Chapter 4

Jack started his search in the woods where the woman had materialized. The scent of pine and wet dirt calmed him a little as he made his way carefully through the underbrush. The recent rains obliterated all signs of footprints, but Jack searched anyway. Footprints were not the only signs of human traffic, especially when the human in question was running away from something.

A noise to his left caused him to bring his gun up, but he relaxed slightly when a small rodent took off in the underbrush. Jack continued his search, moving farther and farther away from camp - farther than he had gone before.

A slight mist began to fall as he walked, a fact that Jack ignored completely. Water dripped on him from the trees as he brushed past leaves and ducked under low hanging branches. Nothing jumped out at him, nor did he see anything out of the ordinary. Everything was as it should be in a forest. The familiar sights and smells of rain-soaked woods assaulted him as he carefully jumped over a log, finally coming to the conclusion that he was alone in the forest.

Carter was sitting next to the door of the ship when he got back, her gun on her lap. "The baby's asleep," she said as he sat down next to her. Jack nodded then accepted the cup she had been drinking out of. "It's still hot."

"Nothing out there," he told her after taking a sip of the coffee. He stared out at the trees trying once again to come up with a reasonable solution to the woman's identity. "Lots of trees and rain and an animal that I'm willing to swear was a rat the size of a lion, but no sign of humans."

"The size of a lion?" She looked out toward the trees then back at Jack, who shrugged with a guilty look on his face. Okay, so it wasn't that big, he thought.

"Anyway..." he said with a pointed look at Carter, who had apparently figured out he was lying through his teeth. She grinned at him as he went back to discussing their problem. "I think we need to go on a little field trip." He stared at her for a moment, his mind working on the problem of dragging a baby around with them. "I checked everywhere within a twenty mile radius and nothing. Civilization is apparently days away which means it would be better to take her with us to keep the bad guys from finding our hideout." He sighed then said, "Can we secure the ship so that it won't be infested by the time we get back?"

"I think so, sir. I managed to modify the ventilation systems while you were gone and updated the door mechanism while I was at it." Jack was hopeful that meant an easier time of opening and closing the door that led out of the ship. Doing it manually was a pain in the neck, literally. He took another drink while Carter went on to say, "Locking it down shouldn't be a problem."

"Good," Jack said, his own thoughts ruminating on the supplies they were going to need. "We'll leave in the morning."

"Yes sir."

"How's the kid doing," he found himself asking.

"Sleeping," Carter said with what could only be described as relief in her voice. "She finally passed out on the floor while I was finishing up with the ventilation systems." She turned to stare out at the trees, while Jack drank his coffee. "Sir," she said hesitantly, her gaze now on the ground. "I have absolutely no idea how to take care of a baby." She looked back at him with a pleading look on her face. "I can't take care of her."

Jack briefly thought about teasing her, but decided now was not the time. "It's not that hard, Carter. You feed them, keep them warm and dry, and watch them like a hawk when they get close to something they're not supposed to be getting close to and you have it made." She shook her head again, clearly not believing a word he said. "Besides," he said as he stood up. "She'll be among her family in a few more days and you won't have to worry about it anymore."

"Until then?"

He looked over at her, suddenly understanding her thoughts. She was concerned that he was going to put the bulk of the baby's care in her lap. "Don't worry about it Carter," he said, deciding at that moment to keep it to himself that her worries were legitimate. He had definitely been planning on leaving it all to her. "We'll both muddle through this and hope for the best."

She nodded with a relieved smile. "Thank you, sir."

"Any time," he said as he watched her get up and head inside the ship. He stayed there a long time, hoping that he wasn't making a mistake in taking the baby with them. A breeze whispered among the leaves as the shadows deepened among the trees, reminding him of home.

We're long way from home, he thought with some sadness. How he missed that place.


Sunshine shone through the trees as Sam and the Colonel made their way toward the woods on the other side of the river. They were armed with rations, supplies and weapons, everything they needed for a few days' hike through the woods. The only thing that differentiated this mission from any other was the baby bound in a makeshift sling on Sam's back. The child was quiet now that she was fed, but Sam didn't count her blessings. She now knew without a doubt that the kid could go off at any time for any reason, although to be fair, she was by nature a fairly happy baby.

"Lead the way Carter," O'Neill said when they reached a worn path that cut through the woods.

"Yes sir," she responded automatically as she took point. A path in the woods was definitely a good sign, although it could have been made by animals. Still, she stayed vigilant, even when she felt something wet slide down her back.

"Oops, someone had an accident," O'Neill said in a teasing voice, which Sam did her best to ignore. She kept walking as she ground her teeth in frustration, more determined than ever to exact her revenge on the insufferable man. "Too bad we didn't think to supply plastic diapers when we stocked the ship," he went on, blithely unaware of the murderous thoughts Sam was harboring. "Of course we'd have to burn them to save the environment, but you know."

"You're time will come, Colonel," Sam said spitefully. He could be so aggravating.

He didn't respond, but Sam could almost picture a huge grin on his face. She turned quickly to see if she was right, only to face a man who had successfully dropped the grin in a heartbeat, but was still having a hard time looking sympathetic. He finally gave up and smiled brightly at her, before prodding her along.

"We still have several hours of daylight. We'll stop in a couple hours to eat. We can change her then."

Sam didn't bother responding at that point. She just turned and walked away.

They walked in silence for a long time, until they reached a clearing several hours later. Sam so hoped this was her opportunity to rid herself of the baby. Although her shirt had dried some time ago, the smell of urine lingered heavily in her nostrils.

O'Neill shrugged out of his backpack then crouched down to get a better look without being seen. Sam crouched next to him and dug out her binoculars. The whole planet must be deserted, she thought as she scanned the clearing. They had walked for miles with no sign of people, and even here, the land was empty save for the wild grasses and flowers that grew out in the open.

"Do you think that woman was the last of her people?" she asked as she handed O'Neill the binoculars.

"Dunno," O'Neill responded.

She waited until he was satisfied while she continued to watch out for people and make her own assessments. The baby cooed and wriggled in her sling, apparently wanting to get down, but Sam ignored her, waiting instead to hear what O'Neill wanted to do next.

"We stop here for a bit," he said, his eyes still looking out toward the clearing. "I thought I saw smoke above the trees on the other side of the clearing over there. I want to check it out."

"Yes sir," she said as she immediately sat up in order to get the sling off of her back. She ended up holding the child in her arms, and Sam found herself staring into the baby's face. Brown eyes set against an olive complexion gave her an exotic look. "She really is beautiful," she said, voicing the thoughts that came to mind every time she looked at the baby.

"That she is," O'Neill said from his perch on a log he had found to sit on. Sam smiled down at the baby, using her hands to push away the dark hair that framed her small face, then tilted her head back when the baby reached up to stick her fingers into Sam's mouth.

"No," Sam said, as she shook her head at the child, her hair tickling the baby's face. She smiled as the baby laughed, then tickled her again before standing up to go sit down next to O'Neill. He looked up at her as he wiped his knife along his leg then smiled down at the baby who was now cooing at them.

"What's that you say? Sam tickled you?" He gave Sam a mock glare then turned back to the baby and reached over to tickle her stomach. More giggles erupted while Sam smiled at O'Neill. They ended up staring at each other for what seemed like several minutes before O'Neill broke eye contact to smile at the baby again. "I think it's time this little one got on some clean clothes," he said to break the uncomfortable silence. Sam nodded as she thought about what had just happened. It was almost as if time stopped for her when he looked at her like that. She grabbed the clothes the Colonel had tossed at her, and went about changing the little one out of the soiled clothes into the clean ones. She and O'Neill had been clever in improvising the baby's clothing, a fact that brought a certain amount of pride for Sam. This proved she wasn't a complete techno-geek when it came to fixing things.

She changed the baby, then took the energy bar the Colonel offered. O'Neill had taken a packet of oatmeal, mixed it with water then fed it to the baby who sat on the ground. This is nice, Sam thought, as she munched on her meal, a sense of contentment settling in while they ate. Silence, punctuated by the baby's coos, hung over them, adding to Sam's happiness. She smiled at little girl, wondering what it would be like to have her own child.

Okay, stop, she told herself firmly. She was stranded on an alien planet millions of miles away from home. The last thing she needed to think about was future babies. She stood up then and stretched the kinks out of her back. "I'll be right back," she told her commanding officer.

"Don't stray too far."

Sam wasn't about to. She knew the dangers as well as he did. She took care of business quickly then headed back to give O'Neill a chance to get away for a moment. She was getting the baby ready to leave by the time he got back, struggling to get her situated so that she could get the sling in place. O'Neill came over to help and then shrugged on his own backpack.

"Let's go," he said. Sam took the lead again, mainly to provide some protection for the little one. They'd have to go through the Colonel to even get close to the baby on Sam's back.


They found the village just before dark. Late afternoon sun lent a golden tint to everything, including the trees. Dust swirled every which way as the wind played havoc on the deserted road that meandered through the middle of the village, enhancing the ethereal feel of emptiness. Sam stared in dismay at the broken down houses crowded together on one side of the road, while the ruins on the other side still smoldered from the fires that had gutted them to ashes, rocks and splintered piles of wood.

"Oh my God," she whispered, suddenly glad that the baby was too young to know the reality they were facing. She stared at the bodies that lay where they had fallen, dried blood and empty eyes all telling a story that Sam wished she'd never come to hear.

The baby on her back wriggled to get down, but there was no way that was going to happen as far as Sam was concerned. She tightened her grip on her gun as she followed O'Neill to the nearest building, crouching low in an effort to hide, worry for their own safety taking over. Whoever did this might still be out there and Sam was prepared to fight to win.

"There may be survivors," O'Neill said gruffly. Sam nodded in agreement as she waited for the order. If the woman and her baby could survive, there may be more.

"We stick together on this one Carter." She nodded again as he scanned the road once more. "Let's go."

They methodically checked every single building, even though the bodies had apparently been dead for quite a while. The smell of decay, along with the foul smell that came from the baby on her back was really starting to get to Sam.

Darkness had settled in the village by the time they finished their search. No survivors. Sadness washed over Sam as she stood there wondering what happened in that little village. A battle had taken place, but it seemed that the people who lived here were doomed from the start.

The baby finally had enough and started wailing at the top of her lungs.

"Shh," O'Neill said as he came over to free her from her restraints. "It's okay pumpkin. Shhhh." He came around to face Sam, his expression screwed up in distaste. He held the baby away at arm's length and said, "And here I thought the smell of death was bad!" He shook his head while at the same time saying, "Whew! That is nasty!"

Sam could only agree with him, having had to endure that smell for quite some time. "There's a well over there," she said as a suggestion, although she wasn't sure hanging around in a deserted battlefield was a good idea.

"They're probably long gone from here," the Colonel said, apparently judging her thoughts by the wary attitude she had taken on. "They would have attacked us by now if they were still around."

"Yeah," she replied warily. She kept her gun handy anyway as they made their way to the well where they promptly went to work cleaning up the mess the baby made. She washed out everything the baby soiled... everything but her jacket. She didn't look forward to wearing a wet jacket as cold as it was, so she left that for when she got back to the ship.

In the meantime, they decided that they'd spend the night in an empty building the natives apparently used for a barn. Sam didn't care. She took her turn feeding the fussy baby, while O'Neill did what he could to secure their campsite.

Sam lay down next to the baby, snuggling up under the blanket to keep them both warm. She ended up watching O'Neill who sat just inside the doorway with moonlight illuminating his profile and wondered what he was thinking. The baby took a long time to find a comfortable position, but Sam was content to let her squirm for awhile. She stared down at the little face that ended up close to hers and smiled softly. Such a beautiful baby.