't fully wake up.
The black lab had seen the ethereal form coming towards the spot where he and Jack were lounging, and had recognized it as a small one – which meant a kid, which meant it was a good thing. He wagged his tail idly, looking at Jack to se if he was going to greet it this time, and then looking back at the form when O'Neill didn't open his eyes.
Friendly or not, however, when the small childlike form approached and knelt down, reaching a hand out to touch Jack, Jaffer stood up and placed himself between O'Neill and the figure, protectively. He didn't know this person, and no one he didn't know touched his Jack. The hand stopped at Jaffer, as though it understood the action, and the little girl smiled slightly, concentrating on her hand until it was solid, and then touching the dog.
Jack was suddenly awake. Something around him had changed. Not anything physical; the air was still slightly cool from the leftover chill of the night before, and there was still the bright sunlight bathing him in its rays, but he suddenly had the feeling he wasn't alone, and the hairs on the back of his neck and on his arms were suddenly standing up. Add to it that Jaffer had suddenly moved away from his side to stand up, and that awareness inside him was instantly on alert.
"Ja-fer."
He sat up. That hadn't been his voice. It was female! And sounded much younger than Sam, who wasn't anywhere around. He thought he caught a glimpse of something tanned – a hand, it looked like, but that was ridiculous – and then it was gone, and no matter how long he and Jaffer stared at the space it had been, it didn't reappear.
"What the hell...?"
The big lab kept looking out into the forest, as though something had half his attention, although Jack couldn't see or hear anything, and he knew by the way Jaffer acted that he wasn't feeling threatened. Not to judge by the way his tail was wagging and his ears were cocked forward like that. Something might be out in the darkness, but whatever it was, it wasn't a threat to them, and while Jack kept his side arm handy, he didn't keep his hand on the butt.
The sky was just starting to get light out when Daniel woke up. He got out of his blankets and sat up with a groan. He needed coffee, especially after sleeping on the ground all night. Sam would have some made, he was sure. He'd grab a cup and head back to the ruins before Jack woke up and told him he had to eat breakfast. Daniel rolled over and staggered to his feet, shivering in the damp cold of the morning, and left his tent. He definitely smelled coffee brewing.
"Morning, Daniel."
It wasn't Sam standing by the newly rekindled fire. It was Jack. He hid the scowl that formed almost automatically, and forced a smile as Jaffer ambled over to say good morning as well.
"Hi, Jack. You're up early."
"No, I'm up late. You're up early."
"You stood a double watch?"
Jack nodded, and handed Daniel a cup of coffee, which the younger man took gratefully.
"It was a pretty calm night, and I couldn't get Jaffer to settle, so I figured what the hell?"
Daniel looked down at Jaffer, who waiting for Daniel to share his coffee with him. Which wasn't going to happen.
"Was he sneezing?"
"Only a couple times. We stayed clear of the ruins."
Daniel nodded, and took a sip of his coffee, glancing over in the direction of the wall, but unsure of how to get Jack to let him escape without being rude, and without being forced to eat.
Jack grinned, knowing exactly what Daniel was thinking. Or probably pretty close to what he was thinking, anyways. Daniel could be fairly transparent when he was focused on something like he was focused on translating those little bark chips.
"Just go, Daniel," Jack said, shooing him away.
"What?"
"Someone will bring you breakfast. Go to your wall, and do your thing."
Daniel smiled, relieved, and nodded.
"Thanks, Jack."
O'Neill didn't say anything, he just watched as the younger man scurried off to gather his notes from his tent, and then headed back to the ruins.
Jaffer looked up at Jack, and O'Neill shrugged.
"Must be getting soft in my old age..."
................
The morning was a nice one. By the time Sam and Teal'c had made their appearances Jack had breakfast started, and had already fed Jaffer, who had his nose in his dish. These kinds of missions were the best, as far as Jack was concerned. No one chasing them, no one after them for anything, and no screaming and yelling. He didn't even have to listen to anyone yell Kree.
Jack pulled his bedroll out of the tent and spread it out next to one of the big rocks that he'd been leaning against the night before, and while Sam and Teal'c went to help Daniel with his translations (and took him some breakfast), Jack and Jaffer stretched out on the blanket and napped in the morning sun.
............................
"How's it coming, Daniel?" Sam asked, handing him a canteen filled with coffee, and looking down at him.
"Hey, Sam, good morning." Daniel took the coffee with a smile; he was fully awake now, and immersed in his work. "It's going good."
It was, too. Daniel felt refreshed from his night's sleep, and although he'd never admit it, Jack had been right. He was able to concentrate a lot better than he had the night before because of it. He found he was going through the squares a little faster than he had the evening before, although there were few he just couldn't figure out, simply because he didn't know all the Mayan glyphs. No one did, really. He was just going to hope he knew enough that he could get around the ones he didn't, and maybe figure them out from the context of the others.
"You really understand this stuff?" Sam asked, picking up one of the chips.
"Most of it."
He took a bite of the sandwich Sam handed him, and washed it down with another swallow of coffee. "Hopefully I'll have the glyphs translated by tonight – tomorrow morning at the latest, then I can start figuring out what this all says." He gestured to the crumbled walls all around them.
"Well, we're here to help in any way we can." She told him, pointing at herself and Teal'c, who nodded. He had his staff weapon close at hand, but he could help and guard for anything unexpected at the same time.
"Could you see if you can find this symbol on any of the walls?" Daniel asked, handing the chip up to Sam, who showed it to Teal'c. The two of them went off in search of a match to it, and Daniel went on with the next picture.
And so their morning went...
................
Jack slept, even though a part of him was aware of pretty much everything that was going on around him. It was the way he was when he was off-world, even on a planet that so far hadn't posed much of anything in the way of danger. It was just the way he was. And it had kept him alive so far. So he slept, but he also was conscious of when Jaffer's head came up from where it was resting on his thigh, although he didn't open his eyes, and he didn't fully wake up.
The black lab had seen the ethereal form coming towards the spot where he and Jack were lounging, and had recognized it as a small one – which meant a kid, which meant it was a good thing. He wagged his tail idly, looking at Jack to se if he was going to greet it this time, and then looking back at the form when O'Neill didn't open his eyes.
Friendly or not, however, when the small childlike form approached and knelt down, reaching a hand out to touch Jack, Jaffer stood up and placed himself between O'Neill and the figure, protectively. He didn't know this person, and no one he didn't know touched his Jack. The hand stopped at Jaffer, as though it understood the action, and the little girl smiled slightly, concentrating on her hand until it was solid, and then touching the dog.
Jack was suddenly awake. Something around him had changed. Not anything physical; the air was still slightly cool from the leftover chill of the night before, and there was still the bright sunlight bathing him in its rays, but he suddenly had the feeling he wasn't alone, and the hairs on the back of his neck and on his arms were suddenly standing up. Add to it that Jaffer had suddenly moved away from his side to stand up, and that awareness inside him was instantly on alert.
"Ja-fer."
He sat up. That hadn't been his voice. It was female! And sounded much younger than Sam, who wasn't anywhere around. He thought he caught a glimpse of something tanned – a hand, it looked like, but that was ridiculous – and then it was gone, and no matter how long he and Jaffer stared at the space it had been, it didn't reappear.
"What the hell...?"