Untitled Cute Cassie Ficlet
In which Cassie is five, and Rodney makes a guest appearance
"Sam!"
Out of nowhere, a small, very fast five-year-old girl hurled herself into Sam Carter's arms.
The woman had been pretending to be entirely unaware of the incoming child, and, smack dab in the middle of the lobby of the apartment building, feigned falling over from the impact.
"Ooof!" Sam said, her arms coming up to make sure the girl didn't accidentally topple over her head.
The girl giggled and wrapped her arms around Sam.
"Mom said you'd be busy today and that I wasn't s'posed to bug you." Her tone was reproachful, and she poked one finger into Sam's chest.
Sam sat up and looked over toward the doors. Janet was just entering, and Sam exchanged a wry look with her.
She looked back down at Cassie. "I think your mom was trying to keep you all to herself," she said, the very model of seriousness.
Cassie pouted. "But you have to see what I did for class today! My handwriting was the best."
Sam moved Cassie off from her lap and got up.
"Woah. That's pretty cool. I'll just have to sneak in later and take a look, won't I?"
Cassie nodded vigorously.
"And after that, can you show me the telescope again?"
Behind Cassie, Janet stifled a laugh, and Sam shot her a warning look. The last time Cassie had visited, Jack had brought his telescope up to the roof, and Cassie had been so fascinated with it that they'd spent hours explaining astronomy to the girl in terms she could understand.
Sam said, "I don't know about that. You'd have to ask Mr. O'Neill."
Cassie's eyes widened, and she dashed off around the corner toward Jack's apartment.
"Cassie!" Janet called. "You can ask him later!"
But Cassie was already gone, and from where they stood, they heard Cassie knocking on the apartment door.
Janet sighed. "I better go get her," but before she could move, they heard the door open.
"Well, what have we here?" Jack said, and his question was followed by lots of giggling. In another second, he came back around the corner, Cassie thrown over his shoulder.
"Seems as though we have a problem with gnomes around here," he said.
"Hey!" Cassie said indignately. "I'm not a gnome."
"Well," Jack said dubiously. "You're short like a gnome."
"That's because I'm a little girl! We're short!"
"A little girl? Are you sure?" Jack lifted her off his shoulder and held her in front of him. He gave her a suspicious look. Then he said, "Hmmm...maybe you're right."
He looked at Janet. "Are little girls short?"
Sam was holding in a grin. Janet replied, without cracking a smile, "All the ones I've met are."
Jack turned back to Cassie. "Well, all the little girls I know know better than to knock on the scary man's door."
Cassie giggled again. "You're not scary."
"I'm not?"
She shook her head. "Nope. You're funny."
Jack looked affronted. "Funny? Me? Huh." He put Cassie down. "Well, you're certainly the oddest little girl I've ever met--but I guess you're not a gnome."
Cassie giggled again.
Sam said, "Cassie wanted to ask you about using the telescope again."
Jack pretended to mull over the request.
"Please?" Cassie said hopefully.
Jack threw up his hands. "Fine, fine! We can look at the moon tonight, how's that?"
Cassie grinned broadly. "Perfect."
Janet said, "Thank you."
Cassie, admonished by the tone in her mothers voice, said, "Thank you very much, Mr. O'Neill," and held out her hand.
Jack took it gravely. "You're very welcome, Miss Fraiser."
And with another giggle, Cassie decided it was time to run up the stairs.
As she clomped up the building, they heard her yelling, "Rodney! Rodney! I brought my dolls!"
The three adults exchanged amused looks and Janet started up the stairs after the exhuberant girl. From above them, they heard Rodney's voice.
"What? No, I don't want to play with your dolls. I'm doing important experime--"
"This one I dressed up like you, because he's a scientist."
A pause. "Well. That's--that's...really nice. I guess--it wouldn't hurt--Well, come on, then. Don't just stand out here in the hallway."
They heard a door shut, and then a second later, it opened again.
"Mom! I'm gonna play dolls with Rodney!"
The door slammed shut, and it was hard to say if they could've heard Rodney's scolding tone over their laughter.
*_*_*_*_*
"Sam!"
Out of nowhere, a small, very fast five-year-old girl hurled herself into Sam Carter's arms.
The woman had been pretending to be entirely unaware of the incoming child, and, smack dab in the middle of the lobby of the apartment building, feigned falling over from the impact.
"Ooof!" Sam said, her arms coming up to make sure the girl didn't accidentally topple over her head.
The girl giggled and wrapped her arms around Sam.
"Mom said you'd be busy today and that I wasn't s'posed to bug you." Her tone was reproachful, and she poked one finger into Sam's chest.
Sam sat up and looked over toward the doors. Janet was just entering, and Sam exchanged a wry look with her.
She looked back down at Cassie. "I think your mom was trying to keep you all to herself," she said, the very model of seriousness.
Cassie pouted. "But you have to see what I did for class today! My handwriting was the best."
Sam moved Cassie off from her lap and got up.
"Woah. That's pretty cool. I'll just have to sneak in later and take a look, won't I?"
Cassie nodded vigorously.
"And after that, can you show me the telescope again?"
Behind Cassie, Janet stifled a laugh, and Sam shot her a warning look. The last time Cassie had visited, Jack had brought his telescope up to the roof, and Cassie had been so fascinated with it that they'd spent hours explaining astronomy to the girl in terms she could understand.
Sam said, "I don't know about that. You'd have to ask Mr. O'Neill."
Cassie's eyes widened, and she dashed off around the corner toward Jack's apartment.
"Cassie!" Janet called. "You can ask him later!"
But Cassie was already gone, and from where they stood, they heard Cassie knocking on the apartment door.
Janet sighed. "I better go get her," but before she could move, they heard the door open.
"Well, what have we here?" Jack said, and his question was followed by lots of giggling. In another second, he came back around the corner, Cassie thrown over his shoulder.
"Seems as though we have a problem with gnomes around here," he said.
"Hey!" Cassie said indignately. "I'm not a gnome."
"Well," Jack said dubiously. "You're short like a gnome."
"That's because I'm a little girl! We're short!"
"A little girl? Are you sure?" Jack lifted her off his shoulder and held her in front of him. He gave her a suspicious look. Then he said, "Hmmm...maybe you're right."
He looked at Janet. "Are little girls short?"
Sam was holding in a grin. Janet replied, without cracking a smile, "All the ones I've met are."
Jack turned back to Cassie. "Well, all the little girls I know know better than to knock on the scary man's door."
Cassie giggled again. "You're not scary."
"I'm not?"
She shook her head. "Nope. You're funny."
Jack looked affronted. "Funny? Me? Huh." He put Cassie down. "Well, you're certainly the oddest little girl I've ever met--but I guess you're not a gnome."
Cassie giggled again.
Sam said, "Cassie wanted to ask you about using the telescope again."
Jack pretended to mull over the request.
"Please?" Cassie said hopefully.
Jack threw up his hands. "Fine, fine! We can look at the moon tonight, how's that?"
Cassie grinned broadly. "Perfect."
Janet said, "Thank you."
Cassie, admonished by the tone in her mothers voice, said, "Thank you very much, Mr. O'Neill," and held out her hand.
Jack took it gravely. "You're very welcome, Miss Fraiser."
And with another giggle, Cassie decided it was time to run up the stairs.
As she clomped up the building, they heard her yelling, "Rodney! Rodney! I brought my dolls!"
The three adults exchanged amused looks and Janet started up the stairs after the exhuberant girl. From above them, they heard Rodney's voice.
"What? No, I don't want to play with your dolls. I'm doing important experime--"
"This one I dressed up like you, because he's a scientist."
A pause. "Well. That's--that's...really nice. I guess--it wouldn't hurt--Well, come on, then. Don't just stand out here in the hallway."
They heard a door shut, and then a second later, it opened again.
"Mom! I'm gonna play dolls with Rodney!"
The door slammed shut, and it was hard to say if they could've heard Rodney's scolding tone over their laughter.
*_*_*_*_*