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Chapter Three

The next thing I knew, someone was kicking at my door. I bolted up and swung open the door, demanding to know what the big emergency was. But upon a first look, there was no one there. I shook my head and turned around to go back to bed, but something grabbed my hand. I swung back around, my 9mm at the ready.

There was a startled squeak and then my hand was free again. I looked down in the direction of the squeak and saw a kid cowering in the doorway. Her face crumpled up and I knew the tears were coming. Oh, I so hated it when kids cried. Especially cute little blond ones. I ruffled her messy hair.

"Hey, it's ok. I didn't see you there."

Her chin was trembling and she began to sniffle. "It's dark."

"Are you lost, honey?"

She just looked up at me with her big blue eyes and whimpered. There was only one thing to do. I holstered my gun and scooped the girl into my arms. "Shush, it's all right, baby. Let's get Carter and then we can find your mommy and daddy."

She nodded eagerly. "Mommy and Daddy!"

I didn't even notice that the lost alien girl didn't speak the alien language. I took the two steps across the hall and knocked on Carter's door. She didn't answer and I wasn't about to barge in. I looked towards Teal'c's and Daniel's rooms, disappointed that some member of my team had neglected their duty. Had someone been watching, we'd at least know what direction the kid had come from. I knocked on Teal'c's door first because Daniel was no fun to wake.

If Teal'c was surprised to find me with a child in my arms, he didn't show it. "O'Neill."

The girl answered for me. "Hi!" Teal'c ignored her with a slightly irritated glare. He seemed like he didn't quite believe she was there.

"Did Carter call you when she was going to bed?" Teal'c usually followed Carter's watch.

"She did not." He looked at his watch. "It is still early. Her watch should not yet be complete."

"Yeah, well, she was in the hall when I went to sleep and no one's out here now."

"Perhaps Daniel Jackson can be of assistance."

"I was afraid you'd say that. Here." I handed the girl to Teal'c. He accepted her, but rather than holding her against his side, his arms stayed straight out in front of him, keeping her as far as possible from his body. She giggled and held her arms out in mid air. I started to laugh. Teal'c didn't have a clue, but the little girl just thought he was playing airplane. I didn't even notice then that the alien child knew how to play airplane which should have clued me in since the planet didn't have any airplanes. "Teal'c, don't tell me that's how you held your son when he was little."

"I was first prime of Apophis when Ry'ac was a child. There was little time to be at home until my son was much older than this. Raising children is women's work on Chulak."

"Don't ever let Carter hear you say that." I took the girl back into my arms. Her chubby arms wound around my neck and she nestled against me. As much as I hated to admit it, I was a sucker for kids. I really wanted to find Carter so she could be the one staring longingly at the precious girl and wishing she could keep it. I knocked on Daniel's door and, after several minutes, he opened it.

"What is it?" He yawned at me and then adjusted his glasses. "Jack, you have a little girl in your arms."

I smiled. "Yes, Daniel, I do. Where's Carter?"

He turned around and looked at his room. "She's not in here, Jack. Did you think she was?" He looked concerned, but I couldn't tell if it was because he really thought I expected Carter to be there or because he thought I was going to punch him for suggesting such a thing.

"I don't really care where Carter is, but I'd just like to find out why no one was keeping watch when this girl wandered down the hall." The girl let go of my neck and poked at Daniel's glasses, giggling to herself when he batted her hand away.

"Did you try Sam's room?"

"She didn't answer." Carter was a light sleeper, especially off-world and there was no way she'd missed my knock.

Nonetheless, I followed Daniel when he went and knocked. The little girl reached out and knocked on the wall. Daniel looked at me and shrugged. Then he opened the door, very slowly in case Carter was in there. He peeked inside and then looked at me, confusion and concern battling for control of his face. "Jack?"

The girl began to squirm and I set her down. "What, Daniel?"

"Uh, Jack-" He glanced inside the room again and looked back at me. Fear won out and he looked at me with sheer terror on his face. "Her clothes are in there, but she's not."

My heart dropped out of my chest. I don't know why I had to look for myself, but I surged past him. Sure enough, Carter's pants and jacket were crumpled in a heap next to the bed and Carter was nowhere to be found. I closed my eyes and found myself starting to panic, something I hadn't done in years. My mind was reeling with the possibility that something unspeakable had been happening to her while I was sleeping five feet away. I took a deep breath and willed myself back together. "We're going to tear this fucking place apart until we find her and then I'm going to kill the bastards that hurt her." Teal'c and Daniel didn't hesitate. They both ducked into their rooms for their weapons. I stood where I was, trying to force myself to stop shaking.

The little girl had climbed up onto Carter's bed and was jumping up and down on the mattress, squealing with each jump. I wasn't in the mood to watch a kid; I was in the mood to strangle someone. She stopped jumping and pointed at me. "You said a bad word!"

Teal'c and Daniel were at the door, awaiting my command. I didn't notice because I was too busy wondering how the little alien kid knew what a bad word was. She seemed awfully familiar, especially her giggle. My eyes locked on her big blue eyes. I noticed the way her hair fell in her face. I noticed the dimples when she smiled. I found myself thinking that if Carter had a daughter, that was exactly what she would look like. And I noticed the long black dress she was wearing - mostly that it wasn't a dress, but an adult's t-shirt.

I slumped back against the wall. "Oh my God."

Daniel looked at me. "Jack? Shouldn't we be looking for Sam?"

"Found her." I closed my eyes and shook my head. "She's right here."

Daniel looked around, trying to figure out what I was talking about. "I don't see her, Jack."

Teal'c peered over his shoulder. "Daniel Jackson is correct. Major Carter is not in this room."

I pointed at the bed. "That's her."

Daniel looked back and forth between me and Carter. Then he slowly approached her. "Hi. My name's Daniel. What's your name?" He stuck out his hand in what was probably a perfectly charming manner to her.

She reached out and shook it. "Sam."

I was too far away and Teal'c was too shocked to react when Daniel passed out. His head hit the floor with a loud thud. I shook my head. "That's going to hurt."

Teal'c stepped over Daniel and leaned down to inspect Carter. She shrank back from him. "Are you Samantha Carter?"

She stared up at him and her chin started to tremble.

"Teal'c, you're scaring her."

Teal'c looked annoyed. Well, as annoyed as he ever looks. "Would Samantha Carter not know me?"

"She's three, Teal'c. She doesn't know any of us." I stepped forward and held my arms out. Carter climbed back into them happily and stuck her thumb in her mouth. Instinctively, I reached out and pulled her hand away from her mouth. "Don't do that."

She pouted for a second and then her attention shifted to my sleeve. She pointed at my Air Force patch. "Daddy has this."

I squeezed my eyes closed. I was so not looking forward to telling Jacob I shrank his daughter. Not that I was directly responsible for it. Not that I actually had any idea how it had happened. But as I made my way back into the hall, my eyes fell on the abandoned fruit basket. The little serpent of a man had handed us fruit and I told Carter to eat it. My Sunday School teacher was probably rolling over in her grave. Yeah, I was definitely going to have to disappear before Jacob Carter ever caught wind of what had happened.