Hi everyone, here's another chapter for you to enjoy. Thanks as always to those of you who sent in a review. Love you guys! Does wonders to my soul and helps to get me writing again.

Past, Present & Future

By LetitiaRichards.

Previously:

"Good. That's good." He rubbed his hands together in satisfaction and because they were still cold too. "So...where's my coffee?"

Chapter 15 – Explanations

"I'll get it for you sir, it's on the counter top," she called before he disappeared into the kitchen.

"I can manage!" he replied and waved her away.

He was gone for a few minutes and Sam decided that perhaps she really should check up on him. When she entered the kitchen, Jack was trying to drag a chair over to the corner where the coffee pot was bubbling away gently, in order to reach his coffee.

"I really should get that for you sir," Sam said, as she took hold of a mug and poured a little into it then added some cold milk to cool it down. Thwarted and irked by his lack of size, Jack could only watch as she busied herself and tried to hide her smile.

"What?" he frowned, knowing full well what had amused her. Damn, he'd never felt so hopelessly inadequate as he did now; stuck in this kid's body, even if it was his own.

"Uh...Sorry sir" she blushed under his steadfast gaze. She realised that it must have been doubly difficult for him to know that she would have to do things for him that he would have taken for granted before being down-sized. "Do you want this in front of the TV Colonel?"

Jack sighed in defeat; he was already beginning to feel more than useless and knew without a doubt why she had avoided his question. He so hated this whole damn mess. He didn't bother with a reply either; he merely turned on his heel and went back down the hall to the sitting room.

Sam followed with the mug, placing it onto the coffee table while Jack stared at the sofa for long moments. He sucked in a deep breath then, because he realised he was so small, he actually had to climb up onto the sofa to make himself comfortable. It only added more fuel to the mounting frustration and humiliation he was already suffering.

"I'll have it here Carter, thank you!" he said, beckoning with his hand for her to pass it to him where he sat; his back against the cushions behind him and his little feet barely dangling over the front edge of the settee.

"Are you sure sir? It's still pretty hot."

"Carter!" he warned, trying not to lose what little composure he had and bellow at her. "Here. Please!"

Sam chewed on her lip again and shrugged with acceptance. She had warned him, and he sounded just a touch irritated already, for which she could hardly blame him.

"Yes sir, but don't forget that being in a child's body, you're not used to handling hot things like you did as an...adult. Janet would kill me if you got scalded."

Jack grew ever more frustrated and closed his eyes, counting to fifty. This was so far beyond a joke to be anything like reality. But, he knew she was right, his small hands wouldn't be as strong or accommodating as his fully grown ones would be.

"Sir?"

Jack opened his eyes and looked up into Sam's face as she hovered over him. He nodded and grudgingly allowed her to place a tray over his legs and cover it with a dish towel to absorb any spills. Sam placed the mug into his hands and he rested it on the tray, actually grateful for her foresight; it was hot, and quite honestly, he couldn't hold it quite as steady with both hands let alone one.

"Thanks!" he mumbled rather humbly, unable to look into her face.

Sam sat back on the chair, giving him some space and flicked on the TV, channel surfing until she found an episode of the Simpsons. Placing the controller down, she took up her own mug containing a stronger brew.

Jack wanted to enjoy the episode, but he just wasn't in the mood; plus the fact that he'd seen this one so many times now he was word perfect. His troubled thoughts drifted around inside his head as he tried to piece together everything that had happened up to the point of being turned into a kid. And apart from odd flashes bringing a recollection of waking up in the infirmary with Doc telling him to get some rest – so when didn't she tell him that when he'd been confined there? – he couldn't remember a damn thing.

With his brain switched to automatic, he lifted the mug to his lips and thirstily, he swallowed a huge gulp. Then promptly spit it out again, choking in the process.

"What the hell?" he gasped when he'd managed to use his voice again.

"Sir? Are you okay? Did you burn your mouth?" Sam had known he was miles away and should have watched him more closely than she had. Was this her fault?

"Oh God! Carter? This is coffee?" he screwed up his face in disgust and shuddered, pushing the mug with the offending liquid in it, back at her. She took it with a puzzled frown. "Jeez, that's worse than dish water!" he complained.

"Sorry sir, but Daniel said you should have something hot and he didn't think you would appreciate hot chocolate or milk. Besides, Janet wouldn't be very happy if she knew you'd had any coffee, especially if it was made the way you usually drink it. I could make you some tea?"

"I'd rather have a beer!" he grumbled, his dark eyes almost disappearing beneath the fractious furrowed brow.

"That's not gonna happen Jack!" Daniel sing-songed as he entered the room hearing Jack's complaining from down the hallway. "At least not until you get your adult body back."

"Hrrummph!" Jack snorted in resentment. "My house – my beer Daniel!" he snapped, wagging a finger at his friend; which had to look so ridiculous, he knew, coming from his kid sized digit.

"Okay, yes it is your house and your beer, but unfortunately that's not your adult 6'2" body," Daniel pointed out. "So NO beer. Sorry. As far as the world outside these walls is concerned, you are just a little kid. A minor, and I know for a fact that you would never give a kid that young, a beer, Jack!"

Jack glared up at him, daring him to try and stop him, but then when he saw the look of determination and the honest truth in Daniel's face, he slumped with a strangled groan of resignation.

"Oh fer cryin' out loud!" He scrubbed his hands over his face and up through his still damp hair, making it spikier than it already was.

Daniel sat down beside him and placed a hand onto his friend's shoulder.

"I'm really sorry Jack. I know how frustrating all this must be for you, but General Hammond thought it best if we worked from here. I have all the notes I need to work on that translation so we can go back and put an end to this for you. Please, try to bear with us Jack. It's not easy for any of us."

Jack blew out a protracted sigh and nodded.

"So, why are we here? In 'my' house?" he asked, moving on because there was nothing else to say. It was an exasperating situation to say the least, but he supposed he should at least make the effort not to take it out on his team while they were stuck here 'babysitting' him.

Daniel coughed, clearing his throat and looking distinctly uncomfortable with that question which left Jack wondering what it all meant.

"Daniel? Carter? Teal'c? Anyone want to fill me in?"

Sam visibly gulped and offered him a sick smile, looking guilty and wanting nothing more than to hide. Teal'c tilted his head upwards towards the ceiling as if he found the light fitting fascinating, and Daniel looked like he'd swallowed a lemon.

"Well?"

"Um..." Daniel began, then ran through the reason at top speed as if by saying it so quickly it would make it sound more palatable. "General Hammond thought it was for the best, seeing as you, um...your little self had already caused a few problems at the SGC. Plus the fact that he thought it would be much safer for everyone on the base if you were out of the way."

Jack's eyebrows shot up as he digested and interpreted Daniel's quick-fired spiel.

"Problems? What sort of problems?" Jack was totally mystified by what he'd heard. He was stuck in the infirmary.

"You um...broke one of the artefacts in my lab and Janet had to give you a shot because you decided that sucking the blood off your finger was better than having me clean it for you." Daniel watched Jack's frown deepen, so he reached over and picked up Jack's finger, still covered in a dressing to show him. Jack's eyes widened in surprise.

"Excuse me? I broke something in your lab? How? I was in the infirmary? Wasn't I?"

"Ah...not exactly." Jack looked even more confused. "Okay. There's the problem. Yes, you were in Janet's care, but - and I know this is going to sound really freaky to your ears Jack - after several hours you woke up again." Daniel looked at his friend and could see Jack was still following his explanation. Now for the hard part.

"And?" Jack prompted, seeing there was far more to this story than he'd heard so far.

"It appears O'Neill, that almost every time you go to sleep you awaken as either Colonel O'Neill, or as your younger self."

"What? Are you sure about that?" Jack frowned in confusion. "I don't remember anything? Are you positive that this is not because of some kind of alien influence?"

Sam sniggered and Daniel grinned, making the frown on Jack's face turn into a scowl again.

"No. No; you're not an alien Jack. Just a child. More specifically, yourself as a four year old. Albeit, one full of 'mischief' which is why General Hammond sent us here."

"O...kaaay!" Jack sighed. Yeah he remembered getting his hide tanned by his Dad a few times when he was a kid, but...where was his rightful mind when all this was going on? "What else did I apparently do while I was busy tearing up the place being a child?"

"Uh...You're not suffering from an alien influence here Colonel, that's been proven. All our tests show that this is you, as you were back in... Well, whenever. You appear to alternate between yourself, that is Colonel O'Neill as we know you, and your younger self at around four years of age. Even going as far as to ask where your parents were and getting upset when..." Sam's voice petered out as Jack paled significantly.

"Jack?" Jack had zoned out so Daniel waved his hand a few inches from Jack's face.

Jack batted Daniel's annoying hand away along with the concern.

"I'm fine. It's just...well," Jack bit his bottom lip in deep thought. "this is a surprise. A little complicated too, I guess. What else did I apparently say or do, as a kid?" he asked, half afraid to hear what he might have revealed about his private life. He was very protective about his past and had never voluntarily disclosed anything about it. Yet here he was totally unaware of his being his younger self, and doing just that. He was a real life Jekyll and Hyde, and there was no telling what he would say or do when he reverted back to being that child again. Hell, he was never gonna go back to sleep until this had been resolved.

"Dr. Fraiser requested your immediate removal from the infirmary O'Neill," Teal'c informed him when neither Sam nor Daniel appeared to want to enlighten him.

"What? Why?" Jack wasn't sure he really wanted to know, but he also needed to know if he'd said anything more about his past.

"Because you were playing airplanes with Cassie," Sam explained with a wince. "...when you knocked over a tray of sterile instruments and dressings..."

Jack's eyebrows rose as he rolled his eyes skywards, not sure how to handle all this bizarre information, he was hearing of his younger self's antics.

"...and you kinda messed up all the beds too," Sam added with another cringe.

Jack choked and Daniel quickly handed him the can of soda that Teal'c had fetched after the coffee incident. After a few sips he gasped releasing a half cough; torn between embarrassment and amusement.

"No kiddin'?" he grinned wryly. "That would do it. So, she's gonna kill me next time I go for a check up, right?"

"I don't think so sir," Sam beamed, pleased to see him taking it so well. "Actually she thinks you're kinda cute." Her grin faltered when Jack raised his eyebrows questioningly at her gleeful expression. She coughed and dropped her eyes to the floor, while Jack ignored the images that statement had evoked because he wanted to know more.

"And General Hammond thought it was best to bring me home? Here? Why was that? Not that I'm complaining mind you, but why am I here and not at, say... your place Daniel? I thought it would have been better for you to do your translation if you were at your home among all those dry, dusty tomes?"

"Um...yeah." Daniel passed over the cynical reference to his choice of books and continued. "Under normal circumstances I would have to agree with you on that. It would have been easier, but not necessarily safer Jack."

"What? Why?" Damn! He was saying that a lot lately, but hell, he just couldn't help it with all they were telling him.

"Well, after that little mishap in the infirmary and the lab, General Hammond thought that if you were to stay at my place you might have... 'broken' a few more things, um...accidentally of course. This way he said that if you broke anything here, it would be your own things."

Jack couldn't believe his ears and gaped at Daniel thinking he'd been joking, but the nods from the rest of his team was all the proof he needed. He always knew ol' George was a wily character and now he knew he was for sure. Then made a mental note reminding himself to call him on that when he got his body back to its rightful size.

"Yes, well... So. Daniel," Jack said, thrusting his chin out trying to look innocent in that little habit he had of changing the subject when his authority was being undermined. 'And who in their right mind would take orders from a four year old?' he pondered, then shoved that thought ruthlessly to one side. "Why aren't you working on that translation yet, hmm?"

Daniel was totally unfazed by his friend's rather acerbic response, and was spared answering it by the timely ringing of the doorbell. As Sam jumped up to grab the food, Daniel now had a ready made excuse on hand.

"Ah... That would be because dinner has arrived. You hungry?"

Jack nodded and his tummy rumbled in agreement.

"Starving!" he stated watching for Sam to return with something nice. "What did you order?"

"Daniel Jackson ordered several large Pizzas, O'Neill," Teal'c replied with a hint of a smile, looking forward to his meal as always.

"Oh...Pizza huh?" Jack sighed in disappointment. Somehow he just wasn't hungry any more. "Actually, ya know... I think I'd prefer a sandwich. Did someone get any bread while they were out?"

TBC