Sorry it took me so long to post this...
Surprise!
He was in the kitchen, already showered and dressed, getting ready to make breakfast when he heard the car pull up. Putting down the pans quietly as not to wake Hayden and Vala down the hall, Daniel made his way out of the kitchen and to the front door.
Swinging it open, he smiled. The moment she saw him, she returned the smile with an equal happiness. Daniel sprinted down the porch steps and up to the passenger side of the car as she climbed out. She 'oomph'ed as he gathered her in a fierce hug.
"It's so good to see you, Cassie." He mumbled into her ear as he rested his head along side hers.
Cassie hugged him back. "Good to see you too, Daniel." She squeaked as he picked her up. "Hey, easy..." Daniel had her back on the ground in an instant, looking at her with a look mixed between concern and confusion. Cassie smiled. "I'm...delicate."
It took a moment for understanding to dawn on him. "Oh...oh!" Daniel hugged her again, this time more gently. "Congratulations, Cass."
She laughed quietly against his neck. "Thank you." Pulling back, Cassie gave Daniel a mischievous smirk. "Obviously you and Vala aren't the only ones who get it on like rabbits." She laughed again, more loudly this time, at the face Daniel made to her comment.
"Cassie, please!" He gasped in disgust. "I don't need to know these things."
Cassie shrugged. "The proof is in the...well, babies."
Daniel nodded and released her. "Still, what goes on in your bedroom is none of my business." He walked around the car to join Jake, Cassie's husband, at the trunk. Jake had been put through the 'watchdog gauntlet', as Cassie called it, a few years back. Daniel had been the first of her 'watchdogs' to accept Jake. It took a little longer for Jack and Teal'c to come around, but they had eventually. The fact that Cassie had been carrying Jake's child had done a lot to persuade them.
Extending his hand, Daniel grinned as the younger man smiled back and shook it happily.
"I told her not to make the rabbits comment." Jake offered as he went to pull their suitcases out of the trunk.
Daniel shrugged, helping with the bags. "And you actually expected her to listen?"
Slamming the trunk, Jake laughed. "Not really, but I had to try." He bent to grab two of the bags on the ground.
"We'll never learn." Daniel chuckled, picking up the remaining two. They moved around the car, stopping by Cassie who was very occupied with motherly duties.
Cassie pulled herself out from the rear passenger side. "No, you won't." She grinned then popped back inside the car, continuing to try and get their fussing toddler, Grace, out of her car seat.
Both men shared a look. "Now she listens." Daniel muttered and Jake nodded with a roll of his eyes. A high-pitched wail had them both turning their attention back to the car.
"Gracie, hunny, I can't unhook it if you don't stop freaking out." Cassie offered in a patient voice, fingers trying to unlatch the buckle while Grace's small hands smacked at them. The toddler was crying hysterically. Daniel set the bags down and moved to kneel beside Cassie, completely in view of the little girl.
"Hey..." He said in a friendly, soothing voice. Like clockwork, Grace looked at him. "Gracie, you remember me?" Daniel smiled, despite the baffled look on Grace's face. "I'm Daniel. Do you remember?" All he got was a confused blink, but it kept her distracted enough for Cassie to finally undo the latch.
Cassie looked back at him a moment. "Thank you." She whispered, and Daniel nodded. He picked up the bags again and moved to stand.
Jake was looking at him like he was some sort of hero. Daniel just shrugged and motioned for the younger man to head inside, "So, terrible twos have started in full swing?" He asked as they headed up the walkway to the porch. Jake gave him a look that screamed his question was the understatement of the lifetime.
"She is always screaming or crying, gets upset at the drop of a hat, throws her food..." Jake sighed. "Throws a tantrum when she doesn't get what she wants." He mumbled as they walked through the door. He waited until Daniel set the bags down before doing it himself, not wanting to be rude.
Daniel quirked a smile at him. "We are still talking about your daughter now, right?" Both chuckled until Cassie shouted 'I heard that!' from outside where Grace had started right back into crying. "Damn bionic hearing." He mutter conspiratorially to Jake, who had to muffle his laugh as Cassie carried their still sobbing little girl inside. At least she wasn't shrieking anymore.
"Should I have heard that one too?" She asked suspiciously, glaring at the pair. Daniel's innocent smile was expected, one she had learned long ago was hard to see through. Jake, on the other hand, was having a harder time hiding his amusement.
Shaking his head, Daniel continued to smile. "Nope."
Cassie nodded. "Right..." She drawled out sarcastically, stepping between the pair. She fixed her husband with a squinting glare. "You I can break." She whispered as she poked a finger at his chest, then moved to take Grace into the living room to get her to calm down.
Jake stared at Cassie for a moment, then look at Daniel for backup. The archaeologist held up his hands. "Yeah right, I'm not pulling you out of that one."
"But you're the one who said-" Jake stopped as Daniel motioned with his hand for him to shut it. He pointed in the direction of the living room and his eyes went a little wider. Jake turned his attention back that direction, and saw Cassie looking expectantly at him with an innocent grin on her face. "Damn, she's good."
Daniel patted the younger man's arm. "Jake, my friend, she has been schooled by a handful of women who have been trained, quite literally, to get a man to spill information." He said with a smirk as he ushered Jake towards the kitchen. "And, I hate to kill your hopes, but we will never get the upper hand. We just have to live with the fact that our women are better than us." Daniel winced as a wail came from the living room. "Geeze!"
Moving towards the counter, Jake offered him an apologetic glance. "Grace has been like that for the past two weeks." He gratefully accepted the cup of coffee Daniel handed to him. "A couple buddies of mine who went through it with their kids said it could last up to a good year before the 'terrible two' thing dies down." Both winced again as Grace shrieked again. She obviously wasn't liking what Cassie was doing or saying. "Was it bad with Hayds?"
"Uh, no." Daniel shook his head. "For which I am very grateful. It lasted for maybe a week, tops."
Jake blinked, surprised. "How did you-"
"Jack." Daniel answered, already knowing the question. "She went into a room with him crying, much like that..." He gestured towards the living room with his mug. "And came out, and hasn't done it like that since. Well, maybe once or twice, but those were a result of a bad dream or broken bone." He grinned. "Guess we'll just have to let Jack have a little sit down with Gracie."
Nodding vigorously, Jake sipped his coffee. Silence filled the house, soon replaced by the sounds of the tv in the living room. Relieved the tantrum was over, Jake decided to switch conversational topics. "So where are your two lovely ladies?" He asked curiously.
Daniel laughed. "Hayden's still sharing that birthday nap with her mother-"
"Actually, she's having that birthday nap all by herself now." An accented voice mumbled from the kitchen entryway. The two turned to look at Vala. Daniel smiled with affection as she made her way over to him, her hair sticking out messily and his shirt doing a piss poor job of keeping her covered. Thank god she'd decided to wear a pair of boyshorts to bed the night before, or Jake would be getting himself a free show. Daniel offered out his cup to Vala, but she walked past it and captured his mouth in deep kiss. He wrapped his free hand around her back, and one of her hands slid its way up around his neck and into his hair.
All Jake could do was stare at the couple. It wasn't the first time he'd seen them kiss like that, but it never got any less amazing at how their intense passion could energize a room. It was like you could feel how wrong for each other they appeared to be, but just how right they actually were together.
Vala slowly extracted her tongue from Daniel's warm mouth, leaving him in a short daze for the second time that day. "Cafe ala Daniel is much better, darling."
"I didn't think you were up." Was the first thing that flew from Daniel's lips, if a little hesitantly, as he recovered from the kiss.
She shrugged and moved to give Jake a hug. "The sounds of a wailing child would wake any mother." Vala replied, then smiled sympathetically at the young man. "I feel for you."
"You should really be feeling more for the mother." Cassie joked good-naturedly from the entryway. Vala grinned at the sight of her, and the two were shrieking like little girls and hugging a moment later. The two hadn't been very close from the start, but had quickly become close to best friends. Cassie had come to appreciate just how cool and unique Vala actually was.
Daniel stepped up to Jake, and nodded towards the pair. "Now we know where our children get it from."
Snorting a laugh, Jake nodded. "No shit."
Cassie and Vala finally separated a little, and the young woman smiled. "We're here to celebrate the big five year old's birthday..." She looked around her dramatically. Her gaze came up to meet Daniel's. "So where's the big five year old?"
"Still sleeping." Vala offered. She looked at Daniel, who placed his cup down on the counter and walked up beside her. He placed a kiss in her messy hair.
"I'll go wake her up...She already hates me for doing it once today. No need to make her cranky with anyone else over it." Daniel smiled, turning his attention to Cassie. "That way Vala can stay here and learn about your little secret." He shared a significant look with Jake, who blushed a little under the scrutiny.
Vala perked up even more. "Secret? What secret?" She asked Cassie with curious excitement.
Daniel wasn't even a few feet down the hall when the kitchen erupted in excited girly shouts once more. He just laughed and quietly made his way to Hayden's door. Pushing it open, he saw Hayden once more curled up around Larry. His smile grew as he came to kneel before her bed.
"Wakey wakey, sleepyhead." He whispered in her ear, brushing a hand through her hair.
Hayden sighed and inched closer to the edge of the bed. "Didn't we do the tradition already, daddy?" She asked around a yawn, snuggling her face into Daniel's chest.
He chuckled. "Yes, we did." Daniel waited a moment, giving his next words a dramatic effect. "But I just thought you'd like to get up and see the birthday surprise waiting for you in the kitchen."
In an instant, Hayden was up and off the bed. Larry dragged along the floor helplessly as she rushed for the door, pulling the worn toy by its tail. Daniel winced in sympathy for the poor camel as he trailed behind Hayden out of her bedroom.
"CASSIE!" Hayden screamed with surprised excitement, running up to her. Cassie laughed and snatched Hayden up in her arms as carefully as she could. Daniel grinned as he stepped up next to Vala, wrapping his arm around her back. They watched happily as Cassie handed their daughter of to Jake, who she greeted with an equal excitement.
This big birthday was starting out just right.
A/N: I guess it being Cassie was obvious! LoL...Anywho, I am just terrible b/c I've had this sitting ready to be posted for a week, but I just never got around to doing it. -is giving you permission to slap me like a bad little llama-. So I apologize for that. And I'm also going to say that there might not be another update for a little while b/c I'm getting ready to head off to school out of state, so I'm just a little busy. I'll try and write the next couple of chapters (I already have the ideas all ready...just need to get the thoughts out on wordpad) before heading off to Tallahassee. No promises though.
And, as always...Reviews are LVOE! (I'll be replying to the reviews from the last chapter hopefully tonight!)