It had been something he hadn't thought about in a long time, not since becoming a father for the first time. What his children will learn about their grandparents, his parents! Daniel had planned on telling them the truth. But what he hadn't planned was telling them quite so early.
Shelley had been contacted by the family who had fostered her when Shelley's father left her with Jack. She hadn't seen them in several years but had kept in touch with letters, emails and phone calls. They were coming into town and wanted to see her and meet Daniel. He was pleased for her but it had brought up memories of his own childhood. Memories that he'd rather soon avoid. Some things he'd never told her about his numerous foster homes.
Daniel turned the key in the lock, hearing voices and excited child like chatter coming from inside the house. As he stepped inside he saw Shelley sitting at the kitchen table. He could hear the girls outside playing. Daniel closed the door behind him.
Shelley stood from the table, smiling at Daniel as he walked across the room towards them. Daniel saw that she wasn't alone. Next to Shelley was a man and woman. He recognised them from photo's Shelley had shown him. The couple that had taken her in when she was 5 years old. He was in the air force, a friend of Jack's and she was a teacher.
The redhead smiled broadly, excited at introducing her husband to her second family.
"Daniel," she said. "This is Thomas and Virginia Willis. They fostered me when Dad….left. Looked after me for 5 years,"
Daniel reached forward, shaking their hands. His head turned, hearing his daughters outside in the back garden, playing. Then he saw the collection of photograph albums on the kitchen table. Littered with pictures of Shelley as a child, looking happy.
"Pleased to meet you," he said.
"Shelley's told me a lot about you," Virginia said. "You must be thrilled about the twins."
Daniel didn't say anything. As though there was something else on his mind. Seeming preoccupied. Shelley looked at him. Annoyed that he was ignoring their guests.
"Daniel!" she said.
"If you'll excuse me…Enjoy your visit,"
He disappeared into the bedroom, needing to get away. Shelley followed closely behind. Wanting to know why he had been so rude to her friends. She found him in the adjacent study, looking through draws and filing cabinets.
"What was that?" she asked.
Daniel turned, seeing her angry face looking back at him from the doorway.
"I've never known you be so rude before. Why did you even bother coming home if that's the way your going to be,"
"I came home for my notebook. I need it."
"It probably where you left it. In your office at the base?"
"I've checked."
She watched as he continued to search his study. Shelley knew the signs. When there was something on his mind Daniel would avoid it by doing throwing himself into do anything but talk about. That's why he was ransacking his study.
"Are you going to come in and meet them properly?" she asked.
Daniel shook his head.
"I've got too much to do. And I've got to get back to the base. We've got a mission."
"Fine, you go. And don't let the girls see you when you leave,"
Shelley slammed the door behind her, letting Daniel know of her anger. She stepped outside in to the kitchen, trying not to let on how upset she was. Her head turned as she heard the back door open and close. She smiled nervously, sitting back down.
All through lunch, Shelley tried to hide her upset and instead showed off her family. Showing them pictures of when the girls were babies and wedding pictures. As she looked at herself and Daniel it was as though she was looking at a completely different person. The man she had been living with, had not been the same Daniel she had fallen in love with and married 7 years ago. For the last few years it had been hard to face. Not knowing who he was anymore. Shelley thought that the pressure of having a family had been too much for him. After returning after his ascension, he had been practically forced into father-hood. It broke Shelley's heart to see. Believing that her girls were a burden to him. All though Daniel had never said it.
~ # ~
It had taken Shelley a few hours to realise that SG1 weren't due off world for a few days. He had purposely avoided talking to her foster parents. Hiding away in his study and then running off to the base. And Daniel had never been the rude type.
Shelley's foster parents had stayed for several hours. Getting the most out of Mia and Kennedy before leaving for the airport. Shelley had promised to stay in touch more often. Sending them pictures of the girls, letting them know how they were getting on in school. But Shelley couldn't forget Daniel's behaviour, except for when she gave the girls their baths and read them a bedtime story.
The day had worn her down, making her feel more exhausted than usual. Due to the fact that she was 5 months pregnant. So an early night was needed.
As she tried to read her book in bed, she couldn't stop thinking about Daniel, which although was nothing new, was a little out of character for him.
She looked at the clock, almost 9pm. It wasn't the latest Daniel had ever been home. Usually stretching to the early hours of the morning. Shelley had gotten used to it by now. Even though had gotten used to it, she didn't like it. But it was their life.
Finally she heard the key in the door and put down her book on the side cabinet. She could hear him moving quietly around the house. Trying his best not to wake them all up.
The bedroom door opened and he saw her laying on the bed, the sheet pulled up over the bump.
"You look tired," he said.
"I'm okay. Did you find your notebook?"
Daniel nodded, sitting on the edge of the bed, taking off his boots. Shelley pulled the sheets open, getting up and kneeling behind Daniel and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
She drapped her arms around his body.
"About what," Daniel said, turning his head around.
"About whatever is bothering you enough to be rude to guests in this house. That wasn't you."
Daniel didn't say anything, instead he got up and headed into the bathroom. Shelley heard the water from the shower run for several minutes. Daniel finally emerging with a towel wrapped around his waist. She looked at him, feeling that tingly feeling in her stomach, this time not brought on by her pregnancy, but because he looked so damned sexy in a towel. Plus, she had to find out what was wrong.
"Are you going to talk to me or are you going to ignore it."
"There's nothing wrong."
"I don't believe you," she said, laying back down on the bed. "I know when there's something wrong. Is it work?"
Daniel shook his head slowly. It wasn't work. If it was, then he'd be able to fix it. But not this time.
"No. Its been a bit quiet lately. Which I'm not complaining."
"Then what is it?"
He pulled out his pj bottoms out of the drawer and took his towel off. For a moment Shelley couldn't help but look. He was her husband after all, the father of her children and the sexiest archaeologist she had ever met. Plus the love of her life. After putting on his bottoms, Daniel sat back down on the bed, turning to Shelley.
"It's just…"
Shelley waited for him to speak, moving closer to him on the bed.
"I'm sorry I was so rude, its just…"
"What?"
There was a long pause before he spoke again. Trying to put how he was feeling in to words.
"When you told me that your foster parents were coming…."
"Danny," she whispered, resting her head on his shoulder again.
Then it all became clear.
"I'm sorry, I didn't think. I was just so excited to see them again. And I wanted to show off you and the girls,"
"I know you were and you were right to be."
Shelley hugged him tightly, trying to make him feel a little better.
"Is there anything I can do?" Shelley asked.
Daniel turned, resting her hand on her stomach, smiling. Shelley placed her hand on top of his, squeezing it.
"You've never really talked about when you were a kid."
Daniel closed his eyes for a moment, remembering for a moment, his childhood, after the death of his parents.
"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.
Shelley didn't want to push him, but felt that he wanted, needed to talk about it. Daniel stood up, starting to pace the room.
"I wasn't like you," he said. "I didn't have the perfect childhood,"
Shelley shook her head, definitely not agreeing with his statement.
"Were weren't that dissimilar you know. My mom died and my father didn't want anything to do with me," she said. "Then dragged me away from the home I'd ever really known. Dragging me from state to state."
Daniel looked at her, seeing that she was upset by his remark.
"Atleast someone wanted you. After my parents died, no one wanted me, not even my own grandfather."
Shelley could hear the sadness and hurt in his voice. Wishing she could make it better. She couldn't feel guilty about having good foster parents. It hadn't been her decision. But she didn't have the perfect childhood Daniel thought she did. Kids used to pick on her too for not having a mother.
"I'm sorry, baby."
She patted the bed next to her, wanting him closer. Daniel sat next to her again.
"You know I wouldn't have minded going with my grandfather. It was pretty much what I did with my parents anyways. Going from one dig to another. It was an adventure," he said. "But I ended up being shipped from foster home to foster home,"
Shelley continued to listen.
"They weren't the best places I could have grown up in. Sometimes I'd only been there for a few weeks before I was moved somewhere else. I don't think I stayed in one place for more than 6 months, especially when I started skipping grades,"
"They didn't hurt you? Did they."
A small tear ran down Shelley's cheek, fearing the worse. Daniel shook his head.
"No, nothing like that. When I was 16, I went to college and became an emancipated minor. So I didn't need anyone else… Until now,"
"If I was them, I'd have been proud to have you in my family. And I'm proud to be your wife,"
Shelley leaned forward, kissing him softly. Daniel wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer.
"Your better off without them. How could they do such a thing. What's the point of looking after a child and then….,"
Daniel looked at her. It was still hard for him to talk about. And she had been the only one he had ever told.
"I guess I was lucky," Shelley said.
"I'm lucky now," Daniel said.
He lent down, resting his head on her lap.
"I have you, the girls and the soon to be twins,"
Shelley laughed and ran her fingers through the short ruffles of Daniel's hair.
"And you'll always have us,"
"I'm just glad that if anything ever happens to us that they'll be taken care of." Daniel said.
A few months ago, they had made arrangements in a revised will that if anything happened to them that Sam would look after their children. An event that Sam had agreed to. Being god mother to both girls and loving them as though they were their own. Although raising 4 children would be hard, it was something that Sam had wanted to do to her friends. They were just her friends, more like family.
