Disclaimer: 'Stargate SG1' and all the characters associated with the show belong to someone who isn't me. As I doubt that the owners would be willing to trade their rights for some magic beans that aren't in any way magical, this is not going to change at any point in the foreseeable future.

Author's Note: A big thank you to everybody who read and reviewed the first part.

Chapter One

"How on Earth do you and your team manage to find so much trouble on the most routine missions?" Janet Fraiser asked in amused bewilderment as she subjected a complaining Jack O'Neill to his post-mission check-up.

"How should I…Ow!" He cried as she jabbed him with a needle. "Nice bedside manner, Doc." He muttered before continuing. "All I know is that grown-up Carter went into her tent and when I went to call her for her watch, I found mini Carter." He glanced across at his young 2IC, who was sitting on General Hammond's lap, telling him all about the nasty men who had made her come through the funny circle. "She wasn't too happy about coming back through the stargate." He finished.

If he could live the rest of his life without having to carry a wailing, struggling Samantha Carter, who was convinced that he was a kidnapper, back to Earth, it would be just fine with him.

Janet nodded comprehension. "Okay, Colonel, you're free to go." She smiled across at the little girl sitting on the general's lap. "Your turn, Sam."

The little girl looked up at her dubiously. "Am I going to have to get a shot?"

"'Fraid so, honey." The doctor smiled reassuringly. "But if you're good, you can have a lollipop afterwards." She bribed shamelessly, mentally thanking Cassie for having left a small stash of candy in her desk drawer the last time she had visited the SGC.

"You never offer me a lollipop when I get a shot." Jack said in a mock-indignant tone.

"It's alright, Sam." General Hammond reassured the child in his arms, seeing her apprehension. "Doctor Fraiser just needs to give you a check-up to make sure everything is okay."

"Okay." She conceded reluctantly, allowing Janet to lead her over to one of the beds and lift her onto it.

General Hammond waited until little Sam was occupied with questioning Janet about her equipment and trying out the stethoscope before speaking to the remainder of SG-1 in a hushed tone. "What exactly happened?"

"Well, Carter tried her hand at swimming yesterday." Jack suggested. "Ten bucks says that the pool she fell into caused this."

"That would be a reasonable assumption." Teal'c seconded his friend.

"There were engravings next to the pool and in the temple." Daniel volunteered. "I took some digital pictures so I should be able to translate. Maybe there's something we can do to reverse this."

"Hopefully." Hammond nodded.

"And until we find a cure for Captain Carter?" Teal'c enquired.

"Until then we've got a little kid to keep out of trouble." Jack replied dismally. "That'll be fun."

"Well, there's no doubt about it. That child is Captain Carter, aged all of four and a half years - not four, she made sure to set me straight on that count." Janet smiled slightly. "Fingerprints and blood work are identical, right down to the naquadah in her system and her protein marker."

"Where is she now?" General Hammond asked, concerned.

"Dr Jackson offered to take her to the commissary to get something to eat. I've already filled him in. If it's possible, General, I'd like to get a sample of the water from the pool."

"Do you think Carter took a tumble into the Fountain of Youth?" Jack quipped.

"Stranger things have happened - to SG-1 in particular." Nobody could argue with the truth of this. "If nothing else, I'll be able to rule out the water as a possible culprit."

"I'll send SG-4." General Hammond promised.

"They'll have to be careful not to come in contact with the samples." Janet warned. "We don't need anyone else losing nearly two and a half decades. Other than that, they should be fine. I can analyze the samples once they get back, see if there is a way to reverse this."

"If?" Jack demanded incredulously. "As in 'there might not be'? For cryin' out loud!"

"It's too soon to jump to any conclusions." The petite doctor chided him. "I would also recommend that Sam remain at the base for the time being, at least until I can run some tests on the samples. It would probably be a good idea to get some things brought in for her, sir." She addressed the general. "We can't very well let her run around in an infirmary gown all the time. I don't exactly have a large supply of child-sized ones and I doubt that white is a practical color for a four year old."

"I'll send someone to do some shopping." General Hammond promised. "Colonel, you and the rest of SG-1 can take care of Captain Carter."

"Are you sure that's such a good idea…" Jack began dubiously.

His commanding officer chuckled. "I think that three grown men should be enough to keep one small girl out of mischief, don't you?"

Two hours later

"Daniel, what exactly did you feed her?" Jack demanded, watching incredulously as Samantha Carter, who he would have confidently expected to have been the most ridiculously well-behaved child who had ever drawn breath, bounced happily on the large double bed of the VIP quarters that had temporarily been turned over to her.

His friend shrugged sheepishly. "We had some cake, ice cream, jello - a lot of jello." He confessed. He had found it impossible to resist his miniaturized friend when she had turned the full force of her most appealing, beseeching expression on him and he privately suspected that Jack would have been no better.

"Little rule of thumb, Danny - never give a kid more than one dessert for every year of their age. It rarely if ever ends well."

"Come, on, Teal'c." Little Sam hopped down off the bed to stand next to the tall Jaffa, beaming up at him. "Jump on the bed with me. It's fun, I promise."

Teal'c seemed to give her request serious consideration before shaking his head. "I do not believe the bed would support my weight were I to engage in such an activity." He explained. Jack thought that he could hear regret in his voice, but he couldn't be certain.

"How about we leave the jumping for now?" Jack suggested hastily, before Sam could resume her activity. "There's lots of other things we can do." He said temptingly. "Lots of nice, quiet games we can play."

"Like what?"

"Well…" Jack searched the room for inspiration. True to his word, General Hammond has dispatched one of the SFs on a hasty shopping expedition and the man, evidently deciding to be on the safe side, had returned with enough clothes, games and toys for at least three or four children. "There's always…" He was about to say 'chess' when an awful vision of being beaten by a little girl entered his head. "Candyland." He suggested.

"That's for babies." She waved the suggestion aside.

"Jaffa children often engage in mock combat with miniature staff weapons. Perhaps…"

"No, just no." Jack cut off Teal'c's suggestion.

"We could play hangman." Daniel offered. "Or Trivial Pursuits."

"She's four." Jack rolled his eyes.

"She's Sam."

"I'm four and a half." The young lady in question fixed Jack with a glare. "Can we go exploring?"

"Not just yet." Daniel said gently. "People are very busy right now."

"Oh." Little Sam was silent for a moment, studying the games stacked on the shelves. "I want to play this." She announced, her tone leaving no room for argument.

"Uh, maybe that's not such a good idea." Jack suggested, looking at the seemingly innocent cardboard box Sam was pointing at as if it had come straight from the bowels of Hell.

"We're a lot bigger than you." Daniel tried to reason with her.

"We might injure you unintentionally." Teal'c concurred.

"That's okay." Sam said brightly. "I'll be the spinner."

The faces of the three men fell as their young companion, cheerfully ignoring any protest they might have made, set up that most dreaded of games - Twister.

TBC.