Giants or Pretty in Pink

Written by RPonda

Story ideas by D9

 

SG1 arrived on the planet and tumbled down the stairs in a heap. Jack scanned the area, always alert to potential danger. “Carter, where in Netu are we?” Nothing looked like the images they’d received from the MALP.

 

Carter retrieved her equipment to test the air quality. “I don’t know, Sir. The atmosphere is breathable though.” She looked around for the MALP. “I don’t see the MALP either, Sir.”

 

“Uh, Jack,” Daniel called hesitantly, “I think you’d better look at this.” His job upon arriving at a new planet was always to check out the DHD for the glyph that would be the point of origin. Finding the DHD wasn’t the problem, seeing the glyph was.

 

Jack turned around to find Daniel staring at the DHD. A DHD, which was about twelve feet tall. “Campers, I think we have a problem,” he stated, staring up at the object in question. It was the reason for such a large DHD that concerned him. “Carter, Daniel. Figure out a way to dial us out of here and let’s head home.”

 

Jack and Teal’c surveyed the perimeter for danger while Carter and Daniel began unloading their climbing gear. A short time later, as Daniel and Sam were about a third of the way up the DHD, Jack and Teal’c could feel vibrations in the ground, almost like an earthquake. Looking up, Jack saw what looked to be a young girl. Unfortunately this girl was about eighteen feet tall. Realizing they weren’t going to be able to dial out before the girl spotted them; Jack called out, “Daniel, Carter. Head for cover. We’ve got trouble.” Checking to make sure they were following his orders, he hid himself behind a large boulder, a very round and smooth boulder.

 

Daniel and Carter slid quickly down the ropes and also found cover behind smooth, round boulders. Daniel pulled his Beretta out and held it ready. Carter had her P-90.

 

Jack observed as the little girl knelt down and bent over. Next thing he knew, something hit his boulder, knocking it away. No longer hidden, he heard a shout and felt something close around him, blocking out the light and squishing his weapon to him, making it useless. “Abby, come here. Look I found something.” He felt himself being lifted and then saw a light filtering in through the top of his prison. The pressure around him eased and he took advantage of it by lifting his P-90 and firing a shot. “Ouch!” he heard. Something grabbed him by his backpack and left the rest of him hanging. He held his weapon up and looked into the face of a very large boy who looked to be around seven years old sucking on his finger. Then the boy grabbed his gun and told him, “That wasn’t very nice. I wasn’t going to hurt you.” After saying this the boy smacked Jack on his backside, causing him to swing from his backpack still held in the boy’s fingers. “You behave or I’ll have to spank you again,” the boy told him.

 

Meanwhile Daniel, Carter and Teal’c watched Jack being captured. They heard the P-90 fire and realized their weapons wouldn’t be of much use if all the boy did was suck on his finger. Not feeling secure with their hiding places, one by one they moved to an area of more cover. Unfortunately, soon after Daniel took off, he too was grabbed, only this time by the little girl whose name was apparently, Abby. “Shawn! Look, I caught one too.” Abby held up her prize to show her brother. “Mine’s cute.” Daniel, as much as he hated being caught, couldn’t help but blush.

 

Shawn came over to his sister to inspect her catch. “He doesn’t look very tough,” he complained. “You can keep him. I’ll take this one for myself.”

 

“Yours is too old looking,” Abby replied.

 

Jack groaned. This was so not going to be fun. However, he did notice Carter and Teal’c had escaped capture. He could only hope they would be able to help in the rescue.

 

Daniel, ever the diplomat, attempted to talk to Abby. “Abby,” he called out trying to get her attention. When the girl looked at him he continued, “My name is Daniel Jackson. We’re peaceful explorers.” That’s as far as he got.

 

“Hey, Shawn,” Abby exclaimed. “Mine talks. Does yours?”

 

Shawn shook Jack a little. “Hey,” he said. “Do you talk, too?”

 

Jack was getting tired of hanging by his backpack. “Yes, I do,” he told the boy; with all the authority he could muster. “And I’m telling you to put me down.”

 

“Uh uh,” the boy replied. “If I do, you’ll run away and I want to keep you.”

 

“Could you at least stop holding me by my pack?” Jack requested. Shawn wrapped his other hand around Jack’s body. “Too tight!” Jack squeaked. Shawn relaxed his hold a little.

 

“Do you have a name?” Shawn asked.

 

“Colonel Jack O’Neill.”

 

“Come on, Abby,” Shawn said quickly, realizing how late it was. “We need to get home or we’ll get in trouble. Help me pick up the marbles.” He proceeded to hold Jack in one hand while he reached out with the other to pick up the smooth, round boulders SG1 had been hiding behind, and put them in his pocket. Then he and his sister took off for home, carrying their new toys.

 

After the two children took off. Carter and Teal’c regrouped to try and decide what to do. Understanding that if they would return to the SGC immediately, it would be difficult to track Jack and Daniel, they chose to follow them now. Then they would assess the situation and decide what to do next.

 

“Mommy, Daddy!” the children called out. “Look what we found.”

 

Jack was nauseous from the rough ride in Shawn’s fist. Soldier’s instincts kicking in, he’d tried to track their trip to what appeared to be an enormous castle. He’d spotted landmarks he hoped they would be able to follow when they managed to escape, if they managed to escape.

 

“Children!” the father scolded. “Is that the way you are to enter the house?”

 

Shawn and Abby stopped in their tracks. “Sorry, Father,” Shawn apologized. “We forgot.”

 

“Very well,” Father said. “What did you find?” Shawn held Jack up to his father. Jack was astounded. The father was taller than even he could believe. The features were human, but the size of the man made Jack truly feel like a toy. The man tapped Jack on the head, practically knocking him through Shawn’s fist. “What is it?”

 

Jack spoke up as loud as he could. “It is a human from the planet Earth. My name is Colonel Jack O’Neill. I insist we be returned to the Stargate.”

 

“He’s got quite a mouth on him, Shawn. If you’re going to keep him, you’ll need to train him.”

 

“I will, Father,” Shawn insisted. “I’m going to keep him with my toy soldiers. He won’t cause any problems.”

 

The man looked at his daughter. “Let’s see what you’ve got, Abby.”

 

Abby walked over to her father and held Daniel up. “His name’s Daniel Jackson,” she said proudly. “I caught him myself.”

 

Father looked Daniel over. “He doesn’t look like much,” he told her. “You sure you want to keep him?”

 

“Yes, Father,” Abby declared. “I think he’s cute. I can comb his long hair.” Daniel groaned. “I’ll keep him in my doll house. He’ll fit just right.”

 

“As long as he doesn’t cause any trouble, I don’t see the harm in it.” Father stood up from his chair and towered over the two men. “Go put your toys away though. It’s time for dinner.”

 

 

As Shawn entered his room, Jack could see an immense army set-up. An entire tabletop was laid out with toy soldiers as big as he was, tents, barracks, jeeps, tanks, and other equipment. It was practically a city. Other than the fact he was a prisoner, Jack was truly amazed. He would have loved to have had this set-up as a kid.

 

Shawn set Jack down next to a building, removed Jack’s gear, and then opened the door for him. “Sorry, Jack. You have to stay in here until dinner’s over. If you cause any trouble, I’ll be the one to get spanked.” He nudged Jack into the building. “I’ll let you out after dinner. Then we can play.” Shawn closed and locked the door then ran off to wash up for dinner.

 

Jack had noticed the sign on the building as he’d been pushed in, ‘Stockade’. Jack tested all the bars on the windows and the door the boy had locked, it was a very well built stockade. Sighing, he laid down on the bunk. It wouldn’t be easy to escape from this place. Even if he did manage it, he still needed to find Daniel. He wasn’t about to leave one of his team behind. Pulling an energy bar from his pants, he opened the wrapper and began eating, strategizing about the best plan of escape.

 

Still held tight in Abby’s fist, Daniel was assaulted by the color pink. Even the dollhouse he would apparently be living in was painted pink. Abby opened the front door and pushed Daniel inside. “Make yourself comfortable, little boy,” Abby told him. “There’s food in the refrigerator and everything works. I made my daddy build it that way. I’ll be back after dinner and then I’ll give you a bath and brush your hair. We’ll have fun.”

 

Daniel was past being amused by this little girl. “I am not a little boy,” he called out. “I am a man. I’m also not a toy for you to play with.”

 

Abby looked hurt by what he’d said. “You are too a little boy. You’re smaller than my brother. And my daddy said I could keep you. So there.” She locked the door. “You’d better be nicer when I come back after dinner or I’ll have to punish you. My daddy won’t like it if you don’t behave.” That said, she left the room in a huff.

 

Daniel tried not to feel sorry for the little girl. He was her prisoner after all. However, he never liked to see anyone unhappy, except the Goa’uld. Deciding there was nothing else to do, he explored his surroundings. Abby had let him into the house through the front door. Before being pushed in, he’d noticed three levels to the house. The front door was on the second level, along with a kitchen, living room, two bedrooms, and a bathroom with a large tub. He shivered. No way was he planning on letting her give him a bath. He’d have to figure out a way to avoid that little bit of fun. When he entered the kitchen, he checked out the refrigerator. The girl was right. It was cold with a variety of food in it. Hungry, but not trusting the alien food, Daniel pulled out an energy bar and began munching on it as he further explored. Apparently he was to be married, having found a girl doll lying on the bed in one room. A rather attractive one, if she weren’t made of plastic. In the other bedroom was a crib with a baby lying in it. ‘Great,’ he thought sarcastically. ‘Kids too.’

 

Finished with the level he was on, Daniel walked up the stairs. There were only two rooms in essentially an unfinished attic. In one of the rooms was a rather large fireplace. Daniel looked up the chimney wondering if it might lead to a way out. It didn’t look promising, but if he couldn’t find another way, he decided he might try it. Traveling down the stairs again, Daniel ended up in an empty basement. Finding nothing useful, he went back to the living room and sat on a couch. It was very comfortable, which almost made things worse. It would have been easier if his prison felt more like one. With nothing else to do but wait, he finished his food and laid his head back on the couch, worried about what had happened to his friends.

 

Abby and Shawn finished eating dinner as quickly as they were allowed in order to return to their new toys. When Abby entered her playroom she went straight to the dollhouse. Daniel was still sitting on the couch wondering what was going to happen next. He didn’t have to wait long.

 

“Hey, Danny,” Abby called out. “I’m back.” She opened the side of the dollhouse to find out where Daniel was. “My father said I can play with you for an hour before it’s bedtime. I’ll get the water ready for your bath.”

 

Jumping up from the couch, Daniel thought about making a run for it. Then remembering how far it was to the ground, he changed his mind. “I don’t need a bath,” he insisted. “I’m clean. How about we play a game of hide-and-seek?”

 

“No,” Abby said, pouting. “I say you need a bath, and I’m in charge. So you’re going to take a bath.” She reached in and turned on the water in the tub. Then she added bubble bath. When Daniel decided running might be worth it, Abby grabbed him and smacked his bottom. “You need to behave. I don’t want you running off.” Setting him down in the bathroom, she told him, “Take off your clothes and get in the tub so I can wash you.”

 

Not finding any other options available to him, Daniel removed his shirt, shoes and pants. Before he removed his boxers, he grabbed a towel and wrapped it around himself. Then he lowered himself into the tub filled with bubbles. At least the bubbles would help conceal him. When Abby reached out to start washing him, he told her, “I can wash myself. Besides, as small as I am, and as big as you are, I’m a little afraid you might hurt me.”

 

Abby thought for a moment. He did have a point. “Okay,” she agreed, “but I get to wash your hair.”

 

Daniel conceded the point. “Fine. I’ll tell you when I’m ready.” He washed himself off, staying well below the bubbles. Having stalled for as long as he though prudent, he said, “You can wash my hair now.”

 

“Goody,” Abby squealed. She’d been watching him the entire time, just waiting to wash his hair. She grabbed a bottle of shampoo and squirted some on Daniel’s head. Then she proceeded to work up a lather.

 

Daniel winced at the pressure. “Hey, take it easy.”

 

“Sorry.” Relaxing the pressure, she finished washing his hair and then rinsed it with clean water. She quickly plucked Daniel from the bath and then wrapped a towel around him and rubbed him dry.

 

Daniel cringed. When she tried to take the towel away from him, he wrapped it tighter around himself. “I need the towel, Abby. It’s a little bit chilly in here.”

 

Abby thought for a minute. “I know,” she exclaimed. Reaching into the closet, she pulled out pink footsie pajamas for him, complete with padded feet. “This will keep you warm.”

 

Daniel looked aghast at the pink jammies. “I am not wearing those,” he said indignantly.

 

Abby was getting angry at her toy’s continued refusals. “You are too wearing them.” She thrust them out at him. “Put them on now!”

 

“NO!” Daniel insisted again.

 

Having had enough of his defiance, Abby picked him up and laid him across her left palm, placing her thumb on Daniel’s back to hold him down. “You are being a bad little boy,” she told him. She picked up a small hairbrush and began to spank him.

 

Daniel tried not to react, but Abby didn’t know her own strength and was spanking him very hard, the towel doing nothing to deaden the pain. He cried out after the third time she connected. After the fourth one his bottom felt like it was on fire. “Stop, please,” he screamed out, tears flowing down his cheeks. He hated that this little girl, though very large in size could make him plead. “I’ll wear the pajamas.”

 

Abby heard him call out. “I’m not sure I believe you,” she told him, giving him another spank. “You’ve been a bad little boy.”

 

“Arghhhh!” Daniel screamed out through the pain and tears. “I will, I promise! I’m sorry I’ve been bad!”

 

Abby decided to believe him this time. She picked up the pink footsie jammies and slid Daniel into them feet first. When she stood him back on the ground, he quickly pulled them the rest of the way up, pushed his arms through and zipped up. There he stood dressed for bed, still having a hard time catching his breath from the pain the spanking had caused. Happy to have her little boy dressed for bed, Abby scooped him up face down and cradled him while rubbing his back. “Shh,” she cooed. “It’ll be alright. If you hadn’t been naughty, I wouldn’t have had to spank you. I just need to brush your hair and then it’ll be time for beddie-bye.”

 

Daniel had nothing left in him to resist. He closed his eyes and allowed her to brush his hair with the same brush she’d used to spank him, until it was straight and dry.

 

Finished, Abby reached under the table where the extra furniture was stored. She pulled out a toddler crib and carefully placed Daniel in it. Then she gave him a pink pillow and covered him in a pink blanket. Blowing him a kiss, she said, “Night, Daniel. Pleasant dreams. I’ll play with you in the morning.”

 

Fortunately for Daniel, he was already sound asleep and didn’t hear her.

 

Meanwhile, after dinner Shawn had gone back to his playroom to check on his new toy. Jack, still locked tight in the stockade, immediately noticed when Shawn walked in and stared at him through the bars in the windows. Ignoring Jack at first, Shawn began to go through Jack’s backpack. He spread all the items out in front of the stockade. He could figure out the food items, clothes, and the flashlight. The radio looked like the walkie-talkies he played with and the medical kit was obvious. He was very curious about the things that looked like lumps of clay and the small little black boxes. Finally he let Jack out and asked, pointing at the items in question, “What are those things?”

 

Jack thought quickly and answered, “It’s putty for doing repairs on buildings. I could use it to fix those cracks on the inside of the building I was just in.”

 

Shawn said indignantly, “There aren’t any cracks in the building. I built it myself.”

 

“And you built it very well,” Jack replied. “I wouldn’t even have noticed, except for being so small myself. I could use the putty to fix them and no one would ever know.”

 

“Are you sure?” Shawn asked innocently.

 

“Of course,” Jack responded. “I’d be happy to.” The body in front of him might be large, but he was still just a boy. Jack should be able to out think him.

 

“Okay,” agreed Shawn. “What are those black things though?”

 

“Those are…dislocutators,” Jack thought quickly, “but they’re broken.”

 

“If they’re broken, why are you keeping them?”

 

“I have a friend who’s good at fixings things. I was taking them home for her to repair.”

 

Shawn got excited. “You have another friend out by the Circle!”

 

‘Oh, oh,’ Jack thought. “No, no. She’s back home.” At least Jack hoped Carter was home by now. “I would’ve use the Circle to go home and then given them to her.”

 

“Oh,” Shawn replied, disappointed. He started fingering the things in Jack’s pack.

 

Jack wanted to get his things together before Shawn damaged something. “I could pack up my things and then get started on the repairs if you want me to,” he suggested.

 

“Sure,” Shawn responded.

 

Jack began sorting through his things, being careful of the C4 and detonators. As he was packing, Abby entered the room. He continued to pack, but paid close attention to what was going on.

 

“Hi, Shawn,” Abby said to her brother. “Is your toy still awake?”

 

Shawn answered, “Yes, Jack’s still up. Did Daniel fall asleep?”

 

“Yep,” she replied. “He was a bad boy though.”

 

Jack’s ears perked up at that statement. He listened more closely.

 

“What did he do?” Shawn asked. He was getting bored watching Jack pack up his stuff.

 

Abby leaned her elbows on the table and answered, “It’s what he didn’t do. First he didn’t want to take his bath. Then he wouldn’t wear the pajamas I picked out.”

 

Jack could imagine Daniel not wanting to have Abby give him a bath, but he couldn’t figure out why he wouldn’t want to wear pajamas.

 

“What’d you do?”

 

“I did what Daddy would do,” Abby answered, “I spanked him with the hairbrush.”

 

Jack grimaced, the one swat Shawn had given him was bad enough; he couldn’t imagine what a full spanking would feel like.

 

Abby continued. “He cried a lot. Then he finally agreed to wear the pajamas. As I was combing his hair, he fell asleep. Then I put him to bed. So be quiet, okay?”

 

“Sure,” Shawn answered. “It’s almost time for bed anyways.”

 

As Jack shoved the last item in his backpack, he decided to break out and find Daniel tonight. Anything that could make Daniel cry was bad. He didn’t deserve it, and Jack was determined to find a way out of this place.

 

“Don’t you think Jack needs a bath tonight, Shawn?” Abby asked. “I could give him one in my dollhouse.”

 

“Uh, uh,” Shawn insisted to Jack’s good fortune. “Soldiers don’t take baths, they take showers. I have them in the soldiers’ camp. Besides, he doesn’t smell that bad.”

 

Jack groaned. At least he got out of Abby giving him a bath. However, he knew he didn’t smell.

 

“Kids, it’s time for bed,” the father called from the doorway.

 

Jack was just about to grab his backpack and head into the building when Shawn grabbed it from him. “It’s too late to work tonight,” he told Jack as he pushed him in the stockade. “You can fix it tomorrow.”

 

Jack tried to protest, but the kid had already closed and locked the door. Resigned, he settled himself on the bunk. He needed to get a good night’s sleep if he was going to escape tomorrow.

 

The next morning Shawn and Abby were allowed to invite their friends over to see their new toys. Abby invited Sally, Holly, and Jessica, all her age, but all just as big. When they arrived, Abby showed them into the playroom.

 

“Shh,” she whispered, “he’s still asleep.” She carefully opened the side of the dollhouse, pointing out Daniel who was still asleep in his crib.

 

“Oohh,” Holly said, “he’s adorable. Do we get to play with him?”

 

“When he wakes up,” Abby agreed. “He was naughty last night and I had to spank him. He was pretty tired after crying so hard.”

 

“How sweet,” cooed Jessica. “I like his pink footsie pajamas.”

 

At this point Daniel began to wake up. He’d heard the last comment and blushed. He hated his pink footsie pajamas.

 

“I like them too,” replied Abby, “but that’s why he got spanked. He wouldn’t wear them.”

 

Daniel blushed even deeper, if that was possible. This was not how he wanted to wake up in the morning.

 

Sally was watching him and noticed he was awake. “Look! How cute. He’s as pink as his jammies.”

 

Daniel groaned. One giant sized little girl treating him as a toy was bad enough, three more were going to be impossible.

 

“Oh goody,” Abby exclaimed. “You’re awake. It’s time for breakfast.”

 

Daniel stood up in the crib. His chin barely reached above the railing. He thought of saying something, but decided against it. His backside still ached and didn’t want to make Abby angry again.

 

“First I’ve got to wash the tear stains off your face. Then I’m going to dress you,” she told him, much to Daniel’s chagrin. “Holly, there’s some clothes in the dresser. You can pick something out for him to wear.”

 

Daniel was about to protest when Abby picked up the hairbrush again. He closed his mouth quickly.

 

“You’d better behave today, little boy, or you’re going to get spanked again,” she warned. Then she proceeded to pick him up out of the crib and wash his face with a small washcloth.

 

Holly came over with the clothes she’d picked out. A pink t-shirt, pink shorts, and hot pink sneakers. “Are these okay?” she asked.

 

Abby took the clothes from her. “These are perfect. He looks so cute in pink.” She then looked like she was about to change Daniel right in front of everybody.

 

Daniel finally spoke up. “Abby, please. I’m a big boy,” he said, hating the words but hoping that if he played along she’d be more agreeable. “May I dress myself?”

 

“But I like dressing you,” Abby whined. “It’s fun.”

 

“Please, Abby,” Daniel begged, hoping to maintain his physical dignity at least.

 

“Okay,” Abby agreed reluctantly. She sat the clothes on the floor next to him. “But you change right here. I don’t want you hiding from me.

 

Daniel picked up the hated pink clothes and turned around so only his back was visible to the girls. He unzipped the pajamas to the waist and slid them off his shoulders. Then he pulled the t-shirt over his head. Fortunately the shirt was long enough to cover his backside. He pulled it down as far as he could and stepped out of the pajamas. Placing his feet in the legs of his shorts, he was acutely aware of the four girls watching his every move. Regretting the girls had not thought to give him underwear, he tucked in the shirt and then snapped and zipped up the shorts. Except for the length of the shirt, for which he was immensely grateful, everything fit him fairly well, including the sneakers, which he then slipped on. Finally dressed, he turned around and faced the girls.

 

“Good boy,” Abby said, patting his head. “Now we just need to brush your hair and then we can have breakfast.”

 

“I can brush my own hair, Abby,” Daniel told her a little too forcefully as he held out his hand for the brush. SMACK “Oww,” he cried out as he pulled his hand back after Abby hit it with the hairbrush. He stood there trying to rub the sting out of his palm.

 

“He is a naughty boy,” Jessica pointed out. “Can I brush his hair?”

 

“Sure,” Abby replied, handing her the brush. “If he doesn’t let you, smack him with it.” She gave Daniel a look that told him she meant it.

 

Daniel reluctantly gave in to the girls’ ministrations.

 

When the girls had finally finished, and he was looking ‘lovely’ as the girls put it, Abby had breakfast brought in. Daniel decided this might be his chance to get away while the girls were occupied. Abby placed a chunk of oatmeal on a plate at the table and told Daniel to sit down and eat. He obediently did so and watched for his chance.

 

Finally the girls began talking to each other and Daniel slipped off his chair. He’d just about made it to the stairs that would lead downstairs when Holly closed her hand on him. He muttered a few good curses under his breath as Holly handed him to Abby.

 

Abby immediately laid him on her palm and smacked him with her finger. “I told you to sit at the table and eat your oatmeal,” she told him sternly. “Why do you keep trying to get away?”

 

Daniel’s last effort at placating Abby faded away. “I don’t belong here, Abby. I need to be with my friend and go home. I’m not a toy!” he yelled at her. She smacked him once more. Daniel yelled out, “Stop hitting me! Please!”

 

“I’ll stop hitting you, when you start behaving, LITTLE BOY!” Abby smacked him again.

 

“OWW!” Daniel couldn’t take anymore. Abby wouldn’t listen and his backside was on fire again. He’d just have to wait for a better opportunity. “Okay. I’m sorry. I’ll behave and eat my breakfast. Just set me down.”

 

“No,” Abby told him, but she didn’t hit him again. “I don’t trust you.” She reached into the drawers beneath the house and pulled out a pink highchair. She sat it on the table in front of the girls and then slipped Daniel into it. Finally she pulled the crotch strap up and buckled him in. Then she placed the plate with the oatmeal on the tray. “Eat!” she ordered him.

 

Daniel squirmed in his highchair. The wooden seat exacerbated the sting in his backside. Not having been given any silverware, he stuck his finger in the oatmeal and took a bite.

 

Abby seemed satisfied when she saw this and smiled at him. “Good boy,” she told him.

 

Daniel sighed and continued eating his oatmeal. Then Abby added a glass of orange juice, toast and scrambled eggs to his plate. Abby told him he’d better be a good boy and clean his plate. So not wanting any more punishment, he did as he was told and stuffed himself.

 

After the girls had also finished breakfast, Abby let him out of the highchair and set him down. “We’re going to play out in the garden now so you need to go to the bathroom and brush your teeth,” she told him.

 

Daniel looked at her, ready to protest, when Abby said, “I’m not going to have any accidents. If you don’t use the bathroom on your own, I’ll diaper you.”

 

Knowing she was not merely threatening him, Daniel did as she said and then presented himself, ready to go outside. That he wanted to do. If he was outside, there might be enough plant growth for him to hide in. His hope was quashed when Abby pulled out a neon pink toddler harness.

 

She never even gave him a chance to protest and immediately strapped him into it and then held the leash. “When we go outside, I’m going to let you down on the ground. But if you pull on the leash, you’ll be sorry.”

 

Daniel knew what she meant by sorry. “I won’t pull on the leash, Abby,” he assured her and this time he meant it. He’d had enough punishment for the day. Unless he was sure of his success, he had no plans of attempting escape at this time.

 

Abby’s harness fit tightly around Daniel, including a crotch strap. So instead of carrying him in her hand, she grabbed where the leash attached the harness and dangled him from it. It wasn’t a pleasant way to travel, but she didn’t seem to care about Daniel’s comfort at the moment.

 

Finally outside, the girls laid a blanket on the ground and they all sat down. Abby held onto the handle of the leash and told Daniel not to go to far, reminding him again of the consequences of not obeying her. Daniel walked as far as he could go without making her mad and sat down on the blanket. Was this going to be what he could look forward to for the rest of his life, or would someone help rescue him?

 

Shawn’s friends were just as excited to see Jack, but being older, by a year, tried to act cool. Christopher was the one who let Jack out of the stockade. “Hi there,” he said. “My name’s Christopher. I came over to play with you.”

 

“Hi,” Jack replied, eyeing his pack. “I’m Jack.”

 

“Yeah,” the next boy said, “Shawn told us. I’m Billy and this is Simon.” He pointed to the boy standing next to him.

 

“Billy, Simon,” Jack stated, checking out the boys. “What are we going to play?” Once he knew what was going on, he could plan his means of escape.

 

“You’re a soldier, Jack,” Shawn said, as though stating the obvious, “we’re going to play war games.”

 

“Okay,” Jack said slowly. “Who are we fighting?”

 

“The girls of course,” Simon told him. “They’re having a ‘tea party’ in the garden and we’re going to ruin it.”

 

“Ahh.” Jack did know how little boys thought. This might just be what he needed to get away. “I know a lot of attack strategies. May I explain some of them?”

 

The boys all looked at each other thinking this was going to be even better than they thought. They bent down and listened attentively to Jack’s plan.

 

The girls were still talking on the blanket when the boys came out of the house. Simon was carrying an electric jeep that Jack would be driving and Shawn was carrying Jack.

 

“Are you sure this is going to work, Jack?” Shawn asked. “I don’t want to get in trouble with my father.”

 

“It’ll be fine, Shawn,” Jack assured him. “Nobody will get hurt. We’re just going to have a little fun.”

 

The boys snuck up behind some trees near the girls. Simon set the jeep down and Shawn placed Jack on the driver’s seat. “Okay, boys. I’ll drive up and scare them. Then you all come out with the squirt guns.” Jack had his pack and weapons again. He knew they would do nothing against the children, but he hoped they might be useful in rescuing Daniel. The electric jeep had been a bonus he hadn’t expected. “Now!” Jack yelled taking off after the girls.

 

He’d already scoped out Daniel’s predicament. The leash might pose a problem, but Jack had his weapon ready. This was their best chance for escape, if only the battery in the jeep would hold out. He drove up onto the blanket, surprising the girls and making them scream. Abby was still holding the leash and when she stood up, Daniel was left dangling from it. Jack drove up next to him and shot the leash with his P-90. Daniel fell to the blanket, shook himself off, and ran to the jeep.

 

“Good to see you, Jack,” Daniel said, jumping in the jeep. “But where do we go now?”

 

“I have no idea,” Jack answered, slamming on the power pedal. “However, I say we head for the wall.”

 

“Sounds good to me,” Daniel agreed, holding on tight. The jeep had a surprising amount of speed and traveled over the ground very well.

 

When Jack had run up on the blanket and scared the girls, the boys ran out and sprayed them with water from their squirt guns. In the ensuing chaos, Abby didn’t notice Daniel had been freed from his leash. “Shawn, STOP!” she yelled when she noticed. “Daniel’s gone.”

 

Shawn actually stopped when his sister yelled at him. He looked around for Jack and his jeep, finally spotting it, due to Daniel’s neon pink harness. “Guys, after them,” he yelled, pointing at the jeep nearing the fence. Everybody took off to capture their wayward toys.

 

Jack heard the screaming and floored the pedal. Just as the giant children were about to catch up, he spied a tunnel he thought he could maneuver through. “Hold on, Daniel. This might be rough going.” Jack drove into the hole, bouncing all the way. He only hoped nothing would block their way.

 

Shawn was the first to reach the hole, dropping to the ground and sticking his arm in as far as he could. He almost reached the jeep, but then Jack turned a corner and got away. “Dang it,” Shawn muttered, sitting up. “I missed them. Do you think we could dig up the hole and get them out?”

 

“I don’t know, Shawn,” Abby answered. “Father will get awfully mad if we dig up the garden.”

 

“Yeah, but Jack stole my jeep. That wasn’t nice.” Shawn had just received the electric jeep for his birthday and knew his father would be angry if he’d lost it this quickly.

 

Abby knew what her brother was worried about and tried to comfort him. “We just won’t say anything and maybe he won’t even notice.”

 

“Maybe,” he said quietly. “Come on guys. Let’s go play inside.” All four boys headed into the house to find something else to do.

 

“I’m sorry your little boy is gone,” Holly said to comfort Abby. “He was fun to play with.”

 

 

Not hearing anything for a while, Jack carefully stopped the jeep. “Do you think we got away, Daniel?”

 

Daniel glanced behind them, not seeing or hearing anything. “I hope so, Jack. I’ve had about as much as I can take from that little girl.” He tugged at the harness he was still wearing. “Any chance we can get this off me?”

 

Jack couldn’t help grinning at him. “Sure, let me see what I can do.” He pulled out his knife and tried to cut it off. The material came away, but inside it was a metal piece. “Sorry, Daniel. It won’t cut off. Let me see if I can undo it.”

 

Daniel sighed. Great, just great. He was going to end up going through the gate in a neon pink harness. “Come on, Jack. There’s got to be some way to get this off.” He yanked at the spot Jack had cut with his knife, but it didn’t come apart.

 

Jack was working behind Daniel trying to undo the clasp on the harness. Unfortunately there was a locking mechanism on it he couldn’t figure out. “It’s not coming off right now, Daniel. I think we’d better figure out a way back to the Stargate and worry about it later.”

 

“That’s easy enough for you to say,” Daniel grumbled. “You’re not dressed head to toe in pink.”

 

Jack almost teased him about looking pretty in pink, but changed his mind when he saw how dejected Daniel was. He rummaged around in his backpack and pulled out a pair of pants and a button down shirt. “You might be able to put these on over your clothes,” Jack suggested. “Sorry I don’t have anything for your feet.”

 

Daniel accepted the clothes readily and put them on quickly. They covered up the pink and only his sneakers were left showing. Feeling better, he asked, “So what do you think? Do we go back and find a way out above ground, or do we continue on through the tunnel and hope it comes out the other side?”

 

Jack had made a decision and was ready to answer, when he heard a noise in the tunnel. Lifting his P-90 into position and pulling him and Daniel behind the jeep, he waited to see what was coming.

 

Sam and Teal’c had tracked Daniel and Jack to the castle. It had taken most of the day and they’d had to camp during the night. The next day they’d been walking around the fence surrounding the castle in order to find a way in. Spotting a tunnel that looked to lead under the fence, they’d carefully made their way in. Turning a corner, they ran right into Jack and Daniel.

 

“Colonel,” Sam exclaimed as they both lowered their weapons. “Daniel. Thank goodness you’re all right. We’ve been searching for you.”

 

“Indeed, O’Neill,” Teal’c stated. “I am very pleased to see the both of you looking well.”

 

“We’re glad to see you guys too,” Daniel replied walking up to them. “So am I right to assume this tunnel leads to the outside?”

 

“You are correct, Daniel Jackson,” Teal’c intoned.

 

“Sweet,” Jack said, finally speaking. “Hop in and let’s get out of here.” He jumped into the driver’s seat and waited for everyone to climb aboard.

 

Sam looked surprised to see the jeep, but didn’t comment on it. She also didn’t comment on the pink sneakers she noticed Daniel wearing as he got in. “Just go straight ahead, Sir. That leads to the way out.”

 

Jack gunned the engine, which only buzzed with electricity, but they were moving. The tunnel did lead to the outside and then they followed the trail Teal’c had marked back to the Stargate. They drove all day, keeping an eye out for any large people or animals. The only thing crossing their path was an enormous worm, which they drove around.

 

The buzz of electricity died as the jeep stopped unexpectedly. The Stargate was just ahead, so they all exited the jeep and began walking. Daniel’s feet began to hurt in the lightweight sneakers, but he didn’t complain. He just wanted to get home.

 

Arriving at the DHD, Teal’c secured a line and climbed to the top. He had to jump up and down on the glyphs to get them to engage, but finally the Stargate kawooshed into life. Sam sent the signal on her GDO and indicated when it was safe to go through.

 

“We’ll be home soon, Daniel,” Jack assured him. “Then things can get back to normal.”

 

“Right, Jack,” Daniel agreed, even though he knew life at the SGC was never normal. Then he stepped through the gate and exited on the other side.