Return to Youth [De-aged Hamilsquad] [Washingdad]

Why?

 Aaron blinked several times, wondering if he would find himself waking up from some sort of strange dream. He didn't. Several questions ran through his head, the most prominent being how? and why me?

He groaned as he pulled out his phone to call George. It took a few rings, but his boss finally picked up.

"Have Thomas and Alexander killed each other already?" George's voice sounded exasperated.

"Not quite." Aaron bit his lip, wondering how to explain the situation. He decided it would be easier to believe by seeing. "We might need some help, though."

"What happened?" Though the exhaustion was still there, Aaron could hear concern lacing the words.

"Uh... It might be better to see for yourself, sir," Aaron told him, cringing at how vague he sounded. "We're near the spot we were in yesterday, just inside the forest. I'll send you a picture," he added as an afterthought.

"Okay," George sounded unsure if he wanted to get involved, but Aaron was just relieved that he didn't have to deal with this alone. "I'll see you in a few minutes." He hung up, and Aaron lowered his phone from his ear.

The babies were starting to wake up as Aaron snapped a few pictures with a camera quality that would have made Alexander cringe. It was clear who was who; they looked very similar to their older selves and their clothes had managed to shrink to their new sizes, a fact for which Aaron was immensely grateful. He sent the pictures to George and took a closer look at the babies. They all looked small, especially James. And there were six of them. Even with George's help, they would be hard to handle. Aaron let out a long sigh.

At this point, Alexander had managed to sit up and was looking around with wide eyes. John, who was still next to him, seemed fascinated by Alexander's small ponytail and reached out toward it with a tiny hand.

Thomas had crawled right up to James, who was trying (and failing) to push himself off the ground. He eventually gave up and settled for rolling onto his back, and Thomas lay down next to him, babbling incoherently.

So they seem to remember each other, Aaron mused, storing the piece of information in the back of his mind. Something bright caught his eye, and Aaron found himself looking down at the device that had caused all this to happen, laying on the ground and glistening in the sunlight. He cautiously walked over to it and gently nudged it with his foot. When nothing happened, he bent over and picked it up cautiously.

"What happened?" Aaron jumped, startled by George's bewildered voice.

Aaron turned to face his boss and held out the device. "Alexander threw this at Thomas," he explained. George took it from him and turned it over carefully in his hands. "There was a flash of light, then they got..." he trailed off and gestured at the babies around them.

George nodded slowly, looking around at his de-aged employees. His gaze stopped at Lafayette, who was staring back at him, never breaking eye contact. Unsettled, George turned back to Aaron.

"Why didn't it affect you?" George asked, trying to ignore the feeling of being watched.

"I walked a bit away from them," Aaron admitted. "I think I was too far away."

"Hmm." George's eyes swept back over the children, purposely skipping over Lafayette. "We can't keep them here," he said, almost to himself. Turning back to Aaron, he asked, "Do you know anyone who lives nearby?"

Aaron thought for a moment. "Actually, I think so. You know Philip Schuyler?"

"I know of him, yes."