Story Summary: Vala rediscovers a hope that she thought lost forever.
Ages: Jacob (infant)
Rediscovered Hope
Vala felt him standing in the doorway but chose to remain silent. Instead, she continued to soothe the child in her arms, taking joy in the simplicity of the act. Little Jacob had been colicky for the past two weeks and she and Daniel had volunteered to take him for a few nights to give Sam and Jack a bit of a break. It had taken hours, but the babe had finally settled and Vala couldn't help the smile that lit her face as she gazed down upon the sweet innocence.
"How did you learn so much about taking care of babies?" Daniel finally asked in a whisper, not moving from his position in the doorway.
"Darling, my mother was a mid-wife," she replied in an equally soft voice as she rose to return Jacob to the crib. Turning to her husband, she shrugged as nonchalantly as possible. "I often accompanied her on her trips. Sometimes the mother was too weak or didn't make it through childbirth and someone had to feed the infant. Mother always had her own formula prepared and the job fell to me."
"But you were just a child yourself."
"Yes, well...As I said, someone had to do it and I was available and willing. To tell you the truth, I rather enjoyed it. Before Qetesh, I wanted a whole houseful of babes." Vala smiled sadly at the memory.
"And now?" he asked, walking over to her and placing his hands on her arms.
"Daniel, are you asking me to make babies with you?" She was only half-joking and they both knew it.
"Yes."
Vala's brow rose before a happy smile settled on her face. Pulling her husband's face toward her, she kissed him passionately. She couldn't help picturing mini-Daniel's running about and it filled her with happiness. For the first time since Qetesh, the idea of having children didn't fill her with dread and it was all due to this man.
The End