Author's note: Nah, I was always planning on bringing him, I just wanted to get his little Jaffa hopes up in the first chapter and dash them in the second. He's too self-assured sometimes, you know?
.............
Daniel and Sam took over the table. Both of them had brought their laptops, and both had their half of the table covered with notes and papers galore. The laptops were almost identical, aside from the Jaffer-made chew marks on the corner of Sam's laptop, and the chew marks that Jaffer had left on the top of Daniel's. Even though their work was nothing alike – Daniel was working on keys to the past, and Sam was trying to figure out a technology of the future – the two of them would occasionally ask each other a question, or make a comment about something interesting that they were doing.
There was always work they could be doing, and while both of them understood that Jack wanted them to be having fun, they just didn't find the same things entertaining that he did. They liked the challenge of their work. Jack liked the challenge of trying to get them to stop working. They enjoyed the mysteries that they uncovered with each problem they solved. Jack simply figured the world was better off if it was allowed to keep a few mysteries to itself. So he'd told them time and time again, anyways.
Not very surprisingly, they lost track of time while they were working. It was Teal'c who brought them back to the here and now.
"Have you been working this entire time?"
Sam looked up at the sound of his voice, and then looked down at her watch. It was well past noon.
"Wow."
Daniel looked down at his own, and was equally surprised.
"Where did the time go?"
"Where did Jack go?" Sam asked, standing up and stretching.
"Where have you been, Teal'c?"
"In our room." He'd been catching up on the rest Daniel's snoring had robbed him of the night before, although he'd never mention it to Daniel, since he knew it was hardly intentional.
"Jack hasn't been back?"
"I have not seen him."
"I hope he's okay."
"What could possibly hurt him out here in the middle of no where?"
"Rabid bears?" Sam hazarded.
Daniel smiled, and shook his head. "Let's go see what he's up to."
"You mean check on him."
"Why not? He does it to us all the time when he hasn't seen one of us in a while."
Wasn't that just the truth?
They all headed for the door, and out into the bright afternoon. It was a beautiful day. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the blue above them was something only seen on the most perfect of days. There were all sorts noises coming from the woods around them; the most noticeable were bird calls, and small animals making a racket at each other, but the ones that were missing were the sounds of trucks, and cars, and machinery of any sort. It was quiet and peaceful. Just like they knew Jack liked it.
"He's probably still fishing." Sam said, leading the way down to the dock.
"With no hooks?"
She shrugged.
"I said he was fishing, not catching."
"I have never seen a fish pulled from these waters," Teal'c told them.
It was he who first decided that there were no fish in the lake, and Daniel had said that it was probably just some big joke nature was playing on Jack O'Neill.
"I haven't, either," Sam agreed. But she'd only been up here once or twice. Work made it difficult for her to get away as often as Jack would have liked for her to, and when she did get free time to be alone with him, they tended to just stay in, and not bother traveling the distance to the cabin.
"There he is."
Jack had pulled a lounge chair out onto the dock, and was stretched out in it, looking about as relaxed as he could. He'd stripped off everything but a pair of shorts and sunglasses, and was using his t-shirt as an improvised pillow. Resting against his chest was the leather necklace Shawn had given him years before, and the arrowhead was shiny and worn after years of being worn.
Standing on the edge of the dock, looking down into the water, were Jaffer and Jack. Both labs were soaked and looked as if they'd been having the time of their lives. Their tails wagged fiercely when the three approached the dock, and Jack bolted over to greet Teal'c with an enthusiastic bark. One of the few differences between him and his brother, since Jaffer rarely barked, and Jack was a fairly vocal dog.
Teal'c rubbed Jack's head affectionately, ignoring the water that was getting all over him when Jack leaned closer into the Jaffa's touch. He loved to be petted! Jaffer stayed next to Jack, who reached out and took hold of his dog's tail, and tugged it slightly, making Jaffer turn and show Jack his large teeth in mock viciousness.
"Some day he's going to bite you," Sam warned, smiling, as she walked onto the dock.
"That'll be the same day the Red Sox win the World Series," Jack said, smiling up at her as she came over and rested her hand on his sun-warmed shoulder.
"So you're saying it's never going to happen?"
"Yup." He turned his head and saw that everyone had come out of the cabin. "Decided to get some fresh air?"
Daniel walked over and picked up Jack's fishing pole, which was resting in a notch on the dock. The line was cast, but Jack wasn't paying any attention to it. He wasn't even close enough to grab it if he got a bite.
"What are you going to do if you get a fish on the other end?" He asked Jack.
"Reel the line in, Daniel." It wasn't the answer to the question, it was an order, and Daniel gave him an odd look and did as he was told. And was surprised to find that the only thing on the end of the line was a lead weight.
"There's no hook."
"I can't have hooks around Jaffer. You know that."
"Then how are you going to catch any fish?"
"I thought you promised us fresh fish for lunch?" Sam said at the same time, walking over and looking at the pole Daniel was holding.
"I did."
Jack pointed at a large bucket that was sitting on the dock next to him, resting almost under his lounge chair, which was why they hadn't noticed it. Daniel crossed over and looked down into it, and then over at Jack.
"Where did you get those?"
Sam went to look, followed by Teal'c. Inside the bucket, swimming idly, were several large fish. Mostly bass from the looks of it, although Sam was hardly an expert on fish.
"How did you...?"
"There is no hook on your line, O'Neill." Teal'c said, scowling down at the fish. Proof positive that there were actually fish in the lake.
Jack shrugged. "I invited all of you to come and watch, didn't I? But no... you were too busy with your little projects to come and spend time with-"
"Jack."
Sam's voice interrupted his little tirade, but since it wasn't an actual rant, he didn't mind. He looked up at her.
"How did you catch these?"
.............
Daniel and Sam took over the table. Both of them had brought their laptops, and both had their half of the table covered with notes and papers galore. The laptops were almost identical, aside from the Jaffer-made chew marks on the corner of Sam's laptop, and the chew marks that Jaffer had left on the top of Daniel's. Even though their work was nothing alike – Daniel was working on keys to the past, and Sam was trying to figure out a technology of the future – the two of them would occasionally ask each other a question, or make a comment about something interesting that they were doing.
There was always work they could be doing, and while both of them understood that Jack wanted them to be having fun, they just didn't find the same things entertaining that he did. They liked the challenge of their work. Jack liked the challenge of trying to get them to stop working. They enjoyed the mysteries that they uncovered with each problem they solved. Jack simply figured the world was better off if it was allowed to keep a few mysteries to itself. So he'd told them time and time again, anyways.
Not very surprisingly, they lost track of time while they were working. It was Teal'c who brought them back to the here and now.
"Have you been working this entire time?"
Sam looked up at the sound of his voice, and then looked down at her watch. It was well past noon.
"Wow."
Daniel looked down at his own, and was equally surprised.
"Where did the time go?"
"Where did Jack go?" Sam asked, standing up and stretching.
"Where have you been, Teal'c?"
"In our room." He'd been catching up on the rest Daniel's snoring had robbed him of the night before, although he'd never mention it to Daniel, since he knew it was hardly intentional.
"Jack hasn't been back?"
"I have not seen him."
"I hope he's okay."
"What could possibly hurt him out here in the middle of no where?"
"Rabid bears?" Sam hazarded.
Daniel smiled, and shook his head. "Let's go see what he's up to."
"You mean check on him."
"Why not? He does it to us all the time when he hasn't seen one of us in a while."
Wasn't that just the truth?
They all headed for the door, and out into the bright afternoon. It was a beautiful day. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the blue above them was something only seen on the most perfect of days. There were all sorts noises coming from the woods around them; the most noticeable were bird calls, and small animals making a racket at each other, but the ones that were missing were the sounds of trucks, and cars, and machinery of any sort. It was quiet and peaceful. Just like they knew Jack liked it.
"He's probably still fishing." Sam said, leading the way down to the dock.
"With no hooks?"
She shrugged.
"I said he was fishing, not catching."
"I have never seen a fish pulled from these waters," Teal'c told them.
It was he who first decided that there were no fish in the lake, and Daniel had said that it was probably just some big joke nature was playing on Jack O'Neill.
"I haven't, either," Sam agreed. But she'd only been up here once or twice. Work made it difficult for her to get away as often as Jack would have liked for her to, and when she did get free time to be alone with him, they tended to just stay in, and not bother traveling the distance to the cabin.
"There he is."
Jack had pulled a lounge chair out onto the dock, and was stretched out in it, looking about as relaxed as he could. He'd stripped off everything but a pair of shorts and sunglasses, and was using his t-shirt as an improvised pillow. Resting against his chest was the leather necklace Shawn had given him years before, and the arrowhead was shiny and worn after years of being worn.
Standing on the edge of the dock, looking down into the water, were Jaffer and Jack. Both labs were soaked and looked as if they'd been having the time of their lives. Their tails wagged fiercely when the three approached the dock, and Jack bolted over to greet Teal'c with an enthusiastic bark. One of the few differences between him and his brother, since Jaffer rarely barked, and Jack was a fairly vocal dog.
Teal'c rubbed Jack's head affectionately, ignoring the water that was getting all over him when Jack leaned closer into the Jaffa's touch. He loved to be petted! Jaffer stayed next to Jack, who reached out and took hold of his dog's tail, and tugged it slightly, making Jaffer turn and show Jack his large teeth in mock viciousness.
"Some day he's going to bite you," Sam warned, smiling, as she walked onto the dock.
"That'll be the same day the Red Sox win the World Series," Jack said, smiling up at her as she came over and rested her hand on his sun-warmed shoulder.
"So you're saying it's never going to happen?"
"Yup." He turned his head and saw that everyone had come out of the cabin. "Decided to get some fresh air?"
Daniel walked over and picked up Jack's fishing pole, which was resting in a notch on the dock. The line was cast, but Jack wasn't paying any attention to it. He wasn't even close enough to grab it if he got a bite.
"What are you going to do if you get a fish on the other end?" He asked Jack.
"Reel the line in, Daniel." It wasn't the answer to the question, it was an order, and Daniel gave him an odd look and did as he was told. And was surprised to find that the only thing on the end of the line was a lead weight.
"There's no hook."
"I can't have hooks around Jaffer. You know that."
"Then how are you going to catch any fish?"
"I thought you promised us fresh fish for lunch?" Sam said at the same time, walking over and looking at the pole Daniel was holding.
"I did."
Jack pointed at a large bucket that was sitting on the dock next to him, resting almost under his lounge chair, which was why they hadn't noticed it. Daniel crossed over and looked down into it, and then over at Jack.
"Where did you get those?"
Sam went to look, followed by Teal'c. Inside the bucket, swimming idly, were several large fish. Mostly bass from the looks of it, although Sam was hardly an expert on fish.
"How did you...?"
"There is no hook on your line, O'Neill." Teal'c said, scowling down at the fish. Proof positive that there were actually fish in the lake.
Jack shrugged. "I invited all of you to come and watch, didn't I? But no... you were too busy with your little projects to come and spend time with-"
"Jack."
Sam's voice interrupted his little tirade, but since it wasn't an actual rant, he didn't mind. He looked up at her.
"How did you catch these?"