Author's Note: In reply to a question on a review: yes, Shawn is a well-
known character in the Campers! Series, and if you haven't read Scion,
you're not going to understand where Shawn came from, although I'll try to
explain it a little in the story.
..........................
He managed to avoid anyone else on the way up to the surface.
"Hey, little man..." Jaffer was already waiting for Jack when he reached the kennels. The black lab liked the people who ran the K-9 operation at Cheyenne Mountain, but he was more than ready to go by the time Jack arrived. He always preferred to be with Jack over anyone else.
Jack let him out, and Jaffer gave him such an enthusiastic greeting that even the worries that had been nagging him for days seemed to melt away under that long, wet tongue and those cheerful brown eyes. He wrapped his arms around his dog, scratching all the spots that always needed scratching, and then thumped Jaffer's side, lovingly.
"Let's go home."
He stood up and headed for the parking lot, with Jaffer right at his side. Jack opened the door of the passenger side, and the dog jumped in, then watched as he went around and got behind the wheel. Someday Jack was certain Jaffer was going to ask to drive.
"Are you hungry?"
Dumb question! Jaffer wagged his tail as Jack rolled the passenger window down so Jaffer could stick his head out. He was always hungry. Jack knew it.
"We'll stop and get a burger."
Or two or three?
Taking care of Jaffer kept Jack's mind nominally off other things, and he was grateful for it. O'Neill pulled through a burger place drive thru where his truck and the big black head that was sticking out the window were both well-known, and the voice over the intercom simply asked him if he wanted the usual.
"Yeah."
He pulled forward, put the truck in park at the window, and was promptly stepped on when Jaffer crossed over to look out the driver's side window so he could see what was going on.
Jack ignored the fact that it hurt to have a hundred plus pounds of dog stepping on your upper thigh, and rested his cheek against Jaffer's side and watched while the lab flirted with the girl at the cashier's window. The brown eyes and good looks immediately melted her heart, and Jaffer was rewarded with a couple of vanilla wafers – little cookies that were fast becoming his favorite. The girl cooed over him and made small talk with Jack while they waited for his order to be cooked up, but eventually it was ready, and he paid for it, told Jaffer to say good-bye and waited for the lab to get out of his lap before he put the truck back in gear and headed for home.
They pulled into the driveway, and Jaffer was quick to get out. The sooner they got into the house, the sooner he would get the lion's share of the burgers and fries Jack had ordered.
Jack stopped long enough to get the mail, then opened the door and let himself and Jaffer into the house. The empty, lonely, house. He sighed again as he felt the worry overcome what little good mood he'd managed to obtain from watching Jaffer's antics, and the black lab looked up at him and whined softly, picking up the change in Jack's emotions easily. He was very much in tune with O'Neill, and Jack knew it.
"Don't worry, little man," Jack said, taking the mail and the burgers over to the table and breaking out the burgers, which he started tearing into pieces that were safer for Jaffer to eat. "I'm fine."
Yeah. Jaffer didn't buy that any more than Janet Fraiser had, and the black lab nudged him with his nose, obviously wanting to be cuddled and reassured. Jack scratched his ears with one hand, and tossed the ripped up burgers onto a plate with the other. He wasn't hungry, so he'd just ripped them all up for Jaffer. If he got hungry later, he'd have a hotdog or something. He probably had one in the fridge.
Setting the plate down, he knew the food would distract Jaffer, and it did. The black lab started munching greedily, and Jack leaned against the wall and watched him with pride. He was big, and healthy, and the most incredible animal Jack had ever had the happy pleasure of knowing. And yeah, maybe he was a little spoiled – just a little – but he had a heart of gold.
Shaking himself out of one of his favorite pastimes – Jaffer watching – Jack left the dog to his snack and headed down the hall. He wanted to change out of his uniform and get into something more comfortable.
By the time Jaffer had finished his meal, Jack had showered and changed, and was sitting on the couch, next to the telephone. Waiting to find out if tonight was the night Dotty had chosen. Of course, it was the weekend now, so Jack had all night, and the next two days to wait. He started to reach for the remote, decided that he didn't want to watch TV, and leaned back and closed his eyes, allowing his mind to wander through the possibilities that he'd already gone over a million times.
.................
Sometime during the early evening Jaffer joined Jack on the couch. Jack draped his left arm over the warm body that was cuddled against him and Jaffer rested his head on Jack's thigh, giving him as much comfort as he could, even though the black lab wasn't exactly sure what was bothering him. He didn't have to know. He just had to be there.
Jack had almost allowed himself to drift off to sleep as the two of them sat there like that, the warm reassuring presence of Jaffer and a long day almost enough to overcome the worry, when the phone rang causing both man and dog to jump in surprise at the loud sound breaking the gloomy quiet in the house. Jack reached for it.
"Hello?"
"Jack?"
It was Dotty. And she sounded distraught, if Jack was any judge of things.
"Dotty? Did you-?"
"I tried, Jack," She said. "I didn't get much out though, before Shawn took off."
"Took off?"
"He's gone, Jack..." He could tell she was trying very hard to remain calm, but was beginning to lose control over her concern. "I got as far as telling him that James wasn't his real father, when he bolted. I don't know where he is or where he was heading..."
"Did you call the police?"
"They said they'd send out a notice, but that since he left on his own, he's not a missing person, he's a runaway..." There was a stifled sob.
"Dotty, don't panic," Jack said, truly starting to panic himself. "I'll be right there, and I'll help you look."
"You can't, Jack," she said. "I need you to be at home, in case he goes there."
It was a real possibility.
"Was he on foot?"
"He took his bicycle."
"Dotty, don't panic. Shawn's a level-headed kid, and I'm sure he'll get a grip and be home before you know it."
There was a pause, and he could hear her taking a deep breath. She knew he was right, but she was a panicked mother at the moment, and they didn't always think straight.
"We're going to go looking for him."
"I'll keep an eye out for him, too, Dotty." Jack was doing some mental calculations, and even if Shawn were on his bicycle, it'd take him a while to get from his house to Jack's if he were actually coming his way. Jack would have time to go looking for him.
"Call me if you hear from him." It was obvious she was in a hurry to get off the line, and Jack didn't hold her any longer.
"I will, Dotty."
She hung up, and he set the phone down and picked up his keys.
"Come on, Jaffer."
..........................
He managed to avoid anyone else on the way up to the surface.
"Hey, little man..." Jaffer was already waiting for Jack when he reached the kennels. The black lab liked the people who ran the K-9 operation at Cheyenne Mountain, but he was more than ready to go by the time Jack arrived. He always preferred to be with Jack over anyone else.
Jack let him out, and Jaffer gave him such an enthusiastic greeting that even the worries that had been nagging him for days seemed to melt away under that long, wet tongue and those cheerful brown eyes. He wrapped his arms around his dog, scratching all the spots that always needed scratching, and then thumped Jaffer's side, lovingly.
"Let's go home."
He stood up and headed for the parking lot, with Jaffer right at his side. Jack opened the door of the passenger side, and the dog jumped in, then watched as he went around and got behind the wheel. Someday Jack was certain Jaffer was going to ask to drive.
"Are you hungry?"
Dumb question! Jaffer wagged his tail as Jack rolled the passenger window down so Jaffer could stick his head out. He was always hungry. Jack knew it.
"We'll stop and get a burger."
Or two or three?
Taking care of Jaffer kept Jack's mind nominally off other things, and he was grateful for it. O'Neill pulled through a burger place drive thru where his truck and the big black head that was sticking out the window were both well-known, and the voice over the intercom simply asked him if he wanted the usual.
"Yeah."
He pulled forward, put the truck in park at the window, and was promptly stepped on when Jaffer crossed over to look out the driver's side window so he could see what was going on.
Jack ignored the fact that it hurt to have a hundred plus pounds of dog stepping on your upper thigh, and rested his cheek against Jaffer's side and watched while the lab flirted with the girl at the cashier's window. The brown eyes and good looks immediately melted her heart, and Jaffer was rewarded with a couple of vanilla wafers – little cookies that were fast becoming his favorite. The girl cooed over him and made small talk with Jack while they waited for his order to be cooked up, but eventually it was ready, and he paid for it, told Jaffer to say good-bye and waited for the lab to get out of his lap before he put the truck back in gear and headed for home.
They pulled into the driveway, and Jaffer was quick to get out. The sooner they got into the house, the sooner he would get the lion's share of the burgers and fries Jack had ordered.
Jack stopped long enough to get the mail, then opened the door and let himself and Jaffer into the house. The empty, lonely, house. He sighed again as he felt the worry overcome what little good mood he'd managed to obtain from watching Jaffer's antics, and the black lab looked up at him and whined softly, picking up the change in Jack's emotions easily. He was very much in tune with O'Neill, and Jack knew it.
"Don't worry, little man," Jack said, taking the mail and the burgers over to the table and breaking out the burgers, which he started tearing into pieces that were safer for Jaffer to eat. "I'm fine."
Yeah. Jaffer didn't buy that any more than Janet Fraiser had, and the black lab nudged him with his nose, obviously wanting to be cuddled and reassured. Jack scratched his ears with one hand, and tossed the ripped up burgers onto a plate with the other. He wasn't hungry, so he'd just ripped them all up for Jaffer. If he got hungry later, he'd have a hotdog or something. He probably had one in the fridge.
Setting the plate down, he knew the food would distract Jaffer, and it did. The black lab started munching greedily, and Jack leaned against the wall and watched him with pride. He was big, and healthy, and the most incredible animal Jack had ever had the happy pleasure of knowing. And yeah, maybe he was a little spoiled – just a little – but he had a heart of gold.
Shaking himself out of one of his favorite pastimes – Jaffer watching – Jack left the dog to his snack and headed down the hall. He wanted to change out of his uniform and get into something more comfortable.
By the time Jaffer had finished his meal, Jack had showered and changed, and was sitting on the couch, next to the telephone. Waiting to find out if tonight was the night Dotty had chosen. Of course, it was the weekend now, so Jack had all night, and the next two days to wait. He started to reach for the remote, decided that he didn't want to watch TV, and leaned back and closed his eyes, allowing his mind to wander through the possibilities that he'd already gone over a million times.
.................
Sometime during the early evening Jaffer joined Jack on the couch. Jack draped his left arm over the warm body that was cuddled against him and Jaffer rested his head on Jack's thigh, giving him as much comfort as he could, even though the black lab wasn't exactly sure what was bothering him. He didn't have to know. He just had to be there.
Jack had almost allowed himself to drift off to sleep as the two of them sat there like that, the warm reassuring presence of Jaffer and a long day almost enough to overcome the worry, when the phone rang causing both man and dog to jump in surprise at the loud sound breaking the gloomy quiet in the house. Jack reached for it.
"Hello?"
"Jack?"
It was Dotty. And she sounded distraught, if Jack was any judge of things.
"Dotty? Did you-?"
"I tried, Jack," She said. "I didn't get much out though, before Shawn took off."
"Took off?"
"He's gone, Jack..." He could tell she was trying very hard to remain calm, but was beginning to lose control over her concern. "I got as far as telling him that James wasn't his real father, when he bolted. I don't know where he is or where he was heading..."
"Did you call the police?"
"They said they'd send out a notice, but that since he left on his own, he's not a missing person, he's a runaway..." There was a stifled sob.
"Dotty, don't panic," Jack said, truly starting to panic himself. "I'll be right there, and I'll help you look."
"You can't, Jack," she said. "I need you to be at home, in case he goes there."
It was a real possibility.
"Was he on foot?"
"He took his bicycle."
"Dotty, don't panic. Shawn's a level-headed kid, and I'm sure he'll get a grip and be home before you know it."
There was a pause, and he could hear her taking a deep breath. She knew he was right, but she was a panicked mother at the moment, and they didn't always think straight.
"We're going to go looking for him."
"I'll keep an eye out for him, too, Dotty." Jack was doing some mental calculations, and even if Shawn were on his bicycle, it'd take him a while to get from his house to Jack's if he were actually coming his way. Jack would have time to go looking for him.
"Call me if you hear from him." It was obvious she was in a hurry to get off the line, and Jack didn't hold her any longer.
"I will, Dotty."
She hung up, and he set the phone down and picked up his keys.
"Come on, Jaffer."