Chapter 2

They finished decorating the tree a lot faster than they decorated the house. It looked nice and everybody could tell that they gave something into it. A smile appeared even on Teal'c's face as he looked around in the room.

'To tell you the truth, guys, my house barely ever looks like this.' O'Neill said.

'You like it?' Sam asked who was apparently satisfied with the look of the room.

'Well, it's different.' Jack answered after a moment of hesitation but then he realized it wasn't the best answer he could've given. 'It looks nice.'

'You realize of course that we're only going to need this tree the day after the day after tomorrow?' Cameron asked slowing down a little at the part when he counted the days until the 24th.

'At least it brings some color into Jack's life.'

'Oh, Danny boy, you can't possibly imagine how colorful my life already is.' Jack reassured Daniel smiling at him to make a better impression.

'And you could make it even better.' Daniel continued the conversation they had broken before in the forest.

'Really, how?' Jack replied sarcastically and sent a killing look to Daniel.

'I don't know, you tell me,' came the answer when Daniel knew he was in control of the conversation. Jack obviously didn't like that as much as he did.

Jack was about to take revenge on Daniel's mocking but Cameron interrupted. 'What's going on?'

'Nothing.' Jack and Daniel said all at once.

Cameron hopelessly sighed and turned to Vala and Sam who seemed to be better company.
Teal'c was standing at the window looking out at the small pond but hadn't said anything for the last ten minutes. None of the others found that odd until Teal'c turned back. 'I saw something.'

'What?' Jack asked and walked to the window hoping he could see the mysterious thing too.

'I don't know but it's gone now. It went into the woods.' Teal'c answered with a serious expression.

'What was it?' Vala asked curiously.

'I am unsure. It was nothing I've encountered before. It was about four feet tall and it seemed to have been alien.'

'Sure it wasn't a grizzly?' Jack asked hoping he would get an answer they all needed.

'I am sure, O'Neill.' Jack's hope dissolved as he heard the answer.

'Wait a minute. Jack when you stopped in the forest, is it possible you saw the same thing?' Daniel asked Jack as he remembered how the general stopped telling him he saw something.

'I don't know Daniel. I'm not sure even what I saw.' Jack answered honestly but a little worried and that he wanted to hide as much as he could.

'So you tell us there are alien creatures in Colorado?' Cameron asked hardly believing what he just said was really true.

'We cannot rule out the possibility.' Teal'c answered.

'Ok. Until we know nothing for sure I suggest we leave this problem. If there really is something out there, we will know about it. Until then, let's not worry about something that is not a hundred percent sure it's there.' Sam explained as long as possible.

She did that a lot.

'Sam's right. Probably it was nothing to worry about.'

Daniel didn't sound as certain as he wanted to, but even if he did, there was a question in all of their heads. What if it was?

oOo

The afternoon passed quickly as they talked in the house. Everyone was happy to put work aside for some time and enjoy life beyond Cheyenne Mountain. Even Teal'c loosened up more than he used to. They didn't even notice as the sunshine provided brightness started to fade and dusk approached, only when it was fully dark.

'Wow, I haven't had such a good afternoon in a very long time.' Sam said when there was nothing at the moment to talk about.

'Same here,' Cameron concurred.

They stayed quiet, and listened as the winter wind blew outside. Its sound was quite relaxing.

'So, anybody hungry?' Jack suddenly asked, ending the moment in his usual, Jack-style.

'I'm starving.' Vala was the first to reply.

'Good idea. It's already eight o'clock.' Daniel agreed after checking the time on his watch.

Jack nodded and asked Daniel to help him prepare dinner and the two of them left for the kitchen.

'Oh, I forget. I prepared something myself before we came. I just left it in the car. A moment and I'll get it.' Sam jumped up from the couch and headed for the door.

Jack watched Sam left carefully not to let her see him. Daniel smiled next to him without looking at him. He knew Jack too well to know he was looking at her. He wanted to force Jack to do something but he figured it wouldn't do much good.

'Whatcha smiling at?' Jack asked suspiciously when he turned back to the making-in-progress dinner.

'Nothin'. Daniel answered briefly. Jack let it go and they continued slicing the beef in front of him.

oOo

It really was cold outside, Sam admitted. She didn't take a coat or anything with her knowing she'd only be out there until she took the biscuits. She crossed her arms in front of her chest trying to keep her warm, which her only blue dress didn't provide. She hurried to Cameron's car and opened the trunk. They all took their weapons, just in case so Sam had to search for her little box among the guns, P-90s and Teal'c's staff weapon.

She finally found the box but when she reached out for it she heard a noise coming from her right. Sam stopped moving and slowly looked in the direction the strange noise came from. Nothing. The forest was as quiet as ever. No moving, no sounds. She convinced herself she was probably hallucinating and turned back to the car to take the biscuits. She closed the trunk lit and was about to go back to the house when she saw it.

Approximately four feet tall, just as Teal'c said. The body was like a wolf only larger and more muscular. She could see its head perfectly in the dark but she could tell that it wasn't an animal you could find on Earth.
Sam breathed heavily and tried to stay as calm as possible. The creature took a step towards her. She could hear it growl. It took another step and it was about only ten or so feet from her now.

Okay, Sam, if you just stand here, you'll be her dinner, she told herself.

Sam dropped the box in the snow and as quickly as she could she reopened the trunk lit and took the first P-90 she saw. As she expected, the animal, or whatever it was took her sudden movements as an attack. It roared loudly with a thrilling extraterrestrial sound and quickly moving towards Sam.

She could see from the corner of her eye as the door of the house flung open and two people appeared on porch. She could tell who they were but she just had bigger problems at the moment. She took a full clip from the trunk and clicked it into its place. The creature was only a couple of feet away from her and it was preparing to jump on her.

Sam pointed the P-90 at it and fired. She could almost hear her heart racing under the sound of the P-90, she was so scared.

The creature fell on the snow and Sam stopped firing. She still breathed heavily but somewhat relieved that she wasn't in immediate danger. She sent half the clip into the creature; it was the least for it to collapse. She lowered her gun and took a look at the creature. Had she fired one moment later and it would have landed straight on her. She tried to identify it with any other alien creature they had encountered before but she proved unsuccessful.

Suddenly the creature left its head and roared just like it did before. It so caught Sam by surprise she had to take a few steps back but she wanted to do it so quickly she fell out of balance and fell in the snow right in front of the creature. It stood up as if there weren't a couple dozen bullets inside its flesh.

'Damn it,' Sam let it out and fired again at the creature.

It probably didn't expect this kind of resistance so it gave up attacking and ran back into the woods. When it had fully disappeared Sam stood up and leaned against the car to get herself together.

'What the hell was that?' Jack cried out behind her and it made her jump. She didn't see or hear him arriving there. She turned back and saw Jack and Teal'c standing there both with weapons in hand; Jack with a P-90, Teal'c with his staff weapon.

'Colonel Carter, are you hurt?' Teal'c asked Sam.

'Yeah, I'm fine,' she replied. She lied. She wasn't fine, she was scared to death but she didn't want to reveal it to the others. She wanted to be strong.

'What the hell was that?' O'Neill repeated his question, only this time a bit quieter.

'I've no idea, sir.' Sam answered honestly. 'But I sent almost a full clip and it still ran away as if it was water I shot it with.'

'That was ugly.' Jack said pressing the last word. It really was.

'It was the same creature I've seen before from the house.' Teal'c told them after he identified the two creatures with each other.

'It was the same, or it was like the one you've seen?' Jack asked apprehensively. He wasn't fond of thinking there was more than one of that thing out there. Though there was a possibility.

Neither Teal'c nor Sam answered that question.

'Let's not worry about that. It's gone. We should go back to the house.' Sam finally said and picked up the biscuit-box from the snow.

'It's gone for now. But what if it comes back?' Jack asked still concerned.

'I don't know, sir. We'll find something out.' Sam told him trying to reassure not just Jack, but all three of them.

'Come, let's go.' Jack told Sam and put his free arm around her shoulders to provide her warmth. And to comfort her.

Sam didn't show, but Jack's caring felt good. She moved close to him and they walked back to the house.

oOo

'I so told you we were going to need weapons,' Cameron said angrily when Sam finished telling what had happened outside.

'It didn't seem to have been too effective. That thing ran away like it was nothing.' Jack replied.

'Next time we're going to try zatting it. Or shoot it with Teal'c's staff weapon.' Vala suggested though she wasn't sure whether those would work or not.

'Let's hope there won't be a next time.' Cameron said quietly. He was looking at the carpet in front of him.

'Cam, we need to find that thing before it does any harm to others.' Sam told him. Cameron knew exactly she was going to say that, and he also knew that would be the right thing to do.

'As much as I hate to admit, Carter's right. We have to stop those things.'

'But how, Jack? I'm sure if we can even find it.' Daniel said wearily.

'Ok. You know what? We're gonna deal with this tomorrow. Now let's have dinner.' Jack told the others hoping they would have no objections.

'But…' Sam started but Jack immediately cut her short.

'No buts. Tomorrow, Carter.'

'Yes, sir.' She complied finally.

O'Neill nodded and walked to the dining table. The others followed him quietly.

They didn't talk while they were eating. Everybody was thinking about the last half hour. They were all worried not just because of the creature but for each other as well. They didn't want anything to happen to the other.

'That thing really screwed up everything, huh?' Jack broke the uncomfortable and depressing silence. He wanted to start a conversation but found that none of the others were in the mood.

'Alright.' He said and got back to his meal.

oOo

When they finished Vala helped washing the dishes while Sam went to take a shower. Cameron, Teal'c and Daniel were sitting in the living room, which had lost its magic by then.

'I remember the last time we were here. The situation was dangerously similar to this one.' Cameron said and drank from his beer.

'Only then we could kill those with our guns.' Daniel added. He was in the same mood as Cameron.

'Indeed.'

Jack and Vala joined the others meanwhile another wave of silence descended on the room.

'I'm next to shower.' Cameron suddenly said. He was trying to conjure lighter mood among them. It seemed to do the trick.

'Oh, please. I was gonna say the exact same thing.' O'Neill said disappointedly but he was exaggerating a bit. He wasn't too sad about it.

'I'm after Cameron.' Vala reserved the third round to the bathroom.

Jack was opening his mouth to book the fourth for himself but Daniel and Teal'c were quicker.

'Third. Fourth,' said first Daniel then Teal'c.

'Fine.' Jack acquiesced. He folded his arms in front of his chest and leaned back on the couch.

'Oh, Jack. Where are we going to sleep?' Daniel asked curiously.

'You, Daniel, on the floor. Or if you don't like that, you can use the porch,' came the sarcastic answer.

'What did I get that for?'

'Don't you think I've prepared enough beds for y'all?' Jack asked, showing some huffiness.

'Well, if I remember well, there is only one bed in your house and this couch.' Daniel said pointing at the couch Jack and Vala were sitting on.

'Yes, but I took precautions and I got some folding beds.'

'Oh, that's kind of you.'

'See?' Jack was hoping Daniel was satisfied with the service. 'Two beds can be set here in the living room, two others I set in the guest room.'

'That's fine.' Cameron added.

Sam returned from the bathroom wearing her favorite light green nightgown.

'My turn!' Cameron jumped out of the chair immediately and left the way Sam came from.

Sam sat down into the chair Cameron was previously sitting in.

'This feels better.' Sam said.

'I bet. So, Carter, where you wanna sleep?' Jack asked and showed her the possibilities.

'I think I'll take the guest room with Vala.' Sam answered after a moment of thinking. 'That's good, right? And the boys can sleep out here.'

Nobody had any objections. After Cameron had returned Vala took her turn, following by Daniel and Teal'c.

Teal'c took the shortest time to shower and returned after five minutes.

'That was quick.' Jack told him, surprised. 'Well, I think I won't be returning here as much as to my bedroom. 'Night y'all.'

''Night, sir.' Sam was the first to respond but then came four other good nights.
Jack spent a lot more time in the shower than he thought. He was thinking about a lot of things and didn't notice how much time had spent. He took a bathrobe and twisted it around his waist. He was on his way out of the bathroom when he saw something on the dresser next to the door. He walked there and lifted the blue dress that was lying there. He smiled as he thought of Sam.

'Really nice.' Jack said, put the dress back on the dresser and left the bathroom.