Daniel frowned again.  “This isn’t funny.”

“No,” Jack agreed solemnly, “but if we can’t laugh about it, where does that leave us?  Besides, you took a crack at making me laugh with that language comment.”

Yes, the adult-side of him had been making a joke.  Maybe the adult-side understood this better than the kid-side did. 

“So,” Jack prompted again.  “What did you want to tell me?”

The frown deepened, creasing a tiny line between the soft, blond eyebrows.  “I can’t remember.”

For a moment, Jack let the wheels continue to churn, then suggested, “So, while you’re thinking, how ‘bout you get in the shower.  Okay if I adjust the water while you undress?”  He’d exited the shower in such a hurry it still hadn’t gotten turned off.

“You’ll have to,” Daniel replied, shimmying out of the scrub bottoms they’d barely been able to drawstring tight enough to keep on him.  “I can’t reach the knobs anymore.”

The Colonel turned down the hot and turned up the cold, rescued his small companion from the folds of the too-large scrub shirt and set him carefully inside the shower on top of the towel he’d laid over the slippery stall floor.  He moved the shampoo from the shoulder level ledge, on him, to the floor, pulled the soap out of the drain where it had slipped and handed the kid a washcloth.  “Let me know if you need help, okay?”

Daniel nodded solemnly, holding the washcloth strategically as he hopped from one foot to the other.  “It’s too cold!”

“Tell me when,” Jack replied, dialing the hot-water knob higher.

“That’s good, thank you.”

“Guess what,” Jack called a few minutes later, having finished his morning ablutions and gone to investigate the noise he’d heard.

“What?”  Daniel yelled back.

“The good faeries came visiting while we were otherwise occupied.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, for what it’s worth, it probably means Carter and Fraiser have been shopping.  You have real clothes to wear.”

The same good faeries had left clean clothes for him as well, for which he was very thankful.  He could barely remember the last time he’d showered and put on clean underwear.

“Jack?”

O’Neill stuck his head around the partially open door and found his kid standing in the middle of the floor, a towel anchored by one hand around his waist, staring longingly up the mirror. 

“There’s a full-length mirror on the back of the door in the women’s shower over in the infirmary.  We’ll sneak in when we’re ready to go to breakfast and you can have a good long look, okay?”

Daniel debated a moment, then nodded agreement.  The compromise was much better than making Jack hold him up until he’d looked his fill. 

Feeling his tiny hands going through the motions of washing himself had been just plain weird.  It would take a lot of getting used to, this downsized form.  His body had no memory of being this size, only his brain, and his brain was squawking at the awkward maneuverability of this new packaging.  The Cadillac RV of bodies it most definitely was not, much less a Hummer.

The clothes were scratchy and biting at the back of the neck, but Jack pulled out his trusty red pen knife and cut out the tag, so the shirt was better, but the jeans were a little big and kept sliding down around his ass.

“It’s fashionable.”

Daniel just looked at him and crossed his arms over his chest.  “Since when have you been into fashion?”

“Oh pleeeeeazzzzze,” Jack rolled his eyes, “You can’t go to the grocery store without seeing them with their crotch hanging down around their knees and their boxers hanging out.  Most of them have to walk bow-legged just to keep the damn things on their skinny asses.  Come on, if we can’t improvise something, we’ll get some duct tape from Siler and tape them to your shirt.”

“I don’t think so,” Daniel planted his small self, both hands holding onto his pants, and refused to budge.  “I’m not leaving here looking like this.”

“Oh come on, you never worried about what you looked like before.”

“Yes, well, that was before, this is now.  I’m not going out hanging onto my pants just to keep them on.”

“Okay,” Jack sat down on the edge of the unmade bed.  This once he would leave it for the cleaning crew that came through every day.  He considered for a moment, then picked up the phone and dialed the maintenance office.  “Siler, we need a roll of duct tape in med suite one as soon as possible . . . thanks,” he said and hung up.  “He’s on is way.”

“I’m not wearing my pants duct-taped to my shirt.”

“You won’t have to, we can make a belt out of duct tape, it rolls up on itself nicely, it will make a great belt until we can get a real one.  Little bit stretchy, pliable, we can probably even makeshift a buckle and tang.”

Daniel sighed.  “I’m hungry.”

“We could meet Siler on the way to the commissary.”  When he got no answer, Jack crooked a finger.  “Come here.”  Seeing the obstinate look that immediately formed, he sighed and amended, “Daniel, would you please come here?”  When the kid reluctantly came, he pulled him between his knees and took him by the shoulders.  “This isn’t going to be easy for either of us.  And I don’t want to be tightrope walking around you all the time, okay? So I need you to tell me things – you’re very good at communicating about things like work and policy and social injustice, Daniel – but I need you to tell me things about how you feel.  Like the shirt.”  Jack patted the miniature button-down Henley under the blue-plaid shirt.  “Okay?  You told me you didn’t like how the shirt felt and we were able to fix it, but I’m not always going to guess right when you need something and you don’t tell me.  Do you understand what I’m trying to tell you?”

“Sure,” Daniel nodded solemnly.  “You’re trying to tell me I have no independence anymore, that I have to rely on someone else to do practically everything for me again.”

Jack raised an eyebrow.  “Guess it wasn’t too subtle for you at all, huh?”

A knock at the door alerted them to their duct tape delivery.

“Come in, it’s open,” Jack called.  He automatically wrapped his arms around the kid as Daniel turned and backed up between his knees.

“Your duct tape, sir,” Siler left the door open as he stepped inside to hand over the roll.  “Anything else you need from me, sir?”

“Not at the moment, thanks though.”

“Yes, sir.”  Without another word, the stoic maintenance man left the room, pulling the door closed behind him.

“Can we eat in here?” Daniel asked in a very small voice.

“How about we go over to the women’s locker room and then decide.  You can at least see what people are seeing that way.”

“Or you could just stand me on the counter in here and hold me so I don’t fall.”

“Or we could do that,” Jack agreed.

“I’d rather do that.”

“Your wish is my command.” He hefted the kid to his hip and walked them into the bathroom.  “A room with a view,” he offered, wrapping both hands around the slight waist and standing him on the sink counter.

“Well,” Daniel said, after a long silence, “at least I’ve got my teeth.”

It was so incongruous and so out of the blue, O’Neill snorted, then laughed outright.  “Hey,” he parroted, “at least you’ve got your teeth.”

“It’s not funny,” Daniel retorted.  “I think when I was this age before I was missing my two front teeth.”

The chortling behind him stopped abruptly, but the Colonel’s twitching smile appeared by his right shoulder.  “My bad, at least you’ve got your teeth,” he intoned soberly, then ruined the effect by snorting again.  “Sorry, the image that inspired is hardly that of a little kid.”

“Put me down.”

Jack obligingly swung him to the floor.  “Are we still eating in here?”

A courtesy knock preceded the opening of the door again as a cart was wheeled into the room by Teal’c, outfitted in a Chef’s hat and apron, followed by Carter bearing a full coffee pot and several mugs clinking on the fingers of her other hand. 

“Morning, gentlemen,” Sam caroled, looking altogether too bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. 

“Guess that answers my question.”  Jack followed Daniel back to the bed, picking up the duct tape as he sat down.  It hadn’t surprised him in the least when Siler’s sudden appearance had immediately activated Daniel’s shy side.  It did surprise him now when the kid squirmed between his knees again, sidling back up against his chest as though in need of protection. 

“Teal’c’s really big,” Daniel whispered, sparking one of those ah ha moments for the Colonel. 

“I need him to be big,” Jack whispered back, wrapping both arms around his friend as he manipulated the short piece of duct tape he’d torn off the roll.  “So he can watch your six when you’re big.”

A small, oh, acknowledged the reply, but apparently didn’t do anything to ease the disconcerting relative distortion suddenly being 39” instead of 72” seemed to have caused.  Daniel remained tucked up securely against him.

Teal’c proceeded to transfer cutlery and plates to the small round table, rearranged various covered dishes on the cart to his satisfaction and turned with a sweeping bow.  “Your breakfast is served, Daniel Jackson.  Do you wish pancakes or waffles this morning?”  As he spoke, he removed the lids, releasing a heavenly scent.

Daniel turned his head up under Jack’s chin.  “Hope you’re hungry this morning, they brought enough to feed an army.”

Jack, making like a penguin looking down at his nestling, closed one eye.  “I didn’t hear my name being called to breakfast.”

“You look funny, and it’s obvious we’re all eating here.”

“You look funny from this angle too,” Jack retorted.  “Bird’s eye view though.  Here, let’s get this belt fixed up for you before we go eat.”

“Morning, Sam,” Daniel offered shyly, wrapping an arm around Jack’s leg as the Colonel fed the rolled-up duct tape through the miniscule belt loops.  “Hey, Teal’c.”

Sam came over to sit down on the bed.  “Morning, Daniel.  How are you feeling?”

“There you go.”  Jack cinched the makeshift belt and tied the ends.  “Better?”

Daniel nodded.  “Janet told you to ask me that, didn’t she?”

“Hmmm.”  Sam neither confirmed nor denied.  “Even if she did, I would have asked myself.  So are you going to tell me?”

Daniel rolled a shoulder.  “I don’t like how I’m feeling, but I think I’m feeling okay, if that makes sense.”

“I think understand.  You’re not feeling bad physically, but maybe not so good here?”  She reached around Jack’s arm to pat Daniel’s chest over his heart.

The unbidden thought that he’d have to get used to being touched constantly, and without his permission, had him cringing back slightly.

Sam saw and realized her mistake immediately.  Adult Daniel did not easily allow them into his personal space.  “I’m sorry,” she apologized.  “That was incredibly thoughtless of me.  I’ll try not to do it again.”

“It’s okay, Sam.  I understand.”

Sam smiled sadly.  “You probably do, but I have to remember even though you look like an adorable little kid, you’re not.”

“Enough with the mushy stuff,” O’Neill announced.  “I’m starved.”

“What may I serve you, O’Neill?”

“I’ll take whatever Daniel’s not having.  Come on, kid.”  He gave the archeologist a gentle pat on the rear to get him moving.  “Breakfast is getting cold.”

“General Hammond would like us to get together again, sir, and discuss what further steps we’re going to take now that the crisis is over,” Sam imparted over eggs and toast. 

Daniel was shoveling down waffles as though he hadn’t eaten in a month.

Teal’c had simply loaded up his plate with the leftovers and inhaled them.  He was sitting back with a glass of orange juice.

Jack finished off his pancakes and made a pre-emptive strike on Daniel’s waffles, receiving for his efforts, the imprint of fork tines in the back of his hand.

“Ouch.”

“You know I don’t like people eating off my plate.”

“So sue me, I was hoping that had changed with the down-sizing.”  Jack nursed his stinging hand.

“Nothing’s changed except I have to stand on my tip toes to do anything now.”

“We’ll buy out the local drug stores of step stools and return them when we’ve fixed this.”

Daniel put down his fork abruptly, turning big eyes on the Colonel.  “Do you really think we can fix this?”

“Of course, we’ve fixed everything else haven’t we?  Listen.”  Jack held up his hand for silence when Daniel would have gone on.

“To what?” the kid asked after a moment of perplexed listening.

“Exactly,” O’Neill grinned.  “There’s no Urgo in your head is there?”  He leaned over and pinched Daniel lightly.

“Hey,” Daniel rubbed the spot exaggeratedly, mimicking the Colonel’s earlier antics.  “What was that for?”

”You felt it didn’t you?”

“Of course I did, I’m little, not—”

“A clone,” Jack inserted deftly.  ‘Knock, knock.”

“Who’s there?”  Daniel asked, surprising all three adults with a laugh.

“No, that’s my question,” the Colonel informed him.  “Who’s there?”

“Just me.”

“Exactly,” Jack repeated, “Just you, not me, or Teal’c, or even Machello.”  He picked up his coffee and sat back, eyeing the kid over the rim of his mug.

“I get it,” Daniel wriggled excitedly.  “If we could fix all those things, we can fix this!” he shouted.

Jack inclined his head Teal’c style while Sam smiled indulgently and slipped her hands under her legs so she wouldn’t inadvertently snatch the kid out of his chair and hug him to pieces.

“Toward that end.”  Teal’c leaned forward and set his glass on top of his empty plate.  “If I am correct in my surmise as to what occurred on U2R-M31, this may perhaps be more easily reversed than we had supposed.”

“I think we’re on the same page, T, but let’s save it for the briefing.”

Daniel scrambled up on his chair so he was standing and the tiny fists slammed down on the tiny hips again.  “I remember what I wanted to say to you!” he stomped a small foot exasperatedly.

Jack just slid a finger through a belt loop and raised an eyebrow.  “Did you now?  Would you like to share it here?  On the way to the briefing?  Or at the briefing?”

“It’s important,” Daniel growled.

“More important that resizing you to an adult?”

“No, but as important while I’m in this body!”

“Okay, you’ve got the floor.  The General won’t mind having had to wait a few more minutes when I tell him you had something really important to tell us.”

Daniel took a deep breath and blew it out.  “All right, I can tell you after we get there, but this is important.”

“May I convey you to the briefing room, Daniel Jackson?  I do not believe your short legs will be able to keep up with us as rapidly as we wish to travel.  Especially as you have something very important to impart.”

“Sam got it without having to be told,” Daniel huffed, raising his arms so Teal’c could pluck him off the chair.

“We all get it, Daniel, but you’re going have to give us a break.  You’re really cute in this incarnation.”

“I’m never gonna live this down,” Daniel sighed, burying his face in Teal’c’s shoulder.  At least that way he wouldn’t have to see all the strange looks he got being carried to his first ever briefing as a six-year-old.

*           *           *

General Hammond was just entering the briefing room as SG-1 arrived.  Teal’c stood Daniel on the table as the General came to meet them.

“Good morning, SG-1.  You look much more rested, Dr. Jackson.  And you’re no longer green.”

“Oh, yeah, can’t call you Plant Boy anymore.”  Jack shoved his hands in his pockets, though the latent parent in him moved to stand at the end of the table.

“Oh, I forgot about being green.  When did it go away?”

“It had pretty much faded by the second day of shrinking,” Sam supplied.  “What was it you wanted to tell us, Daniel?”

“Never mind,” Daniel muttered.  “Can I sit here?” he asked, surprised at how close the table top was to his ass when he sank down.  “I won’t be able to see over the table if I sit in one of the chairs.”

“Certainly you may,” the General agreed, pulling out a side chair and taking a seat by Daniel.  “How do you feel, son?”

“I feel fine, sir.  Sam said it best, I don’t feel sick or anything, at least not physically, but I don’t feel real good in here right now.”  He was sitting Indian fashion on the end of the table nearest the window.  He patted over his heart before crossing his arms in his lap and leaning forward on his elbows.  “How are you feeling?”  It was out before he could begin to imagine where the words had come from and he glanced at Jack helplessly.

Hammond smiled jovially.  “I feel fine too, Dr. Jackson, but like you, I don’t feel just right in here either.” The officer and gentleman patted over his own heart.  “Let’s hope we can discover a means of fixing this so we can both feel right again.”

“I hope so, sir.  Jack and Teal’c think they might have an idea.”

“Colonel?” the General asked sharply.  “Something new?”

“I’ve had a lot of time to think over the last few days, sir, and I suppose it kind of coalesced this morning as I was staring at myself in the mirror.”

Hammond tilted his head inquiringly but didn’t interrupt.

“Shaving, sir.  I think I may have figured out why this happened, though the how is still . . .” Jack shrugged, “out there . . . somewhere.”

“Do tell, Colonel.”

“I’m curious as well, sir,” Carter chimed in.

“I’ve been going over and over what went on while we were on that planet and trying to connect the dots.  It occurs to me, both Carter and I made off-the-cuff remarks about wishing things were different.”  Jack swallowed down the lump in his throat. 

General Hammond waited patiently when it became apparent his 2IC was overcome by some strong emotion. 

Daniel reached out and patted Jack’s wrist unexpectedly.  “He wished I would make it easier for him to do his job of watching over me and Sam wished we would kiss and make up, sir.”

General Hammond looked between Sam and Daniel in confusion.

“Uhm, she meant me and Jack, sir, not her and me.”

“Ahhh,” the General nodded sagely, as understanding dawned.  “I see.  And somehow, Colonel, this contributed to Dr. Jackson’s being downsized?”

Jack raised a finger, though he remained silent for a moment longer.  “The final piece of the puzzle, sir, is the inscription on the crystal thingy.”

“The Birth Place of Hope,” Teal’c supplied.  “I had surmised the same, O’Neill.”

“But,” Sam countered, “just wishing?”

“Okay, maybe not the final piece,” Jack offered.  “You have to think of it in context of Daniel’s assessment that the place represents some kind of . . . you know . . . grail of some sort.”

“Oh.”

Sam and Daniel exchanged glances.

“Oh,” Sam said again.  “How come they figured that out and we didn’t?”  She glanced around the table at her colleagues.  “I don’t know, I can’t believe just wishing . . . I mean, there are so many other ways to accomplish something like that without such dramatic measures.”

“Uhm huh,” O’Neill nodded pleasantly.  “Think about it, though.  Put aside science for a moment and think in terms of myths and legends.  Now add to that the fact that for years I’ve been trying to get Daniel to act like a soldier instead of a civilian.  Throw in the thought that maybe all the rest of you have been wishing me to hell and look what we did.  Double, double, toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble,” he quoted himself.  “Think about the brew we mixed up for Daniel to go bobbing-for-apples in.”

Sam breathed a not-quite-silent, “Oh my God.”

“But,” O’Neill continued after a moment, “as Teal’c has pointed out, it may be easily reversed.  We might just need to go back.”

“I don’t know about that, sir,” Sam said, raising her head to look across the table at O’Neill.  “Maybe that’s not such a good idea.  It’s possible we could do further harm.”

“That thought crossed my mind too,” Jack agreed.  “But maybe if Daniel and I went back alone, since I’m the major culprit here, it would be safe.”

“I agree with Major Carter on this, I’m not sure you should further endanger Dr. Jackson.  If this entity, sentient or not, can read your minds . . . I don’t know.”

“If it can, sir, and by going we can resize Daniel to normal, it’s a risk I’m willing to take if Daniel is.”

“I trust Jack, General.  Can we go today?”  Daniel shifted to his knees with the ease of the very young, learning imploringly into the General’s space.  “Please, sir?  We can be ready in fifteen minutes.”

“General, you know if you kick this upstairs for a decision they’re going to tell us no.  Sir, Daniel and I need to make this trip.  Please – let us go.”

“I believe I can go as a neutral party, General Hammond, I will accompany O’Neill and Daniel Jackson.”

“You’re not leaving me home to worry,” Sam stated matter-of-factly.  “Besides, I contributed.  I should be there to fix my part as well.”

“Sir?” Daniel begged shamelessly, knowing he could get away with it in this form.

“All right, but don’t make me regret this, people.”  General Hammond rose.  “I’ll meet you in the gate room in 30 minutes.”

“If I’m right, it shouldn’t take us long, General.  We should be back in time for lunch.”

“I hope, for all your sakes, you are correct, Colonel.”

“I hope so too, sir.  I hope so too.”

*           *           *

Daniel shifted from foot to foot anxiously as he stood at the bottom of the ramp next to Jack who was still talking to the General while they waited for the Gate to dial.  They’d been first to arrive in the Gate room.  He looked over his shoulder as Sam and Teal’c joined them.

“Daniel,” Sam crouched down beside him and held out her hand. 

Daniel put his free hand in hers, his other being securely held by one Jack O’Neill.  “I know, Sam, you don’t have to tell me.  This might not work.  We’re talking about Jack’s deductive reasoning here, I know,” he repeated, leaning forward to whisper conspiratorially. 

A smile spilled out.  “Yeah, I would have said it a little more diplomatically, but – yeah, basically, don’t get up your hopes up.”

“Well,” Daniel shrugged, “a few days of this was an interesting experiment, but I’ll be glad to able to go home to my own place tonight and sleep in my own bed for a change.”

“Bet you will,” Sam agreed, still smiling. 

She was about to rise when Daniel leaned forward again and threw his arm around her neck.  “Thanks, Sam,” he said softly.  “If nothing else, I think this has kinda, maybe helped Jack and me over the hurdle.  I’m not sure why, but I’m glad.”

Sam hugged him hard and sat back on her heels.  Behind her the Stargate kwooshed to life.  “I’m glad for that at least.  Maybe it was worth it?”

“Sure, if we can get it fixed it will have been well worth it.  If not . . .” Daniel shrugged.  “Well then, I’ll let you know.”

“All right, I’m going to hold you to that.”  She took the hand Teal’c offered, rose and turned with her team to face the Stargate.

“Godspeed, friends.  Bring our boy home whole, SG-1.”

“That’s certainly our intention, sir.  We’ll do our damnedest.”  Jack glanced at his teammates.  “Once more into the fray, boys,” he caught Carter’s look and added, “and girls.”

Daniel reached for Sam’s hand as they started up the ramp.  “If I have to be little, I may as well get some enjoyment out of it,” he said, picking up his feet.

“Hey!” Jack griped, smiling over Daniel’s head at Carter as he easily accommodated the sudden extra weight.

Sam, too, adjusted quickly, grinning back.

Between them, they picked up Daniel by both hands and with much good-natured laughter made their way up the ramp letting him swing between them.

“On three, Carter.  One, two, and three!” 

They both swung hard and stepped into the Gate as Daniel swung forward.  Teal’c inclined his head toward the General and followed his teammates into the event horizon.

General Hammond bowed his head briefly as the Gate shut down and made a wish of his own.  “Walter?” he turned and glanced up toward the control room.

“Sir?” the gate technician returned.

“Call in an hour if SG-1 isn’t back.”

“Yes, sir.”

General Hammond exited the Gate room shaking his head.  Of all the Kodak moments he’d filed away over the course of this unique command, this last would be one he’d cherish for the rest of his life.  The memory even came with full Dolby surround sound – of Dr. Jackson’s cheerful laughter bouncing around the walls of the Gate room. 

It was a sound he couldn’t remember ever hearing before.

*           *           *

Several hundred thousand light years across several hundred thousand galaxies, SG-1 stumbled out of the wormhole just as a brilliant flare lit the panorama. 

It was beyond description – space lightening and fireworks, a thunderstorm with stardust instead of rain, more colors than could be named, all shimmering against the iridescent backdrop of the new born star.

“Holy Hannah,” Carter whispered.  “We’ve just witnessed something no other human being has seen with the naked eye.  Well, a least not in our galaxy,” she amended.

“Yeah, is it safe?”

“Well, sir, I don’t think it matters now.”

“Indeed,” Teal’c affirmed. 

“How cool was that?” Daniel breathed, totally awestruck.

“An auspicious beginning to our quest, Daniel Jackson.  Come, let us ascertain if this new born star is a good omen.”

The End, for now

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