Yes, I'm posting two chapters in one day. I figured you deserved it for being so very patient with me in waiting these long months. Rest assured I don't get called out on company business very often. Every now and again, yes, but not constantly.

I do have a question for all of you though. Which would you prefer: long chapters in less frequent posts or shorter chapters more often? It won't necessarily apply to this story since the chapters are pretty much mapped out, but I'd like to know for future stories. Let me know in a reveiw (and add a word or two of appreciation if you like what I'm writing!).

And now my least favorite part: The Disclaimer. I don't own SG-1 or any of the other people you recognize in here from the show. Would you like to add a little vinegar to that wound, MGM, before you rub it in? I do, however, own the gossip hounds and Hawley and Ericks. If you wish to borrow them, please ask.

I'm done chattering now. Go! Read! Review!

Acting One's Age
by Keaira
Chapter 8 – A Little Slippery

When Janet got back to the iso room it was just Sam waiting for her and the six-year-old promptly informed her that Teal'c had taken Jack and Daniel. Janet nodded and led the way out into the hall and on to the women's locker room.

Sam was very obedient and seemed genuinely sorry for the mess that had been made and the trouble caused.

She even asked if Mr. General Hammond was going to be okay causing Janet to smile. Wait until the General heard that one!

"He'll be fine, Sam," Janet promised her as she lifted the food caked dress off of the girl's shoulders and over her head.

"He looked really mad," Sam said as she reached back to pull the paper flower from her hair and set it aside. It was surprisingly clean as compared to the rest of her, but then Janet didn't recall seeing it in her hair during the fight. She briefly wondered what it was, then brushed it aside as she realized Sam was staring at her.

"He was mad,"the older womanagreed. "That's why he wants me to take the three of you out to buy some clothes. He needs some time to calm down."

"Oh. Okay. Why do I need to buy clothes?"

"Because you don't have any others, do you?"

Sam thought about this, her mouth forming a cute little pout as she considered. Then she shook her head, her gravy-covered braid spattering more of the mess over the walls as Janet winced. Well they can be cleaned easily enough, she decided and returned her attention to the conversation.

"No. Why didn't my mom and dad pack some clothes for me?"

Janet hesitated and started undoing the braid, pulling the ribbon out to be washed with the clothes and then said, "They weren't sure how long they'd be gone and they didn't have much notice. But they did leave me some money to get you some new clothes."

Again the pause and Janet feared she'd ask the question that Janet didn't want to answer. Where had her parents gone?

"Can I get another blue dress?"

Janet smiled, both in relief that it wasn't The Question and because it was just so cute.

"Sure. We'll get you another blue dress."

"Okay."

With that last question answered Sam went willingly into the shower to clean up.

oOoo

"Have you seen them?" Senior Airman Victoria Bowen asked.

"I only got a glimpse as I walked past the infirmary," her companion, Lance Corporal Trisha Fletcher, confessed in her thick southern drawl.

"I heard Dr. Jackson is just a doll," the third member of the group, Dr. Maria Kitchner, a civilian who worked in the R&D labs said.

Fletcher rolled her eyes. "Honey, he's a doll as an adult. Of course he was a cute kid."

"So you saw him?" Bowen asked. Fletcher shook her head ruefully.

"No. I only saw Colonel O'Neill. He was a cute kid though."

"Hey, ladies. What's up?" Corpsman Hawley asked as he entered the break room and grabbed the coffee pot to refill his travel mug. His buddy, Corporal Ericks, was right behind him.

"We were talking about SG-1," Fletcher said with her usual lack of embarrassment. Her two partners in crime flushed a little at being caught. Not that Dr. Jackson wasn't a pretty common topic in the break room anyway—thank the stars he kept his own coffee pot in his office!—but it was a little embarrassing to be caught discussing one of the most respected members of the SGC.

"Oh," Hawley said as he added creamer and sugar. "Yeah." He smiled a little at the memory of Major Carter from that morning and shook his head. Suddenly he realized the three girls were staring at him.

"Hey, wait," Kitchner said suddenly. "You work in the infirmary."

He took a long sip of his coffee and then nodded. "Yep. I do work in the infirmary," he said. He could see the irritation that flashed through their features but wasn't nearly ready to give in that easily.

"Well?" Bowen finally demanded. "Give us details, man!"

Hawley chuckled. "Well, their blood seemed normal to me, but we're still waiting on-"

"For the love of-" Ericks broke in. "Just tell 'em how cute they are and get it over with, John."

'John' raised an eyebrow. "Why do I have to? You're the one that brought Major Carter back. I only got a glimpse of Dr. Jackson. You were there when Dr. Fraiser talked him out of the air vent."

"Why was he in an air vent?" Kitchner asked with some alarm.

Ericks saw the three sets of eyes were now focused on him, eagerly awaiting his response. He had a sudden sympathy for anyone undergoing interrogation by the enemy. Although he was pretty sure he'd prefer facing down Apophis with his hand device set on high than these three gossip hounds.

"Well, um . . ."

Hawley laughed and waved before slipping out the door, a grin on his face.

John's a dead man, Ericks silently vowed and then sighed. He debated playing the old 'need to know' card, but then decided against it. It wouldn't work anyway. Not on Fletcher. He might as well get it over with.

"I don't know how they got in the vents, but apparently that's-"

The hallway outside the break room was suddenly filled with three sounds: something wet slapping the ground in a regular rhythm, a very young male voice yelling at the top of his lungs, and the pounding of combat boots in hot pursuit of sounds one and two.

All eyes turned towards the door just as a blur of something small and kind of peach-colored went past. All four of them went over as a brown, black,and green blur raced past. Four heads were stuck out in the corridor in time to see the black, green, and brown blur catch up to the peach blur.

They pulled their heads back in as Teal'c turned around and started back their direction.

Once he'd passed them though, all four heads went back out the door just in time to catch the sight of a stark naked Daniel Jackson fighting the arm that he was tucked under, still yelling.

Seeing the hanging jaws of the three women who continued to stare until Teal'c turned the corner, Ericks took his chance and escaped, moving the other direction as quickly as he could lest he be called back.

He did feel a pang of sympathy for Dr. Jackson. As if he wasn't talked about enough . . . Then he shrugged. He'd probably never know anyway. The gossipers usually maintained an impressive level of secrecy.

At least Colonel O'Neill is a kid too, he thought. He'd never let Dr. Jackson live it down if he were himself . . .

oOoo

It was almost an hour since they'd started Sam's clean up and Janet and Sam were still waiting for Teal'c to show up with Jack and Daniel. Sam sat on an infirmary bed, her attention occupied by another blank piece of paper on which she was drawing something.

Janet alternated between pacing and checking the hallway for the missing boys.

She'd figured even with the two of them to take care of that Teal'c would be done before she cleaned up Sam and changed into civilian clothes so they could leave as soon as the kids' clothes were clean. Apparently she'd been wrong.

Another half hour passed and one of the supply gals came by with the cleaned and dried clothes and still there was no sign of them.

Janet was just about to send someone to go check on them when the sound of squishing footsteps reached her ears.

She turned as a thoroughly soaked and quite unhappy Teal'c entered, two giggling boys tucked under his arms in a football carry. Janet couldn't help staring at the small pouf of soap suds that sat on the top of his shaved head like a dollop of whipped cream topping a pie slice.

Biting back the laughter she looked down at the two boys. Their hair was still wet, but they were clean and decked out in baggy green scrubs.

Teal'c set the two of them down, glared at them—which promptly ended the gigglefest and produced looks of almost sincere contrition—and then turned and left without a word, squeaking his way down the hallway.

As soon as he was out of the room, the boys started giggling again. Janet looked heavenward in supplication and then grabbed the stacks of clothes for them and shooed them behind a curtain to change as Sam continued her drawing.

oOoo

Checking her watch as they entered the elevator Janet saw it was almost four p.m. She figured three hours of shopping would do nicely to tire them all out and if they were good she just might take them to a movie afterward. No sense in getting back too early after all. She wanted to give the general plenty of time to finish up for the day and go home before bringing them back.

It was a good thing Cassie was spending the next two weeks on a field trip to Washington DC with her class. Hopefully they'd have this solved before she came back so Janet wouldn't have to leave her alone too much.

She had a feeling she had been well and truly roped into taking care of the three of them—thank heavens Teal'c was still able to take care of himself. Although, he'd probably be an angel to take care of. Jaffa discipline had to start early. Look at Rya'c.

She sighed and wondered again if she could pawn the job off on one of her techs . . .

Hmm . . . definitely something to consider further, she thought as she unlocked her car and opened the back door. She realized then that she didn't have any child safety seats—Not that she'd expected to need them. Cassie had been well past that age when she came into Janet's life—and that it was another thing to put on the list of things to get. The general had been pretty vague in the note delivered by an airman, telling her to get anything they might need for an extended duration. He had every faith in the abilities of her and her staff, but just in case . . .

Thank goodness for limitless government credit cards.

Although she wasn't anxious to see how General Hammond would explain away receipts for Toys'R'Us and Gymboree on his monthly audit with the bean counters in accounting.

Sometimes it was nice being an underling, she decided and snapped the buckle on Daniel in the middle seat.

After checking Jack and Sam were securely belted in she shut the door and climbed in the driver's seat.

"Ready?" she asked, glancing in the rear-view mirror.

"Ready!" all three answered enthusiastically.

With a smile she pulled out of the parking lot and they were on their way.

Thanks for the reviews and thanks for reading! Until next time . . .

"There is nothing quite so good as burial at sea. It is simple, tidy, and not very incriminating." – Alfred Hitchcock

-Keaira