Return

Daniel was the first to hit the ramp on the other side of the gate. Never before had the drab grey walls seemed so inviting. His eyes roamed around the room, a big smile breaking free as he came to rest his gaze on the small group of people watching him from the control room. Most noticeable was the girl in Cam's arms. She was grinning giddily. He threw his arms out wide as Vala and Jacek came to stand on the ramp behind him.

"We're baaaaack!" Daniel called out happily, laughing outright as Hayden began to squirm uncontrollably in Mitchell's arms. Through the glass, he could see the Colonel trying to tell her to wait, and Hayden desperately trying to escape his clutches.

Finally, she managed to shimmy out of his embrace, dropping out of Daniel's sight below the window. He turned to look back at Vala, who was also smiling widely. Blue eyes flicked to Jasek for a moment, but the interest in his reaction was lost when Daniel heard voices on the other side of the blast door.

'Dammit, girl! You listen 'bout as well as your momma.'

The sweetest voice Daniel had ever known came next. 'Open! Open! Open!' Her excitement matched his and Vala's. It seemed like an eternity, but within only seconds the door slid open. Daniel raced down the ramp as Hayden rushed into the room.

"Daddy, daddy, daddy!" She squealed, launching herself into his arms as he knelt down at the foot of the ramp. Daniel fell back as he squeezed Hayden tightly to his body. Her arms wrapped around his neck in a fierce hug, her face burying in his neck just above them.

Daniel laughed at the sound of her laughter. "Hey my beautiful baby girl." He kissed her cheek since that was all he could reach at the moment, rocking her from side to side.

Hayden pulled back and planted a big kiss on his lips. "I missed you so much, daddy!" Tears were in her eyes despite the laughter in her voice. "I wish you were home every single day that you weren't. And even though Cam is really, really cool, he's just not as cool as you, daddy."

"Oh, there's no way!" Daniel couldn't stop his happy laughter, only intensified by the 'hey!' the not as cool man shouted at them. He didn't bother responding to it. Instead, Daniel hugged Hayden close again. "I missed you so much, too." He mumbled into her brown hair, breathing in the smell of her. He didn't even bother to try and stop the few tears that spilled over. "Missed you so, so much Hayds."

Again, they separated a little. Hayden ran her sleeve under her snotty nose, giggling as Daniel wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs. She then returned the favor by wiping his away with her hands.

Tears in her own eyes, Vala was smiling at the pair. She slowly moved a little down the ramp, her father moving with her.

"How sweet..." Jacek whispered to her. She looked at him and he indicated towards Daniel and Hayden. "Dr. Jackson has a little girl. Wonder who her moth-"

"Mommy!" Hayden shrieked from Daniel's lap. Jasek blinked at the interruption and Vala looked back down the ramp. Her daughter was scrambling out of her father's lap to get to her. Like Daniel had, she moved farther down the ramp to take Hayden in her arms. Unlike Daniel, Vala hefted the little girl up into the air, spinning her around.

Daniel remained seated at the bottom of the ramp. He was grinning like he would never stop. Grinning because he was back where he belonged. Grinning because he was watching true happiness before his eyes. Grinning at the slightly open-mouthed expression on the face of the man now frozen in place at the top of the ramp.

Bracing Hayden against her stomach, Vala placed a barrage of kisses all over her face. Hayden giggled wildly.

"You are the prettiest little thing in the entire universe." Vala smiled, placing one final kiss to her daughter's lips. "I missed seeing your pretty every morning when I woke up and every night before I fell asleep."

Twisting her finger in her hair, Hayden grinned. "But daddy has his own pretty to look at."

Vala rubbed her nose against the little girl's. "That is very, very true." Her gaze drifted to Hayden's hair, where something bright pink caught her eye. Her grin widened. "Did your daddy see that yet?"

"Did her daddy see what yet?" Daniel asked tentatively as he walked up the ramp towards them. Vala handed Hayden off to her father, biting back a laugh as his blue eyes widened upon seeing the vibrant pink streak running the length of his daughter's hair. She wouldn't look at him, but instead giggled towards the floor.

Daniel turned around to see Cam trying to make an unnoticed retreat from the gateroom. "Hold it!" He barked and his friend winced at being caught. Striding down the ramp, Hayden firmly braced against his hip with one arm, Daniel held the offending streak out for emphasis. "What the hell is this?"

Cam looked like a goldfish for a moment, his mouth opening and closing on what seemed to be an endless loop. Finally he found he could speak. "It was her idea!" He pointed at Hayden.

"Oh, I know it was her idea." Daniel turned a critical stare on Hayden. "She is, after all, just a small version of her mother." His gaze returned to Mitchell. "I wanna how you managed to let a five year old coax you into putting highlights in her hair."

Mitchell did his fish impersonation for a moment. "Actually, it was Carolyn who did the highlighting-"

"Leave me out of this!" The doctor said into the microphone. She'd known better than to go into the gateroom. Her brown eyes looked to Vala, who shared a conspiratorial wink with her.

"Come on, Jackson!" Cam sounded like he was pleading for his life. "Hayds can be very, very pushy and persuasive when she wants to be. I have a hard enough time resisting you and Vala, but when you throw that cute face into it..." He looked at Hayden, who was the picture of innocence. "See! That face."

Daniel looked from Cam to Hayden and back again.

"Darling, it's just one pink highlight." Vala moved down the ramp to loop her arm through his free one. She rested her cheek against his shoulder, looking at Hayden. "Besides, I think it's rather fabulous."

"You would." Daniel finally gave in to the smile he'd been fighting. Cam heaved a sigh of relief at the sight of it. "And if Vala says it's alright, then I guess I can keep from kickin' your ass..." He directed toward his Colonel friend. "This time."

Hayden clapped. "See! Told you we wouldn't get in trouble!"

Mitchell laughed. "That's because you're a spoiled little brat."

"I am not." Hayden pouted.

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am-" A large hand came to rest firmly over Hayden's mouth.

"Children!" Daniel laughed. Looking at Vala, he indicated to Cameron. "I think we came back just in time. I think someone's going stir crazy." His gaze drifted back up the ramp to the figure still poised at the top. "And someone else has gone into shock."

Vala grinned, noticing for the first time the look on her father's face. "Jacek!" She called and the man jumped as if awoken. His eyes met hers in disbelief. "Follow us and we'll give you a proper introduction."

The small group at the base of the ramp ushered out of the gateroom and into the hallway.

"So where's everyone-" Daniel stopped and let out a sound of mock disgust, pulling his hand away from Hayden's mouth. He wiped his now wet hand on Vala's arm. She smacked him in the back of the head in return.

Hayden smiled at the exchange. Her smile fell slowly as her gaze landed on the strange man lagging behind him. "Who's that?" She asked curiously, pointing her finger at him.

Daniel cast a look at Jacek, then looked at his daughter. "Well, I would tell you now but you licked me, so now you have to wait." Hayden pouted and crossed her arms. Daniel just laughed. "I may have been gone two weeks, but I haven't forgotten how to be your daddy."

"I take back what I said." Hayden huffed. "Cam is cooler."

Vala smiled as Daniel hissed in mock pain and Mitchell laughed triumphantly. Looking back at Jacek, who still had yet to recover that cheesy smile, she felt glee flow through her and tightened her arm around Daniel's.

A/N: For anyone who wants to know the color pink I picture when I see the highlight in Hayden's hair, go on my profile here. Click the link to my Greatestjournal. Under the cut on the most recent entry (the one entitled 'It's about flocking...and togetherness' ;D) are pics of the recent 'addition' to my own hair. The color is called atomic pink. And despite what certain people might think -cough-BETA-cough-, I actually had the idea of having a highlight of that color in Hayden's hair before I put it in my own (which was just on Sunday). It's just a big cowinkydink I happened to write this chapter a few days after i did it. Anywho, back to the Daniel/Hayden smooshiness you all love. I'm trying to work out some mommy/daughter time in my head, but am definitely up to suggestions. What would you like to see Vala and Hayden do together??

And ofcourse, Reviews are LVOE!