A.N.1: Another ficlet inspired by a Gateworld prompt. This one was, obviously enough, 'boys and their toys.' Enjoy!

Boys and Their Toys

Elizabeth and her daughter walked along the hallway towards their quarters, intending to swing by and pick up the boys for dinner in the mess hall. "I hope they have turkey tonight," said Emily, "I'm starving." Elizabeth smiled at the seven year old, whose culinary tastes closely resembled her father's.

"Yeah, me too." They reached their set of rooms and entered, but stopped just inside the doorway when they saw what was going on. The couch and pair of armchairs had all been pushed to one side of the room, and John, Connor, and Rodney were all sitting in the cleared space on the floor, remote controls in their hands, racing miniature cars around a toy track.

"C'mon, go, go, go!" Rodney urged, his eyes fixed on the blue car speeding around the circular track. Connor was likewise captivated by the green one; he was biting his bottom lip as he concentrated, his index finger mashing the gas button on the controller so hard his knuckles had turned white. John was the most laid back of the three, lying propped up on one elbow as he sent the red car flying around the track with the ease that came of long practice.

Elizabeth folded her arms across her chest and leaned back against the doorframe, watching them with an amused smile on her face, all the while plotting exactly how they would be made to put her living room back in order when they were done. Emily stood next to her, her hands on her hips as she observed the race.

"Hurry up! Gooo!" pleaded Connor, bouncing anxiously on his heels, his wild brown hair springing up and down with the motion. "Woohoo, yeah!" he cried, throwing his arms up in the air in celebration.

"Aww, come on, not again!" Rodney complained. "That's the fifth time he's won already!"

John flashed him a smug grin. "Hey, you can't argue with talent, Rodney."

The Canadian shot him a dirty look. "Alright then, fine, let's go again. Just you and me this time."

"If you think it'll make a difference…"

As Connor crowed with excitement and the two grown-ups started setting up the track for another race, Emily turned to look at her mother, her small brow furrowed in confusion. "Hey Mom, aren't Daddy and Uncle Rodney too old to play with toys like that?"

Elizabeth smiled fondly at her daughter. She'd often thought the same thing, but had long ago learned to accept the fact that at heart her husband was perpetually an exuberant twelve year old. It was just one of the many many things she loved about him. "Technically, sweetheart." Another moan from Rodney as he lost yet another race, and John's laughter filled the room. "But when you get older you'll find that a lot of the time it can become very difficult to separate the boys from their toys."

A.N.2: Thanks for reading, and reviews would be much appreciated! :)