Author's Note: Almost there, for now. I am working on New Destiny but I am willing to jump around to continue this story but I would love some feedback.

All usual disclaimers apply.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Holding Them Close

Daniel stared down at the small body he was holding hours after meeting Zale for the first time. Sam and Teal'c had been into see them and others had come to see the children as well as the twins. He'd been unable to release his son to anyone beside Lust. There was no way he could stop touching his child. After everything they had gone through to bring him and his sister into this world, he couldn't bring himself to remove his hands. He just snuggled up to Jack's side and listened to the snuffling of Zada and Zale in their arms.

"You should think about putting them down some time," Zarkina said from the doorway.

"Can't seem to let him go," Daniel stated softly, watching as Zale shifted in his arms at his father's voice. The babies were incredibly in tune with their parents, all four of them but they weren't as connected to Lust and Desire which was possibly because the twins were planning on not being a part of their life. Zale and Zada understood at a strange level that Daniel and Jack were their parents.

"I seem to be having the same problem."

Daniel smiled as he looked over at Jack; they shared a smile and a gentle kiss. Zale whimpered in his sleep from the movements before he relaxed again. Daniel didn't think he was ever going to get tired of the warm feeling he got every time his son thought of him.

"You both need to sleep," Zarkina said as she walked over to them and placed her hand on Daniel's cheek. Jack grumbled about the contact even as Daniel ignored the queen's presence. She moved her other hand to Jack before she touched the babies as well. "I am doing a quick check on your vitals, you both are fighting off exhaustion and you need to let your children relax. They are working hard in sleep to reaffirm their love for you, let them really relax for a little while."

Daniel looked up sharply at her. He didn't like the idea that he was making his son work hard and not giving him a chance to really rest, "What do you mean? They're sleeping."

"Looks in Vannas can be very deceiving, they are working hard to communicate with you when they should be resting. They have had a hard day as well. What is more important to you, their health or the comfort you have from holding them?"

Daniel nodded resolutely, leaning down to kiss the soft downy hair on their son's head before he settled Zale into the crib. He turned and helped Jack to his feet before he kissed their daughter's head as well. He waited for Jack to kiss both the children before the returned to their pallet on the floor, the couple slipped into the thin blanket, into each other's arms and fell into a deep sleep that they had been holding off from with just the strength of their stubbornness.

Jack drifted awake slowly at the snuffling sounds of their children. It was dark in the room, but he didn't know what time it really was. He sat up on the small bed on the floor and saw Lust and Desire feeding the babies. He smiled at them and settled back down next to Daniel whose eyes were open wearily. Jack grinned down at his lover, leaned down and kissed him gently. He pulled back just enough to speak, "Hey baby."

Daniel grinned up at him, "Hey. Why wake?" he asked in stilted English.

"I just heard the babies?" Jack responded and kissed Daniel again before he settled back down next to him. Daniel curled up next to him, which surprised Jack. He thought Daniel might use the excuse to hold his son again. Then just as Jack was slipping into sleep Daniel snapped up and looked over at the bed where the girls were finishing with the babies, holding and burping them.

"Can I hold him?" Daniel asked as he scurried off the ground. Jack grinned as he sat up and walked around the other bed to Desire and offered to take Zada from her. She graciously relinquished the child and Jack immediately felt the rush of tenderness that accompanied holding his child, the one that he felt because he was already head over heels in love with her and the feelings she sent through their touch. It reminded him of what the queen said so he settled Zada against his shoulder to rock her gently into a light sleep before he settled her back into her crib. Leaning down he kissed her gently before looking at Daniel who was staring down at his son once more unable to put the small bundle down.

"Danny, remember he needs real rest," Jack mentioned so Daniel heaved an annoyed sigh before walking over and settling the other small body into his bed and kissing the little boy's forehead. The couple stood there, transfixed by the sight of their beautiful children lying there so peaceful before they retired to their palette again. Jack was going to be glad when they were in their own bed again, this one pretty much sucked.

Jack kissed Daniel's hair as the younger man settled his head on Jack's chest. Daniel continued to be comforted by listening to Jack's heart, it was his personal wave machine and it put him to sleep more often than not. Jack settled into the knowledge that they were safe and together and their children were here. Sam was going to have her son very soon and the three children were going to grow up together. Jack had demanded to know how quickly his child, Daniel's child was going to grow now that they were out of the womb and they were assured that their development was going to slow to almost human proportions but there were still going to be things they did more quickly because of the symbiot within, it just came with the territory of children born with beings in them who were thousands of years old.

Jack decided he was going to worry about it another time, maybe in several more hours as he drifted in a sea of unbelievable happiness. And it was all thanks to the strange device that had brought them to the future. Without the Gate, he wouldn't have Daniel and he wouldn't have a new son and daughter. There was nothing good in his life before he'd been dragged into a suicidal mission and he happened to meet a sneezing nerd scientist that took his breath away from the first time they were in each other's presence. There was no other way to explain Daniel's impact on his life, Jack thought. He was Jack's life. With that happy thought Jack drifted into sleep once more.

Daniel drifted awake to find the room filled with light from the windows and the children were being fed once more. After the feeding, the burping and changing of their diapers the fathers were permitted to hold them again. The babies didn't stay awake long but Daniel watched his son's bright blue eyes as the baby gazed at him. He was pretty sure they weren't supposed to do that yet but he was amazed the warm feelings spreading from his son and into himself, he couldn't get over the amazing connection he shared with Zale. There was no way to describe it and do it justice, it was perfect love and acceptance and Daniel eyes glistened with tears up every time he felt it.

They settled the babies into their beds once more, when the children fell asleep in their fathers' arms. Daniel felt like it was getting a little easier to let go of his bundle of cute because he knew that he could be keeping Zale from getting rest. He knew the babies were safe and it helped that they were in the room with them pretty much at all times. They took their meals with the twins and the babies and time stretched out before them. They slept when the twins and babies slept then spent time talking and holding their children. The rest of their wakeful periods were spent helping the twins' bottle milk since the twins had readily agreed that they weren't prepared to be full time mothers'. They had only decided on this because they would be permitted to walk away and have guest appearances on occasion.

Daniel felt a twinge of regret that the six of them wouldn't continue in this pseudo living situation but he understood the twins' reluctance to change the situation. Daniel and Jack were the married ones, they were the parents and the girls had no intention of leaving behind their wild ways for quite some time, and that was something Daniel didn't think his husband would have the patience to deal with. They had signed up for two babies not four, and that's what the twins would turn into for them, people they would have to watch out for and keep safe. It had been reasonable when they'd been pregnant but now there was no reason to hold off their lives.

They would continue to come to give them more milk every couple of days for several months before Daniel and Jack started to wean them off the stuff but for now, they would need the nutrients and powers that were inherent in Vannas Mother's milk.

It was about a week into their new children's' lives that Sam was holding Zada, who adored her 'Auntie Sam' and would grin at her often when their blond and pregnant friend gripped her stomach and handed the baby over to Jack as Daniel helped to her sit down. Jack hurried out of the room to find Teal'c in their apartment. The Jaffa followed him back into the other room where Sam was panting from the pain.

"What's happening? Its to soon!" Sam shrieked.

Desire and Lust had been visiting downstairs and they came into the room to Sam screaming in pain, as the mattress under her was soaked. They took off to find Erica or one of the healers as Jack and Daniel stayed with Teal'c and Sam. There was nothing Jack and Daniel could do but try to keep the babies from screaming with Sam.

What seemed like an eternity later, Erica came in and placed her hand over the rounded belly where Teal'c and Sam's son was resting. Though not for long if Jacob Bratac had any say, which apparently he did, "We need to get the babies and the twins out of here, she's going into labor. Her baby is Vannas for some reason."

"What?" Sam whispered in shock as she looked at her husband, "Teal'c I swear this is your son. I have only been with you in this time!"

Erica tried to calm her, "Of course it's his son, I don't know how the little man ended up with Magis inside him but that doesn't change that Teal'c is his father."

Sam breathed a sigh of relief, somehow having Teal'c think she'd betrayed him had been worse than dealing with whatever they were dealing with. Jack and Daniel as well as Teal'c and the twins helped to move everything they needed for the baby into the living room of their apartment before Teal'c returned to Sam's side. Jack and Daniel were left to stew about what was happening.

"You know, it's not abnormal for a baby born of two humans to end up with Magis within them," Lust stated as the men paced their living room. The twins were feeding the babies once more as they wore a hole in the carpet.

"How? Why?" Daniel asked, out of curiosity. This Magis seemed to have so much life and very distinct rules and this was one of them, from what Daniel had been told. Zarkina had told the curious scientist how the Magis was passed down through genetics, sometimes one Magis line would follow through on all the children and sometimes they were created with the other spouse's Magis, sometimes even Magis from a previous relative but it was genetic.

"Well, there is free Magis floating around from Vannas dying all over the island because the Magis figure this is where they should be in some inherent way. Sometimes they jump into newborns since the children have to be prepared for the powers they would soon hold. They will have no way of knowing until your friends' child is a little older. He will be just fine and so will your friend. We have the greatest healers and medicine for Vannas/Magis birthing and Erica is the best that the world has seen in a long time."

"Why's that?" Jack asked, only wondering because Daniel was frowning about something and he figured new gossip and information could pull his young lover out of the bad head space he seemed to find himself in.

"She is a Blessed One, someone born with extra power and it's been enough to keep her alive and safe living in the city for some time now. Her husband and children are there now."

Jack nodded though he didn't really understand what the woman was talking about but Daniel was curious and thinking hard without that look of desperation on his face. Then their son whimpered from his crib and Daniel couldn't fight the urge to pick up Zale before the little boy picked up steam for a scream. They had learned in recent days that both their children had strong lungs and when they didn't like something, they argued loudly. Whenever the girls had to feed them if one of the dads were holding a child the little baby would loudly argue against being separated from their father. They recognized the twins as their mothers' but somehow in recent days, the week old children had learned who their real parents were going to be for the rest of their life.

Lust and Desire told them more than once that Zale and Zada didn't communicate with them as frequently as they did to Daniel and Jack. Jack watched his partner lift Zale from the comfy blankets he'd been wrapped in. Zale instantly cuddled down into Daniel's arms and heaved a grateful sigh. Jack walked over to his husband and kissed first Zale then Daniel on the forehead. "She's going to be fine, we are always fine and you know it better than most," the words were spoken against Daniel's skin and the younger man gave a sharp, jerking nod. Then Zada spoke up, realizing somehow that Zale was not next to her anymore.

The children were a strange concept wrapped up in bundles of cute, they had abilities to understand the world around them more fully than newborn should have been capable of but so far Jack and Daniel had learned it just meant that they had a closer relationship with the babies.

It was interesting, to say the least.