This is the penultimate chapter.

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So Small A Thing

Anxiety was eating at him from the inside out. Never before had Daniel imagined his past misadventures would come back to trouble him in such a way. He felt like he was going on trial and there was only one verdict that could be justified. It definitely wasn't a good verdict, either.

Next to him on the couch, Vala gave his hand another reassuring squeeze. She could see he was nervous, possibly even terrified, at what he was about to do. No, what they were about to do. She wasn't going to abandon him. She'd made him, and his family, that promise. Even if it meant sacrificing the greatest friends – the only family – she'd ever had, Vala would do it.

"So…" Cam crossed his arms over his chest and moved his gauging blue eyes back and forth between the couple. "What's up?"

Vala looked at him, then at Carolyn. Her friend gave her a slightly concerned look. She flashed a half-hearted smile. "Daniel's got something he needs to tell you." She announced, turning her attention back to him.

He was staring at the floor, his face a mix of shame and fear. Vala squeezed his hand again, rubbing her thumb over his knuckles for added comfort.

"Come on, baby…" She leaned in and whispered.

Blue eyes flicked sideways to glimpse at her, then back to the floor. Daniel shook his head. "I…I can't…"

Shifting a few inches closer on the couch, Vala brushed her fingers lightly through his hair. "We're already here. Cam and Carolyn are waiting, and you need to do this." She kissed him lightly on the cheek. "You're not alone with this anymore, remember?"

Daniel met her gaze directly after a moment, and then slowly nodded. "Yeah." He pulled in a deep breath and finally looked at the couple on the couch opposite the one he and Vala were on.

It was hard to hold their attention, with Carolyn looking so concerned and Cam looking so ominous. It was like the man already knew that Daniel had been holding something back all along, and it made the younger man feel like an even bigger imposter. Still, he kept his eyes on them as he began to speak, albeit with a little hesitation.

"This…this isn't something that's easy for me to talk about." He let out a shuddering sigh. "And it's probably going to be even less easy to hear it, especially considering all the unnecessary faith you've put in me."

Vala took a moment to jump in. "But please – hear him out before you make any kind of…judgments. He doesn't tell many people about this, so it should mean a lot to you both that he trusts you with such information."

Leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees, Cam looked Daniel directly in the eye. "What information?"

Daniel swallowed and began to explain. "For several years when I was younger, and several more years just recently, I was heavily addicted to drugs…" He gave a sort of half, reluctant, nod. "Morphine, actually."

His blue eyes took in the initial reactions of the couple across from him. A scowl had slowly crept onto Cameron's face and Carolyn's eyes had widened slightly. Still, neither said a word just as Vala had requested. Daniel looked at the woman next to him. She nodded for him to continue.

"I wish I could say it wasn't a big deal, but that would be a lie." He admitted, eyes shining as he looked back at the pair. "The drug consumed me and took me to a very, very dark place. If it wasn't for the love and strength of a very good and determined friend, I probably wouldn't be here now."

As their faces grew grimmer, Daniel felt his resolve slipping away. He shook his head and looked at the floor. "I'm sorry…" He whispered, standing up and pulling his hand from Vala's. Not meeting any of their looks, and ignoring his girlfriend's plea for him to come back, Daniel made for the front door.

As it slammed closed behind him, Vala moved to follow.

"No." Cam's rough voice stopped her. She gave him an uncertain glance. His face was as hard as stone as he moved to a standing position. "I'll take care of this."

Both women watched in concern as he followed Daniel outside.

--

Cam stepped onto the front porch to find Daniel leaning against the wall near the steps. The younger man, though not by much, was extremely tense and his stance screamed self-deprecation. He barely glanced over his shoulder at Cameron before turning his face away in shame.

"How long have you been off the stuff?" Cam asked, standing a few inches behind Daniel with his arms crossed.

"Four years next month." Daniel admitted quietly, still refusing to look at Cameron head on.

The older man nodded. He took the remaining steps so that he was standing next to Daniel. "And I take it there's a story as to why you got hooked in the first place?"

It was Daniel's turn to nod. He offered up nothing else in response, so Cam continued on.

"Yep, there's always a story…" He said conversationally, bobbing his head up and down a second time. "My dad definitely had one."

Wide blue eyes turned on him in surprise. "Your dad was an…"

"Addict?" Cam ventured, and saw Daniel give a sort of half nod. "Yeah…" He looked away from Daniel, out at the dreary day before them. It seemed the weather felt it should match such a day full of admission. "Happened after he lost his legs. He got hooked on pain killers. I actually think he might've messed around with morphine for a while…"

He gave his friend a significant look. Daniel blushed and dropped his gaze to the porch.

Cameron continued. "Took him a long time to clean himself up, and he had lots of setbacks." He shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "My relationship hasn't really been the same with him since then, but we're back to talking on a regular basis…"

"Look, it may not be the same thing, but I at least understand where you're coming from." He finished, looking at Daniel. Slowly, uncertain blue eyes came up to meet his.

"Why didn't Vala tell me?"

Giving a reluctant smile, Cam stared straight into Daniel's eyes. "I never told her. The only one who knows is Carolyn - and my family of course."

Daniel straightened. "You never told Vala…but you're telling me now?" He looked away, feeling unworthy of knowing it. "Why?"

"Because I wanted to let you know that I understand." Cameron told him with earnest. He stepped closer to Daniel, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I may not have been a junkie or anything, but I… I understand."

"I would think, after your dad, you wouldn't want to deal with…" Daniel sighed. "People like me."

Cam dropped his hand and threw a long look towards the door. "She loves you…" He said quietly. "After Hayden's father walked out, I never thought Vala would find someone like you."

Looking away, Daniel held one hand out past the porch overhang. Rain drops gently pelted his skin, trickling away moments later. "And by me, you mean…"

"You're a good guy, Daniel." Cam admitted. "I've come to see you as a friend in these past few months. I know you love her like she loves you." The stern glare from before returned now in full. "I'm just hoping that love will be enough to keep you sober for many more years to come."

Daniel met the glare with a determined gaze of his own. "It is – it will be. I'm not going back to that stuff." His blue eyes found the door this time. "I won't lose them."

Stepping into Daniel's line of sight, Cam crossed his arms. "I'll hold you to that."

"I'm counting on it."

One of Cam's signature grins appeared. "Good." He clapped Daniel on the back and began leading him back inside. "Now we can sit down and you can tell Caro and me that story."

Daniel let out a deep sigh of relief, and finally let a smile come to his lips. "Okay." He agreed, nodding at Cam. It looked like Vala had been right – all he'd needed to do was put a little faith into Cam and Carolyn to understand. Just like they'd put faith in him to protect and care for Vala.

--

Several hours had passed, and the storming outside had kicked up a notch, by the time Daniel felt he'd confessed everything to Vala's family. He felt emotionally drained, like he could sleep for three days straight, but felt good nonetheless. They had listened and understood, and hadn't freaked out because he'd kept it from them.

Still, he couldn't stop the few tears that slipped down his face.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled, trying to wipe the traitorous tears away.

Carolyn smiled softly at him as she handed a few tissues to Vala, who was curled up against Daniel's side. "Don't be…I think we've all shed a few tonight." She flicked a glance towards her husband, who looked away and flushed a little. Carolyn poked him in the side lovingly, and he smiled too. It caused them all to laugh lightly, easing the sad tension out of the room.

A comfortable silence took its place. Cam and Carolyn watched Daniel and Vala cuddle together on the couch across from them, both of them seeing a lot of themselves in the pair. Even after having their children, Carolyn was happy knowing she still had that with her husband…

As her mind drifted over thoughts of the kids, her mommy instincts kicked in. Looking over her shoulder, down the hallway, Carolyn suddenly realized it had grown a little too quiet for a parent's comfort. "They've sure clammed up back there."

"I was just thinking the same thing." Vala said, meeting Carolyn's gaze. They had a silent conversation between them, Cam and Daniel staring on the whole time. Finally, when Vala dropped her head back down to Daniel's chest and snuggled a little closer, Carolyn sighed dramatically.

"Fine!" There was an over exaggerated huff to her voice, but she smiled as she stood. "But if your child is corrupting my innocent angels, you owe me." Carolyn added, tossing a few snotty tissues at her friend.

Vala batted them away, ducking against Daniel for faux protection. "I think you're confused about those spawn of yours!" She retorted loudly, as Carolyn had already made her way out of sight down the hall. The grin their banter had caused slowly faded as Vala shifted her attention to Cam. "What?"

He pulled in a deep breath, looking back and forth between her and Daniel as he spoke. "What are you going to tell Hayden?"

"Nothing." Daniel answered firmly before Vala could even wrap her mind around the concept. She looked up at him, both hurt and unsure at his quick response. It was obvious he'd thought about this without discussing it with her. How could she not tell Hayden? Vala was bringing Daniel into their lives, and they both owed it to Hayden by dumping this relationship on her. Besides, Vala had never lied to her daughter before…

Like he was reading her thoughts, Daniel gave her a reassuring squeeze. "At least, not right now. There's no need for her to find out, and she's so young it's not likely she'll understand." His focus shifted between her and Cam, who seemed to be agreeing with what he was saying. "If she asks, we'll tell her the truth. I have no intention of asking you to lie to your daughter."

The angry feelings melted away in her chest, and Vala let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in. "It's a good plan." She whispered encouragingly. The last thing she wanted was to make Daniel think he was superseding her as the parent. In a lot of ways, Vala already felt like he'd taken on half her work without even blinking an eye.

Daniel smiled and brought her hand up to kiss it. "Good." He murmured back, and Vala could see a giant weight had been lifted off his shoulders. She smiled up at him in return, getting lost in the deep blue of his eyes.

On the other couch, Cam tried to be as discreet as possible while the pair practically had eye sex right in front of him. He wasn't sure if he should get up and let them be, or just sit and wait for them to catch on to their audience. Thankfully, he was saved by Carolyn reemerging from the back.

"Girls are asleep…" She started before realizing she'd walked in on their intimate moment. Carolyn stopped when she looked up and saw them looking at her like they'd just come from a trance. She grinned knowingly. "And Brian's hijacked Cassidy's tv and is playing video games." There was a hint of laughter in her voice.

"That's my boy!" Cam grinned, and then frowned as Carolyn moved over to the other couch. "Hey!"

She threw herself onto the cushions, practically sitting on Vala. "Spawn?!" Carolyn growled playfully, nudging her best friend. Vala shoved at her, but was laughing at the same time. Carolyn only continued to 'attack'.

Daniel was a smart enough man to know when to get out of the line of fire, and quickly headed over to the other couch to sit with Cam. Like the men they were, they couldn't help but watch their lovers wrestle, tickle and banter like only best friends could. It seemed that the terrible way their get together had started was all but forgotten.

"So…" Cam started conversationally, tilting his head to the right a little as the girls found an even more interesting position. "When you gonna throw us all together?"

It took a moment for Daniel to realize he didn't understand what Cameron was referring to. "What?" He asked, looking at him with confusion.

"You know, like the families – us and your O'Neill's." He shrugged. "When is the big joining of forces planned?"

Daniel considered his question for a minute, and then grinned. At Cam's own look of confusion, he pulled the cell phone from his pocket and waved it. "Can happen right now if we want it to."

Raising his eyebrows, Cam seemed to be considering the idea. Then he grinned as well, pushing himself up from the couch. "Hell, why not?" He looked at Vala and his wife, who were now doing the whole girly whispery thing and looking at them. "We've already had chick wrestling," He winked at the girls, and then moved off towards the kitchen to snag some beers. "Might as well make it a full out party."

While Vala and Carolyn both chucked pillows at Cameron, Daniel laughed gently and hit the speed dial for Jack. Relaxing back into the couch cushions as it began to ring, his eyes fixed on Vala's. She smiled the simplest and most beautiful smile he'd ever seen, and it made his heart skip a beat.

For the first time in what seemed like forever, they had finally turned a good corner and were on the right track to that future they'd only been dreaming about.

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