Chapter 16: Moving Day

Sam awoke the next morning as usual of late, feeling refreshed and with only the lingering traces of memory from the previous evening. She was starting to get used to waking up wearing her clothes from the night before.

A quick shower and change into a fresh set of clothes, another set of child sized BDUs this time in Air Force Blue, and Sam made her way to the commissary to grab breakfast. She found the rest of SG-1 already at a table, and brought her cereal and muffin to join them. Daniel had brought her a mug of decaf from his private stock, and she accepted the steaming cup with a smile. None of them had been there long, judging by the amount of uneaten food still on plates.

"Sam, we should be ready to sign out of here by noon," the Colonel addressed her, and Sam looked up.

"Uh, Dad, don't forget that Janet's expecting us in the infirmary soon," she reminded him, making him blink at the title. Well, they were all making an effort at remembering each other's aliases, especially the Colonel, so it seemed only fair for her to make some attempts at the same as well.

For his part, Jack stabbed at his oatmeal with unnecessary force. "Don't worry, I'll be there," he grumbled.

Conversation changed to other matters until the conclusion of the meal. With obvious reluctance, the Colonel got to his feet and followed her to the infirmary. Sam was feeling equally loath. It wasn't that she didn't trust Jack explicitly; they all had training in the administration of intra-muscular injections and had on occasion done the service for one another in times of crisis. But it was one thing to administer morphine to a wounded comrade in the field and quite another to be giving regular injections when it wasn't an emergency.

They arrived at the infirmary all too soon for both their comfort. Janet seemed to sense the uneasiness radiating from the two of them and was the embodiment of calm, all cool professionalism, ushering them into a curtained off cubicle.

"Ok then, Colonel O'Neill, you remember how we practiced drawing up medications yesterday. Here is the compound, you'll need to draw up 2 cc's," she said briskly, motioning to the table where supplies were already laid out. "Make sure you roll the vial between your palms first to mix it, like we did yesterday," she continued, and Sam tried not to look too closely at the size of the needle. It seemed a bit larger than she was used to, and she wasn't afraid of needles by any means.

"Uh, Janet," Sam spoke up hesitantly, drawing the Doctor's attention. "This dorsogluteal muscle?" she asked, trailing off significantly and trying to keep her mind off the needle.

"Ah, yes," Janet replied. "That would be the muscle right here," she explained, reaching down to pat gently at the back of Sam's right hip.

Sam sighed, and boosted herself up onto the nearby bed. "I was afraid of that," she answered, resolutely turning her back on the Doctor and the Colonel while rising to her knees once on the bed.

"Afraid of what?" Jack said, and then stopped, as he turned and noticed what she was doing. "Ah, is that really necessary?" he asked as Sam loosened her belt, staring at the wall.

Fortunately, Janet took over, pulling the curtain fully closed around the three of them and taking the reluctant Colonel firmly in hand. "Completely. Sam, it would probably be best if you lay down when you're ready. Now Colonel, once you've drawn up the right dose, make sure there's no air bubbles, like we went over. Good, flick the syringe just like that, now…"

Sam let the words wash over her, as she bared the correct area, flopping face down on the bed, thankful at least that this position allowed her to hide her flaming cheeks. Her other cheeks were being treated to a light draft despite the closed curtains. She felt a slight disturbance as the two approached her prone position having finished readying the injection, but chose not to lift her face to see.

"Ah, Doc, are you sure I'm the right person to do this?" she heard Jack ask hesitantly. "I mean, she's so small… what if I miss or something," he said doubtfully. Sam knew he was just nervous, but his worries were not going very far to reassure her own nerves. She was after all, the one on display here. Biting her lip, Sam struggled to keep silent, and forced her body to stay still and remain on the bed despite all her instincts to the contrary.

"You'll do fine, now feel for the landmarks like I told you," Janet directed, and after a moment, Sam felt Jack's warm callused hand probing softly, and had to fight the reflexive jerk the contact caused. "You'll need to press more firmly if you want to feel what you need to," she heard Janet directing, "Like this," the Doctor stated, and the pressure increased as Janet added her hand to Jack's. Sam squeezed her eyes shut, burying her face deeper into her pillowed arms. "Feel that? Good," the Doctor continued, "Now divide the area into quadrants, and you can inject the needle right here." A brief touch from Janet's cool, sure fingers. "Here's the alcohol, and it's just like the orange."

The alcohol was cool on her skin, and Sam felt Janet place a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently in reassurance as Jack muttered "Yeah, right, just like the orange… just like the orange." Sam struggled to try and relax, but she felt tense as a coiled spring.

"On three, Colonel, and Sam, you take a deep breath. Ready? One. Two. Three." Sam inhaled sharply as the needle penetrated, and Jack jerked slightly in surprise, Janet's other hand preventing too much movement having expected the start. The hand the doctor had left on Sam's shoulder gave another little squeeze and Sam released her breath, exhaling and still working on trying to relax. "Good," she heard Janet say, though she wasn't sure if the compliment was directed more at her or the Colonel. "Now, pull back the plunger, make sure there's no blood… good. Now depress the plunger."

Despite her resolve not to make a sound, Sam couldn't stop her body from tensing further nor hold back the hiss of pain that escaped her lips as the compound was injected. It hadn't been comfortable when they'd tried it on her adult self, but for some reason, it burned like hell this time. The pressure from Janet's hand on her shoulder increased again as she felt Jack hesitating, the burning ebbing slightly as he stopped. "It's alright," Janet spoke encouragingly to both of them, and the burning resumed in full as Janet no doubt assisted the Colonel's hand in depressing the plunger. Sam bit the pillow. "There, it's done, wait a moment, and withdraw the needle, that's right." The touch of a cotton swab as the needle was removed. She heard Jack drop the needle in the sharps box, but for the moment was disinclined to move, content to keep her face hidden.

"That was good," she heard Janet tell Jack. "Now remember to alternate sites each time, one hip and then the other. I'll send the supplies with Sam, you no doubt have things to do before the two of you clear out of here," she said in clear dismissal, and Jack wasted no time in beating a retreat, the curtains rustling with his hasty departure. Janet touched Sam's shoulder again. "You can move now, you know," she said, sounding slightly amused.

Sam groaned, returning to a kneeling position to get her pants in order. "It feels like someone just lodged a small rock in my butt, and you tell me to move," she complained, turning her head and glaring up at the Doctor as she refastened her belt. "You could have warned me," she added, moving gingerly to get off the bed. "It didn't feel this bad before, when we tried it in the lab," she admitted, testing her weight on her right leg. She might just be able to walk without a noticeable limp. Maybe.

Janet looked apologetic as she gathered up a few things, placing them in a brown paper bag. "Sorry Sam, but your muscles are a lot smaller now. That's why I thought we needed the bigger dorsogluteal muscle. Anywhere else would have felt a whole lot worse. It should feel better later today, and if it's too bothersome, you can take some Tylenol or Motrin. Wait a minute, and I'll get you some. It will have to be elixir though. You don't weigh enough for regular tablets and I don't have any chewable ones on hand."

Sam sighed as Janet went to fetch the medications, writing out directions for each on dosing and added them to the bag. "Oh well, as long as it works the way it's supposed to, I can put up with it I guess."

The Doctor gave her a soft smile as she handed her the bag. "Make sure you and the Colonel keep an eye out for signs of local inflammation, or any unusual symptoms. We haven't used the substance long-term, so have no way of knowing if regular use can cause any problems. Children are different too; we had to estimate the dosing and your changed body might react differently than your adult body did. I'll draw blood work at your next weekly check up as a precaution." Sam groaned at the reminder. They'd be coming back to base at least once a week, for Janet to check on her, and for SG-1 to get together, compare notes and update the General.

"Shouldn't I be watching Saturday morning cartoons instead of getting checkups?" Sam asked cheekily as she tried a few steps, and decided she could stand it.

"They don't play cartoons on just Saturday anymore Sam, they play them all the time, 24 hours a day, so you won't miss anything" the Doctor returned just as lightly. "Now, I'll see you next Saturday, and not a day earlier, you hear?" she said in clear admonishment as Sam headed for the exit. Despite her friend's attempts, Sam didn't miss the underlying tones of concern.

"I'll be careful Janet, I promise," Sam promised as she paused briefly in the doorway, turning to smile at her friend.

Janet smiled back. "I'll hold you to that. Good luck Sam."

"Thanks Janet, see you next week," she said, momentarily distracted by the knowledge that she wouldn't be seeing her friend, or most of the folks at the SGC, on a regular near-daily basis anymore, at least until this mission was complete. It was a necessary severance of contact, but still, she had grown comfortable learning about her new body on base, surrounded by people who knew both who and what she really was despite outward appearances. Looking back up, she realized that Janet had already turned away, busying herself with neatening up the leftover supplies from their little lesson, no doubt to hide her worries from her friend. She turned back around facing the hall, respecting the other woman's privacy. Within a few hours, she and the Colonel would be leaving the base to take up their roles as Father and Daughter, she no more to the world than another anonymous child. Was she ready?

She sure hoped so.

An hour or so after lunch, Sam was ensconced in the SUV, back in the annoying booster seat. She'd been able to take her farewell of Teal'c, but Daniel was still at the faculty meetings at the school. They'd have to be content with what she remembered of the previous night and their quick parting this morning as Daniel rushed off to his meeting, as usual, running slightly late. Her face colored slightly as she vaguely recalled falling asleep last night, and she settled back in her seat. The movement jarred her tender hip and she winced, trying to shift her position to ease her aching backside as the Colonel turned off the mountain base roads and onto the highway. She hoped that Janet was right, and that she'd feel better later. She had tasted the elixirs and found them both sickly sweet with a bitter aftertaste. For now, she decided, she could stand the soreness over giving in to swallow the thick and goopy child's medicine.

"You ok back there, er, Sam?" Jack asked from the front seat, and Sam looked up to catch his gaze in the rearview mirror. His eyes shifted back to the road and Sam sighed.

"I'm fine," she told him. "Just a little… sore," she admitted reluctantly.

"Oh," Jack replied. "It, ah, wasn't anything…" he asked, but Sam interrupted.

"It was nothing you did, sir. Janet says my muscles are just smaller now," she explained, resisting the urge to shift again as she caught the Colonel's eyes back on her in the mirror.

His face relaxed at her words. "I remember when Charlie got his shots, he'd usually be sore for a day or so, then he'd be fine."

"I'm sure I'll feel better later today, sir. If not, Janet gave me some meds." She grimaced again, remembering the sample taste she'd tried of each medicine in curiosity, and glanced back out the window to hide her face. If she had anything to say about it, those medications would stay in the brown paper bag. She decided to change the subject. "So, this place we'll be staying at, have you seen it yet?" she asked.

Jack shook his head. "Nope, but Hammond says the place is fully stocked, furnished, and provisioned," he told her.

Sam's eyebrows rose. "No grocery shopping?"

"Not unless they missed something important. Like beer, or pizza," he replied cheerfully.

She chuckled softly. "If they missed something so obvious, we'll have to find out who did the stocking and file a complaint," she said in amusement.

"Definitely," Jack agreed.

They lapsed into silence, and Sam was content to peer out the window as they drove along the highway, the scenery a blur. Jack seemed to sense her pensiveness, and didn't press her for conversation. They'd have the whole weekend alone, to plan and practice after all. For now, her thoughts were occupied with her role in the upcoming mission. She'd felt safe at the SGC, surrounded by her team and those who knew her, protected and able to learn the limits and advantages of her new body. Within a few days, she'd be separated, on her own for the most part, testing her newfound knowledge even as she was forced to adapt to new surroundings and unexpected situations.

It wasn't like she hadn't gone solo before, or been separated from the rest of her team. Usually though, she had her P-90, some explosives, and sheer ingenuity to get her back home. She had the ingenuity in plenty, but definitely wouldn't be able to pack a P-90 with her lunch bag. As for explosives, given enough time and access to the proper chemicals, she could fashion something most likely, but pretty much she was going in unarmed. As for backup, she would be out of touch with all of her teammates for most of everyday, and they had all reluctantly agreed to not carry weapons of any sort. They were going into an elementary school after all, and even if one dismissed the accidental chance of discovery by one of Seshat's Jaffa, there was too much risk in a child finding a weapon, no matter how well concealed or guarded. Accidents happened, and none of them were willing to take the risk. Additionally, there was the little problem of communication. With luck, the science department would have the emergency beacons ready to go over the weekend, but even with those helpful devices, backup would take some time to reach her.

She'd be on her own.

Sam was pulled from her reverie as Jack took the ramp off the highway, making several more turns before ending up on a two lane divided road that gradually gave way from strip malls and small businesses to a more residential neighborhood. She was surprised she'd been daydreaming for so long. The drive from base had been almost an hour, and it was nearly that long from their new residence to the school. The Air Force had chosen a place a bit out of the way to minimize the risk of running into anyone that might recognize them from the school, especially if they hoped to have Daniel and Teal'c over occasionally. Even still, they all recognized the risks should someone recognize the group, and would take every precaution, arriving in separate vehicles at different times and meeting indoors at what they deemed the safest locations. While there were risks involved in meeting together, either on or off base, it was more important for them to touch base with each other regularly, to pass on information and coordinate their efforts. Try as they might, they simply could not come up with a conceivable means to blend their various cover stories and made up backgrounds into something believable. By necessity, they'd all had little choice in what roles they were forced to take. While it might make sense for Jack and Daniel to perhaps have been friends at some point in the past, it would look too suspicious for Daniel to be giving Sam private lessons after the first few weeks of school, which they had decided would be the best way to meet if needed at the school. Jack could stop in the classroom to pick Sam up, staying to chat over her progress, and Teal'c could join them under the guise of cleaning the classroom or office. Likewise, if Daniel and Teal'c knew each other, it would also look suspicious, them both being new to the school. And even if they could strike up the appearance of forming a friendship, they could still think of no way to make it believable that all four of them were somehow acquainted with one another, without drawing attention to Sam because of her necessary relationship with Jack as parental figure.

"Almost there," Jack announced interrupting her thoughts again, as he made another turn, this one a single lane street taking them into the heart of the community. "We're looking for Pinedale Drive," he told her. "It should be on the left."

Straightening in her seat at something to do, Sam peered out the window as Jack slowed slightly. The development they'd entered appeared quiet. Shady with gently winding one-lane streets, well manicured lawns, rows of nearly identical ranch style houses aside from variations in color, trim, or landscaping. Here and there, toys were evident on front lawns, an occasional child or pedestrian visible. Not many were out, this being a workday. Likely most people in this upper middle class neighborhood were still at work, children at daycare or other pursuits this last week before school started.

"There it is," Sam pointed almost needlessly, for Jack had already activated the turn signal, slowing further as he turned onto the street, much like the one they had just driven on.

"Here's the place," Jack said, guiding the vehicle around one last bend and pulling into a driveway. "835 Pinedale Drive," he said. "I'm told," he added, an unmistakable twinkle visible in the rearview as Sam began to unfasten her restraints, "That you are expected to know your home address and telephone number prior to starting school," he said mischievously. Obviously, he'd taken his role seriously and had had at least one chat with Sergeant Nichols on normal five-year-old behavior, or perhaps he was just remembering something of his own son.

"835 Pinedale Drive," Sam obediently repeated, and then rattled off the phone number for good measure as she hopped down, wincing only slightly as the movement jarred her sore hip.

Jack frowned, looking down at her as he fumbled with his keys. "Hey, how'd you know that?" It was obvious from his facial expression that he'd not gotten the phone number yet.

Sam grinned, and walked around to the back of the truck, tugging with both hands to open the hatch. Once she got it so far, the hydraulics took over and the door slid smoothly up. "It was in the info the General gave us yesterday at the briefing," she replied as she boosted herself to grab some of the lighter bags in the back of the truck. The Colonel would have to handle his own luggage, which he'd added the day before. With all their belongings and her bike crammed in the back, the cargo compartment was quite full.

"It was in there?" Jack asked in disbelief, joining her and grabbing several of the heavier bags.

"Yes, sir, it was."

Jack shrugged in resignation. "I'm always missing my memos, well, shall we have a look?" He separated out a key, presumably the one to the house.

Sam nodded, and the two walked up the curved sidewalk, mounting the steps to the wide front porch. The lawn had been mowed recently, and flowers were planted in a neat garden on either side of the porch. Jack unlocked the door, nudging it open with one foot, and Sam followed him inside.

"Nice," Jack stated, looking around in the entry. Sam silently agreed. From where she stood behind Jack, she could just see into a nicely furnished living room, complete with a large screen TV, comfortable looking sofa, and welcoming décor in muted tones. She could just make out a dining room, the doorway at the opposite end of the living room. In front of them looked like a family room, bookshelves lining one wall were filled with books and knick-knacks. At the other side, a desk held a computer, and a smaller television stood on a stand in one corner. French doors opened onto a deck in the back yard. To the left was a hallway, which presumably led to the bedrooms.

"Why don't we bring in the rest of the bags, and then have a look around," suggested the Colonel, and Sam quickly agreed, setting down the bags she was holding out of the way on the plush carpet in the living room. Jack added his and the two went back out to the truck, making short work of the unloading.

"I want to see where we'll be sleeping," Sam stated as they brought the last of the bags inside. She held onto her duffle, and one of the bags of clothing from Target.

"Sounds good," Jack agreed readily. "After that, I want to check out the fridge. I don't know about you, but I'm hungry," he said. "All that work gave me an appetite." He grabbed one of his luggage bags, and led the way down the hall, looking just as eager to check out their new digs as she was.

"Bathroom," he said, after poking his head in the first room to the right.

"This one looks like a guest room," spoke up Sam, having investigated the room on the left.

"And this one looks like your room," Jack said from further down the hall. Sam joined him in the doorway and wrinkled her nose slightly. The walls were pale yellow, and it was themed with smiling daisies. Obviously a child's room. She wandered through the doorway, dropping her bags on the floor.

"Toys?" she asked, looking around in curiosity, the daisies temporarily forgotten. Shelves held a variety of toys, from puzzles and games, to dolls, books, and she noted with amusement in a place of pride, one Major Matt Mason, complete with jet pack. She had no idea where the doll had been found, or who had found it, but it was in near perfect condition.

"You are five," Jack pointed out logically in answer to her speculation. "We should probably scatter a few things around the house. I've yet to see a house with a five year old in it that looks as neat as this one does," he explained to her confused look.

"That must be your room across the hall," Sam said, ignoring for the moment the reference to her child state. Jack crossed the hallway in a single step, and she heard his bags drop to the floor with soft thumps.

"Yep," he called. "And sweet, I have my own bathroom too, so that one down the hall is all yours Carter… er, I mean Sam."

"Yes, Dad," she replied teasingly, turning her back on the joyful daisies to peer at the master bedroom. "Rather masculine," she noted. The room was decorated in deep blues and brown leathers, the furniture heavy, dark, with straight lines and overall lacking in a feminine touch.

"I'm a bachelor after all," Jack reminded her, and Sam tried to remember if her mother was deceased in this scenario, or merely separated, with Sam living with her Dad during the school year. She'd have to go over the cover stories again. The guest room down the hall from her room looked like a good place to do that later. Furnished with a comfortable looking futon, it also came equipped with a medium sized desk and a laptop with a wireless connection to the Internet. Somehow, Sam suspected she'd be spending more time in the guest room than her own cheerful little bedroom.

She wandered back down the hall, hearing the Colonel fall in step behind her. She turned at the family room, rather than going back for more bags. They could get the rest later. They had the whole weekend to unpack after all.

"Nice," Jack said from behind her, echoing his earlier comment. The kitchen was spacious and open, a small room off the back corner showed a door leading to the garage, the entire space shaped like an upside-down L. A large bay window dominated the back wall overlooking a moderately sized backyard surrounded by wooden privacy fencing that came complete with the deck she'd noted earlier and a swing set she hadn't seen yet. It was built of wood and plastic, and looked weathered but in good condition. Obviously, whoever had lived here before had had children. A doorway in the side of the kitchen led to the dining room she'd spied earlier from the entry, showing that the main living areas were all connected in a large circle, typical of many Ranch style homes. Inside the kitchen, there was a large island and ample counter space, as well as an eat-in kitchenette placed under the window. The part of the kitchen that protruded behind the dining room towards the garage door looked to be a bit of a laundry room/mudroom. While Sam wandered around the kitchen, taking things in, Jack had already crossed to the stainless steel fridge and opened it. "Sweet," he said. Sam moved to join him, and grinned.

Cans of diet cola (decaf to her automatic disappointment) sat next to Jack's favorite brand of beer. Another thing she really shouldn't touch in her altered state. Otherwise, there was milk, fresh produce and meat, as well as a few "kid-friendly" items like juice boxes, fruit cups, and yogurt with animals parading across the packages. Someone had done his or her research well.

She pulled open a few cupboards, finding a similar level of readiness, shelves stocked with soup and pantry goods, as well as plates, utensils, and cookware. "Well, at least we won't be living on ramen noodles," she said.

"What's wrong with ramen?" Jack asked, making his own explorations.

Sam laughed, and headed back to the living room to put a few more bags in her room. "If that's your attitude sir, maybe I should cook dinner," she tossed over her shoulder.

"Hey, I can cook," Jack called to her retreating figure as he returned to the fridge, investigating the freezer. "Hey, look! Frozen pizza! They thought of everything!"

She could only grin and shake her head, grabbing a few bags from the living room and heading back down the hall. Jack was right; the house was a little too neat. It looked something like what you might find flipping through Better Homes and Gardens, and not a home that people actually lived in. They'd both have to curb their military neatness a little. Although, according to their cover stories, Jack was retired military, now acting as a civilian consultant in the guise of being the owner of a small but successful business specializing in new propulsions systems. But still, no house with children, even just one child, was so picture perfect neat.

Another trip and Sam had all her bags in her room. She was glad for the foresight in furnishing and decorating this place. The necessities they'd bought that had seemed like such abundance when purchased would have made the room seem plain and somewhat empty. She'd never have considered adding toys and childish décor, and the added touch gave the room a lived in feel. Well at least it wasn't all pink ruffles and Barbie, though she spied at least one doll poking her blonde head out of a toy bin near a plastic dollhouse in the corner. For the most part, aside from a scattering of dolls and stuffed animals, the toys were of an indiscriminate gender. Lego, puzzles, games, and a few things that one might consider something a boy would play with, like a set of remote control vehicles and the Astronaut figure as well as a replica of a space shuttle and a few airplane models. Sam smiled to see they were all fighter jets, most of which she'd flown. There was a mix of new and used toys, and Sam again wondered at who had been in charge of furnishing the place. Still, she doubted they'd have many visitors to look too closely at her room, smiling daisies and matching sunshine bedspread aside. There was even a painting on the wall above the headboard depicting a flower garden with more smiling flowers and an array of happy looking birds, butterflies, and cheerful insects. Even with the mix of toys, it was clear that this room belonged to a little girl.

As she started to put clothes away in drawers or on hangers in her closet, she heard Jack make his own trip down the hall with his bags. By the muffled grunts and sounds of bumping, he'd loaded himself down like a pack mule to avoid making more than one trip. Sam grinned privately over this little bit of familiarity and continued on with her unpacking. Over the next half hour, the two were occupied in putting things away and basically moving in.

She looked up from folding away various t-shirts, startled as she heard a little ding come from the kitchen. "Pizza's done!" Jack called, bounding down the hall towards the kitchen, and Sam recognized the smell she hadn't paid attention to. She smothered a grin as she followed her CO down the hall. He was already pulling out steaming hot pizza from the oven. Shaking her head slightly, Sam located the step stool she'd spied on her first visit to the kitchen, and used it to reach down plates and glasses. Jack found a cutting board as she set the table, pulling a cola and can of beer out of the fridge.

The pizza was soon served up, and they both ate with single-minded determinedness, hungry from all the recent activity. After dinner, they went back to unpacking and exploring the house. Since Sam didn't have quite as much, or maybe it just was that her things were smaller, she was finished first, and found herself poking about. She found a door in the utility/laundry room that led to a flight of stairs to a finished in basement. Another TV with a mini wet bar stood at one end of the basement, and the other held a variety of exercise equipment, including a large exercise mat, punching bag, and weight machine. Most of the equipment was too large for her to use, but the mat looked perfect for her and Jack to continue her practice lessons in sparring that Teal'c had started, and she knew Jack would be pleased with the gym. Back upstairs again; she spent time examining in more detail the guest room and hall bathroom. While the bathroom was stocked with necessities like toilet tissue and towels, Sam found it lacking in the number of items she generally had on hand in her own home bathroom. No shave cream, no lotions, no perfumes or make-up. No feminine hygiene products.

Having removed her shoes earlier, Sam padded softly down the hall to her bedroom, and returned to the bathroom with the small bag of bath items she'd accumulated in her one week spent in the body of the child. She and Janet had discovered early on that her sensitive child's skin reacted to most of her usual shampoos and soaps, and had ended up making a quick trip together to the BX to purchase a few gentler products made for children. Most of them weren't too bad, and they'd found everything in acceptable fruity scents rather than being stuck with the ones that were scented in bubblegum, or other flavors appealing to children. On closer inspection of the bathtub as she put her soap away, she noticed that the tub had already been stocked with a child's bubble bath and a cheerful yellow rubber duckie. She smiled nostalgically at the rubber duck. She'd had one just like it as a child.

The little duck reminded her of something, and she made another trip to her bedroom, digging into the nearly empty duffle bag. During excursions over the last week, they'd made one stop at her house, so she might pick up a few things she could take to occupy herself with when she and the Colonel were alone. She may look like a child, but thought she'd go slowly nuts if she had to act like one the whole day, every day. And so, she had picked up a few things like books or journals that could be passed off as belonging to her parent if necessary. While she'd been choosing what to take, she'd come across a small shoebox sized tote. After the three months she, Teal'c, and Daniel had spent as children under the Colonel's care, Jack had put together for each of them a small collection of mementos, before the bulk of items had gone to various charities. Now Sam found herself smiling as she impulsively added the one item to her bed that she'd removed from the box. The slightly battered teddy bear looked right at home on the cheerful bedspread.

She glanced around the room one more time, and decided she could live with it. It was temporary after all. Finished for now with unpacking, Sam wandered over to the bookshelf. They'd spent the previous night watching movies, and Sam was in the mood for something else. Shifting boxes slightly to see the titles, she picked out a board game, puzzle, and a deck of Uno playing cards. On the way out, she impulsively added the toy space shuttle. The Colonel was right; the house was a little too neat.

Jack found her in the living room, the toys and games spread about on the coffee table. "Getting comfortable?" Jack asked as he flopped down onto the overstuffed sofa with a slight groan, and then sat up again after glancing at the TV, obviously searching for the remote.

"It's right here, sir," she said, pulling the item in question out of a basket in a compartment under the coffee table. The basket held several remote controls for the nicely equipped home theatre system. She'd also noticed a selection of movies in the entertainment center, containing a variety of action or military themed stories, as well as a collection of children's and family movies. She was starting to think that the home had been furnished by some agency, but the personal touches like her bedroom and the food had to have been added by someone from the base. "Care for a game?" she asked after the Colonel had turned on the TV and was busily flipping through the channels.

"Hey, cool, we have the movie channels, and the sports package," Jack exclaimed. After several more channels, he turned back to her. "What game?" he asked.

Sam held up the Uno deck. "If you don't want to play this one, there's these, and more in my room," she offered. "It is a bit neat in here after all, like you said."

Jack looked at the puzzle, and the game of Monopoly, and shook his head. "No, Uno is fine. I haven't played in a long time though," he admitted as he finally settled on a channel. Nascar racing.

Moving around to the other side of the table so she could see the screen as well, Sam pushed the other things to one side, and started to deal the cards. "That's ok sir, I haven't played in a while either, but the rules are pretty easy to remember," she said.

They played several hands, sometimes forgetting themselves and the TV as they got caught up in the children's game. Eventually though, events of the long day finally caught up and Sam started to yawn and forget the rules of the game, simple as they were. After her second mistake, she laid the remaining cards of her last hand down. "I think I'm gonna turn in sir," she said, yawning and stretching as she stood up.

"I don't think I'll stay up much longer myself," Jack admitted, trading his cards for the remote, settling back on the sofa. "Goodnight Sam," he told her.

She smiled softly. "'Night Dad," she said, a note of teasing in her voice that Jack answered with a slight quirk of his lips. He dragged his eyes away from the TV.

"To bed with you, its way past your bedtime," he joked.

Sam just grinned, and headed down the hallway, pausing at the bathroom to brush her teeth before going to her bedroom and changing into one of her big t-shirts. She climbed into bed, slipping under the covers. Her mind was still occupied with her thoughts and uncertainties from earlier in the day, though fatigue was fast winning out. She curled on her side, settling into the unfamiliar bed. Various worries continued to nag at her, and she wrestled with the recurring doubts that had surfaced time and again since the mission had been proposed. Eventually though, her brain firmly shut down, as it had for most of the last week, regardless of whether she had come to terms with anything. As if sensing her thoughts, one small stuffed bear with a vaguely familiar feeling to it made its way to tuck reassuringly under her chin as she drifted off to sleep. Gradually, the frown lines in her brow smoothed, and her childish features grew soft with sleep. After all, there was no one around to see her.

A/N: Again, apologies for the long delay, life has been so busy. I just spent the last weekend volunteering as a camp nurse for a weekend overnight camp for kids with chronic kidney disease. I must admit that the majority of the kids, knowing they had chronic kidney conditions, put me to shame with their seemingly endless levels of energy. We had our share of tummy aches and headaches of course, but it was wonderful to see the kids outside of the hospital, just being kids. The surrounding area was gorgeous as well (even if it was a mite chilly), surrounded by trees and horse farms, which made the low salt diet tolerable lol (especially since one of the nurses, a returning veteran, has NMH, and sneaks in her own salt supply, which she shared with us on staff lol)

Sammy and Dragon went to the vet. Sammy lost two pounds, and was as usual, an angel, purring and eating treats during his exam. While he seemed a might put out with the thermometer, the treats distracted him quite well. (Some of you may recall me subjecting Sam in Nine Lives to a similar treatment, though she wasn't quite interested in treats at the time!) Dragon on the other hand, despite a combination of two oral sedatives, was the most aggressive I've ever seen him. Unfortunately, I failed to capture the full event on video. Ah well. Poor Dragon. We couldn't do much with him except hold him down and pop his shots, though he did treat the vet to a full view of all his teeth.

I'm getting transitioned from physical therapy soon to a gym and personal trainer as well as continuing my home exercises. I've never belonged to a gym, preferring to exercise on my own, and have an appointment to check out the place the first week November. But while I can use some equipment and do many exercises independently, there is a lot of equipment I don't own, and things I can still benefit from learning. Hopefully there will be some nice package I can get, and then I can ask for gym memberships for Christmas lol. I've been tired and achy a lot recently, and we think I may have fibromyalgia, but it doesn't really change much in treatment, since I should still work, and still try and stay as active as possible. Besides, I want to keep losing weight, and keep off what I've lost so far. I think it's the first time in my life that I've managed to keep a new year's resolution, even if I didn't get started on it until March.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, especially the length lol and I'll also let you know that I'm working hard on Sam's first few days of school already. There are a lot of details that my betas have been helping me out with. The chapter has already undergone several major revisions, and I've been working on those rather than the stuff in between, but there's one more chapter I think (with some Sg-1 bonding I think you will all enjoy) before Sam is faced with going to kindergarten again.