"NO!" JJ shouted. "We're not going anywhere with you!" At JJ's shout, Poppy began to bark loudly and angrily. Grace's eyes widened in fright at the fearsome noise from her pet and the threatening stance of the two strangers.
All three children took a few tentative steps backwards. As the men slowly followed, JJ turned to Grace and Billy and shouted, "Run!"
Chapter 23 – Band of Brothers
The children turned and fled, Billy unconsciously grabbing for Grace's hand as he raced along the path. At the quick movement of the children, Poppy's barking kicked up a notch. JJ tried to tug her along with him while he clumsily ran backwards, but she would barely budge. She just kept straining at her leash and barking furiously at the men, anxious to be let loose and get these men away from her little people. Somehow, Poppy knew that she was in charge of keeping them safe and she would give her all to do just that.
JJ's heart began to beat furiously as he tugged at the dog, pleading with her to come, while he continued to move backwards. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Billy and Grace round the bend in the path and disappear from sight. Part of him was glad they were out of trouble, but another part of him wished he wasn't alone. He was, in fact, very, very scared.
The shorter man saw JJ's gaze follow his sister and his friend. "Well, looks like they left without you, JJ. But that's OK," he shrugged. "You're the one we really want." He nodded to his partner and the two men split apart, slowly circling the barking dog and the frightened boy. "Now, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Your choice."
----
From the picnic area where he was searching, Jack heard a dog begin to bark frantically. His head swung in the direction of the sound, his heart beginning to drum loudly in his chest. There was no mistaking that bark; that was Poppy and it sounded as if she was near the stream. Jack knew the area well for his girls loved to spend time there, looking at fish, frogs and the errant duck or two. Knowing how secluded the area was, Jack spun on his heel and headed in the direction of the noise, not even feeling the pain in his knees as he ran toward the ever increasing sound of barking.
Sam too heard the barking as soon as it began. She took off at a dead run from her search by the playground. She raced toward the barking dog, pulling out her radio and calling Teal'c and Daniel as she did so. Teal'c was closer than Daniel and replied that he would be there immediately.
Sam cut across the grass, dodging strollers, balls and little children. Out of the corner of her eye, she spied Jack doing the same. She was several yards ahead of him and knew she would reach the stream first. She leapt over a low bush and began running up the path that would led her to the stream and, she hoped, her children. Sam was just rounding a bend in the path, still several yards ahead of Jack, when she literally ran into Grace and Billy. She stopped them from plummeting to the ground by grabbing them by the arms and holding them upright.
Grace looked up into her mother's face, her breath heaving in her chest and tears streaming down her cheeks. "Mom..my?"
"Grace! Oh my God, are you all right?" Sam released Billy and squatted in front of her daughter, her eyes roving over the little girl as she looked for any obvious signs of injury. Seeing none, she looked beyond Grace and frowned worriedly. "Where's JJ?"
The little girl's voice wobbled as fresh tears coursed down her cheeks. "There is…scary men…mom..my. We…doesn't…know who…they is!"
Jack reached the trio now and dropped to his knees in front of Grace. He grabbed her shoulders from Sam's grasp and spun her toward him. "Grace, where is JJ?" he repeated Sam's question a bit more forcefully.
Grace was now crying too hard to answer him, but Billy, who still held Grace's hand tightly in his own, pointed back the way they had come. "He's still…back there, sir. We were…supposed to…run together but…Poppy…wouldn't come," the boy stated breathlessly. He fought to contain his own tears, but the frightened tone in his voice was unmistakable.
Jack quickly got to his feet. He pushed the children back toward Sam. "Take them back to the car and call the SGC. See if Matthews is on his way here with his team." With a steely look of determination, he took off down the path.
Sam's eyes followed her husband, wanting to go with him but also realizing the necessity to get the other two children to safety. As Grace continued to sob, Sam bent and picked her up. Billy's hand drop to his side with the change in position. The little girl wrapped her arms around her mother's neck and her legs around her waist. She sobbed loudly into Sam's shoulder. "I…want…JJ!"
"Shh, baby. Daddy will get him," she said reassuringly as she rubbed her daughter's back. She held out her hand to Billy and gave him a tremulous smile. "Come on Billy, let's go wait for JJ by the car." Billy hesitated for a moment before taking her hand, glancing back the way they had come. He wondered to himself if perhaps he should have stayed with his friend instead of running off with Grace. Sam, watching the child's gaze wander back down the path, said quietly, "He'll be all right Billy. You did the right thing, getting Grace out of there." She squeezed his hand and gave him a grateful smile. "Besides, Poppy won't let JJ get hurt." Billy nodded absently then began to follow her down the path.
They had only gone a few steps when Teal'c appeared as if out of nowhere. The large man wasn't even breathing hard as he quickly took in the scene before him. "Jonathon Jacob?" he asked with one eyebrow raised.
Sam cant her head backwards, indicating the direction he should go. Her eyes sent a silent message to him, which he correctly received. Bowing his head slightly in acknowledgement, Teal'c stepped around the small group and took off in the direction of the barking dog. As he ran, Sam saw him reach into the waistband of his pants and pull out a Zat. She closed her eyes and sent up a prayer that JJ would be safe.
-----
Jack crouched behind the bushes and took stock of the situation. His fatherly instinct was to rush in, gun blazing, and shoot the bastards dead before they could get any closer to his son. The former commanding officer, however, was waging a war with the father to stay put for a moment and access his position. The officer won out, but just barely. He knew he'd have back-up in the form of Teal'c or Daniel in a matter of minutes, so knew he must be prudent in his actions.
Hand tight around the base of the Zat in his hand, Jack watched the two men closely. Thus far, they were slowly maneuvering their way around JJ, trying to distract the dog so that one of them could grab JJ. The one thing Jack was relieved to see was that neither man had pulled out a weapon. He knew they would shoot the dog first if it came to that, then would swoop down on the little boy before he knew what happened. Jack was not about to let either scenario happen.
Poppy was holding them at bay, however. Charging forward first toward one, then the other, she was the picture of a fearsome watchdog. Teeth bared and alternating between barking and growling, she kept the men from the young boy. JJ stood in the middle, eyes wide with fright and uncertainty. "Atta girl, Poppy. You keep them distracted for just a bit longer," Jack muttered. His heart ached at the fear he saw in his son's eyes. Just a bit longer, little buddy. I'll get you out of this.
From the corner of his eye, Jack saw a dark figure on the other side of the path. The unmistakable form of Teal'c hunkered down behind the bushes and looked over at him expectantly. Jack felt a weight lift in relief that his back-up had arrived so quickly. He glanced back at the, until now, docile family pet. Thank God for the dog, Jack thought to himself. She almost provides a better distraction than a shitload of C4!
Jack caught Teal'c's eye and made a circular motion with his index finger. Teal'c nodded back, then hunkered down to circle the perimeter of the clearing next to the stream. In a matter of minutes, they were in position to strike.
-----
JJ's head moved back and forth between the two men, trying to keep an eye on both of them while at the same time he tried to move Poppy up the path. The dog, however, wasn't budging an inch.
The shorter of the two men grinned menacingly. "Not going to work there, young man. Why don't you just calm the dog down before someone gets hurt…like her." He pulled a gun from inside his suit coat and aimed it directly at Poppy. JJ's eyes widened in fear.
"No!" he shouted as he held up his hands and moved to get in front of his pet. "Don't shoot her. Please, don't shoot her!" Tears began to form in his eyes at the thought of Poppy being killed. "I'll…I'll come with you. Just don't… don't hurt my dog," he pleaded.
The man waved his gun toward a nearby tree. "Tie her to that tree. Then walk slowly toward me and I won't shot her."
JJ nodded his understanding and slowly pulled Poppy back with him toward the oak tree that stood silently next to the stream. From his spot off to JJ's left, Jack watched. As his son neared the tree, he whispered, "Just a bit more JJ. Back away just a bit more." He wanted a clear shot at the two goons who had threatened his son, but didn't want JJ caught in the cross fire.
Just as JJ reached the tree, Jack signaled to Teal'c' and the two men stood as one. The two thugs started in surprise at the sudden appearance of the men. Fear quickly replaced surprise as recognition of who these two men were dawned in their eyes. Without a word of warning, two blue charges were emitted and the would-be kidnappers fell to the ground. They writhed in pain for a few moments before succumbing to unconsciousness.
With the sudden appearance of his father and his Uncle, JJ had pressed himself against the tree and held tightly to Poppy's leash, though the dog continued to strain toward the action His eyes had widened in amazement at the strange guns his father and uncle held and the blue light that seemed to zap across the clearing and down the men instantaneously. The dog's angry barks had lessened, but not completely died away, until she saw her two foes drop suddenly to the ground. Poppy cocked her head to the side and stared down at the fallen men, perhaps thinking that she had finally scared them into submission. The dog looked across the clearing to her master and thumped her tail slowly in greeting.
When the men stopped writhing on the ground and fell still, Jack put his gun back into the waistband of his pants, nodded at Teal'c, then turned and hurried over to JJ. Without a word, he sank to his knees and drew the little boy close. JJ dropped the dog's leash and began to sob as he fell into the safety and comfort of his father's arms. His own arms tightened around Jack's neck and he buried his face even deeper into the space between his father's neck and shoulder.
Jack bowed his head and clung to the little boy, his own eyes filling with tears. He couldn't believe how close he had come to losing JJ. Jack's right hand cradled JJ's head while his left held him tightly around the waist. After a few moments, he whispered, "It's all over JJ. You're safe now." His hand ran up and down lightly over JJ's back, trying to calm the little boy. Poppy stayed pressed to JJ's side, her snout nuzzling into the little boy's side as she too tried to offer comfort to her young master.
After a while, JJ's sobs died down and he pulled back to look at his father. "I tried to get away, daddy, I really did," he sniffled his disappointment in himself. "But Poppy wouldn't come. I made Grace and Billy run. I wanted to follow them, but I couldn't." He rubbed his hand across his eyes to wipe away the tears.
Jack moved his hands to the boy's shoulders. "Hey. None of this is your fault, JJ. In fact, I'm very proud of you." When JJ looked at him questioningly, he continued. "You got your sister and Billy out of here and you stood your ground with two goons who were much bigger than you." He looked back at the men who still lay silently on the ground and gave them a glare. Turning back, he said, "But they certainly aren't smarter than you buddy; not by a long shot." He ruffled JJ's hair and gave him a comforting smile.
JJ smiled back slightly, then asked worriedly. "Are they OK?"
Knowing his son was referring to his little sister and his friend, he gave the boy's shoulders a squeeze. "They're fine. They're both with your mom, waiting for us in the parking lot."
JJ nodded his relief, then turned toward Poppy. "Poppy was really brave, daddy. She wouldn't back down from those two men. She kept them away from me."
Jack smiled and patted the dog's head, earning himself a happy lick across the cheek. He grimaced and wiped his face. "Yes, our Poppy was something else. We'll have to make sure she gets a big treat tonight, won't we?" JJ smiled faintly and nodded in agreement.
Both of them turned to look when Teal'c called out, "O'Neill."
The two men had started to stir. Jack stood, taking JJ's hand in his as they moved away from the tree. Poppy followed behind, her leash held once again by JJ. As they neared the men, she began to growl deep in her throat. "Tie their hands, T," Jack ordered harshly. Teal'c nodded and did as instructed, binding the men's hands tightly behind their backs.
JJ looked up at his father. "Daddy? Why did those two men want me? They said they didn't want Grace or Billy; just me."
Jack looked down at his son, his face filling with regret. "It has to do with the Stargate, JJ." He looked up at Teal'c, then back to his son. Sighing, he said, "We'll talk about it later, OK buddy?" JJ nodded his head in agreement. Though he was a bit curious what the Stargate had to do with all of this, he really didn't want to think about these men any longer; at least for a while.
"Daddy?"
Jack looked back down at JJ. "Yeah?"
"How did you know?" The little boy looked pointedly at the men on the ground.
Jack thought for a moment before he answered. "Let's just say, a good friend gave us a head's up. And then your mom remembered that you might be walking Poppy in the park, so we came here right away." He bent down to scratch the dog behind the ears. "Of course, Poppy did her part in letting us know where you were with all that barking." The two O'Neill's smiled as they patted the dog together.
Just then Daniel burst in on the scene. He came to a skidding stop beside Jack and looked at the bound men on the ground in confusion. "Late as usual, Space Monkey," Jack stated with a wry shake of his head.
Daniel gave his friend an apologetic glance, then looked down at JJ and rested a hand on his shoulder. "You OK, JJ?" he asked breathlessly. When JJ nodded, Daniel looked back to Jack. "Sam just heard from Colonel Matthews. Their ETA is two minutes."
Jack nodded. "Good." He looked pointedly down at JJ. "I want you to take JJ back to Sam, then bring Matthews team here. We're going to need some help transporting them," he indicated the men on the ground with a nod of his head. His eyes hardened once again when he looked down at the two men, who were now blinking their eyes in confusion.
"OK," Daniel replied, drawing Jack's attention back to him. Daniel gave JJ an encouraging smile. "Come on JJ. Your mom is anxious to see you." JJ looked up at his father, who nodded his encouragement.
JJ dropped his hand from his father's grasp. "Do you want Poppy, dad? Just in case…" he nodded at the two men as his father had done just moments ago. Jack exchanged a look of amusement with Teal'c, who had not moved from his position over the two men.
"I think Uncle T and I can handle it, buddy. Besides, I'm sure Grace is going to want to see that both you and Poppy are OK," he smiled down at the boy. "Not to mention your mother." The two smiled once more at each other, then JJ turned and walked side by side with Daniel down the path and toward the parking lot where Sam was waiting anxiously.
Jack followed thier progress with his eyes until the boy was out of sight, then turned back to the two men on the ground. His face changed from one of relief to furious anger in a heartbeat. As he resolutely approached the two men, hands clenched at his sides, Teal'c stepped forward to block his progress.
"Teal'c," Jack warned in a low voice.
"O'Neill. I do not believe you wish to injure these men before they can provide information concerning their attempts to abduct Jonathan Jacob. That would be most unwise, do you not agree?"
Clenching his jaw, Jack waited a few moments before reluctantly nodding in agreement. "Until we have information, yes. But after that…"
"Then I will assist you in meting out the proper punishment for their actions, O'Neill."
The two men looked at each other, a silent agreement passing between them. These men would pay for what they had put three innocent children through; there was no doubt about it.
-----
Sam was standing in the parking lot talking to the members of SG-12 when she heard a voice that made her spin around quickly. Running down the path toward her was JJ, Poppy galloping along beside him. Daniel followed at a more sedate pace and waved at her once he caught her eye. Sam abruptly left Colonel Matthews and ran toward her son; her only thought now on JJ. Grace and Billy, who had been sitting in the car with the doors open, flew out of the car and followed her down the path. In the space of a heartbeat, all three of them were surrounding JJ and Poppy, talking at once and hugging tightly. Even Billy gave his friend an enthusiastic hug before he remembered that boys don't hug each other. He pulled away from the group, not certain now if he should be intruding on the family reunion.
Sam endured the licks of greeting she received from Poppy before pushing the dog back with a laugh. "OK, girl. That's enough of that." Daniel took the dog's leash from JJ and led the dog away from the reunion to go and talk to Colonel Matthews. After a few words were briefly exchanged with the four member team, they walked down the path the way Daniel and JJ had just come, determined looks plastered on their faces.
Sitting back on her heels, Sam held JJ by the shoulders and raked his form with her eyes. "Are you all right, JJ?" she asked quietly, blinking back tears of relief at his safe return.
JJ smiled back tremulously. "Yes, mom. I'm OK now. Dad and Uncle Teal'c got there in time." He looked over to where Daniel was standing with Poppy and offered a bigger smile. "And Poppy kept those men away from me until they could get there."
Sam pulled him close for another hug. "I'm so glad you're all right. And I'm glad you had Poppy with you, JJ. She's a good dog." JJ nodded against her shoulder.
"Poppy was really scary, mommy," Grace piped up. "She was barking real loud…louder even than the lions roar at the zoo!"
Sam smiled over at her daughter. "I know, Grace. Daddy and I could hear her from the other side of the park."
"Why did those men be mean to us mommy?" the little girl asked with a sad look. "We wasn't doing anything to them."
Sam looked at JJ, who gave her a knowing nod. She knew then, that Jack must have mentioned something briefly to the little boy. Deciding to be succinct for the time being, Sam replied, "I'm not sure, Grace. But daddy and I will find out. Sometimes, grown-ups make bad choices though, just like children do."
"Well, they made a really bad choice, mommy. They scarded us bad!" She frowned as she looked in the direction they had come. "I thinks they should have a long time-out!"
Sam chuckled as she got to her feet. "I think so too, sweetheart." She took Grace's hand in hers and turned to take JJ's as well. "Come on. Let's go back to the car and wait for daddy."
JJ looked up at her. "Can I talk to Billy for a minute first?"
Sam looked over to Billy, who was looking at the ground in uncertainty. She smiled at her son. "Of course. We'll be right over by the car." The two exchanged a smile before Sam led Grace back toward the car, where the little girl immediately went to tell Poppy how brave she had been.
The two boys stood quietly for a moment, Billy scuffing his toe along the paved path and JJ trying to think of something to say. He wanted to assure his friend he wasn't angry with him for leaving. "You OK?" he finally asked his friend.
Billy looked up at him. "Yeah. How about you?"
JJ gave him a small smile. "I'm OK…now."
Billy returned the smile briefly, then sobered as he looked away. "I'm sorry, JJ," he began hesitantly. "I'm sorry that I left you alone. I thought you were right behind me, but when I saw that you weren't…well, I didn't know what to do." He looked back up, his eyes beseeching his friend to forgive him.
JJ put his hand on Billy's shoulder. "You don't need to be sorry, Billy. I'm just glad you got Grace away from them. Besides," he added with a smile, "I had Poppy with me. She didn't let those guys get near me."
The two boys looked at each other for a few moments before Billy finally returned the smile. "Yeah, she was pretty scary, wasn't she? Wish I had a dog like her."
"Well, you kinda do," JJ replied. Billy cocked his head to the side in question. "You're my best friend, Billy. Kinda like Uncle Teal'c and Uncle Daniel are my dad's best friends. And they always help each other out, even when things get scary; at least, that's what dad says. And best friends are like brothers…they stick together through good and bad times. So…you're like my brother, I guess." JJ shrugged his shoulders. "That makes Poppy kinda like your dog too."
Billy seemed to consider it for a while before he smiled in acknowledgement of JJ's words. "That's cool. I always wanted a brother too." He looked over to where Grace was playing with Poppy, then turned back to JJ. "I don't really need a sister though," he said with a slight grimace.
JJ laughed and slugged him gently on the arm. "That's OK. I don't think Grace wants another brother, either." The two boys wrestled playfully with each other for a moment, releasing some built up tension, before they grinned at each other and walked back toward the car. Though the afternoon had been a harrowing experience for all three children, it also brought them all closer together and solidified the friendship between the two boys. And even though Billy didn't want any sisters, from that day forward, he did tend to keep a watchful eye out for both Grace and Maddie whenever he was around, just like JJ always did.
----
Teal'c stayed with the O'Neill family for the remainder of that week and into the next, escorting the children to and from school while Jack and Sam worked diligently with several teams, General Landry, and the President to help uncover the leak at the NID. The informant was found and the henchman sent to federal prison for attempted kidnapping and espionage, each sporting more bruises on their bodies than when they had first arrived at the SGC. The Movement was eventually shut down, its operatives either arrested or scattering to unknown lands.
Although the immediate threat was over within two weeks, Jack and Sam were more wary than ever and kept a careful watch over their children at all times. JJ had been told enough about the kidnapping to help him understand it, but not enough to frighten him. JJ and Grace did not venture into the park on their own anymore; they always had an adult with them. Billy was a constant presence around the O'Neill household, but his attitude had changed dramatically since the attempted kidnapping. He was more tolerant of Grace and generally enjoyed being a part of the O'Neill chaos.
Poppy became even more protective of the children after that fall afternoon. Strangers were not allowed to approach unless given the OK by one of the adults. It made for some interesting occurrences when solicitors came by, but Jack wasn't too worried about offending anyone's feelings. Heck, he figured it was an added bonus, keeping salespeople and politicians away from his door. And true to his word, Poppy was greatly rewarded for her part in keeping the children safe. Though the large beef bone that came from the butcher's shop was rather pricey, everyone in the family felt that it was well worth it.
