Things That Are
"This is almost like déjà vu..." Daniel murmured playfully in Vala's ear as they walked down the sidewalk, Hayden skipping ahead of them. The major difference this time was their fingers were firmly entwined together.
Vala nodded her head distractedly. "Yeah..." She said absently in return, having only barely registered his words.
He gently tugged on her hand in his. "Hey, you okay?"
Taking a deep breath, Vala turned uncertain grey eyes on him. "I'm not so sure about this, Daniel." Her gaze dropped to their hands. "This is the longest I've ever gone without speaking to her at all..." She looked back up at him desperately. "Two weeks is a long time for best friends."
"See, there's the beauty of it." Daniel smiled, stroking his thumb over the back of her hand. "You two have been best friends for so long, I doubt something like this could come in the way." He shrugged. "Besides, they invited us over - us, being all three of us, not just you two and then me."
She let out a sigh. "I know...It's just these past two weeks, as hard as they've been without Carolyn, they've been wonderful in terms of you and me, and Hayden also." Vala gazed at her daughter, who was just out of earshot. "We've grown closer, and I don't want that criticized."
Daniel nodded. "But like you said, you two are best friends...I'm sure it'll all be alright."
Snorting softly, Vala turned a curious smile on her boyfriend. "Says the man who's been lying to his best friend about where he goes on days off."
"Let's leave the drama on my end until after we settle yours." Daniel muttered playfully, squeezing her hand for good measure. His smile fell away a fraction as he caught sight of Hayden about to cross the street. "Don't even think about it!"
Vala looked up at Daniel with a fast-growing affection. He was quickly, and easily, falling into the role Tomin had abandoned just a few years before. She turned her eyes on Hayden, who was glaring back at the man with mild exasperation. Despite that, Vala could see how comfortable the two had become with each other. It was as if they'd been made to fit together, and all they'd needed to do was find one another.
"Daniel..." Hayden whined as the couple caught up to the little girl.
"Hayden..." Daniel mocked back with a grin.
She huffed, stamping her foot. "You told me I was a big girl...Don't big girls get to cross the street by themselves? I've done it millions of times with mommy, and Auntie Carolyn, and Uncle Cam...I'm almost six, you know!"
Blue eyes looked at Vala with amusement. "Almost..." He turned his attention back down to Hayden. "Seven months is a long almost...And I know I called you a big girl - you are in a lot of ways, but when it comes to crossing the street, your mommy and I would just feel better if you didn't do it alone."
Little grey eyes squinted up at him, then turned on Vala for a moment. A reluctant sigh followed. "Fine..." Hayden thrust her hand up.
Daniel took it firmly. "Thank you."
"You're getting good at this." Vala whispered in his ear proudly as they crossed the street.
He looked at her with a smirk. "But will I be able to show them that?" His head tilted in the direction of the house up on their left.
Vala pulled in another deep breath. "I guess there's only one way to find out." She steeled herself for what might lie ahead and allowed Hayden to lead Daniel and herself up the walkway to the front door.
Standing on the porch, it was Daniel's turn to pull in a deep breath. He reached up and gently knocked on the door, instinctively squeezing Vala's hand a little. The two shared a long look, only breaking it when the door swung open.
"Uncle Cam!" Hayden smiled excited, throwing herself at the man.
Cam picked her up and swung her around. "Hey kiddo." He pulled her in for a hug, grinning as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I've missed you."
She giggled. "I've missed you too." Hayden squirmed as Cameron lowered her back down to the floor.
"Someone's excited." He laughed, stepping aside so she could rush inside. Hayden immediately obliged, not even bothering to say anything to her mother or Daniel before she did. Cam stared at the couple standing nervously before him. His blue eyes flicked to their joined hands for a moment.
"Hey Cam..." Vala smiled hesitantly.
Cameron watched her a moment. "Vala..." He said slowly, then broke out in a grin. "Come here!" He laughed, opening his arms.
Heaving a breath of relief, Vala moved to hug her 'brother'. She squeezed him tightly.
"Glad to see ya, girl." Cam whispered in her ear as he placed his hand on the back of her head. He looked at Daniel, who was watching them with a patient smile. "Good to see he's been takin' care of you."
Vala pulled back, slightly embarrassed by the few tears on her cheeks. "It's only been two weeks, Cam."
He looked at her expectantly. "Two weeks is a long time for us..." Cam brushed her hair behind her ear. "Way too long, if you ask me. If it were up to me, you two would've had this all resolved that first day." Blue eyes stared intently at the young man, then he smiled again. "But ya'll did it your own way and left us men to suffer through your emotions."
Daniel relaxed as Cameron held his hand out to him. "More of a learning and understanding experience than a suffering one." He took the hand and shook
"Good answer." Cam joked. He stepped aside as he released Daniel's hand. "Please, come in. Kids are dying to see ya, Vala."
She stepped inside and quickly took Daniel's hand in hers again. "Just the kids?"
Cam noted the hand-holding. "Not just the kids." He smiled reassuringly, looking up at her. "Carolyn's in the kitchen anxiously waiting for you, though of course she won't admit it."
Vala nodded, then looked up at Daniel. "Come to my rescue if I need it?" She saw the way Cam raised his eyebrow at the words, but ignored it.
"Absolutely." Daniel promised, leaning in to kiss her gently.
Reluctantly, Vala broke the hold between them and made her way to the kitchen. It left the two men standing alone. Daniel stuck his hands in his pockets and looked at Cam. He was looking at the young man curiously.
Finally, he smiled. "Wanna assist me on the porch?"
Daniel grinned. "Of course, assuming that the assisting is rewarded with beer?"
Laughing, Cam clapped Daniel on the back and led the man over to the sliding glass door. "You assume correctly, my good man." He glanced over his shoulder, Daniel joining him, at the stare down being had in the kitchen. "Maybe..." Cam looked at Daniel. "We should leave the door open a little, just in case."
Daniel nodded, barely able to look away from Vala before he was ushered outside.
------
"Carolyn." Vala said wearily, keeping a safe distance from the woman.
Crossing her arms, Carolyn leaned back against the counter. "Vala." She glanced across the living room, out the sliding glass door, at Daniel accepting a beer from her husband. "I see things are still going strong."
Vala nodded. "Yep, and the crazy, reckless sex is still as amazing as ever." She couldn't stop herself from adding.
"Until you wind up pregnant again." Carolyn retorted, daring her friend to say otherwise.
Which she did. "That's not gonna happen, at least not for a little while." Vala said firmly, relaxing a little as she said her next words. "Though I can't say that I don't want it to happen."
Carolyn sighed, relaxing as well. "You really do like him, don't you?"
"Bordering on love now." Vala admitted with a small smile, dropping her gaze to the floor. "I just wish you could see what I see - I want you to be happy for me."
Sighing again, Carolyn closed in the space between them. "I want to be happy for you too." She whispered, taking Vala in a hug. "I'm just scared you'll end up heartbroken over this. I don't think I can handle another Tomin repeat. That about killed you."
Vala shook her head. "Daniel wouldn't do that, Carolyn." She pulled back and stared intently at her friend. "You have to trust me on this - trust him."
"You've only known him a month." Carolyn wasn't quite ready to give up her fight just yet.
"But we've learned so much about each other in that month." Vala said passionately. "It's not just sex driven by reckless, bottled passion - We're in a relationship. Daniel and I have spent so many nights just talking, getting to really know each other."
Carolyn eyed her friend, slowly giving way. "And Hayden likes him?"
Laughing, Vala stepped over to the counter. "If she didn't, he wouldn't be here."
"I'm still unsure about this..." Carolyn sighed, joining her friend. "But I won't let it eat at me anymore because it's too much work to live without you." She nudged Vala's arm with her shoulder. "And I can't miss out on you finding happiness again."
Vala smiled. "This is what you wanted, remember?"
"Yeah, well of course you gotta go and find some damn absurd way of giving me what I want." Carolyn laughed, moving to snatch a bottle of wine from the wine rack. Pulling out two glasses from the cabinet, she poured a generous amount into each. "But this doesn't mean I've forgiven you for kicking me out of your house."
Tilting an eyebrow curiously, Vala stepped over to retrieve her glass. "And how may I be forgiven, I wonder?"
Carolyn picked up her own glass. "You are gonna help me make dinner and tell me everything," She flicked her gaze towards the backyard for emphasis. "While we get pleasurably tipsy off this wine."
"I think I can live with that." Vala grinned, clinking her glass against her friend's before taking a decent sip from it.
-------
The two men looked up at the sound of clinking glassware just in time to see the two friends sharing in a toast of red wine.
"It is the alcohol that binds us." Daniel joked, taking a drink from his bottle.
Cam leaned forward in his chair and clinked his bottle against Daniel's. "Amen to that." He took a drink himself, settling back into his seat. "So Carolyn told me you and Vala..."
Daniel only blushed a little. "Yeah..."
"Two weeks isn't long..." Cam said slowly, carefully. He didn't want to come off as a bad guy - he just wanted to get his point across. "In terms of that, I mean."
The young man nodded. "I know...And I tried not to want it." Daniel admitted. "But I just...there's a connection between me and Vala."
Cam snorted, taking another sip. "So I've noticed."
"What can I say?" Daniel grinned. "I really am a helpless romantic."
"That's a good thing." Cameron said seriously. It was only a moment before it fizzled out into amusement once more. "For Vala, at least. It just screws you over in the long run." To emphasize his exaggerated point, he glanced out at his children running around on the grass.
Daniel followed his gaze, looking at Hayden thoughtfully. "I think I'd rather be screwed then free..." He smiled as the little girl made her breathless way over to him. Brian and Cassidy, Cam's son and daughter, ran over to their father.
"Why do I sense they want something?" Cam looked at Daniel curiously as the children panted by their chairs.
Daniel shrugged. "I can't imagine..."
"Dad, can we go play in the woods?" Brian, at the age of eight, considered himself the leader of the three. Not that Cassidy and Hayden would ever agree to that - the two being almost like twins.
Cassidy batted little brown doe eyes at her father. "Please daddy?"
Sighing because he could never say no to his daughter, Cam nodded. "Fine." He drank from his bottle, then stopped them from running off, latching onto Brian's shirt. "But you better keep a close eye on your sister."
"Dad!" Brian whined. "I'm not her babysitter..."
"Yeah!" Cassidy agreed, placing her hands on her hips.
Cam held up a warning finger. "No, you're her brother and that means you should always be keeping an eye on her." He sat up and pulled his son close. "Promise me you'll watch her, or you won't be going."
"And Hayden too." Hayden added, giving a pleading look to Daniel.
Daniel sighed. "I don't know, munchkin - this really isn't my call."
The little girl pouted. "But Daniel..."
"Okay," Daniel took a drink from his beer, setting in on the table as he sat forward. He pulled Hayden between his legs. "But you have to promise me you'll be careful - I don't want you getting hurt and having your mommy kill me." He looked up at Brian. "And only if he promises to look after you."
Hayden turned a glare on Brian. "Brian, promise now!"
Like Cam couldn't say no to Cassidy, Brian found he just couldn't say no to Hayden. "Fine! I promise!" He squirmed under his father's grip. "But they have to promise not to be annoying little brats!"
"Boy!" Cam barked, tugging on Brian's collar.
Hayden grinned. "It's okay Uncle Cam - we promise." She moved to take Cassidy's hand and start running towards the woods at the far end of the backyard. A hand on her wrist stopped her. She turned back to see Daniel staring patiently at her.
"Did you forget something?" He asked.
"Oh!" Hayden moved back over to him and planted a small kiss on his cheek. "I promise to be careful."
Daniel nodded. "Okay, have fun." With that, he let her go. The two girls took off at a run, Brian quickly catching them up after Cam let him go.
------
Forty-five minutes later, Cam and Daniel, well into their third beer, decided they should probably get the grill ready for the food. A shouted warning that they 'better get off their lazy asses unless they needed incentive not to sit down' helped get them motivated.
"You really did screw yourself over." Cam laughed as he stepped over to the grill and opened the lid. "At least when I met Caro, she was hot and yet to become a mother." He tilted his bottle towards Daniel after taking a drink from it. "You're mixing yourself in with Vala, who's had nothing to do but hone those mommy skills, like yelling serious threats."
Daniel shook his head. "Would you quit saying I'm screwed!" He hefted up the bag of charcoal onto the preparation counter next to the grill. "I couldn't be happier with Vala and all her mommy skills. Hayden is such a wonderful little girl..."
Grinning, Cam turned a mock glare on the young man. "Either you're just trying to win brownie points with me, or you really do like them." He caught the indignant look Daniel tried to hide behind his beer. "I did see the way Hayds looked at you..."
"What way?" Daniel asked, his naivety in the matter coming through.
Cameron chuckled, glancing out to the woods where the kids could be heard shrieking and laughing. "The way Cassidy looks at me." He turned his gaze on Daniel, willing him to understand.
Blue eyes widened as he did. "Whoa, okay..." Daniel laughed nervously. "Now I'm thinkin that beer has gone to your head because wow..." He ran a hand through his hair. "Like you said before, it's only been a month that I've been with Vala."
"Kids have a way of perceiving things that we don't." Cam said thoughtfully, smiling at the way Daniel watched him with uncertainty. "Relax, man. If anything, it's a really good sign. You've got the kid on your side, and that's a sure way to get mommy for sure."
"Oh, he's already got mommy..." A playful voice said from the doorway. Both men spun around to find Vala watching them, her hands and arms precariously balancing bowls and plates, one hand firmly wrapped around a half-full wine glass.
Daniel moved to help her.
Vala smiled sweetly at him, then looked around as she moved to carry the one bowl he didn't take from her over to the table where they'd be eating. "Where are the kids?"
"Playing out in the woods." Cam informed her, pouring the charcoal into the pit of the grill.
Daniel turned to face Vala. "I told Hayden she could go, if that's alright."
Smiling, Vala nodded. "That's fine." She sipped from her glass, then leaned up and took his mouth in a happy kiss.
Cam grinned as Daniel placed a hand on Vala's back as she stepped backwards during the lip-lock. "You're drunk." he sing-songed to her.
"I am not." Vala huffed indignantly.
"Are too." Cam argued back.
"Am not!" Vala retorted.
Daniel leaned in and whispered loudly in her ear. "You do taste pretty drunk."
She turned a glare of mock betrayal on him. "Not helping!" Her grey eyes turned back to Cam as he laughed. "Shut up! I'm not drunk..." Vala moved back towards the door. She flipped her hair seductively, giving them a significant look. "I'm..." Her grin was smug. "Not quite drunk...yet."
Watching her go, Daniel's mind immediately went to the possibilities ahead for him later that evening. He took a long pull from his beer bottle to quell his building desire.
A loud, resounding snap coming from the woods shook him from his fantasies. Both he and Cam whipped their heads in that direction. It was only a few seconds before a wailed cry followed the snap, and Daniel was off at a run before he could even think about it. Cam was right on his heels. They barely registered Carolyn and Vala running out onto the porch.
Reaching the edge of the tree line, Daniel dashed in, following the direction of the shrieking sobs coming not far from within. He quickly came to a small incline, looking down to see the children at the bottom. Brian stood a short distance from the girls, Cassidy looked a little terrified and pale, and Hayden - Hayden was the one crying.
"Hayden!" Daniel practically skidded down the slope. He rushed to her side, kneeling down in front of her. Her cheek and chin were scraped up badly, blood slowly pooling on the wounds. A small trickle of blood was coming out of her nose.
Cam was right behind Daniel coming down the incline. He looked at the sobbing little girl, then turned a glare between his children. "What the hell happened?!" He shouted over Hayden's shrieking. It was obvious from their faces that they were too scared to tell him anything right then.
He snapped his finger and pointed in the direction of the house. "Home..." Brian and Cassidy didn't budge. "Now!" Cam barked the order.
Daniel looked up as the other kids trudge home, frightened, then back at Hayden as she continued to cry. He pulled her into his arms and stood up. She wrapped her arms around him, sobbing harshly against his neck.
"Shhh, it's okay." He soothed, looking at Cam as the other man came to stand next to him.
"She alright?" He whispered to Daniel.
Shrugging, Daniel moved to carry her gently up the incline. He continued to whisper comforting words in Hayden's ear. "It's alright, Hayds. I'm right here and Uncle Cam is too, and we're gonna make it all better."
Hayden just continued to sob against him as they made their way back to the house. Vala was practically in tears standing just outside of the tree line.
"Oh god, is she okay?!" She rushed towards Daniel, her hands shaking a little.
Daniel nodded, despite not having a chance to get a good look at Hayden's face yet. "Hayden, you wanna go to mommy?" The little girl just shrieked and clung tighter to Daniel. "Okay, that's a no."
"Hurts..." Hayden sobbed loudly as Daniel quickly carried her toward the house.
Vala nodded, keeping her eyes on her daughter's as she walked behind Daniel. "I know, sweetheart." It tore her up to see Hayden bleeding and crying and in pain. "But we're gonna make it better."
Carolyn moved off the porch to join them. "There's a first aid kit in the master bathroom." She said to Daniel, rubbing a hand over Hayden's back. "Vala can show you."
"Yeah..." Cam stepped onto the porch and came to stand menacingly over his kids. "Carolyn and I'll stay out here and find out how this happened."
Vala and Daniel didn't wait around to see what went down. They quickly headed inside to the bathroom, Hayden crying all the way. Once inside, Daniel placed the girl down on the counter.
"Hayden, I need you to calm down." He said softly, pulling the leaves and twigs out of her hair. "You have to stop crying so I can make sure everything's okay."
Running a gentle hand over her daughter's head, Vala tried to calm the little girl. "It's okay, Hayden."
Slowly, Hayden's hysterical sobbing dimmed down to silent hiccupping. She stared out through watery grey eyes as Daniel reached out a hand to her face. She pulled back, scared of the pain he might cause.
"Hayden, I need to check your face." Daniel told her slowly.
Hayden shook her head. "It hurts." She said through a quiet sob.
Stroking her hair again, Vala looked down at her. "I know it hurts, hunny. We can make it stop hurting, but Daniel needs to see your face."
The little girl sniffed, tears still silently falling from her eyes. Finally, she nodded.
Daniel smiled reassuringly. "I promise I'll be gentle." He reached out his hand, turning her head so he could look at her grazed cheek. It was a rather deep laceration that ran down to her chin, but it was nothing a little peroxide couldn't heal. Carefully, Daniel then brought his fingers up to her nose. Gently, he pushed against it.
Hayden cried out and he flinched in guilt.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He whispered. Daniel pulled her closer to him, careful of her injuries, as she started to sob again. "I won't do that again..."
Vala knelt down, gazing with concern at Hayden. "Is it broken?" She whispered in Daniel's ear.
He shook his head. "I don't think so - I think it's just tender and I scared her."
"Good...to the not broken thing, that is." Vala sighed in relief. She really didn't want to have to deal with a hospital bill. Reaching out, she took Hayden from him.
She rested her uninjured cheek against Vala's chest. "It hurts, mommy."
Vala rested a hand on the back of her head. "I know, Hayden. I know - we're gonna make that all better right now." She looked down at tear-filled eyes. "Is it okay if Daniel holds you for a little while, while I clean your owies?"
"Will it make it stop hurting?" Hayden whispered.
"Oh yeah..." Daniel reassured her, taking her in his arms even though she'd never agreed for him to do so. He moved over to the toilet, and sat down with Hayden balanced on his leg.
Vala pulled open the cabinet below the sink and took out the first aid kit. Opening it, she pulled out the peroxide. She stepped over to the closet and got herself two washcloths. After wetting one in the sink, she knelt before Hayden and Daniel.
She looked intently at her daughter. "Okay, this is gonna hurt a bit." Vala hated the fearful look that passed over Hayden's face. "But I gotta make it hurt to make it feel better, do you understand?"
Hayden nodded, sniffing. "Will you be mad if I cry?" ''
"No, Hayds." Vala laughed gently, kissing the little girl's forehead. "It's okay to cry if you need to." She placed the peroxide and dry washcloth on the floor, then held up the wet one. "Here we go."
Bracing herself back against Daniel, Hayden squeezed her eyes shut as her mother softly wiped away the blood on her cheek and chin. She couldn't help from flinching as Vala pressed the cloth underneath her nose.
"This is gonna sting, sweetheart." Her mother's voice said regrettably. A second later, another cloth was placed to her cheek. Hayden whined out in a high pitched tone as it started to burn along her face.
Daniel pulled her farther up his leg and pressed her head against his chest. "I know it burns." He made small strokes in her hair with his fingers. "Just take deep breaths. I promise it'll go away."
Vala continued her ministrations, watching as Hayden squeezed Daniel's hand as she tried to breathe through the pain like he'd instructed.
"That's it, Hayden." He whispered in her ear. "You're being so good about this, baby."
Grey eyes shot up for a moment at the endearment. Daniel didn't seem to notice he'd used it, and Vala had to admit it seemed to fit in terms from him to Hayden. Somehow, it made the situation a little easier to handle.
"Okay, I'm done." Vala said after a moment. Daniel slowly eased Hayden off him, but the little girl still held on to his hand firmly.
She blinked out several more tears, sniffing as she did so.
Vala smiled at her. "All better now?"
Slowly, Hayden shrugged. "It still burns a little bit." She brought her free hand up to wipe away the tears on her uninjured cheek.
"That's okay." Vala leaned in and gave her a small kiss.
Daniel leaned his head down close to Hayden's. "That means it's working. The burning will stop in a few minutes." He lifted her up and turned her around in his lap. "Let me see..." Blue eyes scanned the now clean wounds slowly. "Looks better already."
Moving to kneel beside him, Vala brushed back a stray strand of her daughter's hair. "Wanna tell us what happened?"
"I fell from a tree." Was all Hayden said as she looked down at her left hand. She just began to realize it was stinging a little. "It hurts."
Both adults looked down at her hand.
"Guess you scraped your hand too, huh?" Vala picked up the two washcloths again, using just the wet one, then the peroxide-soaked one. Hayden winced a little, but didn't whine this time.
A knock on the door had them looking up. Carolyn stood in the doorway, watching with mild anxiousness. She looked at Hayden. "You okay, munchkin?"
The little girl nodded, moving comfortably into Daniel's embrace as he stood up with her in his arms. Vala followed, snatching up the peroxide as she went. Daniel stepped over to the doorway while Vala cleaned up the small mess.
"She's a little scraped up, but other wise okay." He smiled at Hayden, playing gently with her fingers on her injured hand. She giggled softly, sticking her thumb in her mouth.
Carolyn examined her cheek and chin, then gazed at Hayden's little nose, which was already beginning to bruise. "I've got some Children's Tylenol in the kitchen." She nodded back the way she came, and the group moved that direction.
"Can I go back and play?" Hayden asked curiously, pulling her thumb out.
Vala laughed a little. "Oh no. You're gonna take some medicine and rest, little one. You've had enough playing for one day."
Carolyn looked back at her 'niece' as they all moved into the kitchen. Cam's heated voice could be heard filtering in through the cracked-open sliding glass door. "And I don't think you have to worry about missing out on any fun..."
"Are Cassidy and Brian in trouble?" The little girl wondered out loud, staring out at her Uncle Cam ranting at the two children.
Pulling the Tylenol out of the cabinet, Carolyn popped open the top and handed two to Daniel. Vala busied herself with getting something for Hayden to drink it down with. "Let's just say there won't be anymore playing in the woods for some time."
Vala pulled the aluminum wrapper off a juice bottle and took the pills from Daniel. She held them out to Hayden. "Open."
Opening her mouth, Hayden let her mother place the pills on her tongue.
"Drink." Vala handed her the juice. Hayden did as she was told and drank down the juice, the pills going with it.
Hayden lowered the juice from her mouth. "I'm sorry I got them in trouble."
Shaking her head, Carolyn led the way back towards the backyard. "They should be sorry they got you hurt."
"Are they?" Daniel asked hesitantly, not wanting to overstep his boundaries with her children.
Cam's shouting got louder as Carolyn opened the door. She put on a hard face and stalked out, placing her hands on her hips for emphasis. "They better damn well be sorry."
Two little faces looked up at Daniel, Hayden, and Vala, one looking significantly more guilty then the other.
"What did I just tell you?" Cam demanded, glaring specifically at Brian.
The boy dropped his gaze to the floor, mumbling something.
Cam shook his head. "I know they didn't hear that because I didn't hear it." He crossed his arms. "Say it again."
"I'm sorry I broke my promise and let Hayden get hurt." Brian said louder this time, never breaking eye contact with the floor.
Carolyn glanced down at her daughter. "Cassidy?"
The six year old pouted. "But I didn't do anything!" She whined, fresh tears coming to her already puffy eyes.
"Cassidy LeAnn Mitchell!" Cameron barked.
Cassidy crossed her arms huffily. "Sorry Hayden." She muttered, glaring up at the girl in Daniel's arms. "Spoiled brat."
Laughing harshly, Cam squatted down in front of her. "If you think that's gonna get you sent to your room, you're sadly mistaken. Daddy's not as stupid as he looks." His smile was smug at the hateful look his daughter gave him. "You're gonna sit outside with the adults, with no toys, no games, no playing." He looked up at Brian. "Both of you."
Cam stood back up. "Am I making myself clear?"
Both children nodded and moved over to the seats their daddy was pointing to.
"Am I a spoiled brat?" Hayden asked hesitantly, tears in her eyes once again.
Vala shook her head. "Not at all, baby."
------
Crisis averted, the adults got back to making the food and enjoying their drinks. Hayden sat on the lawn couch, quietly enjoying the attention she was getting from all of them.
Occasionally, she glanced behind her seat at Cassidy and Brian in time out. Part of her felt bad, but most of her was pretty happy about it. That's what they got for insisting she climbed the tree to prove she was just as cool as they were.
Finally, it was dinner time, and everyone took their chairs around the low table. Carolyn brought two plates over to her kids, telling them that if they wanted more they'd have to ask first. Hayden sat resting back against Daniel, silently eating the chicken he pulled apart for her.
"I am..." Carolyn smiled lazily at the site of the two across from her. "Woman enough to admit when I'm wrong."
Cam dropped his plate down on the table dramatically, and flung his hands up in the air. "The apocalypse is a'comin'" He shouted loudly. "Carolyn Mitchell has just thrown in the towel and admitted she was wrong - everyone run for the hills!"
As the others laughed, Carolyn playfully smacked her husband on the arm. "Shut up, asshole! God, you are so obnoxious when you're drunk!"
He turned a dopey grin on her. "And you'll agree to anything when you are." Cam winked at her, taking a pull from his fresh beer.
"Not anything." Carolyn winked at Daniel and Vala, who laughed again as Cameron's mouth fell open.
Daniel shook his head, drinking from his own fresh beer. "Lord help us if we end up like these two..." He whispered to Vala, but loud enough so Cam and Carolyn could hear. She snorted into her wine glass while he leaned forward to place his bottle down.
Devouring his food, Cam grinned. "You might as well accept the fact, Danny-boy. Cause you're gonna be over here a lot more from now on." He picked up his bottle between his palms and drank from it carefully.
Resuming his task of picking apart the chicken so Hayden could eat it, Daniel placed a piece in his mouth. "Well, the food is definitely worth it." He looked down at the child in his lap. "You like the chicken, Hayds?
She nodded, taking another piece.
"Of course she likes the chicken!" Cam mumbled around the food in his mouth. He sat up and leaned over in his chair towards his wife. "We are a family bred of southern cookin'..."
Carolyn sipped her wine, smiling affectionately towards Cam. "Your mama did teach me a few things..." She leaned over enough to take his mouth in a passionate kiss. He muffled something into her mouth, climbing out of his chair and into hers with her.
"And everyone wonders why they have two kids..." Vala whispered into Daniel's ear, resting against him.
He smiled and whispered back to her. "It's that southern cookin'."
Vala snorted, drinking the last dregs from her glass. "Time for a refill..." She patted his shoulder, slowly rising from the couch. He reached out and placed a hand on her hip as she swayed just a little.
"You okay?" He laughed, caressing her a little.
She nodded, giving him a sweet smile. "I'm good." Vala carefully turned on her heels and sauntered around the couch. Leaning down, she snaked one arm down his chest and the other around his neck gently as she held her empty glass.
"Actually..." She whispered in his ear. "Knowing these two, they'll start having sex right here on the porch. Maybe we should take our leave..."
Daniel turned his head a little to gaze at her. "Got other plans?"
Vala smiled, shrugging a little. "Munchkin's gonna go to bed and I really need to take a shower..."
The chicken in his fingers dropped to the plate. "Okay, since you guys seem busy..." Daniel said hastily, placing his plate on the table in front of him.
The kissing pair broke apart. "Aw, ya'll don't have to go just yet." Cam said. Carolyn smirked at the look of insistence she saw in Vala's grey eyes.
"Hunny, I really think they do..." She said, never breaking eye contact with her friend.
Cam looked at her, slightly baffled, then at the two across the table. It didn't click until Daniel drained his beer in one swift pull, raising his eyebrows for a quick second at him. "Oh! Oh, yes, right." He clumsily pushed out of Carolyn's seat and stepped around to Daniel as the young man lifted a drowsy Hayden up with him.
"Don't worry about the mess here...we'll have the kids help us." Cam grinned cheekily. "We'll walk you out."
Carolyn made her way over to her husband, leaning heavily into him. "Stumble is more like it." She turned a look on the kids. "If you take all these dishes to the kitchen for mommy and daddy, I might not ground you two."
Like lightning, Brian and Cassidy were rushing the dishes inside as the adults made their way to the door.
"Thanks for inviting us over." Daniel said from the front porch, smiling as Cam wrapped a hand around his wife's waist. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and she leaned into him. "And just...thanks."
Cameron nodded. "No problem."
Vala, leaning up with her chin resting on Daniel's shoulder, arms wrapped around his waist, smiled at Carolyn. "Mission accomplished."
"Most definitely." Carolyn mumbled contently from her husband's chest. "Call you tomorrow?"
The young woman nodded and laughed. "Late tomorrow, from the state of things tonight."
Carolyn simply smiled and closed her eyes, bringing her arms down to wrap around Cam's chest.
"I think that's your exit cue." He laughed, nodding a goodbye to Daniel. "Night, man - Make sure you keep an eye on Hayden's face. Call us if anything changes."
Daniel nodded. "We will - Night." He turned to leave, Vala still firmly attached to the back of him. The sound of Cam calling out to him had him stopping halfway down the driveway.
He turned to look back up at the couple in the doorway. "Yeah?"
"Welcome to the family." Cam grinned.
------
"She asleep?" Vala whispered from her spot behind Daniel, arms still latched around his waist. It was a difficult way to walk, but it beat falling off the sidewalk in her high-heel boots simply because she had a good buzz.
Daniel nodded, brushing a soft hand over Hayden's hair. "Out like a light." Even in the dim street
lights, he could see the dark red scrapes on her face. "I think that little accident took a toll on her." He turned up the driveway to Vala's house.
Laughing humorlessly, Vala let go of him and sauntered her way up to the porch steps. "Took a damn toll on me." After two attempts, she got the key in the door and unlocked it. "I heard that scream..."
"I know...It about killed me." Daniel said as he moved past her and carried Hayden to her bedroom. Vala's footsteps traveled down the hall behind him, clicking back a minute later. She stepped into the room and handed him a box of large bandages. "Thanks."
While he gently covered up the wounds on her daughter's face, Vala sat down on the edge of the bed and started to take off Hayden's sneakers. As she finished, her attention drifted to the way Daniel tenderly brushed his finger's through the little girl's hair as he finished as well.
"She's falling in love with you." Vala whispered to him. Surprised blue eyes turned to look into honest grey. "I'm falling in love with you." She admitted, reaching a hand out to stroke his cheek. Leaning in, Vala placed a short, but passionate kiss to his lips.
"I'm gonna go take a shower..."
Daniel didn't think anyone could make that sentence sound more suggestive then she had. Still, it took a minute for him to follow as he was still slightly shocked by her admission. When he did finally follow, he found her in her bedroom, illuminated by the light from the adjoining bathroom. She was sliding out of her jeans slowly. Her shirt and bra had already been tossed to the floor carelessly.
He stepped up to her as she stepped out of them and swayed just the slightest bit. His strong arms wrapped around her slender waist.
"Looks like you need some assistance, ma'am." He murmured seductively in her ear from behind.
Vala purred deep in her throat. "And what makes you say that, sir?"
"The half a bottle of wine coursin' through your system says that..." Daniel spun her around. "And as a good boyfriend, I can't let you shower under the influence..." He grinned mischievously. "At least not alone." The words were whispered just above her lips.
Unable to take the electric tension building between them, Vala crashed her lips to his fiercely. Daniel worked his hand around the side of her neck and up into her messy black hair. Moaning with pleasure as his tongue battled it out with her own, Vala tugged up the edges of his t-shirt.
Daniel stepped back from her, ridding himself of the material quickly. He gazed at her nearly completely naked body, panting slightly. His needy gaze found hers to be just as lusty as his own.
"Damn, you're beautiful." He said appreciatively.
Vala stepped up to him, taking off his glasses. "Prove it to me." She tossed them on the bed.
Again, their lips met in a heated kiss as Daniel lifted her up. Vala wrapped her legs around him, cupping his face with her hands. Her black hair cascaded around them as he carried her into the bathroom, closing the door behind him with his foot.
Daniel stopped at the edge of the tub, placing her back down on the floor. She continued to kiss him as he leaned over and turned the hot water on high.
Vala's hands found their way to the belt on his jeans. "Off...now." She mumbled between kissing him, reluctantly breaking the lip-lock to look down at what she was doing. Her footing faltered a little from the combination of the wine and the sensation of Daniel's moist lips on her neck.
Quickly, she undid the belt and slid the edge of his jeans over his hips. Daniel finished the rest of the way, stepping out of the heavy material. He picked her up once more, stepping over the edge of the tub.
The extreme heat of the water beating against them only added to the intensity of the moment. Vala gasped in painful pleasure as Daniel practically slammed her back against the wall just below the stream of water. Steam was already starting to engulf them.
She rested her head back against the tile, panting heatedly as Daniel placed suggestive kisses to her chest inches away from her breasts. "Tell me it again..." Clouded grey eyes stared down with such intensity at Daniel.
"You're beautiful." Daniel repeated truthfully, matching her gaze with his own before devouring her lips with another kiss.
------
Steam trailed them out of the bathroom as they kissed their way over to the bed. Vala fell back onto it as the back of her knees connected with the edge. Daniel leaned down on his arms over her, smiling. He placed another soft kiss to her lips.
"Think you can get me a shirt..." She whispered to him, running her finger over his damp chest.
Daniel nodded and stepped over to the chair that was fast piling up with his clothes. He snatched one from the top and turned to see Vala up on her knees on the bed, waiting at the edge for him. Handing her the shirt, he waited for her to pull it on before wrapping his arms around her waist.
She rested her head on his shoulder, wrapping an arm around his neck. "I meant what I said before..." Vala whispered in his ear, fingers playing in his hair. She pulled back and glanced at him with a small smile. "In Hayden's room."
Daniel accepted the kiss she leaned up and gave him, then watched her crawl up the bed and scurry her way into the sheets. Her grey eyes matched the smile on her face as she patted the spot behind her.
"Come on." Vala encouraged, not bringing up the fact that he hadn't said a word since they'd finished 'showering'. Daniel slowly climbed onto the bed. He found his way in between the sheets, spooning up to her back.
His arm came to rest over her stomach, fingers taking Vala's comfortably. She settled back into his warmth easily, not dwelling too much on his silence. It wasn't an uncomfortable one, just an unusual one considering the nature of how they'd just spent the last hour.
Daniel watched her eyes close in preparation for sleep. A content smile spread across his face, and he leaned down to kiss her temple. "I love you, too." Daniel finally whispered to her, having decided to take the risk of saying the heavy words so early in the relationship.
Eyes still closed, Vala smiled as her heart swelled with relief and hope for what was to come.
A/N: A nice LONG chapter...with a lot going on in it. Vala and Carolyn make up (two weeks is far too long for BFFs...I can't imagine going two weeks without talking to mine!), Cam and Daniel bond a little, Daniel really starts falling into the 'parent' role, he and Vala have hot shower sex...and then they say those three important words. It took me one full day to write this whole thing - insanity! Anywho, one side has come to see the joy that is there relationship - now what about the other? Jack and Sam will be making their grand appearence in the next chapter! Yay!
So go on and review...it'll spur the brabbits into action! Plus, everybody LVOES reviews ;D!