Author's note: Thank you all for the birthday wishes, and I'm sooo bummed. I didn't get served breakfast in bed by Jack or Daniel. Damn. (I would have settled for lunch, or dinner...)

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"Where-"?

"Jaffer! Drop it!" Jack called, immediately, interrupting Daniel. "Him."

"Her."

The black lab gave them all a surprised look, as if he couldn't understand what the fuss was about. As if he fetched little kids every day. But he did lower his head and plop the child gently onto the ground.

They crowded around immediately, wondering where in the world he'd managed to find him. Her.

"Somebody's gotta be frantic," Jack said, reaching out and helping the child regain her feet. His feet? "Wonder where he came from?"

"It's a girl, Jack."

The three men looked at the child, who had soft dark curls and big blue eyes.

"How do you know that, Sam?" Daniel asked, reaching out and pulling a twig from the child's hair. It was just at that age where you couldn't really tell – except by the clothing – what the sex was, and in this case the clothing was ambiguous. Little blue jeans, a pair of blue flip-flops and a plain white t-shirt. No frills, no lace, and no teddy bears, but nor was there any sign of a baseball player, or a monster truck, or some other thing that would tell them it was a boy. And a diaper, which was a sure sign she was way too young to be out roaming the forest alone.

"I don't know. But I know I'm right."

Daniel looked at Teal'c, who shrugged. He didn't know.

"'Oggie!" The child giggled, completely unconcerned about meeting four strangers in the woods and being dragged along by a big dog like a chew toy. Especially since Jaffer's soft mouth was easily as tender with the child as it had been with the fish the day before. There were no scratches, and Jaffer and Jack had never been biters. Especially with kids.

"Yeah, he's an 'oggie," Jack agreed, looking around, confused. "Where's your mom and dad?"

The blue eyes looked up at him, but the little hands were clutching Jaffer's dark fur. Probably not comfortable for the black lab, but he didn't complain.

"Hello?!"

Daniel's yell surprised the child, who looked over at the archeologist in surprise. The lower lip began to tremble.

"No, no..." Jack and Sam had both caught the danger sign of a child about to cry, and both leaned forward, ready to soothe. They didn't want tears!

"Daniel! Don't yell... You're scaring him. Her."

"Her parents must be around here, somewhere, Jack."

"Well go find them. Teal'c, go with him." Teal'c was easily the best tracker of the group. "See if you can figure out where she came from, and retrace her steps."

Teal'c nodded, and called Jack to his side, knowing the yellow lab would come in handy in the hunt for the child's parents. The yellow lab sniffed the child once more, then moved away reluctantly, following Teal'c and Daniel into the woods back the way he'd come from.

"She doesn't seem to be hurt." Sam said, running her fingers along the child's cheek, smiling reassuringly, hoping to convince her not to cry.

"Nah, she's not hurt," Jack agreed, echoing Sam's smile. He liked little kids, so he didn't even have to pretend to be nice, like he might have with someone else. He reached over and ran his hands along her little frame, watching for any sign of hurts, but she didn't even seem to have a bump. "Just lost."

"'oggie?" She pointed at Jaffer, with an obvious question in her eyes, but who knew what she was asking.

"Yeah." Jack agreed, again. "What's your name?"

"Huh?"

Sam smiled.

"What's your name?" Jack asked again.

"Huh?"

"Your name?"

"Huh?"

Sam giggled, and the sound drew the little girl's attention from her new game with Jack to Sam.

"You try, Sam."

"Huh?"

Jack scowled. "Not that part."

She laughed, and took hold of the child's hands, smiling. "What's your name, honey?"

"Huh?"

"I give up," Sam said, standing up, and swinging the child up into her arms. "Let's see if we can find your folks."

"There's a ranger station over by town," Jack said, standing up as well. Jaffer was watching his prize intently, as if reminding Sam not to drop her. He hadn't dropped her, after all. "If Daniel and Teal'c don't find the parents we'll take her to there. Someone will come looking. She can't have been gone all that long. She's not crying, so she's probably not hungry."

"Are you hungry?" Sam asked the girl she was holding.

"'Oggie!" She pointed at Jaffer, leaning over Sam's arm and looking down at the black lab.

"Yeah, he's always hungry," Sam agreed.

Jack came bounding out of the woods, followed by Teal'c and Daniel, who were both scowling.

"There is no sign of her parents, O'Neill," Teal'c reported.

"They have to be somewhere."

"They are not here."

Obviously.

"You don't think someone would have abandoned her, do you?" Daniel asked, his blue eyes serious as he reached his hand out and touched the child's fingers. The serious look faded immediately when she smiled at him, and stretched her arms out to him, leaning away from Sam. She wanted a change of scenery.

"Nah, she's too cute to be abandoned," Jack said, looking around once more. Of course, he knew better. There were always bastards out there who'd do terrible things, and Jack knew that more than pretty much anyone. But in this case, he'd at least try to be optimistic. She was too cute to be abandoned. "Most likely, she wandered away, and either hasn't been missed yet, or her parents are looking for her."

"Or maybe something happened to them?"

"Maybe." Jack shrugged. "We'll go find a ranger, first. They'll know if someone's lost a child.

Daniel cooed the little girl, who was now in his arms, and bounced her lightly on his hip. She giggled.

Despite himself, Jack smiled. Giggling kids were just something he couldn't resist. Giggling kids and big brown-eyed labs. He scratched Jaffer's ears, and gestured for the dogs to move out ahead of them. They'd hear a person (or persons) long before Jack and the others would, so they'd watch jack and Jaffer closely as they headed back towards the cabin.