That was what Jaffer had been waiting for. The moment the gun was no longer directly against Shawn's cheek – almost before the man had finished his ultimately foolish taunt – Jaffer attacked. Without a sound and completely without restraint.

Before the man realized what was happening, an impossibly fast flash of black was on him, and the hand holding the shotgun was the primary target. His wrist was slashed wide open and the tendon was completely severed before he could squeeze the trigger. Once the tendon was gone, he couldn't move the finger if he'd wanted to. Jaffer's attack had been surgical.

"Fuck!"

The shotgun dropped, and the man jerked backwards, into the man holding Gina. Jaffer wasn't finished with him, though, and a streak of blonde and a snarl plainly announced Jack's own arrival on the scene.

A new set of fangs slashed, and another wrist was ripped open, another shotgun falling to the floor with a frightened and pain filled cry of surprise. The man holding Shawn grabbed the boy tighter, but he was in for yet another surprise.

Shawn had been training with Jack, Teal'c and Bra'tac for nearly three years now, learning self-defense and all styles of martial arts. Once the danger of the shotgun was nullified, the young man slammed his foot down on the man's foot, causing him to break his grip just enough for Shawn to twist around. His elbow slammed into the man's gut with a satisfying force and the man doubled over just a little. Enough for Jaffer to go for his throat.

Shawn was knocked to the side by the black lab's attack and fell to the floor, and the man had just enough reflex to bring his arm up protectively across his body. Jaffer's razor sharp teeth clamped down on his forearm, turning it into a bloody mess – although it was a lot less bloody than if he'd managed to get his throat. The man went down with a scream, completely panicked, now.

The danger wasn't over. No matter how much Jack wanted a piece of the bastard that had been holding Shawn; Gina was still being held tightly by one of the addicts – the only one still holding a gun. The two had been knocked to the floor when Shawn and his captor crashed into them, but the gun was still in his hand, and he was even more desperate than he had been.

Jack (the dog) was grappling with the man he'd initially attacked, trying for a throat hold. Jaffer was all over the leader of the group, and Jack dove on the man holding Gina, aiming for the arm that was holding the gun. He had to nullify that weapon before it went off. Gina screamed, struggling to get loose, but the man holding her had her in a terrified death-grip, and he was shouting that he'd kill her if they hurt him. Of course, none of them were listening. The crowd surged forward, Dotty somehow managing to get to Shawn and yank him free of the struggle as only a mother can do. She pushed him back towards Sam, who wrapped her arms around him and held him tight when the young man showed signs of heading back into the fight, his adrenaline flowing, now, and his own temper – which he'd inherited from Jack – well up there.

"Stay with me!"

"Let me go, Sam! I'll kill him!"

She didn't, of course, and even though Shawn struggled, he would never hurt am. She held him tight, and he was stuck there, helplessly watching as Jack and Gina and the addict grappled in a tangled mess, with Jaffer still trying to rip the throat out of the guy who'd been foolish enough to mess with his Shawn. Teal'c hurdled Jack, Gina and the addict and joined Jack (the dog), pulling the lab off with a command, and knocking the addict out with a single, well-placed blow of his hand. The man stopped struggling, and went still, his arms both bleeding freely and a nasty welt already forming on his forehead.

Teal'c turned toward Jack and Gina just as the shotgun went off.

Gina screamed again, and Jack went still. The man struggled out from underneath Jack – who was still sprawled on him, and rolled right into Teal'c, who was grabbed him and dispatched him as easily as he had the first guy.

"Jack!"

The cry came from two people at the exact same time. Shawn and Sam both lunged for O'Neill, but Dotty beat them there. She was closer, after all. She dropped to the floor beside Jack and Gina, who were still tangled, and Sam thought she saw Dotty's hand slide under Jack's shirt. There was a moment of silence as the entire room watched – the silence broken only by the screams and growls coming from the only wrestling match still going on. Jaffer was still going after the man's throat, and only Jack would be able to call him off. And Jack was hurt.

Or not. There was a gasp of surprise from Jack, and a collective relieved sigh from the crowd as Jack suddenly jerked his head up, looking around, dazed. Only Gina and Dotty saw the dazed look, though, and it passed almost immediately.

"Jack!"

A movement in the hallway drew everyone's attention, and only a sharp command from Teal'c kept Jack from attacking the gun-wielding officer that came running into the room, followed by another, and then another. They took in the scene immediately, and headed for the man who was struggling with the black lab. The man's arms were shredded, and still he held them, knowing – just as he had when he'd seen the look in Jack's eyes – that the dog wanted to kill him, and he would the minute he lowered his arm. So the arm stayed up, and Jaffer continued attacking it, certain he'd eventually chew it off and be able to get to the throat.

"Call off the dog!" One of the cops ordered, as the other turned over one of the unconscious men and started handcuffing him.

The leader of the group couldn't agree more. Jack rolled over, looking around in confusion, and Dotty helped him to his feet.

"It's all right, Jack. You're fine." She told him, reaching down with her other hand and pulling a sobbing Gina to her feet as well. The girl's dress was blood-stained, but when her mother sprang forward to check her, there was no injury.

"Call off the fucking dog!" The cop yelled again, slightly pale at the sight of Jaffer determinedly attacking over and over.

"Jaffer, stop." Jack ordered, as Shawn and Sam came over to him, Sam running her hand along Jack's side and belly, sliding her hand along the uniform, that was stained and slightly mangled as if a hundred little lead pellets had struck it all at the same time.

"It's okay, Sam..." Jack said. "He must have missed me."

He knew better, and Sam knew better, but no one else needed to know. There'd have been way too many questions to answer about Dotty if the truth came out.

Jaffer stopped his attack the minute Jack told him to, and crouched next to the man he'd been attacking, watching as the police officer pushed the dropped shotgun even further away and started reading him his rights.

The gun came to a rest at Shawn's feet, and the young man stooped and picked it up, expertly unloading it and then walking away from Sam and Jack and his mother to stand over the man who'd threatened him with the weapon only minutes before. The fury in his eyes was an echo of Jack's own, and the man noticed immediately what most people missed. This kid was related to that General.

"Fuck you, kid..." The man said.

Shawn knelt down next to the guy, right beside Jaffer who was still showing his formidable teeth to the man and ignoring the police officer who told him to get back.

"You think you hurt now?" Shawn said, softly enough that only the bleeding man and Jaffer could hear him. "You're lucky Jaffer here got to you before Jack did."

The thing was, the man knew Shawn was right, although he'd never admit it to anyone but himself.

"Shawn, get away from him." Jack didn't like Shawn so close, even though the police were already bandaging the man so they could handcuff him.

Shawn stood up, handed the shotgun to another officer, and walked back to his family, calling Jaffer to join him.