They waited outside. The day was warm, but not overly so, and the weather was nicer outside than inside the stuff ranger station. Besides, Jack and Jaffer were outside, and Jack wanted to keep an eye on them. Just because it was better to keep an eye on them than to not keep an eye on them and end up cleaning some mess they'd made because they'd grown bored.
Jack was holding the child. It was only fair, he'd told them, since he'd had to change her. Daniel had complained, since he'd been the one to throw away the dirty diaper, and so he thought he should at least get to hold a little of her.
"Possession is 9/10, Daniel," Jack had said, carrying the toddler outside, slightly upside down, much to her delight.
"Well... how about the other tenth?"
Jack shook his head, sitting the child up on the edge of the back of his truck so Jaffer and Jack could see her, and she could see them. She squealed with delight when Jack stuck his nose into her ear, and giggled when Jaffer's tongue slashed across her cheek, leaving a slobbery trail. The dogs loved little kids, and rarely had a chance to get so up close and personal with them.
"Should have thought about that when I was looking for someone to volunteer to change her..."
"Come on, Jack," Daniel wheedled, "I'll change her the next time."
"Oh, yeah, like there's going to be a next time."
He handed her over, though.
"Just don't drop her."
"Yeah, like I'm really going to drop her..."
"Just be careful..."
"I will, Jack," Daniel said. "Stop nagging..."
"I'm not nagging."
"Yes, you-"
They were interrupted by the arrival of a green jeep. It pulled into the parking lot at a much greater speed than the posted limit, and the passenger door was opened before the vehicle had even come to a complete stop. A man stumbled out of the jeep, tangled up and struggling with his seatbelt for a moment, then tripping and falling, only to bounce right back up. Then he made a beeline for the truck and the people standing around it.
"Kelli!"
The little girl turned at the sound, but the man's voice wasn't the only sound heard just then. Twin growls permeated the air as the stranger rushed over to the truck, and SG-1 turned and looked with surprise at the two labs in the back of the truck. Both had their heads low, in similar positions of mistrust and warning. Jack and Jaffer didn't like this man, and even as he reached Daniel and put his hands out to take the girl from the archeologist, Jack reached over and took her from Daniel first.
"Easy, chief."
The man stopped short, looking at Jack in surprise, then annoyance.
"What are you doing? That's my little girl you're holding!"
Jaffer's low growl turned into a deeper one, warning the man not to use that tone of voice with his Jack. He didn't like the threatening sound, and he was very much in a position to make sure it wasn't used again.
The man seemed to realize the sudden danger he was in, and paled slightly as he looked at the two dogs. Both were showing their teeth, although Jack's growls were still only in the early warning stage, and both had their hackles up slightly, making them look even more ominous.
"Who are you?" He asked, stepping back. "Give me my little girl!"
Jack looked at the girl in his arms. She wasn't looking like she was in any hurry to go to the guy, although it was obvious from the smile on her face that she recognized him. So he was probably who he claimed to be. Still, Jack's own instincts were screaming at him to make sure, and they were just as hard to ignore as the warning growls that Jaffer and his brother were making.
The ranger walked over as well, curious as to why Jack was still holding the little girl when it was obvious the man wanted to, and smiling when he saw Jack and Jaffer in the truck.
"Did you get a new dog, Jack?" The ranger asked, then realizing that both dogs were growling – something he'd never seen Jaffer do before – and the girl's father was scowling like a thundercloud. "What's going on?"
"He won't give me my daughter."
"Why not?"
"Ask him. And tell him to shut those dogs up."
"What's up, Jack?"
"Do you know he's the girl's dad, Hank?" Jack asked. "Are you sure, I mean?"
"He's got her birth certificate, Colonel," Hank replied, shrugging. "His name's on it. I checked his Driver's License."
"Did you run him?"
"What for?" The man asked, angrily. "I'm not a criminal! I just want my daughter back, and we'll go!"
"Why did you leave your daughter to roam in the woods alone?" Teal'c asked in that calm, deep, and very imposing voice he had.
"I didn't leave her... she wandered off while I was taking a leak."
"That must have been some leak," Daniel said, shrugging. "For her to have gone so far that you couldn't find her..."
"Look, just give me Kelli, and let us get on our way... I just want to get her home."
Jack looked over at Hank, who shrugged.
"He's her father, Jack."
"Run his name, Hank. Will ya? Just to make sure?"
"Wait a minute! You can't keep me away from-" The man's tirade was interrupted by a snarl. Jaffer's front feet were up on the edge of the truck bed now, and it was obvious he was only moments from jumping the guy. He didn't smell right anyways, but Jaffer definitely didn't like the way he was yelling at Jack, and he'd already had the only warning Jaffer was going to give.
Jack handed the little girl over to Teal'c, who took her easily in his powerful arms, cradling her close this time, instead of at arm's length as he had the first time he'd held her, then turned to the girl's father.
"Let me explain something to you," Jack said, taking a step closer to the guy, who took a prudent step back. He was larger than O'Neill, but not by much, and he was well aware of the large black dog that was hovering just over Jack's left shoulder, ready to rip his head off, from the looks of things. "I don't know you. I don't know who you are, and frankly I don't think much of anyone who loses their little kid in the forest."
"It was an acci-"
"I don't care." Jack interrupted him. "Now... this is what's going to happen. I'm going to go with Hank, here, and we're going to run your name through the computer – just to make sure there's nothing there that shouldn't be – then, and only then, when I am completely satisfied that you're not the scumbag my dog seems to think you are, will we hand over the little girl to you. Got that?"
"You can't do that!" He turned to the ranger. "He can't do that!"
Hank shrugged. He was having his own doubts about the guy from the way he was acting.
"Colonel O'Neill is a duly appointed officer of the government, Mr. Paulson. If he wants to run your name, I'm not going to stop him."
"But you're a ranger! You're supposed to be-"
Jaffer's snarl once more stopped the man, and Jack looked over his shoulder. Jack's snarl was just as menacing, and the yellow lab's feet were now up on the edge of the truck, too.
"You're asking for a lot more trouble than you're going to be able to handle..." Jack warned, almost companionably, although his brown eyes were cold and unweilding. "I suggest you lower your voice."
Jack was holding the child. It was only fair, he'd told them, since he'd had to change her. Daniel had complained, since he'd been the one to throw away the dirty diaper, and so he thought he should at least get to hold a little of her.
"Possession is 9/10, Daniel," Jack had said, carrying the toddler outside, slightly upside down, much to her delight.
"Well... how about the other tenth?"
Jack shook his head, sitting the child up on the edge of the back of his truck so Jaffer and Jack could see her, and she could see them. She squealed with delight when Jack stuck his nose into her ear, and giggled when Jaffer's tongue slashed across her cheek, leaving a slobbery trail. The dogs loved little kids, and rarely had a chance to get so up close and personal with them.
"Should have thought about that when I was looking for someone to volunteer to change her..."
"Come on, Jack," Daniel wheedled, "I'll change her the next time."
"Oh, yeah, like there's going to be a next time."
He handed her over, though.
"Just don't drop her."
"Yeah, like I'm really going to drop her..."
"Just be careful..."
"I will, Jack," Daniel said. "Stop nagging..."
"I'm not nagging."
"Yes, you-"
They were interrupted by the arrival of a green jeep. It pulled into the parking lot at a much greater speed than the posted limit, and the passenger door was opened before the vehicle had even come to a complete stop. A man stumbled out of the jeep, tangled up and struggling with his seatbelt for a moment, then tripping and falling, only to bounce right back up. Then he made a beeline for the truck and the people standing around it.
"Kelli!"
The little girl turned at the sound, but the man's voice wasn't the only sound heard just then. Twin growls permeated the air as the stranger rushed over to the truck, and SG-1 turned and looked with surprise at the two labs in the back of the truck. Both had their heads low, in similar positions of mistrust and warning. Jack and Jaffer didn't like this man, and even as he reached Daniel and put his hands out to take the girl from the archeologist, Jack reached over and took her from Daniel first.
"Easy, chief."
The man stopped short, looking at Jack in surprise, then annoyance.
"What are you doing? That's my little girl you're holding!"
Jaffer's low growl turned into a deeper one, warning the man not to use that tone of voice with his Jack. He didn't like the threatening sound, and he was very much in a position to make sure it wasn't used again.
The man seemed to realize the sudden danger he was in, and paled slightly as he looked at the two dogs. Both were showing their teeth, although Jack's growls were still only in the early warning stage, and both had their hackles up slightly, making them look even more ominous.
"Who are you?" He asked, stepping back. "Give me my little girl!"
Jack looked at the girl in his arms. She wasn't looking like she was in any hurry to go to the guy, although it was obvious from the smile on her face that she recognized him. So he was probably who he claimed to be. Still, Jack's own instincts were screaming at him to make sure, and they were just as hard to ignore as the warning growls that Jaffer and his brother were making.
The ranger walked over as well, curious as to why Jack was still holding the little girl when it was obvious the man wanted to, and smiling when he saw Jack and Jaffer in the truck.
"Did you get a new dog, Jack?" The ranger asked, then realizing that both dogs were growling – something he'd never seen Jaffer do before – and the girl's father was scowling like a thundercloud. "What's going on?"
"He won't give me my daughter."
"Why not?"
"Ask him. And tell him to shut those dogs up."
"What's up, Jack?"
"Do you know he's the girl's dad, Hank?" Jack asked. "Are you sure, I mean?"
"He's got her birth certificate, Colonel," Hank replied, shrugging. "His name's on it. I checked his Driver's License."
"Did you run him?"
"What for?" The man asked, angrily. "I'm not a criminal! I just want my daughter back, and we'll go!"
"Why did you leave your daughter to roam in the woods alone?" Teal'c asked in that calm, deep, and very imposing voice he had.
"I didn't leave her... she wandered off while I was taking a leak."
"That must have been some leak," Daniel said, shrugging. "For her to have gone so far that you couldn't find her..."
"Look, just give me Kelli, and let us get on our way... I just want to get her home."
Jack looked over at Hank, who shrugged.
"He's her father, Jack."
"Run his name, Hank. Will ya? Just to make sure?"
"Wait a minute! You can't keep me away from-" The man's tirade was interrupted by a snarl. Jaffer's front feet were up on the edge of the truck bed now, and it was obvious he was only moments from jumping the guy. He didn't smell right anyways, but Jaffer definitely didn't like the way he was yelling at Jack, and he'd already had the only warning Jaffer was going to give.
Jack handed the little girl over to Teal'c, who took her easily in his powerful arms, cradling her close this time, instead of at arm's length as he had the first time he'd held her, then turned to the girl's father.
"Let me explain something to you," Jack said, taking a step closer to the guy, who took a prudent step back. He was larger than O'Neill, but not by much, and he was well aware of the large black dog that was hovering just over Jack's left shoulder, ready to rip his head off, from the looks of things. "I don't know you. I don't know who you are, and frankly I don't think much of anyone who loses their little kid in the forest."
"It was an acci-"
"I don't care." Jack interrupted him. "Now... this is what's going to happen. I'm going to go with Hank, here, and we're going to run your name through the computer – just to make sure there's nothing there that shouldn't be – then, and only then, when I am completely satisfied that you're not the scumbag my dog seems to think you are, will we hand over the little girl to you. Got that?"
"You can't do that!" He turned to the ranger. "He can't do that!"
Hank shrugged. He was having his own doubts about the guy from the way he was acting.
"Colonel O'Neill is a duly appointed officer of the government, Mr. Paulson. If he wants to run your name, I'm not going to stop him."
"But you're a ranger! You're supposed to be-"
Jaffer's snarl once more stopped the man, and Jack looked over his shoulder. Jack's snarl was just as menacing, and the yellow lab's feet were now up on the edge of the truck, too.
"You're asking for a lot more trouble than you're going to be able to handle..." Jack warned, almost companionably, although his brown eyes were cold and unweilding. "I suggest you lower your voice."