Hammond looked up from his paperwork at the knock on the door, and waved Sam into his office.

"Major?"

"Do you have a minute, sir?"

He nodded, and closed his laptop, a sign that he was giving her his complete attention.

"Of course. What can I do for you?"

"I just had an interesting conversation with Ian, sir."

The general frowned.

"Why do I have a feeling this is about his assignment to Camp Millcreek?"

Sam nodded.

"It's true, then?"

"That he's going to be a counselor for a week? Yes. What bothers me is that he went running to you with this issue…"

"He didn't, sir," Sam said, shaking her head. "I asked him what was going on and he told me."

Hammond felt a little of his annoyance fade with that comment. Enough that he lost the scowl, at any rate.

"A week at camp might be just the thing to take the serration off his rough edges," Hammond told her.

"With all due respect, sir, I don't think so."

"What?"

"He doesn't even like kids, General. I can't imagine what he'd do surrounded by them for a week."

"He'll do what he's told," Hammond snapped, and then immediately felt bad for snapping at her. He sighed. "The decision has been made, major. The camp is short-staffed and can use the help, and you know as well as I do that the boy needs some work on his people skills."

Well that much was true, yes. But Sam had serious doubts that this was the way to work on them. Thrusting Ian – or anyone, for that matter – into a situation where they were not only unhappy, but well out of their comfort zone didn't seem like the best way to make them embrace a lesson.

Some of her doubt must have shown on her expression, because Hammond frowned again.

"We have to do something."

"Yes, sir." She knew that once he'd given the order there was no way he'd back out of it, no matter who said it was a bad idea – which meant Ian was going to camp. "But sending him off like this…" She hesitated, wondering if he had any idea just how angry Ian was. "He's going to hate you – and the Air Force – if you just leave him to sink or swim like that."

Hammond hesitated. He wasn't so much worried that the boy would hate him – he was a general officer and wasn't out to make friends, anyways – but he was concerned that Ian would lose respect for the Air Force. That was something that couldn't be allowed. The general had some plans of his own for Ian's future, and they all included him being in the Air Force. If Sam – who probably knew him better than anyone else on base – was so certain about the consequences, then Hammond knew he needed to listen. He also knew she was thinking of something, thoguh, because he could hear that quality in her voice that she got when she was considering a complex equation, or problem.

"Do you have any suggestions, major?" He asked, giving her the opening she might be looking for.

Sam leaned forward a little.

"You weren't planning on sending him alone, were you?"

He had. Actually, it couldn't have come at a better time, since Daniel Jackson had asked to be allowed a little leave time to go on a trip with his fiancé, and Teal'c had made a suggestion that perhaps while Daniel was gone it'd be a good time for him to spend a little time with his son and Bra'tac. Which meant SG-1 would have some downtime, and the general had thought Sam might like to have Jack home for a week without worrying where he was going.

"He doesn't need a chaperone, major."

She smiled.

"But if you're going to send him, why not at least send him with some company? Shawn and River are both out of school, too, now, and Ian likes both of them. They can keep a rein on him where no one else might be able to… And River's charming enough to make up for Ian's… less charmingness." Which wasn't a word, she knew.

"Do you think that's a good idea, major?" He asked, frowning. "Putting the three of them together is like asking for trouble, from what I've seen…"

Bad things always seemed to happen to those three.

"Better he blows up at them…"

Good point.

"Very well. If they're willing to go, I'll allow it." Besides, the camp really could use extra hands. "What about Andrew Stephens? Why not invite him as well?" Ian liked Andrew as much as he liked Shawn and River as far as Hammond knew – and Andrew was a steady young man who would do a good job keeping them out of trouble.

Sam shook her head, smiling.

"Andrew is taking preliminary placement exams for the academy next week."

Which had to take precedence, of course.

The general nodded again.

"Talk to Shawn and Cadet Hayden and see if they're interested. If they are, let me know, and I'll send the camp a heads-up."

"Yes, sir."

She started to stand up, but Hammond stopped her with an upraised hand.

"I appreciate you coming to see me about this, major."

Sam smiled.

"I just don't understand how you came up with such a…" she faltered. "An interesting idea, sir." She'd been about to say dumb – and that wouldn't have been good. No better than foolish, or ill-advised. Interesting was safe, though, right?

"It wasn't my idea – and I'm surprised you didn't hear it first – considering it was Colonel O'Neill's idea."

"Really?"

He nodded.

Sam's expression grew unreadable, but she nodded.

"I'd better go see about getting a hold of Shawn and River."

"You're excused, major. Let me know what they say.,"

"Yes, sir."

She stood up, and this time headed for the door. River had been spending the weekend with them before taking a flight home to California, and she wanted to catch the boys before they headed to a movie or someplace she'd have trouble getting in touch with them. But first, she had to stop and have a chat with Jack.