Vala, overwhelmingly tired and drained from giving birth, woke up on her front in another isolation room to find a rather worse for wear Daniel sitting in a wheelchair next to her bed. She smiled, saying, her voice hoarse, "Daniel."

He smiled back at her, smoothing her hair as he said, "Hey. How are you feeling?"

She stretched a little. "Like, how my serial impregnater of a husband would say, crap. How are you? Cameron told me about your new babies... how are you and Sam?"

Daniel helped her to sit up, supporting her back with pillows as he replied with a drained smile, "Very, very tired. Sam and the babies are asleep. Can I get you anything?"

She shook her head and replied, resting her head back against her pillows, "No... I'm not sure I'll be able to keep it down." She looked at him in concern, "How are you? Cameron was really upset about letting you go to the school by yourself... and you should have seen Samantha. She was so determined to find you. How did she manage to get pregnant?" The alien frowned.

He shrugged and replied, trying to blink past his tiredness, "It's a long story."

"I'll bet it is. It always is with you."

He leaned forward, his elbows resting on her bed as he remarked with a little smile, "So... you're a Mommy again."

She groaned. "I'm going to neuter my husband if he thinks of doing this again."

He replied with a shrug, "Well, Jonas is thinking about having a baby... so maybe it could catch on."

She reached out to touch his jaw, saying with an affectionate smile, "You're the most courageous and selfless man I know. Samantha is and forever will be a very lucky woman."

The Archaeologist blushed, ducking his head in embarrassment and she continued to smile at him. She continued, "You should sleep, Daniel."

"I wanted to see you. Mitchell's showing your daughter off to everyone he can think of... and I had to make Sam go to sleep."

She chuckled in amusement and he asked, concerned, "Are you sure that I can't get you anything?"

"I'm sure, Daniel. Thanks." She watched him for a moment. "So... what are you going to do now? I imagine you still won't be back on SG-1."

"I imagine I will... to be honest, I don't think either me or Sam ever left. It's just all been on hiatus. And anyway, the only operational members of the team are Mitchell and Jonas, what with the rest of us either out of action or having a violent time off-world with Ish'ta."

She remarked in amusement, "They seemed alright earlier."

"They'd use staff weapons on the advancing enemy... of course they were alright... no tension."

"Well... that and Muscles is finally getting some, what Cameron calls, action." Her smile faded. "I miss old times... the last time I woke up, I thought of us on Ortus Mallum... and Atlantis... and the places we went to because of those Ancient prophecies. We'll never do anything like that again because you, Samantha and Teal'c aren't on the team."

"One day, Vala... one day. Babysitting IOA delegates never goes right."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

House sat on a gurney in a quiet part of the Infirmary, deep in thought as he held a canister of Vicodin in his hand. He exhaled, holding the object up to the light, perplexed at not feeling like taking them any more. Where before there had been an unconscious decision – no, necessity – in taking each tablet, he now hesitated. What was wrong?

Some time later, Daniel emerged from Vala's room and watched the doctor in the distance with concern, feeling his confusion. He quietly wheeled up to his position and said when the doctor glanced in his direction,

"Sam can't control her healing power that well. When she healed the extensive damage caused by the bullets, she healed your infarction... and apparently your Vicodin addiction. You're not immortal though."

"Shame... I always wanted to outlive the last Stone." House finally threw the canister into a bin that was a few metres away, and then exhaled before looking at the Archaeologist and asking, "How's the horny alien?"

Daniel looked at him reprovingly before saying, a little annoyed until he felt Sam soothe him, "If you're referring to Vala... she's very tired."

House watched him for a moment. "What happened? You dump her for General McBoobs?"

"House..."

Daniel rolled his eyes when the doctor feigned innocence, and the Archaeologist replied, trying to hold his anger back, "We were never an item. I care for Vala as a friend... I always have."

"I'm sensing something more. Ok... so you're not forthcoming about your part in it but she cares a lot about you."

Daniel grimaced slightly. "She does." He paused. "It's water under the bridge. She was attracted to me for a long while, but we're ok with it now. As friends, we've come a long way since then."

"I'll say... you know, her baby resembles you. And now that I think about it... little Daniela actually resembles Colonel Mitchell."

Daniel, powered by anger alone, shot out of his wheelchair and punched the doctor in the face repeatedly as Cam and Jonas entering the Infirmary with Teal'c and their babies, shouted for him to stop, Teal'c going to the doctor's rescue as an alarmed Cassie peered out of Carolyn's room, Jack sprinting over to break it up. As Teal'c stood in between the doctor and the Archaeologist, Jack yanked Daniel away, exclaiming,

"Jesus! What the hell is going on!?"

Daniel, still highly charged, shot back, breathing heavily, "That bastard insulted Sam."

Jack's eyebrow shot up. "And you didn't think to zap him?"

"He's been making jokes about her since he started. I'll kill him."

Jack gestured silently to Teal'c to take the now stunned doctor away, and when Daniel made to raise a hand in the doctor's direction, the old General grabbed it as a very weak Sam emerged from her room, leaning in the doorway and watching the scene with concern. Jack exclaimed, forcefully sitting the Archaeologist down in his wheelchair,

"Daniel! Stop it. You zap him and I'll kill you myself. Whatever happened to Spiderman's motto? With great power comes great responsibility? How is killing that ass a responsible act? You used to come up with the most sarcastic and cutting comebacks before... what happened to you? What happened to the man I knew who wouldn't raise a hand against anyone unless it was absolutely necessary? I don't want this bastard that's replaced him. Now, chill. Post-natal or not, if you pick another fight, I'll have you thrown off this base. Is that understood?"

Daniel angry at Jack's words too, muttered a curse in Abydonian before beginning to sulk. As Jonas went back to Carolyn's room with Henry, Cam trying and failing to get Sam back into hers, Sam slowly emerged into the Infirmary and kneeled on the floor next to Daniel's chair. The Archaeologist instantly looked at her in concern, worried that she had got out of bed, when she squeezed his hand, looking highly worried as she said,

"Daniel... just stop being so volatile. You know he's an ass and he has really bad social skills. Why did you rise to the bait?" She smoothed his hair back. "I'm grateful that you don't hesitate to defend me now, but you know I would kick his ass if I wanted to... if it was necessary, but he'll never change; especially if you keep proving his strange theories about insecure men. He's harmless." He gazed at her, now docile, and she kissed him on the cheek before saying, still holding his hand,

"Go and apologise to him. True, he may never return the compliment but would you rather stoop to his level?"

Jack remarked, rolling his eyes as they both looked at him in amusement, "And if I'd said that, you'd be flashing those fists of fury at me." He looked at Sam, "Right... Carter, my Brigadier-General, get back to your room before I get you a Marine escort. I'll escort Dannyboy to la casa mia."

Sam glared at the General before touching the Archaeologist's cheek and then disappearing in a flash of bluish-white light as Daniel looked disappointed. Jack remarked as he stood up to push the wheelchair,

"Chin up, Space Monkey. Depending on whether you're your usual self or not, which would involve using those blue, blue eyes on that ass, you'll be back in no time to spoon and watch her breastfeed. You dog."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

With Teal'c and Jack outside, Daniel wheeled himself into House's office, the doctor bouncing what appeared to be a large tennis ball against the wall. He looked up, his jaw bruised, and said,

"Well... I guess someone owes someone an apology. I think I'll start." He sighed. "I'm sorry. You of all people know I can't help being an ass. It just happens. I push people away."

Daniel, knowing just how hard it was for House to be that forthcoming about himself, replied quietly, "I knew that... that's why I'm sorry too. I... I guess a verbal spar's better than a physical one."

"Less painful too."

Daniel looked at him shyly and opened his mouth to speak when House asked the same question Daniel was about to, "So... are we cool? You and me?"

Daniel replied with a little smile, "My son's still named after you."

"Cool." He looked at Daniel seriously. "About the things I say about the General... I..."

Daniel nodded in partial understanding. "I know. You're an ass. It's a cover for your pain. Not a good cover, I'll admit, but a cover."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"I can't believe I lost it."

Sam remarked, watching Daniel as she lie next to him in his bed, his arms around her, "I can't believe it either. Being post natal usually entails depression and insecurity. But you have to be different... punching a doctor's lights out. I'm glad you apologised because who knows? He might have done something that only doctors would understand... and then it's touch and go."

After a long pause, he looked at her, the Astrophysicist seeing the shame in his eyes. "It felt good... punching him."

Even more worried that she had been before, she gazed at him. "I hope that's not going to be a habit. That was horrible what you did to him... at least you healed him too." She turned away from him, upset at his change of behaviour, and he hugged her tighter, saying softly,

"I'm sorry, Sam. Like a typical idiot, I just hit him without thinking... but he was insulting you. I hate it when he calls you General McBoobs. It demeans how far you've come, how hard you've worked to get to be a General... bringing your mammary glands into the equation as though you were some sort of a commodity. It's disgusting."

"It's House."

She turned back to look at him as she said, feeling tired, "You know that it's only you, don't you?"

He frowned, wondering where she was going with that line of inquiry as she continued, stroking his cheek, "You have some serious jealousy problems, whether they're conscious or otherwise. I mean... let's take the Doctor for instance. You bruised his nose because you thought he was taking me away from you."

He looked up at the ceiling, shamefaced as she continued, unable to prevent herself from smiling, "And before that... Ortus Mallum. You were jealous of Artur... I still remember you putting your arm around me after the mission when he saw us off."

He sighed and said quietly, kissing her hair, "I'm sorry, Sam. Next time, I'll think first before acting. I usually do... it's just that with you, all reason and logic flies out of the window." She smiled, kissing him softly as she replied,

"You don't know how hard it is for me not to punch out most of the women on this base for the way they look at you... but I for one am glad that you are completely oblivious... well, not completely per se... when it comes to women."