"Nie!" a small voice calls from outside of my bedroom door.

"Shhh!" Is that Joe?

"What's going on?" I ask.

Joe pushes the door open to reveal three toddlers carrying breakfast in bed to me. I hope that the glass of orange juice that Mattie is carrying started off being only a quarter full.

"Happy birthday!" Kush exclaims, flinging himself on me, much to the detriment of the waffle on his plate.

"This is why we didn't put the syrup on yet," Joe says, handing the bottle to me.

"So you are still expecting me to eat a waffle that has been pushed against my pajamas?" I ask in surprise.

"They're clean, right?" he asks.

Men. "How about I have my breakfast at the table?" I ask.

"They are a little young for this, aren't they?" he asks as we walk toward the kitchen.

"They are, but I really admire you for trying. It must have been very hard to keep them safe when you were cooking."

"It really was," Joe says in awe.

I kiss him.

"Joe said he weally wanted to yell at us," Mattie tattles.

Joe looks all guilty.

"And he still didn't? Wow, what great self-control. Maybe when you guys grow-up, you'll be able to be gentle even when it's hard," I say.

"You are really good at this, our kid is so lucky," Joe grins at me.

"You good daddy," Kush says assuredly as Joe pours half a glass of orange juice into each of the plastic cups for the twins.

"Thanks," Joe says obviously surprised.

"Good daddies make 'affles," Kush explains.

"Well I hope my 'affles don't taste awful," Joe jokes.

-0-

"Oh, Joe," I say.

"You loved a plane the last time you were up in it," he says, looking disappointed.

"I know, but I wasn't six months pregnant then."

"I looked it up, it's safe."

"But it doesn't sound fun. I mean, that cockpit is small, and I'm going to want to pee or end up puking or something. Just… no. But thank you."

"I'm sorry, maybe surprises aren't the best plan anymore."

"At least not until the baby is born."

"Oh, so you think you will be up for a lot of surprises when you've got a newborn on your hip?"

"Yeah, they don't really go on the hip that little," I say.

"I still have a little to learn about being a Daddy. I admit it. But I've got a really good teacher," he says, smiling at me.

-0-

Daniel always spend a lot of time with his kids when he comes back from a mission, but tonight he seems unusually clingy. I practically have to drag the kids away from him as they fall asleep one by one. When they are all safely tucked away in their rooms I sit down next to him. "What's wrong?"

"Well, I had one of those experiences that I can't begin to explain to you. I made me pretty convinced that a whole lifetime had passed. I thought everyone I knew was gone. I thought my kids…I thought they would have grown-up, and spent their whole life without me. I almost didn't want to get up and keep fighting. What would be the point if my babies was gone?"

"They're fine," I say.

"Yeah, but I'm thinking maybe I should re-think who gets my kids. I mean… maybe not. Maybe it's too much."

"You left out some nouns in that."

"I'm asking you and Joe, obviously."

I'm so stunned that no words get out of my mouth.

"No worries, Steph. It's a lot to ask. You'd have four very little kids. Jack is still totally willing to take care of my children."

"No, I was just surprised. I would be so honored, Daniel."

"Seriously, say no if you want to. It's a huge responsibility, and I wouldn't want you to feel like you had to. It's way out of the realm of the duties of a nanny."

"That it is, Daniel, but I love these kids like my own. I would be honored. So, if there isn't anything else you want, I'm going to head to Joe's place for the night."

"I didn't realize you were planning on doing that tonight! I would have let you take off hours ago. I'm sorry!"

"It's fine. It's not like there is a certain time that I have to be there by. If I had really wanted to leave, I would have asked to go."

"You called it Joe's place, but it's your place too," Daniel says.

"Right, it doesn't really feel like it yet. It's not Joe's fault," I say quickly, when I catch a glance at Daniel's scowl.

"No, I really don't think it is. I think it will start feeling like your place when you start spending more time there than just sleeping."

"I know, it's just a little hard," I complain.

"Well, honey, it's not going to get easier with a newborn," Daniel says.

"You're right," I say.

"Take tomorrow off. Spend it with Joe."

"He's working."

"Spend it making your place all girly, then. I don't want you to be in this house for twenty-four hours."

"You're kicking me out?" I tease.

"It's for your own good," he teases back.

-0-

"Wow," Jack says, looking at my belly, "Is it okay to touch?"

"I'm six months pregnant, everyone's touching," I say with a smile.

He puts his hand down tentatively, and my son responds to the heat of his hand by squirming.

"So what are your plans for after this little one enters the world?" Jack asks.

"I thought you knew I was going to keep working for Daniel."

"I meant, like, right after. You're going to take a maternity leave, aren't you?"

"People do that so they can take care of their kids. If those kids were mine, I wouldn't be taking a break from them."

"They aren't yours, though," he says.

"Jack, I'm fine."

"I was offering my place. You hid out there for finals; this is a bit more intense than that."

"I love those kids. I don't want a break from them," I protest.

"I'm not talking a long one. I'm saying a month, or a week, or something. Honey," he says in sympathy. "There are a lot of really young kids at your house."

"Jack, if I need some time off after the baby comes, I will stay at my place."

"Your place? You've got to be kidding. Daniel's kids are going to climb right into bed with you and the newborn," Jack protests.

"I meant… Joe's place," I clarify.

"Joe's place is your place? That's new."

"Well, the place is new. The two of us bought it together."

He stares at me, and suddenly I wish I had lied to him. Daniel always tells me to lie about shit like this. "You moved in with your boyfriend?"

"Well, only sort of. I mean, I still work for Daniel. So it's not like I'm there all the time, but yeah, whenever Daniel's home, I'm over there."

"Wow," he says, sitting back.

"I'm sorry."

"Are you?" he asks, looking at me, "Because if you're actually sorry, you should stop living with him."

"I'm just saying I'm sorry I disappointed you."

"Never, kid," he says smiling, "But is this just about the kid? I mean, you know that I'd be there for you. You know Daniel will be. If you're just looking for a co-parent…"

"It's more than that," I tell him.

Jack nods, "So, are you getting married then?"

"Not yet. I know that's the right thing to do or whatever…" I begin.

"Not always," Jack says.

"I love him. I'm just not sure about forever, right now. I won't get married until I am sure about the whole forever thing."

"Wise, divorce sucks," Jack says.

"How about you and Janet?" I ask.

"We're good," he says with a face blank of any expression.

"I just mean, like how are things going between the two of you?" I prompt.

"What about this relationship between yourself and I made you think that we would talk about the details of my romantic relationships?" he asks.

"We just talked about my romantic relationships," I point out.

"Right, but you're the kid. That's normal," Jack says.

I glare at him.

"It's going well. We're fine."

"'Cause Cassie was bothered when Teal'c disappeared," I point out.

"I'm not disappearing," he says, "Also not spending the night with her unmarried mother and corrupting a teenage girl's mind, but… whatever."

I raise my eyebrows.

"I'm just not thrilled about the way that Teal'c treated my girls," he says.

"Your girls?" I say with a smile.

He glares at me.

"So you're not spending the night? You're just totally hiding the fact that you're having sex with her mother?"

"I want to give Cassie the impression that when you have sex, you are miserable, and when you don't, you are happy."

"But you and Janet are having sex, right?" I ask.

"I sort of want to give you that impression, too," he replies with a sigh.

"Hey, don't go around insulting my baby," I say, touching my stomach.

He laughs. "Are you really putting the oopsie baby that you are having with some guy you don't want to marry forward as a stunning example of positive consequences?"

"My baby is perfect," I defend.

"Yeah, the baby is perfect. You're perfect, too. The sleeping with your boyfriend…" Jack trails off.

I roll my eyes.

"I'm serious about taking some time off when the baby comes. Even if it is with your live in boyfriend."

Another eye roll.