Chapter Seven – Silly Boys, Trucks are for Girls
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At 1915 hours the light in Dr. Lam's office was bright and cheery. Sam, Carolyn and Ishta sat around a small table.
"I am unsure of what this game is supposed to produce." Ishta pulled at the leather of her unlaced vest.
"Money." Carolyn said as Sam's answer, "A winner," followed quickly.
From outside the infirmary office they heard a cursing screech. Sam's head shot up and she came half out of her chair.
The doctor grinned. "Sit down."
Taking a deep breath, Sam settled back down, rolling her stiff neck, and tried to concentrate on her cards.
Ignoring the commotion, Ishta dropped several poker chips onto the pile. "I agree to your wager, SamanthaO'Neill, and I would request that you match my addition."
"Call and raise." Carolyn corrected then folded her poker hand, placing the cards aside. "I'm out."
"Call," Sam muttered, adding her chips and staring out the door towards the dimly lit area. "What movie did Teal'c show for you last night?" Sam turned her attention to Ishta to take her mind off of the couple in the other room.
Ishta placed her two cards on the table…a two and a seven, and Sam smashed her lips to keep from laughing as she laid down her pair and raked in the chips.
"The title was misleading… 'Bringing Up Baby', there were no babies – however, I believe the film to have been a representation of DanielJackson's and ValaMalDoran's early courtship." Ishta looked completely perplexed. "Teal'c insisted it had been recorded over sixty years ago, I suggested that perhaps something happened in the time dilation field he lived in – something that survived. He did not find that statement viable, what are your thoughts?"
"I…I…" Sam was spared from commenting further by another outcry and again she looked at Carolyn, "Don't you think you should go and check on them?"
"Believe me, when they need me they will let me know."
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"Do not speak to me! I know what I'm talking about! I've done this three times… well four, but that first one didn't count, but I think I get it better than you!" Vala huffed a moment, then grimaced as another contraction began.
"Vala…" There was a strange look to his eyes and a twitch to his lips that he tried to conceal.
She grabbed a handful of his shirt front, yanked once, bringing his body down until his face was mere inches from hers. Daniel burst out laughing.
Before she could find words to match her heated expression, Vala's eyes went way too wide and she let go of him. He didn't need an explanation, he called for Carolyn.
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Jack wrestled six boys, who at the time where piled atop him laughing uproariously. "Could ya give me a hand here?" His muffled plea went unheeded.
"What's that?" Cam, one hand on his hip, the other supporting Benjamin on the other hip, scrutinized the toy microphone Rose had pointed at Thorn's chest.
"A widdle gun." Rose, with fairy play-dress covered by her tiny BDU jacket, wings tattered, and a tiara that hung precariously from the side of her snarled hair, chewed on her lip.
"Ya gonna shot an unarmed man?"
"He has two awms." Rose insisted.
Cam laughed, "Well ya got me there." Baby Benjamin cooed at his father's voice.
Teal'c turned from studying the pile of arms and legs that covered Jack. "Thorn does not have a weapon, RoseDarling, that is the meaning of unarmed."
"He has a hand debice."
Thorn opened his hand to reveal the lump of red gum, with strings dangling at odd angles, that was affixed to his palm.
"I see. Your weapon is indeed appropriate."
Sputtering, Jack fought to sit up from the tangled mass of hellions. "We're all gonna end up doing time at Area 51! They know more then the newbies on base!" His reprieve was short lived as once again he was drowned under the screaming, laughing boys.
"Enough!" Jack yelled - which served to double the effort of his attackers.
Giggling, Rose dropped her weapon and dove onto the pile. She was quickly bucked off and landed on her six. Eyes glared until she spotted Uncle Cam's concerned look and her bottom lip began to tremble, quickly followed by a wide mouth short lived bellow.
"RoseDarling!" Teal'c's voice boomed and the child's eyes went wide, her mouth shut and she swallowed. "Behave." He finished gently.
Thorn stomped up beside Rose, shoving his gum laden palm towards her face, "Behave owr else."
Rose rolled her eyes, "Whateber!"
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Daniel's eyes, wide and full of wonder, studied the newborn. Tiny fists pressed against splotchy cheeks, eyes twitching to open, mouth puckered in a pout, and dark sandy hair sprouting every which way, the infant squeaked, and Daniel grinned.
"Daniel?" Vala's soft voice, sounding tired, still held a note of awe.
"Hmm?" His finger tracing a small circle on the baby's arm, Daniel's eyes lifted to Vala.
"Let me hold her, please, you've hogged her long enough."
Placing the newborn into her mother's arm, Daniel kissed Vala, then smoother the dark hair from her face, tucking a strand behind her ear. "I love you."
Grinning, Vala placed a hand gently on his cheek. "Yes, darling, you do."
With Carolyn's help, Vala situated the tiny mouth upon her breast. "Oh! She's taking right to it! She's so smart." Vala beamed proudly.
"Finally, another female child." Ishta stood shyly at the end of the bed, but her smile was warm.
"Yeah, we sorely needed that. Thanks Vala." Sam hugged Daniel. "And you too, daddy." Sam looked at Ishta. "Hopefully, with your delivery we can up or numbers more."
Ishta nodded. "Perhaps we will know soon, I have decided to investigate the sex of this child, with DoctorMitchell's help, SamanthaO'Neill."
"Sam." For ten years, Sam had tried to get Ishta to call her Sam, without success.
Smile widening on the Priestess' face, Ishta bowed her head. "Sam."
Both Carolyn and Sam looked surprised. Ishta, bowed once again. "And Carolyn."
Silence settled in the room. Daniel, hands deep in his pockets, felt the feminine energy like a physical manifestation. "Ah, I'll go call the guys and check on the kids."
No one answered him. The women only moved closer, Ishta coming to stand next to Carolyn. Sam perched her hip on the side of the bed, leaning forward for a better look.
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Daniel could hear the children laughing and screeching in the background.
"What is it with the whole not knowing what it is?" Jack raised his voice over the commotion behind him.
"Who knows? It's a cult."
"You got that right. Congratulations, Danny-boy, what are you …ah, Vala, naming this one?"
"I have no idea. I'm a little afraid to ask."
Jack laughed. "Okay, I'm gonna spread the news. Your kids are anxious to visit. Get the scoop and I'll bring them up there. We can sneak 'em in, I got Colonel Marks holding a pattern just itching to beam a herd of hoodlums anywhere I say."
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Rose knelt on the bed, playing with the infant's feet. "Cammie tolded me the baby is named-ed Pwincess."
"Did he now?"
"Yep."
Eyes barely clearing the edge of the mattress, Thorn peeked at the infant who lay on the bed between Vala's legs. Her little arms whirled around and she squeaked and grunted. "Pwinces is twying to talk to you, Dawling."
Scowling at Jack, Carolyn handed a med tray to the nurse.
"I had to bring him too, the boys were roughhousing." Jack shrugged.
"Where are Danny and Jake?" Vala grabbed Rose's finger before she poked the baby's eye out. "No touching, yet, Darling."
"Pfft! I washeded by hands, mommie."
"Yes, Darling, but we need to wait." She looked up again, waiting for Jack's explanation.
"The minute I told 'em it was a girl, they groaned and said they weren't interested, so I left them with T and Mitchell. Where's Daniel?"
"Going home to shower, and hopefully take a nap."
"Yeah, like that's gonna happen. Come on you two. We need to get outta here before Auntie Carolyn blabs to Reynolds that we're holed up in here."
Tears pooling in her eyes, Rose stared at Vala. "Mommie, I don't wanna go. I wanna stay here with you and Pwincess."
Vala lifted the baby, cradling her. "I know. But you have to go. Daddy's home by now. He will miss you if you aren't there. We'll be home soon; Auntie Carolyn will let us go home later today. I'll be there to tuck you in at bedtime."
"Come, little one, I will stay with you." Ishta lifted Rose from the bed and took her hand. Thorn dashed around taking his mother's other hand, peering at Rose with a wide grin.
"What have you two got on your foreheads?" Carolyn moved closer to the toddlers.
"Eli painted us a Jaffa tattoo." Thorn beamed proudly.
Ishta leaned to study the drawing. "And what is it? I do not recognize that symbol."
"It's the twee house." Rose nodded, finger pointing, smearing the paint.
"Ah, I see."
"Come on, let's get out of here." Jack thumbed the radio. "Four to go."
Reynolds arrived just in time to see Jack wave as they disappeared.
"Funny, Jack." Grinning, Reynolds shook his head. "How're our patients?" He asked Carolyn, moving into the infirmary.
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The wind had kicked up a notch, blowing paper plates and napkins all over the yard. Squealing in delight, twenty month old, Benjamin Mitchell, with one year old Thea Jackson toddling precariously behind him, chased after the flying objects.
"Save the cake!" Jack yelled from far across the yard where he played catch with son Eli and Eli's best friend Danny Jackson.
Jack's fast ball landed with a thwack into the well used glove of Eli. Eli grinned at Danny. Behind them, Ian and Drake Mitchell watched, while Bray and Jake, reluctantly picked up debris.
Rose ran with the hug bubble ring, filling the area with sparkling, popping bubbles. "Daddy! Come on and catch the bubbles!"
Thorn popped bubbles as fast as he could, with his home made staff weapon.
Daniel looked up from his effort to cover the birthday cake, inadvertently smashing the large 'One' candle into the cake, while Cam groaned and shook his head.
In lounge chairs, Vala, Carolyn, Ishta and Sam, held up champagne glasses, laughing, as Teal'c poured more bubbly into the flutes.
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Rose settled behind the steering wheel, buckling her seat belt.
Vala grinned, teeth clamped and shoulders rising.
Rose mirrored her mother's gesture, then rubbed her palms gleefully, before tightening the bands on each pigtail. "Thanks mom. I love my new truck."
"Happy Birthday, Darling. Where are we going?"
Rose looked in the rearview mirror to the back seat where her twelve year old sister, Thea and Thea's best friend, and Thorn's eleven year old sister, Mala, primped. Then her eyes caught the wide grin of Thorn sitting between the two girls. Rose blushed and looked away quickly.
"Yeah, Darling, where are we going?" Thea chirped while Mala continued to put on her makeup.
"To show Uncle Cam and Aunt Carolyn."
"Good." Vala smiled. "Listen, maybe I should ride in the back with the girls and Thorn can ride up here."
"Oh…ah…yeah, that…that's fine." Rose blushed again as her mother and her best friend switched places.
Settled between the girls, Vala snatched the makeup from Mala. "You're too young! What would your parent's think?"
Shrugging, Mala, frowned. "They're offworld, they'll never know."
Vala could only laugh, Mala had turned into an Earthling to her parent's obvious distress. "Alright, Darling, we're settled. Where else are we going besides the Mitchell's?"
"To the mall, of course."
Thorn moaned, then lifted adoring eyes to Rose.
Vala rubbed her palms. "Great!"
Standing in the driveway, Daniel still held the large 'Sixteen' candle in one hand. The other hand was buried deep in his pocket.
"What were you thinking?" Danny, standing beside his father in black BDU's with an SG-1 patch, and Captain Bars, scowled.
"Not me."
The other three members of SG-1 stood flanking the opposite side of Daniel.
Major Eli O'Neill, CO, sighed. "For cryin' out loud, Jackson, what the hell else did you expect? You knew Captain Mitchell's dad had a hand in this!"
Captain Ian Mitchell, arms folded across his chest, grinned. "Yep. He did. He helped your mom pick it out."
With the United Jaffa symbol displayed in the same spot as his two friends Captain's Bars, Bray bowed his head slightly, a smile creeping across his face.
Daniel glanced behind him at the two Airmen, A1C's. Both Drake Mitchell, and his son, Jake, shrugged without comment. The truck moved away smoothly, and Daniel let out a sigh of relief. "Where's Ben?"
Ian looked back to the house. "He's on the porch sulking. He doesn't plan on ever being more than thirty feet close to Thea, again. She's already asked him to marry her ten times."
The SGC personnel laughed along with Daniel.
"So. Where are you guys off to?" Daniel turned back towards the house.
"We're escorting Major General Reynolds to the Pegasus Galaxy, and those two," Eli pointed to Drake and Jake, "are headed out with SG-8, to PTQ-R45."
Head dropping, Daniel stared at the candle in his hand. "Good. God Speed."
END… for a while