A Rose by any Other Name
By: spacegypsy1
CATEGORY: Romance
WARNINGS: None
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Not my usual type of fic. But it begged to be written, so I thought I’d toss it in the pot and see what the reaction was.
AUTHOR’S WEBSITE:
http://www.fanfiction.net/~spacegypsy1
CHAPTER 1
Entering the room, Vala went directly to him, sat on his lap - her mouth screwed up sideways, and waited. “Almost done with this part.” Daniel scribbled a few more notes.
His hand went to her back and finally he looked at her. “Hey, what’s up?”
“I don’t want you to go.”
“It’s only three days. It’s a diplomatic mission; I’m going for the final phase. I told you it’s nothing. And you’ve been there. Remember you dubbed it THE most boring planet in the galaxy.”
She was quiet and thoughtful and that was a bad sign.
The door burst open and a teary eyed three year old stood there, her little fairy wings were all lopsided, her dark hair a fright and her ethereal blue eyes shining sadly.
Vala held out her arms and the child crawled into her lap. “What is it, darling?”
“Jake took-ed my tiaria. And Danny’s beaming him up.”
“Beaming him?” Daniel asked, grinning.
“Yeah, Daddy, Danny is knocking the socks off him, and Jake’s worming around using bad words. And then Danny called me a tattle tail ‘cause I was crying and told ‘em I was gonna go get mommie.”
“Hmm, well we’ll fix that.” Vala set her on the floor, stood and took her tiny hand. Turning back at Daniel, Vala smiled. “I have an important mission myself.”
“Need some help?”
“No. Go on and finish so we can have some time alone later.” She kissed him sweetly and left with the little fairy.
I spent months each
time pouring over names and their meanings and she picks Daniel, Jake and Rose.
Daniel laughed and went back to his preparations.
* * * *
The two boys, nine year old Danny and seven year old Jake were locked in a scuffle in the back yard.
“That’s enough!” Vala, Rose in hand, stood over her hellion boys.
Danny shoved Jake off and looked up at his mother before furrowing his brows at Rose. “Holy jumpin’ scissors, Darlin’, we told you we were just playin’.”
“Daniel Nicholas Jackson, you are spending way too much time with Cameron Mitchell’s boys!”
Jake, nearly the same size as his older brother, stood, brushed off his pants and took the tiara off the nearby patio table. “Here, Darling, I fixed it. You had the prongs all twisted, that’s why it kept falling out of your hair.”
“There. See, darling, they only wanted to help.” Vala turned back to the two boys, “Stop calling your sister, darling.”
“Silly, mommie, that’s my real name, I was name-ed after Daddy, ‘cause his name is Darling too.” Rose perched herself on a patio chair.
Rolling her eyes, Vala dug around in the small plastic purple backpack on the table. She removed the plastic hairdryer, the plastic lipstick, the old ratty, stained stuffed giraffe (which she gave a quick kiss to), the plastic case of real eye shadow, an old curling iron Daniel had cut the cord off of, a wad of hair clips, a few Barbie doll shoes and a lump of jelly beans until she reached the well used baby brush lying on the bottom. “What was the fight about?” Vala asked as she began to brush the mass of dark hair and set the tiara - just right - on top of Rose’s head.
“Danny said there’s no such thing as an archeological,
theoretical astrophysical,
“Well. Just because the title does not exist…hey, wait a minute…what have I told you about using terms like Jaffa?” Vala, hands on hips, glared at the threesome who now stood side by side, hands on hips, in front of her.
“Jez, mom, nobody thinks anything of it, they just think it’s one of geeky Jake’s made up words.” Danny’s scowl looked remarkably like his father’s even though with black hair and steel gray eyes he looked more like her.
“Don’t call your brother geeky.”
“It’s okay, mom, it’s not a bad term nowadays, it’s like super smart and clever and all the girls love a geeky guy.” Jake, a mirror image of his father, grinned.
Vala let out a dreamy sigh. “That’s understandable. Listen you guys, we need to have a meeting.”
The kids nodded in unison and followed Vala into the center of the yard. Laying on their backs, heads butted up to each other they formed their four point star and quietly studied the clouds. “I have a bit of a dilemma.” Vala finally said.
“What’s a ‘lemma mommie?”
“It’s like having something important to do and having two ways to do it and not knowing which way is best.”
“Whadeber.” Little Rose sighed.
“Well, let’s hear it.” Danny’s voice, sounding old and wise made her grin even larger.
“You know your father is leaving in the morning.”
The three were nodding their heads against the grass. “PRR-17R.” Jake rattled off.
“Shh. You three are going to get me in a lot of trouble with the IOA.” Vala closed her eyes and wished she’d learned to keep her mouth closed.
“Anyway?” Danny prompted her.
“Well, it’s a very safe mission. We’ve already discussed that. The Castarians and all.”
“They probably look like Cardacians.” Jake commented, his imagination rampant.
“Cardacians. Who are they?” Vala frowned and rolled her head towards Jake.
“They’re on Stah Twek.” Rose supplied.
“Jake you are spending way to much time with
“Teal’c.” “T.” “Muskuls.” The three replied at once.
“Hmm, anyway, back to the business at hand.”
“The ‘lemma.” Rose giggled.
“And you, darling, are spending way too much time with Auntie Sam.”
“Go on.” Danny suggested impatiently.
Vala took a deep breath and let it out, “Okay, I’m pregnant and I haven’t told your father because I’m not sure I should send him off worrying or wait until he comes back.”
“Again?” Danny sounded so much like Daniel, Vala laughed out loud.
“I hope it’s not gonna be another girl. We have enough to deal with, with you two.” Jake groaned.
“What’s a pregerant?”
“I’m going to have a new baby, darling. I have one growing in my tummy right now, just like Danny, Jake and you did.”
“Oh. Like Auntie Carolyn?” Rose said in wonder and delight. “I hope it’s a baby bairy or a shark.”
The other three laughed. “Fairy, Darling, a fairy.” Danny corrected.
“Well, probably not, either. A fairy’s wings would be too ticklish and a shark would probably bite.” Vala looked up at the clouds and imagined another little fairy in her womb.
“My bestest friend Sharkie doesn’t bite and she’s a shark.”
“Yes, well, that’s because she’s invisible.”
Daniel stood at the office window looking out at the familiar scene in the back yard. The urge to join them was overwhelming, but he had to finish if he wanted anytime with them later. Smiling, he returned to his work.
“So, any thoughts?” Vala asked her committee of advisors.
“You should tell him.” Danny said thoughtfully, “He’d be really, really mad when he gets home if you don’t. I need a new bike and you know how he gets when he’s mad.”
“Hmm. I see.”
“Well. He will worry, and this mission is really important. He needs his mind clear and on his task. You know how he gets when he’s all befuddled and worrying.” Rolling to his stomach, Jake propped his head in his hands.
“Yes, well, there is that.” Vala turned and mirrored Jake’s position.
Everyone remained quiet waiting on the little princess fairy to speak.
Rose moved to sit on Vala’s back, legs straddling her, then trying to tie her mother’s pigtails into a knot. “Maybe the bairy wings won’t grow until she comes out. Daddy will need to know about the pregerant ‘cause eider way, he’s gonna be fwoning. Danny could get his bike while he’s gone ‘cause I got the cwedt card, I lifted it this morning ‘cause Sharkie needs a new ‘wimming pool.”
Danny slapped both his cheeks as he rolled over, then elbows to ground and eyes wide he dropped his head to his chest. “Darlin’, where do you pick this stuff up?”
Vala’s face went blank and innocent. “So, I should tell him?”
She got two yes and one no.
“It’s settled - two to one. You three need to be very good, go to bed on time and don’t act all knowing and snarky. He’ll know something is up. Alright?”
* * * *
After putting the children to bed, Daniel joined Vala in the kitchen. “They’re awfully quiet tonight. You didn’t tell them I was going off on some mission did you?” He gathered her in his arms and hugged her close not expecting an answer.
“Daniel,” she began and was interrupted by the beep of his cell phone.
“It’s Mitchell.” He flipped the phone open and wandered into the dining room.
“Pfft,” Vala turned back to loading the dishwasher. “That’s all I need now.” She slammed the machine door shut and hit the start button. The grinding noise startled her and turning she bit at her lip, then shrugged her shoulders and walked away.
He was on the phone a good five minutes before returning to the kitchen. “They’re on their way,” Daniel stopped the dishwasher cycle, shaking his head in frustration, “seems we hit a snag with the wording and we’ve got to start all over.” He kissed her, rubbing her back as he held her close. “What did you do to the new dishwasher?”
Running her hands under his shirt, Vala shrugged again. “I suppose the same things wrong with this one that was wrong with the last one.”
All he could do was nod and sigh, happy with the thought that he’d invested in GE. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, doesn’t look like we’re going to have much ‘alone’ time tonight.”
“Well then - here you go…I’m pregnant.”
It took a minute to sink in. He jumped back as if she had turned to molten lava. “Again!?”
“Yes, darling. It happens. Obviously you haven’t lost your touch.”
“I thought you said you were through?”
“You’re not happy?”
“I’m ecstatic, I could go for a dozen, but you’re the one who wanted to stop at three.” He hugged her tight, kissed her eyes, both cheeks, then her mouth. “That’s what the meeting in the yard was about?”
“Yes, I needed a little advice. You know. Tell him before or after sort of meeting.”
“So it was unanimous?”
“Rose, who by the way thinks her real name is Darling, was a bit confused. She wants a winged fairy or a shark. But she had a good reason for me to tell you – which we won’t discuss. Danny thinks I should tell you, too. Jake’s a bit reluctant. He doesn’t want you to worry.”
Again, he kissed her and was interrupted by the door bell.
“That was fast.” Vala pulled away with a frown.
“Yeah, they were just down the street.” He kissed her nose and went to open the door.
Mitchell and Carolyn entered first, followed by Jack and Sam, then Teal’c and Ishta.
Vala came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel. “We’ll the gangs all here, what’d you do, rent a bus?”
“Took an Air Force van from the mountain.” Carolyn, who was nine months pregnant, hugged Vala then handed her a chocolate cake.
Both Sam and Jack hugged her next, and then Teal’c, as Ishta bowed with a shy smile. Ishta offered a bag of chips and dips.
“Where are all the kids?” Daniel led the group to sit around the large dining room table.
“My parents are in town to stay with Carolyn, just in case.”
“Ours are with Ry’ac and Kar’yn, I will accompany Teal’c and the others.” Ishta relaxed a bit and took the seat that Daniel offered, next to him.
Vala smiled at Sam. “I know where yours is.”
“Yes, I never thought I’d be the type to send my child off to a military summer camp.”
“Yeah, but the brat insisted. We must have argued for a month. You ever argue with a ten year old? I’m too old for this - I must be the oldest dad in the universe…no, I take that back, T holds that title.” Jack smiled at Teal’c before going to retrieve one of the beers he’d just placed in the fridge.
Carolyn looked expectantly at Vala who nodded and smiled. “What’s that all about?” Mitchell asked his wife.
“We’re expecting.” Vala beamed.
“Again! For cryin’ out loud, Daniel, you trying to form your own future SG-1? Or god forbid, a six pack?” Jack handed Mitchell a beer and took a seat at the table.
“Apparently.”
A delighted elfin squeak had all the heads at the table turning to the hallway. Being the only girl in the ‘family’ of friends, and the youngest, she was apple of everyone’s eye. At the moment she appeared not a soul at the table had a thought of the mission.
Rose bounded into the room, fairy princess nightgown floating around her. She didn’t know where to alight first. Finally, she went to Ishta, who she saw the least, and placed her sleepy head on Ishta’s arm. “Ithda, I miss you.”
“I too, miss you little one.”
Next she went to Teal’c. “Muskuls, did you bring me a present?”
“I did indeed.” He reached into his vest and pulled out a glittering Hallmark fairy that had the name Rose across the base and handed it to her.
Rose, ignoring the ribbon writing at the bottom, grinned wide toothed, shoulders to her ears and moved on to Sam. “Auntie Sam, mommie has a ‘lemma and it might be a bairy or a shark.”
“Oh, that could be fun.” Sam leaned and placed a kiss on Rose’s bow mouth.
“Come here, squirt.” Jack lifted her to his lap and hugged her. “Aren’t you supposed to be asleep?”
“I can’t sleep, Sharkie keeps wiggling around in the bed. Danny and Jake had a fight today.” She leaned close and whispered, “a nuther one mommie don’t know about… Jake says he’s named after you and Danny says Jake is named after granddaddy Jacek.”
“I’m sure it’s me, Rose.” Jack whispered back.
“My name is Darling, Uncle Jack.” She placed a tiny hand on each of his cheeks and kissed him, hopping down and moving on to Carolyn.
“Oh. Sorry, Darling.” Jack laughed and both Daniel and Vala rolled their eyes.
Placing her dark head against Carolyn’s large belly, Rose
smiled and listened intently. “Yup…it’s a gurl. We can name her Rose, ‘cause
I’m not using that one anymore.” Rose kissed Carolyn’s tummy and went to hug
“Cammie?”
“What Darlin’?”
“Peas don’t have no more boys. Mommie says they’re all a bunch of hell onions.”
Vala put a hand up in defense, “I was including mine as
well, and Muscle’s little
Mitchell grinned. “None taken. You're right, they're all hell-onions!”
Rose walked right passed Vala and crawled into Daniel’s lap. “We have a lot of work to do, sweetheart, I’ll take you to bed.”
“Daddy, Sharkie wan’s a sleep alone tonight, can I sleep with you and mommie?”
“Sure, but we won’t be sleeping much tonight…ah I mean…you know, we have to work. It’ll be late before we come to bed.” Daniel blushed as the others snickered around him.
“Whadeber.” With a roll of her eyes and a soft sigh, Rose placed her head on his chest and fell asleep instantly.
CHAPTER 2: Rose is Red, The Other Two are Blue, What the Hell is Jack Gonna Do?
Vala woke up, feeling a bit queasy, to find Rose staring wide eyed at her from Daniel’s side of the bed.
“Where’s daddy?”
“He’s at work darling, go back to sleep.”
“Nope, I peeped in the owfice and looked-ed in the kitchen.”
Vala checked the time. “Did Danny fix you breakfast?”
“Yep, where’s daddy?”
“Working out of town.” Vala closed her eyes thankful for Danny and felt a small cool hand on her cheek.
“Jake says daddy is wooking on a stah in a glaxie fah fah away.”
Vala’s eyes popped open. “Did he?”
“Yep.”
The cell phone on the bedside table beeped. With a defeated sigh, Vala rolled over and answered. When the conversation ended she got up, picked up Rose and dashed into the living room where the two boys were playing video games. “Get dressed!” Both boys jumped. “Mom, what’s happened?” Danny questioned, concerned.
“Carolyn’s in labor. Get dressed, and get Rose dressed. Go!” She hit one on the speed dial.
“I’m not Woes, I’m…”
Danny was shutting down the game while Jake grabbed Rose’s hand, “Come on Darling, we gotta get ready.” They all stopped when they heard who their mother was talking to.
“Jack?”
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Carolyn. She’s in labor; I’m her stand in coach. Can you come stay with the kids?”
He grinned when he heard the excited, rowdy voices cheering in the background. “I’m on my way.”
* * * *
The kids were in the back yard, safe and sound, and Jack was watching a hockey game with a chilled beer in his hand. Vala had called - Carolyn was doing well, but it might be a while. The base was trying to reach Mitchell without success, but they were due to check in, in about twenty minutes. He put his feet on the coffee table and settled back for an easy day. A wailing scream shot him right out of his comfort and heart stopped and horror crawling up his spine, Jack made a mad dash for the back yard.
Rose was crying and screaming at the same time while Danny and Jake stood stone still and stricken. “What the hell happened?!” He snatched little Rose up, patting her back and waiting for the boys to answer.
“She fell outta the swing, Uncle Jack. We were clear across the yard.” Danny’s eyes were wide with fear, and Jake was starting to tear up.
“Come on sweetheart. It’s okay.” Jack rubbed the back of her head feeling for bumps. “Where’s it hurt, Rose?”
“Dah…,” hiccup, Dah…,” gasp, “Dahling.” She corrected before returning to screech mode.
Relaxing a bit, Jack laughed. “Where does it hurt, Darling?”
“I…,” hiccup, “I hurded my awm and,” hiccup, “my six. I flew oudda the swing.”
“Come on, we’ll go in and check you out. You’re gonna be fine. Come on in boys, let’s get Rose…ah, I mean Darling taken care of.” The boys looked worse than Rose, who was smiling now between little crying hiccups.
“Daddy told you not to swing so high, you’d give him a heart attack. You gave me one.” Danny scolded in a trembling voice.
Once in the house, Jack instructed Danny to get a cool wet cloth and sent Jake for the first aid kit. Rose had a few minor scratches on her elbows, but nothing appeared to be broken, and like Vala, she squirmed and was ready to go back outside.
With the cool washcloth, Jack washed her face while Rose resisted, twisting her head to escape the cloth. “Hold still, will ya? I just wanna wash your face.”
Jake set the First Aid kit on the table and waited for the verdict.
“I don’t want one of doze Band aids, I want the fairy ones.” Rose started crying all over again and Jack held his hands over his ears.
“I’ll get ‘em Darling, they’re in the kitchen.” Danny came back with an empty band aid tin. “Uh oh.” He said backing up when Rose started wailing louder.
“For cryin’ out loud!” Both Jake and Jack said at the same time.
“We’ll get you some more.” Jack, at a loss, kept patting her back.
“We can get a bunch of ‘em cause I got the cwedit cawd.” Rose’s tears continued to run unheeded down her little chubby cheeks. “And we can get Danny’s bike and Jake wans a basketball and sharkie needs her ‘wimming pool.” She sniffed and grinned happily.
“You have a credit card?” Jack was astounded.
“It’s Daddy’s.” Danny supplied.
“She lifted it.” Jake explained.
“You lifted Daniel’s credit card! Like mother like daughter.”
“He don’t need it in oudda space, they only use naqua.” Rose explained assuredly.
“Naquadah!” Both Jake and Danny corrected.
“Where do you kids get this stuff? Nevermind, don’t answer that. You need to play inside for a while where I can keep and eye on you. You got a nuclear reactor back there somewhere? Because if you do, I want to know about it now.” Jack put Rose down and shooed them all off. “I’m gonna have a nice long talk with your mother when she gets back.” He said it low, not intending them to hear.
“Won’t help, Daddy’s been tryin’ that for years.” Danny hollered from down the hall.
* * * *
Vala squeezed Carolyn’s hand.
“He’s not going to be happy about this!” Gritting teeth and labored breathed, Carolyn looked up at her father.
Landry smiled. “Not my fault. I’m retired. General O’Neill talked him into it. She’s pretty insistent when she puts her mind to it, besides; you told him you had at least two or maybe three weeks left.”
“Well I thought I did!”
Vala patted Carolyn’s hand. “So last night you were listing possible names, girl names and boy names. Have you picked one of each, since you insist on not knowing the sex?” Vala attempted to change the subject.
“Don’t change the subject…ow!” Carolyn grimaced against the
pain of the contractions. “They’re slowing down. But they’re still strong. I
can’t see the monitors. Where’s that damned doctor?
Landry and Vala exchanged knowing looks. “I’m going to go check with the base and see if they heard from Mitchell. Out of all the men on that base you had to pick the hot shot pilot!”
“We’re not having this conversation again.” Carolyn frowned at her father.
Holding up his hands he nodded. “Right. I’ll be back.”
After Landry left, Carolyn smiled up at Vala. “He’s crazy
about
* * * *
Jack tried to get back to watching the game, but he couldn’t relax. Intermittently he’d walk down the hall and check on the kids. Rose was painting, Jake and Danny playing some video game, all quiet and calm. He walked back to the kitchen, opted for a soda instead of a beer, just in case they managed to blow the house up and he had to talk to the police. Damn, his nerves were still on edge.
By the time he settled once again in front of the TV, it started raining, followed shortly by thunder and lightening. Within a few minutes the lights flickered, and the TV went out momentarily, before the next boom shut the electricity down. He turned expecting the threesome to run into the room. No one appeared. With a cock of his head he listened intently. Giggling and laughter came from the back and he breathed a sigh of relief as he wandered down the hall. “Hey.” At the door to the boy’s room, Jack leaned against the doorframe.
Jake and Danny were painting on a large sheet of paper in the semi darkness and Rose was digging through the boy’s toy box. “Hey Uncle Jack, wanna paint with us?” Danny looked up with a wide grin.
“Maybe later, I’ll see if I can rustle up some kind of lunch.” Hands in pockets as he returned to the kitchen, Jack fleetingly wished he’d had more kids.
The electricity returned just as he entered the kitchen. All
was well in the
“Well, I was napping, Carolyn’s asleep. How are you doing?”
“All’s quiet. Rose fell out of the swing, but she’s fine. Gave us all a scare. I don’t suppose there’s anymore fairy band aids around the house?”
Vala laughed. “Yes, they’re in the top of the kitchen cabinet over the fridge. Four boxes. Just give her a box.”
“A whole box?”
“Yes. And there’s a ‘booboo’ tiara up there. Give her that as well. She’ll be healed in no time.”
“Okay. Let me know when the little squirt arrives.”
“I will. Jack is it raining there?”
“Yeah.”
“Let them play in the garage. We cleaned it out and made it child friendly. You can let them loose in there. They’ll be fine.”
“Thanks.”
* * * *
Lunch consisted of fruity cereal for Rose, who had at least ten fairy band aids on her, none of which covered a scratch, and the tiara perched precariously on her head. Jake opted for left over baked chicken, grapes, pork and beans right out of the can and nearly an entire bag of potato chips. Danny made scrambled eggs, ham and toast for himself and Jack.
Following lunch Rose napped and the boys watched a soccer match with Jack as the rain continued its downpour. By the time Rose woke up, she’d forgot all about her injury and was dancing around in front of the TV blocking the best shots of the football game the other three were trying to watch. Eventually the kids got bored and headed to the garage to play. Vala finally called reporting on Carolyn with more detailed information than he cared to hear about dilation and childbirth. But Mitchell was on his way back and she’d call when she knew something.
* * * *
Jack had checked on the kids less than an hour ago, they were riding bicycles and a tricycle in circles in the garage. He went back to the TV and settled in. The rain continued steadily, making him sleepy. He drifted off into a cat nap.
He woke up to Rose’s signature scream and was on his feet and running. Jerking the garage door open expecting some mangled bicycle accident Jack stopped, mouth falling open.
Danny and Jake were comforting Rose. Red Rose. Red from head to toe Rose. Red Rose with the red tiara in her tiny hands. “Dey…” more wailing “…reded my tiaria…”
The two blue boys turned to Jack, whites of their wide eyes emphasized by the head to toe blue paint. They wore some type of antennae on their heads. Jack rushed to the paint cans, picked one up and dialed the poison hot line he’d long ago entered in his phone. “Completely non-toxic, you’re sure? Alright. Thanks.” He slapped the phone closed and glowered at the boys.
“Jake wanted to be Andorian and Darlin’ wanted to be the green woman, but we don’t have green so we used the red instead. We didn’t know she didn’t want the tiara red.” Danny explained as though it were just your average incident.
Jack was at a loss for words. He managed to take his attention from the bizarre group before him and read the label. Good. Soap and water. “Come on, we’re going to play in the rain. Don’t go through the house, use the garage back door.” They all perked up at the mention of playing in the rain. Jack grabbed an empty bucket, and followed his little aliens out into the back yard.
“Alright, start rubbing that stuff off, I’ll go get some suds. And stay right in front of the glass doors where I can keep an eye on you!” In the kitchen Jack filled up the bucket with soap and water, and snatched the dish scrubby from the sink.
“Hey.”
Jack sloshed a bit of watery suds on the floor when he jumped, startled by Vala.
“Oh, hey, you’re home early.” He swallowed loudly.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Sort of. Mitchell show up?”
“Just in time.” Vala smiled looking at the pail of suds.
“Girl or boy?”
“Boy.”
“Damn, I can’t keep up with one.”
“Where are they?”
“Huh?”
“My children, Jack. Where are they?”
“Oh…umm, Daniel come back?”
“No.”
“Sam?”
“No.” Vala looked around. As her mouth fell open and her head slowly turned towards him, Jack’s head slowly turned to the sliding glass doors. Rose was pressed against the glass smiling happily, covered in red paint. Danny and Jake, as blue as a summer sky, were both waving, their Andorian antenna bobbing to and fro.
“Where’d they get the paint?!” Vala rushed to the door and little Rose pressed her lips in a kiss through the glass.
“In the garage, I thought you said it was child friendly.”
“Daniel!” Vala turned back, a scowl on her face.
“Daniel what?”
“Damn. Daniel bought it a few days before he left.”
“Damn Daniel. It’s all his fault. I called the paint company and the poison hotline, it’s non toxic, just have to scrub it off with soap and water. I was coming in for suds.”
“We always buy the Natural Paints brand. Daniel’s very eco friendly.” Vala noticed the rough kitchen scrubby in Jack’s hand. “You weren’t thinking of using that on my children!?”
“Sure I was, I’ll be gentle…promise, but I can’t get the stuff off of them. Is Daniel due back early? Because if he is I’m leaving this task for him.”
“No.” Vala had to put a hand over her mouth a moment holding in the laughter. “You better get to it. I don’t have the strength.” She looked out the window with a delightful grin watching her children dancing in the rain, blue and red water dripping off of them. Placing a hand on her abdomen, Vala shook her head and raised her eyes to Jack. “I’m sorry I took you away from your quiet day home alone. But I could use a nap. Thank you, Jack.”
Jack’s hand hesitated a moment on the door. “Thank you, Vala. I miss him since he went off to camp and her being off…world. This is just what I needed.” Jack slid the door closed behind him as the kids took off screaming and running in three different directions from the scrubby wielding Uncle Jack.
CHAPTER 3: Training Wheels for a Future SG Team
“Alright, everyone listen up.” Vala had her little team lined up by the front door. “We are going to a the Mitchell’s. We will NOT be putting our dirty hands all over baby Benjamin. We will NOT be hanging all over Auntie Carolyn. Understood?”
The troop nodded in compliance.
“Mommie?” Rose fluffed her newest fairy dress, smiling delightfully.
“Yes, darling?”
“Can I holded the baby?”
“Probably not. But we will see.” Vala grinned at her husband who picked up Rose and carried her towards the car.
“Daddy?”
“What honey?”
Rose rolled her eyes in exasperation at the ‘Honey’ and sighed. “I can holded a baby. I got stwang awms.” She flexed her tiny muscle.
Daniel kissed her temple and hugged her close. “You’ll get to hold him sometime, sweetheart. Maybe not today.”
* * * *
After putting the kids to bed later that evening Daniel and Vala relaxed in a hot bubble bath as candle light flickered around them. Daniel was chuckling and Vala turned her head looking back at him.
“What is so funny?”
“That kid! He sure can scream his tiny head off. He’s such a mini Mitchell, looks just like him when he gets all mad about something.” Daniel’s hand moved low on her stomach and rested there. “So what are you going to name this one? Petunia?”
Vala splashed soapy water at him. “I don’t know, maybe
Little Rose Jackson carried the old stuffed giraffe, its neck locked tightly in the crock of her elbow. Barefoot she silently tiptoed towards the tub fascinated as the bubbles sloshed out. “Mommie?”
The couple jumped apart. Vala sat straight up as Daniel slapped the side of his face, and dropped his head grateful for the bubbles.
“Darling, what are you doing up this time of night?” Vala stood, grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her body looking back at her husband who was peeping at her through one open and squinting eye.
“I’m tersty.”
“Alright, I’ll get you a drink of water.” At the door she turned with an apologetic smile.
He was looking at her with a pained expression. “Go on. I’ll be dead by the time you get back. Don’t worry about me.”
It took her thirty minutes to get Rose back to sleep. Daniel was in bed apparently asleep so she quietly undressed and slipped under the covers.
“I think I love you more today then yesterday.” He whispered pulling her halfway on top of him.
“Really? And why is that?”
“Your long term plan started many years ago to drive me wild by insisting on producing your own army of insurgents to keep me on my toes is actually working.”
“I love you, Daniel.”
“Mmm, love you too,” he murmured sleepily, his lips against her forehead.
* * * *
Vala dropped the boys off at school the following morning,
waving at
“Benjamin asleep?” Vala asked carrying lunch into the kitchen, Rose in tow.
“Finally! He’s been crabby all day.” Carolyn rested, feet up on pillows on the couch in the living room.
“Darling why don’t you go play in the den with the boy’s toys? I’m sure they will be delighted to hear you’ve been in there meddling.” As Rose scampered off, Vala turned back to Carolyn. “Where’s Cameron? Didn’t he take family leave?” Vala unloaded the food and gathered plates and utensils.
“He did. He just left, got a call from base and had to check in.”
Vala looked across into the living room. “What’s up?”
“Who knows?” Carolyn shrugged. “It’s always something. Being second in command of the base does not have any true rewards. He didn’t seem to mind having to leave either. I think he’s over poopie diapers already.”
“Hmm, probably something important like playing basketball with Daniel. Cameron knew I was coming over today.” Vala handed a plate to Carolyn, checked on Rose and then settled with her lunch on a chair next to the couch.
“Rose not eating?”
“She ate at the mall…oh that reminds me I found Benjamin an outfit with fighter planes all over it.”
* * * *
Vala was waiting outside the school at 1540 hours when she got the call.
“I’m headed off world with Mitchell. I’m on my way to the Gateroom now. Sam’ll fill you in later. I love you, Vala.”
“Daniel? What’s wrong? What’s happened?” Where are you going?”
“Kiss the kids for me and tell them I love them. Vala, I love you.”
She heard the kawoosh of the ‘Gate and he ended the call. The minute the boys were buckled up she turned the car around and headed back to Carolyn’s, dialing Sam frantically, but Sam didn’t pick up and Vala had to leave a message. Her eyes lifted to the back and she could see the boy’s worried frowns. She tried to calm down. Her phone rang and she took a deep breath. It was Carolyn.
“Vala?” Carolyn’s voice was anxious.
“I got a call…”
“Can you pick up the boys at school?”
“Sure. And we’ll be right there.”
* * * *
Once she got Mitchell’s two boys into the vehicle and buckled up Vala headed out.
“Mommie?”
“Yes, darling?”
“Awr you sad?”
“No darling. We’re going back to Auntie Carolyn’s to visit with baby Benjamin, won’t that be fun?”
“I lub him.” Rose giggled. Vala’s eyes cut again to the rearview mirror where the four boys were huddled in the back whispering.
* * * *
It was Reynolds who called, “Vala, Sam asked me to call. She’s in a meeting with the President…”
“Where are they?” She cut him off.
“On the Pytheas. Two
“It must be bad if they sent SG-1, the only time we go…well it’s bad. Why’s JoJo going?”
“Bowser was assigned as your replacement, she insisted on tagging along. You know her. I tried to talk one of them into letting me go instead, but Mitchell’s ready to kick some butt he’s so mad, and Daniel…well he went too. What intel we did get reported a few post-Goa’uld occupied villages…with lots of old ruins, he wanted to check it out. No matter how many times ya tell him there’s thirty Goa’uld experts – including Bowser who knows as much Goa’uld, Asgard, Nox as anyone on the planet…well you know - he just has to be the one! Look I have to call Carolyn, and…”
“I’m at Carolyn’s, I’ll fill her in.”
“Okay, gotta go. I’m trying to keep things together here with Mitchell gone and Sam in meetings.”
* * * *
Vala struggled to keep things in routine at home that evening. Jack had dropped off Eli for the night on his way to SGC promising Vala he’d keep her posted.
Rose scooped up a handful of bubbles in the tub. “Mommie, is Daddy outta town wooking again?”
“Yes he is.” Unable to keep the sadness from her voice Vala tried to smile.
“Is it dangerous?” Danny asked from the doorway.
Vala looked up and knew the boys could see the fear in her eyes. “No.” she lied, “of course not.”
Eli O’Neill read the fear in her eyes easily. “My dad said they’d be fine, Mrs. J.”
“I’m sure they will.” Vala nodded and forced a smile. “Why don’t you boys go and get ready for bed. You can play on the computer a while or watch TV. It’s Friday night. So I suppose you can stay up late.”
Rose had put a pile of bubbles atop her head, one on each cheek and one on her chin. “Mommie, can I sleep with you?”
“Yes, darling, that would be very nice tonight.”
“Is Uncle Cam outta town with Daddy?”
“Yes, he and Muscles are with Daddy.” Vala rinsed the suds from Rose’s hair. The child lay trusting and happy in her hands and Vala had to bite her lip to keep the sob inside.
“And ‘tenant JoJo?”
“And Lieutenant JoJo.” Wrapping Rose in a towel Vala lifted her from the tub and kissed her small pink lips.
“She’s nice. She’s helping cause your pregerant. JoJo promised to me to keep Daddy safe. Don’t cry Mommie.” Her little hands held each side of Vala’s cheeks.
* * * *
“I’m in.” Eli sat back as Jake and Danny leaned forward to study the computer screen.
“You hacked into SGC’s computer. How’d you do that?” Danny continued to stare at the computer in awe.
“Good gene’s. Now let me see what I can find out.” Eli started searching the data banks.
“Won’t they notice you’re in there? We could get in a lot of trouble. I mean its gotta be the most guarded site on the planet…and then some.”
“Nope. I got some of my mom’s codes. I don’t think they’ll notice. Besides, this is your parent’s access point. It shouldn’t send up any red flags.”
It was well after
Rose peeped out into the living room, her dark hair tousled and eyes squinting sleepily. All three boys sat up relieved and then put a finger to their lips and stared at the elfin figure silently tiptoeing towards them.
“Mom asleep?” Danny whispered.
Rose nodded.
“You sure?” Jake questioned for reassurance.
Nodding emphatically, Rose frowned. Danny lifted her into his lap. “Be real quiet Darling.”
Eli brought the screen back to the report they had been
reading and again the three boys jumped in surprise when a dialog box sprung
up. Vala, what the hell are you
doing?-Jack
Danny went big eyed and turned to Eli, then Jake. Eli began to type, Checking things out for myself, darling, since you didn’t bother to call me – Vala
There’s not much to
report – Jack
That’s not exactly
what the report says – Vala
How the hell did you
get in here? – Jack
“Ah, what should I say?” Eli turned to Danny who leaned across and typed, Sam taught me – Vala
That figures. Stop worrying.
They’re all fine. There’s no technology on the planet other than the beam that
struck the ships. We haven’t located a Stargate. Sam said the beam looked OLD
Asgard. Probably some protective device. Most likely in response to the
Motherships and the few
Eli quickly cut and pasted the script, and then sat back with a worried expression.
Who was on the ship?- Vala It was Jake who typed the question.
There was a delay to the response as if Jack was paused in thought. SG-14 –Jack
Don’t call me – email me…I don’t want the kids to hear this – Vala. Eli fired back with a plan.
Right, how’s Eli? –
Jack
Good. Fine. Great.
What a wonderful kid! – Vala
The best. Get off here
now - Jack.
The dialog box closed and the three boys sighed in relief.
“Now what are we going to do?” Danny looked down at Rose sleeping in his arms.
“I’m hacking into my dad’s email editing the information and emailing it to your mom. Then we have got to make a lot of noise and wake her up, get her to read her email and everything should be fine.”
“We could call her cell phone, and say something like one of the staff and tell her Uncle Jack’s busy, but he sent her an email.”
“Good plan Jake, I sure hope we’re all on the same SG team when we grow up! We’re the best!” Eli executed his email plan.
“What about the caller ID?” Danny said putting sleeping Rose on the couch.
“Oh. Right.” Eli had a troubled look on his face and the three sat at the dinning room table trying to solve their latest dilemma. “I’ll have to disable the caller ID on her phone.”
Jake and Danny shared worried expressions and Danny whispered in an undisguised voice of fear. “It’s in her room with her. We’ll have to get it.”
“I can do it.” Jake stood up proudly and tiptoed towards the bedroom.
Hand trembling, Jake reached for the door knob.
“Wait!”
Jake froze at Danny’s low but emphatic word. “I’ve got an idea.” He went towards the couch. “Jake you be ready, the minute Mom comes out that door you rush in and get the phone. Danny woke up Rose, who came straight up with a shrieking cry. Jake plastered himself against the wall and they waited with baited breath.
CHAPTER 4: A Madhouse
With operation Cell Phone a big success, Vala and Rose sound asleep again, the boys went to work on executing the remainder of their plan then went off to bed feeling satisfied that 1. They’d successfully altered the phone 2. They had their next assignments mapped out and 3. SG1 was probably safe, at least for now.
The following morning Jake carefully carried the tray with a cup of coffee and a bowl of sloshing cereal into the bedroom. Setting the tray precariously on the night stand, he held it steady with one hand and placed the phone back where it had been with the other one.
He looked back at the door and nodded to the three standing there. Danny took Rose off and Eli gave Jake the thumbs up signal and dashed off.
“Mom?”
“Hmm?”
“I brought you breakfast.”
Vala rolled over and pushed herself up with a smile. “Where’s Rose?”
“Danny and Eli are getting her dressed.”
Jake placed the tray across his mother’s lap and grinned nervously. When the cell phone rang he looked at it with trepidation staring wide eyed.
Taking the phone in hand Vala didn’t even look at the screen. “Vala.” She answered flipping the phone open. “What? I can’t hear you.” She looked at Jake, “Something’s wrong with the phone.”
“Oh.” Jake looked away.
“What, who? Sergeant who? Email? Yes. Thank you Sergeant.” She ended the call and studied the phone perplexed then smiled up at Jake. “You brought me breakfast in bed.” Setting the tray aside she started to get up, “I have to check my email.”
“I’ll bring you your lap top, Mom, just relax.”
* * * *
The puddle jumper came to a quiet landing in a clearing about three clicks east of the village and two clicks west from the obelisk where the beam originated.
“Okay kids, here’s how it’s gonna play. Me, Daniel and Teal’c are heading for the village, Bowser and Colonel Brock are going for the obelisk, Lt. Spencer and Major Whitman will stay with the jumper. Heads up - weapons primed guys.”
Spencer and Whitman didn’t look too happy being stuck on guard duty, while JoJo Bowser and SG-8’s CO, Rachel Brock, all but scampered off towards the obelisk.
Just before they reached the village, SG1 found themselves, yet again, surrounded by club, axe and pitchfork wielding villagers.
“You’re so good at this, Mitchell, you’ll go down in SGC history as the CO with the most captures by pick axe, good job!” Daniel chuckled, stepped forward and recited the age old ‘peaceful explores’ bit in rote.
After five languages the villagers continued to stare
without answers, other than the word
Daniel and Mitchell both held out their hands emphatically shaking their heads and trying every No they could come up with. The mob inched towards them, fear in their eyes. Finally, Teal’c lifted his T-shirt to reveal the closed pouch and he smiled and bowed. Murmurs went around the group as they backed off a bit.
The mob leader stepped forward as the others stepped back.
“You say you come in peace? Who is this
Mitchell recited the long ago freed
“Just like old times.” Mitchell grinned at the hulking men behind them. A poke with a pitchfork in his back got him stumbling forward with Teal’c and Daniel right behind him.
* * * *
Complete confusion covered Vala’s face as she reread the
last line of the latest email. …and after
that little incident last night Sam said she did NOT teach you, however she was
quite impressed - Jack.
What incident? – Vala
An hour later she got the reply. Ha ha. Ya know if you wanted to keep it a big secret you shouldn’t have used your own computer to hack into the base’s – Jack
Oh, that incident. Right – Vala. Vala wandered down the hall to the boy’s room and stood leaning on the door frame, arms crossed. Rose was on the floor rubbing Play Dough into the rug, the boys playing some computerized game.
“Eli?”
All three looked up and the guilt and fear in their eyes confirmed her suspicion. “Do you think you can fix my phone?”
Relief was evident as a smiling Eli came forward and took the cell phone from Vala. “Sure Mrs. J, I can fix it.”
“I’m sure you can, how’d you do it?”
Only Eli’s eyes lifted from reprogramming the cell phone. “I…ah…I just disabled the call waiting, I…ah…I was practicing. I’m really sorry, I meant to fix it back. Really.”
“Not the phone, how did you manage to hack into the base?”
Jake and Danny ducked their heads and pretend to continue their game as Eli sat dejected on the side of the bed. “We had to know, Mrs. J, really we did.”
“Will you please stop calling me that? My name is Vala. Can you do it again?”
“What!?”
“Don’t say it like that, you sound like Jack.”
“Sorry, here, the phone’s all fixed.”
“Can you?”
“I think they changed the codes.”
“And.”
“And it could take a while, but I think I know what to do, we might need Ian.”
“Ian?”
“Yeah, he’s got some codes of his dads.”
“Mitchell’s codes? Good. Can we keep your father from tracing it back to us?”
“We could use his laptop. It’s at the house. I could tell him I need some stuff for the weekend and go and get it.”
“Danny, get Rose, Jake, get her bag ready and a sippy cup of juice, maybe some animal crackers and don’t forget the wipes. I’ll meet you at the door in five minutes. I’ll call Carolyn and see if the boys can stay here tonight. Her mother’s there. I’m sure they’d appreciate the peace and quiet.”
When Vala left, Eli turned to Danny and Jake. “You’re mom is so cool!”
* * * *
When Daniel was returned to the locked room after being questioned he shook his head in amazement. “Holy…” He muttered trailing off.
“Damn it,
“What?”
“Sayin’ ‘holy’ then never finishin’ it. You’re drivin’ me nuts.” Mitchell paced insistently.
“You don’t do confinement well do you Mitchell?”
“He does not.” Teal’c commented and turned away casually resting his hands behind his back.
Daniel and Mitchell exchanged rolled eyes and head shakes
then Daniel continued. “They know nothing about any beam, any technology, any
weapons. The older ones told stories of a ring that brought the old evil gods
but no one has seen it and they consider it a myth. They all can recite the
“A Stargate, ancient Asgard technology, a Mothership destroying beam and a bunch of pitchforks. Nice planet. How about us? Any idea what they plan on doin’?”
“Not a clue.” Daniel sat on a rickety chair, took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.
* * * *
Colonel Brock scanned the surrounding area, weapon at ready, while Lt. Bowser studied the obelisk. “We’ve got something here. Something big. I know what happened.” JoJo shook her finger at the stone structure. “I’ve seen this before. Well, not actually seen one but I’ve read about it. But this one’s a twofer.”
“Twofer?” Rachel turned around and frowned at the Lieutenant.
“Yeah. It has a defensive mechanism, but it’s also
programmed to extract
* * * *
Teal’c moved to the door of the room listening intently.
“I heard that. It’s the radio.” Mitchell moved beside the
“It is Lt. Bowser, she is reporting something to DanielJackson.”
Mitchell repeated what he heard. “Obelisk is…, Alive…, I can’t make it out. Teal’c?”
“Thor’s Hammer, extraction mechanism, and something about the destructive beam.” Teal’c commented turning to Daniel.
“Thor’s Hammer! Holy…buckets.” Daniel began beating on the door and yelling for their axe wielding guard.
It took nearly twenty minutes for the town counsel to show up, fifty minutes to convince them of what they knew and to get themselves released, sixteen minutes to talk them into releasing SG-14 and the most of the Jaffa crew, an hour and twenty minutes to free the Jaffa from the labyrinth, ten minutes to drag Lt. Bowser away from her study of the obelisk, and thirty minutes to locate the buried Stargate that was not buried, but surrounded by a shield, taking twenty more minutes to free it up, ten more to get a crew on the jumper, and ten seconds to punch in an IDC code.
Ah, at last they were home to much back slapping and congratulations. Mitchell dialed Carolyn immediately, but Daniel opted to surprise Vala and left hastily.
* * * *
Rose was napping on the couch when Daniel came into the quiet room. Sitting by her he smoothed the hair from her face and kissed her forehead. Her eyes popped open and she appeared to be just short of squalling when she set her sight on her father. Rose bounded up and into his arms. Picking her up, Daniel hugged her burying his head in the small crook of her neck. He felt her tiny hands patting him on the back and it nearly brought tears to his eyes.
“Hey, Darling. Where’s mom and the boys?”
“Hacking up the computa with Eli, Dwake and Ian.”
“What?” He drew back and grinned at his mischievous and often difficult to understand little fairy daughter.
“Eli and Ian are hacking Uncle Jack’s computa on your bed. Mommie says they’re the best damned little spies in the whole world, including the pega…pegur…the peggy galaxica.”
“Pegasus?”
“Yep. Dat’s it.” Rose hugged his neck and kissed his cheek. “I miss-ed you daddy.”
“I missed you too, Darling.” With Rose perched on one hip Daniel approached the bedroom door trying to figure out the information Rose had scrambled.
“No, not the data base, try to get into your dad’s or mom’s email, there might be something there.” Vala’s nervousness was apparent to Daniel who stood in the open door way.
“Mrs. J…ah, Ms. Vala, I think we can get more up to date data with ….” Eli was interrupted by Vala’s anxious chatter.
“Eli! The emails! And Cameron’s too, and check for any…There! There, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. They’ve been captured! JoJo’s found… Eli! Bring that back up why’d you close it?” Vala was nearly in a panic and didn’t even notice when Danny and Jake flew off the bed. Eli O’Neill and Ian Mitchell just stared at the man in the doorway, and Drake Mitchell leaned closer to the screen trying to find the site Eli had just closed while Vala stared in tears at the computer.
“Daddy!” Both Danny and Jake said nearly knocking him down as they rushed to hug him.
“Yes, yes, I’m trying to find out more about him. I’m sure he’s fine, really. He has to be fine.” Vala sniffed and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. “Eli…” Vala turned to find the boy and practically fainted at the sight of Daniel standing in the doorway with his children draped around him.
Hands steepled over her nose and mouth Vala sobbed, tears running at full blast. She couldn’t move. He was here. Her Daniel was here!
Putting Rose down, Daniel cocked his head indicating for everyone to clear out. They scampered away quickly. Daniel closed and locked the door and Vala was still frozen to her spot as he slowly approached her.
In the kitchen, Danny searched for food, “We’re in trouble.”
Jake pouted miserably. “Big trouble.
Drake turned to Ian for confirmation. “Like killin’ big trouble?”
“Oh yeah, big trouble, right Eli?” Ian crossed his arms and leaned against the counter.
“Yeah, sureyabetcha we are. Honkin’ big trouble. We’re dead.”
Rose stood in the middle of the kitchen grinning from ear to ear, “Can I have a peanut butter, jelly and ice cream samich?”
CHAPTER 5: A Rose with Thorn
“Where are you going?”
Vala sprang from the bed avoiding his attempt to catch her.
“I'm checking on the children Daniel, you've had me locked in this room for hours! I have to be sure that Sam's brainiac 'Chucky' hasn't got some Naquadah powered reactor hooked up to the oven,” Vala straightened her tousled hair as she approached the door, “and to insure that Mitchell's two Einstein’s haven't reprogrammed the vacuum cleaner to suck us all into a black hole. Then, darling, I have to see that our own devil spawned -you not me- hoodlums haven't turned into flesh eating robots! And poor little Rose,” she cried out in earnest, “she's been out there for hours with the technobabbled, child Master Minds from hell! They probably have her internal organs replaced with motorcycle parts by now!”
“You going out there like that?” Sitting up, Daniel placed his hands behind his head and grinned wickedly.
Looking down Vala bit at the side of her lip as one eye squinted up at him. She grimaced, marched across the other side of the room, opened a bureau drawer, snatched out one of his many black T-shirts, slipped it over her head and shimmied into a pair of his boxers. “There, be right back.”
“C'mere.”
“Daniel, you're insatiable! I'm exhausted! I’m starving, I’m eating for two now, I need substance! Besides, I HAVE to see about Rose.”
“Jack and Sam will be here in an hour to pick up the whole lot of them, until then the boys will take care of Rose. Come. Here.” He held up an Air Force issue power bar.
Vala’s grin rivaled his and she leapt onto the bed.
* * * *
“I think I’ve eradicated all the evidence. They’ll never be able to prove it! Well, hopefully…I think I might have overwritten one of mom’s programs, maybe not.” Eli O’Neill was bobbing his head up and down in an effort to assure himself he had indeed completed his task correctly.
Behind him Danny and Jake exchanged worried looks with Ian
and Drake Mitchell. None of them had heard a peep out of a parent, except when
Perched high atop the back of the coach, tiara affixed perfectly in the midst of her dark peanut butter smeared hair, Little Rose aimed her game control towards the TV monitor across the room. With a chocolate crusted lip caught in a gesture of concentration between her tiny teeth and eyebrows furrowed in ‘Vala’ fashion, she slaughtered the last of Drake’s alien invaders so fast that he jumped up with a loud yelp and a “Holy Crap!”
“What!?” The other four boys said in unison and turned as one to see what could possibly be wrong.
“Darlin’ killed me! They’re all dead, the planet is captured, the fleet is destroyed, the Ogre beheaded- she…” he jabbed a pointed finger towards a giggling Rose, “she’s made it to the end. Nobody makes it to the end!”
The five of them stood around the couch in a semicircle and stared disbelievingly at the little fairy that, with wings drooping and dress stained in a variety of food and drink, grinned triumphantly.
“Well it had to be an accident!” Danny insisted.
“Nuh uh. Mommie showeded me and I ‘membered.” Rose raised her chin defiantly. Tossing the control onto the couch, she jumped down, bounced a few times playfully on the cushions and bounded to the floor. “I’m hungy!”
Looking around the room at the litter of empty plates and bowls, crumpled snack packages and half full sippy cups the boys seemed astonished.
“Darling, my mom said don’t eat too much, they’re taking us all out to eat. We’ll get you something then.” Eli patted her head, then stepped back wide eyed as she opened her mouth and wailed in earsplitting tear producing horror.
Vala appeared almost instantaneously, wrapped in Daniel’s robe, hair disarrayed wildly, and looking like a zombie from some monster flick.
Rose spotted her target, dropped to the floor and turned it up a notch.
Daniel, having taken a moment to get into pajama bottoms and a T-shirt, emerged from the bedroom obviously disgruntled. “Hey! You guys are in enough trouble, what have you done to Rose?”
Amidst the crying and screaming, Rose began to kick and though seemingly impossible - got louder, “Dahlin’!” She corrected, gasping for air.
Daniel, the more indulgent of the parents started for her, but Vala, having surveyed the evidence of debris in the room, grabbed his waistband and stopped him.
“Darling, that’s enough.” Vala then scowled at Danny, then Jake and finally turned her scolding countenance on the other three. “You should know better than to feed her junk!”
Rose might have been considered a baby by her parents, but the toddler knew that tone all to well and she sat up hiccupping and drying her tears. After all she’d accomplished what she wanted, getting her parents attention, so she managed an innocent smile. Eyes darting from one parent to another, the little scamp simply and sweetly said, “Daddy.”
The five boys – each in their own way – rolled their eyes and shook their heads. Eli turned back to the computer and took a seat mumbling under his breath, “ever consider an online parenting class?”
Daniel was too occupied comforting his little darling, but Vala turned to Eli, “What did you say?”
With a well practiced, wide eyed, innocent ‘Samantha Carter’ look Eli shrugged his shoulders.
Hands on hips, Vala started to press for an answer when the doorbell rang. “Humph! Now we’ll see about parenting!”
Eli O’Neill’s face went from “Samantha Carter’ innocent to ‘Jack O’Neill’ doomed confusion.
* * * *
Jack had Rose settled on his hip, intermittently hazarding a glance at the peanut butter and chocolate mess that she was, as he barked out orders to the boys to gather their belongings for the trip to the cabin. “Come on. Lots to do. We have to meet Ishta and T at the base to pick up little Thorn and Bray.”
“Yea! Bray! Yes! Yippee! Sweet!” The boys chorused excitedly.
“You’re taking ALL of them! Maybe Rose should stay here with us, she’s so young. I think I should keep her here, besides she needs a bath.” Vala’s uneasiness was apparent in her voice.
“Teal’c and Ishta are staying with us, no need to worry. Ishta and I can watch Thorn and Rose, Jack and Teal’c can handle the boys.” With a meaningful glower at the boys, Sam continued, “they have plans for them.”
Every set of male eyes under the age of thirty closed in
dread. Sam gathered the boys like a sheep dog, herding them up and scurrying
them out the door. Laughing she turned to Vala. “Stop worrying, you need a
break. The second story’s finished on the cabin, there’s lots of room.
As the troop loaded up into the multi-passenger van Sam had ‘borrowed’ from the base, Vala turned to Daniel, “I think we should go on up with them.”
“They’ll be fine. Don’t worry. This is probably the only break we’re gonna get before the baby’s born.” He kissed her nose and shut the front door. “Nothing to worry about.”
* *
* *
Ten tiny fingers covered her pink bow shaped mouth. “Uh oh…you broke-ed it.” Both Rose and Thorn looked at the remote control, eyes wide and serious, then as one, turned their heads towards the kitchen and then slowly back to face each other.
Thorn, looking as solemn as his oldest brother Ry’ac, tucked the contraption in his tunic and Rose nodded. The three year olds, who shared the same birthday, quietly tiptoed out of the room.
Softly, one small foot at a time, both with a finger of silence across their lips, they moved up the staircase. Finger firmly affixed to his lips Thorn whispered, “No pwobum, EliO’Neill can fixer upperer!”
“Humph!” Rose rolled her eyes, her mouth finger pressing hard in instruction to be quiet.
An eyebrow rose, “Darling?”
On the landing Rose turned and stomped a foot, “Dang it Thown, be shhhh.”
“Mummie will be dispeased.”
“Uncle Jack will take us on da tour of da woods with the boys.” Rose raised one brow, dropped the other, eye squinting with a twitch…conveying to her companion just how much they did not want to be a part of that.
Like any smart
“Rose!?” Sam yelled.
“Thorn?” Ishta called.
“What!” they both answered as one.
“Get washed up for dinner.” Auntie Sam called back. Sam looked at Ishta, “Sometimes I think those two were born in the same pod.”
It took Ishta a moment to assimilate the meaning, but finally she nodded with a smile.
* * * *
Rushing down the stairs as fast as short cubby legs allowed Rose and Thorn headed towards the back deck. Thorn took a detour, dropping the ‘fixed’ remote into the couch cushions, then joined his comrade at the door.
Both Teal’c and Jack did a double take and surprised look at Rose and Thorn. “Well, Darling, I guess I’ve never seen that before. But it sure looks cute. Auntie Sam get those for you?”
“Nope.”
“Hmm, Daniel? Because we sure know Vala didn’t get them.”
“Nope.”
“I made them, do they displease you O’Neill?” Ishta asked quietly.
“Hell no! Don’t think I’ve ever seen fairy wings coming out the back of itsy bitsy Camo BDU’s but it works for me.”
“I thought it would be best to save her…other clothing, they did not seem to be suited to this environment. However, I did have to make an adjustment for the wings, I had not considered their importance at the time I fashioned the clothing.”
“Good job, Ishta, they are both adorable,” then with a grin Jack added, “No wings for Thorn?”
“I suggested horns, however Ishta did not find it particularly amusing,” Teal’c smiled, tugging at Thorn’s BDU waistband to straighten the pants. Then Teal’c did a very human gesture, patted his son’s six affectionately and sent him in the direction Rose had just scampered.
With hands clasped behind his back and brow raised Teal’c turned to Jack. “I believe, O’Neill, we have a project to complete.”
“That we do T. That we do.” Jack planted a quick, well aimed kiss on Sam’s lips. “We’re takin’ the yellow brick road.”
“Where are the boys?” Both Ishta and Sam asked with concern.
Jack pointed out the window, past the two toddlers on the deck who were emulating gun play with sticks aimed at the row of six who stood in a firing squad line near the forest across the yard.
Eli stood slouching bravely, Bray let his arms hang at his sides and stared ahead as if Kel’no’reeming, he had nothing to worry about, surely they had no idea he’d participated by supplying Eli with the programming language, Danny and Jake both had their heads down and hands in their pockets, Ian’s arms were crossed, hands tucked under his armpits and Drake was grinning, anticipating the so called ‘punishment’ adventure that Uncle Jack would cook up.
Ishta took Teal’c’s arm with just a glimmer of alarm in her eyes. “Husband, what do you plan?”
“A Tau’ri tradition – Snipe Hunting.” Although Teal’c’s features remained stoic, his eyes were bright with a mischievous grin.
A snort of laughter escaped Sam, “Oh no… you’re going to lose them in the woods. Jack, really, not a good plan. They’re children!”
“O’Neill has implanted a tracking device in each of their shirt collars. We will be able to know where they are at all times.”
Unimpressed, Sam’s brows drew together, “Jaaack?”
Jack O’Neill, with innocent expression and twinkling eyes, called over his shoulder as he and Teal’c headed for the enemy line. “We’re off to see the wizard!”
“Samantha?” Ishta asked as the two women stood looking at their spouses retreating backs. “I am worried.”
* * * *
An hour later, having instructed the doomed in proper Snipe hunting and having led them far into the National Forest surrounding his cabin, Jack and Teal’c returned.
After grabbing a cold beer, snatching up Rose to sit on his lap, and easily finding the remote, Jack turned on the TV to watch his much anticipated favorite team’s latest hockey game. The Cartoon network popped up and Rose giggled at the scene, but Jack quickly hit the button for the game station and the scene switched for less than a second as the Cartoon network reappeared. Rose giggled again, and Thorn clapped his hands gleefully.
Confused, Jack glared at the remote, cut his eyes perplexed to Teal’c and then back to the TV. Once again, very carefully and very slowly he punched in the channel numbers. Thorn laughed happily as Rose squealed in delight at the antics of the cartoon characters who, once again, appeared in a flash. As if possessed, Jack’s head spun around to Teal’c, “What the…”
* * * *
Vala packed. Vala cried. Vala pleaded. And Vala called
With a gasp, Vala slammed the phone down and turned to Daniel, eyes wild.
“Vala! Please stop worrying, you’ll make yourself sick. We’ll go! We may as well, Mitchell’s right…in both respects.”
* * * *
“Nothing.” Bray mumbled disheartened when he returned from his recon of the surrounding woods with no news. He folded his legs under and sat. The evening was clear and crisp and the night birds and insects chirped all around the group of six.
“We’ve been duped!” Eli tossed little rocks into the darkness. “But, I swear, the minute the stars get just right, I’ll be able to find my hide out, nobody else knows it exists.”
“I’m starvin’.” Arms folded tight across his chest, Ian leaned against a tree.
“Me too!” Jake piped in miserably from his position flat out on the ground, his hands laced behind his head.
“We’re the proverbial Lost Boys! They did it on purpose!” Daniel stared up at the stars frowning. “They figured,” he paused to scratch at the irritating collar of his shirt, “they’d show us who’s smart and who’s in charge.”
Drake grinned continuing to rub the stick between his palm against the one on the ground. “I like it. Alone in the woods. I’ve read all the files…well all the ones Dad let me… we’re like SG-1! Stranded off world! Fending for ourselves. And I can guarantee ya, they have some way of knowing exactly where we are.”
The other boys considered his words and nodded as their mood lightened up considerably.
Danny felt something hard in the material of his shirt collar. Pulling the neckline out he tried to see it, cutting his eyes are far as he could, “Hey, Eli, look at this will ya?”
Eli, his small keychain pin light in hand examined Danny’s collar. “Something is in there.” Letting go, Eli searched his on collar where it had been irritating him all afternoon. Quickly he unbuttoned the shirt and snatched it off. “Well I’ll be… yep, they’re tracking us.” He picked at the threads of his collar and pulled the tiny chip out shinning the pin light on it. Looking up, he stood, moved forward and studied the stars. “I got MRE’s and water at my hide out. I got a plan!”
CHAPTER 6: Beat Them At Their Own Game
Jack, remote in hand, wandered nonchalantly into the kitchen where Sam, Teal'c and Ishta set quietly chatting.
Wine glass to lips Sam hesitated. Over the rim of the glass she watched him a moment as he stood there looking confused. “What?” She finally asked, setting the glass down and cocking her head in question.
“Could ya – ya know – look at this thing?” Somewhat reluctantly Jack put the remote on the kitchen bar carefully placing it right in front of where Sam sat.
“Tonight?” She looked at him with disapproval.
“I think the Naquadah Monster Child has...”
The not so subtle scrap of her stool, the glare in her eyes and the fact that she'd come up off the stool at an alarming rate clued clueless Jack that he'd stepped over that fragile line with Sam. Quick to repair the implied he shouted, “Not ours! I swear Carter I would NEVER call your child – ah, damn it – our child... I was talking about Rose!”
“Rose is a baby Jack! She may be the only
“Look at the goddamn remote! It's either possessed, Vala's
mini me did it or Ishta's little…‘in your side’
Ishta's head tilted to the right and her left brow rose. Teal'c's head went left and the right brow rose.
Both hands went up, he clinched his fists before going for
crossing guard ‘stop’ as his arms went out to the side and then quickly
returned to the front in a protective gesture. Jack tried to backtrack the last
'open mouth insert foot - never speak ill of the
* * * *
She'd insisted and he'd relented. Getting the rental car at the airport had been a nightmare. It was late and Daniel was tired and in a foul mood as he drove towards the cabin.
Vala, tall, pink and sparkly Disney Princess pen in hand, scribbled on an envelope she'd dug out from the bottom of her very large leather bag. “You know, Daniel, I CAN drive.” She popped her gum loudly.
He clinched his jaw. “Uh hmm.”
“Daniel, I need a new bag, I've had this old thing for over twelve years.”
“Uh hmm,” his eyes went wide with the effort to control himself.
Gum popped. She scrawled something on the paper, pen scratching in the quiet, the glow of the implement lending an eerie light inside the car. “I hope Rose is okay, you think she's okay don't you?” She blew out a bubble, popped it and continued on, “I can’t believe I let her go. I should have kept her, shouldn’t I? What kind of mother lets her three year old go off with Jack O’Neill? The ‘IOA of Parenting’ will, no doubt, come to my door and take her away. You really think she’s okay? I mean, what if she wandered outside and got lost and no one even knows she's gone. Oh my gods! Daniel you don't...”
“VALA!” he snapped.
She burst into tears.
The car pulled off to the side of the road. “I'm sorry, sweetheart.”
One hand covered her eyes, while the other shot palm forward right into his face.
Oh crap! He took a deep breath and let it out. It was not a usual occurrence – Vala crying – he supposed that's why it wrenched his heart... he knew it was the one thing that had snapped him out of his stupor years ago. Smiling at the thought he placed his palm against hers, laced his fingers with hers. “Remember that day? The day you burst into tears, right there in the Gateroom? It was what changed the whole thing…the night you conceived Danny.” His voice was soft and caressing.
Nodding her head she sniffled, “I'm such an emotional wreck right now!” Vala laced her fingers with his, squeezed his hand, let go and dried her tears. “Come on, darling, I'm anxious to see my children.”
He nodded and pulled back onto the highway. “They’ll be asleep.”
“I can kiss them.” Pop!
“We shouldn’t wake them.” A muscle in his jaw twitched as she continued to pop and smack her bubble gum.
Pop! Pop! “Well, Daniel, it’s not like I’m the Wraith Queen come to feed on them, I merely meant to kiss their foreheads. Besides…”
His hands gripped the steering wheel and he tuned her out.
* * * *
“Something's not right.” Once again Jack stood at the kitchen doorway looking confused at the gadget in his hand.
“O'Neill.” There was a note of caution in Teal'c's voice.
“No, T, the sensor. They haven't moved at all, not 10 feet. Nothing. You suppose they settled in already? It's barely dark.”
Teal'c obviously concerned stood and moved towards Jack, with Sam and Ishta right behind him.
Sam took the sensor and examined it. “Nothing is wrong with the sensor Jack. They were probably tired, hungry, in the dark…alone and stopped where there were.”
“Yeah, well Eli has a penlight.” Jack commented absently, looking uneasy.
“Bray has his knife.” Eyes cutting momentarily to Ishta, Teal'c frowned.
“They don't have any food.”
“Or water, O'Neill.”
“Yup. Suppose we should go and get them, huh?”
“Indeed.”
With flashlights in hand and the tracking device activated, Teal'c and Jack walked across the yard into the dark silent night.
At the door, Sam watched, arms hugging herself as Ishta stood behind her. A deep sigh – a breath of relief - escaped Sam. “He can be such a stubborn ass, but he's a softy at heart.”
Moving beside the other woman Ishta bowed slightly and uncharacteristically placed a hand on Sam's shoulder, “I believe that Teal'c has learned much of his...softer side...from O'Neill. They are both about to face the consequences of their actions. It will be interesting as to how they will proceed and who actually is receiving punishment.”
The two women wandered back into the house, making their way down the hall.
“Mommie?” As they passed the front door a half asleep, teary eyed Rose appeared.
“No, Darling, it's Auntie Sam and Auntie Ishta. Mommie will be here in the morning.”
At first Rose began a sad little silent weep as tears flooded and rolled from her eyes. Thorn padded up beside her and his arm landed around her shoulder. “ist awwhite, Dawling I am heya, peas doan twy.”
Then without further warning the screaming started, “Mommie!”
Sam and Ishta rushed forward to comfort Rose.
Vala had one foot out of the car and on the ground when the first “Mommie” reached her ears. She leapt from the vehicle, cleared the porch steps in one bounding jump and pushing against the locked handle screamed back in terror, “Rose!”
“Mommie!”
“Rose! Darling!” Vala screamed like a banshee banging and pushing on the door as Daniel tried to calm her.
Sam jerked out of her shock and fumbled with the lock yelling through the door that everything was okay.
“MOOOOOMMMMMMIIIIIEEEEE!”
“Vala, please, can't you hear Sam? She's trying to unlock the door, nothings wro...”
“ROSE! DARLING!”
The door burst inward and Vala landed against the other wall. Daniel blinked, grinned at Sam, and shrugged his shoulders before he scooped up Rose and hugging Vala and the child as one he calmed them.
Thorn stood with a hand over each ear and both tiny brows raised. Sam had a hand to her heart and a wrist to her forehead while Ishta stood calm and stoic, “The child has very strong healthy lungs, DanielJackson, you should be proud.”
“Oh. Yeah. Sure I am.” With a weary sigh, Daniel kissed Rose’s temple and pulled Vala tight to his side.
Thorn laced his fingers behind his back, “Embead.”
* * * *
Six shirtless boys, charcoal painted tribal symbols on their foreheads, (looking remarkably Jaffa-ish), sat around the remnants of an old fire, eating MRE’s.
“You think they know yet?” Drake questioned boredom evident in his tone.
“I know one thing, Mom’s gonna have a cow when she finds out. I’m sure glad she’s not here, not in her condition.” Danny scratched at his mud and leaf decorated chest.
“Your mom will be fine. They won’t even start lookin’ until really late; when Uncle Jack figures out that we haven’t moved.” Ian was hacking off the material from the bottom of his pants – using Bray’s knife. “They probably think we’re still back at the clearing right where they left us.”
“I agree. The technology they used will continue to send the signal from where we left the shirts.” Bray grinned in the darkness as he charcoaled around his eyes in mask fashion.
“They’re gonna be really mad now!” Jake stood up and began to pace.
Eli accepted the knife from Ian and began to sharpen his stick. “Like they weren’t before? We won’t mention we knew about the chips – we tell them we decided to play survivor-SG1! I’m sure they weren’t planning on coming back until tomorrow anyway. They want to scare us, teach us a lesson.” Shining the small light up onto his own face, illuminating hair muddied in pointed spikes, Eli waggled his head, then turned the light on his comrades. “Jez Danny could ya put on something more then a loin cloth!”
“I really wanted a fire.” Trying the bandanna he’d made from his own pants material around his head, Danny pounded his chest with his fists and let out a long and well practiced Tarzan yell.
“Pipe down!” Eli was grinning.
Bray finished wrapping himself in leaves and twigs tied with vine. “A fire is easy to spot.”
“Right.” Eli shined his small light up a nearby tree. “Okay, we need to get up to the tree house fort again. I got a pair of night goggles. If we’re lucky we can see them coming!”
Once settled in the makeshift tree house Drake put on the night goggles. “I got first watch. I’ll wake you in an hour.”
“Good, I’m sleepy.” Danny yawned.
“You’re such a light weight Dannyboy!” Eli checked his illuminated watch, snapped the cover back in place and then slapped his friend on the back.
“Am not!”
“Are too!”
“Not!”
“Are!”
“STOP!” Bray demanded. “Now…what are we going to do?”
“Wait.” Both Eli and Danny said at once.
* * * *
The men had been gone at least forty-five minutes before they checked in.
“What do you mean you can’t find them?” Sam was on the Sat phone with Jack, walking the hall towards one of the guest room. “Not where you left them in the forest all alone? Humph!” Very softly she knocked on Daniel and Vala’s door.
Slowly, the door opened and a wide awake Daniel peeked out. “They're both asleep,” he whispered, “Hey, what's wrong.” Sensing something, Daniel moved out of the room and shut the door behind him.
“It's Jack. They can't find the boys.” Sam, eyes round with worry, handed the phone to Daniel. “He wants to talk to you.” Biting her lip she followed Daniel all the way back down the hall, through the house and out onto the deck.
Daniel snapped the phone shut and looked across the yard, brows drawn in concentration. He wasn't much concerned, or afraid, he was curious - as was Jack and Teal'c, but to Sam he appeared troubled.
Sam placed a hand on his bicep “Daniel, what is it? What did he say?”
“Look Sam, please don't wake Vala, she's been stressed enough today. I'm going to get a few things from the car and Jack's truck, and then meet up with Teal'c and Jack.”
“The boys have sensors, they were tagged!”
Swallowing and dropping his head to hide the grin Daniel confessed, “Ah, Jack found the boys shirts.”
Sam covered her mouth and her eyes went wide with dread.
“They'll be fine.” Daniel took off in search of the much needed equipment.
* * * *
“Bray!?” Teal’c’s voice boomed into the stillness sending night creatures scurrying frantically in every direction.
Jack picked up one of the shirts. “Eli!? Danny!?” He called, then mumbled, “Damn little…”
Both Jack and Teal’c spun around reaching for non-existent weapons.
“Damn it Daniel!” Jack barked out.
Daniel, wearing jeans, a black T-shirt and his black utility vest, entered the clearing squinting against the light Teal’c pointed in his face. He yawned as he tossed the other vests to his waiting teammates and then tied his black bandanna around his head. “So…what’s the situation?”
Donning a vest Jack replied drolly, “The situation is that the little smart asses most likely have the pair of night goggles I’ve been missing for a week now…”
“A knife,” Teal’c interjected closing his vest and checking his supplies.
“… and a penlight, not sure what else. You call Mitchell?” Jack raised his flashlight into Daniel’s face.
“Stop that, and yeah I called him, he’s working on it.”
“Let’s move out.” Jack took the lead with Daniel in the middle and Teal’c on the six. “I can see the headlines now, ‘Retired Air Force General goes nuts and strangles six boys…he’s acquitted by a jury of fathers!”
“Or perhaps, O’Neill, it will read ‘Alien from outer space kills six…no kills five Earthling boys and one alien boy.”
Jack laughed out loud, “nice one T.”
“Thank you, O’Neill.”
They moved along in silence for a while until Daniel offered, “Maybe it will be ‘overprotective, geeky archeologist…”
“Spacemonkey.”
“…spacemonkey kills retired general and alien in an effort to save six misguided but brilliant youngsters from annihilation.”
“Yeah, well that one works too. But, for cryin’ out loud, Daniel, we’ve got to get them to stop being so…so, Carterish.”
“You are going in a circle, O’Neill.”
“Well, T, we gotta look like we’re looking while we wait to hear from…”
“
“Mitchell?” Daniel thumbed the button.
“Expecting someone else?”
“What?”
“I gotta talk low, don’t wanna wake up the baby.”
“Right.”
“I got ‘em!”
“Thank god.”
“Thank Carolyn for insisting on puttin’ that transponder chip in him when he broke his arm.”
Grinning, Daniel listened to the coordinates and requested radio silence.
* * * *
Bray sat up instantly when Danny touched his shoulder and insisted, “Look.”
Taking the goggles from Danny, Bray scanned the woods. “Oh, not fair!”
“What?” Eli’s sleepy voice croaked out.
“Look.”
The goggles passed to Eli. “Vests! And Uncle Daniel! Crap!”
Ian lifted his head, “Go back to sleep!”
“Look!” Eli, Bray and Danny said in unison. Both Ian and Drake popped up, wide awake now.
“Time for Plan B.” Ian muttered miserably, tossing the night vision glasses to Drake.
“I love Plan B.” Drake handed the goggles back to Ian.
“We know!” The other five chorused, exasperated.
* * * *
Shoulder to shoulder the three fathers headed for the boys.
“I’m thinking,” Jack murmured quietly, “We should spread out a bit, like we’re not going the right way, we’ll use the radios if we have to, switch to hand signals when we can and move in from different directions. They might be taking turns staying awake and watching.”
Teal’c pulled his night vision binoculars out, moved behind a tree and surreptitiously aimed them in the track of the coordinates. Daniel moved off to the left, and Jack to the right. “There is a structure in a tree. They must be up there.” Teal’c pointed and the other two nodded in understanding.
Jack signaled for Teal’c to move ahead, for Daniel to go left as he moved further off to the right. It took them a good twenty minutes of cut backs and crisscrosses to finally reach their target.
Looking smug, Jack motioned the other two to join him at the base of the tree. "I'm thinking we get them all inplanted."
“Good idea. Nice fort, you build that?” Daniel asked Jack as he looked up.
“Not me. He musta built the damn thing himself. "Eli! Get your scrawny ass down here right now!”
“Hands up!” Eli demanded holding his sharpened stick to his fathers back.
“You too! Dr. Jackson.” Danny poked Daniel with the penlight.
“No
“I love a good Plan!” Drake walked around the front of the three men. “Drop your weapons!”
“We don’t have weapons.” Jack frowned.
“Well, drop your fancy vests and radios and all the other crap!”
“Don’t say crap!” Jack scolded.
“Yes sir, sorry, but drop it all anyway.” Drake pointed across to Eli. “You, General O’Neill take their stuff.”
“It’s not STUFF Drake! For cryin’ out loud.”
“Well then what is it?”
“It’s…it’s…”
“Paraphernalia ?” Daniel offered.
“
“Equipment?” Teal’c suggested.
“Nah.” Danny took Teal’c’s vest handing it off to Drake.
“Gear?” Jack recommended, tossing his vest to Bray.
“Yeah. That’s it, Gear!” Eli poked his dad with the stick.
“Hey, get that damned stick outta my back!”
“MOVE!” Eli poked him again.
“Your mother is gonna wonder what happened to you when I bring you home.”
“Right, yada, yada, yada…move soldier!”
“Airman!” Jack corrected indignant.
“What the hell have you got on?” Daniel asked getting a good look at Danny.
“Not much!” The other boys laughed out.
“I need my phone.” The captured O’Neill said hands held high in the air as he was prodded along.
“No privileges for the enemy.” Bray claimed loudly.
Jack turned, “Fine, you’re the one that has to face Ishta, not me.”
Bray felt around in the vest and found the satellite phone. “Cool phone. Five minutes.”
“Three.” Eli offered.
“Three minutes, mister!” Bray opened the phone, dialed the number and turned it to speaker holding it in front of Uncle Jack who reached for it, “Hands up!”
Rolling his eyes, Jack lifted his arms. “Ah, Sam?”
“Jack?” Sam’s voice filled the night air.
“We found them, their fine; we’ll be back for breakfast.”
“Whaaat? Breakfast?”
“Yeah, we’re just staying here tonight.”
“Jack?”
That damned stick felt like a cats claw in his back. “I gotta go Carter. See ya tomorrow.”
Hands held high the three men marched ahead rumbling with laughter.
* * * *
Sitting on the deck drinking coffee the next morning, Ishta, Sam and Vala looked at the odd scene as their husbands, hands up in surrender, were prodded forward by boys who, to Sam, resembled the Nox, to Vala, resembled the Unas, and to Ishta, nothing she had ever witnessed before.
Rose’s head gently leaned on Vala’s barely protruding belly. “Da baby is talkin to me mommie, it’s a gurl.”
Thorn’s brows rose in wonder and he put an ear to Vala’s tummy.
“Is it, darling?” Vala did not take her eyes from the bizarre group approaching as she placed a gentle hand on each of the children’s heads.
“Um hmm.”
“And what is she saying?”
Very seriously little Rose listened. “She’s sayin... I lub you Dahling and I can’t wait to meet you.”
“Embead.”
** The End **
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