Author's note: No, this little girl isn't Sam's. There's no Asgard in this story, and no ancients in it, either. Just SG-1 and the dogs (and the kid who likes to say 'huh'?)
................
They didn't find any parents. Not on the way back to Jack's cabin, anyways. They looked, and they listened for anyone calling for someone, but not even the dogs heard anything. If someone was looking for the child, they weren't close to finding her.
"Can someone carry her, please?" Daniel asked. He wasn't out of shape or anything, but the child was squirming after about ten minutes of walking and he was having a tough time holding onto her. He wasn't used to holding a kid. Especially a toddler.
"I got her," Jack said, reaching his hands out to the little girl in invitation. Really, it would be her choice if O'Neill carried her, since Jack knew little kids well enough to know that ripping her out of Daniel's arms was hardly the best way to keep her happy. He was a father, after all, and had lived through Charlie's toddler days.
The child readily accepted the change of bearers, and Jack cuddled her close for just a moment, then swung her down close enough that Jaffer could take a swipe at her with his tongue. She squealed in delight, making Sam grin.
"Don't drop her."
"I'm not going to drop her," Jack told her, then pretended to do just that, eliciting yet another squeal, and a happy bark from Jack, who came over to stick his nose against the child's cheek when Jack held her upside down for just a moment.
"'Oggie!"
He was still holding her when they reached the cabin about twenty minutes later, but Jack handed her over to Teal'c when they walked through the door.
"Hold her for a sec, and I'll get her something to eat."
The Jaffa scowled, and held the child at arms' length. He wasn't completely uncomfortable around children – he was a father, too, after all – but human children (the really little ones like this one) seemed so fragile to him. Certainly too fragile to be alone like she'd been.
The toddler eyed him owlishly, as if deciding if she wanted him to hold her like he was, and Sam smiled.
"Try not to look so intimidating," Sam suggested. "She's not going to bite you."
"I am not concerned that she will bite me, Major Carter," Teal'c said, looking over. "I am wondering who would leave their child to roam the forest alone."
"Wouldn't we all like to know?" Daniel asked, sitting down on the sofa with a sigh. An hour hike wasn't his idea of a good time, although he was glad they'd been there to find the toddler. "I wonder how long she's been walking around..."
"Are you hungry?" Sam asked, as Jack returned with a glass of milk and handed it to Carter.
"We'll see if she needs to be fed, then take her to the ranger's station. Unless there's a police station on the way." Which there wasn't. Jack knew the area fairly well, after all. But there was always a chance that someone was out looking for her, and he could hope that they ran into a cop or a search party.
The toddler squirmed in Teal'c's hands, reaching for the glass of milk, and the Jaffa willingly handed her over to Carter, who gave Jack back the glass so she could take the girl. Then she sat down next to Daniel with the child on her lap and took the glass of milk once more, this time handing it to the girl, who started drinking clumsily, spilling more than she managed to get inside her mouth. Jaffer and Jack both gathered around, more than willing to help Sam with the spilled milk on her leg, and Carter almost dropped the girl and the milk both when the two dogs tried to get the same drop of milk off her jeans.
"Jaffer, back."
The black lab sighed, and took two steps back, followed by Jack, who was given the same command by Teal'c. Then he sat there and watched, waiting for the milk glass to fall. He was certain that it would. All he had to do was wait.
"Don't you have something she can eat, Jack?" Daniel asked. "Milk isn't very filling."
"I have steak, Daniel," Jack said. "And your chocolate covered coffee beans..."
"You can't feed her that."
Duh.
"How about crackers, Jack?" Sam asked. "Don't you have some?" She thought she'd seen a box.
"How long do crackers stay good?" He asked, looking in the cupboard. He had a box of crackers, but they'd been there for a while.
She shrugged.
"Some genius you are..."
"I'm a rocket scientist, not a Keebler elf."
........................
They ended up giving her a slice of buttered bread, which she ate as they put her in the truck. She shared a jump seat with Carter, who was the smallest of the group, and Daniel got into the truck behind the driver's seat, while Teal'c loaded Jaffer and Jack into the back of the truck. They'd go, because it was a lot safer than leaving the dogs alone in the cabin. Which was the makings of a disaster, and Teal'c and Jack both knew it.
"The ranger station's about ten miles from here," Jack said as he helped Sam buckle her seatbelt. Carter had a handful of child and bread, and she smiled her thanks at the help.
"Hopefully someone's there."
"Someone will be there." He hoped. He came around the back of the truck, slapped Jaffer's shoulder affectionately as the lab looked down at him from his position in the bed of the truck, got behind the wheel and started the engine.
"We could just keep her," Daniel said, looking over at the child, and smiling. She had butter all over her face. "Think she'd fit in the luggage rack on the plane?"
"Think Hammond would notice?" Jack asked, grinning. "We could get one of those backpack things and Teal'c could carry her around under his coat. Say the lump is some new Jaffa tumor or something."
Sam smiled, and even Teal'c expression told them he found it amusing, although he didn't join in the joking, since he wasn't really all that good at it, yet.
................
They didn't find any parents. Not on the way back to Jack's cabin, anyways. They looked, and they listened for anyone calling for someone, but not even the dogs heard anything. If someone was looking for the child, they weren't close to finding her.
"Can someone carry her, please?" Daniel asked. He wasn't out of shape or anything, but the child was squirming after about ten minutes of walking and he was having a tough time holding onto her. He wasn't used to holding a kid. Especially a toddler.
"I got her," Jack said, reaching his hands out to the little girl in invitation. Really, it would be her choice if O'Neill carried her, since Jack knew little kids well enough to know that ripping her out of Daniel's arms was hardly the best way to keep her happy. He was a father, after all, and had lived through Charlie's toddler days.
The child readily accepted the change of bearers, and Jack cuddled her close for just a moment, then swung her down close enough that Jaffer could take a swipe at her with his tongue. She squealed in delight, making Sam grin.
"Don't drop her."
"I'm not going to drop her," Jack told her, then pretended to do just that, eliciting yet another squeal, and a happy bark from Jack, who came over to stick his nose against the child's cheek when Jack held her upside down for just a moment.
"'Oggie!"
He was still holding her when they reached the cabin about twenty minutes later, but Jack handed her over to Teal'c when they walked through the door.
"Hold her for a sec, and I'll get her something to eat."
The Jaffa scowled, and held the child at arms' length. He wasn't completely uncomfortable around children – he was a father, too, after all – but human children (the really little ones like this one) seemed so fragile to him. Certainly too fragile to be alone like she'd been.
The toddler eyed him owlishly, as if deciding if she wanted him to hold her like he was, and Sam smiled.
"Try not to look so intimidating," Sam suggested. "She's not going to bite you."
"I am not concerned that she will bite me, Major Carter," Teal'c said, looking over. "I am wondering who would leave their child to roam the forest alone."
"Wouldn't we all like to know?" Daniel asked, sitting down on the sofa with a sigh. An hour hike wasn't his idea of a good time, although he was glad they'd been there to find the toddler. "I wonder how long she's been walking around..."
"Are you hungry?" Sam asked, as Jack returned with a glass of milk and handed it to Carter.
"We'll see if she needs to be fed, then take her to the ranger's station. Unless there's a police station on the way." Which there wasn't. Jack knew the area fairly well, after all. But there was always a chance that someone was out looking for her, and he could hope that they ran into a cop or a search party.
The toddler squirmed in Teal'c's hands, reaching for the glass of milk, and the Jaffa willingly handed her over to Carter, who gave Jack back the glass so she could take the girl. Then she sat down next to Daniel with the child on her lap and took the glass of milk once more, this time handing it to the girl, who started drinking clumsily, spilling more than she managed to get inside her mouth. Jaffer and Jack both gathered around, more than willing to help Sam with the spilled milk on her leg, and Carter almost dropped the girl and the milk both when the two dogs tried to get the same drop of milk off her jeans.
"Jaffer, back."
The black lab sighed, and took two steps back, followed by Jack, who was given the same command by Teal'c. Then he sat there and watched, waiting for the milk glass to fall. He was certain that it would. All he had to do was wait.
"Don't you have something she can eat, Jack?" Daniel asked. "Milk isn't very filling."
"I have steak, Daniel," Jack said. "And your chocolate covered coffee beans..."
"You can't feed her that."
Duh.
"How about crackers, Jack?" Sam asked. "Don't you have some?" She thought she'd seen a box.
"How long do crackers stay good?" He asked, looking in the cupboard. He had a box of crackers, but they'd been there for a while.
She shrugged.
"Some genius you are..."
"I'm a rocket scientist, not a Keebler elf."
........................
They ended up giving her a slice of buttered bread, which she ate as they put her in the truck. She shared a jump seat with Carter, who was the smallest of the group, and Daniel got into the truck behind the driver's seat, while Teal'c loaded Jaffer and Jack into the back of the truck. They'd go, because it was a lot safer than leaving the dogs alone in the cabin. Which was the makings of a disaster, and Teal'c and Jack both knew it.
"The ranger station's about ten miles from here," Jack said as he helped Sam buckle her seatbelt. Carter had a handful of child and bread, and she smiled her thanks at the help.
"Hopefully someone's there."
"Someone will be there." He hoped. He came around the back of the truck, slapped Jaffer's shoulder affectionately as the lab looked down at him from his position in the bed of the truck, got behind the wheel and started the engine.
"We could just keep her," Daniel said, looking over at the child, and smiling. She had butter all over her face. "Think she'd fit in the luggage rack on the plane?"
"Think Hammond would notice?" Jack asked, grinning. "We could get one of those backpack things and Teal'c could carry her around under his coat. Say the lump is some new Jaffa tumor or something."
Sam smiled, and even Teal'c expression told them he found it amusing, although he didn't join in the joking, since he wasn't really all that good at it, yet.