Leaving Michael's side, Lily hurried towards the door and pulled it open. Her chest felt abnormally tight as she stared down at the small figure it revealed, her gaze taking in the slight frame, tousled light brown hair and huge blue eyes behind large glasses. Wide blue eyes that were now looking up at her, their depths filled with a combination of curiosity, fear and uncertainty.

Daniel.

There was a smudge of dirt on his nose and one cheek. She smiled when she noticed he had a tiny brush clutched in one grubby hand – he must have been digging out in the back garden again. He'd been quietly ecstatic when they'd given him permission to do so and had been outside almost every evening happily exploring the backyard. Absently, she reached out a hand and lightly brushed the dirt away and then finger-combed his hair, gently smoothing it away from his brow.

He'll need a haircut soon.

Her own eyes flooded once more when the next thought came unbidden to mind, directly on the heels of the first one.

But I won't be there when he does.

"Lily?" Daniel looked worriedly at the unexpected sight of the tears in his foster mother's eyes. Dropping the brush, he quickly latched onto her sleeve with one small hand and tugged hard, asking at the same time, "What's wrong?"

Slowly, she knelt down, and wordlessly drew him into a tight hug. If only she never had to let him go.

And if wishes were horses…

"L-Lily…?" The young voice quivered slightly when the feeling that something was wrong, really wrong, intensified within him. He waited but soon realised that no answer was forthcoming. Instead, the only reaction Lily showed was the tightening of her arms around him.

Daniel turned his head with some difficulty, his sky eyes impatiently seeking out the only other person in the room with them. "Michael? What's …what's wrong with Lily? Is she sick?"

Standing directly behind Lily as she remained crouched over Daniel, her slim figure enveloping the child's, Michael swallowed hard and forced himself to meet the inquiring gaze. "No, Danny…" Startled by the hoarse quality of his voice, he cleared his throat before continuing, "She… she's not sick."

The small face scrunched up in puzzlement while huge eyes peered up at him from behind Lily's shoulder. "But, then… why is she crying?"

Michael leaned down, placing a somewhat unsteady hand on Daniel's small head for a moment but didn't answer his question. Instead, he proceeded to touch his wife lightly on the shoulder. "Lily, honey … you're scaring him…"

She started at the warmth of his hand; she'd almost forgotten that Michael was in the room with them until his touch and deep baritone had broken through her haze of despair. Quickly pulling herself together, she gave Daniel another brief squeeze before letting go and standing up. Refusing to break contact with him, she kept one hand on his arm, pulling Daniel gently along with her as she headed towards the bed and sat down.

The eight-year-old followed obediently, allowing himself to be towed along, a tiny frown of confusion marring his features. Settling himself on the bed beside her, he first looked up towards Michael, who'd also drawn near to stand beside the bed before settling his gaze on his foster mother, who looked like she was going to burst into tears once more.

Lily stared silently back at the child she'd come to think of as her very own, taking in the fine features already showing signs of the good-looking man she knew Daniel was going to be when he grew up. Taking a shaky breath, she tried her best to memorise every single detail of his face, knowing that she'd need it for the long days ahead when he was no longer a part of their lives. Reaching out once more, she gently pushing aside the soft silky hair that covered his forehead, a small involuntary smile finding its way to her lips. Yes, you're definitely going to break some hearts, little one…

Unaware of Lily's thoughts, Daniel looked solemnly back at his foster mother, his eyes huge and curious behind his glasses. The single tear that escaped from the pool collecting in her green eyes increased his worry and he tentatively put a hand out to wipe it away as it jerkily made its way down her face.

"Is everything okay?" the young boy asked finally, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Daniel…" Lily began, and then stopped, unable to go on. Sensing rather than seeing her husband move closer, she was grateful for Michael's hand upon her shoulder and leaned into him briefly, drawing some measure of strength from the contact. With a sigh, she straightened, and then met the child's eyes. "Daniel, we've just got word from your social worker…"

At that, the thin shoulders drooped, and the small face fell. With just one simple sentence, she felt like she'd just destroyed his whole world. Lily caught a flash of anguish in the incredibly blue eyes before they too, were swiftly shuttered, as if it would help to protect him from the coming pain. Looking away, his arms slowly went around himself in the familiar self-hug, one that he'd used almost incessantly when he first came to live with them almost five months ago.

She could tell that he was already withdrawing from them, from her, once more.

Precisely that very moment, and with every fiber of her being, Lily hated Nicholas Ballard, along with the system that this sweet, incredibly intelligent boy was currently lost in, cognizant of that fact that they were preventing Daniel from acquiring the one thing he needed most in his young life – a permanent home and family that would love and cherish the special person that he was. But the hatred she felt towards them didn't come close to the magnitude that she had for herself right now. If only they'd been successful in their pursuit for adoption…

"Daniel…?"

He looked up at her soft call and her heart twisted further upon seeing the expression on his young face. Lily's breath caught, and she wondered just many times he'd been through this very occurrence, wishing with all her heart that she didn't have to put him through it yet again. Please, let this be the very last time he'll hear this from anyone...

"I'll have t-to l-leave, won't I-I?" Daniel asked, his voice breaking at the end of his question. With that, he broke eye contact and looked down at the bed covers, blinking furiously.

"Oh, Danny…" Lily reached over and hugged him to her, feeling the lean frame shudder with his efforts to hold back his tears. "Yes, I'm sorry. Your grandfather would like to remain as your legal guardian and…"

"But he d-doesn't w-want m-me!" Daniel protested brokenly into her shoulder, openly crying by now.

"Yes, he does," Lily was quick to assure the young boy, her heart shattering at the burden he was carrying upon his thin shoulders. "Listen to me, Daniel, your grandfather may not be able to take care of you right now, but that doesn't mean he doesn't want you, or … or love you."

Pulling back a little so that she could look into his face, Lily could see that he remained unconvinced by her words. Small wonder, considering the number of homes that he'd been shuffled to in the past year alone. After meeting her eyes for a few brief seconds, Daniel looked away to stare at his glasses, his expression closed. It had fallen off during the hug, and now he studied it with some sort of grim fascination as he held it ever so loosely in one small, limp hand.

Cupping his face with both hands, she waited until he'd turned those brilliant blue eyes towards her before saying softly, "I'm so sorry, Daniel."

At his confused look, Lily clarified gently, "I'm so sorry we were unable to get those papers signed. And although we are not able to keep you with us, it doesn't mean we will not continue to love you as well."

Daniel's face crumbled at that, and he hurled himself back into Lily's arms, burying his face in her shoulder, and returned her hug fiercely. She made soothing noises as she rocked him gently in her embrace, rubbing his back in a manner not unlike how Michael had comforted her earlier.

After a while, his broken sobs quietened into sniffles and the occasional hiccups. "I'm really gonna … miss you both…" he whispered in between sniffs.

"And we're going to miss you too, Daniel, so very much." She smoothed hair out of his eyes. "I want you to promise me something, okay? Promise me that you'll always remember that you are one very special individual, and you will always remain special, no matter what happens or what other people tell you. Can you do that?"

He pulled away, considered her words carefully for a moment and then nodded solemnly at her, his eyes beginning to fill up once more. "I-I promise."

"Good boy," Lily ruffled Daniel's hair, eliciting a sad smile from him. "Now then, we still have a week to be together. What do you say we start by getting us an ice-cream each?"

Another slight, tentative smile was her reward as Daniel's head bobbed slowly in reply.

"Okay?"

"Okay," he answered shyly, scrubbing at his face, wiping away whatever traces of tears that still lingered there before putting his glasses back on.

A soft rustling sound told her that Michael had moved from his original position and was now standing facing her. Looking up and meeting her husband's eyes over Daniel's head, Lily felt her smile waver slightly.

"You did great, honey…" Michael informed her softly, his eyes full of love.

She nodded, swallowing hard, and then glanced down at the other important male presence in her life. Daniel was looking downwards, lost in thought, a slight frown of concentration on his face as his small fingers traced the complicated patterns of the bed covers. He looked so small and vulnerable and it was all she could do to keep at bay the tears that were threatening to spill once more.

One week.

"C'mon, sport," Michael spoke up, holding out his hand towards Daniel, who stopped his finger movements and turned towards him. "Let's get you cleaned up and changed while Lily gets ready."

"'Kay."

One short, fleeting week.

Watching as her young foster son gripped Michael's hand tightly and followed him out of the room, Lily unconsciously straightened her shoulders. They were going to lose Daniel to the system once more but they still had a week before that happened. For now, all that matters that they were still together. Still a family.

Seven measly days.

Her resolve strengthening, she swore that she was going to make it an unforgettable week for one extremely special and remarkable little boy. And when they were done, if ever Daniel Jackson were to find himself all alone, he'd have enough of those memories to keep him warm during the long hard days and cold dark nights.

One week.

Lily took a shuddering breath and proceeded to get ready for their impromptu outing. The time they had been given to be together might not be enough but it would have to do. She would deal with the heartbreak when the time came.

Right now, the three of them had some nice memories to create.

The End