"Remind me again why we're here?"
Daniel Jackson shared an exasperated look with Sam Carter, one hand moving under his glasses to rub at the bridge of his nose.
"Because, sir," the Major patiently explained, "Cassie wanted to show Lucky off to us."
Which was why SG1 were currently camped out in Janet Fraiser's living room.
'Lucky' was Cassandra's new pet. Unfortunately, the dog that she'd had since her arrival on Earth had been badly injured in a road accident a little over six months ago. Unfortunately, the injuries that Hank the dog (named after Cassie's first home in 'Toronto') had sustained, meant that he had to be put to sleep. After much heartache, Cassandra had slowly latched on to the idea of having another playmate. Her mother had been all for it, if only to cheer her daughter up. However, she'd soon changed her mind when she saw what kind of animal Cassie had set her heart on.
A cat.
Now, it wasn't like Janet had anything against cats... but she'd still been quite reluctant to get one for her child. But with a determination that only children had, Cassandra had acheived her goal, and was now the proud owner of a white-with-ginger-patches kitty.
Sam's explanation didn't seem to satisfy the Colonel. "Yeah, okay... so where are they, already?"
It was on the tip of Daniel's tongue to make a sarcastic reply, something along the lines of, "Not here, obviously." But he thought that might invite more from Jack, so he kept his mouth shut.
"You're sure that they said to meet them here?" the officer continued.
Sam looked at her watch. "That's why Janet gave me a key, sir," she answered. "But she did say they'd be here by now. Maybe there's traffic or something. Janet'll probably ca --"
Before the words were even out of her mouth, the phone was ringing.
" -- all... any minute," she finished, moving to pick up the receiver. "Hello? Hey, Janet."
The men of SG1 listened avidly to the side of the conversation they could hear.
"Yeah, I used the key. Mmhmm, everyone's here." The blond turned to glance at the three men. "Yeah, even the Colonel."
Said 'Colonel' bristled at the implication that he wouldn't have come. Which he wouldn't, if it weren't for Cassie, but... still. He didn't like people assuming anything about him that he didn't want them to.
"You're kidding? Yeah... yeah, okay. I'll make sure of it. Yeah... drive safe. See you then... 'bye."
She replaced the receiver, taking a breath.
Daniel had a feeling that he wouldn't like what was about to come.
"Uh... that was Janet," the blond explained unnecessarily. "Seems she was on her way home after picking up Cassie, when she got an emergency call from the mountain."
"What has happened?" Teal'c asked.
Sam ran a hand through her hair. "SG-4 came back through the Stargate with injuries. Seems there was an attack on the village that they were negotiating with. They managed to drive off the attackers, but with so many personal off with the 'flu, it's all non-ill hands on deck."
There was a moment of silence as they each thought of their colleages, before Jack flopped back on the couch.
"Alright... I guess that means we should go... right? I mean... Fraiser's busy, Cassie's stuck with her. So, no one to show us anything."
He seemed pleased with his logic, his smile only fading as Sam's expression grew tighter. "Right, Carter?" he asked suspiciously.
Sam tried to smile. "The thing is, sir... I have to get to the garage before it closes, to pick up a new part for my bike. But... someone needs to stay for Lucky, sir. See, Janet locked him up so that he didn't tear up the living room while she was gone, but Cassie's worried about him being cooped up, but he can't be let out without supervision, so...." She trailed off, needing a breath after that mouthful.
One of the Colonel's eyebrows slowly rose, as his mouth slowly opened. "I sincerely hope you're not suggesting what I think you are, Major," he warned.
Sam swallowed heavily, turning to the man next to her. "Teal'c?" she asked hopefully.
The Jaffa paused, before a satisfied expression appeared on his face. "I am sorry, Major Carter," he said. "But I must return to my quarters. I am in need of Kel'no'reem."
Daniel hid a smile. Of course he was. The smile disappeared as he found himself the next target of Sam's gaze.
"Uh, I... uh, I have work," he managed, clearing his throat. "Yes, work. At the mountain. Very urgent, you know."
Now it was Jack's turn to look skeptical. "Sorry, Carter," he offered. "But, hey... it won't be for long, right? And the garage will be open tomorrow."
Sam was trying not to look desperate. "No, it won't. Carl goes on holiday tomorrow... for *three weeks*," she stressed. "I have to go... sir...."
Jack's eyes closed, his face scrunching up in displeasure. "Urgh," he breathed.
"Fine," he finally agreed, his tone bordering on sullen. "I'll stay here, but only to make sure the little furball doesn't ransack the place."
He looked up at the relief on his second's face, and the knowing expression on Daniel's. Damn, there went his reputation. "But I swear, it stays away from me, or I'll... or I'll do something... bad. Very bad." He pulled a face as his threat fizzled out. What the hell could you *do* to a cat, for cryin' out loud?
Daniel spared his friend a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "It'll only be a couple of hours, Jack. You won't even notice it."
He stood, about to move off, when a claw-like hand wrapped around his wrist.
"Oh, Daniel," Jack smiled -- and that was Daniel's first clue that something was about to go very wrong. "I think you mean *we* won't even notice."
Daniel began to splutter. Surely Jack didn't -- he had important work to -- why should he have to --
Although none of this actually made it out of Daniel's mouth, Jack seemed to instinctively know what he was thinking. He slowly shook his head, a wolfish grin stretching his mouth, his teeth gleaming in the bright lamp-light.
"Thanks, guys," Sam called, already at the front door in her eagerness to escape.
"See you tomorrow!"
Daniel never stood a chance.
*****
They spent the next twenty minutes in silence. Jack was busy channel surfing, and Daniel was occupied with not talking to Jack. The quiet made it easy to hear clearly when the scratching noises began. The two turned as one, eyes settling on the door that led off to the kitchen.
"Is that --"
"Lucky?" Daniel finished for his friend, breaking his own silence. "Yeah."
Jack nodded. "Well... go see what it wants, then."
"Me?" Daniel's eyebrows nearly hit his hairline. "You were the one Sam left in charge of it... you go."
The scratching was now being accompanied by a pitiful whining, a meow thrown in every so often for good measure. Meanwhile, the two human occupants of the house kept up the battle of wills, (which basically consisted of, "You do it!"... "No, you!").
Until a particularly mournful wail had Daniel wincing.
"Alright, alright," he muttered, on his feet and heading for the room that Lucky had been confined to. "I'm coming."
Opening the door, he only had time to quickly jump to the side, as a small, white, furry thing, barrelled past him.
It paused in the centre of the room, it's yellow eyes evaluating it's surroundings. Target chosen, it launched itself, landing on the couch -- the one that Jack just happened to be sitting on.
"Ugh," the Colonel grunted. "Fleaball." Shifting a little further away from the critter, he deliberately turned back to the television, studiously ignoring Lucky.
Daniel crossed his field of vision briefly as he made his way back to his seat, and he glared at him impatiently until his view of the screen was once more unrestricted.
Everything had returned to the state it had been in five minutes ago.
It was calm, Jack decided. Nice and... calm. Boring... he couldn't forget boring. But as his life went -- firefights and mad dashes for survival being the norm -- it was okay. He just hoped Fraiser got back soon.
Jack was so caught up in his thoughts, that he never noticed that he had an admirer. Until said admirer jumped heavily in to his lap.
"What the --!" he yelled. "Hey! Get off... move it, fish-face." He jiggled his legs, trying to dislodge Lucky, but the cat apparently had the will of it's owner's mother. No matter what he did, it wouldn't budge.
"I, uh... I think you've made a friend, Jack," Daniel joked, trying to cover up his laughter by clearing his throat.
"Funny," O'Neill snarled. "Move it, will you?"
Daniel raised his hands in a warding gesture. "Can't. I'm allergic to cats."
He was wearing his most innocent expression, and that was what made Jack suspicious.
"Bull," the Colonel snarled. "You're just making that up."
Daniel shook his head. "Nope. It's true. Ask Janet." He paused, his face now showing an exaggerated look of dawning knowledge. "Oh, that's right... you can't. I guess you'll just have to take my word for it." He grinned brightly, ignoring the death-glare being sent his way.
"Fine," Jack muttered. The cat had settled down now, apparently comfortable on it's new resting place. Jack decided that it was okay -- it was fine. He was Special Ops trained, had been in some of the worse hell-holes in the Galaxy... he could handle this.
Returning his gaze to the television, he tried to ignore his new 'friend'.
Soon, though, Daniel was bored. Jack was watching something absolutely mindless on the tv, and Daniel would swear that he could actually feel his brain cells dying from lack of stimulation. Turning to his friend, he opened his mouth, about to complain... only to stop at the sight he saw.
Lucky had indeed made -- him? Her? -- self comfortable, spreading it's furry little self right over Jack's upper legs. But the most startling thing that Daniel could see, was O'Neill's reaction. He was... petting... the cat. Almost mindlessly, his hand moved back and forth, over and over the little body lying on him.
"Uh... Jack?" He waited until the other man was looking up at him.
"What are... what're you doing?"
Jack looked down at his own hand, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "Oh," he 'said', never once stopping his movements. After regarding the animal for a few moments more, he once again returned to the television.
Frowning, Daniel tried again. "Uh, Jack? I thought you didn't *like* cats? That you were a dog person." Had someone slipped in and replaced his friend with a pod person?
Jack shrugged. "I don't. I am. It's just... I don't know, kinda soothing, I guess."
His head fell back against the couch, his eyes still on the flickering tv screen.
Daniel decided it was in his interest to let sleeping cats lie, and retreated in to his own mind, trying to come up with something to occupy his attention. He was so focused on his thoughts, that he almost didn't hear Jack speak.
"Charlie wanted a cat."
Daniel threw a surprised look his friend's way, but the other man didn't seem to notice.
Jack's hand continued to move through the animal's silky fur, fingers tightening and relaxing to the rhythm of it's purring. "I never understood it. I mean... they're not even cute. Just... haughty."
"Haughty?" Daniel smiled.
"Yeah. Y'know... stroke my fur, change my litter... aren't you so lucky to have me?" He shrugged. "Now, dogs, they... practically take care of themselves. They like to play, they're enthusiastic about it... and, hey, when the heat goes out in the winter, they're like these little miniture furnaces." One corner of his mouth curved. "I tried to tell Charlie all that, but... he was having none of it. He wanted a kitten, and that's all there was to it."
Daniel shook his head. "I would have thought that growing up with you as a dad, he would have been a natural dog lover." It was a risk even opening his mouth, but somehow, he knew that Jack needed to get this out.
Jack sighed, his fingers stilling. The animal under his hand shifted in annoyance, flexing it's claws on O'Neill's lap in a gesture that Daniel took to mean, "stroke me, or suffer the consequences!"
Despite his limited exposure to felines, Jack apparently got the message as well.
"See what I mean?" he complained to Daniel, beginning his massage once more. "Anyway... there was a reason for that whole hating dogs, thing. See, there was this kid at his school, and he'd had a run in with one, scared the hell outta him.
He, of course, passed it along, and so on, until Charlie heard. That's what put him off the idea."
Ah, the effects of gossip in the playground, Daniel thought. Still, the idea of Jack O'Neill being held hostage by an 11 year old, until he finally gave in and brought a dreaded kitty, was kind of amusing. Charlie O'Neill must have been one hell of a kid. And Jack must have been one hell of a dad. "So... did he get it?"
Jack's face closed up, his eyes darkening. "No, he, uh... he died... before his birthday, so...."
Daniel could have bit his tongue. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to think of something to say. The words 'I'm sorry' crossed his mind, but he thought that Jack might have heard enough of that. He himself knew that it didn't do a damn thing to help with the hurt.
Jack took the decision out of his hands. "I would've convinced him, though," he said, his low voice roughly confident, even though his expression was sad.
"No one can resist dogs."
Lucky seemed to take offense at that, suddenly jumping up with a yelp and bolting from Jack's lap in a cloud of fur.
"Damnit," Jack was muttering, wiping futilely at the hairs that were all over his jeans, conversation apparently shelved. "That thing sheds like an over-weight forty year old."
Daniel smiled again, glad that the creature hadn't seen him fit to lie on. The grumbling continued until it was interrupted by the sound of a car engine. The two men exchanged looks, both silently sure that their cat-sitting duties were over.
Sure enough, Cassandra and her mother soon appeared through the front door, both looking tired. They greeted their visitors, before Cassie moved on to the one she wanted to see most.
"Lucky! Oh, sweetheart, were you good for your uncle Jack and uncle Daniel?"
The two 'uncles' shared a panicked glance, both surreptitiously moving towards the doorway.
"Well," Jack said brightly. "We'll just be leaving now."
Cassie didn't seem to hear them, she was so absorbed with playing with the cat, but Janet spared them a knowing smile. "Goodnight, sir, Daniel. Thanks for watching the cat. If he's not monitored, the little bast -- uh, guy, can really tear up the place."
"Don't mention it, Doc," Jack said cheerfully. The look he sent Daniel had nothing cheerful about it. "Really."
Daniel nodded slightly, agreeing to keep quiet. Besides, who would believe him? Making sure that Cassandra had a firm grip on her pet, he opened the front door, exiting it.
Waiting for Jack on the porch -- he was the Colonel's ride home -- he watched as the other man paused. His eyes seemed to linger on the animal, and he snorted gently.
"Cats," he murmured disparagingly.
But Daniel didn't miss the soft smile that appeared on his face. He thought perhaps that Jack was thinking about another child who'd wanted a cat. And he smiled, too.
Author's Notes: Was the summary confusing enough for you? <G> Did the title bite enough? What can I say, I'm tired! All suggestions for a title will be gratefully received. Written in response to Fai's Warm Fuzzies challenge on the Gengate list. Written in like, an hour, at 2:00 am, not beta'd. All mistakes are mine.
© February 2004 Not mine (except for Lucky and the dear, departed Hank). I lay no claims on 'em, either.