Author's note: Okay, I'm going to finish this story now! No new ones until this one is done. I miss writing the campers series.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Shawn had inherited a lot of things from Jack. His looks, definitely, since he had always looked far more like Jack than like his mother. He'd also inherited a fair intelligence, which unlike Jack, he wasn't reluctant to show off when he the opportunity came up – although he knew he wasn't anywhere near as intelligent as a lot of the people he worked with. He was used to that, though, since having the most intelligent people in the world at the SGC was completely necessary. Other things he didn't inherit from Jack so much as he learned from his as he was growing up. Relationships, how to shoot and military topics, those were all things Jack had helped him to understand and sometimes even to master.

Another was the importance of a good barbeque.

Jack loved to barbeque. It was a good way to bring people together and a great way to get some much-needed downtime in lives that were most of the time almost painfully stressful. Shawn loved it, too, and almost certainly because of all the barbeques he'd attended when he was younger. Gina knew that, and so she'd requested that the caterers at least put some kind of barbeque element into the party, and they had done so successfully.

They'd brought in two large barbeques, one gas and one using coals and woodchips. Each was being manned by a professional; one who knew exactly how long to cook the steaks, burgers, chicken and even the hotdogs that were primarily for the younger party goers. Both were also adroit at avoiding the eager dogs and puppies, who were watching with big brown eyes and drooling jowls and circling the barbeques, hoping that a moment of distraction might result in a dropped burger, steak or even a wiener. They weren't picky, after all.

There was plenty to do. Despite that it was Shawn's birthday the party planners had rightly geared the events available toward the children. Which was how it should be as far as Shawn was concerned. There was a bouncy castle, games and all sorts of treats and little presents so the kids wouldn't be left out when it came time for Shawn to open his birthday presents. The adults were free to join in on the games if they wanted – and the kids loved it when they did – or they could sit back in one of the many chairs and simply watch the others play.

Ian took advantage of the day of relative rest to sit back and spend some time with people he didn't get to spend nearly enough time with. His mother was one of them, and she clearly felt the same way, because despite spending plenty of time with her grandchildren, she ended up beside him every chance she had – and not just to steal Alexander from him. She was standing beside him, her arm around his waist in comfortable time together when Rodney McKay came up on the other side and handed him his car keys.

"That was quick."

"Yeah."

"Any luck?" Ian asked, sliding the keys into his pocket.

"Kind of."

"You either got something or you didn't."

McKay made an annoyed sound.

"Of course I got something. I just don't know him well enough to know if he will like it."

"You went to get Shawn a present?" Maggie guessed.

"Yes."

"What did you get him?" she asked, curiously.

"A gift card to the gas station down the road."

They both looked over at him, and he frowned.

"What? He needs to buy gas, right?"

"He's right," Maggie conceded with a shrug. "Besides, it beats a garden gnome."

Now it was Ian's turn to roll his eyes.

"I was ten. It looked like something I thought you'd like."

McKay looked over.

"He got you a garden gnome?"

Maggie nodded.

"He got two – one for me and one for Nathan. For our anniversary."

"I thought it was romantic," Ian said, slightly defensive. "A girl one and a guy one…"

"Seriously?"

"I was ten."

McKay snorted in amusement, but before he could say anything Carter ran up with a hotdog in his hand.

"Grandma? Want a hot dog?"

She took it from him with a smile and a thank you, but as he ran off to get another one, Ian noticed she didn't eat it – despite the fact that he happened to know that she loved hot dogs. Something Carter obviously had remembered, also.

"You're not going to eat it?" he asked.

"Did you see how dirty his hands were?" she replied with an exaggerated shudder. She made sure the boy was occupied and then handed the hotdog down to Jasmine, who had wandered by and was clearly unconcerned about dirty hands in favor of a quick treat to judge by how quickly she ate it. "Besides, I'm waiting on a steak."

Ian grinned, and hugged her.

"I'm going to go see what Cassandra's doing. Don't let Rodney eat all the chicken, okay?"

His mother smiled, and he ignored the indignant sound McKay made and walked into the house, knowing that since he hadn't seen her in the yard – or in the bouncy castle – she almost certainly had to be in the house. He found her in the den, holding Jessica and talking to Gina, who was holding one of the puppies with a concerned expression. Shawn's wife brightened when she saw him, though, and handed the little lab up to him before he could say anything or ask what was going on.

"Will you see if you can find out why she's whining?"

He didn't even try to object and say he wasn't a vet. She knew he wasn't a vet, but she also knew that he was better than a vet in many ways. Especially when it came to injuries, and it was clear she was worried about the puppy. Ian rolled his eyes and held the puppy up a little, looking at her eyes and smiling despite himself. God, he loved puppies. A quick check was all it took for him to find out what was wrong.

"She's fine, Gina," he told her, tapping the puppy playfully on the nose. "Just put her nose where it didn't belong and it got singed."

"What?"

"Some hot grease from the barbeque got her. It's all good, now."

"You're sure?"

Ian nodded.

"Trust me. Feed her a treat and she'll forget all about what happened." He handed the puppy back to Gina, and then reached for Jessica, who had been watching the exchange with what might have been interest – or might have simply been gas. "Where's daddy, little girl?"

"He's in the kitchen," Cassie replied, since it was obvious Jessica wasn't quite ready for a conversation. Even for Ian. "With Jack."

"Good." He looked down at the baby in his arms. "Let's go see the President and tell him how to run the country, shall we?"