#4 in the Life's Little Problems Series
Color Outside the Lines
A Little!Danny fic by: Maj. Cliffhanger
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Part 16
Pausing at the foot of the ramp, Jack glanced at the others. Beside him, Sam offered a jaunty smile - maybe thinking of old times or just simply happy they'd found the kids; hard to say. Maybe both. Teal'c was more focused. He may have actually been smiling a minute ago, but now he was all business. Finding the kids was only part of the battle. The Jaffa would not truly relax until this was over..
It had been too long since he did this, Jack thought, mentally tamping down the rush of adrenaline he was feeling. It was hell getting old, and he knew his body wasn't up to the constant stresses and demands of a front line unit anymore - but he still missed it. Carter had invited him - bless her heart - but if he hadn't thought he was up to it, he would have refused. Hopefully, they could just pop in and out without anyone being the wiser - but at this point he had to think the whole thing stunk of an ambush. Danny might not be your average 5 year old, but even the adult version would have had difficulty escaping someone like Ba'al with a child in tow.
Pause over, all three of them brought their P-90s to the ready - it still felt weird to see Teal'c carrying one - and hurried up the ramp to bring the boys home.
* * *
Danny finally stopped dancing around and hurried over to where the MALP had made its slow and laborious way down the stone steps. He looked right into the camera and waved. "Hi!" he grinned broadly. "It's safe to come through. Jason and I are here alone."
There was a moment of silence before he was answered. "SG-1 is on it's way, son," Landry's voice assured him. "It's good to see you. Both of you. Are you alright?"
"Who's that?" Jason asked behind him.
"Gen. Landry," Danny answered quickly over his shoulder. "He's in charge of the SGC." He turned back to the camera. "We're fine, General. A little hungry, but Ba'al didn't hurt us."
"Hey, Squirt!" Mitchell's voice sounded through the MALP relay. "I missed ya!"
Danny grinned but before he could respond he was interrupted by the watery sound of SG-1 stepping through the event horizon. Both boys looked up. Jack was first, quickly followed by Sam and Teal'c. Danny wasn't surprised by their battle ready stance and gear - but Jason was.
"Jack!" Danny immediately greeted his old friend. "It's safe. We're here alone."
Jack and the others had already managed a quick visual assessment of the immediate area. The older man then hurried down the steps to where the boys were and squatted down protectively beside them, despite his bad knees. A quick sweep of them both, looking for injuries, and then his gaze swung back outward again, paying particular attention to that distant campfire - which was very unlike a Jaffa encampment....
"Where and how many?" he asked quietly, even as a sweep of his arm directed Sam to the DHD.
"We're alone, Jack," Danny repeated. "Ba'al dropped us off and left us here."
The older man blinked and frowned even as his eyes continued to sweep the area for possible hostiles. "He just left you?" he asked simply.
"I don't think he's had to deal with a lot of kids before." Danny shrugged. "He wants me to give you a message."
The frown became irritated as the older man turned to regard Danny again. He obviously wasn't a happy camper. "He couldn't just call?" he suggested, flippantly.
"Jack, we can ask questions later," Landry's voice interrupted via the MALP.
"Wait!" Danny protested even as Jack opened his mouth to agree. "We have to put out the campfire and get my backpack!" He turned to head that way only to be brought up short as Jack quickly snagged the back of his coat.
"Danny--"
"--Jack, we're safe!" he insisted. "We can't risk starting a forest fire here!"
Jack grimaced but forced himself to glance at the distant campfire. He figured it was about a hundred yards from the gate ... and too close to the forest. Leaving it burning was a potential disaster. There could well be natives here Danny didn't know about. "You should have put it out the moment you heard the gate dialing in," he complained.
Danny grimaced. "I didn't have any way to start it again if it wasn't you," he answered.
"If it wasn't us, that would have been the least of your worries."
Danny offered that a sharp double-take. "Oh," he said simply.
"Yeah, 'Oh!'" Jack agreed. He glanced up to find Teal'c at his back.
"I will take care of it, O'Neill," the larger man declared simply.
Jack nodded and watched him turn to lope off into the darkness. He turned back to see Jason leaning close to Danny's ear and pointing at his forehead in apparent worry.
"Oh no," Danny quickly assured him. "Teal'c's a good guy. He's not like the guards on Ba'al's ship."
Jack decided to interrupt before Danny said too much - 'though, given what had happened, he wasn't sure that was possible. "Jason." He caught the other boy's attention and rested a reassuring hand on his small shoulder. "You doing okay?"
The mop of dark red hair and overly large eyes bobbed up and down. "I wanna go home!" he whined slightly.
Jack offered him a slight smile and squeeze of the shoulder. "That's why we're here."
"Jack," Landry interrupted him via the MALP. "We're going to shut it down from this end. Hurry home. If you're not back in five, I'm sending the marines."
Jack glanced over his shoulder and saw that the campfire had already been extinguished. No yell from Teal'c so he assumed everything was fine. He turned back to the camera and nodded. "Have Lam and her people waiting."
"That goes without saying," Hank answered.
Danny offered a definite grimace and Jason frowned. "Who's 'Lam'?"
"She's the Chief Medical Officer of the SGC," Danny was answering Jason. "She's going to wanna run a bunch of tests on us when we get back. It's not a lot of fun but they've got to do it."
The gate behind them abruptly shut down and they were swallowed by the pitch black night. "Crap," Jack muttered and let the P-90 dangle from his lanyard so he could reach out his other hand to find Danny in the darkness. Jason had immediately tensed up under his left. "Just relax, kids," he told them calmly. "You're eyes will adjust in a minute."
Danny knew there was a light on his P-90 but Jack hated using it out in the open like this. 'Made too good of a target. Strange how he remembered little stuff like that, but still didn't remember the other man getting older. Over by the DHD, Sam had no choice but to switcher her own light on so she could see to dial. The gate immediately started to turn in answer.
Jason was more concerned about something else. "I don't like doctors!" he protested plaintively.
"Lam's a special doctor," Jack quickly offered, trying to head-off a panic attack before it started. "She gives you pizza and ice cream after her tests."
Jason offered a disbelieving and mutinous grumble.
"Really!" Jack insisted.
"No she doesn't," Danny corrected him, refusing to lie to the other boy. "But I'll be there and so will your dad."
Mention of his dad was the perfect distraction. "My dad's there? Are you sure?" He turned to Jack, needing adult confirmation.
Jack nodded, though he wasn't sure the boy could see it yet. His own eyes were starting to adjust but it was still damn dark. "He will be. We sent someone to get him as soon as we knew we'd found you." Fortunately the gate sprang open just then and Jack turned to see Teal'c returning with Danny's backpack. "Finally!" he sighed and stood once again, ignoring the popping of his right knee, "time to head home, campers. Safety first. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Be sure to hold hands and look both ways before entering the gate. No drinks allowed. Mind your P's and Q's, dot those T's, and cross your eyes!"
As he spoke, both Sam and Teal'c moved to join them. Together they formed a line: Teal'c, Daniel, Jack, Jason, and Sam - all holding hands. And together they moved as one to ascend the steps to the gate.
"Children who do not cross their eyes will be subjected to Jaffa tickle torture."
Lifting the boys from their feet, the three teammates stepped into the event horizon.
* * *
Cam might have been denied the right to go through the gate to rescue his miniaturized team mate, but there was no reason why he couldn't be in the gate room to welcome him home. Was it really possible that Ba'al had just taken them for a little joy ride half-way across the galaxy and then dropped them off to find their own way home?
More like he'd dumped them intending to hold their location hostage for something he wanted. 'Probably didn't think Danny could figure a way home. Even that didn't make a lot of sense though unless he'd sent guards to care for them - in which case Danny and Jason definitely weren't alone....
Cam kept his fingers crossed as he gazed up at the gate and prayed there wasn't some nasty surprise just waiting to spring into action the moment SG-1 and Jack O'Neill dialed in.
And now the inner ring was starting to spin again. Of course with his luck, it was probably one of their allies or some other off-world team!
The blast doors to his right rumbled open as Lam and her med team quickly swept in.
And then he swung his gaze back to the gate as the initial vortex of energies exploded outward before setting back into the gently rippled surface of a stable wormhole. Come on, come on....
Yes! He finally let himself break into a broad grin as he watched the returning group emerge as one, swinging two little boys by the hands between them.
And then Jason screamed.
Everyone reacted at once. Weapons were automatically brought to bear as Jack and Sam dropped the boy's hands and knelt beside him in concern. Lam and her team rushed up the ramp even as the gate shut down and Landry ordered the gate room sealed. Cam's face went white as he wondered what horror Ba'al might have unleashed on them through the innocent little boy? They shoulda sent a med-team through to check them out first before bringing them home! He remembered reading the files of how both Nirti and Apophis had used children in an effort to destroy Earth. That Ba'al would do the same came as no surprise.
"It's okay, Jason!" Danny was calling, having been swept up in Teal'c's strong arms as the Jaffa hurried him down the ramp, away from his friend's side. "It's okay! We're home now!"
Cam quickly moved to intercept them.
"I want my dad!" he heard Jason start to yell. "Daddy? I want my dad!"
And then Danny was leaning toward Cam and Teal'c was handing him over.
"He's just scared and tired," Danny told him. "I forgot to tell him gate travel isn't the same as beaming." The boy twisted in his arms to offer a worried frown for where Lam and Jack were both trying to calm the other boy down. "Jason!" he called out again. "It's okay! We're home!"
It didn't help.
"No shots!" Jason was suddenly in full panic mode as Jack fought to hold him still and Lam pulled out a syringe. "I don't want a shot! Daddy!!!"
Danny turned back to Cam, frightened for the other boy's sake. "He's just scared and tired!" he protested again.
"He'll be okay," Cam quickly assured him, holding him tight and praying he was right as they watched the general and med team wrestle with the other boy. "Lam won't hurt him. You know that."
And then Jason was slumping in the other man's arms and a burly nurse was bending to help transfer him to the gurney that had appeared at the end of the ramp.
"You can back off with the gun action and unseal the gate room now," Lam quickly called out.
"Are you sure, doctor?" Landry's voice demanded from the control room where he'd watched the unfolding drama.
She frowned over her shoulder at her father. "I won't be sure of anything until I clear both of them," she answered, "but I'm pretty sure he was just scared. Seeing as he didn't appear to be in pain and nothing has exploded yet...."
Landry hesitated, the memory of the Ori plague they'd battled only a few months ago far too fresh in his mind.
"I can't very well check them out here!" Lam complained with a roll of her eyes.
Landry turned in the control room to issue a set of orders they couldn't hear before bending forward to activate the gate room speakers again. "We're clearing the halls to Iso. 3," he told her. "I want full decontamination procedures and a clean report before I let either of them go - and the decon goes for everyone in the gate room!" he added firmly. "I'm not taking any chances here doctor."
Lam just rolled her eyes. "Fine!" she agreed, deciding it wasn't worth an argument, and turned to hurry toward Cam and Danny.
Danny shrank back in Cam's arms.
"You don't need to sedate me!" he quickly promised her. "I'm behaving and feel fine!"
"Good," she agreed, quickly giving him a visual once over. "Let's keep it that way. You were kidnapped by Ba'al, right?"
"Yes...." Danny answered unhappily, all too aware of what that meant where she was concerned. He wrapped an arm around Cam and snuggled his head into the crook of his neck, not wanting to be transferred to a gurney even if he didn't see another one around just yet. Cam reached up with his bad arm and gave him a reassuring hug.