It wasn't the Valentine's dinner that he had planned. The argument seemingly coming from nowhere. One moment they were talking about when they met, the wedding etc, plus several events that had happened in the last few years.

That's when it had started. Their biggest fight in history, and over the simplest of things.

Shelley had stormed out of the house, leaving Daniel with the clean up and trying to understand how it had come to this. Daniel knew of three places where she'd go. Luckily, Washington was too far away at night to get too, leaving her going to see Jack out of the equation. Which left either Sam's or the base.

Daniel had phoned Sam's house. Asking her to calm her down before asking her to come down. But Shelley hadn't made it to her friends' house.

Which left only one other possibility, the SGC.

Daniel wanted to go, but couldn't leave the girls on their own. He was worried out Shelley. Worried about how the stress would affect their unborn twins. Doctor Lam had already insisted that she take it easy and Daniel was worried even more than normal.

~ # ~

Shelley sat in the mess, nursing a cup of coffee. She knew that she shouldn't be drinking it, but harm was one little cup going to do her. Outside she could hear the cleaners mopping the hallway. She just needed time to herself, to calm down.

Sitting back in the chair, her hand rested on her stomach. The twins hadn't started to kick yet, but they would soon. Hopefully when Daniel was around. He'd missed out on Mia and Kennedy's first kicks. Not to mention their first steps and first words. Shelley didn't want him to miss the important events of the twins too. That's when the argument had started. Shelley asked him what would it take for him to leave the SGC and hadn't been prepared for his answer.

Shelley brushed a tear away from her eye as she remembered their fight. She tried to fight back the tears.

In her coat pocket, she heard her cell phone begin to ring. She reached inside, taking it out. It was Daniel. She just looked at it, watching it ring, not wanting to speak to him, just yet. Her hands still shaking.

~ # ~

Daniel put down the phone. It was pretty obvious that she didn't want to talk to him and couldn't really blame her. He wouldn't talk to him either.

He sat down on the couch, his cell phone still in his hand, hoping that Shelley would call. Daniel looked up, seeing the door to Mia and Kennedy's room open. His eldest daughter stood in the doorway, rubbing her eyes, walking across the room towards her dad.

"Where's mommy,"

Daniel picked her up, sitting her on his knee.

"Mommy is a little upset. So she's gone for a walk. She'll be home soon,"

"Is it the babies?"

He shook his head .

"No sweetie, It's not the babies. Why don't you go back to bed. When mommy comes back I'll get her to come and see you,"

"Can I have a drink of water,"

Daniel smiled.

"Of course you can. You go and get settled and I'll get you a glass."

Mia jumped off his knee, running towards her room.

"And try not to wake your sister," Daniel whispered after her.

Daniel gazed down at his cell again, making sure that Shelley hadn't called. She hadn't! He felt terrible. Not only about their argument but about the fact that his daughter had heard them. Mia was very tuned in to her mothers emotions. And had known that something was wrong. Kennedy was still a little too young to understand. Luckily, she hadn't awoken.

~ # ~

On the way home, Shelley couldn't get the argument out of her head! Daniel had been so clear about his decision not to leave the SGC. Shelley doubted that he ever would. Even with a wife and 4 children. She had told him in the heat of the moment that it was because that she didn't know how she could cope with 4 children under the age of 7. Hiding the real truth from him!

As she stepped inside the house, she saw Daniel coming out of the girls bedroom. She felt a little worried.

"Are they okay?" she asked.

Daniel looked at her, glad that she was home.

"Yeah, Mia just wanted some water," he said.

Shelley placed her keys in the tray on the table next to the door and walked across the hallway to the living room, not saying another word.

She sat down on the couch. Daniel could see that she had been crying. He sat down next to her.

"Are you okay? Where did you go? I've been out of my mind with worry,"

Shelley looked at him. His last words before she left, ringing in her ears.

"It's my fault," Daniel said. "I shouldn't have shouted like that. I didn't mean to upset you."

Shelley shook her head.

"Well atleast now I know what's more important to you."

Whilst she sat in the mess at the base, she had come to realise that his job was more important than his family.

"Don't say that. You know how much I love you and the girls,"

"But not enough to leave the SGC?"

Daniel didn't say anything, just standing in front of her.

"You could be a consultant. Just going off world when they need you,"

He shook his head again. They were going over the same argument as they had earlier. And he didn't want it go get out of control again.

"I can't do that," he said.

Shelley looked up at him, tears forming in her eyes. She didn't want to cry again. She didn't want to feel so emotional all of the time.

"I love my job. The way you love yours." Daniel said.

"I know you do and I hate what this is doing to me. To us!"

Daniel could feel that there was something else going on. Something Shelley had been holding back.

"Tell me what's wrong? What's really wrong?" he asked.

"It's like I don't know you at all. I thought that's what you wanted. A family!"

"It is, of course it is. My job is apart of me as much as you and the girls are. "

"Then why won't you give it up for us?" Shelley shouted.

Daniel hadn't seen her so agitated before.

"Stop it Shell and tell me what's wrong. This isn't like you."

He sat back down next to her, taking hold of her hand.

"Why do you want me to leave the SGC so much?"

Shelley looked at him. Her heart breaking inside.

"You don't understand. I don't want to be alone I don't want to lose you. I want you to be safe."

"Angel," Daniel whispered.

He pulled her in for a hug, holding her tightly as he felt her begin to cry in his arms.

"Nothing is going to happen to me. We've been through this a thousand times."

"You don't know that."

Daniel pulled her away, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Things have calmed down a lot since we got rid of the Ori, not to mention the last of the Goa'uld,"

"But there's always gonna be some thing or someone," Shelley said.

"We don't know what's going to happen in the future, Shell. But I promise, nothing is going to happen to me. I promise, I won't let it. I have so much to come home too."

"I can't lose you. I can't do this all by myself,"

He leaned over, kissing her on the forehead.

"You won't have too. I'll be here, for you, the girls and the twins," Daniel said.

Shelley's eyes began to widen as she looked up at him. Holding on to her stomach.

"What is it?"

"Oh… oh that's…."

"…A kick?" Daniel asked.

Shelley nodded.

"And another,"

"Really?"

"Here, feel,"

Shelley took his hand, placing it on her belly.

"First time they've kicked?" Daniel asked.

The redhead nodded, a huge smile on her face. Daniel held his hand on her stomach for as long as he possibly could. His smile matching Shelley's. It felt amazing. It wasn't as though he hadn't felt Kennedy kicking, it was just that it was the first time the twins had kicked! And the first time he'd been around to feel it.