Luckily for Ian, the girls in Ann's cabin weren't really talkative on their way back to their cabin. It might have had something to do with the fact that they were all peering out into the darkness nervously as they walked. They stayed close to him and to Ann and Danin, a couple of them so close that he was worried he was going to end up tripping over one of them in the dark and taking a tumble. Which of course, would have probably meant landing on Libby and having to deal with more injuries. Ian couldn't wait to get back to the SGC where there were only grownups around and none of them would start crying great big crocodile tears if they skinned a knee or something.
The porch light on the cabin welcomed them with a cheerful light, and Ann smiled at Ian when she took Libby from him at the door.
"That wasn't so bad, now, was it?"
He scowled, wondering if she'd sicced Libby on him in the first place.
Ann didn't even notice the scowl – or chose not to. Neither did the little girls, who were far too cheerful to be made grumpy by one less than cheerful guy. Especially one who had just made sure they'd all made it safely to their cabin. They smiled at him from around Ann and Danin, peeking out from the inside of the cabin. Which just made Ian more uncomfortable. Uncomfortable enough that he made a polite comment so he could leave as soon as possible.
"Goodnight."
"Night, Ian!" The girls chorused, waving happily at him.
He rolled his eyes, amused despite himself, and turned to go back to the cabin, ignoring the rest of the campers who were also heading back to their cabins.
OOOOOOOOO
Ian didn't return immediately to the cabin. He stopped off at the kitchen to get a glass of water more or less hoping that the kids would all be asleep by the time he returned. Small hope he knew, but it would be a good way to avoid all the usual bullshit about them being thirsty, or a bunch of chatter about what was going on the next day. If he was lucky, he'd be able to slip into a dark cabin and go straight to bed.
It didn't happen that way, of course.
Jack smiled up at him when Ian walked into the cabin. It was obvious from the way the boys were gathered around Jack and Shawn that they had been in the middle of a conversation when he'd walked in, and Ian saw that the boys looked a little worried, even though they smiled in relief when they saw him.
"I don't suppose River's with you?" Jack asked.
Ian shook his head, realizing for the first time that the Californian wasn't there.
"Nope."
"Did you see him on your way in?"
Ian shook his head again.
"Where were you?"
"Down at the main building."
Which meant that River wasn't there.
"The Wraith probably got him," Chad said. Wilson and a couple of the others nodded their agreement.
Ian scowled. Jesus the little kids were gullible.
"The Wraith didn't get him, guys."
"He doesn't have Surfer Dude…" Brian said, pointing at the pet rock River had made. It was sitting on the ledge of the bed beside the door where River had placed it before heading to dinner that evening.
"He's probably just at one of the other cabins talking to someone," Ian said. He actually was fairly certain River was with a girl.
"That's what I told them," Jack said, grinning.
"But what if he needs help?" Sammy asked.
"He's fine, guys…" Ian told them.
"He might not be."
"He is."
"What if he isn't?"
"Then there's going to be that much more room in my car tomorrow on the way home."
It wasn't the right thing to say, even though Ian had meant it as a joke. The worried looks grew more worried, and Bruce actually looked like he was going to cry. Jack shook his head, torn between amusement and annoyance at Ian's comment.
"Why don't you go look for him, Ian?"
"What?"
"Go make sure he's okay," Jack said. "And tell him to get back here. Take Jaffer."
It wasn't really as much an order as it was a request, since Ian knew that Jack had just as good a suspicion about where River was as he did. But the kids needed River at the cabin, safe and sound, and that meant someone needed to go find him. Someone without a broken foot or messed up knee.
Ian muffled his sigh, and nodded, instead. It wasn't like he was afraid to go outside, after all, and there were fewer kids outside than in.
"I'll be back in a bit."
Shawn grinned, well aware why Ian was so willing to leave.
"Want to take one of the boys for company?" he asked.
Ian stopped himself from flipping Shawn off, knowing that he was teasing him.
"They'd probably rather have you tell them a bedtime story. You tell them so well."
"Ohhh!" Sammy smiled. "Tell us a story, Shawn!"
"Yeah!"
"I want a story!"
"Me, too!"
"Me, three!"
"Me, fou-"
Ian closed the door behind him, grinning. That'd teach him. Now to find Hayden and unglue him from whichever girl he was with. He looked down at the black lab who had cheerfully followed him out into the night.
"Any idea where Hayden is?" He asked the lab.
Jaffer just wagged his tail. There were too many other people around and too many scents from earlier for him to track anyone, but he'd keep his eyes and ears open!
"We'll start with the cabins, then," Ian decided. Maybe Hayden had stopped to chat with one of the other counselors.
OOOOOOO
The cabins were a bust. None of the other counselors had seen River since campfire – although almost all of them offered to come look for him with Ian. The New Yorker shook his head at the offers; he had Jaffer, he told each volunteer, and didn't need anything else. He certainly didn't want company – although he didn't tell any of them that.
When he came to Romania once more, he was given his only real clue, and that was that Sierra hadn't returned to their cabin yet, either. Ann asked Ian if he wanted her to come help look, but Ian shook his head. He didn't want her company any more than he wanted anyone else's.
"I can find him."
Ann smiled.
"Where you find him, you'll probably find Sierra."
He nodded.
"I'll send her back here."
"Good. The girls are getting worried."
When Ann closed the door, Ian stood on the porch for a moment.
"If I were a horny Californian, where would I be?"
Jaffer wagged his tail, watching.
Ian shrugged. When in doubt with River, head for the water.
"Come on, Jaffer…"
He jumped off the porch and headed for the water front.