This is an AU Army Wives Fic that starts Pre Series. Introducing a Catalyst our favorite army wives and their family.
A Unit from the 23rd Airborne Division, led by Michael James Holden in the winter of 2007 is sent to rescue Americans including an American FBI agent being held from a Lab run by an American team of scientists in an Island country most usually used as a tax shelter for the rich and corrupt, When they get there the scientists were destroying their notes, and burning bodies, and they found only three children left alive. Not the adults they heard about in the briefing three barely breathing naked children. Colonel Holden ordered the detainment of the adults and Medevac of the children. Their orders were to fly the children to the closest Trauma 1 certified military hospital which happened to be Fort Marshall. They flew there, and the Pentagon Generals Kostis and Sayer, Major Ackerson were there, along with Agent Ryerson who was 5'2 petite shapely blonde, and wearing a tailored business suit that showed off her curves. Only Holden, Sherwood, and Burton were in the Debriefing with The four Pentagon representatives.
"The three children you found were three of the adults you were sent to rescue somehow which we don't know how since they destroyed their notes, they de-aged them. But we have taken numerous blood samples luckily whatever drug cocktails they used stayed in their systems. Whatever it was is so complex it will take the computers we currently six months to analyze it the samples."
"Who are the children?" Lt. Colonel Joan Burton asked.
"The 18 month old, was 20 year old, Jesse Talbot, a Graduate student at MIT in Computers, the 6 year old boy is 46 year old Tavian Marks, a Physics Professor at Georgia Tech, and the 4 year old girl is 36 year old FBI Profiler Octavia Macy."
"What do we know about them?"
"They still have their knowledge, skills, and maturity, but along with the bodies they seem to have the emotions, needs, energy, and occasionally logic of children. They also have no personal memories, they remember movies, pop culture references, but not why they know those things. They will be adopted out to families with clearance, an eccentric 1931 Ford Model a Driving physics Professor in Pasadena we've already matched with Tavian, he has clearance, and will be a good fit, and they were friends and colleagues for years, as for Jesse there's a forensic anthropologist in DC that would be perfect for him. The only question is Macy."
"Not Octavia?" Frank asked.
"If your name was Octavia, you wouldn't use it either. Is how she would answer that question when she asked people to call her by her last name, besides when they were made into little children we had to give them new identities hers is Macy North, that was Joyce and Octavia's original Surname, and that will be her birth name, she is her own daughter, the father being an anonymous sperm donor a lot of women panic when approaching 30. She did she just didn't go out and have her impregnate her with a stranger's sperm."
"You knew her?" Michael asked.
"Yes, I've worked with her several times, she had a brilliant mind, she wasn't tied to the BAU like most FBI Profilers are, and her mind was too sharp, too precious to waste on serial killers. Profilers while Elite, you are numerous enough that they could spare her. She worked as liaison to the Pentagon and worked with Army intelligence on terrorist ops. I was hoping that either Colonel Holden's family or Major Sherwood's family would adopt her."
"Why us?" Michael said calmly.
"Major Sherwood is closest in looks and personality to her adopted father Gunnery Sergeant Joe Macy who died in August 2002 in March 2002 in Kandahar, Afghanistan. He was part of the 15th Expeditionary Marines. Her Mother died three years later, heart failure Macy always insisted it was a broken heart."
"And me?" Michael asked.
"That has more to do with Mrs. Holden, General, Your wife is very similar in personality, to what Joyce Macy was like.
"May I make a suggestion?" Lt. Colonel Joan Burton said. "Provided Claudia Joy agrees, Colonel Holden and Claudia Joy adopts Macy, and Frank and Denise be the Godparents, or if that doesn't work for everyone, Major Sherwood and Denise adopt her, and Claudia Joy and Colonel Holden become the Godparents. It's all going to depend on who the little girl actually clicks with."
They call their wives down, and explained it to them
"Of course we'll adopt her." Claudia Joy said.
"And I always wanted a little girl." Denise said. "But how do we do this?"
"I say you both spend time with her over the next few days, and then ask her to decide." Agent Ryerson said.
Dr. Frasier, smiled. He "Well, she's ready for visitors.
Denise had stopped at the PX and gotten a Solider Bear, and Claudia Joy had brought an activity bag, (like she makes for when kids come to the FRG meetings because babysitters can't be found), Coloring books crayons, activing bags, electronic games with batteries, wooden puzzles, wooden toys, puppets, a Rubik's cube, kids card games, dominos, several notepads, colorful pens, markers. It was all in a heavy colorful canvas bag.) Dr. Frasier's nurse Kathy brought them into the private room, she was in. She was all alone watching television a bad made for TV movie Horror movie.
"….Don't investigate the Sound, NO don't go into the basement, well at least bring a weapon with you, a Glock, a baseball bat, a fireplace Iron…..Now the Monster is eating you, I saw at least 13 things in that basement that could have been used as weapons, and five points you could have used his momentum against him." they looked at her. "I hate defenseless women, we may be the less strong but that doesn't mean weaker."
"Hear, Hear." Frank said. "Oorahh…..I'm Major Frank Sherwood, this is my wife Denise…and this is My C.O…..That means….."
"Commanding Officer….."
"Colonel Michael Holden…..And this is my wife Claudia Joy." Michael said.
"Nice to meet you, my name was Macy, Agent Ryerson said I have to pick between the two of you to be my new parents."
"She did, did she?" Michael said. Claudia joy could tell he was mad.
"Don't be mad at her I was manipulating information out of her, any profiler, used car salesman or Con artist could have done it. I'm surprised it work, she seemed more seasoned than that. She realized what I was doing eventually and put a stop to it."
"How do you feel?" Claudia Joy asked.
"I'm sick of being in this bed, there's nothing wrong with me." She complained.
"They need to make sure." Denise said. "there are a lot of drugs working their way out of your systems any one of them could have any number of side effects."
"Okay, I guess. Say what have you got there?"
"I brought you a bear….."
"A Solider Bear." Denise hands the bear to him. "He doesn't have a rank. He'll be a Major, Major Fuzz Bearwood."
"Did you just name your bear after me?" Frank asked.
"Yes, I wouldn't Surprised if he gets promoted around the same time you do, but he won't go higher than Colonel, because he's a field officer."
They all laughed
"The logical thing to do is to ask you questions about your parenting styles."
"What do you want to know?" Michael
"Well let's start with the basics, would I have any siblings."
"We have two teenage daughter Amanda and Emmalyn, they're 16 and 13." Claudia Joy said.
"We have a 17 year old son Jeremy." Denise said.
"Where would I sleep?"
"We have a finished attic in our house, we use for storage, it just needs to be cleaned out, painted and decorated." Claudia Joy said.
Frank answered. "We don't actually have a room for you, we'll have to request a three bedroom so we can live comfortably until the school year ends and Jeremy goes off to West Point this summer."
"Bed-time?"
"8: 15." Claudia Joy said. "You're only four, your body need sleep, and that also means a nap in the afternoon."
"I agree." Denise said.
"Does that mean Lights out at 8:15, or getting announcing its bedtime at 8:15?"
"Lights Out." Frank said, While Claudia Joy said "Announcing."
"What's your stance on candy, junk food, soda, and fast food?"
"Candy occasionally, soda not until you're older and fast food and junk food never." Claudia Joy said Michael nodded his head and winked at her.
Denise answered. "We don't go to fast food restaurants often but we do once or twice a year, we do indulge in junk food and candy occasionally, but I agree with Claudia Joy no Soda until you're older."
"Your stance on Homosexuality." She said.
"There's nothing wrong with it." Frank said. "I've served with Men and Women I've known were Gay, but they didn't ask and I didn't tell. They were fine soldiers who served with distinction and bravery and were a credit to their uniform."
"I agree with Frank." Michael said.
"I've never had a problem with it." Claudia Joy said.
"Me either." Denise said.
"Now once in your home am I going to be allow to research and learn?" She asked.
"Yes." All four adults said.
"Can I sleep in your bed if I'm scared at night?" that proved that she wasn't just a shrunken adult, in some ways she was a child and needed to be taken care of.
"Of Course you can, you know when I'm gone Denise get very lonely."
"Same with Claudia Joy." Michael said.
"What about when your there." She asked.
"What's one more person in our bed, you're not very big you don't take up much room." Michael said tickling her belly.
"Do you spend time with your kids?" Claudia and Denise answered yes, and Frank and Michael answered that when they were not deployed they spent as much time with their families as possible.
"Do you display the artwork your children make for you?" She asked.
"Well, my kids don't make it anymore, but I put it up on the fridge and had some of it framed." Claudia Joy said.
"So did me." Denise said.
"I still have the Ash tray that Jeremy painted for me with the perfect bull-eye target inside it with sights."
Not to be outdone Michael added. "I have a Blue Duck piggybank on waterskies on my desk Amanda made me in second grade art class."
Macy chuckled. "Alright you keep art projects, television viewing?"
"Well, since you have the maturity of an adult, but the emotions of a child we'd have to discuss that with a psychologist to see what movies and television shows would be appropriate for you." Claudia said. The adults all agreed.
"Discipline"
There was silence.
"If I'm going to live with one of you, this is something I'm going to need to know."
Claudia Joy went first. "In our house, given your age you'd get time outs in the corner, or sent to your room, or given an early bedtime, given your intelligence you'd be made to write a list, or an essay as punishment. Loss of Privileges will be taken away. And when your older, chores, grounding, or community service."
"And Major and Mrs. Sherwood?"
"Confinement to your room, helping with chores, time out, loss of privileges, spanking for major offenses, and when your older, grounding chores, community service, and water downed version of field exercises."
"I still don't know enough about any of you to make such a life changing decision. But God doesn't let us pick our parents so I'm not going to pick mine, I know I used to be an adult, they told me who I used to be, it seems the last decision I made got me into this mess, so I'm not going to decide I'm going to let God or the Universe do that for me. Colonel Holden do you have a large coin, a quarter or bigger."
"I have my 23rd Airborne Division Coin." He said
"Perfect. Colonel Calls, Major flips, and whoever wins I go home with."
"You're leaving this to chance?" Denise said.
"I'd be happy with either one of your families, Mrs. Sherwood, I can't bring myself to make a life-changing decision since the last one I made got myself shrunk and a lot of good people killed, and I can't stay in this hospital room another day or I'll use all these secret agent skills I'm starting to remember against the nurses and support staff, and that's a good way to get blood stream full of Trazadone and four point restraints tying you to the bed, and I have no idea how I know that."
"Frank." Michael hands him the Coin. Frank flips it in the air. "Heads."
The Coin flips several times in the air before landing in Major Sherwood's Open palm.
