All disclaimers apply: Sg1 is not mine but the rest are, hope you are enjoying the boys and their new family though the drama is about to ratchet up a notch.

Chapter Six: Concerned Parents

They retrieved their children from Teal'c and Sam that evening, promising to return the favor when Sam was ready for a night alone with her Jaffa husband. The big man nodded in appreciation and walked across the way with Jacob tucked into his large arms. Sam stayed in front of Jack and Daniel as they cuddled their babies who seemed to be a little extra fussy.

"Sam?" Daniel asked her.

"I don't know if its anything to worry about but they are both a little warm and seemed out of sorts. I didn't notice any other symptoms but maybe you should keep an eye on them."

"They were semi fussy last night too, I wonder if they are getting sick," Daniel muttered even as he held Zale tightly to his shoulder which normally comforted the little boy but this time he just wriggled even more. Daniel frowned and leaned forward to kiss Sam gently on the cheek before he headed back to the bedroom. Jack watched his spouse holding his son. He looked down at his daughter, who on the other hand seemed listless.

He leaned forward and kissed Sam's cheek as well, "We will let you know if we need to take them to Erica."

Sam nodded and walked back to her bedroom and Jack followed Daniel into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Zada looked up at him and through the skin-to-skin contact he could feel her exhaustion and the hint of warmth that warned an onset of fever possibly. He moved to sit on the bed, where Daniel was already resting with their son on his shoulder. "I can feel his unrest, the worry inside of him. He's a baby, he's not supposed to be feeling like this."

Jack pulled Daniel closer so they were in contact with one another. Jack rest an arm around Daniel's shoulder and a gentle hand curled around Zale's dark head. "Love, it's going to be okay. Whatever happens, we have on-call doctors and they are just a little warm."

Daniel nodded but Jack could tell his lover was still worried. It was upsetting to see him so wound up hours after the afternoon and evening they spent in bed and the bath and up against any surface they found themselves on. "I don't like this," Daniel reiterated.

"Should we take the day off tomorrow and see how they feel?" Jack asked. He had one session tomorrow with Zarkina, but it could be easily rescheduled and Daniel had his language class as he did every day. It was the only one for the next day.

Daniel shook his head, making sure not to jar Zale in the slightest. "I just have the one class and it's in mid afternoon, after your session with Zarkina. You can speak to her about calling in Erica if they don't feel better."

Jack nodded and watched Zada for a few minutes, she was so still but he could feel her simple thoughts and feelings so he knew she was alive and just not well. They both stayed in bed with their children for the rest of the evening and into the night. After they were fed a little, since they didn't want much and Jack and Daniel forced themselves to put them in their basinets for the night. They climbed back into their bed and settled together but not for a restful night sleep. There was no such thing for Jack; having seen his first son die quickly, this illness seemed to be taking their children bit by bit. Daniel lay in his arms, twitching and not truly resting either but a little better off than Jack. He had an early morning meeting with Zarkina and should attempt to sleep but it seemed like he wasn't going to be ok unless he knew Zale and Zada were still alive in their beds.

Morning came a little at a time, Jack slept fitfully but it was enough for his military trained mind and body to be able to function well enough to feed Zale and Zada a little in the morning but they still didn't have an appetite and as he held his daughter the warmth of her skin seemed to be rising. When it was Zale's turn, he noticed the same rise in temperature. He went over to the bed and shook Daniel lightly, "I am going to meet with the Queen but I don't feel right leaving Zada so I am going to take her with. Zale's temperature is rising, I am going to ask to send for Erica."

Daniel sat up during Jack's statement and rubbed the tired from his eyes. Jack leaned down and kissed his lover's lips gently which Daniel responded to a second too late and Jack was already moving to take his daughter with him to the door. Daniel shuffled off of the bed and picked up Zale before climbing back into bed with him.

Jack hoped that Daniel understood that the connection he had with Zada was stronger than the one he carried for Zale which is why he was desperate to hold her, to remind himself constantly that she was still alive. Daniel undoubtedly would feel the same compulsion with Zale.

He walked downstairs and slipped down the hallway in the quiet of the morning, opening the throne room door and found him in the large room that always shocked him with its size and simple elegance. There were tall windows, allowing in natural light, tables and chairs for eating or just talking and at the center of the room was the throne where Jack was pretty sure he'd never seen Zarkina sitting. She enjoyed standing next to it or wandering among the people gathered around the room. As it was, Zarkina was sitting at one of the breakfast tables, an empty plate sitting in front of her on the table and Taylor cuddled into her chest. William, her obnixous husband was there as was the norm. It was a rare sight indeed to find one without the other. Their twins, Asana and Steph were both there as well as William and Steph's mother, Cassandra and Kirkan, one of Daniel's best students.

He walked over to the group, smiling at them as they paused in their conversation to acknowledge him. "Who is with her daddy today?" Zarkina said as she moved Taylor off of her lap and standing to attempt to take Zada away from Jack who held her away from the queen.

Zarkina frowned, "What is it? You're worried."

Jack looked down at his daughter and without his choice, when he looked back up again there was bits of moisture clinging to his eyes, and preparing to fall. Zarkina immediately set a gentle hand on Zada's head and closed her eyes for a second before the green gaze caught up with his once more. "She's sick, doesn't want to eat and I can feel her worry and listlessness."

"Jack, calm down, she is adopting your fear as her own."

He nodded and tried to calm his mind for his daughter's sake. Zarkina reached out again and this time Jack started to hand his child over but his beautiful dark haired princess immediately started whimpering and fighting against the transfer. Zarkina released her hold and Zada relaxed into Jack once more. "I don't know why but she is fighting her physiology, the human half warring with the Vannas side. I need to call Erica because I am only guessing about this and she has a better grasp on the magic of children and their genetic makeup. She should be here soon, just go back to Daniel and wait for Erica. I am going to take a guess and say your son is sick as well."

Jack nodded.

"Daniel can reschedule his class today, the children need you and since Desire and Lust have recently returned to Damnation's camp we will not have access to them to help."

"Desire and Lust are gone?" Jack demanded, they'd been receiving milk and he hadn't even given it a second thought that they might not be available in case of something like this.

"They will return when you have need of them but give yourself and Daniel the chance to be the parents I know you can be, without the extra help all the time from the surrogate mothers who didn't want to have children at all."

Jack knew she was right, Desire and Lust had no intention of being mothers to Zale and Zada and it would be unfair of them to demand their presence. He nodded and turned back to head back upstairs and back into his apartment where Daniel was walking around in his sleeping clothes, a whimpering Zale in his arms. Daniel looked over at him when he walked into the room, "Any better?" Jack asked him.

Daniel shook his head, "I think he's getting worse. I couldn't get him to eat anything now he won't calm down no matter what I do." As Daniel spoke, his voice rose in pitch, fear causing the change. Zale of course pitched into screaming, feeling his daddy's fear.

"Do you want to trade for a little while, Zada is so still and I could use some movement just so I know they are both still alive and with us."

Daniel nodded and unlike with the Queen, the babies glad went to their other daddy. Daniel and Jack both heaved a sigh of relief for holding the other child. Jack desperately wanted to keep holding Zada because he needed the connection to know she was alive but as Daniel curled into the corner of the couch with her tucked under his chin, eyes closed with little trails of liquid leaking in the corners, Jack knew he did the right thing. Daniel had only been alone for about a half an hour and Zale had worked him into an emotional frenzy in that time.

Zale was indeed restless, his spirit in need of something that he wasn't getting but because they didn't have the words, Zale couldn't tell them what he needed. Then again, if this was indeed connected to the Vannas half of themselves then of course Jack and Daniel wouldn't have what they needed. Zale let Jack walk him around the room, whimpering and shifting constantly in his arms but did not cry out as Jack might have expected. So he quietly murmured soothing words to his son and listened to the feelings Zale chose to transmit to him but after a while it seemed to just tire him out so Jack slipped into silence and waited for something to happen, something to change.