A/N: I just have to say; I had waaaaaay to much fun writing this chapter. Oh, and the next few too, which you'll just have to wait and see why when they are ready to post. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Sam turned towards the laptop. She'd best get to work. As Sam settled down with the information Daniel had left her on the computer, Janet and the Colonel excused themselves, Sam giving them a distracted meow in parting.

Chapter 15

The next afternoon, on the second day after their return from the planet and Sam's transformation, the translations were going slowly with little to no noticeable progress. Sam had been released from the infirmary the evening before. The base and Sam seemed to be adjusting well to the change, despite several unfortunate incidents involving Sam's tail with doors and booted feet.

After the fourth such incident and subsequent trip to the vet to make sure her tail wasn't actually broken, General Hammond ordered that the next person to step on Major Carter would find himself scrubbing toilets for a month. There were no further incidents; the base personnel quickly learned to watch where they stepped and Sam learned to keep her tail wrapped tightly about her.

Despite the minor mishaps, everyone was taking Sam's transformation in stride. Heck, with all the things they dealt with on a day to day basis, a person in an animal's body was probably just another day at the office to them. Sergeant Siler had even sought Sam's assistance the morning after her release, for help with some glitch that had popped up in the dialing computer. Sam had been able to sort the problem out surprisingly fast, considering her physical limitations.

Sam and Daniel had worked late into the night and had been up early in the morning working on the translations and trying to solve the mysteries of the machine. Teal'c and Jack had taken it in turns to make sure the two stopped to eat, and in Sam's case, take naps. As the morning wore on with little to no progress, the two became progressively more dejected and more and more irritable and obsessive over the problem. Jack decided a little mid-afternoon excursion was in order.

It didn't take much to convince the General that a distraction was needed for the two scientists, and he quickly gave the Colonel permission to take Sam topside for some fresh air, as long as the rest of SG-1 went with them. Jack agreed readily, and quickly put together a field pack with a blanket, sandwiches, fruit, bottled drinks, chips, and even some potato salad he'd begged off the commissary staff. He stopped by the infirmary to see what had been planned for Sam's lunch, and was given a container of pureed chicken with more rice and vegetables mixed in. Jack put the container in the pack. Now it was time to collect the participants.

Teal'c agreed to the outing readily. He enjoyed spending time on the surface. The two scientists were more of problem. They had whined and wheedled, asking for more time, denying they were hungry, or tired. Jack tried annoying them, begging them, and driving them to distraction. He even tried ordering them.

Finally he gave up, and reached out, picking up Sam one handed, and dropped her yowling inside the open pack. He pulled the ties closed, leaving the opening just large enough so that she could poke her head out if she wanted to. He then lifted the pack up and headed for the elevators, leaving Daniel to Teal'c. Daniel was so shocked by Jack's sudden kidnapping of Major Carter than he readily went with Teal'c.

Jack ignored the curious stares of the airman along the way as the noisy wriggling pack caught everyone's attention. He merely ordered the curious that he passed to carry on, and even started to whistle a cheerful tune which seemed to irritate his small passenger even more. Jack decided to ignore the ominous sounding growl coming from the pack.

Before long, the team was on the surface, and Jack gently set the pack down, stepping back quickly as he released the ties holding the flap closed. Sam wasted no time extricating herself from the confines of the pack. She shot her CO a glare that could have boiled water on a winter's day, and promptly stalked several feet away from the group to a large boulder, where she sat with her back to them, tail swishing angrily for the next half hour at least. The rest of the team wisely kept their distance.

Soon though, the fresh mountain air, warm afternoon sunshine, and pleasant early fall temperatures made even Sam relax. She still glared at the Colonel though, as she returned. They had been busy while she'd cooled her temper, and had laid out the blanket and the wide array of sandwiches and snacks the Colonel had begged. Sam noticed the small container of ground up food that must be for her. Sam's eyes narrowed. She was still a bit ticked off at the Colonel's stunt, and didn't really want to ask him to help her eat.

Teal'c came to her rescue, tentatively offering his assistance. That morning, Jack had shown up in Daniel's lab, where she and Daniel had been already hard at work, her breakfast in hand. Teal'c came behind him carrying a meal and coffee for Daniel. Jack hadn't taken no for an answer and Sam soon found herself back in the Colonel's lap for another feeding. Teal'c had watched the process with fascination.

"Major Carter, I would be most honored if you were to accept my assistance with your midday meal." Teal'c had said solemnly. Well... when he put it that way. Sam couldn't refuse. She was soon settled on Teal'c, with the Colonel making occasional suggestions. They didn't have much trouble though. Daniel wished for a camera, and was surprised to see Jack surreptitiously remove one from the pack and snap a few photos. Neither of the two seemed to notice.

Daniel caught Jack's eye, and grinned. The image of the large Jaffa gently feeding a small yellowish cat was absolutely priceless. Sam would probably kill them all later, not to mention what Teal'c might do (there was that Jaffa revenge thing after all) but Daniel thought it was worth the risk.

Feeling sleepy again after eating, the excitement of the day finally caught up to her. Sam meowed, catching Daniel's attention before heading towards some large flat sun-warmed rocks a dozen or so yards away from where the picnic was laid out. Daniel smiled at her and yawned suddenly, echoing her sentiments. Sam watched as he stretched out in the sun on the soft blanket. Teal'c sat under some nearby trees, in a pose of meditation, while Jack leaned against the same boulder Sam had sat on earlier, and started trying to braid several long stems of grass together.

Sam laid down on the warm rock, yawning and stretching out as she let the sun warm her. It felt good. Through half closed eyes, she regarded her teammates as they relaxed. She was happy she had come, even if she still didn't approve of the Colonel's methods in getting her here. Sam realized she was purring again, as she drifted off to sleep.