They had made it. Daniel couldn't believe it, almost, had to keep asking Vala to pinch him. After the fifth time, Jack had taken matters into his own hands, handed the as yet unnamed baby over to Vala and escorted Daniel to the boxing ring where he ensured Daniel that, yes, the archeologist was wide awake.
Now, Daniel was staring at the securely wrapped bundle in Vala's arms as the baby fed hungrily, unsure whether to burst out yelling for joy or merely bask in the glow that was his daughter. Reaching out, he gently brushed a hand over her mop of hair, his fingers finding her head under the tangle of black curls. "We did okay, right? " Vala asked worriedly.
"We did really good. I like having her around, provided she doesn't scream through the night, drool on my shirt, pee and poop constantly without cleaning herself, and scream when she doesn't get fed instantly. I think once we get her to agree to those terms, we'll be fine." Daniel teased gently.
"Darling." Vala smiled, then turned her attention back to her baby.
"Hey, just got in from off world, on my way to get cleaned up and my physical, thought I'd swing by and see the little one, say congratulations, hi, you know." Sam called softly from the doorway.
"Come see her, Samantha! She's absolutely enchanting." Vala replied, sitting up enough to hug her friend.
"Can I hold her when I get back from getting cleaned up? I don't want to get her dirty or anything right now." Sam hugged Vala gently, careful not to aggravate the woman's birthing injuries.
"Absolutely. Come back whenever you want, we'll be here still staring at her." Daniel teased the bottom of his daughter's tiny foot and she pulled it away instantly.
"Ticklish." he chuckled, going after it again. Without releasing her food source, the baby let out a high-pitched whimper as she pulled away from him.
"Daniel." Vala pulled the blanket over to cover the tiny feet, gently resituating the baby in her arms.
"I've got you. You're okay now." She soothed.
Unseen in the corner of the infirmary, one man and two women watched the two with their daughter.
"The child will be safe?" Ganos Lal asked softly.
"She will be safe, yes. The galaxies are endless playgrounds to be explored, now that the Go'auld and Ori threats have been exterminated. Should they choose the Pegasus Galaxy to reside in, their little girl will be safe from the Wraith threat as well." Oma Desala replied.
"They look happy." Ganos smiled after a time.
"Yes. Their happiness has now grown, and they are a complete familial unit, as per the agreement Daniel Jackson and I reached upon his decision to descend as a human, his first time as one of us."
"Vala? Will she be alright?"
"I didn't bring endless joy and true love into Daniel's life just to snatch it away again. It was my part of the bargain, the first time he descended." Oma smiled slightly at the sight of Daniel gently stroking his daughter's hair.
"What was the bargain?" Myrdin asked.
"Daniel did not want to leave us, as you well know. He wished to stay and continue on the plane of Ascension, but he was needed among his people. Therefore, I made a bargain with him for his return. I would grant him the desire of his heart if he would only return to assist his people. My only stipulation was that I choose the woman and the time." Oma sighed gently.
"His greatest desire was to have a child?" Ganos asked with a smile.
Oma shook her head gently in response.
"A family. Daniel Jackson has many friends, but no one to call his own. He bargained with me that I would bring a family into his life before he became too old to enjoy it. I agreed, but wiped the entire bargain from his mind in order to give myself time to find the perfect woman for him. I felt he needed someone to lift his spirits when he became numb to the horrors he faced everyday. Vala Mal Doran has done so, repeatedly. A child was not far off after that, but I needed to pick the right time for her as well."
"I had thought you would choose Samantha Carter to bring about his child."
"Yes, and for a time I believed that myself. However, the attraction between Daniel Jackson and Samantha Carter was not nearly as great as that of Daniel and Vala Mal Doran. I chose them, for several reasons."
Ganos sighed dreamily and looked to her companion, a glint of mischief in her eyes.
"Why Oma, I do not recall you ever being such a romantic at heart." She teased. Oma laughed softly at her words and brushed away a tear at the sight of the couple with their small daughter.
Myrdin smiled when Jack entered the small room and gave his congratulations before hurrying out again, his eyes drifting over in the direction of the Ancients as if he knew they were there. Oma knew Jack couldn't sense them, had no fear that their time on the human plane of existence would be interrupted.
"Vala needed to heal from the pain of losing the Orici. A small part of her had always wanted a child, to lose the one thing in her life that truly meant the world to her, she was almost destroyed by the heartache. She was sure that she would never carry another child, not after everything she was told by the Orici. A child will end her pain and ease the guilt over losing Adria to the Ori. With this child, she can see how her life should have gone, how she wanted to have raised her first child. Daniel's emotional trauma over losing Sha're to the Go'auld will still trouble him occasionally, but he has a woman so unlike her in every way, she has opened his heart to receiving love. For a time he believed he would never love again, despaired of ever having a family to call his own. Of having someone that was his, and his alone. That is why I allowed Vala to cross his path. From their first brief meeting aboard the Prometheus I knew they were to bring about the child. I have carefully guided them back into one another's lives each time they spiraled outwards, Vala to her many whims, Daniel to his many projects. They will learn from each other, growing in strength. And, eventually, their grandchildren will cement the bond they share." Oma smiled. "She will be the beacon of light in the darkness they carry. And, as darkness lifts when light is brought forth, their troubles will so fade away when their child comes to them, surrounding them with her eternal love."
"Will they have another child?" Ganos asked eagerly.
"No. One child. That was the agreement that was struck. One child. Vala could not carry a child to term, as set down by the Ori. Therefore, I had to begin her labor early. And Ganos, starting the rumor that the child and Vala had both perished during the birth. Now Jacek has returned the crystals and they can go home, beginning their new life together as a family." Oma watched as Myrdin and Ganos faded into nothing, leaving the human's plane of existence finally, having seen all they wanted.
She was alone. Drifting forward, she gently touched the infant's cheek and leaned down to place a ghosted kiss on the dark curls.
"May you grow up to never know adversity or fears, my darling. And remember, should you ever have need of us, you have merely to call my name. Oma Desala." Oma whispered to the baby before she, too, faded into nothing, leaving the infant to stare after her wonderingly while the name burned itself into her tiny mind, buried until her subconscious should need it.