Daniel's hand rested on her stomach, his warmth seeping through the thin t-shirt she wore.

"Wow. I never really got a chance to…You know, I never thought… It's unbelievable how..."

He had been doing that a lot. Begin a sentence, finish it in his mind, and leave her hanging.

Vala took a deep breath as she touched the gentle swell of her womb, covering his fingers with her own as their child continued to move.

"It's like it knows we're here." She heard Daniel murmur after the third flutter in under a minute.

"And now you know why I couldn't have killed him, Daniel. This child is the one good thing in my life that I've ever done. The one good thing I've been able to continue. Samantha said she never thought she'd ever be so happy as to have Ella in her arms for the first time, and I'd give anything to know that feeling, know that I created him, protected him, nourished him. He's too small to say so for himself, but I know he wants to live. Feel him kick, Daniel. He's strong. He wants to survive." Vala found herself almost pleading for her unborn child, praying that Daniel would agree and let her carry to term. If he refused again, she would have no choice but to remove him from her life. Screw the consequences, her baby was going to live.

Daniel pulled his hand away from the baby, his face unreadable.

"Carolyn said you would most likely die while giving birth to it. Have you considered that?" He finally asked.

"I have. And I've asked someone to look after the baby if that is a likelihood. Just in case. I want my baby to be cared for, even if I'm not around to do so myself. I've been working on something called 'a will' with Cameron. Anyway, it's stated plainly and in no uncertain terms that you have first chance at keeping our baby. If you can't stomach the idea of taking on the responsibility of him, I will understand and his godparent will take over." She replied evenly.

His heart lurched with the thought of someone else raising his baby.

His baby.

For the first time since she had announced her pregnancy, Daniel had slipped and allowed himself to believe the thing was even living. Judging by the flutters under her skin, the baby was very much alive.

"Vala," he began slowly, praying to whatever gods and goddesses were listening in and were actually interested in their plight, "Believe me when I say that this is the best thing that has ever happened to me. But I can't just sit by and do nothing while your life is threatened. I love you, I want the best for you, I want you with me, can't you understand that? I see it like this, we're stranded on a hostile planet, and this pregnancy is trying to kill you, it's the enemy. I would kill it, just as I would if it were coming at you fully grown, weapon raised to kill you. Self defense, Vala, don't you see?"

"Him! You would kill him. Say it. Tell me you would kill our baby, my baby, your baby. Say it. I need to hear you say it, Daniel." She barked harshly.

And he couldn't. The pregnancy was killing her, slowly, effortlessly, and he couldn't look her in the eye and take it away from her.

"Alright. If it means so much to you, I won't talk about killing it. Have you started thinking of names yet?" He asked, hoping she would allow him to change the subject.

"I have, and because I'm so sure he's a boy, I'd like to name him -"

"Jacek?" Daniel teased.

"Absolutely not. My son deserves an honest name. No, I made a promise to Samantha a few years back after a scandalously large amount of Chinese food, in which I swore on my mother's grave an unbreakable oath that my first son would be named Sam. Then three days ago, General Landry said that if the baby was a boy and I named him Dakota, I would then be granted a college fund. I played with the letters of your modern language, and, Dacodah Samm was born. Well, not exactly born, but in the sense that I have named him and gained a college fund for him, you understand." Vala replied.

"Right. College fun in exchange for the baby's name. Completely understandable." Daniel sighed heavily. The silence was somewhat overwhelming until Vala rubbed a hand across her baby.

"So, where does this leave us?" She asked in a low voice.

"Somewhere I'd rather not think about for too long. I can't lose you, Vala." Daniel didn't know who he was pleading with, Vala or the gods he only somewhat believed in.

"So, don't. Stay with me until he's born, then you raise him in the memory of me. Let him know how much I loved him even before he was born. Let him know that I kept him safe as long as I could, then you took over. More importantly, let him know that I didn't want to leave him. I didn't want to lose my baby, but it was necessary to save his life." She took a shaky breath and curled her feet under her for warmth.

Daniel melted and pulled her to him, sweeping the blanket around her entirely before placing them both down on the bed. He could feel her breathing even out, lulling him to sleep.

"How would you feel about getting me some sushi?" She asked suddenly, her voice drowsy.

"Kitchen?"

"First left once you leave the hallway. Bottom shelf in the refrigeration unit. Covered in plastic wrap." Vala replied.

Daniel left the safety and warmth of the bed and padded barefoot down the hallway, managing to bang his toes no less than twice on various items scattered around the den area. Entering the kitchen, he made his way to the fridge by feel, finally pulling open the silver monstrosity that took up at least a third of one wall. Peering into the frigid depths, he was just reaching for the plate of sushi when a cold metallic click had him holding his position.

"You'd better have a damn good reason for breaking in. I happen to be a law abiding citizen with a fondness for the Second Amendment which gives me the license to carry a weapon in the safety of my own home." Cameron's no nonsense voice was harsh, and Daniel never realized how frightening it was to hear it aimed at himself.

"Vala called me in. She said the baby was kicking. I asked if I could feel it too, she gave me directions. She's awake in her room, if you want to check my story." He replied as non threateningly as he could. He heard an audible click as the safety on Cam's service weapon was applied.

"Jackson? What are you doing up here in the middle of the night? It's close to four thirty, and you're in my kitchen." Mitchell placed the gun on the counter as he snapped on the light to stare at his friend in disbelief.

Daniel thought over his answers, none seemed right.

"Vala had a craving for sushi?"