Chapter Sixteen Summary: The cookout takes place. Daniel gives Sam her engagement ring, Jacob confesses that he and Selmak have begun a relationship, and Daniel and Sam make their announcements. They all have a very delightful day. Pure fluff for the most part.

Mer Ma'tae – My Love

Mer Ann'wyld – My Beloved

Pro`n Ann'wyld, Ni` Ar Kea'cor, Kea'ani'mek Et'aevek Kesh – Our Beloved, We are One Heart, One Soul, Eternally Bound

Cor's Trel'li-Mae'tek - Heart's Tear-Mate, the One who Shared your Deepest Grief and Suffered it With You. A strongly bonded mate, brought together by shared grief. Rarely a Lover, however a very Deep Friendship is Shared from that time onward.

"Italics" – Symbiote-Host communication

Always Be Ours

Chapter Sixteen

Unexpected Announcements

Sam and Janet didn't stay long in the bedroom talking, since they both knew that people would be arriving soon. They met Daniel coming up to check on her, and she explained the story that Janet, Lantash, and she came up with about the healing device and her dad. He followed them downstairs, but at a much more leisurely pace.

What little time Janet and she had together to talk helped to soothe Sam somewhat. She missed talking to her friend, and their brief chat left a very nice feeling. Especially since Paul Davis's name kept creeping into the dialog. Sam smiled to herself. Yes, that appeared to be going well. She did not mention to Janet that Paul would be here today, or that he was transferring to the mountain. She would find out before long, though, because she would get his medical information. If, that is, Paul did not tell her himself today, which was actually the more likely way she would find out. Sam hoped she was there to gauge her reaction to the news.

However, currently, as soon as she could get her dad inside, she needed to explain to him that he had discovered the twins. The part that he was going to get to play would really tickle him. She went to stand beside him where he stood talking to Jack and Anise. Janet joined Per'sus, Malek, and Cassie. Soon, others would begin to arrive, and she needed to talk to her dad as soon as she could so that would be out of the way. She whispered in his ear that she wanted to talk to him. Telling the other two that they would talk to them more later, they linked arms and started walking toward the house.

"What's up, Sam? Is there something you need me to do?" Jacob asked as they headed for the house.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, there is. Lantash just gave us some interesting information, and we decided that, since it will be really helpful in our cover story, we need for you to become the messenger of good tidings."

Jacob raised his eyebrows and gave a lopsided grin, saying, "Really? And just what news is it that I am about to impart, and to whom am I imparting it?"

"Come inside. There isn't anyone here yet that might overhear us that would matter, but I think I need some more ginger ale." Sam grimaced as she said the last.

"Yeah, your mom used to complain that if she wasn't drinking it, she was emptying it from her body."

Sam wrinkled her nose at him. "So I'm finding out." Reaching into the fridge, she grabbed a bottle. He had remembered that she didn't like the cans. Her dad really was sweet in many ways, if you just noticed it. She looked at him, and her eyes filled with tears, another side effect of her hormones, she supposed. "Thanks, Daddy," she whispered softly.

"Sam? Hey, what's the matter?" Jacob was alarmed at the sight of the tears in her eyes.

Sam shook her head, sniffed, and then grinned. "Hormones, I think. I was just thinking how sweet it was that you remembered that I don't like the ginger ale in cans, and what a sweet man you are for remembering those little things, that's all."

Jacob looked embarrassed for a moment and then grinned sheepishly. "Your mom said something similar to me once a very long time ago. She said she always knew I loved her because I did sweet little things, even when I forgot to say it. I've always remembered that. And," he cleared his throat, knowing Sam wasn't going to be happy over his next information, "Your mom was kind of a watering pot on and off for the whole nine months. It did tend to go in spells though, honey. Sorry, Sam."

Sam moaned at that news, but she nodded, accepting his information. Then she became pensive and sad, as she thought about her dad and the years he had been alone. She lifted her head and looked at him closely before taking a breath and gathering her determination. Letting the breath back out slowly, she told him softly, "You need to find a mate, Dad. You need someone that would enhance your life and give you the happiness you should have; someone who would help you find the joy that I know could be yours. You deserve it. What would you think about becoming involved with Garshaw and Yosuf? I think that the two of them like you, you know. I'd bet if you made move on one of them, they wouldn't shy away."

Jacob's jaw dropped as he stared at his daughter. Surely, Lantash didn't know about them, did he? It had just happened for heaven's sake.

Sam frowned at him. "Is it such a novel idea? Surely, you have noticed that she looks at you, uh, differently than she does some of the others. More than that, she watches you a lot, too. I've noticed it when I've been there recently. I mean, it wouldn't hurt to try to get to know her better; although I would imagine that Garshaw and Selmak know each other pretty well after a couple of thousand years."

"This is a perfect opportunity to tell her, Jacob," Selmak urged him bracingly. "We have wondered how to tell her and how she would react. I believe that we have our answer."

"Yeah, if I can just get the words to form in my head and come out of my mouth," Jacob replied, obviously tongue-tied with surprise.

His eyes glowed, and Selmak came forward to say, "Actually, Samantha, your father and I recently began a relationship with them. In fact, it is a very recent development. It is a little difficult, since we cannot explain to her about Lantash, and we hope that when the truth of his survival comes out, she will forgive us for keeping it from her."

"I think that if she cares about you, she will understand that you couldn't take the chance of telling anyone, Selmak. I have to tell you that I'm glad to hear about the four of you. I really am. Why didn't you bring her today?"

Jacob came fore now that the news had been broken, and said softly, "I wasn't sure how you would take it, Sam. Not only that, but since those of us that are here are the only Tok'Ra that know about Lantash, I really couldn't bring her. If we weren't having the meetings, and possibly the exchange of Lantash from you to Daniel, it would've been all right, but as things stand right now, I just didn't feel that we could."

Sam nodded, seeing her father's point, and then she shook her head at herself. "I don't know what I was thinking, Evidently, I just wasn't thinking, or I would've realized myself that you couldn't bring her this time. We'll have to make a point to have you bring her some other time. And, as time goes on, Per'sus may decide to tell her himself. It might not be a bad idea to have one of the other council members besides you and Per'sus in the know about what is going on anyway. However, those are questions and situations that we can take care of in the future. In fact, you should bring that up tomorrow during the meeting."

Jacob nodded his agreement, saying, "Yeah, and to tell you the truth, when Selmak said that we just started a relationship very recently, he was being pretty darn close to literal. We haven't really been seeing them outside of Tok'Ra business for very long, so I think it would've been a little premature for me to bring them here now."

He grinned a little, relieved now that the information had been imparted and received. Received well, too, and that was a huge reassurance. Feeling like they could return to the original reason for their talk, he asked, "So, back to our original conversation, what did Lantash tell you, and what is it that you want me to do?"

Sam smiled at him as her thoughts, too, came back to the babies. "Well, we explained everything to Janet a little bit ago, and while we were talking about it, Lantash pointed some things out. He has been encouraging the babies to mature a little faster. He figures that even if he left me today, they would continue to mature at an accelerated rate for about two more weeks. Anyway, it seems that, since he encouraged the second baby to catch up to the first one, they are both at the equivalent of five weeks right now. That's why I'm starting morning sickness. Two more weeks at this rate will put them at about nine weeks."

"Since we want it to seem that I'm farther along than I am anyway, to help throw dates off and make it obvious that Martouf and Lantash couldn't be the father, it seems likely that by now I would know I'm pregnant. We plan to announce it today, as well as the fact that it is twins. That's where you and Selmak come in. As you checked me over the last time you were here to make sure that everything was all right, you discovered that it is not one baby, but two."

"So, you become the messenger of that surprise, and we can announce it today, even though in the normal course of events, it would probably have been several more weeks before we would have known. It's possible to know as early as six weeks, but normally it's not known before ten to twelve. In two weeks time, when I see Janet I will be nine weeks pregnant." She took a deep breath and smiled at him, even if it was a little on the wobbly side, before continuing, "that puts conception at a full month before the summit. So…what do you think, Dad?"

Jacob smiled. "I think it's great, Sam. And it's another layer of protection, as you say." Jacob's smile faded, and he glanced around to be sure they were still alone.

"Sam." He cleared his throat before trying once again, finally asking her, "Sam, how are you, really? I mean, how are you and Daniel and Lantash truly doing? I'm really sorry I haven't been around since last week to talk to you, honey."

Sam shook her head at him. "It's okay, Dad. I didn't expect you to hold my hand, you know. Daniel and Lantash have been doing that, I promise you." Seeing that he wasn't satisfied with her answer, she sighed and gave him another, somewhat shaky smile, before answering with only a small tremor to her voice, "I'm doing okay. Well, I'm doing all right most of the time, anyway. I mean, sometimes things happen that make me remember him, and I'm okay with it." She closed her eyes and took in another somewhat jerky breath, before replying, "At other times, well, at those times when I remember him, it cuts so deep I don't think I will survive the pain. Lantash does what he can for me at those times, but the only thing that's really going to help is time. I know that eventually, it will hurt less. Right now, though…right now, it just hasn't been long enough and some of the memories are just too poignant."

"Daniel has been a safe harbor for both of us. I should have said that we are doing okay most of the time. Sometimes — sometimes, I remember something and it hits both of us really hard. The same thing happens when it is Lantash that remembers him. One time we are both okay with it, the next maybe one of us is okay and the other is pretty much devastated. The worst times are when it hits us both hard. At those times, if it wasn't for Daniel, I don't know how either of us would cope. He's been a rock of stability for us." Sam closed her eyes as tears threatened, before whispering, "It's just still so raw, Dad, for both of us, and Daniel understands that. He's always there for us, every time."

She shook her head, forcing the emotions back and with Lantash's help, she drew a shaky breath managing a very shaky smile. Thinking of something that she felt would help her move away from those memories at this moment, and at the same time, perhaps, help her dad to worry less about her and Lantash, she said, "There are other things that are helping us, too, though, so it isn't all on Daniel's shoulders. Come with me; I want to show you something. It's one of the things that help us the most, actually. I think you'll be surprised, but Daniel and I are very pleased and excited by it, because of what it means."

Sam led the way up the stairs and into the room where Malek slept the night before. Walking into it, Jacob stopped short, looking around in stunned surprise. There were stuffed animals, there were books, there were games, and there was furniture. Two of everything, and the furniture was absolutely beautiful stuff. "Wow. Daniel is really going all out, huh?"

Jacob heard a snort from behind them and whirled around to find Malek standing behind him. "Hardly, Jacob. One must look to Lantash for this rather lavish assortment of accoutrements. I believe that the only things Daniel and Samantha picked out were the furniture design and the type of wood. My personal favorites are the bassinets. All of the furniture's workmanship is beautiful; however, I believe that they are exceptionally well-done and lovely. I believe that the little girls to come will probably appreciate them more, in later years, than your grandsons will," Malek spoke up from the open door. "I apologize for interrupting. I came up for my, er, I believe the word is billfold."

Sam smiled warmly at him and reached for the dark brown leather object on the dresser. "Here you go, Malek, and you aren't interrupting. Lantash did buy most of this stuff, including the clothes and the educational games that he and Daniel both seem to enjoy so much."

Malek grinned back at her, feeling completely at ease with this woman who would soon be his 'Cor's Trel'li-Mae'tek', his heart's tearmate. He nodded, saying, "Yes, I can see both of them being fascinated by them. We should consider this for," he frowned, trying to remember exactly what Cassie had told him, "er, Christmas?"

"Absolutely, Malek, that's a wonderful idea, and it would keep them busy with one another for hours. Hey, another great reason to have a symbiote. You always have someone with whom you can play games."

Jacob and Malek both looked at her in surprise before chuckling. "That is a very true observation, Samantha. The Tok'Ra do tend to enjoy puzzles and attempting to solve them."

"You and I will get together and find the perfect gift for them for," Sam stopped speaking abruptly and a look of surprise crossed her face, as she questioned, "Christmas? Where did that come from, Malek? I didn't know that the Tok'Ra were aware of any of our holidays. Has my dad been telling you about them?"

Malek seemed to be in a quandary as to whether to shake his head no, or nod his head yes. He stopped himself before he could do either, and instead explained, "Cassandra was telling us about the gift she received last year from Daniel, and she explained the holiday to us; however, Jacob has also told us of many Tau'ri customs. Some of them sound very amusing."

"Ah, I see. Well, that's good; you'll know all about it and be ready to join us this year. Maybe we can get a group of Tok'Ra here for the holidays. Maybe even Garshaw would agree to come. And Aldwin and Jorlin along with Per'sus and Anise? We'll have to spend some time planning that, Malek. Maybe between the two of us, we can come up with a really nice Christmas party one evening. But for the true Christmas day, it will be just us along with you, and the Tok'Ra that know about Lantash." For a moment, her eyes filled with anguish, but she veiled them quickly, and it passed almost at once, as she pushed the pain firmly aside. Smiling determinedly, she finished her thoughts, saying, "If we keep it to just those of us who are aware of him, then he can be out and among us as I, and I am sure you, will wish him to be able to join us."

Taking his cue as to how to respond from her, he gave no indication that he was aware she found the entire conversation extremely difficult, saying lightly, with an engaging smile at her, "It is a pleasant thought, Samantha. The Tok'Ra do not often have social events, although they enjoy them when they remember to have them. Having more Tau'ri in our midst may help us to relax somewhat. That could turn out to be a very good thing."

"Yes, I think you are right, Malek, and so does Lantash. He says to tell you that he is very happy to see you beginning to relax. You have needed to do it for a long time now, in his opinion."

Looking down at the billfold in his hands, before stuffing it in his back pants pocket, he looked back up at her and agreed, "I have been coming to the conclusion that everyone who has told me that very thing was correct, Samantha. Now that I have begun to do so, I am looking forward to doing it even more often." Bowing his head slightly, he prepared to take his leave, saying, "I will leave the two of you to finish your conversation. Anise wished to understand more about the ways of the Tau'ri world, and I was attempting to explain plastic to her."

"All right, Malek. We will be out soon." Sam grinned as he turned and quickly left the room, whistling under his breath.

Jacob stared after him almost shaking his head in disbelief at the difference in his manner. Realizing that Jacob was comparing the man they were seeing this morning with the one they saw quite often in the past, Selmak told him, "We are definitely seeing a side to him that has been missing for a very long time. There is little doubt that this will be good for both him and Devlin."

"Yeah, I can see that and I agree; I think this will be good for both of them, too," Jacob readily agreed with him.

"I like Malek and Devlin, Dad. Malek, especially, seems like a very solemn person at first, but I think that he and Devlin both have hidden depths and a really good sense of humor. We truly enjoyed their company last night, and Malek and Lantash are very close. Lantash tells me that he is acting much more as he used to, before he became a base commander and had all of that responsibility placed onto his shoulders. He says that his worry for him increased every time he saw him, and he is truly happy to see him relaxing like this."

Jacob nodded. "Yeah, Selmak is crowing about the change in him. Most of his old friends were becoming perceptively more concerned because he was immersing himself so deeply in the base that he had no time for anything or anyone else. In fact, it was common knowledge that they often had to chase him down and insist that he and Dev eat, and the healers were constantly on him to get more rest and eat better. I think we can all agree that this is really good for him. But, enough of Malek," he closed their discussion of him, before turning back to the room of furniture and children's toys.

"Lantash bought all of this stuff? Really?"

"Yes, he has discovered shopping online. As soon as his own credit card arrives, Daniel and I agree that he will do his best to melt it. Why do you think he wanted you to bring more of his assets with you today? He will need it to repair that plastic after he melts it."

Sam's eyes glowed and Lantash came fore, to ask, "Speaking of which, Jacob, did you remember to bring my gold? Even more importantly, did you remember to bring Samantha's ring? Daniel and I wish to give it to her today before Daniel makes the announcements."

"Yup, the gold is on base; George has taken it in hand, and the ring is in my pocket. I haven't had time to give it to Daniel yet. I remembered it, while I was waiting for Per'sus and Anise to arrive, so I took it out of my bag and have it handy. I just need to get him alone to give it to him. I take it Sam knows she is getting it, since you are talking to me about it?"

"She knows only that we hoped it would be ready and that you would be bringing it if it was. I have blocked her off. She is becoming irate, so I will release her, now." Lantash grinned, but it faded to an exasperated look as Sam took control back from him.

"I wish he wouldn't do that. What secrets is he keeping now?"

"That would spoil the gift, Sam, so I won't tell you. However, I will tell you that I think we should get back. I think I heard the doorbell, and Daniel answered it, so we should go."

Sam sighed, but agreed, and they headed for the stairs. "All right. I get it. At least I get a surprise out of it this time." Then she grinned at her dad. "I'm really glad that Lantash is taking this much interest in the babies, Dad. We tease him, but it really is wonderful to know that he is anticipating them so eagerly. I make sure he knows how much it means to us, too. I don't ever want him to doubt how much his involvement means to me, to both of us, really."

"Yeah, it is a great time, and I am glad he's able to experience it. I'll bet Daniel is over the moon, too, though isn't he?"

"Yeah," Sam said softly. "Yeah, he is. Between the two of them, I have no qualms at all, about whether or not they are 'really, truly' glad that I'm pregnant. I know they are, and that they are looking forward to their arrival as much as I am."

Jacob nodded, as they reached the kitchen and let themselves out the sliding door into the yard. It looked like part of SG-2 arrived while they were upstairs. Daniel seemed to be introducing a female that he didn't recognize to Malek and Per'sus. "Who is that with Daniel, Sam?"

Sam smiled slightly, but her countenance gave nothing away. "Her name is Tamara Petersen, Captain Tamara Petersen. She's the new Second in Command of SG-2. Major Courtland seems pleased with her so far. She's a linguist and archaeologist, so she and Daniel get along really well. She and Malek seem to be chatting as if they've known each other for a while. I wonder if they've met before?"

Jacob looked at her suspiciously, but she looked perfectly innocent as she continued apparently oblivious to his observation. "Per'sus seems to like her, too, but then she's very likable." She continued to look around at the others that had arrived. Paul Davis was there, and he was talking to Janet and Cassie. Sam smiled. So far so good.

"I need to talk to Daniel, Sam," Jacob told her, once he was sure her attention was back with him.

"That's all right, Dad, I think I'm going to go back inside and answer the door for a while. See you later."

"Okay. If you start to feel bad come and get me, and I'll take over door duty."

Nodding her agreement, Sam turned back and entered the kitchen through the sliding door. She barely had it shut before the doorbell rang. Things could get hectic now that people had begun to arrive. "Thank you for keeping me from blushing and giving our plans away, Lantash. I appreciate it, my love," Sam gave him a swift hug and caress, before making her way to the foyer to answer the door.

"You are quite welcome, Mer Ann'wyld," Lantash kissed her swiftly and then there was no time to do anything except answer the door and greet friends and colleagues.

Thirty minutes later, everyone that was expected was in the back yard. Sam closed her eyes, leaned back against the kitchen counter, and breathed deeply. So far, so good. Lantash was as good as his word, and if any of the scents from the cooking food started her nausea, he immediately blocked it off. She looked up as Daniel came into the kitchen.

"Hey, Sam, how's it going? Are you doing okay? Lantash is helping out, I imagine."

"Yes, we are doing fine, Daniel. What do you need? Did I forget to bring something outside?"

"No, Sam, you didn't forget a thing, but Lantash and I have something for you." He held out a small dark blue velvet box to her, saying, "Your dad gave it to me a little while ago, but I haven't had time to give it to you until now. I hope this is all right with you. I, we, can wait until later, when we can add some soft love ballads, wine, and candlelight, if you would rather receive it in a more romantic setting. Neither Lantash nor I would blame you for wanting that. We just want you to be happy, Sam. That's the most important thing in our world right now."

Sam felt the ever-ready tears start, and she sniffed before telling him, "Oh, Daniel, nothing could be sweeter or more loving than that thought and what you said." She sniffed again and he put a tissue he snatched from the nearest box into her hand, as he grinned at her. She managed to laugh, even if it was only a little, before she said, "No, I don't want to wait. Having you both here and holding me is all that matters." She gave one more little sniff, and then she nudged him, finally giving him a real smile to encourage him, as she assured them both, "I'm telling you the truth; I really don't want to wait. You can ask Lantash; I can't hide my feelings from him when they are on this much of a roller coaster. I truly am dying to see it, Daniel, and now is a perfect time."

As Daniel opened the box, Sam looked inside, and gasped. "Oh my God, Daniel, Lantash…they are the most beautiful rings I've ever seen." She slowly reached out, but stopped before she touched the blazing marquis cut blue diamond in the center of the engagement section of the ring. She hesitantly reached out again, this time actually touching the gorgeous stones. Her eyes filled with tears that slowly tracked down her cheeks, and she made no move to stop them or even to mop them up. The ring's beauty completely overwhelmed her. Looking away from it and back at him, as he stood quietly holding it, she finally whispered, "It is stunningly exquisite, Daniel. I…I don't even have words to express what this means to me. You and Lantash did a marvelous job of designing this." She finally moped up the tears and smiled fully at him.

Daniel let out a breath that he hadn't realized he was holding. "Most of it is taken from one of the designs that Martouf made, Sam. It was very similar to what both Lantash and I had in mind, so we simply modified it a little bit. The, um, the wedding band is inscribed." Taking the bejeweled wedding band out of its velvet box, he handed it to her, and once more found himself holding his breath, as she read it.

"Pro`n Ann'wyld, Ni` Ar Kea'cor, Kea'ani'mek Et'aevek Kesh – DLMJ". Sam caught her breath as she translated the inscription, which read; Our Beloved, We Are One Heart, One Soul, Eternally Bound – DLMJ. She burst into tears, and Daniel took her into his arms, holding her close, as Lantash soothed her from within.

Lantash whispered to her as he caressed here softly, "Hush, Mer Ma'tae, do not cry so, you will make yourself ill. Please, you are bruising my heart and no doubt Daniel's, as well. We did not place the inscription there to make you cry. We placed it there that you might always have our heart close to you and our love surrounding you. All three of us, Mer Ann'wyld, for Martouf's love lives on in all of us, as well. Now, come, please, do not cry so."

Lantash continued soothing her from within, as Daniel held her close, murmuring to her, "Sam, please don't cry. I know it may be your hormones going crazy, but please, you are breaking my heart and probably Lantash's, as well. We inscribed it so that you would always know how very much we love you…all three of us…because Martouf's love entwines with ours. Hush now, no more tears. You are rending our hearts in two," Daniel's voice added to Lantash's continued to solace and comfort her as she quieted.

As she calmed, Daniel changed tack and told her, "You know if you keep this up, everyone will think that we've had a fight or something. Your eyes will be all red and they'll all believe I made you cry."

Realizing that he was correct, it didn't take her long to get herself under control. After blowing her nose and wiping her eyes, she looked at Daniel and asked softly, "Are you sure it is safe to have Martouf and Lantash's initials there now? Shouldn't we wait and add them later?"

Daniel cleared his throat, before telling her, "There is no risk. It is very odd, Sam, but…well, those are my initials, as well as our initials. I, um, never give my middle—names."

She blinked at him for a moment before asking, "What? So it doesn't mean Lantash and Martouf?" Then the other thing he said occurred to her and she asked, "Names? As in more than one?"

Daniel answered, and explained, "Yes, it stands for the three of us, but if anyone ever asks about it," he shrugged a little self-consciously before admitting, "well, we can explain that they are my initials, Sam. My full name is Daniel Laurent Mikael Jackson. We didn't even realize it ourselves until after we had it inscribed. When I looked at it, I suddenly realized that we had put each of our initials in the order of my middle names. When I told Lantash, he pointed out that it was quite a coincidence, but he prefers to believe that it means that we belong together, the four of us. Martouf will always be with us, so it is all three of us with you. I meant what I said that night, Sam. He is a part of us. Eternally."

She nodded her agreement and swallowed hard, but held the tears at bay this time, and then she managed a credible smile saying, "Well, I want to see what it looks like on me. I'm very much looking forward to wearing it." Looking at it once more before he put the wedding band back into the box, while keeping the engagement section out, she told him one more time. "I love it. It is so…I can't even think of a word to describe it, it's so beautiful and lovely. I can hardly wait to wear it, Daniel."

"Great. Good." The relief sped through him, as he told her, sincerely, "I'm really glad you like it. What do you say you move the other ring to your right hand and let me put this on your finger, then?"

Nodding, Sam did as he asked and within seconds, the magnificent diamond, sapphire, and topaz ring adorned the ring finger of her left hand. Daniel took her into his arms and kissed her soundly. "I love you. We love you, Ann'wyld."

"Thank you, Daniel; thank you, Lantash. It is lovely and I will cherish it always, I promise you. Both of you. You mean so much to me. Oh, no, I think I'm going to cry again."

"It's just hormones, Sam; it will pass," Daniel assured her as he cradled her in his arms, while she mopped up one more time.

She laughed shakily and nodded her agreement, before assuring him, "I know. It's just so darn weird the way my emotions are on such a roller coaster. They're just all over the place."

Taking her hand Daniel kissed it softly and lovingly before pulling her toward the door. "Well, Jack has enough food ready that everyone is starting to eat, so we should get back outside. You okay now?"

"Yes. Yes, I'm fine again, now." She looked surprised for a moment before telling him, "The tears seem to have retreated, but, I don't think I'm very hungry. I'm not nauseated at the moment, but it feels as if I could be with very little effort."

"Okay, but let's go see if we can find something you can eat without getting sick. Even if it is a few bites, I think it would help. Remember your dad said your mom felt better if she ate a little bit very frequently, so you should probably try to put something in your stomach," Daniel suggested as he opened the door and led her outside. It was a good day, so far, and all that remained was to make their announcements, but they would wait until after everyone had eaten, enjoyed their meal, and then socialized for a while before they did that.

Three hours later Daniel watched as their guests mingled, talked, and laughed. It really had been as good a day as he thought it would be earlier. The party was winding down, though, and soon people would begin to leave. Many needed to go back for a shift on base, others were in ball clubs, some had children that needed picked up at babysitters. Although children had been included in the invitation, only a few brought their little ones, and they were getting tired and cranky. Some of them probably had dates and some just wanted to go home and spend time with their wives or husbands. It was probably time for the big announcement. Stepping up onto the deck, he looked around and caught Sam's eye. She promptly made her excuses and left the group she was standing with to come and join him on the deck.

As she mounted the steps to where he was already standing, he checked to make sure she wasn't becoming too weary. "Are you ready, Sam?" He asked her quietly.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be, Daniel," Sam said as she slid her arm around his waist. He placed his arm around her shoulders and, after giving her a gentle hug and an encouraging look, he turned toward their guests, some of whom were beginning to realize that Daniel and Sam were not just standing on the deck. It was obvious, if you had any ability to be observant at all, that they had something to say to everyone.

"Hey, everybody." Daniel raised his voice to get everyone's attention. The less perceptive of them turned from what they were doing or saying to give Daniel their attention, and as they all quieted, and looked at him, he looked around at the group and smiled. He tightened his arm around Sam, and took a deep breath. It was time to make their announcements whether they were ready or not. Sam's statement to him was pretty much how he felt, too. He was as ready as he would ever be. He felt Sam squeeze his waist and looked down at her one more time. He could do this. They could do this.

"I imagine that most of you know that Sam and I have been seeing each other, ah, outside of the SGC and the team, for quite a while now." His smile left and his face sobered as he continued, "Several weeks ago, it was rather forcefully brought to our attention that you never know what is around the next corner. We made a decision that night and the next day, Sam moved in with me completely, and we have been living together ever since then," his smile returned as he made that statement. He looked down at Sam and at her nod letting him know it was okay to continue, he told them, "Well, the cookout today was something of an engagement party. We want you all to know that we have decided to make it permanent; and so, we will be getting married in the not too distant future."

Daniel paused, as he waited for the whistles and shouts of approval, which were mixing with the shouts of triumph from those that had placed their bets right, to die down. He glanced over at Sam, where she stood next to him with her arm still wrapped firmly around him, and he gave her another swift hug. What he took in during that glance made his smile wider and soothed his heart. She was smiling and even answering some of the questions that were now mixing with the other yells and shouts. She appeared very serene as she joked with a few of the marines over some of their more ribald comments and remarks, taking all of it in stride. Then as he watched, she turned back to him and raised her eyebrows.

His arm tightened around her and if possible, his smile grew even wider as he turned back, to face their friends and colleagues, and raised his free hand to get their attention once more. "We have another announcement to make and we wanted to do that at the same time we told you that we are engaged to marry." He paused and looked around the group meeting as many gazes as he could realizing that these people were friends and family, too. Some were even closer than family. As he felt his throat close up he wondered if Sam's hormones could have infected him in some way. He cleared his throat before he could manage to tell them, "The other line of supposition and its subsequent betting pool is also correct, or so we discovered a week ago. In several months, Sam and I will be adding to our family. We are very happy to announce that Sam is pregnant."

As their friends and family members offered congratulations, Sam and Daniel continued to smile at them and at one another. As the noise level once more finally began to fall, Sam leaned over to Daniel and whispered, "I thought you were going to announce that it was twins. Why did you change your mind?"

"I didn't," he whispered back. "That is the next announcement. I thought it might be nice to draw it out more. Besides, I want to see Jack's face when we make this announcement. He and Anise have just now joined the group, instead of standing over there by the grill."

Sam nodded her understanding, and Daniel raised his hand one more time to garner their attention. Pausing to draw it out a little bit more, and to give Jack a chance to relax some, he finally told them, "I know you are probably getting tired of hearing this but Sam and I have one more announcement to make. He took a leisurely glance around and as Jack lifted his beer bottle to his mouth and began a nice long pull on it, he announced loudly, "We are having twins."

In the momentary stunned silence, Jack began to cough and Daniel's smile showed pure satisfaction. Not only had Jack choked on his beer at the news, he had spit it all over the General. Daniel smirked. He had just paid off several old scores for the jokes that Jack had pulled on him over the years. Life, Daniel thought smugly, could sometimes be very, very, good.

TBC