The day that changed his life part 4

Jack got all the bags out the back of his truck and then went back to get Danny. He looked so innocent when he was sleeping, if only that lasted when he woke up. Jack was beginning to regret that Daniel had picked up so much of his sarcastic humour over the years, he had an answer for everything. He now had a 6 year old kid with attitude and he was going to have to deal with it. What had he got himself into. But at least he had Sam, Teal'c, Janet and General Hammond to turn to. He hoped.

He carried Danny into the house and laid him on the couch. He was still fast asleep. He went into the kitchen and prepared some food. He grabbed a beer from the fridge and took a deep drink, after the day he'd had he deserved a crate of beer not just one.

"Get me one," a voice said from the area of the couch. Jack actually was going to the fridge when he realized what he was doing.

"Very funny!" He got a glass and filled it with milk and brought it over.

"You have got to be joking, I'm not drinking that. I am 36 you know, I've been drinking for years."

"Well it's all you're getting, YOU may be 36 but your body is 6."

Danny glared at Jack. "I won't tell if you don't."

"Aint going to happen, Fraiser would eat me alive and spit out my bones and I hate to think what Teal'c would do. Dinner's ready, come on I'll put some plates out." Danny got down off the couch and moved to the table, he had to climb onto the chair. His head barely reached the table. Jack grabbed a couple of cushions, lifted him up and put him on top of them. "That's better."

He set the burger in front of Danny and put some salad on his plate. He set the glass beside it.

Danny ate the food and reluctantly drank the milk. "Good boy," Jack said.

"You make me sound like a dog," Danny complained. He got down from the chair.

"You ready for bed?" Jack asked.

"Might as well, you didn't bring my laptop home so I can't work."

Jack carried the bags through to the bedroom that Danny always used when he stayed over. He took the clothes out of the wrappers and put them in the drawers. He handed a pair of pyjamas to Danny.

"You have got to be joking, I'm not wearing these," Danny shouted as he threw the pair of Bart Simpson pyjamas across the room at Jack.

"That's it!" Jack shouted back. He grabbed Danny and set him on the bed, he started to undo his shoes. Danny tried to pull Jack's hands away from the shoes. Jack slapped his hand.

"Ow! That hurt."

"You've got a choice, young man, put those pyjamas on or I'll do it." When Danny hesitated Jack started to pull off the t-shirt.

"Okay, I'll do it." Jack picked up the pyjamas and set them on the bed.

"I'll be back in 5 minutes," Jack told him as he walked out. Danny recognized Jack's no nonsense voice, he was expected to be in those pyjamas and in bed in 5 minutes and the mood Jack was in he wasn't about to argue. He hurriedly changed and got in to bed.

Meanwhile Jack cleared the table and put the dishes in the dishwasher. This was not turning out the way he'd thought. Danny as an adult could be difficult but as an adult in a child's body he was impossible. He knew this wasn't easy for Danny but he wasn't helping by having temper tantrums.

By the time he went back in Danny was in bed asleep. Jack had forgotten how cranky kids got when they were tired, hell he got cranky when he was tired. He'd have to make more allowances for Danny, he was having to deal with something very unusual. He knew he would hate to be 6 years old again.

He went through to the kitchen grabbed a beer and sat in front of the TV. He took a swig of his beer and watched a rerun of MacGyver. Before he went to bed he checked on Danny. He was sound asleep.

The next morning he woke to the smell of coffee. "S***, Danny!" he thought as he jumped out of bed. He sprinted through to the kitchen and grabbed Danny off a stool he had climbed on to reach the mugs.

"Hi, Jack. Sleep well," he said cheerily. "Hope you're feeling better this morning, you were a bit stressed out yesterday. You need to relax more. Thought I'd cook breakfast before we head in. Pancakes okay?"

"Okay, that's it," Jack spat out. He carried Danny to the couch and set him down. He sat in front of him. "We need a few rules Danny. You know do's and don'ts to keep you safe." What he was actually thinking was to keep his sanity and his hair intact.

"Whatever you say Jack but you didn't answer my question or would you prefer fruit loops. The only packet you had was empty but I could go down to the store and buy some. He made to get up.

Jack grabbed him and set him back, "And where did you find the packet?"

"In the cupboard up….Oh! oh!" Danny suddenly realized what Jack meant. "I was okay Jack."

"And how did you get up there?" he asked as he pointed to the cupboard above the sink.

"Well….you see….I…" Danny stuttered.

"Go on, I'd love to hear your explanation."

"You've never complained before when I've made breakfast."

"You were 6 foot tall. You could reach all my cupboards. How did you manage it this time?"

Danny didn't really want to discuss this so he did a typical Danny ploy, change the subject, "Want some coffee?"

"No…I…do…not..want…some…coffee. I…want…you…to…explain…how…you… reached…that…cupboard."

"Well if you're going to take that attitude I won't bother." Danny was sure it was Jack who'd told him that the best defence was a good offence or some such thing, Jack really wasn't any good with sayings. Danny tried to jump off the couch again but found he was being held by a very p***ed off Colonel. This was not going well. Danny had played this scene over in his head. He'd make breakfast, Jack would be happy. They'd sit and discuss things like the two adults they were and Jack would agree to Danny's demands. It had been so simple, this was not the way it was meant to happen. Danny opened his mouth to speak but a hand went over it.

"Right this is how it's going to be. You do not stand on any piece of furniture to reach anything. You do not touch anything in the kitchen without asking. You do not touch anything sharp. And you learn to tie your d***ed shoe laces." Jack stood up and went into the kitchen.

They ate breakfast in silence. Then they headed for Cheyenne Mountain. Jack had already taken 2 headache tablets and it wasn't 7 o'clock yet. This was going to be a long day.

TBC