Author's Notes – Just one more part. It was going to be over with this one, but then leave it to me to not get the secondary plot resolved, so one more.

Summary – Tommy takes back command.

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Role Reversal

Tommy

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(Day 13, Oliver Residence)

Rolling over and just wanting to go back to sleep for a good year, I mentally grumble at the noise coming from downstairs. Kids. Kids with big mouths, noisy games, and…stuffed animals?

Prying my eyes open and looking at the white stuffed tiger under my arm, it takes a minute before my brain decides to kick in and I'm bombarded by the events of the previous two weeks. "Oh my god."

I was a kid. A scared, accident prone, weak, talkative kid and they, my kids took care of me. How am I supposed to face them after that? This is so humiliating. What did I do with them anyways? There was school, my birthday, spilling food on myself, bathes…oh man please tell me I didn't have any accidents while they were babysitting me. Oh god how am I going to live this down? It wouldn't even be that bad if I could just forget it happened, but that's clearly not going to happen without major brain surgery.

Pushing the covers back and glad that they'd convinced me to go to bed in only one of my old t-shirts, I'm not sure how I would have gotten out of those kid pajamas if they'd let me wear them, but I'm fairly certain it would have been a painful experience.

Heaving a sigh and heading to the bathroom adjoining my bedroom, I carefully avoid stepping on the Legos scattered around the floor, along with some plastic dinosaurs, and children's books, I really am never going to be allowed to forget this mess. Maybe I'll come up with something in the shower. Or better yet maybe they'll all be gone by the time I get out.

-oooooo-

Descending the stairs, dressed in an old pair of blue jeans and a black t-shirt, I really hope this works because if it doesn't I'm sunk. "Hey. We having a party or something?"

Sitting around the livingroom, Jason, Conner, Kira, and Ethan all turn to look at me expectantly. Well they certainly look relieved.

The first to recover, Jason stands slowly, "Tommy." One in the same.

"Dr. O."

Before Conner can say more he's shoved onto the couch as Kira rushes past him, all but throwing herself around me in a rib crushing hug. Missed you to, kiddo. "You're back, you're okay. We were so worried you wouldn't be okay."

Running my hand over her head, it takes a little more effort to keep my face a mask of confusion, but I think I manage it. "Hey, what's all this now? I get scratched up by monsters all the time. That clown didn't do any permanent damage."

"Clown?" Exchanging looks with Conner, Ethan shrugs.

"Yeah the clown monster we fought the other day. You sure you guys aren't hurt? You're all acting awfully strange. Maybe I should have Hayley check you all over." Thank god Hayley isn't here, if anyone could see through this BS it'd probably be her. As it is Jason's still looking fairly unconvinced.

"Dr. O that was two weeks ago. Don't you remember?" Unfortunately. Giving me a disbelieving look, Conner moves forward. "We defeated the monsters, but afterwards you got turned into a kid. You've been eight years old for the past twelve days." Was it really that long?

"What?"

Nodding Kira finally let's me go, moving back to stand with her friends. "We babysat you." Oh man.

"And made you sandwiches." I don't recall you making any sandwiches Ethan. If anything Kira and Jason made me lunch and dinner while you stole the Cheetos from me.

"And helped you do your homework." Yeah I got yelled at for getting ten questions wrong on that last math assignment, Conner. Thank god I don't have to go back to the third grade anymore.

"Not to mention read you bedtime stories, tucked you in at night, got you toys, took you to McDonalds." Continuing to tick off random activities on her fingers, Kira actually seems a little hurt I supposedly don't recall all the trouble they went through for me.

"You really don't remember, bro?" Eyes narrowing, Jason hasn't bought it completely, but it doesn't look like he's going to press it. I'm pretty sure I know why too, don't think I don't recall your little bout of depression on my first day, Kat saying how you needed me.

"It sounds like you all went through a lot of trouble for me. I'm sorry I don't remember, but from the way it sounds you guys did a great job handling things and should be proud of yourselves. I'm sure I wasn't the easiest child to take care of."

Grabbing something off the coffee table, Conner holds it out to me. "That's alright, we have plenty of pictures to help." Oh man I forgot how camera happy they all were. So much for living this down.

"Oh good." My dry response doesn't go unnoticed and soon I have a photo album and several rather embarrassing pictures shoved in my face. Including, but not limited to one of me asleep on the couch, thumb pressed firmly into my mouth, another of my young self wearing a party hat and covered in cake and icecream, okay why is there a picture of me wearing makeup…oh wait I told Kira her heavy eye makeup was cool and insisted she do mine like that. Great, just great.

"That's special." Closing the book and setting it back down, I head for the kitchen fully intending to get a cup of coffee and forget the past two weeks ever existed. "Well it would seem you kids have been though a lot so why don't we call off training for today and you guys can go home, huh?"

"But you didn't even get to hear our stories. Like the time we gave you a bath and you overflowed the tub." Stopping short at Conner's disappointed voice, it takes me a minute to recall what he's referring too, but I eventually hit on it. Around day eight I'd gone out to play and gotten covered in mud and dirt digging for dinosaur bones in the back yard. Jason had gone out leaving me with them, and when they'd found me a bath had been in order. Oh god, Conner gave me a bath.

"It was so cute." Coming to lean in the doorway with her friend, Kira gives me a smile. "You dumped a cup full of water on Conner when he told you you couldn't go back outside to dig afterwards and when we went to find him a dry shirt you for whatever reason turned the water back on, and overflowed the tub." I think the water was too hot or som- Oh god Kira helped Conner give me a bath! No, no, no.

"Then of course there was the time someone-" Giving Ethan a pointed look as he joins us, Kira apparently isn't pleased. "decided that it'd be okay for you to watch 'A Nightmare on Elmstreet' and we couldn't get you to go to bed for nearly two nights. We tried, but then you finally started crying so we had a campout in the livingroom and made a tent out of blankets and chairs. You watched 'The Lion King' five times that day and sang us the songs that night." Just kill me.

Leaning heavily on the counter and really wishing an invisaportal would open up under my feet, I'm never going to be allowed to forget this am I. "You don't say."

"Okay guys I think that's enough stories for right now." Easing them out of the kitchen and ignoring their protests, Jason ushers them out, insisting I need some more rest and time to take everything in. Of course this isn't accomplished before I catch the hushed comment about wetting the bed. Definitely going to kill Mesagog.

As the front door is closed and Jason returns to the kitchen, I sink down into the nearest chair, grateful for the peace and quiet. "Kill me."

"Are you kidding, do you know what we went through to keep you alive these past two weeks." Unfortunately, yes. Pouring himself a cup of coffee he has a seat as well. "How are you feeling?"

"Mortified."

"It could have been worse." When I give him a look, he shrugs in response. "It could have. Not sure how, but I'm sure there could have been a way."

Suddenly noticing the bracelet still on his wrist, I give him a small smile. "I guess your right, despite your lack of childcare abilities you did a pretty good job of taking care of me. Especially after Elsa told me about my dad."

Giving me a weary look, he shakes his head, no doubt less then surprised by my confession. "Wasn't exactly how I planned this visit."

"I know."

"Well look on the bright side, at least you got a bit of a vacation and everything turned out okay. The kids are fine, happy to have you back, you're okay, if not a bit embarrassed, so despite a few interesting pictures and some really good blackmail everything worked out." Not yet.

"No it didn't. You're not okay." When he suddenly seems to find the table rather interesting, I knew there was something to Kat's comments on that first day. "You came here because you needed me and instead of getting my help you ended up taking care of me and the kids. Well I'm back now, so let's see if I can't return the favor."

"It's not important anymore." Sure it's not, that's why you haven't taken off my bracelet yet. Seeming to notice this himself, he slowly slides the band off his wrist handing it back to me. "I'm glad you're back. Not that it wasn't fun having you as a kid. At least when you weren't kicking me or trying to weasel second desserts, but it's good to have you back."

"It's good to be back. Now tell me what's wrong."

Heaving a sigh and apparently knowing I'm not going to let him out of here without at least some explanation, his answers catches me a little off guard. "I quit my job." Quit your job? I though he was doing good there.

"Not because of-"

Cutting me off quickly, he shakes his head. "No, no, not because of this." I hope not. "I…things were bad there. It just wasn't where I belonged." Must not have been to take such a big step.

"What happened?" Even as I ask I know he won't tell me, at least not right now. Still I'm curious.

"It's complicated." Toying with his coffee cup, he finally gives a shrug. "Like I said though, doesn't really matter. The important thing was getting you back." Yes, well I'm back now, so we can focus on the next problem. "I uh, I wasn't really sure what to teach your class, so I just went over the chapters, you had some pre-made tests on your laptop, I used one of those. Also the kids training, Hayley said you work on their fighting techniques Monday, Thursday, and Saturday so I spared with them, taught Kira a few more self defense moves that specifically relate to her being female. Pretty much the same stuff we taught Kimberly and Trini."

"Sounds like you had everything under control." Slipping my bracelet back on, I'm not the least surprised he's managed to handle everything so well. Wouldn't expect any less from him.

"Wasn't hard, you pretty much had everything organized for an emergency. Though I doubt you planned on it being a second childhood." Funny.

"So what now? You going to go find a new job back in New York?" Always leaves.

"Actually I was thinking about coming back to California. Maybe go back to Angel Grove. Though the job market for architects isn't as grand as it used to be back when there were constant monster attacks there." True.

"So move here. We destroy a building every week. I'm sure the companies would pay fairly well for someone with your qualifications and perfectionist eye." Not to mention you're clearly good with the kids and…did you clean my house? "If you want I could get you a meeting with Mercer. I think we trashed one of his buildings last week."

"You want me to work for the man who turned you into an eight year old and tries to kill you on a daily basis?" Now see when you say it like that you make me sound crazy.

"No I want you to design a building for the man who's alter ego turned me into an eight year old and tries to kill me on a daily basis. Besides he may be evil, but he'll pay you well, and well he did help me change back remember?" I suppose in a way it's reassuring to know that he still has some form of control over Mesagog; that means that there's still a chance we can save him.

"I suppose." Looking unconvinced, he takes both of our now empty cups and places them in the sink. "You sure you want me hanging around Reefside?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

To be continued………