Hi, here's chapter 5 so I hope you enjoy it.

Here's one for VisualIDentificationZeta - you did ask for something slightly embarrassing - well, already done so here you are. Not quite what you wanted but I hope you like it just the same.

Thanks to everyone for their reviews. I need all the encouragement I can get at the moment.

PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE?

By LetitiaRichards

Previously:

"Thanks," came the sleepy and mumbled reply as Jack's thumb was back in his mouth and his eyes closed in sleep.

Chapter 5 – Meeting Sam & General Hammond

"DanielJackson."

Daniel raised his downcast eyes from where he was concentrating on putting his feet over the rocky ground. The last thing he needed to do was trip and fall, perhaps dropping Jack or landing on top of him.

Teal'c was pointing to a dot on the horizon where Daniel could just make out the very top of the Stargate peeking over the tops of the trees. He sighed with relief; Jack was growing heavy in his arms.

"Allow me to take O'Neill from you DanielJackson," the tall Jaffa volunteered.

"Ah, no thanks Teal'c. He's okay. I don't want to wake him up just yet and it's not so far now."

"As you wish." Teal'c dipped his head in acceptance and then fell silent again, turning to focus his thoughts instead onto keeping Daniel and the young Jack O'Neill safe. Despite knowing that there was probably no danger to be found on this planet, it was the least he could do; he wished no harm to befall his team-mates; his friends. Though what that entailed now, with O'Neill reduced to a mere child with no knowledge of him or the Stargate Programme, nobody could know.

The shade from the trees meant the air was relatively cooler and Daniel could feel Jack shiver slightly at the difference in temperature. Daniel tried to compensate by holding Jack tighter, but instead, disturbed him into wakefulness.

Jack's blonde tousled head rose from Daniel's shoulder and the thumb dropped from his mouth as he looked around himself at the strange landscape. His dark hazel eyes grew as large and round as dinner plates when they alighted onto the grey metal surface of the strange ring that stood in the centre of the clearing they were just entering.

"What's that?" Jack asked curiously while wriggling so much that Daniel was forced to put him down before he dropped him.

"We have to go through that to get home again. It's a bit like a roller coaster ride Jack, you'll just love it!"

"Really? Cool!" Jack ran ahead and up the three steps, coming to a halt a few feet away from the giant ring.

Daniel couldn't help exchanging grins with Teal'c at Jack's comment; it was so much like the adult they knew so well. As he drew nearer to the DHD he watched for Jack's reactions to the Stargate.

"How does it work?" Jack demanded, gazing up at the Stargate as it towered above him, his small hands resting against the grey metallic surface as he tilted his head backwards for a better look.

"Um...You'll have to ask Sam about that," Daniel replied with a grin. Wouldn't Sam love that...Jack actually curious about how the Stargate worked? Daniel couldn't help but wonder again about what had happened in Jack's life to make him shun away from any detailed explanations about how things worked in his older self. The Colonel they knew would stop both Sam and himself from getting past the first sentence, blocking his ears to the rest with a definite 'Ack!' and waving of hands. "But, all I have to do is to dial the right symbols on this device to open the wormhole."

"The what? Wormhole?" Jack turned back and looked over at Daniel aghast. He wasn't sure he liked the sound of that.

"It's not what you think Jack," Daniel grinned. "As I said, you'll love it. Trust me! Oh, and you have to come and stand next to me, because this next bit is kinda scary."

"Scary?" Jack gulped. "But you said I'd love it?"

"And you will, but I have to open it up first and it's only scary because it's dangerous if you stand too close."

"Oh! Okay."

Jack shrugged and went to stand next to Daniel where he stood on tip-toe to peer over the side of the DHD to see what his new friend was doing. Teal'c stood next to him, ready to grab Jack in case he made a dash for the wormhole before Daniel could send the iris code. The last thing they wanted was for Jack to go splat against Earth's defence shield.

Daniel finally hit the large orange crystal and the Stargate burst into life. Jack flinched back, hiding behind Daniel, gasping in disbelief when the wormhole established. Instead of rushing into it he held onto Daniel's arm as tightly as he could. Looking up at Daniel he was reassured by the man's calm demeanour, but he couldn't find it in himself to relax too; he wasn't quite so sure about going through that glowing puddle.

Daniel sent the code and waited for the all clear. Barely half a minute passed by before he announced that it was safe to go home.

Daniel took hold of Jack's small hand and gently pulled him up the steps to stand just in front of the event horizon. Daniel was surprised when Jack drew back from him, trying to back-pedal away from it.

"Jack? What's wrong?" Daniel asked with a puzzled frown. He could see Jack looked rather scared; his eyes fixed on the water-like surface just a metre away.

"W...w...we gotta go through that?" Jack asked fearfully.

"Yes. It's okay. Honest. It won't hurt you, I promise." Daniel couldn't for the life of him wonder why Jack was reluctant to go through it. The boy just kept shaking his head saying 'No, no, no...'.

"Jack? Don't you want to go home?"

Jack gulped and his breathing speeded up as he grew more apprehensive, catching his bottom lip to stop it from quivering.

Daniel squatted down in front of his friend, looking straight into his tearful eyes.

"What is it Jack?" Daniel soothed the child by holding him gently and cradling the back of his head.

A single tear escaped the boy's long lashes and rolled freely down his cheek. Daniel wiped it away with a thumb as Jack sniffed, trying to stop any more from forming.

"I...I can't swim."

Jack's innocent statement made Daniel's heart bleed. Of course Jack wouldn't understand. He drew Jack closer into a hug and was rewarded by a tighter one in return where he could feel Jack shaking with fright.

"It's not water Jack. I know it looks like a big puddle of water, but it's not. You won't have to swim or even hold your breath. As I said...it's like a roller coaster. You'll be okay. I swear to god, you'll really love it."

"Promise?" came the muffled question.

"I promise!" Daniel replied with a big smile.

So it was that Jack held onto Daniel's hand as the archaeologist stood. Looking up into Daniel's face, he placed all his trust into his new friend as they stepped into the shimmering wormhole to take them back to Earth.

By the time they emerged from the wormhole into the SGC, Jack was wide eyed and happy as Larry. He was practically jumping up and down, and virtually demanding that they go through it again and again. He tried pulling Daniel back to the shimmering flux, but Daniel kept him firmly in hand and far away from it, while Teal'c stood in his way.

"Wow! That was just soooo cool! Can we do it again Daniel? Can we? Please?"

Daniel couldn't help but smile, it was just so cute to see this little live-wire version of Jack. Of course if and when Jack returned to his normal age, they would be able to rag him endlessly over his obvious unbridled enthusiasm, even if he didn't remember it.

Daniel looked up to see Sam standing next to General Hammond at the foot of the ramp, obviously sharing Daniel's amusement judging by the wide smiles on both their faces. Sam had obviously filled him in while they'd waited.

"Ah, General Hammond," Daniel started, pulling a reluctant Jack towards the waiting officers. "This is Jack. Jack this is General Hammond and..."

"You a real General?" Jack questioned, gaping wide-eyed at the bald-headed man in uniform that was smiling straight at him.

"That I am son," Hammond replied with a twinkle in his eye. 'So,' he thought, 'this is what Jack was like when he was a little kid?'

"Really?" Jack's dark eyes were huge with amazement.

Hammond nodded again.

"Wow!"

Jack then surprised them all by pulling his hand from Daniel's and jumping to attention. His back ram-rod straight, head up, he gave a snappy salute.

"Jack O'Neill reporting sir!" he declared seriously, waiting for Hammond to return the gesture, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the amused grey ones of the General.

"At ease son," Hammond ordered with apparent gravity, giving him back a text-book salute in response.

Jack relaxed again with an even bigger grin, then turned towards Sam with a curious expression on his face as he eyed her up and down.

"Jack, this is Sam," Daniel stated quickly.

Sam was so besotted with the child's behaviour and his killer smile that she almost forgot that it was Jack inside that, oh so cute, little body. This four year old boy had a really gorgeous open face framed by short blonde hair. His dark eyes seemed bigger than she had ever seen them, but she could recognise the familiar expressions that ran over his features without a shadow of a doubt, even to the extent of that little vertical crease between his eyebrows.

"Sam!" Daniel whispered breaking into her reverie.

"Oh. Sorry. Hi there, I'm Samantha Carter, or Sam to you sir...um...Jack. Your...em... I'm Daniel's and Teal'c's team-mate. And friend." She smiled widely at him, feeling more than a little self-conscious under the intense gaze he was casting her way, but no more for that this was Jack O'Neill and even in this child-size body he had her insides melting. He really was a good-looking kid. Though the last time she'd seen him he'd been her Colonel; so this was just so very weird.

Jack cocked his head on one side to look at her closely, his brow furrowed in concentration before he broke out in one of those familiar lop-sided grins she knew so well. He turned to look up at Daniel and tugged on Daniel's hand to get his attention.

"I think you were right Daniel," he whispered not quite so softly so that everyone could still hear him. "I like her already. A lot!" he turned back to Sam with that killer smile. "Hey, can you arm-wrestle Sam?"

Sam clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle her snort of amusement. Even General Hammond had to carefully school his features and look away. It hadn't escaped his notice that there had been something unspoken between his two best officers as they walked very near to that line, if not actually on it. Whenever they were in the same room he was well aware of the underlying tensions between them. He knew he could trust them and that they hadn't actually crossed that line as yet, but it was just a matter of time before they couldn't hold back the tide of emotions they held so close to the surface. 'Out of the mouths of babes...' he mused, rolling his eyes.

Daniel was acutely aware that Jack had said something significant, but couldn't place it in context, though judging by Sam's reaction and Hammond's carefully schooled features it was something big. He would have to pump Sam about it when Jack wasn't in close proximity.

"What? What'd I say?" Jack asked perplexed as to what had caused such a reaction. He'd only asked a question. He loved arm-wrestling. He and his brother used to do it all the time. Big brother Patrick was the champion of St. Barnabas' elementary classes.

"Doctor Jackson would you take 'Jack' to the infirmary," Hammond ordered after clearing his throat. "I want a thorough examination done by Dr. Fraiser, including a DNA test. She's expecting you."

"Yes sir."

Daniel made to walk towards the exit door, but Jack stood rooted to the spot and refused to move.

"Jack?"

"I'm not sick!" the boy declared stubbornly.

"I know, but everyone has to get checked out by the Doctor when they get back."

"Back? Back from where?"

"From whatever plan...er...place they've been to."

"Why?"

"Um...because that's the way we do things around here. It's a rule."

"I don't like needles. Doctors are always poking holes in me with honkin' big needles," he complained with a pout.

Sam was having a hard time stopping herself from giggling. She exchanged a raised eyebrow with Daniel, and watched as Teal'c's own brows rose even higher. There was no doubt in her mind that this youngster was definitely Colonel Jack O'Neill.

"I'm not too keen on them myself Jack, but we don't have a choice. Maybe when we've all been checked over, Sam will find you some games to play."

"What sort of games?" Jack asked, but he did start moving with them towards the elevator at last.

Hammond found himself laughing softly as he climbed back up the stairs to the control room. Walter Davis was grinning widely too, but the General knew that he would reveal nothing about this to a living soul. He would trust the sergeant with his life. In fact they all did; and on a daily basis too.

TBC