Disclaimer: I don't own anything unless owning the movie and the first seven seasons on DVD counts for anything. (But then we'd all own them and that would be a legal nightmare.)
Acting One's Age
by Keaira
Chapter 12 – A Little Angel
Janet pulled into her driveway and parked the car, but left it idling as she turned to Jack, the only one of the three still awake.
"I don't want to wake them up just yet. Do you mind staying here while I grab the movies and some things I need?"
Jack shook his head and she nodded and undid her seatbelt.
"I'll be back in a few minutes."
She went inside and stopped for a moment to bend down and greet Phydeaux, Cassie's dog, and then straightened and headed into the house to complete her tasks as quickly as possible.
Grabbing a duffel bag from the hallway closet she thanked her lucky stars that Cassie had fallen in love with Disney movies. They owned every one that had been released on DVD and VHS in the last four years. Slowly the VHS were being replaced by the DVD, but Cassie didn't care that much. She just wanted the movies. Animated, live action, it didn't matter. Anything with that distinctive curlicue "D" on it and Cassie bought it.
Janet took the whole collection, then went up to her room to grab the bag she kept prepared for emergencies—since she never knew when she was going to be stuck on base for a week or more on short notice—and headed back downstairs.
Setting the bags by the front door she went into the mud room at the back door and grabbed Phydeaux's bag—ready for just the same eventuality since he'd stay on base with them if both she and Cassie were stuck there for some reason and couldn't find a dog-sitter or get him to the kennel in town. Janet didn't see either happening in the next five minutes.
Stopping to snap the leash on his collar, Janet moved the bags to the porch, locked the door, and then arranged the three bags so she could get them to the car in one trip. As she passed the car she saw all three were awake and she smiled at them before disappearing behind the car to open the trunk.
The three bags were quickly arranged and the trunk shut, then Phydeaux was loaded into the front seat and buckled in with the special attachment she'd snagged out of his bag.
He stretched and managed to get his nose far enough into the back seat to get a good sniff of each child's hands while Janet circled the car.
"Is Phydeaux going to stay with us too?" Danny asked.
Janet stopped in the middle of buckling her seatbelt to look back at him.
"Phydeaux?" she repeated.
"Yeah. Is he going to stay on base with us?"
She scrutinized his face but wasn't quite sure what she was looking for. How did he know the dog's name?
Well, actually, she knew he knew the dog's name. After Jack had helped Cassie pick it out, he'd helped Cassie spell it out. He'd explained it was a phonetic variation of the usual way of spelling Fido and that Jack would never be able to spell it. It was their little joke and Jack still gave Daniel crap about it.
That wasn't her real question though. Did Danny actually remember the dog he'd helped name or was it just a stray memory?
"How did you know Phydeaux's name?"
Danny shrugged. "Because it's his name."
"He looks like a Phydeaux," Jack added.
She considered that as she finished buckling in and shifted the car into reverse. Jack had said the exact same thing when Cassie asked why he should be named Phydeaux.
With a shake of her head she turned to look behind the car and let her foot off the brake.
She wasn't sure what would be worse. Having there be no cure and none of them remembering anything, or having there be no cure and all of them remembering everything.
Then an even worse thought hit her and she almost slammed on the brakes in her sudden panic. What if they could fix the age problem but they couldn't remember anything?
She shook her head to banish the unwelcome thoughts and gripped the steering wheel more firmly. She might not consider herself a miracle worker like some people on base seemed to, but she'd seen enough miracles in her time at the SGC to know that one shouldn't ever discount the possibility of one happening.
Especially when it came to SG-1.
oOoo
They made it to base without falling asleep again, mostly because Phydeaux spent the trip licking their fingers when offered and making them giggle.
She couldn't help but smile when she glanced back in the rear view mirror occasionally and saw them laughing and stretching to reach Phydeaux only to pull away when he slobbered on them.
She parked in her usual spot and cut the engine, climbing out and opening the doors to free them from their seats. Everyone piled out and she distributed bags to be carried, then wrestled her bags out of the trunk silently thanking whoever thought to put wheels on a suitcase. The extra bags were stacked on top and with a final glance to make sure everyone could handle their bag and that Phydeaux wasn't tangled up already, she turned towards the entrance and led the way inside.
They made it through the first checkpoint without a fuss even though it wasn't the same guards that had seen them out since it had been passed down to each watch that she would be returning with three kids in tow, complete with descriptions—which of course matched—and her ID checked out. They even offered to call someone to help her get everything down to where she was going, but she declined and they continued on.
The elevator was crowded with all four of them, Phydeaux, and the bags, but this late in the evening there wasn't a lot of traffic and it wasn't a problem.
They stopped by the kennels—which were conveniently located on the same floor as the elevator into the SGC—to drop Phydeaux off and then piled into the second elevator and made their way down into the heart of the mountain.
Finally, though, they reached the VIP room that had been set up for them. She opened the door and set the bags down inside, pleased to see the room had been made up to her specifications. The single queen sized bed had been moved out and replaced with three of the stackable beds from the crash rooms where personnel could stay if they didn't feel like going home or couldn't for some reason. Two were stacked up bunkbed style against one wall, the third by itself against the opposite wall.
The table was still in the same spot and the dresser had been moved to make room for the beds, but as she looked around she decided that there was enough room for a TV on a stand between the beds and against the wall. This would work well for as long as it was necessary—a short period of time if they were lucky.
She started rifling through the bags looking for the pajamas she'd bought as the three of them looked around and decided which bed they wanted. It worked out nicely since Sam preferred the single bed, Daniel wanted the bottom bunk, and Jack was all over the top one. She momentarily wondered how he'd climbed up there as fast as he did, but shook her head to clear the stray thought. As long as he didn't kill himself she supposed it didn't matter.
"Okay, everyone needs to get in pajamas, get teeth brushed, go to the bathroom, and anything else you need to do before bed. If you can handle all those on your own, I'll see if I can't get a TV and a DVD player so we can watch a movie before bed."
This idea was met with enthusiasm and she smiled as she finished laying out the items they'd need.
She felt a tug on her pant leg and looked down to see Daniel standing there.
"Yes, Danny?"
"What movie are we going to watch?" he asked.
She squatted so she was on eye level with him and said, "I don't know. I brought all the movies I had that I thought you three might like. When I get back we'll pick on out, okay?"
He pondered this for a moment. "Okay," he said finally and accepted the pajamas she gave him. She gave Sam and Jack their pajamas as well and then straightened and looked at Jack.
"I'm putting you in charge, Jack. Can you make sure everyone is ready for bed when I get back?"
He nodded. "Sure."
"Okay. I'll be back in a few minutes."
She refused to let herself hesitate any longer and left to find a TV and DVD player she could . . . appropriate . . . temporarily, of course.
oOoo
Jack was all ready to take charge like Janet had said, but found it unnecessary. Both Daniel and Sam had gone through the various tasks of getting ready for bed without hesitation and now they waited for Janet to return.
Daniel had retrieved one of the books he'd picked out and Sam had dug out the instruction manual for the chemistry set and was flipping through it; both were seated on their beds.
Jack was sitting on his bed, legs dangling over the side, bored and wondering if he should go searching for one of his toys.
The plump pillow sitting at the end of his bed caught his eye and he turned to look at it more fully, a grin slowly growing as an idea formed. The food fight earlier hadn't been satisfactorily resolved as far as he was concerned.
It was time to finish what had been started.
"Hey, Danny?"
Danny looked up to see Jack dangling upside down over the edge of his bed.
"What?"
A pillow in the face was the answer and it knocked him back since he wasn't expecting it. He scowled and grabbed his own pillow, but Jack pulled himself up before he could bring it to bear.
He went to climb up and get Jack, but got smacked for his troubles.
"Sam! Help me! Distract him!"
She looked up and then grinned and grabbed her own pillow and raced over to join in the fray.
Jack saw he was about to be overrun and did the only thing he could—he retreated, jumping off the far end from where Sam and Danny were trying to climb up.
Seeing their quarry escape they abandoned their climb and the three clashed in the middle of the room, pillows flying and giggles echoing off the walls.
oOoo
It turned out to be easier than she thought to get the electronics she needed and since she'd—almost literally—run into Lieutenant Samay, one of the supply guys, she didn't even have to steal it. And it came on a nifty cart with wheels and was all hooked up. All she had to do was plug them into the wall.
That was a very good thing since she didn't really get along with audio visual equipment of the entertainment persuasion. Give her a heart monitor or just about any other piece of medical equipment and she could hook it up no problem, but for some reason she never had been able to figure out how to tell which plug when into which jack on the back of a TV.
When she'd asked Sam to help her set up her entertainment center at home a year ago the blonde woman had readily agreed, but when she confessed she had no idea how to set the time on her VCR, Sam had laughed. Long and hard.
She'd even snorted once.
Apparently she just couldn't see how someone could be so smart as to almost single-handedly save the lives of everyone on base on a regular basis from things medical science had yet to contemplate, yet was incapable of setting a VCR clock.
The purchase of a DVD player a few weeks later hadn't helped either. Fortunately, Sam had taken pity on her and picked out one that could do everything she needed but wouldn't confuse her. And, Sam had added with a perfectly innocent tone but a mischievous glint in her eye, the clock set itself so she didn't need to worry about that.
Janet was still trying to figure out what Sam's weakness was so she could get her back, but alas, none had yet surfaced.
Unless you counted Sam's possible feelings for her commanding officer, but that caused too much pain to ever be a useful teasing tool.
Then again if they couldn't fix this problem, Sam and Jack would have an entire lifetime to figure out their feelings for one another and a way around the regulations.
With that simultaneously depressing and uplifting thought in mind, she turned the corner and continued on.
oOoo
It was the clearly audible sound of giggling that first caught her attention and pulled her from her musings. She slowed for a few steps and then hurried, coming to a stop at the door. One of the two SFs stationed there just barely caught the cart before it rolled away, but she was already grasping the door handle and throwing it open, deja vu washing over her as she took in the scene before her.
It wasn't mashed potatoes, but it did look a little similar at first. If mashed potatoes could float and eddy and drift slowly to the ground. Maybe mashed potato flakes, the instant ones you just added water and butter to.
No, she decided, this wasn't potatoes. It was feathers.
Her entrance had gone unnoticed so far, but she knew it wouldn't stay that way for long. She a had only a few precious seconds to decide how to react. With a surprising quickness a plan was formulated, evaluated, and approved and she was acting on it, striding forward to where the three of them were continuing to swing at and hit each other with pillows half empty of their feather fillings. The feathers in question were the elements of the potato flake-esque snowstorm.
She snatched the pillow from Jack's hand when he brought it up and with a surprised "Hey!" he turned to see who had disarmed him. His eyes widened and his mouth opened to protest or explain.
They'd never know which since Janet's back swing with the stolen weapon caught him completely by surprise and knocked him back towards Sam and Danny who'd stopped at the sight of her behind Jack.
When she turned Jack's pillow against him, Danny reacted instantly, a scowl on his face as he charged Janet in Jack's defense. Sam was only a few seconds behind and Jack watched them both pummel Janet as she took a swing or two herself. Then he grinned and rejoined the fight with a yell, tackling Janet and bringing her down.
She laughed as Jack snatched his pillow and the three of them attacked her. She curled up and allowed them to hit her as she waited for her chance to make her next move. Then it came and she moved swiftly, snagging Danny around the waist and puling him down, ignoring the continued assault in favor of concentrating on tickling the child in her arms.
He squealed and protested in the middle of his giggles, but she just grinned and kept it up.
Jack realized the pillows weren't working and abandoned his, yelling for Sam to help him tickle her until she let Danny go.
Things quickly devolved from there into a general tickling/wrestling free-for-all in which the only objectives were to tickle others and avoid the same fate for yourself.
The laughing and squealing were loud enough that none of them realized Teal'c was there until he grasped a handful of Danny's and Jack's pajamas and lifted them from atop the two girls who had banded together and were laying side by side to better assist each other in defense and attack.
The feathers continued to drift down as all four of them fell silent and looked at Teal'c.
"GeneralHammond requires your presence in the Gate room, DoctorFraiser."
As she stood and brushed at the feathers clinging to her, she wondered why Teal'c had been sent, then realized that they must have followed her other suggestion and turned down the announcing system speaker in the room. She was concerned that it would keep them awake.
They might have called her name over it, but with the noise they'd been making she wouldn't have heard it.
She nodded and looked around the room. It was a mess from the fight.
"While I'm gone can you pick up the feathers and put them in a pile in the middle of the floor. I'll bring a garbage bag and more pillows when I come back and we can watch our movie before bed."
Since Janet had not only not yelled at them, but joined the pillow fight, the three of them were perfectly willing to cooperate and clean it up. It wasn't every day that an adult was cool like that.
She nodded and followed Teal'c out of the room, her attention shifting to what the General might want this late at night.
oOoo
"I have located DoctorFraiser," Teal'c announced as they entered the Gate room. Janet immediately spotted why she'd been summoned.
Jacob Carter and Martouf were standing at the base of the ramp talking with General Hammond.
She faltered on only a single step before straightening her spine and striding forward to meet the two Tok'ra.
A few handshakes and greetings later she was thrown right into the fire.
"We received your message, but there must be some sort of interference between Earth and our base. Unless of course my daughter and the rest of SG-1 were actually regressed in age," he was smiling but both the strain in the gesture and the way he said it proved he didn't actually believe it was a joke—just hoped.
"In fact we were, JacobCarter," Teal'c said.
Jacob sighed. "Teal'c?"
Teal'c inclined his head in agreement.
"Damn. I was hoping there was some new fad to copy your little tattoo there. So Sammy's a teenager again?" Then he chuckled. "Well it could be worse. She could be six. And yes, that was worse than her being a teenager, if you can believe it. At least by the time she was a teenager she understood she cold only take apart her own things."
After a few moments he realized he was the only one laughing. He looked between Janet and Hammond and stopped cold.
"Oh you're kidding."
Janet shook her head. "All three of them are about the same, but if I had to give an approximate age for them, I'd say Daniel's about five, Sam's six, and Ja- uh, Colonel O'Neill is about seven years old."
"What has caused this?" Martouf inquired, his brow furrowed in concern.
"We're not sure, actually," Janet confessed. "A few questions during my examination of each of them revealed nothing obvious."
There was only a hint of aggravation in Hammond's voice when he said, "We have a briefing scheduled for 0800 hours. Frankly, we didn't expect you'd be here so quickly."
"Selmac and I just finished a mission and have been given some time off until the next one."
"Really?" Hammond asked.
"Well, okay, so we can't go forward on the next mission until we get the intel back from our guy on the inside. But they could have kept me there anyway."
They didn't bother asking for Martouf's excuse. Everyone knew it was just that. He came to see if he could assist in any way and to see Sam.
"So where is she?" Jacob asked.
"Doctor?"
"Well, right now she's in the VIP room we've set aside for them, but . . . I don't know that your visiting would be such a good idea."
"Why not?" Jacob asked aloud, though the silent question came from everyone.
"Well, based on what I've observed so far, whoever did this adjusted their memories to reflect their ages. A few snippets of more recent memory here and there have slipped out, but . . ." She shrugged. She thought about mentioning the story she'd given the kids about their parents, but decided against it. She didn't think the details of their evening of shopping were something General Hammond needed to hear right now.
"What DoctorFraiser says is true," Teal'c put in. "I have memories of the SGC and all of you, but there a great many periods of time which I cannot recall. The further back in my memories I go, these gaps are smaller and occur less frequently."
"Well maybe I can jog her memories."
"I'm sorry, Jacob, but I don't think so," Janet said. "If returning to the SGC hasn't helped, I don't know that seeing you would either and since the father she seems to remember right now is very much younger and not blended with a symbiote, it might only cause more problems for her emotionally. If she were older, I'd be less concerned, but I don't know that a six-year-old is emotionally mature enough to accept something like this. Especially since it would require telling her about her mother's death. A mother she probably believes is alive and well."
Jacob considered this for a few moments.
"If this process isn't reversible, they'll all have to be told what happened to their parents eventually," Hammond said.
"Yes, sir. If it comes down to it and we can't find a way to reverse the regression, they will have to be told. But I'd prefer to exhaust any possible solutions first."
"What do we tell them until then if they ask?"
"Well, sir, they already seem to believe that their parents simply went on trips far away from here and left them with me." She mentally crossed her fingers to excuse the small lie of how they'd come to believe that. In the grand scheme of the universe it ranked pretty low right now on the list of 'Things to Worry About'.
"That's not a viable solution, Doctor, if you're the one working on finding a way to reverse this whole mess."
"I believe we can work it out, sir. We'll need to assign a few guards to make sure they stay out from underfoot of regular operations—which has to be done anyway—and I can check on them regularly to make sure they're okay—something I already need to do to make sure this problem doesn't get worse. We got some things to keep them busy while we were out shopping this evening and since Cassie's out of town right now, I was already planning on staying on base. Sir, they trust me and are willing to listen to what I say. For the time being, I don't see any reason to change that."
The irony of her arguing for something she'd prepared herself to argue against wasn't lost on her, but their little bonding moment by the fountain had changed her mind and her own sense of responsibility wouldn't let her do any less anyway. Their health was her responsibility and while they weren't exactly sick right now, she was still the one everyone looked to for a fix. Whether she wanted to or not, she had to stick by this decision.
"Also, with my fully capable staff and the Tok'ra helping, my involvement need not be so time-intensive."
After a moment Hammond nodded. "Very well, Doctor. I'll follow your recommendations for now."
"Thank you, sir," she acknowledged, managing not to show the relief she felt. Feeling a little magnanimous, she turned to Jacob. "I do have a compromise for you."
"What?"
"I don't believe interacting with Sam is a good idea, but you can see her. I need to take their vitals again anyway and Jack will fidget more in the infirmary. The isolation room we set up for them has a one-way window for the observation room and works just fine for me."
Jacob nodded. "Thank you, Doctor."
Hammond nodded as well and Janet turned to lead the way to the elevator, but was stopped by Hammond's next words.
"Doctor Fraiser, is that a feather in your hair?"
"I'll just go ahead to get them to the room before you come through the hallway so we don't have to worry about a chance meeting," she said, ignoring the comment and thanking her lucky stars she was turned away so they couldn't see her blush. Without waiting for confirmation she took off at a jog.
Behind her the two generals and friends shared a look but said nothing more.
oOoo
The feathers were completely picked up by the time she returned and she nodded in approval.
"Can we pick the movie now?" Danny asked.
"In just a few minutes," she said as she went to get their shoes and waved for Danny to come over so she cold help him put them on. "But first I need to check your vitals. That means I need to listen to our heart and lungs and check our blood pressure."
"Not more needles!" Jack whined as Danny obliged, letting her pull him up into her lap.
She smiled. "Nope. No needles this time. Just a stethoscope, a blood pressure cuff, and a thermometer."
He sighed dramatically but sat to pull on his new sneakers. Sam had hers on by the time he finished and as soon as he stood Janet led the way out the door, Danny's hand in hers, Sam on the other side.
Jack trailed behind but with the SFs following them Janet wasn't worried about him straying.
She was more concerned about what to use to bribe him without sugar if it became necessary for his cooperation. Maybe use of the X-Box she'd been planning on getting put in the room for him . . .
oOoo
"Okay, you three. Now keep your mouths shut so the thermometer stays there and then we'll be done and we can go back to the room."
From the observation booth the three men watching did so with varying degrees of disbelief.
"I'd forgotten how light her hair was as a child," Jacob mused.
"She's a beautiful child," Martouf added.
Jacob snorted. "Don't be fooled. She only looks like an angel. Underneath that innocent exterior is a little hellion waiting to break free. She gave us far more trouble than Mark ever did." He looked at Hammond. "And I meant that about taking things apart, George. Granted she could usually put them back together, but it always took her a while and you could never be sure she hadn't tried to 'improve' it in some way."
"I don't think you need to worry. We're not letting her near anything like that."
"If you can keep her away you deserve a medal," was the response, but Jacob missed the sharp look it earned as his eyes were on his daughter.
oOoo
They managed the whole checking of vitals without too much trouble and got back to the room without crossing paths with the Tok'ra and the general and found the feathers had been taken care of and new pillows delivered. The TV had even been rolled to the empty space against the walls and between the beds so the kids could watch from their beds.
She glanced back at the door and the SF there just smiled.
"If there's anything we can do to help, Ma'am, just let us know."
Janet nodded and smiled at the young woman, then the door was closed and she turned to where three hopeful faces looked up at her.
"I think it's time for that movie now. Get settled and I'll bring the collection over so we can chose one."
The three of them split up as she went and grabbed the bag of movies, but when she turned back she stopped in surprise.
Instead of climbing into bed, they'd each pulled their blankets and pillows off and were arranging them on the open floor before the TV.
Jack tossed his pillow onto his blanket and then swung down and joined the other two in settling in.
She managed to convert the sigh that tried to escape into a smile instead and took the bag to them, sitting on the floor and then leaning back, letting them dive in and look through their choices. A small argument ensued, but it was quickly resolved without her intervention when Sam agreed with Danny and outvoted Jack. He frowned, but accepted the majority's decision.
Janet took the case and arched an eyebrow at the title, but obligingly stood and put it in the player.
Was it chance or something else that prompted Daniel to choose The Fox and the Hound and Jack to argue against it?
Janet well recalled the discussion the two of them had had when they watched it with Cassie a few months ago. It had been one of those weird moments when you wondered how they refrained from killing each other in the field, but realized just how close their friendship was.
Jack had started it by teasing Daniel mercilessly about the fact that he'd never seen the movie before. He'd never seen any Disney movies before and it was kind of a bonding thing for him and Cassie since both were starting fresh when it came to the acclaimed animated films. Teal'c had also been invited and had agreed, which was why Jack was there—to provide chauffeur services.
After the movie was over and they were just hanging out, Jack had brought the subject up and the two of them had verbally sparred for a few moments before Teal'c had inquired as to whether the Disney movies were used as instructional films for children.
A brief moment of confusion had occurred until Teal'c had explained that it seemed that the movie contained a valuable lesson about differences in people and how friendships could transcend the vagaries of human nature and genetics.
Which had led to another disagreement between Daniel and Jack as to the answer to his question. Daniel argued that Teal'c was right and there had been a lesson implied, and adding cultural and archaeological evidence to back it up. Jack insisted it was just a story for little kids, not a fable or anything like that.
Cassie had leaned over to Teal'c and informed him sotto voce that if it was intended to be a lesson, neither seemed to have learned it.
The two of them had been arguing too loudly to hear her comment, but Janet had caught it and had started laughing, which got their attention and broke up the argument.
She once again wondered how much they really remembered, but then the music started and she pushed it aside as she took up a spot at the back of the group, the three of them immediately snuggling up around her, Danny in her lap, Jack to her left, and Sam to her right.
She smiled once more and settled in to watch the movie.
oOoo
By the time it ended both Sam and Jack had dropped off to sleep, but Danny was wide-eyed and attentive to the final fade-out.
He turned to look at her.
"That was good," he said.
"You were supposed to fall asleep," she said.
He smiled smugly. "I never fall asleep during movies. You have to read me a story if you want me to fall asleep."
She chuckled and shook her head slightly. She should have known.
"Okay. Go get a book for me and I'll read it."
He bounced up and went straight to the bag, pulling out a book and racing back almost before she had time to shift to another position so her butt would wake up.
He handed the book to her and laid out his blanket in the spot left between Jack and Sam, then crawled under it and stretched out on his stomach, his head propped up on his elbows.
"Are you going to be able to fall asleep like that?" she asked.
"I won't fall asleep while you're reading. I fall asleep after you finish."
"Oh," she said and opened the book. It was one of the books she'd arched an eyebrow at in the store—a child's compendium of Egyptian gods and goddesses.
"Read me the one about Ra and Apophis," he said. "Then I'll go to sleep."
She wondered if it was such a good idea to read that particular story but he sensed her hesitation and gave her the infamous Daniel Jackson Puppy-Dog Eyes. They were irresistable as an adult but as a child . . . It was a mystery how he'd not had a happier childhood with charm like that. How could anyone not give him anything and everything he wanted?
She shook her head once more and then started reading the story of Ra and Apophis and their battle for supremacy each day.
oOoo
She finished and he laid his head down with a sleepy, "Goodnight, Doctor Janet."
Within moments, just as he'd said, his breath had evened out and he was asleep.
She smiled and looked over the three of them.
Awake they cold be unholy terrors, doubly so if they worked together. But they weren't really so bad, she decided.
Especially when they were unconscious.
With a final check of the room to make sure she hadn't left anything she shouldn't have, she flipped off the light and left the room.
She'd just make a quick stop by the infirmary to see the results of their blood tests—although since she hadn't been called she was pretty sure they showed nothing of use—and then go find her own bed to sleep in.
She had a feeling tomorrow was going to start early and run late and be wholly unproductive in between.
Thanks for your patience and support! You guys rock! Until next time . . .
"The persons hardest to convince they're at the retirement age are children at bedtime." - Shannon Fife
Keaira