Age plot (jack)

[echolls_cursed]

Camping was the most exciting thing ever, and Logan bounced a little on his heals as he watched Jack put up their tent.

"Can we roast something on the fire?" he asked. "Will you tell me ghost stories? That would be cool," Logan babbled, still small and youthful.

He wandered over and tried to help. Dragging the blanket around and making their bed.At some point he'd acquired a teddy bear, and he placed it carefully on the make-shift sleeping bag before wandering back over to Jack's side.

"I like the fire," he said, pointing at it. "When it gets darker it'll be really cool."

Comments

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"We can do all that," Jack said absently. Logan was...a handful. He was always a challenge, always unpredictable, and Logan was still all that, but now he had the added feature of being young. And full of energy.

Jack was starting to wonder, really wonder, if he was cut out to be a parent. He was fine with Nate and Matthew- kids he could give back. This was an eye opening experience.

"The sun will go down pretty soon and then the fire will be good. We should cook first, before it gets too dark. That way we can see so we don't burn things," he said as he finally sat down.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"I want to cook it on a stick!" Logan said happily. "It'll be fun."

He sat near the fire and started to poke it, making the flames dance a little.

"I like the tent," he added, looking over at Jack's work.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, you can cook it on a stick," Jack said. He reached over to rub Logan's back lightly, unable to stop touching him. He touched Logan all the time anyway, but he had such an urge to be affectionate and protective.

"You know, human beings have been cooking on sticks over fires for thousands and thousands of years. And human beings are the only ones in the whole universe who go camping."

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"Aliens don't go camping?" Logan asked, looking up with wide and curious eyes.

"That's kind of sad," he said quietly, looking thoughtful and poking the fire again. "If I met an alien, I'd take it camping."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"You would, huh?" Jack grinned. "And what do you know about aliens? Do they teach you about them in school in the twenty-first century?"

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"No," Logan replied. "But I watched a thing on TV once about how some people thought they built the pyramids or something."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"Some people do think that," Jack said with a nod. In fact, he had a journal in his trunk with Daniel's article in it that had turned out to be right. But he knew that wasn't what Logan wanted to hear about.

"On the planet where I was born, we learned all about aliens from the time we were little," he said. "A lot of them were things of legend, but there were some that were around. Some that came to Boeshane."

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"Neat," Logan said, poking the fire again and then turning a little to look at Jack.

He yawned and tugged Jack closer so he could lean against him. "Did you learn normal stuff too?" he asked. "Like cursive and alphabets?"

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"Of course. And math and science and spelling, all of that," he replied. He let Logan lean against him for a while and then he moved to get their dinner from the bag he'd brought.

"Find yourself a stick. Sausages aren't exactly hot dogs, but they'll work," he said.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

Logan nodded and wandered off, returning a moment later with a nice strong stick.

"I wish we had marshmallows," he admitted quietly.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"Maybe if you close your eyes and wish really hard...it'll come true," Jack said, glad that he'd secreted away a few marshmallows Vala had made in the kitchen.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"Really?" Logan asked, hesitating and then closing his eyes tightly.

He really did want some marshmallows.

after a moment he opened them again and looked around.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

Jack was quick, sneaking glances at Logan to make sure his eyes stayed squeezed shut until he hand the four chunks of squishy confection wrapped in plastic in his hand.

He just waited for the little boy's reaction.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

Logan's little eyes went wide, and he looked at Jack as if he was magic.

"How did you get them?" he gasped, inching closer to inspect them.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"You wished for them and they appeared," Jack said plainly. It had been quite a while since he'd really had to get someone to believe something so far-fetched, but once upon a time he'd been fantastic at conning people.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

Logan considered that for a moment, and then closed his eyes again.

A moment later and they were open once more as he looked around.

"It didn't work this time," he said sadly, closing his eyes to try and wish again.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"One wish per day," Jack replied. "That's how it goes. What did you wish for just then?"

With his luck it was probably something he could have never come up with, so the one wish a day idea was a good one as far as he was concerned.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"My mom," Logan said softly. "Marshmallows were a stupid wish," he added, looking down at his hands as he spoke.

"I'm not hungry anymore," he decided quietly, getting up and toddling over to the tent.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

Jack sighed heavily. He'd wondered when that was going to come up. Eventually...it had to. Logan was a little boy and little boys wanted their moms.

"She's not here, Logan," he said softly. He put the food away so no sneaky monkeys or other jungle creatures would get at it and then went over to join Logan.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "It was a story. The marshmallows weren't here because you wished for them. I brought them because I thought they'd make you happy. You have to have marshmallows when you camp. I'm pretty sure it's the law."

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"So there aren't any wishes?" Logan asked softly, looking hurt for a moment, and then kicking Jack as hard as he could.

"I hate you! I hate you, and you're stupid! And- And you have a stupid face!"

Logan scrambled to his feet and started to run- because running was all he knew to do when everything went wrong. At least it was all he'd known as a child.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"Ow! Son of a-" Jack said, rubbing his leg. "Logan! Logan, stop. You can't...it's getting dark...Logan! Get back here!"

He left the fire and food and everything and raced after the little boy into the thick jungle that had already practically swallowed Logan up.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

Logan kept running, but he only had little legs, and he could only get so far so fast.

He stumbled a little and then fell, landing on hands and knees .He felt tiny and lost, and he didn't like it. He missed being grown. He missed being able to ignore how bad things felt sometimes. He missed being able to forget the past.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

He caught up to the boy and bent over him, taking hold of him and helping him to his feet.

"Come on," he said gently. "You can't go running off like this every time you get mad. Come on, there's snakes and things out here. Let's go back to the fire."

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"No!" Logan shouted, smacking Jack's arm and then turning away.

"I hope the snakes eat me," he said.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"They will eat you," Jack said just before he picked Logan up and threw him over his shoulder to carry him back.

"And boars. And spiders. And giant jungle rats. And...tapirs. And, um,"

He had to think for a moment.

"...Vermicious knids."