A/N: In case you missed it, Author's rant in chapter 53 was replaced with the real chapter 53, "Ribs, Brawls, and Buses". Although FanFic ate my title, and also ate the titles to the first 12 or so chapters as well. Why me?
A/N (2): Oops... evil author has a confession to make lol! I looked at the mapquest, and followed the major highways back to Colorado Springs, and chose likely looking destinations for Sam. When I saw Las Vegas along I-40, which I'd chosen to send Sam along, I was like oooo too cool, can't pass that up! I was originally going to send her to Albuquerque. Anyway, I just now realized that the Las Vegas I picked for Sam to go to is actually in New Mexico! And not the Las Vegas I was thinking of at all, which is actually hundreds of miles in the wrong direction! How embarrassing. Especially since I've flown to Las Vegas airport last year (never actually been to the city) so I knew it was in Nevada, and I knew that Alberquirky is in New Mexico. So anyways, I goofed. Please excuse my mental fart. I've reposted the chapter again, changing Sam's destination to Santa Fe. As to what a busload of old ladies are doing going there... I don't know, maybe they are hiking? Heh. There is also gambling, sight seeing, they might be going to a meeting of the Red Hat Society for all we know... (Had actually thought about having them all wearing their purple dresses and red hats lol) The ladies came into existence because they were going to Las Vegas, like the groups of women from the church group that go on bus trips here to Atlantic City and Dover Downs. I figured busloads of ladies gambling were pretty universal. Lol. So now that they are going elsewhere, you'll just have to imagine what they might be doing lol.
Wasting no more time, Sam leapt, making a beeline for the door as she heard the unmistakable thwap of the handbag connecting with someone's head. The shrieks and shouts Sam caused as she ducked over, under and around the occupants of the bus and out the open door did nothing to hide the howls of fury from the now extremely perturbed owner of one very ugly furry hat.
Chapter 54
Daniel looked down at the image in front of him and frowned, absently rubbing at his temple. So close... Yet the solution eluded him. The ruins SG-11 had found in the neighboring system had helped solve the translation for the most part, but it was the nuances that continued to puzzle him and the rest of his team. Several of what he and the scientists working on the project believed to be controls for the device could be translated in several different ways. They'd requested to return to the planet, but until they had a better idea of what the controls were for, Hammond refused to allow any team access. He didn't want anyone else to accidentally activate the machine again.
He looked up, momentarily startled at a knock on the doorframe to his office. In the doorway, Teal'c stood, holding something. "Yeah Teal'c?" Daniel invited.
"Daniel Jackson, you must turn on channel 11. It is of great importance." Not giving Daniel a chance to respond, Teal'c entered the room and crossed to the TV while Daniel was still puzzling out the man's odd request.
"Uh, sure Teal'c. You wanna tell me what this is about?" Daniel pushed his glasses up and watched while Teal'c turned on the television to the correct channel, then put in the tape he was carrying and pressed record. Daniel frowned in confusion.
"It will soon become apparent, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c merely stepped back, and stood with his hands clasped behind his back, watching the commercials. Daniel sighed, leaving his translations and went to stand next to the Jaffa, his arms crossed over his chest. Teal'c would not interrupt him if it weren't important.
The commercials ended, and the news went back on, covering the top stories. Daniel glanced at Teal'c, who was still watching the screen impassively. Back at the anchor desk, the anchorwoman was now introducing the channel's "Picture of the Day." Daniel listened with half interest, still puzzling out the translations in his head.
"In Amarillo, Texas, an altercation between two customers to the Golden Corral Buffet escalated into a full scale food fight among over 60 patrons, leaving nearly $1000 in damages. Security camera's caught the scene." The view on screen changed to some poor quality security tape, and Daniel watched with mild amusement as a woman and man collided, food flying everywhere. They were obviously arguing, as the woman grabbed something off a table to throw at the man. That's when Daniel saw what had gotten Teal'c to come seek him out. Down in the corner of the screen, a small pale striped cat darted out from under a table, snatched up something that had fallen, and darted for the exit just as a full-scale brawl erupted in the restaurant.
The anchorwoman was talking again, but Daniel was busy staring at the screen in open-mouthed amazement. Blinking several times, Daniel turned to Teal'c, who was now ejecting the tape from the VCR. "Uh, Teal'c, we better find Jack."
meowmeowmeowmeowmeowmeowmeowmeowmeowmeowmeowmeowmeow
Sam yawned and stretched, the heat was still oppressive even in the shade of the trees she'd found near the rest area she was at, not far outside of Santa Fe.
Sam watched in amusement as a couple with a little girl and a little boy tumbled out of an overloaded SUV and went running up to the restrooms, the parents following more sedately discussing the boxed lunch they'd bought at a nearby shop to have at the picnic site, the father was carrying a sleepy toddler. Then Sam noticed the license plates on the SUV, and her heart fluttered in her chest. It couldn't be? Sam felt like she hadn't seen Colorado plates in so long.
She approached the car carefully, moving up and standing on her back legs to touch the plate with her paw assuring herself of its solidity. Sam berated herself for being silly, still she felt much better knowing it was real. It actually said Colorado. But she quickly reminded herself, that it wouldn't matter if the parking lot was full of cars with Colorado license plates, if she couldn't get aboard one.
Pacing around the SUV, Sam examined it from every angle. She couldn't check the door to see if it were locked, but all the windows were rolled up so no getting in that way. It wouldn't be safe for her to stow aboard the luggage rack, even with the bikes secured up on top and on the back. Looks like the family had been vacationing.
Sam looked up as the family came out of the rest station, heading over to the picnic tables, the woman now held the hand of the smallest child, while the older two children ran ahead. The man followed behind now carrying the large picnic basket the woman had been carrying before. Sam decided to move in closer, so she could hear their conversation. She slipped unnoticed under the table, the family intent on unwrapping sandwiches and passing out chips and things.
"Boulder never sounded so good before now Alice." Sam was just in time to hear the man speak, and her heart skipped a beat. Boulder was just north of Denver, and only a few hours from home!
The woman laughed. "I'm ready for a good long soak in the tub. Its been a great vacation though, I'm glad your boss let us use his cabin for the weekend!"
"Are we going home Daddy?" The little boy asked. "'Cos I don't wanna go home yet! Its been too much fun!"
"No Tiger, we won't be home for a few more days, we still have a few things to see!" Sam saw the man tousle the little boy's hair, and he ducked, as the children cheered at their dad's pronouncement. The little boy was cute with brown hair and blue eyes. Sam liked him almost immediately.
"Brian, Ginny, eat your sandwiches, or Daddy is going to have this whole pie to himself!" The mother chided them gently, and the kids applied themselves to their meals.
While the family ate, Sam was busy thinking. She could wait and try to sneak onboard the truck while they were all busy loading up things and kids, and hope she didn't get caught. Or she could try the open approach. Sam decided. At least if she tried to enter openly, she could have the covert plan as backup. Always a Plan B, at least that's what the Colonel always said.
Deciding that the children were the weakest link, but not wanting to frighten the parents by getting too close, Sam slipped out from under the table, and did her best to look pathetic and half starved, which by this point in her travels, wasn't very hard to act.
"Mrowow?" She said, widening her eyes and looking longingly at the food.
"Mommy it's a kitty cat!" Exclaimed the little girl.
Brian chimed in with "He's hungry!"
"Mrow?" Sam said again, this time raising a paw up, before she plopped down on her side, looking up sideways at the parents.
"Skinny little thing. Wonder if someone left him here? Can't stand it when people dump their pets when it gets to be inconvenient." The man said. Sam decided to ignore the mix up in sex. At least she was getting their sympathy.
"It's probably got all sorts of diseases Ted." The woman was biting her lip and Sam could tell she'd be hard to win over.
"Can I give him some of my sandwich Mom? Please? He looks so hungry!" The little boy was now looking up at his mother with pleading eyes. Sam knew that look from her niece and nephew really well. Score one for the starving cat!
"Please Mommy, he can have mine too!" Ginny was holding up her leftover half of sandwich now too.
"Mine too, pwease!" The toddler was giggling and pounding his fists. "Kitty hungry! Hungry kitty!"
Alice looked at her husband, clearly outnumbered as the kids begged and bounced in their seats. Ted shrugged and rolled his eyes, no help. Sam started to purr. Kick 'em while they were down.
"I guess it won't hurt..." Alice started, but the kids just cheered and raced to drop their leftovers in front of Sam. "Wait!" The kids stopped, and Sam forced herself to stay still. "Don't touch him, just put the food down. He might be scared. Just be real slow and quiet, there' that's right."
The kids stopped their charge and dropped the sandwiches down a few feet from her and backed away at their parents urging, the toddler chortling and chanting "Hungry Kitty!" over and over.
Sam stood and stretched lazily, giving off a soft "Meh," as she approached the offering. Sniffing, she could smell ham and turkey and cheese. Daintily, she ate the offering, and then surprised the woman by wrapping herself around Alice's ankles and purring loudly. Then she plopped down a few feet away and washed her face, like she'd seen Schroedinger do, trying to literally ooze cuteness. Sam wasn't sure if it was working, they didn't really offer courses in training on acting cute. Cute probably wasn't even a word used in the training manuals. Sam could just see it. "Overwhelm you enemy with cuteness." Sam dragged herself back to reality. Act cute. She batted at a long blade of grass and widened her eyes, before going in for another rub and retreating again.
"She likes you mommy!" Piped up Brian.
"I guess so." Alice was noncommittal, and continued to watch her.
Pie was passed around and Sam cheered silently when the tin was placed not far from her on the ground in open invitation. Sam took the offering gladly, if nothing else, at least she'd gotten a meal.
The little boy was frowning down at his pie, a deep look of concentration on his small face. "Mommy, Daddy, why would someone dump the kitty cat here? Didn't they want him? Didn't they know he'd be hungry and alone?"
Both parents looked surprised, as they shared looks. Sam listened attentively. This was even better than she could have hoped! Ted took a stab at explaining a difficult fact of life.
"Well Tiger, sometimes people don't think about stuff like that. They probably thought he could take care of himself, there's lots of birds and mice and things for him to eat and grass to roll in... and well, some people just don't care much."
Brian frowned as he thought about it. "That just seems wrong Dad."
"Yeah, poor Kitty Cat." Ginny wasn't eating anymore either and was listening to the conversation.
"I know Dad, why don't we take him home! We can feed him and he won't be lonely or scared anymore! He can share my room! Wait til I tell Billy..." Brian had a big grin on his face.
"Whoa! Nobody said anything about getting a cat!" Alice glared at her husband. Somehow, this was all his fault.
"Awwwww." Both kids were disappointed. "Please mommy? We'll clean our rooms and do our chores and..." The list trailed off as it turned into outright begging and pleading. The littlest one chimed in with "Wan' Kitty! Wan' Kitty!"
Alice was now glaring at Sam, who just rolled over onto her back, sticking out her paws, and leaving her belly wide open as if inviting a caress. Hey, it worked for Schroedinger!
"Maybe we can find a vet nearby, get him checked out? We were talking about getting a D-O-G after all." Ted was caving in. "We used to have cats when I was little, wouldn't mind having one now."
Alice looked from Sam, to her husband, and to the kids that were now silent and watching her. They knew she had the say.
"Oh alright." She held up a finger before the kids could get too excited. "IF we find a vet, and get him checked out, and IF he'll come with us. I don't want any of you kids touching it until he's all checked out, hear me?"
A chorus of "Yes Mommy" and a "Wan' Kitty" answered her proclamation, and Sam rejoiced. She was getting adopted!
In short order a phone book and nearby vet willing to see them on short notice had been located, and Sam had been enticed into an empty box. Sam had gone willingly into the "trap" baited with bits of meat and leftovers. She did remember to act the part of a cat and meowed and scratched on the box lid a bit, but nothing could dampen her elation at the recent turn of events, not even a vet visit! She was going home!