Undomesticated Equine
Chapter 1
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the series Stargate SG-1 or Ranma ½ I am merely using them for my own entertainment.
Also I'd like to thank James Axelrad for all his help with this fic.
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Many things could be said about Jack O'Neill, that he hesitated under the slightest bit of pressure was not one of them. So when he came into view of Cassie's body and saw a barely dressed girl laying on top of Cassie his mind went into automatic, after all there were no other cabins within several miles of his and for a girl to be in such a state meant that there was something sinister afoot.
So it was not surprising when he did not allow himself to slip into inactiveness at the sight before him
Jack softly called out, "Cassie." To make sure that the young girl was all right. While waiting for a response Jack carefully knelt down and set the shotgun on the ground while examining Cassie from his position of a few feet away. Thinking she looked fine except perhaps a bit flushed Jack asked again, "Cassie are you alright?"
Cassie groaned to herself, she had so not wanted to be found in her current predicament and answered with a quiet mumble, "I'm fine Jack."
Jack sighed in relief and turned his attention to the other girl on top of Cassie as he rose up from his kneeling position and strode over to where he was alongside the two. Kneeling down once again Jack began to give the two a quick once over as another flash of lightning lit up the skies, reminding him of the upcoming storm. Turning his attention back to Cassie whom was looking quite flushed Jack decided to put her at ease.
As Jack was checking and confirming the unknown girls injuries he asked, "So… this type of thing happen often?"
"Huhh… What?"
"You know I can understand why your mom and you get into rows all the time." Jack pressed on, inwardly frowning as he continued to find various chaff marks, cuts, bruises, gashes and scratches along the nearly naked girls frame.
"What? You do?" Cassie answered not knowing where Jack was going with what he was saying.
"Yeah when I was your age I had the same problem." Jack continued, barely holding back a frown as he checked the girl for more serous injuries.
"You did?" Cassie asked forgetting about the girls position on top of her in favor of listening to Jack.
"Yeah, my mom didn't like it when she found me with nearly naked girls laying on top of me either." Jack stated, while sporting a rather bemused grin, meant to comfort Cassie as he traced his hand around the collar on the girls neck realizing that there was a lot more to it than it just being an ordinary collar.
Cassie's mouth froze in mid reply while before she realized that Jack was joking with her. Attempting to get some measure of verbal revenge she replied, "Well you know how it is…"
"How what is, Cassandra Fraiser?" Asked a certain Jaffa having just finished doing a quick perimeter sweep after noticing that Jack had things well in hand with Cassie.
Deciding to spare the young girl any further embarrassment Jack interrupted, "Hey T… Can you get the door for me? We need to get this girl inside before it starts to rain…"
The big Jaffa nodded his assent and was about to turn and make his way back to the cabin when Jack added, "Could you grab my gun… I sort of have my hands full at the moment."
Carefully so as to not aggravate any unknown injuries on the girl Jack rolled her off of Cassie
Now free, Cassie hurriedly stood up, backing away she could not help but to stare at the girl with a worried frown once again wondering what had happened to her to bring her into such a state.
"Cassie could you go inside and gather some blankets to wrap this girl up in?" Jack asked. Not hearing a response Jack turned his head to the girl and whistled.
Hearing the loud shrieking whistle Cassie jumped in surprise. Realizing that Jack had been attempting to tell her something she placed her hand over her chest and shot the man a dirty look.
Giving off a not so apologetic smile Jack restated, "Cassie, Could you go inside and gather up several blankets to wrap this girl up in."
Cassie nodded and went to leave but paused suddenly and asked, "Shouldn't we clean her up first?"
Jack shook his head sadly and replied, "No, there could be evidence for the police to… You know."
Cassie paled slightly as she headed off, she really did not want to think about what had happened to the girl as while she didn't see the people of earth through rose tinted glasses, she had not experienced their darker nature first hand either.
Now that Cassie had left Jack was able to get a good look at the girls face and could not help but to think of how young the girl looked. Swallowing the fury that he felt whenever he saw a child abused or used for someone else's so called greater good, he slowly gathered the girl into his arms. As he rose to his feet Jack was barely able to hold back a groan as he thought, "Either this girl is heavier than she looks or I'm getting too old… Maybe I should have had Teal'c carry her in."
His knees protested as he rose to his feet and took a small step forward, careful so that he did not trip over the mess of logs left from Cassie's spill. Just as he was about to take another step though, the skies lit up once again while the heavens roared with fury signifying the start of a very heavy rain.
Jack paused and looked up into the skies and muttered, "Just frick'en great… Couldn't wait two more minutes could ya." Taking a quick step forward Jack looked down to the redhead in his arms and said, "Well let's get you inside before you get totally soaked."
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Jack sighed once he stepped inside, noticing Teal'c slide the door closed behind him, he looked to see where Cassie had set out the blankets to wrap the girl in his arms in. Figuring that the bundle on the floor in front of the fireplace were the blankets he had asked Cassie to gather he looked over to Teal'c and asked, "A little help here T… Mind spreading out those blankets so I can wrap this girl up."
Teal'c's only reply was a slight nod of the head as he stepped forward to do as he was asked, only to be interrupted by Cassie.
"I'm sorry I was looking for a few more blankets… Let me help you Teal'c."
Once Cassie and Teal'c finished making the impromptu bed Jack knelt down and gently deposited his burden. Standing back up he winced, as his knees seemed to protest their recent abuse. Making his way over to his Jacket he said, "I'm going to call the sheriff see if he can get an ambulance down here. Teal'c keep an eye out… Whomever…" gesturing to the redhead wrapped in blankets on the floor while showing his disgust at her condition, "Did this… Might be out looking for her and it would be best to not be caught off guard till the Sheriff can get here."
Having reached his Jacket and pulled out his phone Jack quickly dialed the sheriffs office, hearing an old friend pick up he sighed in relief and started, "Bill… It's Jack..."
"…"
"Look, I need you to come out to my cabin with an ambulance."
"…"
"You got to be kidding me!"
"…."
"Look, I found this girl our in my yard…"
"…"
"No she's not dead. But I'm not sure what's wrong with her… She's unconscious now."
"…"
"You sure?"
"…"
"Damm… So what do you want me to do? I don't want to leave her like she is…"
"…"
"She's half naked… Filthy… and has various gashes, cuts and chaff marks all over her."
"…"
"There's metal restraints on her ankles and a collar on her neck with a chain/leash thingy attached to it."
"…"
"Dammit Bill I'm not making this up."
"…"
"Fine… I'll take care of it and hopefully by morning the roads will be clear…."
"…."
"Yeah I got it… See you tomorrow." Jack finished with a sigh while flipping his phone closed. Looking over to his two guests he asked, "So the bad news or the worse news?"
Noticing the questioning looks on their faces Jack started, "Bad news it is… About a half hour ago there was a flash flood knocking the bridge out of commission, not to mention that the roads are probably already littered with fallen trees… Anyway the earliest that the Sheriff thinks he can make it out here is sometime late tomorrow morning."
Fidgeting slightly because she was almost afraid to ask what the worse news Cassie knelt down and occupied her hands attempting to straiten out their impromptu guests covers.
Seeing that his silence was making Cassie nervous Jack decided to wait until he and Teal'c were alone before he talked about what else the sheriff had said. Striding over to the sliding door Jack glimpsed outside at the raging storm and said, "Cassie, I'm going to have to barrow your camera… And T… wanna go outside and grab the fire wood that somebody forgot to bring in."
"Hey!" Cassie objected, "I'd like to see you remember something when some half naked girl collapses on top of you."
Jack couldn't help but let the amused snort leave his mouth. Reining in control of himself he reminded, "Cassie… Camera…. Teal'c, there's an umbrella by the door and a basket for the wood right next to the fireplace." Now that Cassie had left the room Jack added quietly, "And T, keep an eye out, we might not be alone out here."
Having already stashed Jacks side arm under his shirt in the waistband of his jeans, picked up both the umbrella and wood basket the stoic Jaffa nodded and stated, "I shall endeavor to keep my eyes open."
Now that Teal'c had left to go outside Jack began to remove the blankets off of his latest houseguest. When Cassie arrived in the room moments later she asked worriedly, "Uhm… Jack, what are you doing?'
Jack looked up from his position next to the girl and said, "Cassie I want you go into the bathroom and get everything ready for a bath, except don't fill the tub…" Noticing that his requests were contradicting each other he clarified, "I want you to use the detachable nozzle thingy and spray down the tub with warm water so it isn't freezing cold. Then after I get done taking a few pictures for the police I'm going to need you to help clean our guest up some. I know it's a lot to ask but you would really be helping me out here."
Cassie nodded and made her way into the bathroom just as Jack began to take the first of several photo's.
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While Jack was taking pictures Teal'c returned to the cabin, noticing what his friend was doing Teal'c quietly set down wood basket and took off his boots. There were times in which the former first prime did not envy his friend and this was one of those times. He knew that despite the wise cracking tough exterior that Jack O'Neill was a huge softy when it came to children and for him having to go through and categorize a young girls injuries like he was worse than being tortured by the Goa'uld.
He was about to leave the room to offer his friend some time to himself and his task when he heard, "Teal'c… come over here for a sec… Tell me what you make of this." Jack asked while pointing to something on the collar around the girls neck.
Walking over Teal'c knelt down and examined the area in question, looking over at his friend he offered, "It appears to be some sort of collar."
Jack rolled his eyes and bit back his usual retort and explained, "Yeah but watch." Taking the collar in his hand Jack began to spin it around the girls neck looking for the clasp. "Now look at this" Jack stated while he tilted the girls head side ways, revealing twin bulges in the soft section of the collar. After exploring one of the areas with his finger Jack was able to find a seam that pulled away.
Sucking in his breath Jack swore as he uncovered to nearly empty ampoules of liquid that were in turn attached to another device.
"O'Neill… I am unfamiliar with this sort of device." Teal'c stated as a frown darkened his features.
"Me too buddy… But I don't have to be a genius astrophysicist to guess what it is…" Looking back at the former first prime and noticing that Teal'c was still looking uncertain he clarified, "Drugs Teal'c… Whomever put this collar on her has been force feeding her drugs."
Teal'c stared at the device for a minute before he asked, "What course of action do you wish to take?"
Jack growled in aggravation and replied, "I don't know… Damm thing is stuck on her neck… I don't see a clasp anywhere, from the looks of it it's mostly leather I think but…" Gesturing with his hand, "If you look here and there you can see that there are at least a few strips of metal inside this thing. I should have some cutters laying around here someplace to take it off. We'll just have to be careful not to activate the thing that dispenses the drug."
Rising to his feet Jack said, "I'll be right back, I'm going to see if I can figure out where I put those cutters… Teal'c do me a favor and take our guest into the bathroom and set her in the tub and ask Cassie to start cleaning her up."
Pausing just before he left the room Jack added, "Oh and Teal'c… Don't throw out her clothes, the police will need them."
Teal'c nodded while Jack made his way over to his bedroom where he started to go through his closet, looking for an old toolbox.
Teal'c reached over and gathered the redhead into his arms, then once he was certain he had a good hold on her he rose up and grunted in surprise as he found out that for someone so small she certainly weighed more than she appeared.
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Cassie hummed to herself as she warmed up the tub in an attempt to keep herself calm. The events within the past hour or so where almost overwhelming her as she kept thinking back to how the girl looked when she had first stumbled upon her. She was thankful though of Jacks efforts to keep her busy and preoccupied as doing something helped her from thinking about it too much.
However when she had walked in the main room and saw Jack taking off the blankets so he could take pictures of the girls injuries the situation started to overwhelm her as she was once again visually reminded of the injuries the girl had, the state that she had found her in as well as the many mysteries surrounding her.
Pressing her free hand against the tub Cassie wondered why she was even spraying down the tub. While thankful to Jack that it was somewhat helping to keep her nerves calm, it seemed like a futile task, especially when the person about to be placed in it was not even conscious. Hearing a noise behind her Cassie jerked around, spray showerhead in hand drenching a certain Jaffa's pants.
To his credit though the big Jaffa did not scowl as he stood there sopping wet from the lower half of his body down. Instead the big man raised and eyebrow and stated, "While I appreciate the sentiment I am not the one that is in need of a bath."
Embarrassed at how jumpy she was, Cassie's face flushed as she attempted to apologize, "I'm sorry Teal'c… It's just that…"
"There is no need to apologize Cassandra Fraiser." Teal'c replied.
"Apologize for what?" Jack asked as he stepped around Teal'c in the bathroom, "I found what I was looking for… they're a bit old but they should do the job well enough." Noticing the puddle on the ground Jack added, "Teal'c how many times do I have to tell you if you're gonna take a shower use a towel to dry off."
Raising his eyebrow and turning his head to face Jack, Teal'c shot him a very intimidating glare that would have caused a lesser man to soil himself.
Holding his hands up defensively Jack said, "Just joking big man." With his face taking a more serous expression Jack said, "T, if you could place our guest in the tub…"
Thinking that she was going to be in the way Cassie began to get up and move to the side.
Turning his attention to the auburn haired girl Jack asked, "Where are you going?"
Looking between Jack, Teal'c whom was setting the unknown girls body in the tub Cassie said, "Uhm well… I was going to let you guy's… That is…"
Jack stared at Cassie for a moment to consider if he was asking too much from the girl before he shook his head and softly said, "Cassie… I know I'm asking a lot of you right now but this girl has obviously been through a lot, not to mention that that collar around her neck has been force-feeding her some kind of drugs… I know this is awkward for you but I really think that it would be best if you were the one to clean her up. I will be right here to make sure that nothing happens to you incase she wakes up still influenced by the drugs. Think about it for a second…. If you woke up and were being cleaned up by some guy what would you do, granted you'll still be a stranger but if she wakes up to you her reaction should be a lot less violent. "
Cassie stayed silent for a minute while she stared down at the redhead. After making up her mind she turned back to Jack and said, "Okay… I'll do it."
Jack sighed in obvious relief and said, "Great, I'm glad, cause it's a lot less awkward for me this way after all you are both girls."
Deciding that it would just be better to tune out the sarcastic man Cassie started to undress the girl in the tub. Scrunching up her nose she first removed the filthy boxers, holding them up using two fingers of her right hand Cassie asked, "What do you want me to do with these?"
"Sorry bout that." Jack stated while he fished for something under the sink. "Ah… There we go." he replied while holding out a clean trash bag, "Just set them in there for the police."
Cassie nodded and complied. Turning her attention back to the girl in the tub she started to pull the ratty worn looking tank top but paused once she reached the girls neck. "Uhmm… Jack what about the collar?"
"Oh.. Here… Actually let me do that… Unfortunately I don't have anything handy that would cut through the shackles on her ankles without hurting her." Jack said as he stepped forward.
Kneeling down next to the tub Jack kept his eyes trained on the girls neck as he was feeling really awkward around the mostly naked teen. Taking the collar with one hand he gently spun it around the girls neck looking for the weakest spot to make his cut.
After a minute or so of searching he found what looked to be a good place and gently tugged the collar away from the girls neck while attempting to keep the area where he knew the drugs were being injected away from the skin. Not having much success, Jack realized that he needed a third hand. Looking over his shoulder he called out, "hey Cassie come back here for a sec. I need you to hold the collar away from the neck while I cut it off."
Cassie returned to the side of the tub and knelt down taking the collar in her hand she asked, "Right here?"
"Yeah that's good… Just let me get the cutters in place then you can remove your hand."
Cassie nodded nervously as the cutters despite looking rather old seemed like they were still rather sharp.
Sliding the cutters into place Jack said, "Alright you can let go now…."
Cassie released the collar just as Jack exclaimed, "Perfect… Glad I kept these here I was going to bring them home with me last time I was up here." Standing up with the collar in hand Jack walked over to the toilet and after setting the lid down took a seat while he examined the collar more closely.
Looking between Jack and the girl in the tub Cassie asked, "What about the things on her ankles?"
Jack sighed and replied, "I don't have anything up here that could take them off without hurting her."
"So do you want me to continue washing her up?"
"Yeah… this thing is a real piece of work… Look at this T… it has all kind of doohickeys inside of the liner." Jack replied absentmindedly as he continued to examine the collar in a morbid fascination.
Cassie nodded to herself as she turned the water back on and began to adjust the temperature to where it was just about room temperature. Once she was satisfied with the water temperature Cassie began to carefully wash the girl down, starting with the girls hair and working her way down.
After a few minutes of gentle scrubbing Cassie soon began to loose herself into a routine and began to gently hum to herself in a soothing manner.
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Meanwhile
Teal'c had left O'Neill and Cassie in the bathroom as he felt a bit uncomfortable in there being a spectator. So instead he made himself busy by adding a few logs to the fire and then moving to the sliding door to peer outside to keep an eye out for any other guests.
Realizing that the inside light was working against him he went over to the wall and flipped the light switch off leaving the only source of illumination in the room coming from the fireplace.
Deciding that it might look rather conspicuous if he just stood in the doorway for an extended period of time Teal'c drew the curtains around the door to where they were mostly closed. Satisfied that no one would be able to see him from the outside Teal'c then went into the kitchen to retrieve a chair to sit on.
His preparations complete Teal'c to a seat and stared into the raging storm outside in search of any interlopers that might have less than honorable intentions.
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Back in the bathroom
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Jack had just managed to remove the majority of the liner off of the collar. Sure he knew that he should not be tampering with it but he was nervous and fidgeting with the odd doodad always seemed to help him keep his cool. Speaking of doodads the more of the collar he uncovered the more uncomfortable he got as he realized that whomever had made this collar had a lot of money, meaning that there was no telling how many other girls were out there under this guys control.
Brushing his hand against where one of the nearly empty ampoules Jack let out a yelp of surprise and jerked his hand back. Standing up in a hurry he failed to realize that he had just flushed the toilet.
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The sound of the toilet flushing startled Cassie, causing her to whip around. This time instead of turning with her whole body though, like she had when she had involuntarily drenched Teal'c, the hand with the showerhead managed to stay pointed in the tub. Glaring at Jack who had the decency to look apologetic for startling her again Cassie whined, "Don't do that."
"Sorry bout that Cassie, pricked my finger…" Jack trailed off as his eyes caught sight of the occupant of the tub.
Cassie turned slowly following the elder mans gaze and eeped in surprise. Somehow when her back had been turned the redheaded girl in the tub had been replaced with a black haired boy. This became especially evident as her eye's traveled down his frame noticing the lack of female anatomy and addition of male endowments, causing her face to turn a rather interesting shade of red.
She was so distracted she almost failed to notice that the former lukewarm stream of water had turned scalding hot, that is until the finely sculpted stomach and lower area began to gain a reddish tint. Realizing what was happening and what she had been staring at, Cassie quickly shut off the water.
Jack had not been inactive while Cassie had been distracted, no he had managed to approach the tub and was now standing directly over Cassie, his eyes trained on the occupant of the tub. As Cassie turned off the water he realized that she was staring, then he realized what she was staring at, moving his right arm Jack moved his hand in front of Cassie's eyes and said, "Uhmm… Cassie…. Why don't you go in the other room and get Teal'c for me."
Still in shock over having the young girl be replaced by a cute guy Cassie let some other portion of her brain take control and asked, "I… Err… Who's gonna finish cleaning him up?" A moment of silence passed before Cassie realized what she had said and immediately tried to recover by amending, "Uh… That is…" Cassie trailed off before she added, "Okay…. I'll go get Teal'c." "You can move your hand now."
Jack shook his head and replied, "Uhm why don't I help you to the door… Here take my other hand."
Cassie nodded and allowed Jack to lead her out of the bathroom. Once she was in the hall Jack uncovered her eyes, letting her see once again. Now free to see once again Cassie attempted to subtly turn around to gain one last peek at the person in the tub. It was not that she was a pervert or anything, its just that the shock of finding the girl replaced by a young guy who was admittedly very attractive had Cassie in a daze and she just had to look to make sure that her eyes were not playing tricks on her.
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Jack shook his head as he watched Cassie walk down the hallway and thought, "Well… I'm screwed… The doc is probably going to do something really nasty with needles and things for allowing her daughter to lose her innocence." Turning around he leaned up against the doorway and locked his gaze on the young man in the tub wondering, "What the hell just happened? I know that was a girl… Hell I took enough pictures to prove it… Not old enough to be going senile… Cassie saw it too so I can't be imagining it… What the hell!! People do not just up and change genders like that."
Of course no matter what Jack though internally he always took things in stride, as the techno babble was best left to Carter or Daniel, for all he knew there was some new Goa'uld device that switched a person's gender, he supposed that was not that far fetched. He had witnessed some pretty weird stuff while at the SGC. "Hell…" he thought, "For all I know she… he… whoever… could have been wearing one of those image inducer thingys and it got knocked off by Cassie when she was cleaning her up."
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Cassie walked into the main room in a daze, face still flushed over what she had seen as her mind was still picturing the young man in the tub.
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Teal'c sat at his position slightly to the side of the sliding doors with his eyes carefully searching for any sign of hostile intruders that might be after the young girl that they had found. Hearing a slight shuffle of feet coming from the hallway he allowed himself to be distracted temporarily to see whom was entering the room. Noticing that it was young Cassandra Fraiser he was about to say something until he realized that she looked rather preoccupied with her own thoughts and decided to leave her alone for the time being as he felt that she just needed some time alone to deal with the days happenings.
Cassie, having still been in shock over having the young girl be replaced by a admittedly handsome young man when Jack had asked her to ask Teal'c to join him in the bathroom for a moment, temporarily forgot what she was supposed to be doing. So upon reaching the main room of the cabin she could not remember what Jack had asked of her. Her eye's scanned the darkened room for a moment trying to figure out what Jack had asked of her until they settled across the pile of blankets on the floor.
"Of course!" She thought, "Jack must want me to wash these blankets right quick because they got all dirty when we wrapped the girl up earlier… Yeah that's it." So now that she had figured out what she was supposedly to be doing Cassie knelt down and gathered the large bundle in her arms before moving towards the kitchen where the washer and dryer were located behind a set of folding doors.
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Jack waited a few moments for Teal'c to arrive before he figured that the former first prime must have gone outside to do a perimeter check or something. Thinking that he could wait to show the Jaffa later Jack re-entered the bathroom to check on his latest guest.
Jack looked at the half washed young man in the tub and sighed, he was not looking forward to this task but knew that there was no way in hell that he would live to enjoy retirement if he allowed Cassie to continue. Turning the water back on Jack waited until it warmed up enough before he started where Cassie had left off.
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Cassie temporarily deposited the dirty blankets on top of the dryer to wait until she was ready to put them in the washer. Opening the washer she mentally sighed, "Jack must have washed a load earlier and forgotten to set them in the dryer." After shooting a annoyed look in the direction of the bathroom she began to empty out the washer while placing its contents into the dryer. Once that was done she began to rummage around the cabinets in the closet for some fabric softener sheets. Not finding any Cassie shook her head and just settled on setting the dryer's control and turning it on.
Now that that was out of the way Cassie returned her attention to the washer, after setting the controls and adding the detergent, she leaned forward and waited while the basin filled and mixed the soap and water together. After a few minutes of waiting she then added in the soiled blankets. After closing the lid, Cassie let out a tired sigh and mentally wondered, "I wonder where Teal'c went off to? The lights were off in the main room… Teal'c…" Looking at the washer Cassie's face flushed in embarrassment as she remembered what Jack had actually asked her to do before rationing, "Well it's not like the blankets didn't need to be washed anyways… I just jumped the gun a little… Took some initiative."
"I'll just say I didn't see him…" Cassie muttered to herself as she tried to decide whether to go back to the bathroom and tell Jack that she couldn't find Teal'c or to return to the main room and wait until the large man reappeared.
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A few minutes ago
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Jack glanced at his watch and sighed, wondering where Teal'c was for what felt like the hundredth time. He was just about finished with washing up the unconscious boy and was actually looking forward to getting his wounds bandaged and the lad clothed. He had hoped though that Teal'c would have entered so he could take over while Jack excused himself under the guise of looking for something for the boy to wear.
Jack just felt that he was well beyond his comfort zone as he for one did not like seeing kids in the condition that this boy was in, though with his experienced eye he had been able to determine that at least whomever had been holding the boy had at least been feeding him as there were no signs of being under fed. Another thing that Jack had found odd though was that none of the cuts or gashes seemed very old. Actually they all looked to have happened at about the same time. Then of course there was fact that as Jack was finding small fragments of glass in nearly all the open wounds that adorned the boys arms and legs. The one thing that did not add up though were that the boy did have older injuries, but most of those were a few years old at the very least, with the exception of the nasty looking chaff marks.
Shaking his head at the sheer amount of mysteries surrounding the kid Jack attempted to mentally put together a time frame on the kids injuries. "Okay, some of the scars are pretty old looking to the point where they are barely visible. Others though look to be from within the past year or so, but nothing within the past few months, well except for the obvious but those look about a day or so old. The chaffing around his neck isn't that bad but its obvious that he's been wearing the collar for some time, especially if I look at his ankles where the worst of the chaffing was."
Hearing the dryer start in the back ground Jack muttered, "Cassie must be washing those blankets… Good girl… I guess I'll have to apologize for leaving that load in there though."
A few minutes later Jack was almost done washing down the young man and was currently rinsing him off. Reaching behind himself Jack fumbled around with his free arm in search for a towel. Not finding one he turned his head, thus missing the young man transform into the young girl once again. Turning his head back around Jack just stared for a minute before he growled out in annoyance, "Ohh… for cry' in out loud… That's it… As soon as I get you taken care of I'm calling this in… It's just too weird… Even for my standards."
Having the decency to advert his gaze away from the young naked girl in the tub Jack wondered what he should do next. He knew that he had to finish wrapping up the kids wounds but there was the matter of dressing the kid first as oddly enough there were no wounds on the main portion of the body from what he could see. Making up his mind Jack rose up, walked to the door and leaned his head out into the hallway to call out, "Cassie… Could you come back to the bathroom please."
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Still in the kitchen contemplating her next move, Cassie was visibly relieved when the decision was taken out of her hands by Jack.
Of course the moment that she took her first step she began to wonder, "Does Jack know I didn't tell Teal'c? Is that why he's calling me over there, so he can yell at me for it? No that's not like Jack… Or is it?" Shaking her head at her own paranoia Cassie resumed her trek as she figured if worse comes to worse she could just tell him that she was just feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment and apologize for her forgetfulness.
Of course during the short trek down the hall her blush managed to return as she realized that she was going to be in the bathroom with a naked boy, for the second time that day.
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Hearing the shuffling of feet and creek of the door that signified Cassie's return Jack stood up from his position next to the tub where he had been bandaging the girl up while he waited for Cassie to comeback in. Muttering out, "It's about time I must of asked her to come back in here five minutes ago. Jack turned the rest of the way and added, "It's okay… he changed into a girl again… Somehow…"
Sighing in relief that Jack didn't seem mad at her, she asked, "You called?"
Jack nodded and replied, "Yeah, I was going to ask you if you had any spare clothes to fit her… Just for the night, I'll have to dig through what I have laying around here to see if I got any old sweats or something."
Cassie hesitated before replying, "I think I brought an extra sleep shirt and shorts… but the shorts might not fit that well… they'll probably be a bit big."
Jack shrugged, "It doesn't matter… As a guy he's around your height so if she changes again it won't be that uncomfortable for him… her…"
Cassie managed to look amused over the way Jack was fumbling about the person's gender.
Noticing Cassie's look of amusement Jack added out of frustration, "You know who I mean… Anyway go get those clothes would ya… I'm just about finished bandaging her up."
Turning back to the contents of the tub Jack grabbed another roll of gauze and began to finish with what he had been doing.
Taking the hint Cassie walked to the guest room and sought out her bags. Opening them both up she dumped hem on the bed as she was unsure as to which bag she had put her extra bed clothes. Though technically they were so much extra as they were something less provocative than what she usually went to sleep in. That's not to say that she had intentionally brought stuff that was provocative to a cabin for a week to stay with two men she considered uncles. No it was merely a matter of the fact that the material just felt so good against her skin.
Actually Cassie didn't even really think that her choice of bed clothes were all that provocative, to her they just felt really good next to her skin. Besides that, her choice of bedtime apparel was a constant source of amusement for her mother as she was constantly telling her that the long flowered satin gowns reminded her of frumpy old women.
Spotting her nightgown Cassie reached across the bed and gathered it into her arms. Feeling the stress of the past few hours Cassie plopped down on the bed, idly pawing through her clothes for her spare, as she held her nightgown tight against her body. "Mom's right… I'm not ready… I can't even…."
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Feeling mentally drained Jack sighed as he finished wrapping up the last wound on his unnamed guest. Looking down at his watch he again wondered where Cassie was, he had sent her to get something for the girl to wear almost five minutes ago. Not wanting the girl to get a cold, he decided to just bring the girl to cassie, at least that way if cassie was having problems with finding something for the girl to wear there would at least be a warm bed to store her in until the situation was resolved.
Wrapping the young girl up in a large towel, Jack gathered her into his arms. Groaning slightly as his knees protested, he stood up and left the bathroom heading for the spare bedroom that Cassie had claimed the day before. Stopping at the entrance, Jack paused, he didn't want to barge in unannounced. Angling his body and cargo sideways he leaned his head through the open door and glanced around. Seeing Cassie sitting there on the bed clutching one of her nightgowns made Jack hesitate for a moment.
He knew that it had been a stressful night so far and realized that he had been asking a lot from the sixteen-year-old girl. He tried to rationale that he hadn't asked her to do anything that he himself wouldn't have done but knew that that was like comparing apples and oranges. Still though he realized he needed to do something. Making up his mind he softly kicked the doorframe with his shoe to get the young girls attention.
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Jerking out of her thoughts, Cassie shot a look at the door and sighed in disappointment. For a brief moment she had been hoping that her mother had arrived. "It's just Jack… I don't know why I was hoping that mom was here… Yes I do… I miss her... It's just that I get so fed up being treated like some little kid."
Noticing that Jack seemed to be waiting for something she called out, "You don't have to stand out there… It's your Cabin."
Jack frowned; he knew something was eating at Cassie. Taking a few steps into the room he gently set his cargo on the end of the bed. Walking over to the closet he pulled out an afghan and draped it over the girl until Cassie could get her dressed.
Then moving next to Cassie he asked, "Sooo… What's up…"
Cassie stared at the older man, debating whether or not she could talk to him. She knew that despite the way he acted he was pretty smart but on the other hand she also did not think that he could really understand where she was coming from.
Noticing the girls hesitation Jack inwardly rolled his eyes, settling down next to her he said, "You know kiddo… Cassie…" He amended as he noticed his slip. "Cassie, you know you can talk to me right?"
Cassie nodded slightly.
"Sooo…" he drawled out, "Rough night huh."
Cassie blinked and almost nodded in agreement before she realized, "If I tell him then Jack will think I can't handle this… then he'll tell mom… then I'll ever get her to stop treating me like a child…" So with that in mind she answered Jack dismissively, "I've had better but so far it's nothing I can't handle."
Jack was nearly at a loss as what to say. He knew why Janet had asked him to take Cassie up to his Cabin, and despite what cassie thought it was not so much of a needing space matter as much as it was that Janet felt that Cassie needed time with a father figure. Originally the plan had called for all the male members of SG-1 but Daniel had managed to get stuck back at the base doing some emergency translating on something SG-7 had run across.
Realizing that Jack had made no effort to leave and was still sitting next to her as if he was expecting something more Cassie asked, "Is there something else or can I get her..." Pointing to the red-haired bundle at the foot of the bed, "Dressed now?"
Jack shook his head and stood up awkwardly while stating, "No… I guess that's it then… Just give me a holler when you're done…"
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Cassie felt a momentary pang of regret as she watched the older man walk out of the room, deep down she knew that he was only trying to help her but at the same time she felt that any help he gave her would lead to herself still being treated like a child.
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Jack left the room quietly, despite public opinion on the matter he was not that dense as to not realize when his advice was not wanted. Stepping out of the hallway he closed Cassie's door and reached into his pocket for his cell phone to call the SGC while he walked to the main room to talk to Teal'c.
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Teal'c watched the raging storm outside, while doing his best to keep an eye out for intruders. This task was made more difficult due to the fact that every few moments lightning would light up the skies and play havoc with his night vision.
Hearing a noise coming from down the hall Teal'c momentarily diverted his attention. Focusing on the sounds Teal'c realized that it was O'Neill and that he was talking to somebody. Though from the sounds of it, he was pretty sure that it was not Cassandra Fraiser with whom he was conversing.
As the sounds got closer though Teal'c realized that O'Neill was on the phone and turned his attention back to watching the storm rage, figuring that if it was important he would be told later.
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A few moments earlier
Jack dialed the switchboard number to the mountain and waited for someone to pick up. Normally he would just call the direct line that would send him to the phone in the Generals office but in this case he was not sure on whether or not General Hammond would be there or not. It all depended on whether or not there was a SG team off world and due to report in or not.
Hearing someone pick up the line Jack asked, "This is Colonel O'Neill, put me through to General Hammond."
Hearing a positive reply from the soldier on duty Jack stopped and leaned up against the wall in the hall to relax for a moment while he considered just what he was going to tell the general.
Jack tensed as he heard the other line pick up and hoped that the General would listen to him before he decided to order him to have his head examined. Hearing the General address him Jack nearly sighed in relief, he had so not wanted to deal with Reynolds on this one as technically while Jack was gone he was supposed to fill in on the second command position.
Clearing his throat he decided that the direct approach was going to be his best bet to stay away from those annoying head shrinkers and said, "General… You'll never guess what I caught out at my cabin today."
Hearing the General sigh Jack almost smirked, he was being direct but sometimes it was just hard to not be a wise ass about it. Knowing that getting the general annoyed with him was a bad idea though he quickly added, "Actually… Cassie caught her… Well not so much caught her as wound up being collapsed upon…"
Hearing the General bark out and tell him to get to the point Jack became solemn and stated, "General, I think we have a problem out here. I'm not sure what exactly is going on but Cassie stumbled upon what looked to be a girl in chains…"
Jack frowned when the General interrupted him by telling him that as much as what he would like to spend SG resources in the matter a lost abused girl was something that the local police should handle.
"I know sir but that's not all… She was wearing a collar that was feeding her drugs… And there's something else…" Jack replied.
"….."
Noting that he had General Hammond's full attention now Jack added, "I'm not sure that you're going to believe me on this one but that's why I want to take her in… George… I think she might be an alien or something…"
Hearing the General ask him why he thought so Jack replied, "Sir, I don't know how she does it and right now I can't ask her because she's been out of it since we found her but apparently she can change genders… somehow…"
Jack winced, holding the phone away from his ear as General Hammond went on a rant about him wasting his time with an ill conceived joke.
After a moment or two when Jack thought that the General had calmed down enough he started up again with, "General… I'm not joking… I know its hard to believe but I saw her change into a boy first hand while Cassie was washing her up. I wouldn't believe me either but sir… When have I ever lied to you… Okay bad example… When have I ever lied to you while I was in complete control of myself."
After hearing the General respond, Jack continued, "Sir All I'm asking is to take her to the mountain and have the doc take a look at her… If after that you still think that we should hand her over to the feds then I'll deliver her myself."
Jack smiled as the General conceded, allowing Jack to take the girl back to the mountain. Hearing the general state that he had to work things out with the local police though made Jack frown again as while Bill was the sheriff and a friend of his he did not to strain their friendship by stepping on his toes.
After a few more minutes of working out some of the finer details Jack flipped his phone closed and entered the main room. Taking only a moment to let his eye's adjust to the lack of light, he made his way over to the couch and plopped down. Having noticed that Teal'c was sitting by the window Jack lifted his head up and said, "Hey T… I don't suppose you ever heard of any aliens that switch genders… Maybe some long forgotten Goa'uld or something?"
Turning his attention away from the storm outside Teal'c considered his friends question for a moment before he lifted an eyebrow in curiosity and replied, "Indeed I have not… I was unaware that such a feat was possible."
"Oh… it's possible alright… Turns out that our little guest here can change into a guy complete with all the bits and pieces…"
Teal'c frowned wondering if O'Neill was getting enough sleep as he had never heard of such a thing before. After a moment of awkward silence he offered, "Perhaps she only appeared to have changed… there are devices that are capable of generating illusions…"
"I know buddy but if she was wearing something like those pins from a few years ago… I sure as hell didn't see it and considering that she didn't have anything on at the time, I'm not about to go looking for it either."
Hearing a shuffling coming from down the hall Jack sat back up and stated, "Speaking of our guest…"
Cassie who had just exited the hall and entered the main room stopped and asked, "What about her?"
"You all set with getting her dressed?" Jack asked tiredly.
Cassie rolled her eyes and stated, "No I left her naked on the bed while I came in here to see if you had anything to make s'mores."
Rolling his eyes at the sarcasm while he stood up Jack replied, "I'll go get her… and I keep the S'more supplies in the kitchen… third cabinet on the left from the sink."
Wincing as he stretched out his knees he added, "Don't eat too much though we might be making a early start in the morning… depends on if and when the roads get cleared."
Stopping in mid step on her trek to the kitchen Cassie paused, slightly shocked and dismayed at the news and asked, "We're leaving?"
"Yeah, right after I work a few things out with the sheriff we're heading out and catching a hop back to Peterson." Making a few gestures towards Cassie's room he added, "There's just a few too many unanswered questions about our guest that need answered for me to leave her with the locals…" Turning to Teal'c he asked, "You want first watch?"
Teal'c shrugged in his seat, he didn't mind taking first watch.
Not seeing the shrug due to the darkness of the room Jack took the Jaffa's silence as confirmation and left to retrieve the girl from Cassie's room so he'd be able to keep an eye on her just in case she woke up.
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I know I had promised to get this chapter out earlier but well I got preoccupied. Any way I hope you enjoyed this chapter and as long as all goes well I'll have something else out soon.
Thanks for reading.
