Summary: In this post-'Continuum' kid!fic, Cassie Fraiser and Jon Coventry (Jack's clone) get a surprising call: seems the SGC and the Tok'ra have a little problem; make that six little problems…

A/N: I've posted this on other sites in the past, but I thought it would be fun to bring it to FanFiction. Hope you agree! I plan to edit, format and post each of the nine chapters every other day or so.

Chapter 1 – A Trip to Egerush

"Jon, you're two years younger than me," Cassie protested, dodging the seemingly innocent arm that had been sneaking up behind her on the couch-back.

"No, I'm thirty years older than you," Jon countered with a soft smile, brown eyes glinting in the firelight.

"Yuck," Cassie stated. "That doesn't really make it any better."

"Well, let's just say that I'm more than mature enough for an accomplished young lady such as yourself."

Cassie slid to the far end of her couch. "Mature is a matter of opinion." Deciding the lean young man was at a safe distance, she made to rise when his long legs suddenly shot out, tripping her up. "Jon!" Her fall was somehow converted to a guided roll to the thick carpeted floor and before she knew it she was safe and sound in front of the fireplace, pinned under 170 pounds of iron-strong muscles.

A sardonic grin answered her flustered sputtering. "I may be only twenty years old, but I've got the Special Ops experience of a much longer life."

Cassie struggled, but gave it up as his grin grew. Attempting to resurrect her hopelessly compromised dignity, she stated, "One would think you could put that experience to better use."

"Better use than seducing a brilliant and beautiful woman?" The grin faded, Jon's chocolate-brown eyes darkening. "I don't think so."

Cassie realized her hands, which should have been pushing the impossible boy away, were actually pulling him into an embrace. She stopped, took a clearing breath and tried to speak logically. "Jon, we've discussed this. We just…can't. Our history, our situation. You knew me when I was a child."

"So? Lots of people knew each other when they were children. You never heard of childhood sweethearts?"

"You met me when I was eleven…"

"And then you met me when I was fifteen. Now we're both adults and there's nothing in our way."

He lowered his head and their lips met, the kiss sweet and tentative.

She broke it off. "Sam will freak."

Jon nuzzled at her throat. "She'll deal with it."

"Jack will definitely freak."

There was a snuffle of laughter against her skin. "I don't care. He'll deal with it eventually too."

"Daniel…might not freak."

"Mm, good ol' Daniel." He raised his lips back to hers, the second kiss deeper.

Again she broke off. She cupped his face and, with a gentle smile, said, "Janet, I think, would…approve."

He paused, his smile echoing hers, and said softly, "Yeah, I think so, too." He kissed her on the nose and whispered, "And I hope your birth parents would too."

She pulled his face down and the kiss went deep and urgent this time, on and on…

Until the phone rang.

Jon groaned and Cassie giggled into his mouth.

"Easy, big guy," she said. "The machine'll pick it up."

After the third ring, her recording came on. "This is Cassandra Fraiser. I'm out right now, probably getting drunk in celebration of completing my master's degree. Please leave a message and I'll return your call when I'm not hung-over any more."

Jon raised a brow and Cassie gave an unrepentant smirk. Then the caller's voice came on.

"I see. Well, this is General Hank Landry, Ms. Fraiser."

They both jerked, coming to a ludicrous form of attention as they lay tangled on the carpet.

Landry continued: "And drunk, hung-over or not, I would appreciate a return call, ASAP."

"Crap!" Cassie struggled out from under her 6 foot 2 companion as he worked at cross purposes, almost getting a knee to the crotch for his troubles.

"Ouch! Watch it! Just—"

"Move it, flyboy!"

"I'm not a flyboy any more!"

Landry's voice continued: "I believe you know the number. Time is just a tad of the essence, so your prompt response would be preferred."

Cassie had only spoken to General Landry a few times, and though the man's sarcasm was already legendary, he sounded especially tense to her right now.

"Damn it!" She finally crawled out from under Jon and lurched at the phone. "General! I'm here! Don't hang up!"

"I wouldn't dream of it, Ms. Fraiser," came the drawled reply. "Are you drunk?"

"I—what?"

"Per your message. Are you drunk?"

"Oh. No, no, I'm not drunk."

Back on the rug, Jon snorted. Cassie flapped an arm at him.

"Are you hung-over?"

"No, sir. I'm not hung-over either." Great. That was the last time she left a funny message on her answering machine. Jon's snorting laughter rose in volume.

"How fortunate for me," Landry observed. "Well, then. Congratulations on your graduation and how soon do you think you can be at Cheyenne Mountain?"

"Be…at the Mountain? Is something wrong? Is Sam okay?"

Jon sobered immediately, sitting up.

"Colonel Carter is well, but your presence is required as soon as possible."

"But can you tell me why?"

"What's wrong?" Jon hissed.

Cassie shrugged at him, shaking her head.

"Is someone with you, Ms. Fraiser?"

"Yes. It's okay, though, it's Jon Coventry."

"Jon Coventry?"

Not sure if the general would recognize the name the cloned man had chosen, his mother's maiden name, Cassie explained, "Yes, you know, the boy who came to us about five years ago?"

"Oh, that Jon Coventry," the general said dryly. There was a long pause.

"General?"

"Hold on, I'm thinking." Eventually there was a sigh. "Are the two of you alone?"

"Yes, sir."

"Could you please put me on speaker phone?"

Cassie pushed the button. "Okay, you're on speaker now, general."

"Mr. Coventry?" Landry asked.

Jon stood and joined Cassie. "Yes, sir, I'm here."

"Right. Well, this does concern both of you, although Ms. Fraiser was deemed the one most appropriate. Bit sexist, if you ask me, but there you go."

"General…" Jon ground out, the two of them exchanging baffled looks.

"Sorry to be so mysterious," he said, not sounding sorry in the least. "So how soon can the two of you be at Cheyenne Mountain?"

"As soon as you need us, sir," Jon said stoutly.

"But, general, is everyone okay?" Cassie asked.

"Oh, yes."

"Nothing's wrong with Sam?"

There was a pause so short that they weren't sure if they imagined it. "The good colonel is perfectly healthy."

"Healthy and…conscious?" Jon hazarded.

"Oh yes, conscious and…chattering." They could almost see the wince. "Chattering virtually non-stop."

Cassie looked helplessly at Jon. "Well, of course, we're at your disposal, sir, but…"

"Good." Another pause. "Sorry to be so personal," Landry said with a continued lack of apology in his voice, "but may I ask if the two of you are, as it were, together?"

"No, sir," Cassie said at the same time Jon said, "Yes, sir."

As they glared at each other, Landry chuckled. "I'll take that as a 'yes.' All to the good. Pack your bags, you two. Walter will call you with the details, but consider yourselves on the first flight out in the morning."

o0.0o

Twelve hours later found the newly minted couple in the briefing room in the bowels of Cheyenne Mountain, waiting for General Landry to join them. Cassie had asked around after the whereabouts of SG-1, but it seemed the entire team was off-world on a mission and no one was able, or willing, to supply any details.

As they sat at the table, Jon leaned over to Cassie. "Tell me again what was the last thing Carter said."

"She said they were going to tie up one last detail of an old problem. I took that to mean that they'd finally found the last Ba'al clone and were going to take care of him. I asked if it was anything dangerous and she said, 'Not remotely.' She said the whole 'gang,' which is code for SG-1, plus one alumnus was going, so I'm pretty sure that meant Uncle Jack."

Jon frowned at the 'uncle', but shrugged. "Explains why he's not in DC, at least." Jon rubbed at his nose, thinking. "I've never met either Cameron Mitchell or Vala Mal Doran…"

"And how do you even know those classified names?"

"Um. I still have a few friends here."

He gave her that grin of his which never failed to melt her heart and resolve, and Cassie could only grin back and shrug. In all likelihood the 'friend' was Daniel, whom Cassie knew had kept in touch with the clone, unlike his DNA-donor, Jack.

Just then General Landry, another Air Force officer, and a woman walked in. Cassie guessed the woman was Tok'ra by the vaguely supercilious attitude and the typical rough-woven clothing, in this case, a flowing dress in dun-brown.

Cassie and Jon made to stand, but Landry waved them down. "Sit, everyone. We're on too tight a schedule to stand on ceremony."

The officer looked somewhat put out, but the Tok'ra sat without comment, choosing the chair directly across from Jon.

Speaking to the Tok'ra woman, General Landry said, "Chancellor, this is Jon Coventry."

"Mr. Coventry," the woman said, her voice reverberating with the distinctive dual tone of a symbiote.

The general turned to Jon and continued, "I believe, Mr. Coventry, that you have memories of Anise, now High Chancellor of the Tok'ra?"

Jon gave a tight smile. "What a pleasure to see you again," he said though clenched teeth. "And to see you in new duds only increases the pleasure."

Cassie glanced over at her tense boyfriend, then at the conservatively dressed woman who nodded across the table at him. Cassie placed a hand on Jon's knee, out of sight under the table, burning with curiosity at what the Tok'ra used to dress like.

"Congratulations on your promotion," Jon added. "And, uh, Freya, too."

Anise dropped her head. When she raised it, her face was subtly different and Cassie realized it was now the host in control.

"Thank you, Jon," Freya said, a special warmth in her tone that wasn't there when Anise spoke.

Cassie was unpleasantly surprised to feel stirrings of what could only be jealously, and the hand on Jon's knee tightened possessively.

With a pained smile, Jon said, "Hey there, Freya. How ya doing?"

"Quite well. However, I typically relinquish control to Anise for dealings such as these."

Jon shrugged with badly concealed relief. "See ya 'round."

The Tok'ra did the head dipping thing again, this time her eyes flashing silver as Anise reestablished control.

Bushy brows raised high with amusement, General Landry continued the introductions. "High Chancellor Anise, this young lady is Cassandra Fraiser, daughter of the late Janet Fraiser."

"Janet Fraiser was a healer and a warrior," Anise stated. "Her loss is still felt by the Tok'ra."

"Thank you, ma'am," Cassie said, willing to give her the benefit of the doubt despite Jon's hostility.

"Let's cut to the chase," Jon demanded, continuing with false brightness, "Don't tell me! The Tok'ra need our help!"

As Cassie kicked him under the table, Anise gave him a cool look. "While help is indeed sought, it is not the Tok'ra who are in need."

"Mr. Coventry, while you are under my authority, you will keep a civil tongue in your head," Landry said mildly. "Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. And to complete the introductions, this gentleman is Colonel Morrison of the NID."

The Air Force officer, a stocky black man with close cropped hair going gray at the temples, nodded at the couple.

If Jon was tense before, he positively bristled now. "The NID? What the hell do they-"

"Mr. Coventry!" Landry shouted.

Kicking Jon even harder, Cassie plastered a pleasant smile on her face. "General, may we be told now why we were sent for?"

"Ms. Fraiser," Anise interrupted. "I am informed you just graduated from your institute of higher learning. What was your area of interest?"

"I just completed my Masters in Public Policy, with an emphasis on Economics, ma'am."

"And what is the import of this degree?"

"I hope to join Stargate Command and work toward aligning the interests of off-world governments with our own."

Anise nodded. "Very good. I believe you may consider this your first trial."

"My first…?"

Anise turned to Jon. "And you, Mr. Coventry. What have you accomplished with your years of experience and your youthful body?"

Cassie studied the High Chancellor's bland expression. She and Jon were being vetted. But for what purpose?

Jon fidgeted, covering it by straightening in his seat. There was a certain defensive edge to his voice as he said, "I finished high school early and got an Associate of Arts degree in English."

"Wasn't that your original degree for the Officer's Academy?" Landry asked skeptically. "Playing it safe, are we, Mr. Coventry?"

The young man couldn't hide his fidgeting this time. "I-well, I just-I want to join the SGC again, but I don't want to go the Air Force route again, and I'm not sure I have the brains for the science divisions…" He dropped his eyes. "I think I have a lot to offer, but I'm just not sure in what…capacity."

Cassie squeezed his leg, trying to think of something supportive to say. She knew Jon was as smart as Jack O'Neill, but that kind of street-smart was hard to measure or quantify.

However, Anise seemed to be satisfied by his response. She turned to Landry. "General, with your permission, I would like Ms. Fraiser and Mr. Coventry to accompany me to Egerush now."

Landry's furry brows rose in bewilderment. "Now? But the briefing-"

"Will be conducted on Egerush," Anise finished. "I believe it to be safer that way." She glanced at the NID officer.

Landry clamped his professional façade back down, then gave a curt nod. "Very well."

Colonel Morrison spoke for the first time, all but rolling his eyes. "Ma'am," he said to Anise. "We are much more interested in the device than the children."

Cassie and Jon blinked. Children?

"Nevertheless," Anise stated firmly.

The general turned to Cassie and Jon. "Then if you two are agreeable, you can leave right now."

Jon sputtered. "I-what? Where? Why should we trust-?"

A third kick had the young man moving his shins out of Cassie's range with a poorly smothered yelp. She asked the general, "Sir, does this have to do with SG-1? And General O'Neill?"

"Yes, it does. Apparently all will be explained when you arrive. Colonel Ferretti with SG-2 is there already, as is Dr. Lam."

"Dr. Lam? But you said they're okay?"

"They're not sick and not harmed. Now why don't you gear up while I get the 'Gate spinning. Oh, and Ms. Fraiser?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Keep an eye on him," the general ordered, cocking his head at Jon.

"Uh…yes, sir."

Everyone rose when the general did, and Cassie and Jon, numb with confusion, geared up as ordered. Thirty minutes later the 'Gate was indeed spinning by the time they reached the Embarkation Room. Despite everything the two young people grinned at each other, lost in the moment as the noise, the steamy heat, the metallic smell and the vibrations washed over them.

"This is my first time through since I was a girl," Cassie said.

Jon took her hand, not caring who was watching. "And as far as this body goes, my first time through, period."

As the heart-stopping ka-woosh of the establishing wormhole filled the room, Anise with a Tok'ra aide, and the NID officer with two civilians joined them. General Landry's voice came from the control room above them. "High Chancellor and entourage, you have a go."

"Entourage? Me?" Jon growled under his breath. Then skipped aside as Cassie twitched a foot at him. "Hey, I'm limping as it is!"

"Then behave, Mr. Associate of Arts."

"Yes, oh Mistress of Public Policy."

Anise spoke from behind. "Is this the sexual foreplay of young Tau'ri?"

The two gave a guilty start. "No, ma'am," Cassie said as Jon said, "Yes, ma'am."

Anise raised a brow, then swept past them, her aide and the NID group following closely as she continued on up to and through the open wormhole. Cassie and Jon trailed them and, still holding hands, plunged through the Stargate together.

o0.0o

It was a fairly long walk through the misty Tok'ra city and Cassie found herself craning her head up from side to side like a country rube trying to see the tall buildings. She didn't care what she looked like. Jon could act as cool as he wanted, but this was only the third planet Cassie had been to, and she didn't plan on missing a single thing.

Cassie increased her pace, maneuvering between the growing ranks of aides and hangers-on that the High Chancellor had been attracting like flies since they arrived. When she made it to the Chancellor's side, she waited for a pause in the demands for Anise's attention, then asked, "Ma'am, if you have a moment, I was wondering if there was any trouble at Ba'al's extraction."

"No, Ms. Fraiser," Anise said, signaling yet another aide to back off. "I didn't attend myself, but am informed the extraction went as planned. The Gou'ald made the usual nebulous threats of dire consequences, of course." She waved a dismissive hand. "He apparently seemed quite surprised when nothing stopped the process. Regardless, the Gou'ald symbiote is dead, and the host is recovering as well as may be expected with the memories of decades of infestation."

Cassie glanced around, but no one was interrupting and Jon seemed content to let Cassie take the lead, so she spoke up again. "I'd like to ask about your city. What did you say its name was?"

"Egerush. Named for our founder, Queen Egeria."

"A Tok'ra city… It's beautiful."

Anise nodded, pleased.

Cassie continued, "Has it been quite a change, then? After living underground for centuries, to living in the open? And in tall buildings, too?"

"It has not been merely centuries, but forever as far as our species is concerned. We have been forced to hide our whole existence since our existence began."

"And now that's over."

"Yes, our purpose has been achieved and yet we remain."

Cassie shook her head, half in admiration, half in amazement. It was hard to conceive of two millennia of concealment. "But, what now? What will be the future for the Tok'ra?"

"What indeed," Anise mused, as if thinking on it for the first time.

"Your very name means 'against Ra.' Now there are no more Gou'ald system lords at all, much less Ra himself. Will your people find a new purpose?"

Anise eyed Cassie and Jon speculatively. "I believe we may have recently discovered such a purpose, or at least the beginnings of one."

"That's wonderful, ma'am."

As an aide cut in with an impatient question, Cassie wondered what future the Tok'ra could have. How could the Tok'ra continue at all without new members of its species?

Soon they entered one especially ornate building. In the lobby, the Chancellor paused as if undecided, then she turned down a hallway, her aides floundering in her wake.

"But, High Chancellor, the conference chamber is not—"

"We are proceeding straight to the nursery. I believe for our Tau'ri guests, that seeing will be believing."

"Nursery?" Jon muttered out of the corner of his mouth to Cassie, but she could only shrug.

Soon they reached a concourse, an atrium of sorts. Sunlight filtered through high opaque skylights, illuminating a huge, curving convex glass wall. Seats like bleachers climbed the walls facing the glass, completely filled with at least a couple hundred people, Tok'ra men and women, sitting quietly, pointing through the glass and murmuring to one another occasionally.

As Cassie and the others approached, she tried to see what was in the glassed-off room when the olive-drab of USAF BDUs caught her eye. Jon had seen them too: four people standing to one side of the bleachers closest to the glass. The couple branched off from the High Chancellor's group, and went to what must be SG-2.

Louis Ferretti nodded to Cassie as they approached, eying Jon curiously.

"Colonel Ferretti?" Jon asked with a smirk.

Cassie saw the light go on in the colonel's eyes, and a wide grin crinkled his face. "Mr. Coventry, I presume."

The two pumped a hand shake, then Cassie got a hug.

"Hey, Uncle Lou."

"How's my girl doing? You graduate yet?"

"Yep. With honors."

"Oy. Another brainiac in the SGC family." He looked Jon over critically. "No worries about this bozo showing you up."

"Hey, I'm doing just fine, thanks."

"Fine, huh?" Lou glanced at Cassie and crooked a thumb at Jon. "This guy giving you any trouble?"

"What? No," Cassie denied, blushing.

Jon dropped his eyes, and Lou's smile grew crafty. "Are the two of you—?"

"No!" Cassie shouted before the question could be finished or Jon respond. As the two men smirked at one another, Cassie drew herself up to her full 5 foot 4 height and demanded, "So what exactly is going on here?"

Lou's smile faded, although it seemed to Cassie that he still had a twinkle in his eyes. "Oh, uh, the Chancellor didn't brief you?"

"No," Jon said. "And we're getting a little tired of the mystery."

"No more mystery here. Just have a look-see." Lou pointed to the glass wall.

As the young couple looked, Anise, who stood waiting for them at the wall, gestured them over. Lou came with them.

Cassie studied the enclosure as they approached. The room behind the glass was a large oblong, and flooded with the same natural sunlight as the outer concourse. It did seem to be a nursery of some sort, although sparsely decorated by Earth standards. The furniture was limited to modular stools in a drab beige, strewn throughout the room on the equally drab beige floor. The only toys visible were some blobby pillow-like things, beige again, that couldn't really be called balls, although they could be thrown like one, as a little boy demonstrated as they came right up to the glass.

There were one, two… Cassie craned her neck, standing on tiptoes. Six children, in all. They seemed to be around preschool age, maybe three or four years old, five at the most. They were all dressed in miniature versions of the rough-woven earth-toned tunics and leggings the Tok'ra favored. Two girls huddled in one corner, surrounded by stools like a fort, blond and brunette heads popping up occasionally as they peeked at the room's four other occupants, all boys.

Three of the boys stood gathered in a loose group at the other end of the oblong enclosure, the tallest of whom was also the darkest-skinned of the children. He stood with arms akimbo, watching the boy who'd thrown the pillow-blob-ball thing, this boy only slightly shorter than the dark one. A towheaded boy jumped and crowed as the flung blob hit its victim, the last child in the room: a pale, fair-haired boy who sat alone on a stool in the center of the room, crossed arms held protectively around his torso, eyes down, giving no reaction as the impact of the pillow rocked his head to one side. The litter of other pillow-blobs surrounding the isolated boy told an eloquent if silent story.

Something about these children… Something about them teased unpleasantly at Cassie's brain…

After the pillow hit, a murmuring rippled through the surrounding Tok'ra crowd. Not really approving or disapproving, Cassie thought, just…interested.

Beside her, Jon shrugged. "Okay, so cute little mini-Tok'ra kids. But what do they have to do with SG-1 and General O'Neill?" he demanded of High Chancellor Anise.

Cassie was certain there were no Tok'ra children. "Uh, Jon…" she said, the hair suddenly rising on the back of her neck.

"Yes, Mr. Coventry," Anise drawled. "Please listen to your lover and look again."

Jon spared the Chancellor quick glare, then did as ordered. "Okay, yeah, six kids, check. Two girls, four boys, check. Dark-haired girl, blond girl, check. Black boy, two blond boys, one brown-haired boy…" Jon trailed off, squinting hard at the blob throwing boy, who'd just picked up another pillow-ball and stood aiming with theatrical precision at his motionless target. "One brown-haired boy…who looks like…like…" The color drained from Jon's face. "Holy crap…" he breathed.

"Roger that," Lou confirmed.

Cassie pointed a shaking finger at the nursery. "That's…SG-1?"

"Yes, Ms. Fraiser," Anise confirmed, looking at the children with something like satisfaction. "The five members of SG-1, plus General O'Neill, regressed to the equivalent of four Tau'ri years."

"But—but-" Jon stammered, "they're-they're-"

"They're adorable!" Cassie burst out before she could stop herself. Jon stared at her. "Well, they are," she said.

Jon rolled his eyes, muttering, "Chicks!" under his breath.

"Oh, look!" Cassie stood on tiptoes again, trying to see into the girl's stool-fort. "Sam's braiding Vala's pigtails! Aww, they look like Rafael cherubs."

The little-girl Sam, blond curls framing her deep blue eyes, held the tip of her tongue to her lip as she concentrated her efforts on her companion's thick black hair. The miniature astrophysicist's single-mindedness contrasted sharply with Vala, who couldn't seem to hold still, constantly turning her head, trying to see Sam's progress.

A reluctant grin spreading over Jon's face, he said, "Yeah, they are cutie-pies, aren't they?" Then he looked over to the other side of the enclosure. "The boys on the other hand…"

"They're cute as buttons," Cassie protested.

"Yeah, but there's a definite 'Lord of the Flies' vibe going on there. And all is not well in Danny-town."

"Oh, well, they're just…"

At the boys' end of the nursery, Jack, for it was Jack, tossed his pillow-ball straight up, spinning and catching it several times, short, stubby legs spread in a wide stance, a disturbingly knowing smile playing over his innocent child's lips as he stared steadily at his blond-haired victim, obviously none other than Daniel. It was hard to see Daniel's down-cast face, but Cameron and Teal'c, light and dark sides of the same hyperactive coin, hovered around their little general, avidly glancing back and forth between pillow thrower and pillow target.

"Um," Cassie continued, doubtfully, "well, they are cute as buttons…"

"Uh huh."

"Can they see us?" Cassie asked the High Chancellor.

"No, from the inside they can neither hear nor see us. However they are aware that we are here for them."

That seemed on odd way to phrase it Cassie thought. "How long have they been like this?"

"Almost two days now," Ferretti answered.

Jon asked, "Why haven't they been brought back to Earth?"

Ferretti eyed Anise. "Bit complicated," he said.

"Perhaps you could start at the beginning, High Chancellor Anise?" Cassie prompted.

"After Ba'al's extraction, the council invited Dr. Jackson and Lt. Colonel Carter to observe a device recovered from the inner chambers of Ba'al's last known stronghold. The rest of SG-1 and General O'Neill elected to join them. They were in the laboratory housing the device when it somehow activated and…you see the result."

"Can't it be reversed?" Cassie asked.

Anise shook her head decisively. "The mechanism overloaded and burned. Our scientists are examining it now, but it appears to be nothing but melted metal at this point."

"How did it get set off?" Jon demanded.

"That remains a point of contention, but it is possible Dr. Jackson activated it inadvertently."

"Great."

Cassie said, "So, this is-is permanent?"

The High Chancellor nodded. "There is no other known device like it, or known technology. So, yes, Ms. Fraiser, to our knowledge, at this point, it appears to be permanent."

"Holy crap," Jon muttered again.

Remembering what the general had mentioned earlier, Cassie looked around. "Wait, where's Dr. Lam?

Ferretti shrugged and said, "Probably weeping quietly in a corner somewhere."

Cassie frowned at Lou's unrepentant grin. "Does she agree with the High Chancellor's conclusions?"

"Oh, yeah," Ferretti confirmed.

In the nursery, Jack suddenly called out in his high-pitched child's voice, "Give up, Daniel? You ready to apologize?"

Daniel didn't respond or move, remaining huddled on his stool.

Cameron said, "Forget it, O'Neill. He's never gonna admit it."

"Oh, my god," Cassie breathed. "Do they have their memories?"

"Yes," Anise said.

"Holy crap," Jon said for the third time.

"Jon…" Cassie dug an elbow in Jon's side.

"Sorry, but…" Jon waved numbly at the nursery.

Just then Jack threw his latest ball-blob overhand, tagging Daniel on the head again.

As the watching Tok'ra voiced another collective murmur, Jon crooked a thumb over his shoulder. "Ya know, this pep rally deal ya got going here is really starting to creep me out."

When Daniel once more gave no reaction to the lobbed ball, Jack threw up his hands in disgust and turned his back. Which was apparently just what Daniel was waiting for. The tiny archeologist jumped up and sprinted as fast as his short legs could carry him toward his former CO, unhesitatingly launching himself at, and tackling the other boy from behind, both of them sprawling headlong on the soft floor.

The excitement of the Tok'ra increased as Daniel flailed wildly, pounding at the boy under him, screaming, "I didn't do it, Jack! It wasn't me! I didn't touch anything!"

"Um, ma'am? Someone might want to step in at this point," Cassie said, shifting from foot to foot and glancing with a frown at the bleachers of nodding, pointing Tok'ra.

"Oh, no," Anise said calmly.

Inside, Jack thrashed about ineffectively, screaming in return, "Did too! This is your fault, Daniel! This is all your fault!"

"'No'?" Cassie repeated, looking with at Anise with disbelief. "What do you mean?"

Anise glanced at Cassie as if she were a particularly dense student and said with complete conviction, "Children must be free to experiment, to interact, to explore the outside world without petty restrictions on creativity. These are concepts drawn from your own Tau'ri literature," she assured them, although neither Cassie nor Jon had collected their wits enough to respond, much less protest. Obviously quoting some child-care book or other, Anise stated, "Problem behavior arises from attention seeking." She waved at the packed bleachers. "And you can see all the attention these children receive."

Cassie shook her head. "But, ma'am, I don't think this really counts as attention—"

"Yes, empathy is the important thing," Anise continued with the air of one stating a self-apparent truth. "A child's behavior follows his heart. One must be concerned less by what one sees on the outside, and much more by what's going on in his head and heart."

With whoops worthy of a whole war-party of four-year olds, Cameron stripped off his tunic and, waving it over his head like a flag, began running in circles around the fighting boys. Even Teal'c got into the act, jumping from stool to stool, piping something in Goa'uld that would probably have sounded menacing coming from his former 6 foot 4 self.

Meanwhile the two girls choose that moment to launch their own attack. They dashed from their fort, Vala's shock of black hair streaming free as the braids came undone. When they reached their teammates, the two girls rained ball-blobs down on the wrestling boys, shrieking incoherently at the top of their lungs.

Jon plugged his ears, one eye twitching spastically as he shouted, "There's empathy and then there's freakin' chaos!"

"Chaos! Yes!" Anise's eyes shone as she allowed emotion to color her voice for the first time. "Don't you see? This is just what the Tok'ra need! Passion, zeal, enthusiasm: things that only children can bring to a weary people!"

Cassie and Jon gaped at her as she stared avidly at the cavorting preschoolers.

It seemed that Sam had managed to open up one of the pillow-things and in short order some kind of grayish gel-like stuff joined the balls Vala continued to pelt at the boys.

"But, High Chancellor," Cassie said, trying to keep her voice professional, "there has to be some control. Where do you draw the line? When they draw blood?"

"Precisely," Anise confirmed serenely. "Ah, and so they have."

Cassie spun back to the nursery to see Jack's face spotted with blood, the wailing boy still kicking in a futile attempt to dislodge his blob-ball target turned tormentor.

"Let us in there, damn it," Jon growled.

"As you say." Anise nodded to an aide, who placed a control of some kind on the glass wall, opening a door that had been invisible moments before.

Cassie and Jon both rushed forward, stopping up together in the doorway before popping through to rush to the two combatants.

Cassie swooped down and plucked up Daniel. The boy hung from her arms, eyes screwed shut as he continue to kick and flail, unaware that he'd been removed from the wrestling match.

Jon knelt by Jack, trying to contain the thrashing boy long enough to wipe up his face with a tissue.

The girls' pillow barrage stopped as Sam got a good look at the young woman holding the thrashing Daniel. Then the little blond girl gave a shrieking cheer and rushed up, chanting, "Cassie's here! Cassie's here! Cassie's here!"

Vala, not to be outdone, joined the chorus at twice the volume. "Cassie's here, Cassie's here! Wait, who's Cassie?"

Sam rolled her wide blue eyes. "Duh! She's Janet's daughter!"

"Oh! Cassie's here, Cassie's here! Wait, who's Janet?"

Teal'c hopped to a stool right behind Cassie, warbling something in Goa'uld that was probably a greeting, but had her cringing in surprise. Sam and Vala pranced around her like manic flower girls tossing slippery gray pillow-ball innards as they went.

Daniel, who had finally noticed he'd been pulled off Jack, struggled in Cassie's embrace, dropping to the floor and stamping his foot down on Cassie's toes. "It wasn't my fault! It wasn't!" he howled.

The half-naked Cameron continued his whirlwind tour of the group's perimeter, shouting to Daniel as he ran by, "Was too your fault!" and to Jack as he ran by, "Ha ha, Jackson beat you up!"

Jack kicked and slapped at Jon's attempts to help, blood from a split lip joining the tears and snot dripping from his face. "He didn't beat me up! And why didn't you warn me? I'm supposed to be in charge here!"

Teal'c leaped to a stool in front of Jack. "If you were a true leader you would not have fallen prey to a surprise attack." He jumped off immediately, leaving the crying Jack to swipe futilely at the empty air where he'd just been.

Cassie looked helplessly at Jon, her ears ringing as the cacophony only increased.

"Cassie's here!" "Was too your fault!" "I'm in charge! I am!" "I remember Cassie, I remember Cassie!" "I didn't touch it! I didn't!" "Tek ma te, Cassandra Fraiser!"

Jon straightened, massaging his temples. The High Chancellor had followed them into the nursery and he gave her a weak smile. "So you'll be wanting us to take these little heathens off your hands, then?" he asked in a shout.

"You misunderstand us, Mr. Coventry," Anise stated, her clear tones carrying through the bedlam. "These young ones are our responsibility, perhaps our very future. They are the Children of the Tok'ra and we are not inclined to release our children from our guardianship."

Jon's wide and disbelieving eyes met Cassie's. 'Children of the Tok'ra?' he mouthed.

Lou Ferretti strolled up, dodged the blurred dervish that was his former fellow colonel, Cameron, and fixed Cassie and Jon with a wry smile. "If you two lovebirds want these brats-uh, these little angels, I think you got a bit of a nasty custody battle on your hands."

tbc

A/N: Yeah, I think the child-versions of SG-1 would be complete hellions (yes, even Daniel)! The only one I imagine being a calm tractable child would be Jonas Quinn, but he's not in this. Let me know your thoughts!