Once outside, Daniel quickly took the lead. Using their bikes would have been quicker, but since Sam didn't have one anymore it wasn't really an option. And after a hasty whispered conference they decided against using their skates and scooters since Sam had been forbidden to use any of them until the cast came off her arm. After all, none of them wanted to get Sam in trouble for disobeying Colonel Jack!
The late autumn temperatures were starting to give way to winter chill as evening rapidly approached, the shadows already lengthening as the three children set out on their quest. But there were more important things at stake, so they all ignored their discomforts and got moving.
Daniel led them to the back street and past several of the neighbor's houses before turning back to the street that ran in front of their house. They quickly came to the main road, and Daniel hesitated a minute before choosing a direction.
Before long they were further away from the house than any of them had ventured on his or her own. Still, they'd only gone a few more blocks in the right direction when they spotted flashing lights ahead. Daniel ducked behind a mailbox, pulling the other two with him. Peeking out, Daniel frowned at the two police cars parked in front of the small convenience store, trying to get an idea of what they were doing. Sam passed him her binoculars.
"We should go around them, we don't want them to see us," Daniel announced, after studying the scene.
"But aren't police officers the good guys?" Sam asked, confused. They had certainly been very nice when she'd had her accident.
Daniel frowned. "Well, yeah, but they'll wonder what us three kids are doing out here all alone."
Sam's eyes widened slightly. "You mean they'll make us go home?"
"Worse, they'll probably take us home themselves and tell Colonel Jack. We'd have to ride in the back of the car, and if we don't go they'll probably arrest us," Daniel said, a note of authority in his voice.
"Police don't arrest kids," Sam protested, and Teal'c looked alarmed at the prospect.
"Uh huh they do. They arrested my foster brother and he was only fourteen," Daniel told her. "Now c'mon, before they see us." Daniel grabbed her hand before she could think of anything else to say and pulled her down a nearby side street, trusting in Teal'c to follow and make sure the cops hadn't seen them.
Daniel led them a ways down the side street, then turned at the next intersection to follow the street parallel to the main road. He continued along that new street for another few blocks. Once he was sure they would have passed by where the police would be, he started to look for another street to take them back to the main road. Only the street they were on seemed to be winding away. Undaunted, Daniel kept going, unaware that Teal'c had fallen behind to keep pace with Sam, who's steps were starting to falter.
Finally, another intersection appeared, and Daniel confidently turned onto it, leading his unlikely band of heroes behind him. His confidence quickly wavered as the street gently curved around, and the road they were looking for didn't appear. Hesitating briefly, Daniel chose another street that branched off the one they were on and headed down that one. However, it soon became clear that this street did not lead where they wanted to go, nor did the next one. It didn't help that the sun had finally set either, bathing the world in darkness except for the few welcoming pools of light from street lamps. He had to fight the growing urge to return home, as it had always been made clear to him just about anywhere he'd lived that he had to be home when the streetlamps came on. And, well, home now was a lot more welcoming than wandering the streets at night he decided. Suppressing a worried shiver, Daniel took comfort in the trust his foster siblings placed in him. At least he wasn't alone. He pressed on.
Finally though, Daniel's steps slowed, and then stopped altogether, as he stared around the third unfamiliar intersection they'd come across. Teal'c and Sam came up behind him, Sam plopping unceremoniously on the curb. "My feet hurt, and I'm hungry," she complained, the pack on her back mewing as if in agreement.
Daniel glanced at her, then at Teal'c. He was hungry, cold and tired too, but he wasn't going to admit it. "I don't understand, it should be right here," he said instead.
"Perhaps we should attempt to backtrack to a more familiar location," suggested Teal'c. Then after a pause and a glance at Sam, "Once we have refreshed ourselves."
Daniel could barely hide his relief at Teal'c's suggestion for a break. He hadn't wanted to be the one to suggest it, but coming from Teal'c, it sounded so reasonable. "We should go back to those woods we saw, then no one can see us," he suggested. Teal'c merely nodded and pulled Sam to her feet.
Less than a block away, the woods were little more than a copse of scraggly trees, but to three children it was an immense forest. They found seats on the leaf-strewn ground, and Sam shared out the cookies and candy she'd brought, careful to keep Bill inside. The boys had somehow managed to smuggle some Pop Tarts. Bill was quite unhappy with being left in the backpack and made sure they all knew it. Not even pieces of Pop Tart seemed to make the little kitten happy. By the light of Sam's flashlight, the three finished off the cookies and pastries and passed around the water bottle. Sagging energy reserves replenished by large amounts of sugar, they now felt like they could face anything. A new determination clear in the set of his jaw, Daniel rose to his feet, the others following.
Leading the way again, Daniel started back the way they had come. Sam had given him her compass now too, but he refused to admit he also didn't know how to use it either. Still, he tucked it into his pocket. When they got to the second intersection, Daniel hesitated, before making a right. Teal'c caught his arm. "I believe we came from this direction," Teal'c said, pointing to the left.
Daniel looked both ways, than shook his head. "No, we came this way, I'm sure of it." Actually, he wasn't, not completely. It was so dark despite the glow from the streetlamps that it was hard to see anything familiar. He'd never been out past the sunset before, at least not without an adult. But Teal'c and Sam were counting on him to lead the way to General Hammond, and he refused to let them down. He was sure if he kept going, he would find something familiar.
Teal'c frowned. "Very well." They kept on, Daniel choosing directions each time they came to an intersection.
At the next one, Teal'c held up his hand. "I believe we have passed this location previously," he said.
Daniel simply shook his head, and headed them down another street. Half an hour later, he couldn't deny it anymore.
They were well and truly lost.
A/N: Poor Jack O'Neill. I wonder if he'll have any hair left when I'm done with him? And have to agree with some of those comments about cats lol. They have the entire house to roam and the only place they sleep most of the time is on top of me or dead center on the bed. And of course if you have more than one cat they always lie on the bed stretched to full length and perpendicular to each other!