Chapter 3
He's worried as well. He's not sure how to comfort her, how to make it better. He flips through the rest of the drawings and nothing else seems out of the ordinary. "Maybe Sam had something that she saw. She just copied it from something..."
"I haven't seen anything in Sam's lab or room besides tables of numbers and equations. Daniel is the one that has most of the symbols..." She feels the first slide of tears down her face. "I knew it was too good to be true. She was so normal for so long... I was hoping there wasn't anything... Cameron, our baby, she's..."
"We don't know what she is. She's our daughter. That's all that matters. We'll get this figured out."
"What if we can't?"
He knows that Vala's always been worried about Adria turning out... different. He doesn't want to belittle her concerns, and he can't deny that it makes him a little apprehensive too, but he tries to put it in perspective. "Adria sees a lot of things that most little girls can't even imagine. I'm sure this is just something she saw somewhere."
Vala doesn't look convinced.
"Vala, it's a kid's drawing. It doesn't mean anything. Come on, look at me." He waits until she meets her gaze with his. "We cannot freak out over every little thing she does different. We'll go crazy if we start doing that. Take a deep breath, and let it go."
Vala nods slowly and does what he asks. He pulls her back in against him, and she rests her head on his shoulder again. He can tell she's still thinking about it, but she doesn't say anything more.
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"I think I want to take her in and let Carolyn look over her," Vala says to him over dinner that night.
Adria is making a mess of her dinner, spaghetti that's getting everywhere, blissfully ignorant to what her parents are discussing.
"Yeah? She's due for a checkup next month, isn't she?" Cam asks.
He knows why Vala wants it, but he'd still rather play dumb.
Vala knows that he knows why, too, but she'll let him play dumb. He's a guy; she's used to it. "She does, but I want to take her in tomorrow, anyway. How do you feel about that, Adria? Would you like to go visit Dr. Lam?"
Adria makes a 'blah' face and sticks out of her tongue. "NO!"
"Adria," Cam says, in his warning voice.
Aria and Dr. Lam have had some colorful encounters as of late, with Adria's growing awareness turning to stubbornness playing a part, along with her dislike of being poked, prodded, and stabbed.
"No shots!" She insists. "Daddy, shots hurt."
She sounds so betrayed that her parents would let anyone stick her with a needle.
"Awww, pumpkin, they aren't that bad, are they?" Cam wipes her mouth off as she pushes the half eaten spaghetti away. Apparently the mention of visiting Carolyn has made her lose her appetite.
"They are." Adria looks on the verge of tears remembering her last round of pokes. "I just can't get shots tomorrow."
"What about the day after?" Vala's always looking for ways to ply what she wants out of Adria without being overly forceful or demanding. She wants her to be her own person, make choices, be allowed her opinions.
Adria seems to think about it. "Will there be shots?"
"Little darling, I don't know. But we just need to make sure you're healthy." Vala caresses her baby's head with her palm.
"Of course I'm healthy." She looks back and forth from her mother and father. "I eat all my veggie tables."
Cam tries to suppress a grin. "We need to make sure you are eating enough of them." Her face contorts into disgust. She likes some vegetables but will be forced to eat them all when they are part of dinner.
"If I eat any more I will be too healthy."
Vala secretly agrees. "Well, Adria, that's okay."
"I already see too many things. Don't make me eat anymore carrots." She doesn't notice her parents stiffen at her comment. "Can i play now?"
Cam takes over, seeing Vala at a loss for words. He doesn't think Adria's remark really means anything, so he forces himself to be very upbeat and calm, not letting his nerves show. Adria's perceptive; she'd be able to see through him. It's something else that he thinks she comes by honestly.
"Come here and lets get you a little bit cleaned up first," Cam says. Adria obediently runs around the table to him, letting Cam clean smeared spaghetti sauce from her face and hands. "Go change shirts, too. You can put on your night shirt now."
"The one with Donkey," she informs him, taking her fashion choices very seriously.
"That's the one." He pats her on the bottom and sends her off.
Vala's still sitting at the table, not having touched her food since Adria made the comment about seeing things.
"Stop it," Cam says to her, his voice stern. "Come on, now. Don't go borrowing trouble."
She smiles, just a little. "Is that something your grandmother used to say?"
"Uh huh," he says, nodding. "And my mom, too."
"Well, I suppose there are other, more pleasant things we could think about..." Her smile grows a little.
Cam gets to his feet, and pulls her up too, standing behind her so he can rest his hands on her stomach. "Let's think about this. Let's start planning. I want to go look at some houses this weekend."
"Can we look at some in the country, maybe?" She leans back against him and puts her hands over his on her flat belly.
"You like the country? There aren't shops there and spas and places to do things..."
"Oh darling, have you heard of the internet?" She tips her head and kisses his chin. "I love the idea of having a yard, some tall grass, trees and maybe a goat."
"A goat?" Cam tugs up her shirt. His hands want to be on her skin. "You think you're pregnant?" He traces her muscles with his fingertips already imagining her nourishing their child.
"Goats are very sweet animals and I'm not sure. I don't feel any differently yet."
Adria comes bounding out of her room then. "Mommy! Daddy!" She races over and hugs the side of their legs.
"So much excitement." Vala runs her fingers through her full head of curls.
"I brushed my teeth and hair and put on my jammas." She starts to tug on their pants, trying to scale her way up to get level with them.
Cam takes pity on her and picks her up. "Such a good girl. What do you want to do before bed?" She stays in his arms for a moment before reaching for her mother. She is clearly sleepier then she wants to admit and always wants Vala when she is trying to fight her battle with sleep.
"Can we build with blocks?" She stifles a yawn against her mother's neck before wiggling down and grabbing Cam's hand to pull him to her room and her blocks.
"We're going to build things, mom, come tuck us in in a little bit?"
Vala nods at him and starts cleaning up dinner. She loves when Adria drags him off to play with her. She understands the appeal, playing with Cam is one of her favorite activities as well.
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Cam can tell it isn't great news when Vala walks in the door to his office after her doctor's appointment with Lam.
She slumps down in the chair, sighing. "No little pitter patter of Mitchell feet just yet."
"We knew it might take some time," he says, putting down the pen he was writing with and getting up. He leans against the front of his desk, just in front of the chair she's in. "But she said conditions were fine for trying."
It had been a concern of his... remnants of old injuries making things hard, or everything Vala's body has been put through over the years... but Dr. Lam had done all the tests she knew to do, and said everything looked fine as far as her medical equipment could discern.
"So we just keep trying?" There's disappointment, obviously, but neither of them are quitters.
"Yep," he says, reaching his hands out to her. She takes them and lets him pull her up and into his arms, smiling at him. "We'll just have to be a little more vigorous."
He winks when he says it, making her grin. "I need to go collect Adria. I'm sure she's driving Daniel absolutely barmy by now."
Cam snickers. "Do him good."
"You're not still jealous, are you, dear?" Vala teases Cam. He'd certainly had his moments early on in their relationship when he hadn't been too crazy about the time she spent with Daniel, mostly because he knew the interest Vala'd had when she first came to the SGC.
"Nah, not jealous. I just enjoy seeing him flustered, and Adria has a gift for it. She gets-"
"Ah! Don't even have to say it," Vala cuts him off. "I know, I know, she gets that from me. Just wait until she's a teenager, then you'll really be in trouble. Your mother told me about some earth custom of beating boys off with sticks? Sounds quite barbaric for the Tau'ri, but I suppose if it works..."
Cam laughs... but doesn't correct her.
"Will you bring her back here to say hi to dear old dad?" He lets her slip from his grasp as she walks toward the door.
"You have time?" She lingers at the doorway.
He glances around at the mounds of paperwork and the upcoming mission plans. "Always, for the two of you, always." He watches her nod and slip out of the room.
When she's gone an empty feeling settles over him. He didn't realize how much he was looking forward to the pregnancy. They'd been sure that she'd gotten pregnant but apparently it had been wishful thinking. He had been so nervous about bringing another child into the world and now it seems that he actually couldn't wait.
The half done mission logistics stare back at him from his desk. The plan involves being gone for at least a week. It's as if he just returned. There's never enough time with them. He scratches a few more notes on the papers and then hits the speaker button on the phone before dialing the number on the card.
The answering voice makes him smile. She's bright and friendly and available. He chats for a few minutes and asks if she can meet in thirty minutes. When she agrees he listens to her voice tell him something amusing and he chuckles into the phone. Vala and Adria walk into the office.
Vala's face falls at the sound of the bubbly female voice on the other end. She hears her confirm that he's be seeing her in half an hour and she scowls.
Cam hangs up. "My girls." Adria comes bounding over and hops into his lap. "Did you have fun with Daniel, punkin?"
"He was lots of fun. Taught me to brush special dust around. He said that the faeries like it if you move it off the words etched into the blocks." She makes the brushing motions that uncle Daniel taught her.
"Who was that?" Vala's voice is hard and a little choked. She is jealous and possessive and she doesn't trust other women with her husband.
"Ah, her... she's my appointment in thirty." He's watching her face and it's possible that there are tears gathering in her eyes. That's when he feels bad for teasing. "Vala, it's the real estate agent. We're gonna blow this popsicle stand and go look at some places she found for us."
She feels silly now, but the part of the conversation she heard made her uneasy. "You had someone looking... already?"
"Of course. I don't like to sit on ideas." Now the tears do start to fall. "Oh, princess, I'm sorry I teased you. I love you."
"You're just so sweet... I..." She walks over to him and sits on the other side of his lap and he wraps his arm around her waist.
Cam holds his two girls tight but sees the time ticking. "We should get going if we want to see all the houses she's found."
"Love you." Her lips brush his in a delicate, sweet kiss.
Mommy!" Adria stares at Vala with wide, trouble eyes. "Mommy no cry. C'mere, HUG."
She stands up in Cam's lap and throws her arms around her mother, hugging her tightly. Vala can't help but smile at that, hugging Adria back. "Mummy's fine, sweetheart. Just a little sad right now."
"Don't be sad, Daddy kiss." Adria crawls off of Cam's lap and takes a few steps back, then crosses her arms and watches them. 'Daddy kiss Mommy better!"
Cam laughs. "Come on, Mom. Baby girl says I gotta kiss it better."
He places another kiss on her lips, and then reaches up to wipe the remnants of a tear away.
"All better," she says, smiling at Adria to reassure her. She gets out of Cam's lap. "And ready to leave."
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Adria has fun running around the first couple of houses, but by the third she's wearing out. Vala has to hold her as they walk around, and it clearly lessens the experience for her. Every time Cam tries to take her, Adria fusses.
"It's fine," Vala says, brushing a kiss over Adria's forehead. "I've got her."
"She's getting heavy, though."
"Yes..." Vala voice sounds a bit distant. "Growing up."
Cam rubs a hand over Vala's back. standing just behind her. "So, you like this one? It's got a pool, nice big kitchen, three bedrooms..."
Even if they don't have another kid - not that Cam really wants to think about that - three bedrooms is nice, and it's in his price range.
"I like this best of all the ones we've seen," Vala admits.
"I told her three in one day was enough." Cam opens a closet and looks in it, inspecting. "But we can check out some more next weekend if none of these really grab you."
"Are we in a hurry?" Vala doesn't know. She does know that when Cam gets an idea in his head he likes to follow through as soon as possible.
He looks over at Cindy, the realtor, and pulls Vala aside. "I'm going off world soon." He whispers. "I'd like to... What if..."
It's already been a long day this kinda of talk isn't what she needs. She rolls her eyes down at the child on resting her head on her shoulder. She doesn't like hearing him imply that he won't return but Adria is getting to the age that she'll understand his tone as well as his words.
"Don't." It's a short warning but it's enough. "We'll just go look at more when you get back." He still doesn't look convinced. "Cindy?" She beacons the agent over to them.
"What can I help you with, Mrs. Mitchell?"
Vala still gets chills when someone calls her that. "Are there any other places you're going to show us similar to this one?"
She looks in a quandary but only hesitates momentarily before answering. "No, not really. All the rest are a bit more. They have some extra acreage compared to the five you get here but the cost is higher. One has a little guest house."
Vala looks up at Cam. She's not the one spending the money. She likes this house, sees a lot of potential. It's not too far from the mountain but not too close to the city.
He asks Cindy to give them another minute alone, which she gladly does. "I am not making this decision alone, Vala."
"I like it."
"But you don't love it..."
"I love you." She shifts Adria to her other hip. "This place is great. I can see us with a family here. Living here as a family."
"Do you want to make an offer?"
"Only if you do to." They take a minute to just stare at each other. Neither of them believing that it is this easy.
"Lets do it." Her smile is his reward. It's big and gleeful and that grin always makes him a bit weak in the knees.
"We're going to be house owners." Vala grabs his arm to stop him as he's walking back to Cindy. "This is the..." She struggles to find the right thing to say. "It's the first time I've really been tied down anywhere... since I was a little girl."
"How does it feel?" Her awaits her answer only a little flutter of concern in his belly.
She kisses Adria's temple. "Really good."
"That's what I want to hear." Cam takes her hand and they go over to get everything rolling on their first major purchase as husband and wife.
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Cam wakes in the middle of the night to a sniffling sound. It's strange that this would wake him. Adria has nightmares on occasion, of course, like any child, but usually they bring her running into the bedroom wanting in bed with her parents.
This time, there's no running, no shouting, no teary confusion. Just a quiet sound that strikes him as being different and not good.
He sits up and glances over at Vala, who stays fast asleep. He thinks about waking her, since she's usually the one Adria wants after a bad dream anyway, but decides not to. Vala's worried enough about Adria right now, and he doesn't want to do anything that might make it worse.
He walks into Adria's bedroom and sees her curled tightly into herself on the bed, the covers all on the floor. He hesitates in the doorway and then walks over to her, sitting on the edge of her bed. He shakes her shoulder, feeling the slightness of her body under his touch, how tiny she is still. "Honey, wake up."
She jerks, her body going stiff, and her eyes blink open. There's a flash of gold and then it's gone, so fast that Cam would think it's just a trick of the light if not for the fact that there's no light at all, it's middle of the night.
He shakes his head, realizing he must have just imagined it completely. It's late and he's tired, still half asleep himself. He picks up Adria, who cuddles in against him and is back asleep before they even make it to the bedroom.
Vala wakes up when Cam gets back in bed, settling in with Adria between them. "I didn't even hear her."
"Yeah..." Cam says. "Just a bad dream."