Back on Earth, the SGC was busier than a hornet's nest that had just been stepped on. After a frantic call from Colonel O'Neill alerting the base to the disappearance of one seven year old Sam Carter under suspicious circumstances, NORAD had called to report the appearance and rapid disappearance of what appeared to be an Asgard ship. The ship had come in at high speed, barely pausing long enough to slip into orbit around the planet, and just as suddenly took off again. In fact, if not for the pause while in orbit, the satellite grid might never have detected the ship at all. They had not received any message from the ship, and the base had gone into alert status, unable to ascertain if the visit was friendly or not, not able to even confirm that the vessel was indeed an Asgard ship.
NORAD had reported several minutes later some sort of focused energy beam originating from the ship and aimed in the direction of the O'Neill household, and everyone there had simply seen too many strange events to not tie the two events together. No one there could ignore the likelihood of the two events being linked.
Still, that wasn't much to soothe the worries of one Colonel Jack O'Neill, who arrived on base with a flurry of orders and demands for information, two anxious children in tow. It was all Hammond could do to calm the man down. No easy task considering his own worries for the missing child.
It was several anxious hours later, after repeated calls to all of their space faring allies, including the Asgard, when Harriman looked up from his console. "Sir, I'm receiving a message from Supreme Commander Thor of the Asgard Fleet." He blinked, placing a hand to his earpiece as if he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. "Sir, Thor apologizes for any misunderstanding he may have caused. He says he has Samantha Carter with him and will be arriving in our system in the next thirty two minutes."
Relieved sighs and more than one smile met the announcement. Still, Jack continued to pace the control room for the next half hour, knowing that Janet would keep Daniel and Teal'c distracted and out of trouble. Janet, like Harriman and many others now on base, had arrived when news of Sam's disappearance had gotten out, many of them cutting short or interrupting holiday leave.
It wasn't until Thor appeared in the middle of the gate room, one blond haired blue eyed little girl standing next to him, did Jack let out the breath he felt like he'd been holding since he'd found her room empty. Sam launched herself across the room and into his arms, and Jack wrapped his arms around her instinctively and protectively, reassuring himself that she'd come to no harm before turning his attention to the little gray alien standing before him.
Thor was the closest to contrite that Jack had ever seen an Asgard look.
"My apologies, O'Neill, on behalf myself, and the Asgard High Council. We had no intention of causing any distress," Thor said, bowing his head slightly.
Jack was saved from a reply when Sam squirmed in his arms. "Danny! Teal'c! You'll never guess where I've been!" Placing Sam on the floor, Jack saw that Janet had entered with the two boys, all three looking quite relieved. Sam was quick to join the other two, and chattered excitedly to the two boys, trying to tell them in as little time possible about all the things she'd seen and done in the past few hours. Thor was watching the three children, his interest plain.
Hammond cleared his throat. "Perhaps, gentlemen, we should move this conversation to the briefing room?"
Everyone agreed and before long, they were all settled around the briefing room table. It didn't take long for Thor to explain the events that had recently occurred. Believing it however, took a little longer.
"Let me get this straight," Jack said incredulously. "A seven year old saved your little gray butts?"
"Colonel!" Hammond admonished. Janet looked down at the table to hide a smile.
Thor merely blinked. "It was Samantha's suggestion that gave me the idea to use the shields to create the images of more ships. Without that deception, the outpost would no doubt have been lost," Thor explained mildly. "Again, the Asgard are in your debt."
Before Jack could put his foot in his mouth again, Janet spoke up. "Funny you should mention that Thor. It seems we have a little problem of our own that you might be able to help us with," she said, with a significant look at the children, who were seated in the corner whispering with their heads together.
"We did receive your earlier request for assistance. My apologies that we could not come sooner, but our engagements with the Replicators did not allow for us to spare any ships until now," Thor said. "I presume the fact that the child is a genetic match for Major Carter has something to do with your request?"
After receiving a nod from General Hammond, Janet nodded. "You might say that. The little girl is Major Carter. The other two are Daniel Jackson and Teal'c."
Thor regarded the children quietly for a moment. "Curious. Yet they do not possess any memories of their adult states?"
Janet shook her head. "No. We suspect there is some sort of memory suppression at work. However, it goes way beyond our science to break through the blocks. The Tok'ra didn't have any luck either."
Thor blinked at that. "I will need some time to study the situation. I will need any information about how this transformation occurred, and with your permission, I would also like to run some scans on the children." When Jack stiffened, opening his mouth, Thor continued as if sensing Jack's worries. "The scans are quite painless. The children will feel nothing." Jack's mouth closed, but he frowned slightly, fingers drumming lightly on the table's surface.
"Are we going back to your ship Mister Thor? Because I want to show Danny and Teal'c your really cool ship game," Sam piped up. Her unexpected form of address for the alien caused more than one smile and not a few chuckles.
Hammond gathered his papers and stood. "We will need an hour or two to prepare ourselves," he said, with a nod towards the alien seated at the middle of the conference table.
"Very well," Thor replied, standing with a slight bow of his head. He placed a small device on the table. "Use this to contact me when you are ready." A moment later, he disappeared in a flash of light.
"Cool," murmured Daniel.
Shaking his head, Jack stared at the place the Asgard had just been. "Very," he agreed.
The group at the conference table broke up not long after that, and Jack suddenly found himself left alone with three wide-eyed children and not much to do.
"So," he said amicably after stuffing his hands into his pockets, as if he hadn't a care in the world. "Who wants to see how the stargate works?"
AsLongAsWeGotEachOther,WeCanTakeAnythingThatComesOurWayNinety minutes later, several teams of scientists, medical technicians, and a field team of marines had assembled in the gate room, checking and double checking the things they wanted to bring. And Jack… he kept the kids out of the way. Actually, the kids had no problem staying put, tucked away beside an unused console playing card games with a deck of cards someone had procured for them. Jack had way too much nervous energy to stand still, and paced around the confines of the control room, much to the annoyance of the various technicians there.
He couldn't help it. This was it. While he knew that the team of dedicated men and women that had been working tirelessly on the problem from day one would no doubt continue with their research whatever the outcome of today's events, he knew that over time, they would be reassigned or find more pressing concerns to work on. In the last few months, they'd heard from all of their allies, none of which had thus far been able to help, although all had been sympathetic. The Asgard were their last hope.
Strangely, Jack found his mind at odds with the situation. On one hand, he hoped that the Asgard would be able to help where no one else had been able to, and return his team to him. But on the other hand, he would be lying if at least some small part of him hoped that things would stay as they were. Somehow, that thought didn't disturb him the way he thought it should.
"You know, Jack, I think I'm gonna miss these kids if all goes well with the Asgard," a voice said suddenly next to his ear. Somehow, Jack managed not to jump. It was almost as if Hammond had read his mind.
Jack swallowed before he let himself speak. "They do kinda grow on you, sir." And suddenly, Jack realized that whatever the outcome would be that day, he would stand by his team and protect them. It didn't matter if they returned to their adult selves, or if they had to remain children growing up in the natural way, he would make sure they stayed safe. Hammond seemed to know Jack had just come to some sort of resolution, and squeezed his shoulder briefly, before moving on to a group of techs.
Jack watched the other man for a few moments, before shrugging his nervousness off and moving to join the kids in their card game. The kids looked up as he joined them, but Jack just smiled reassuringly.
Soon enough, all the teams reported at the ready. Jack wondered idly if the Asgard were prepared for the human invasion that was about to occur. It wasn't that they didn't trust the Asgard exactly. More, it was that the scientists and medical personal didn't want to miss an opportunity to study the technology that had turned three adults into children first hand. The ban on a revisit to the planet had never been lifted, since they'd never been able to precisely pinpoint what had caused the transformation in the first place.
Below in the gate room, the dozen or so scientists, soldiers, and medical personnel arranged themselves for transport to the Asgard ship. Jack led the kids down the stairs, and everyone automatically parted, making room for them in the center of the group. Jack nodded to General Hammond, gathering the kids close. For their part, the kids looked excited and eager, displaying none of the nervousness he felt inside.
With Jack's nod, General Hammond had Harriman send the prearranged signal that told Thor they were ready. A moment later, they were gone.
AsLongAsWeGotEachOther,WeCanTakeAnythingThatComesOurWayThe solution that had eluded a team of scientists and most of Earth's allies for the last few months was remarkably anticlimactic.
"An off switch? That's it?" Jack exclaimed.
Thor nodded. "Yes. Our scans of the device indicate that it is controlled remotely by a station approximately 900 meters away. I can transport you down to the location. Our studies of the device indicate that it is already set in the mode to return Dr. Jackson, Major Carter and Teal'c back to their prior states, as well as remove the memory blocks."
"Wow. Um, ok," Jack said. The words were no sooner out of his mouth and the entire party from earth was transported down to the planet. It seemed Thor really hadn't been prepared for the number of humans crawling over his ship and asking questions, and was quite happy to get rid of them as quickly as possible.
"That was fast," one of the scientists exclaimed, looking around. "Ok, now where's this control station?" he asked.
Jack took a minute to get his bearings as the marines moved to establish a perimeter before any of the scientists could go wandering off. The area was eerily familiar, and Jack felt a sudden sinking sensation in his gut. Crossing the pathway, Jack stepped into the nearly overgrown clearing around the signpost he'd remembered. Well, at least what he'd though was a signpost. Pulling the vines away, careful not to touch it this time, Jack waved to the group. "Over here!"
The scientists and archeologists chosen to go on the mission converged on the area at once, murmuring excitedly. The archeologists took pictures and whipped out notebooks while the scientists brought out various doohickeys and whatchamacallits. Seemed geeks were more or less the same all around.
"Sir. How did you know this was here?" another of the group asked. Jack recognized him as having worked with Daniel before.
He glanced down at the ground, for some reason wishing he had his P-90 in hand, but he'd opted not to bring it since he planned on sticking close to the kids. "I, uh. I've been here before," he admitted.
"Sir?" Janet, who had been standing with her med team and the kids, left them to stand near him.
Jack shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets and cursing himself. "I didn't remember until now. Right before the… thing, I found this. I just thought it was a road marker or something. I was gonna have Daniel take a look, but…" He shrugged again, still having trouble reconciling that the last few months might have been averted.
"You couldn't have known," Janet said, watching him closely with a knowing look. She spoke quietly so that only he would hear.
Jack broke eye contact. "I should have," he said.
"Colonel Jack?" A small hand tugged at his sleeve, and Jack looked down into familiar blue eyes.
"What is it Sam?" he asked, automatically tugging her close. She molded instinctively into his side.
"Are we… are we going to be grown-ups again?" she asked, her face slightly worried. Glancing up, Jack noticed Daniel looking on just as worriedly and Teal'c next to the younger boy, trying and failing to look impassive. He beckoned them over, dropping his free hand onto Daniel's shoulder and smiling encouragingly at Teal'c. Janet slipped away back to her medics, leaving them some modicum of privacy.
He frowned, trying to decide how best to explain. "Uh. Yeah. Do you guys remember this place?" he asked them.
The kids exchanged looks, each of them nodding. "Something… something happened here didn't it?" Daniel asked. "I mean before we woke up at the campfire." The young boy studied Jack's face, his own brow creased. The other two watched with just as much concern.
"This is where you guys became kids again," he told them. "And where we hope you'll go back to being adults."
"But what if we don't want to grow up?" Sam asked, concerned.
Jack knelt down so that he was at eye level with the little girl, keeping a hold on Daniel and making sure Teal'c knew he was included too. "Do you remember that picture I showed you, the one of my team?"
"The one in which we were adults?" Teal'c asked.
Jack nodded. "Yep, that's the one," he said. "You see, the four of us, we're a team. And together, we go through the stargate, trying to find things that will help Earth defend against the Goa'uld."
"The Goa'uld are bad guys?" Sam asked, her brow furrowed.
"Very bad," Jack confirmed, nodding. "But they can't hurt us because our stargate has a door over it called an iris."
"But they still try, don't they?" asked Daniel. Jack squeezed his shoulder and nodded, and Daniel continued. "So what we did, as a team when we were grown ups I mean, was important? So we'll all stay together?"
"We'll always be together, no matter what. And it was. Very important," Jack confirmed.
"Like what my Daddy does, when he goes on missions?" Sam asked.
"Maybe even more important," Jack told her.
"Then it is our duty to return to the way we were, so that we may continue to assist you as a team," Teal'c said. The other two nodded in silent agreement.
Jack grinned at all three of them, his heart filled with pride.
"Sir, we think we're ready to begin." Jack looked up at Janet, pulling himself reluctantly to his feet.
Reaching out, he laid a hand on each of the boys' backs briefly before taking Sam by the hand. "Ok kids, let's go," he said, trying to sound cheerful. The kids stuck close as he led them to the temple.
At the entrance to the temple, Janet stopped him with a quick hand on his arm. "Uh, Colonel, you might want these," she said passing him a bag. He blinked, taking a quick peek. The bag contained adult sized uniforms, something he hadn't even considered when he'd grabbed things for the kids. He'd only brought child sized clothing. He smiled gratefully at Janet. Janet just smiled, holding up a third set of clothing. "I'll take Sam. Why don't you sort out the other two?" She held her hand out to the little girl, who looked to him questioningly. Jack nodded at her, giving her a little push, before nudging the boys in the opposite direction. Sorting the clothing took a few minutes, and not long after that, all three kids were decked out in oversized BDUs, minus boots and belts. They all needed a hand to hold up the too large pants. Jack led them into the temple.
"I'll be outside with the med team," Janet told him, sensing he needed a moment alone and heading for the exit. Jack could only wave a hand in thanks because his mouth had suddenly gone dry.
Looking at the kids standing in front of him, he felt his eyes grow moist. "C'mere," he said gruffly, crouching down and holding out his arms. All three kids stepped into them, and he squeezed them tight.
"I love you Colonel Jack," Sam said, her voice muffled against his chest.
Jack squeezed his eyes shut, his cheek resting against her hair as he inhaled the sweet smell only children possessed. "I love you too."
"What if we don't remember this?" Daniel said, his voice filled with worry. Jack freed a hand to run through Daniel's tousled brown hair and down the side of the boy's face, pressing him closer.
"I won't forget," Jack promised him, and felt the boy nod against him.
He felt Teal'c stir slightly, and opened his eyes to look at the oldest boy, Teal'c's chocolate brown eyes gazing right into his as if the child could see right into his soul. "Thank you," Teal'c said simply, and Jack nodded, closing his eyes again, and pulling all three of them close.
Jack wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, but eventually he couldn't ignore his complaining knees any longer. With a stifled groan, he let go and regained his feet. "I can't stay in here," he told them, wishing it wasn't true. The kids merely nodded, and Teal'c placed a hand on each of the younger children's shoulders, as if to say he would watch out for them. The other two pressed closer to the older boy, and Jack took a step backwards, unwilling to break eye contact.
It was perhaps one of the hardest things he'd ever done, leaving them there, and it was all he could do to keep from looking back as he walked down the path, because he knew that if he did, he wouldn't be able to go through with it.
Rejoining the group at the control station, he nodded to the lead scientist and Doctor Fraiser. "Let's do it," he told them, unwilling to risk delaying any longer.
When the fearful and pain filled wails sounded from the direction of the temple, Jack would have bolted back there had not two of the marines from the field team bodily restrained him. The cries were mercifully short though, but it was several long minutes before the scientists monitoring the energy readings nodded the all clear. Jack was the first one up the path, Janet hot on his heels.
A/N: What? You didn't think I'd find some way to get in at least one more cliffie before the last chapter did you? Lol. Wouldn't be my story if I didn't do that lol. Hopefully I'll get the last chapter out in the next couple days. And the epilog a few after that! Well, anyway, I hope I am doing the end of this one justice. I feel like it's just been such a long fic (Do you know I started working on this thing in June of last year!) to be tying the whole thing up in just a couple chapters. Well, it just seemed to go that way, we'll see what you all think. Don't forget to comment!
As for the cats, someone asked… Haven't mentioned them because they haven't tried to kill themselves, or each other or us… well, unless you count Sammy pretending to be a rug in the hall. My poor mother stepped on him and sprained her ankle doing it. Sammy hasn't learned his lesson, he still sprawls in the dark hallway, but dad replaced the night-lights lol. And mom's feeling better too. Sam of course is made of Jell-O just like any other cat.