It had started out just like a normal day for Sam, except for one thing. Janet never showed up. After calling Janet's house, her cell phone, and Cassie, and not locating her, she started getting worried.
"Maybe she just wanted some quiet time." Jack said when Sam voiced her worries to Jack, Daniel and Teal'c. Sam shook her head.
"She always has her cell phone with her." Sam said. Daniel nodded. He looked worried as well.
"Perhaps we should visit Dr. Fraiser's home." Teal'c suggested. The rest agreed. When they arrived at Janet's house, it looked like she hadn't left yet. The car was still in the driveway and her front door was unlocked.
"Janet?" Sam called, going from room to room, checking for any clue as to where her friend was. Sam stopped in horror when she reached the kitchen.
"Hey guys! In here!" she called as she stepped gingerly over the broken glass on the floor. There had obviously been a struggle. Food from Janet's breakfast and glass shards from her dishes littered the floor. The far door which lead outside hung open and had a broken pane.
"At least she put up a fight." Jack muttered behind her, surveying the scene as well.
"I believe it would be wise to return to the SGC and inform General Hammond what has occurred here." Teal'c said from behind Jack. Sam nodded, and turned away from the horrifying view of her best friend's kitchen.
The ride back to the SGC was made in worried silence. After seeing Janet's kitchen, they were all lost in thought about what could have happened to their friend.
"We'll find her," Jack commented, giving Sam's hand a squeeze, though the statement was meant mainly for Daniel. He hadn't said a word since seeing Janet's kitchen and the other three were beginning to worry about him as well. He nodded glumly at Jack's words. Once at the base, they went directly to General Hammond's office. He was shocked to hear their words.
"I'll have some experts come in and look it over. Can any of you think of who would want to do this?" Hammond asked. The four shook their heads glumly. Hammond frowned. Janet was his friend as well.
"I want you four to investigate as much as you can. Tell me if you find anything." Hammond told them. The four of them were standing up when the phone rang. They hesitated, watching Hammond's face grow darker as he listened to the other person.
"We do not," he started angrily, but stopped and listened again. He looked grim when he hung up.
"That was Janet's kidnappers. They want money." Hammond said.
"Did they say who they are?" Jack asked. Hammond shook his head.
"He said where to deliver the money, but that's all." Hammond said.
"Well, if they want money, it's a fair guess that they're human." Sam commented. Hammond nodded again.
"The kidnappers want us to drop the money off in two days. If we still haven't found her by then, then I want you four to be there." Hammond said. There was a uniform nodding heads. "Until then, I want you to investigate."
"They knew just when to call, so I suspect they're having Janet's house watched." Sam said.
"That's a possibility. How about Daniel and I walk around the neighborhood, ask some questions, and you and Teal'c see if there's anything we missed at Janet's house, then meet back there around sixish?" Jack suggested. The other three agreed.
Sam and Teal'c arrived at Janet's house around two and spent four fruitless hours searching Janet's house and surrounding yard. Jack and Daniel arrived at Janet's house a little after six, frowns on both faces.
"Hammond called while we were searching. The phone call was traced to a pay phone near here, but it didn't lead to anything. We didn't find any clues." Jack said as Sam let the two of them in.
"So now what?" Daniel asked dejectedly. Sam shrugged. Everybody just stood there looking glum for the moment. Sam sighed and reached for her cell phone, but before she could call anyone, the doorbell rang. Everybody jumped. Jack glanced around at the other three, then opened the door. The person there was an older man with no hair.
"Are you guys looking for Janet?" the man asked.
"Yeah, do you know her?" Jack asked. The guy nodded.
"I've met her a few times. I live across the street. This car pulled up this morning and two kids jumped out and ran inside. I watched for a few minutes, but they didn't come back out, and I had to go to work. I hope nothing bad has happened," the man said.
"What kind of car was it?" Sam asked eagerly.
"Blue Ford Fusion. I know because it's the car Dale Jarrett drives, and they're way cool." the man said.
"Thank you so much." Sam said, flipping open her phone to call Hammond.
"I'm glad I could help," the man said as he turned to leave. Sam dialed the base and waited impatiently for Hammond to answer.
"We need to find blue a Ford Fusion." Sam said when he did answer. She listened for a minute, then hung up with a smile. "There's only two Fusions registered in this area, and only one is blue. The address is across town."
"Let's go." Daniel said.
They found the Fusion parked in front of a small town house. The four agreed to send in Teal'c and try to scare the kidnappers and if that didn't work, they'd call for back up from the local police. They watched as Teal'c made his way to the front door and knocked. At first there was no response and Sam worried that this might be the wrong house, but the door opened. Teal'c's large bulk blocked the view inside the house. The three watched Teal'c's back, wondering what was going on. Suddenly he reached out and apparently hit whoever was inside. He turned calmly around and motioned for the other three to come. Sam got out of the car and rushed over to Teal'c. There was a young man lying in the doorway, unconscious.
"He would not cooperate." Teal'c said.
"This had better be the right house, or we're gonna be in trouble." Jack said from behind. Daniel brushed past the other three without a word. The four quickly searched the bottom story, finding only the bare mimnum of furniture and scattered empty pizza boxes. Teal'c cautiously led the way up the stairs to the second story.
"Janet!" Daniel cried out when he saw her tied to a chair when they reached the top of the stairs. A jumpy man, about the age of the person downstairs, was guarding Janet with a gun.
"Stay back!" he yelled, waving his gun around.
"Calm down. Why don't you tell us what your name is?" Jack asked the man calmly.
"Why don't you just shut up?" the man retorted.
"It would be unwise to continue as you are." Teal'c told the man. " We will be victorious in the end." Sam shook her head. Teal'c had been seeing too many movies, but the man was beginning to look scared.
"Scott said if I said anything, he'd keep all the money." the man said.
"Was that Scott guarding the door downstairs? 'Cause he's out cold now." Jack said. "Besides, do you really think we're going to give you two any money?" The man shifted uneasily.
"Why don't you just put down the gun and get out of here? If we never see you again, we won't press charges." Sam said calmly. The man glanced between the four of them. He stood there for a moment; then tossed down the gun and ran down the stairs. The four let out a sigh of relief. Daniel rushed over to Janet and ripped the tape off her mouth. She let out a sob and Daniel wrapped her in a hug.
The next morning, the five of them were having breakfast at Janet's house. The man from downstairs was in jail, and Janet had been given a clean bill of health. Jack and Sam were sharing one loveseat, Daniel and Janet were sharing the other, and Teal'c was sitting by himself in a chair.
"I talked to Hammond earlier. He says the guys who kidnapped you didn't know about the SGC, they just figured that you were some important military person who the government would pay out to get back. There was five people involved, but Hammond doubts we'll ever find the rest." Jack told them. "So when are the two of you getting married?" he added to Daniel and Janet causally. Daniel and Janet glanced at each other and smiled.
"As soon as possible." Daniel said.