"Jack?"
"Hmm?"
"Are you going to sleep all day?"
Jack opened one eye, and looked at Shawn, who was kneeling next to his bed, half on, half off it. Beside the boy was Jaffer, whose head easily topped the edge of the bed now. Both were looking at him with big brown eyes, although there was far more mischief in Jaffer's. Jack reached out and hooked an arm around Shawn and pulled him up onto the bed with him.
"What time is it?" He asked, sleepily.
"Noon."
"Noon?"
"Twelve O'clock." Shawn clarified as Jaffer jumped up to join the two of them, flopping down on Jack. "PM."
"I know what noon means, Mr. Smarty Pants."
Shawn grinned. "You asked."
Wow, he'd really slept far later than he'd intended to. The product of several sleepless nights, he supposed. Eventually they'd catch up to anyone.
"Did you have breakfast?"
"I had a bowl of cereal."
"You didn't use that milk in the fridge, did you?"
"No, I had it dry."
"Why didn't you eat the slice of pizza I saved you?"
"I dropped it."
They both looked at Jaffer, who looked back, innocently.
"We'd better get you fed, then, hmm?"
Shawn nodded.
"Out or in?"
With what he had in the fridge? If there was food to be made in the house, Shawn wouldn't be hungry.
"Out. Definitely out."
Smart ass. Jack grinned. That was his boy, all right.
"Let me get dressed, and we'll go get something to eat."
...................
Twenty minutes later they loaded Jaffer into the back of Jack's truck and headed out. Shawn was in the passenger seat, playing cup holder for Jack's coffee and secretly enjoying all the looks that Jaffer brought from people in the other cars around them. The big lab flirted outrageously with everyone around him every time they stopped at a light, and anyone who had a window was game for the dog's attention.
By the time they'd reached the closest burger place, Jack figured he'd probably broken a dozen hearts and made at least that many dates. They pulled through the drive thru, but then Jack parked the truck once they got their order, and they ate at the picnic tables; Jaffer in close attendance, especially since Jack had him on his leash. Even as well trained as Jaffer was, Jack would never have risked him with so many cars around, and so many stupid people. If he could have swung it, Shawn would have been leashed, too.
They ate in silence for a while, but Shawn was obviously thinking about their conversation of the night before, and after looking around to make sure there was no one around, he brought it up.
"You know what I think, Jack?"
"Hmm?"
"I think the Asgard have some kind of genetic problem."
Jack threw Jaffer a couple of fries, which were caught neatly, and looked at Shawn.
"What makes you say that?"
Shawn shrugged.
"If I'm supposed to be part of the solution to their problem, and I have to be part Asgard, part Ancient and part Human, then it has to be something like that. Especially since Thor and the Asgard have me learning more sciences than anything else. Not Genetics, but I bet they will be, eventually, once I get to that stage."
It was Jack's turn to shrug. He didn't know all that much about Genetics. Which was why he still didn't understand how Jaffer and Jack could manage to be different colors even though they both had a black lab mother.
"Your guess is as good as mine, Shawn." Actually his guess was probably a lot better than Jack's, since Jack didn't know (and really, aside from the fact that Shawn was involved, he didn't actually care). "I'm sure Thor plans on letting you in on the secret eventually."
"When he does, I'll make sure you know, too, Jack."
O'Neill nodded, and tossed Jaffer the last bite of his burger.
"You ready to head out?" He asked, putting the wrapper in the bag. "I promised your mom I wouldn't keep you all day."
Shawn looked down at his last bite of burger, and over at Jaffer, who was also looking at that last, tasty morsel, and he tossed the piece at the dog, who caught it neatly. The boy grinned.
"All set."
Jack laughed and they threw away their garbage and loaded Jaffer back into the truck.
................
It was yard work day at the Adams' house. When they pulled up to Shawn's house and pulled into the driveway behind James' Jeep, Jack and Shawn saw that James was mowing the grass, and Dotty was working in her flowerbed.
"You go tell your dad hi," Jack said, as Dotty looked up and smiled at them when they got out of the truck. "I want to talk to your mom."
"She'll probably be pretty relieved that I know, huh?"
Not nearly as relieved as Jack was. He nodded, though, and swatted the boy on the rump. Shawn laughed and ran over to see if he could help push the mower, and Jaffer and Jack walked over to Dotty.
"Jaffer!" Dotty pulled off her dirty gloves and rubbed the lab's face affectionately as soon as he was close enough, and Jaffer wagged his tail in greeting. The smile on Dotty's face faded just a little when Jack came up to her, but his face was calm and relaxed, and the smile he wore was genuine, so she relaxed a little as well.
"How did it go?" She asked. "Did you manage to tell him anything?"
Jack nodded. "I told him everything. I think."
Her eyes widened and she looked over at Shawn, who had taken over the mower from his dad, although James was carefully supervising his son while he pushed the machine.
"What did he say? How did you break it to him?"
"I told him the same way you told me," Jack explained. "Although I probably didn't do nearly as good a job, so chances are you'll need to fill in some blanks."
Dotty smiled. "What did he say?"
"He was a bit upset at first. Called himself a freak – which I told him to never do again, so I'd appreciate it if you keep watch for him doing that."
Dotty nodded.
"Beyond that, he took it well. Probably better than I did, especially considering I probably messed it up so badly I'm surprised he doesn't think he's Goa'uld."
Dotty smiled. There was so much relief in her expression that Jack was glad he'd offered to tell Shawn. Despite the fact that he had managed to confuse the boy at first, he probably didn't do so badly.
"I'll bet you did a lot better than you think."
Jack shrugged.
"Do you want to stay for a while?"
"And help with yard work?" Jack's expression turned to one of horror, and he held up his hands and backed away slowly. "No thanks. Jaffer and I have a hot date."
"Sam back in town?"
"Nah, but there's a couple of ducks at the park who have been teasing me, and I told them the next time they did, I was going to bring my big ole mean dog and show them what's what."
Dotty looked over at Jaffer, who was being chased by a bumblebee.
"Uh huh."
Jack smiled.
"He's mean on the inside."
"Oh, I'm sure he is."
"I'll see you guys later this week, probably. Unless we get called off- world."
"Sure you don't want to stay?"
Jack nodded. "Thanks, though."
He looked over and saw that James and Shawn were both looking in his direction, and waved at them. They waved back, and Jack called Jaffer over to his side.
"Thank you, Jack." Dotty's voice was so sincere that Jack didn't even think of a quip. He just nodded, and took her hand for a second.
"Hey, that's my job, right?"
She smiled, and squeezed his hand, then waved as he turned and opened the passenger door for Jaffer.
"Hmm?"
"Are you going to sleep all day?"
Jack opened one eye, and looked at Shawn, who was kneeling next to his bed, half on, half off it. Beside the boy was Jaffer, whose head easily topped the edge of the bed now. Both were looking at him with big brown eyes, although there was far more mischief in Jaffer's. Jack reached out and hooked an arm around Shawn and pulled him up onto the bed with him.
"What time is it?" He asked, sleepily.
"Noon."
"Noon?"
"Twelve O'clock." Shawn clarified as Jaffer jumped up to join the two of them, flopping down on Jack. "PM."
"I know what noon means, Mr. Smarty Pants."
Shawn grinned. "You asked."
Wow, he'd really slept far later than he'd intended to. The product of several sleepless nights, he supposed. Eventually they'd catch up to anyone.
"Did you have breakfast?"
"I had a bowl of cereal."
"You didn't use that milk in the fridge, did you?"
"No, I had it dry."
"Why didn't you eat the slice of pizza I saved you?"
"I dropped it."
They both looked at Jaffer, who looked back, innocently.
"We'd better get you fed, then, hmm?"
Shawn nodded.
"Out or in?"
With what he had in the fridge? If there was food to be made in the house, Shawn wouldn't be hungry.
"Out. Definitely out."
Smart ass. Jack grinned. That was his boy, all right.
"Let me get dressed, and we'll go get something to eat."
...................
Twenty minutes later they loaded Jaffer into the back of Jack's truck and headed out. Shawn was in the passenger seat, playing cup holder for Jack's coffee and secretly enjoying all the looks that Jaffer brought from people in the other cars around them. The big lab flirted outrageously with everyone around him every time they stopped at a light, and anyone who had a window was game for the dog's attention.
By the time they'd reached the closest burger place, Jack figured he'd probably broken a dozen hearts and made at least that many dates. They pulled through the drive thru, but then Jack parked the truck once they got their order, and they ate at the picnic tables; Jaffer in close attendance, especially since Jack had him on his leash. Even as well trained as Jaffer was, Jack would never have risked him with so many cars around, and so many stupid people. If he could have swung it, Shawn would have been leashed, too.
They ate in silence for a while, but Shawn was obviously thinking about their conversation of the night before, and after looking around to make sure there was no one around, he brought it up.
"You know what I think, Jack?"
"Hmm?"
"I think the Asgard have some kind of genetic problem."
Jack threw Jaffer a couple of fries, which were caught neatly, and looked at Shawn.
"What makes you say that?"
Shawn shrugged.
"If I'm supposed to be part of the solution to their problem, and I have to be part Asgard, part Ancient and part Human, then it has to be something like that. Especially since Thor and the Asgard have me learning more sciences than anything else. Not Genetics, but I bet they will be, eventually, once I get to that stage."
It was Jack's turn to shrug. He didn't know all that much about Genetics. Which was why he still didn't understand how Jaffer and Jack could manage to be different colors even though they both had a black lab mother.
"Your guess is as good as mine, Shawn." Actually his guess was probably a lot better than Jack's, since Jack didn't know (and really, aside from the fact that Shawn was involved, he didn't actually care). "I'm sure Thor plans on letting you in on the secret eventually."
"When he does, I'll make sure you know, too, Jack."
O'Neill nodded, and tossed Jaffer the last bite of his burger.
"You ready to head out?" He asked, putting the wrapper in the bag. "I promised your mom I wouldn't keep you all day."
Shawn looked down at his last bite of burger, and over at Jaffer, who was also looking at that last, tasty morsel, and he tossed the piece at the dog, who caught it neatly. The boy grinned.
"All set."
Jack laughed and they threw away their garbage and loaded Jaffer back into the truck.
................
It was yard work day at the Adams' house. When they pulled up to Shawn's house and pulled into the driveway behind James' Jeep, Jack and Shawn saw that James was mowing the grass, and Dotty was working in her flowerbed.
"You go tell your dad hi," Jack said, as Dotty looked up and smiled at them when they got out of the truck. "I want to talk to your mom."
"She'll probably be pretty relieved that I know, huh?"
Not nearly as relieved as Jack was. He nodded, though, and swatted the boy on the rump. Shawn laughed and ran over to see if he could help push the mower, and Jaffer and Jack walked over to Dotty.
"Jaffer!" Dotty pulled off her dirty gloves and rubbed the lab's face affectionately as soon as he was close enough, and Jaffer wagged his tail in greeting. The smile on Dotty's face faded just a little when Jack came up to her, but his face was calm and relaxed, and the smile he wore was genuine, so she relaxed a little as well.
"How did it go?" She asked. "Did you manage to tell him anything?"
Jack nodded. "I told him everything. I think."
Her eyes widened and she looked over at Shawn, who had taken over the mower from his dad, although James was carefully supervising his son while he pushed the machine.
"What did he say? How did you break it to him?"
"I told him the same way you told me," Jack explained. "Although I probably didn't do nearly as good a job, so chances are you'll need to fill in some blanks."
Dotty smiled. "What did he say?"
"He was a bit upset at first. Called himself a freak – which I told him to never do again, so I'd appreciate it if you keep watch for him doing that."
Dotty nodded.
"Beyond that, he took it well. Probably better than I did, especially considering I probably messed it up so badly I'm surprised he doesn't think he's Goa'uld."
Dotty smiled. There was so much relief in her expression that Jack was glad he'd offered to tell Shawn. Despite the fact that he had managed to confuse the boy at first, he probably didn't do so badly.
"I'll bet you did a lot better than you think."
Jack shrugged.
"Do you want to stay for a while?"
"And help with yard work?" Jack's expression turned to one of horror, and he held up his hands and backed away slowly. "No thanks. Jaffer and I have a hot date."
"Sam back in town?"
"Nah, but there's a couple of ducks at the park who have been teasing me, and I told them the next time they did, I was going to bring my big ole mean dog and show them what's what."
Dotty looked over at Jaffer, who was being chased by a bumblebee.
"Uh huh."
Jack smiled.
"He's mean on the inside."
"Oh, I'm sure he is."
"I'll see you guys later this week, probably. Unless we get called off- world."
"Sure you don't want to stay?"
Jack nodded. "Thanks, though."
He looked over and saw that James and Shawn were both looking in his direction, and waved at them. They waved back, and Jack called Jaffer over to his side.
"Thank you, Jack." Dotty's voice was so sincere that Jack didn't even think of a quip. He just nodded, and took her hand for a second.
"Hey, that's my job, right?"
She smiled, and squeezed his hand, then waved as he turned and opened the passenger door for Jaffer.