A/N: In response to LiRA... of course Jack can use a computer! After all, he was seen using a laptop in the first few episodes of the eighth season. He's not as dumb as he pretends to be you know, after all to be an officer, and to advance in rank as high is he is now, he'd have to hold some sort of degree. Does make you wonder though, just what sort of degree Jack holds. Of course, at Jack's age, computers were probably very new, or more likely he would have used a word processor to type his papers. Although I suspect Jack is the type that would have either paid someone to type his, or used a typewriter, so I suspect his computer skills came later. I'd have to watch the episode again, but I think Jack was actually typing too, not just hunting the right keys.

Northern Exposure was a sitcom that ran on CBS Monday nights from the summer of 1990 until it was cancelled in 94-95 after the shows star, Rob Morrow left. The reason I brought it up is that in the opening song, there was this large moose wandering around the town while the theme song played. I remember watching it early on, but don't remember too much about it, my mother tended to watch it more. I was in high school at the time, and I suppose there were more interesting things on TV to watch lol. But I do remember that moose.

Jack hit the print button, impatiently waiting for the paper to print. He noted that the message had been received last night, while he'd been out enjoying himself, and had likely sat around all day, unread. He could kick himself later, right now, he had to find the rest of SG-1, and tell Hammond. Jack grabbed the printout and ran from the room. Carter had to be ok, or he'd never forgive himself.

Chapter 59

Jack pulled his large black truck into a space across the street from correct address, putting it in park. Daniel had already opened the passenger door and Teal'c was clambering out after before he even had his seatbelt unbuckled.

"Daniel, Teal'c, wait up." Jack halted the two, who were already halfway across the quiet street.

The two men looked at him questioningly when Jack didn't cross the street and stayed beside the truck. "Look," he said to their puzzled looks, "we're going to need some sort of cover story."

Realization dawned on both their faces. As much as they wanted to, they just couldn't go barging in, on the explanation that a cat, which was probably the family pet to the people in the house, had sent them an email asking for a ride home.

"Perhaps we can say we are looking for our lost pet, like the advertisement we left in Daniel Jackson's name." Teal'c made a good suggestion. But...

"But what if they didn't find Sam here? Last we heard, she was in Texas, south of here. Why would she overshoot? Likely, whoever lives here picked her up along the way." Daniel saw by the looks of understanding on both men's faces that he had made his point.

Teal'c and Daniel started to suggest various cover stories, and debate the merits of each, but Jack was no longer paying attention. His gaze was now focused on something else.

A little brown haired boy, who looked to be about seven or eight, had just come around the back of the house in question. He looked for all the world, like he had just lost his best friend. Suddenly, Jack knew he didn't need a cover story.

Jack approached the little boy, keeping a discreet distance so as not to startle him when he noticed the stranger's scrutiny. The boy was now attacking the tree out front with a stick.

"Watch out, I've heard that bark can bite you know." The boy jumped, startled, looking up with wide eyes.

Jack crouched in front the sidewalk, motioning for Daniel and Teal'c, who had finally noticed he was missing, to stay where they were. Jack picked up a stick and idly started drawing figures in the dirt.

"So sport, why the long face." Jack had a sneaking suspicion as to what had the little guy down, but he was still holding out hope.

"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers." The little boy watched him distrustfully, making no move to come closer.

"Colonel Jack O'Neill, United State Air Force. And you are?" Jack cocked his head to the side, and hid his smile of amusement as the little boys eyes widened.

"You're in the Air Force? No way! Do you fly airplanes?" Jack smiled openly now, this little guy reminding him a lot of Charlie. "Oh, I'm Brian." The youngster added as an afterthought.

"Sure am, and sure do fly planes. Well Brian, what's got you down?" Jack repeated his question.

Brian seemed to think about it a minute, his knowledge that he wasn't supposed to talk to strangers, warring with the fact that this man was in the Air Force, which was totally cool. At school they showed that strangers were creepy looking bad people. This man looked like an uncle, he wasn't creepy looking at all. And besides, he had introduced himself, so they weren't really strangers anymore.

Decided, Brian moved to sit down across from the man. "Well mister..." he started.

"Call me Jack." The man's face was kind.

"Ok, Jack." Brian beamed. He was on first name basis with someone that actually flew planes. Wait until his friends found out! And then he remembered why he was outside attacking the tree in the first place. He wasn't sure if he wanted to tell the man about it though, he might think Brian was just a baby, getting all teary eyed like a girl over a missing cat.

Jack noticed the change of expression, and saw the vacillation in the young boy's eyes. Jack decided to start with a story of his own. "I had this cat, a really amazing cat. She was really smart too, could do stuff that regular cats couldn't do. One day, while I was on vacation with some friends, she got out. I've still been looking for her. I really miss her."

The boy was watching him intently, eyes wide. "Really sir, uh I mean Jack?"

Jack smiled at Brian. "Really."

Suddenly, Brian didn't feel so embarrassed to be missing his cat, and the words all came tumbling out in a rush. "Me too. I don't know where she is, we were having so much fun, and she was the best cat ever. Even though my little sister liked to dress her up in doll clothes. Mom and Dad said she ran away, out the window. I don't know why she ran away, I thought she liked me. Maybe she didn't like how my baby brother pulled her tail. Dad was really mad, he said he spent a lot of money and now it was gone, and mom said she had to pay for the vet, something about getting Dragon uhm," Brian faltered over the word. "Uhm, spaded I think." The rush of words came to a halt as Brian looked up questioningly.

"Spayed?" Jack supplied the word, sudden horror gripping him. Oh god, they had no idea...

"Yeah, that." Brian nodded, and continued his tale. "Anyway, mom was real upset, she had to call the vet and say she couldn't come and still had to pay money. I don't understand why. All I know is Dragon is gone, and I want her to come home." Brian looked up, tears brimming, threatening to fall at any moment down his dirt streaked face.

Dragon, that was the second time the little boy had referred to the cat by that name. Jack smiled, thinking of his 2IC as a "Dragon." And doll clothes? Hmmm... Jack filed that one away for later. He still needed confirmation though, that Brian's Dragon was really Carter. "So, Brian. What did Dragon look like? She wasn't by any chance sort of yellow, with stripes, and blue eyes?"

Brian's eyes grew wide. "How did you know mister? I mean Jack."

"That's what my cat looked like too. I've been looking a long time for her." Jack's thought's turned the recent revelation over in his mind. Carter had been here, but Brian's parents were going to have surgery done on her. She had probably found out after the email, or maybe that's why she had sent the message, although the short note hadn't indicated anything dire was about to occur. Jack berated himself again, if only...

Brian seemed to notice Jack's faraway look. Sensing a kindred spirit, Brian reached out in a way only a child could. "Maybe your cat will find a way to come home. Mom and Dad say maybe Dragon will come home too. I hope so." Brian looked wistful.

Jack couldn't help smiling softly, as he reached over and tousled the small boy's hair. "I hope so too Brian. You better go in before your mother misses you."

Brian looked startled, and jumped to his feet, starting back into the house, he'd been out a long time and he still had homework to do! Turning around suddenly, Brian thrust out his hand. "Thanks Jack."

Jack took the smaller hand in his larger, callused one. "You too Brian. It was nice meeting you."

Brian tossed a grin over his shoulder as he ran back to the house. Jack unfolded his legs from the ground, his knee protesting, and rejoined Teal'c and Daniel, filling them in on the details he'd learned. Both were both equally horrified at the thought of how close Sam had come to being surgically "altered" and agreed she had likely escaped to prevent it from happening. They were just as disappointed as Jack was however, that they had missed Sam so closely yet again. But at least they knew she'd escaped in time, and they hoped she was on her way home.

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Sam charged down the street, ducking into a nearby deserted alley, her prize, a wrapped hamburger, clutched in her teeth. Sam ducked around a dumpster and caught her breath. It had been close, but the diversion the toddler had created by spilling his drink had been too tempting for her to refuse, after spending the last two days of her trek to Denver with very little to eat. After the week of table scraps with the family, it had been hard going back to lean pickings. Sam suspected that any weight she'd started to gain back had been lost already. Her fur was already a mess, thanks to the frequent rain; there was plenty of mud along the way.

But she had made it to Denver. Sam had decided to walk the rest of the way home from Boulder, her earlier bad experiences with catching rides making her leery or another mishap. She was so close; she really didn't want to end up shooting way past her goal. Sam estimated that it would take her about another week on foot to get home.

Sam flipped her burger over, using her paws and teeth to open the wrapper. It smelled so good! Just as she was about to eat, a shadow fell over her. Sam looked up into enormous yellow teeth, a gaping maw pulled back into a snarl. Instinctively she backed up, startled when she hit the metal side of the dumpster. A second shadow joined the first, and this dog was even bigger than the first. Then Sam noticed several more large dogs behind the first two. Suddenly, the thought of giving up the burger and they would let her alone didn't seem feasible. They would just eat the burger and have a nice little tasty cat for dessert. Sam had no way to tell the dogs that she was probably stringy and not very tasty, skinny as she was now.

The first dog was sniffing the burger, and Sam was startled when it sniffed her, growling. She shrank back, desperately looking for some way, any way, out. Sam closed her eyes, feeling the dog's smelly hot breath on her face. She braced for the moment it would bite her head off, when something jumped in between her and the menacing monster.

Eyes wide in shock, Sam watched stunned as the newcomer stood over her and the hamburger, growling, threatening the big ugly dog, which was obviously the pack leader. And then, Sam noticed an opening. Abandoning the dogs to the imminent fight, and deciding the hamburger wasn't worth her life, Sam ran for it, darting under legs and narrowly missing snapping jaws. Sam darted through a hole in a fence and down random streets, entering what looked like a park before her legs could go no further.

Collapsing under a footbridge, Sam closed her eyes, and tried to slow her breathing. After several minutes, Sam's eyes flew open when something landed in front of her with a soft plop. Her wide eyes stared in bewilderment at the somewhat mangled looking but intact hamburger. And then she looked up... and up... into the big brown eyes and wide-open mouth of an enormous black lab. The labs tongue looked bigger than her whole body. Sam backed away slowly, surprised when the dog didn't follow her. In fact, it flopped down on the other side of the burger, and regarded her quizzically, its tongue lolling out the side of its mouth with an unmistakable doggie grin.

Sam blinked. She recognized the huge black dog as the one that had come between her and the pack leader, and had allowed her escape. What she didn't understand is why it had followed her here. And even more puzzling, why it hadn't just gobbled up the burger, or why it wasn't eating it now. As big as the animal was, it could probably just inhale the hamburger in one bite.

Several minutes later, and the two continued to stare at each other. The big dog had flopped over on its side, staring at her sideways, almost playfully. Sam hadn't budged. Finally, it was the smell of the hamburger and Sam's growling stomach that decided her.

Moving cautiously, Sam crept forward. When the dog made no move, she gained confidence enough to snag an edge of the paper (the dog had brought everything) and pulled it away, back to the relative safety under the bridge. The dog merely watched her. Never taking her eyes off the dog, Sam ate. She was full after nearly half the burger was gone. The dog hadn't left, but he was now looking at her with a hopeful expression on his face, the doggie grin bigger than ever, as if sensing she was done eating.

Well... she was done with the burger after all. Maybe she could slip away while the big animal ate what was left? Sam grabbed the paper again and dragged the rest of the burger back, leaving it in front of the dog. The remaining half disappeared in a flash, before Sam even had time to move away. The dog leapt to his feet and Sam moved back. But the dog only sniffed her, his breath wuffling in her fur. And then he licked her. Several times, before bounding away. Sam's ears went flat. Eew. Dog spit.

The dog was several yards away, and woofed playfully, he seemed to want her to follow him. But he was going in the wrong direction. As grateful as Sam was for whatever had made the dog share its meal with her, she wasn't about to tempt fate. Sam turned, and headed out of the park.

As Sam headed back down the sidewalk, she was startled when the big black lab bounded up beside her, the ever present doggie grin on his face, his tongue still lolling out the side of his mouth, big laughing brown eyes watching her. Sam turned onto the side street she needed to get on and was only mildly surprised when the dog walked with her. Experimentally, she made another random turn, and another. The dog stuck with her. Sam sat down suddenly, catching the dog off guards. He walked several feet ahead of her before stopping, and turning around, barking playfully at her.

Sam shook her head in resignation. It looked like, for whatever reason, she now had a traveling companion. Sam stood, and started on her way home again, the large black lab falling in step beside her.

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A/N: I hope I haven't made the dog too unbelievable. I don't know much about dogs, but I know labs can be very intelligent, and very trainable. I have some friends who gave me info on labs because of their work in lab rescue (They've adopted at least three of their fosterlings that I last heard) They are used as hunt dogs since they can be trained bring back the prey without destroying it like other dogs, as well as used by police for search and rescue, drug sniffing, and as guide dogs for the blind. They are gentle, playful, and very energetic. But even well trained animals sadly find their way to pounds and getting dumped off somewhere, so I think it feasible that out new hero might just be one of those. He was just bringing Sam back her "prey." ï