Chapter 34 – Eight No More
Sam had been missing for an hour; an hour in which all five adults left in the large room looked for clues as to where she had been taken. Daniel scoured the writings on the wall, looking for anything that might indicate how he could get to where Sam was. Jack paced the room, looking for secret panels or doorways that might lead him to Sam. Teal'c alternated between helping Daniel and trying to reassure Colonel O'Neill that Major Carter would most certainly return. The two medical officers did what they could to search the cave, but mostly they stayed away from one Colonel Jack O'Neill, who alternated between his intensely searching the room to kicking the walls in frustration.
All five adults swung their heads to the center of the room when the bright bluish green light reentered the cave and pulsated into the ring Sam had previously been in. The same crackling and smoking could be seen as well as heard in the cavernous room. The three men of SG-1 took cautious steps forward toward the center of the room, Jack indicating with hand gestures for the medical personnel to stay back. With one final surge of power, the light grew stronger for a moment, then dissipated, leaving the unconscious form of Samantha Carter lying in its wake.
"It...it worked! She's back!" Daniel's stunned whisper could be heard clearly throughout the room.
They rushed forward and surrounded Sam. Jack fell to his knees beside her, his hand automatically going to her neck to check for a pulse. A feeling of relief swept through him as he felt her steady pulse beneath his fingertips. Lt. Jones knelt on the other side of Sam and placed a stethoscope against her chest, hearing for herself the strong, steady beat of her heart.
Jack sat back on his heels, unconsciously taking Sam's now adult sized hand in his own as Lt. Jones checked her over. He couldn't take his eyes off of her face, wanting to assure himself that she was indeed real and back to normal. His fear and anger had quickly been replaced by relief once she had reappeared before them. Now he just wanted her to open her eyes and speak so that he could hear her voice.
Jack looked up as a deep rumbling began within the cave. He looked at Teal'c and Daniel, each of them thinking the same thing. Rocks began to fall from the walls of the room as the rumbling increased in volume.
"We have to get out, now!" Jack yelled, as he bent to pick up the still unconscious form of his Major. Teal'c moved to take her from his arms, but Jack shook his head and headed for the passageway. Teal's pushed Jones and Sunderson after Jack, then made sure Daniel was ahead of him as they began to race back along the narrow passageway and out of the cavern.
Rocks pelted down at them from all angles. Jack stayed bent over Sam as much as possible in order to protect her from falling debris. He heard a muffled cry from behind him as he raced toward the entry of the cave, not stopping to check out the sound as he knew Teal'c was covering their six. Once he reached the outside of the cave, Jack kept walking until he was about 20 meters from the cave's entrance. Then he gently laid Sam on the ground, brushed the hair back from her face, and turned to check on the rest of the team.
Teal'c had an arm around the waist of Lt. Jones. She had been struck in the leg by a falling rock but had not sustained a serious injury. She hobbled over to Sam and fell to Sam's side to check her once again.
Jack, Teal'c and Daniel turned and watched as dust poured forth from the entrance of the cave and stones blocked the opening. Once things had settled down, the mouth of the cave was no longer visible.
"Well, that was awfully close," Daniel commented.
"Indeed," Teal'c stated.
"Seems kind of strange, how it all came tumbling down almost the minute Carter came back. Think that was planned Danny?" Jack asked the archeologist.
"Dunno Jack. But it does seem rather coincidental. Maybe Sam can tell us something about it when she comes to." At his words, they heard a moan come from the ground and all of them turned toward the sound.
Sam clutched at her head with both hands, moaning at the pain that pierced through her skull. She felt hands trying to keep her still but pushed them away as she struggled up on her elbows, slowly opening her eyes and squinting against the bright sunlight. "What happened?" she asked, her voice coming out as a croak.
"You tell us Dorothy," Jack said as he knelt beside her once more. "Seems you went off to see the wizard on your own. You must have been good; it looks like he gave you your heart's desire."
Sam looked at him in puzzlement, then opened her eyes wider as she recalled what had happened to her. She sat up straighter and held her hands out in front of her, then looked down the length of her body all the way to her bare feet. Her face broke out into a brilliant grin as she looked at Jack. "Oh my God, she did it! I'm me again! The Guardian changed me back."
Daniel knelt down beside Jack, looking at Sam with excitement. "You mean you actually saw the Guardian of Innocents? What was she like? What happened to you? Did she say anything?"
"Hold on there Daniel. Let Carter catch her breath OK? Let's get her back to camp, then we can interrogate her." He looked down at her bare feet. "Guess your new boots won't be fitting you anymore, huh Carter?"
Sam looked down at her feet and smiled. "I guess not Sir. Maybe Janet can get a refund!' she quipped.
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It was dark and quiet, the fire giving off the only light in the area around the campsite. Everyone had gone to bed an hour ago, leaving Jack to take the first watch. He had decided they would stay here for one more night, giving Sam some time to rest and readjust to being back in her adult body before they began the arduous trek back to the Stargate.
After returning to the campsite, Sam had been thoroughly checked over by Lts. Jones and Sunderson. Other than a lingering headache, the puncture wounds in her right wrist and some stiffness in her left one, she had been deemed medically sound. Sam had spent the better part of the afternoon telling them what had occurred to her in the inner sanctum where she had met the Guardian of Innocents. Jack had shuddered internally when she told them that some of the children had not survived the transformation process. He became quiet after that, thinking about all the possible outcomes that could have occurred.
Sam noticed his reserved demeanor and thought he was most likely angry with her for what she had done. She didn't have the chance to talk to him alone though, so kept her thoughts to herself. She had been kept quite busy answering the myriad questions that Daniel put forth anyway.
Jack turned as he heard the sound of a zipper being opened. He watched as Sam made her way hesitantly over to where he sat on a log, keeping watch in the stillness of the night. "Something wrong Carter?" he asked her quietly.
"Just can't sleep Sir. Mind if I sit down?"
"Be my guest," he waved his hand to indicate that she should sit down on the other end of the log.
She stared into the fire, trying to figure out how to approach the topic without getting a tongue lashing from her CO. Sighing, she figured she had better just get on with it and clear the air. "Uh, about this morning in the cave...I know I told you that I wouldn't do anything without your approval...," she hesitated and took a quick peek at his face, not surprised to find him watching her intently.
"Without my approval? I believe you disobeyed a direct order Carter." Jack raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to continue.
"With all due respect Sir, I didn't. You told me last night not to go near the cave by myself. Which I didn't; we all went together. The only thing I did by myself was go into the circle in the middle of the floor."
"Yeah, which you had figured would probably take you to the inner sanctum. You didn't bother to mention that before you stepped in that circle. Nor make sure that someone came along with you, I might add!"
Sam winced at the tone in his voice before she turned back to him. "You wouldn't have been taken up with me anyway Sir. The Guardian told me that only the children were allowed into the Inner Sanctum. I would have been on my own regardless if I told you or not."
"But did you know that ahead of time? No. You should have told me about your plans Carter, instead of rushing head long into what could have been a disaster. Like I said last night, we're a team and we do things as a team." He wasn't going to let her off that easily. He was still a bit upset about how she had taken things into her own hands in the cave.
"You can't honestly tell me that you wouldn't have done the exact same thing in my place. I've seen you take risks just to spare the rest of us. You can't blame me for not wanting to risk any of you," she insisted.
"Ah, but I'm the CO here. That's my job. Yours is to follow orders," he reminded her.
"And to think for myself," she added quietly. He frowned at her quiet comment.
"What was that?" he asked her, a slight reprimand in his voice.
"Nothing Sir." She raised her eyes from the fire, a hurt expression in her eyes. "You seem as if you're not all that glad I'm back to normal. Maybe you would have preferred..." She was interrupted by a loud snort from him.
"Don't be an idiot Carter, of course I wanted you back to normal! I just didn't like not knowing all the facts before you up and took matters into your own hands." He turned his body so that he was directly facing her and caught the hurt look she hadn't been able to conceal. Softening his tone, he continued, "Look Carter, no matter how cute you were as an eight year old, I prefer the adult version. Hell, I think I worried more about you in the last week than I have in the last seven years. I just don't want to be shut out of decisions that affect the well-being of my team members."
She nodded her head, then turned back to the fire and thought about what he had said. Maybe she had been wrong, going ahead on her own like that. But wrong or not, she was so glad to be back to normal. And she was relieved to know that he was as well.
Having had enough of her silence, Jack inched closer and nudged her with his arm, "So, what's the first thing you're going to do when you get back? Have a gallon of coffee? Or perhaps a glass of wine?" he asked with a grin.
She turned to him with a smile. "Actually, I was thinking of going back to O'Malley's. I could have a stronger drink than a glass of wine. Plus, there's a certain pool player I wouldn't mind meeting up with again," she smirked at him.
Jack groaned, "I think you'd better stay away from O'Malley's for a while Carter. Nothing but trouble happens to you there."
She laughed softly, and then regarded him curiously. "So, was I really that much trouble as an eight year old?"
He grinned at her in the firelight, "Nah, not that much. Your penchant for disappearing got kind of old though. And trying to find you in a crowd? Not the easiest thing in the world." He appeared to be deep in thought for a few minutes as he looked at her. "You know, I have to be honest Carter. I kind of wish we would have been able to keep you small for a few more weeks."
Startled at his admission, she raised her eyebrows and squeaked out a surprised, "What?"
"Well, aside from missing your gap toothed grin, it just occurred to me that with Halloween coming up, I could have taken you trick or treating. Dressed like a little soldier or in your biker outfit, we would have made a killing in the candy department!" His grin reached all the way across his face.
Sam chuckled in response before she replied cheekily, "WE? Who ever said I'd share my candy with you?"
"Ah, as your commanding officer, it's your duty to share any candy you receive with me. I believe that is written in the cadet handbook you received way back in basic training. I'm surprised you didn't remember that!"
"I'll have to look it up when we get back Sir." They grinned at each other, then settled back into a companionable silence as they gazed into the fire. Shoulders touching, they smiled at the memories they shared of an eight year old Sam Carter. It had been trying at times, but there were good memories as well and those were the ones both of them chose to remember.
All in all, Sam thought to herself, it hadn't been that bad having the chance to be eight again. At least for a little while.
A/N: Well, I hope the conclusion met with your expectations. Stay tuned for an epilogue that I hope to have up by Monday. It will have just a bit of ship in it for those of you who have been asking for it. Nothing over the top though, I think I need to stick to their true characters a bit. Thanks so much for reading my "little story!"