Spoilers: Not unless you count a minor reference to a 2nd or 3rd season
episode whose title I can't remember. However, the story is definitely set
no earlier than mid-fourth season.
Summary: Everyone should get a snow day at least once a winter.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Still don't own them.
Author's note: It was 60 degrees day before yesterday and almost 70 degrees yesterday and today. No wonder I'm having problems finishing a story about snow:-)
Chapter 3
Carter had a distinct tactical advantage, being on home ground. When the four friends reached the park, she headed for a cluster of trees on the downside of a small hill. Daniel continued past her. Jack cut across the playground, reaching down to scoop up a handful of snow and throwing it in Daniel's direction.
"Hey, Danny! First lesson: find cover."
"Hey, Jack," he yelled back, "Next lesson: learn to aim. You throw like a girl!"
A wet snowball hit him in the back of the head. "You say that like it's a bad thing, Rock-boy." Sam was laughing from behind a tree.
Daniel reached his destination of a picnic table flanked by two huge trees. He ducked around one and emerged with a snowball. After firing it at Sam, he quickly started to pack more snow together.
Jack stationed himself behind a rather large tree (why did it always have to be trees?) and began stockpiling ammunition. He noticed that Teal'c was still in the open.
"Hey, T! Whatcha doing?"
"I am looking for a suitable location from which to base my offensive, O'Neill."
"Look faster, or Carter's gonna get you with that lethal arm of hers."
Just then, a clump of snow whizzed past Jack's face. "See what I mean?"
"That was a warning shot, Colonel," Sam yelled from her position.
A snowball smacked square into Teal'c's chest. "And that was for the water gun incident," Daniel yelled from the picnic table.
Jack almost laughed at his friend's bewilderment. "Run for it, Teal'c. I'll cover you." The Jaffa ran for the shelter of the playground, choosing the large tunnel slide to hide behind. The other three concentrated their fire on each other, allowing him time to build a small stockpile.
That is, until a rather large and densely packed snowball made contact with Jack's back. "Hey!" Jack turned. "T, what the heck was that for?"
"I am participating in this game," he said calmly, packing more snow.
"Yeah, but you're throwing them at me?"
"Are you not a target, O'Neill?"
"Well, yeah, but I covered your six!"
"I believe you said every one for themselves."
"Well, yeah, but what I meant was…" The rest of the sentence was cut off by the large face-full of snow Jack had suddenly acquired. He swiped at his face, yelling, "Who threw that?"
Since both Sam and Daniel were pointing at each other – and doubled over laughing – Jack decided that the blame should be shared equally.
"As I was saying, I meant we should gang up on Carter and Daniel."
Another snowball hit Teal'c as he considered Jack's suggestion. "Agreed."
Through her laughter, Carter said, "It's good to know you're impervious to common, everyday snow, sir."
"Do we need to go get your truck, Jack?" Daniel added.
"Okay, that's it. No more mister nice colonel. Teal'c, get over here. You pack, I'll throw."
Teal'c dashed for Jack's position, dodging snowballs. Jack fired back, alternating between Sam and Daniel. Teal'c soon had an arsenal's worth of snowballs; he threw a few then packed some more snow, switching back and forth. Daniel and Sam soon found themselves outgunned, since they had to stop and reload frequently.
Daniel decided an alliance would be beneficial, so he ran for Sam's trees. A snowball hit him in the arm as he lost his footing in the snow and slid down the hill, landing at Sam's feet.
She looked down at him. "Nice slide, Daniel."
He shoved his glasses back in place. "Yeah, I was the terror of the little league."
"You want to help me here or are you just gonna take the rest of the battle lying down?"
"Oh, I thought I'd just let you protect me."
She grinned at him and offered a hand to pull him up. He took it, grinned back, and pulled her down in the snow next to him. Adding insult to injury, he scooped up a handful of snow and flung it at her.
"Hey!" She tried to block the snow, but missed. "Who taught you that?"
"Jack."
"Of course."
Jack, not knowing his character was being maligned, but noticing the lack of snow flying, stuck his head out from behind a tree and yelled, "Hey, campers! Are you giving up already?"
Sam and Daniel shared a look, then simultaneously grabbed snowballs and threw them at Jack. Both connected with a soft thump.
"Hey!" came the surprised yell. "That's insubordination. I could have you court-martialed."
"Not me," Daniel yelled back.
"Oh, I'll think of something better for you, spacemonkey."
"Ah, the witty banter flies, but the snowballs have stopped."
"Giving you a chance to catch your breath."
Sam, who had been packing snowballs during the exchange, caught Daniel's attention. Using hand signals that only other Air Force types – and the occasional civilian archeologist assigned to a top-secret Air Force command – could understand, Sam told Daniel to keep Jack and Teal'c occupied while she flanked them. Nodding, Daniel lobbed a few more snowballs in the other's direction.
"Hey, Jack. I thought you were more action and less talk."
"Hey, Daniel. Come over here and say that." A snowball hit the tree next to Daniel's head.
"I'm supposed to be learning tactics, Jack. Is that the best you can do?" He threw a few snowballs to the right of the two men, keeping their attention away from Sam.
She ducked behind a tree just to the left of Jack, looked back at Daniel, who nodded once without making eye contact. Snowballs flew from two directions at Jack and Teal'c, who fell under the onslaught. Daniel ran from his cover to get a closer shot. As he and Sam converged on their friends, Jack and Teal'c released one more barrage.
When they ran out of snowballs, Teal'c said, "I believe it is time to surrender, O'Neill."
Daniel let out a whoop of victory. Sam, grinning widely, emerged from cover to give him a high five. Jack glared at Teal'c, who simply raised an eyebrow.
"You know what this means, don't you, sir?" Sam asked.
"No, Carter. Enlighten me." He brushed the snow off his clothes.
"It means that you and Teal'c have to do the dishes after dinner tonight."
Daniel cleared his throat. "In addition to being the subject of great humiliation back at the base."
Jack walked up to the younger man and threw his arm around Daniel's shoulders. "No, Daniel, it doesn't. Cause then everyone would know we played hooky today."
"Okay, then. The subject of great humiliation among us. Works for me." Daniel danced away from the handful of snow Jack had hidden in his other hand, waiting for an opportunity to exact a little revenge.
Jack shrugged and tossed the snow against a tree. "Dishes, Carter?" he asked. "I don't recall agreeing to that."
"It's traditional, sir. Loser gets the worst job of the day."
"Just what did you fix for dinner?"
"Messy stuff. Lots of it. However, I might be willing to forego the dish penalty if you and Teal'c can make proper snow angels."
Teal'c did the eyebrow thing – again. "What are snow angels?"
"Well, Teal'c, it's easier to demonstrate than explain." He looked at Sam, smiling slightly. "Since it was your idea, Carter, why don't you give us a little show?"
Sam opened her mouth to reply, "Sure," and that little rebellious voice popped up again. "What kind of show did you have in mind, Colonel?" She asked over her shoulder as she walked over to a snow bank that hadn't been disturbed yet. When she turned around, she saw a dumbfounded Jack and a silently laughing Daniel. She executed a perfect fall back into the snow and moved her arms and legs to sweep away the snow.
Daniel, still laughing – and thus deciding that now would be a good time to move away from Jack before he got a whap in the back of the head – moved to give Sam a hand up. She grinned at him as she took his hand and asked softly, "You think I went too far?"
Daniel shook his head and replied just as softly. "I'm a civilian, remember. I ignore military rules as a matter of principle." And then, a little louder, "Nice angel, Sam. Your turn, Jack," he said to his friend.
Jack glared at him, avoided looking at Sam and said to Teal'c, "Come on, let's get this over with."
"I do not understand the concept, O'Neill."
"The movement forms an idealized silhouette of an angel, Teal'c." Daniel saved Jack the trouble of explaining. "And it's an excuse to play in the snow."
"Will you not join us, DanielJackson?"
"Yeah, Danny, come play in the snow."
"You first, Jack."
Jack nodded and fell back in the snow, the other two men following suit. Sam looked up at the heavens as if to ask why she hadn't remembered to bring a camera. After laughing at the boys for a minute, she helped Daniel up, since he deserved a chance to revel in the sight of Jack and Teal'c making snow angels. They both had to pull Teal'c up, while Jack carefully placed his feet and hands inside the swept-out area, and pushed himself up and out of the shape on the ground.
"Nicely done, sir."
"Minnesota, Carter. We learned how to make snow angels before we could walk."
"And you left before they started Snowball Fights 101?" Daniel asked.
"You want a rematch?"
"Nooo, that's okay. Didn't you say something about dinner, Sam?"
"Carter, remind me to let you do the cooking next time we're off planet," Jack said as he helped move dishes off the table in Sam's dining room to the kitchen.
"Getting too old to open your own MRE, sir?"
He leveled his "frighten the new recruits" look at her. She grinned back.
"Do you want help with the dishes or not, Major? Cause I could go help Daniel and Teal'c set up the movie."
"I think you're probably safer in here."
Listening to Daniel explain the term "chick flick" to Teal'c, he said, "Yeah. Although safer may not be the right word."
"Afraid of what might be lurking in my kitchen?"
He held his hands up at arm's length. "I'd hate to get dishpan hands."
She threw a dishtowel at him. "See the shiny square appliance with the buttons on the front? It washes the dishes for us." She opened the dishwasher and began loading dishes.
"More gadgets, Carter?"
"It's useful, sir, for those of us that cook."
He looked at her with a mock hurt expression on his face. "Hey, I cook. No dishwasher, but I cook."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I'm a great cook. I just use paper plates."
"Are you guys done yet?" Daniel called from the other room. "We're ready to start the movie."
"Be there in a second, " Sam answered, finishing with the dishes as Jack wiped off the counters. "You ready?" she asked Jack.
"Yeah." As she walked toward the doorway, Jack hesitated.
She looked back. "You okay, sir?"
He cleared his throat, not quite looking at her. "I really am a good cook."
Smiling gently, she said, "I'm sure you are."
"No, I mean…" He closed his eyes for a moment, gathering the right words, then quietly said, "One of these days, Sam, I'd like to cook dinner for you." He looked directly at her when she didn't say anything. "I have this great chair where you can curl up and read while I wash dishes."
She finally nodded. "One of these days, I'd like that." She waved her hand toward the sound of the movie starting. "We should…"
Jack answered, "Yeah."
As they walked into the other room, Daniel briefly looked up from where he had stretched out on the floor and said, "This was a great idea, Sam."
"Yes, MajorCarter, we should take snow days more often," Teal'c agreed.
"Yeah, good work, Carter." Jack added.
She met his eyes. And winked. A little rebellion every now and then, like a snow day, was good for the soul.
Summary: Everyone should get a snow day at least once a winter.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Still don't own them.
Author's note: It was 60 degrees day before yesterday and almost 70 degrees yesterday and today. No wonder I'm having problems finishing a story about snow:-)
Chapter 3
Carter had a distinct tactical advantage, being on home ground. When the four friends reached the park, she headed for a cluster of trees on the downside of a small hill. Daniel continued past her. Jack cut across the playground, reaching down to scoop up a handful of snow and throwing it in Daniel's direction.
"Hey, Danny! First lesson: find cover."
"Hey, Jack," he yelled back, "Next lesson: learn to aim. You throw like a girl!"
A wet snowball hit him in the back of the head. "You say that like it's a bad thing, Rock-boy." Sam was laughing from behind a tree.
Daniel reached his destination of a picnic table flanked by two huge trees. He ducked around one and emerged with a snowball. After firing it at Sam, he quickly started to pack more snow together.
Jack stationed himself behind a rather large tree (why did it always have to be trees?) and began stockpiling ammunition. He noticed that Teal'c was still in the open.
"Hey, T! Whatcha doing?"
"I am looking for a suitable location from which to base my offensive, O'Neill."
"Look faster, or Carter's gonna get you with that lethal arm of hers."
Just then, a clump of snow whizzed past Jack's face. "See what I mean?"
"That was a warning shot, Colonel," Sam yelled from her position.
A snowball smacked square into Teal'c's chest. "And that was for the water gun incident," Daniel yelled from the picnic table.
Jack almost laughed at his friend's bewilderment. "Run for it, Teal'c. I'll cover you." The Jaffa ran for the shelter of the playground, choosing the large tunnel slide to hide behind. The other three concentrated their fire on each other, allowing him time to build a small stockpile.
That is, until a rather large and densely packed snowball made contact with Jack's back. "Hey!" Jack turned. "T, what the heck was that for?"
"I am participating in this game," he said calmly, packing more snow.
"Yeah, but you're throwing them at me?"
"Are you not a target, O'Neill?"
"Well, yeah, but I covered your six!"
"I believe you said every one for themselves."
"Well, yeah, but what I meant was…" The rest of the sentence was cut off by the large face-full of snow Jack had suddenly acquired. He swiped at his face, yelling, "Who threw that?"
Since both Sam and Daniel were pointing at each other – and doubled over laughing – Jack decided that the blame should be shared equally.
"As I was saying, I meant we should gang up on Carter and Daniel."
Another snowball hit Teal'c as he considered Jack's suggestion. "Agreed."
Through her laughter, Carter said, "It's good to know you're impervious to common, everyday snow, sir."
"Do we need to go get your truck, Jack?" Daniel added.
"Okay, that's it. No more mister nice colonel. Teal'c, get over here. You pack, I'll throw."
Teal'c dashed for Jack's position, dodging snowballs. Jack fired back, alternating between Sam and Daniel. Teal'c soon had an arsenal's worth of snowballs; he threw a few then packed some more snow, switching back and forth. Daniel and Sam soon found themselves outgunned, since they had to stop and reload frequently.
Daniel decided an alliance would be beneficial, so he ran for Sam's trees. A snowball hit him in the arm as he lost his footing in the snow and slid down the hill, landing at Sam's feet.
She looked down at him. "Nice slide, Daniel."
He shoved his glasses back in place. "Yeah, I was the terror of the little league."
"You want to help me here or are you just gonna take the rest of the battle lying down?"
"Oh, I thought I'd just let you protect me."
She grinned at him and offered a hand to pull him up. He took it, grinned back, and pulled her down in the snow next to him. Adding insult to injury, he scooped up a handful of snow and flung it at her.
"Hey!" She tried to block the snow, but missed. "Who taught you that?"
"Jack."
"Of course."
Jack, not knowing his character was being maligned, but noticing the lack of snow flying, stuck his head out from behind a tree and yelled, "Hey, campers! Are you giving up already?"
Sam and Daniel shared a look, then simultaneously grabbed snowballs and threw them at Jack. Both connected with a soft thump.
"Hey!" came the surprised yell. "That's insubordination. I could have you court-martialed."
"Not me," Daniel yelled back.
"Oh, I'll think of something better for you, spacemonkey."
"Ah, the witty banter flies, but the snowballs have stopped."
"Giving you a chance to catch your breath."
Sam, who had been packing snowballs during the exchange, caught Daniel's attention. Using hand signals that only other Air Force types – and the occasional civilian archeologist assigned to a top-secret Air Force command – could understand, Sam told Daniel to keep Jack and Teal'c occupied while she flanked them. Nodding, Daniel lobbed a few more snowballs in the other's direction.
"Hey, Jack. I thought you were more action and less talk."
"Hey, Daniel. Come over here and say that." A snowball hit the tree next to Daniel's head.
"I'm supposed to be learning tactics, Jack. Is that the best you can do?" He threw a few snowballs to the right of the two men, keeping their attention away from Sam.
She ducked behind a tree just to the left of Jack, looked back at Daniel, who nodded once without making eye contact. Snowballs flew from two directions at Jack and Teal'c, who fell under the onslaught. Daniel ran from his cover to get a closer shot. As he and Sam converged on their friends, Jack and Teal'c released one more barrage.
When they ran out of snowballs, Teal'c said, "I believe it is time to surrender, O'Neill."
Daniel let out a whoop of victory. Sam, grinning widely, emerged from cover to give him a high five. Jack glared at Teal'c, who simply raised an eyebrow.
"You know what this means, don't you, sir?" Sam asked.
"No, Carter. Enlighten me." He brushed the snow off his clothes.
"It means that you and Teal'c have to do the dishes after dinner tonight."
Daniel cleared his throat. "In addition to being the subject of great humiliation back at the base."
Jack walked up to the younger man and threw his arm around Daniel's shoulders. "No, Daniel, it doesn't. Cause then everyone would know we played hooky today."
"Okay, then. The subject of great humiliation among us. Works for me." Daniel danced away from the handful of snow Jack had hidden in his other hand, waiting for an opportunity to exact a little revenge.
Jack shrugged and tossed the snow against a tree. "Dishes, Carter?" he asked. "I don't recall agreeing to that."
"It's traditional, sir. Loser gets the worst job of the day."
"Just what did you fix for dinner?"
"Messy stuff. Lots of it. However, I might be willing to forego the dish penalty if you and Teal'c can make proper snow angels."
Teal'c did the eyebrow thing – again. "What are snow angels?"
"Well, Teal'c, it's easier to demonstrate than explain." He looked at Sam, smiling slightly. "Since it was your idea, Carter, why don't you give us a little show?"
Sam opened her mouth to reply, "Sure," and that little rebellious voice popped up again. "What kind of show did you have in mind, Colonel?" She asked over her shoulder as she walked over to a snow bank that hadn't been disturbed yet. When she turned around, she saw a dumbfounded Jack and a silently laughing Daniel. She executed a perfect fall back into the snow and moved her arms and legs to sweep away the snow.
Daniel, still laughing – and thus deciding that now would be a good time to move away from Jack before he got a whap in the back of the head – moved to give Sam a hand up. She grinned at him as she took his hand and asked softly, "You think I went too far?"
Daniel shook his head and replied just as softly. "I'm a civilian, remember. I ignore military rules as a matter of principle." And then, a little louder, "Nice angel, Sam. Your turn, Jack," he said to his friend.
Jack glared at him, avoided looking at Sam and said to Teal'c, "Come on, let's get this over with."
"I do not understand the concept, O'Neill."
"The movement forms an idealized silhouette of an angel, Teal'c." Daniel saved Jack the trouble of explaining. "And it's an excuse to play in the snow."
"Will you not join us, DanielJackson?"
"Yeah, Danny, come play in the snow."
"You first, Jack."
Jack nodded and fell back in the snow, the other two men following suit. Sam looked up at the heavens as if to ask why she hadn't remembered to bring a camera. After laughing at the boys for a minute, she helped Daniel up, since he deserved a chance to revel in the sight of Jack and Teal'c making snow angels. They both had to pull Teal'c up, while Jack carefully placed his feet and hands inside the swept-out area, and pushed himself up and out of the shape on the ground.
"Nicely done, sir."
"Minnesota, Carter. We learned how to make snow angels before we could walk."
"And you left before they started Snowball Fights 101?" Daniel asked.
"You want a rematch?"
"Nooo, that's okay. Didn't you say something about dinner, Sam?"
"Carter, remind me to let you do the cooking next time we're off planet," Jack said as he helped move dishes off the table in Sam's dining room to the kitchen.
"Getting too old to open your own MRE, sir?"
He leveled his "frighten the new recruits" look at her. She grinned back.
"Do you want help with the dishes or not, Major? Cause I could go help Daniel and Teal'c set up the movie."
"I think you're probably safer in here."
Listening to Daniel explain the term "chick flick" to Teal'c, he said, "Yeah. Although safer may not be the right word."
"Afraid of what might be lurking in my kitchen?"
He held his hands up at arm's length. "I'd hate to get dishpan hands."
She threw a dishtowel at him. "See the shiny square appliance with the buttons on the front? It washes the dishes for us." She opened the dishwasher and began loading dishes.
"More gadgets, Carter?"
"It's useful, sir, for those of us that cook."
He looked at her with a mock hurt expression on his face. "Hey, I cook. No dishwasher, but I cook."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I'm a great cook. I just use paper plates."
"Are you guys done yet?" Daniel called from the other room. "We're ready to start the movie."
"Be there in a second, " Sam answered, finishing with the dishes as Jack wiped off the counters. "You ready?" she asked Jack.
"Yeah." As she walked toward the doorway, Jack hesitated.
She looked back. "You okay, sir?"
He cleared his throat, not quite looking at her. "I really am a good cook."
Smiling gently, she said, "I'm sure you are."
"No, I mean…" He closed his eyes for a moment, gathering the right words, then quietly said, "One of these days, Sam, I'd like to cook dinner for you." He looked directly at her when she didn't say anything. "I have this great chair where you can curl up and read while I wash dishes."
She finally nodded. "One of these days, I'd like that." She waved her hand toward the sound of the movie starting. "We should…"
Jack answered, "Yeah."
As they walked into the other room, Daniel briefly looked up from where he had stretched out on the floor and said, "This was a great idea, Sam."
"Yes, MajorCarter, we should take snow days more often," Teal'c agreed.
"Yeah, good work, Carter." Jack added.
She met his eyes. And winked. A little rebellion every now and then, like a snow day, was good for the soul.