The Next Day
A knock at his door? Daniel has lived in this apartment for months, and he's yet to have a single knock at the door. Not one stray Girl Scout selling cookies or a pair of Mormons looking to convert a lost soul. Why would he get a visitor now, on the day he least wanted one?
He opens the door, "Janet?" he says in surprise.
"Do you mind if I come in?" she asks, looking at the floor.
"Actually I'm not feeling too well," he lies.
Then he meets her eyes. She's laughing silently. He just said the absolute worst thing you could say when you're trying to get a doctor to leave your place.
"What's wrong?" she asks.
"Nothing, I'm fine," he says quickly.
"Oh, so you're not dealing with the fallout of what that bitch did to you?" she says.
There is a long moment of silence, and then Daniel says, "Are you here as a doctor or a friend?"
"Whichever one you need most right now. I also brought beer and sleeping pills. But you have to choose, you can't have both," she says, holding up a paper bag.
Daniel smiles, "Come on in."
"Was that yes to the beer?" she asks, holding the paper bag up again.
"Yeah," he says, taking the bag and setting it on the table. He pulls out two bottles, and then goes over to the cabinet to fiddle around a little bit for a bottle opener.
"Daniel, I'm really sorry about what Hathor did to you."
He shrugs.
"Daniel, what exactly did she do to you?" Janet presses.
He was broken. And no-one took the broken ones. When people found out that you were broken, they always sent you back. You don't have nightmares, you don't frown, you don't cry, and you hide the trauma whenever you can.
"Nothing, she didn't do anything," Daniel says quickly.
"Daniel," Janet says softly. He looks into her eyes. They are compassionate, but still… you hide the damage whenever you can.
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Daniel, she took control of your mind. She made you do things that you didn't want to do. Whatever happened to you was not your fault. I'm not going to think less of you for whatever it was. Now tell me, how the hell did she get a hold of your DNA?"
Daniel is silent for a few long minutes, "Is this going to go into my file?"
"Not if you don't want it to, and if you can convince me you have all the help and support you need to get through this."
He sighs, "I contributed the 'code of life'."
"By conventional means?" Janet asks.
Daniel nods. There is silence for a little bit. Then he looks up into Janet's eyes. He sees such sympathy there that he starts to cry.
Janet moves over into engulf the man in her arms. "It's going to be ok."
"I'm sorry for blubbering all over you," Daniel mutters.
"Hey, I came here specifically to be blubbered over," she says with a little laugh.
And she stays, for a couple of hours. No-one ever before stayed when Daniel was wounded. Not ever.
Two Days Later
Jack walks into the kitchen where Sam is cooking with his arms crossed. "Is there a particular reason why my son is spinning around the living room in a dress?"
Sam bites her lip. Jack came home early. She was hoping this would remain a secret until their wedding day. I mean, he wouldn't yell at her as they walk down the aisle would he?
"He thinks that dresses are much prettier than suits," she begins.
He raises his eyebrows, "Well, so do I. That's a good reason to hang out with girls in pretty dresses, not to wear them."
Sam giggles, "He's three, it's probably just a stage."
"Samantha, I can just guarantee you that our son not going to make his cross-dressing debut at the grand old age of three at our wedding."
"Jack, this really isn't that big of a deal," Sam protests.
"Sam, it is. This isn't a little ring on his finger that he can take off if he changes him mind years later. This is a dress that he's going to wear at his parents' wedding. People are not going to forget this."
Sam pauses, "You know what, Jack, people also didn't forget the fact that I was the only female on the football team in high school. They didn't forget that I am in a male dominated career. And I really, and truly, don't give a crap."
"But you made those decisions when you were much older. He's three, and I will not let him make a decision that is going to affect the rest of his life," Jack says firmly.
"Jack, I want you to go in there, look that boy in his eyes, and tell me he doesn't know what he wants out of life."
Jack throws his head back with an air of surrender. "All right, but so help me, if our kid ever gets beat up for this, I am blaming you."
Ty runs into the room, "Mommy, can you paint my nails to match the dress?"
"Honey, I don't think we should push our luck," Sam says, looking at her husband's face.
"Come on, Sam, you can do mine too," Jack says with an air of complete surrender.
She blinks at him in shock.
"I know you have some of that clear nail polish stuff," he says.
Sam giggles.
"I just have a couple of questions. What with my being pregnant and with you wearing a dress, exactly which one of is going to be walking down the aisle, and which one of us is going to be at the end waiting?" he asks, pulling her close to him.
Sam giggles into his shoulder.
"And when we dance for the first time, which one of us is going to lead?" he continues.
"Me, of course, I'm always the leader," Sam says.
"Except at work," Jack presses.
"Well, give me some time," Sam says with a sly grin.
"You are wearing a dress, right? You're not going to show up wearing your fatigues are you?" Jack continues to tease.
"Maybe I should wear my dress blues, just like you," Sam teases.
Jack makes a face, "Not really, right?"
"You don't like me in my Class As?" she asks. "And that is technically a skirt," she points out.
"I love you in your Class As, but on your wedding day, I want you in a long flowing white gown," he says with a little bit of pout.
"Don't worry, Jack. I was just teasing. I figure I can play the girl for once in my life."
"You'd better watch it, or I might show up in a hoop skirt," he warns.
"Really, Daddy?" Ty asks excitedly.
"No, Bud, not really," he says, picking up his son and balancing the boy between his two parents.
"'Cause dresses are fun, Dad."
"I'll take your word for it bit."
Two Weeks Later
Jacob smiles at his daughter as she sits before a vanity, finishing up the last of her make-up. "You look beautiful, sweetheart," he says.
"Thanks," she mutters, "How are you feeling?"
"It's a good day, Sammy, physically as well as mentally. I'm just glad that I got to be around for your wedding."
"Dad, you're going to be around for a lot more moments like this."
"I hope so," he says with a sad smile, standing before her and resting his hands upon her shoulders.
-0-0-0-
"Come on, Lilly," Ty says, taking his two-year old cousin by his hand.
"They're all going to be looking at me," she whispers.
"No, they're all going to be looking at me," Ty corrects. Sam giggles behind the two children, knowing that truer words have never been spoken.
"What if I trip?" she asks, looking down at the shoes that she hated. Sam's sister-in-law had a fight to get the kid out of her tennis shoes and into her Mary Janes. The whole time, her month-old baby brother had been crying, wanting Mommy to pick him up.
If it had been Sam's kid, she would have let her wear the tennis shoes, and picked up the baby. She has really reached the point in her life that she doesn't give a crap what other people think of her. How could you, with a pregnant husband and a son in a dress?
"If you trip, I'll trip bigger," her cousin confidently replies, taking her hand.
"Ready!" the girl says to her mother. The ushers open the doors of the church, and the two children walk down the aisle in matching dresses.
Sam hears the snickers and shocked gasp of the crowd when they see Ty. She closes her eyes, hoping that that isn't going to destroy her son. But then she looks over, and he's walking down the aisle with a slow and patient 'right, together, left, together' step that she taught him. He's so focused on keeping time with his cousin, walking in perfect symmetry, that he doesn't realize the effect that he's having on the rest of the room.
When the cousins reach the front of the church, they look at each other, and do something that was obviously planned. They spin in a rapid circle, causing the dress and the petticoats to lift. Sam is relieved that her husband talked her son into wearing shorts under the dress. And she finds herself wishing he'd had the same discussion with his niece.
Sam hears her father behind her make a snort.
Mark and his wife link elbows at the entrance to the chapel. They follow the children down the aisle with the same step. Next, Janet and Daniel look at one another for one second before they link arms. Daniel's face takes on a bit of a blush. Janet squeezes his elbow in hers and whispers, "Here we go."
About halfway down the aisle, Daniel messes up the footwork, and pulls Janet to a complete stop. They stand in the middle of the aisle, and Daniel's face is beat red. Janet starts up the footwork with a strange little hop. It's impressive enough that she can do that in heals (although not surprising, Daniel muses, he's seen her run in heals often enough) that it distracts the attention from him. Teal'c, walking in by himself behind, starts his walk a little early to further take attention off the blushing anthropologist. Teal'c is wearing a stocking cap on his head. Sam tried to talk him into a more formal hat, but Teal'c was almost as stubborn as her son.
Sam walks up the door, and everyone stands up and turns toward her. Her stomach twists; she doesn't like having people focus on her.
"Ready, baby girl?" her father whispers.
She nods her head, and they start to walk down the aisle. Jack smiles at her from his place in the front of the chapel. His stomach is bigger than hers. She's been trying to match for most of the pregnancy, but if she wore the right size today, she wouldn't have fit in the dress.
She grins back at him. It's finally happening, what should have happened years ago. They reach the front of the chapel, and her father grabs her right hand at the elbow, extending it to Jack. Jacob's hand shakes a little at the motion, and Sam can't be sure if it's from physical weakness or emotion. She turns to her father to smile, and sees that there are tears running down his face. Jack take the hand that is offered him with his left hand, and reaches his right hand around to hold Jacob's for one long second before pulling him into a hug.
"You take care of her, Jack," her father whispers spontaneously.
"We'll all take care of each other," Jack responds.
A few minutes later there it is time for them to say their vows. Jack turns fully toward her, and takes both of her hands in his, "Angel, you saved me on the day that we met. Little did I know that that would be the least amazing thing that you ever did for me." Sam smiles, "You are amazing, a national treasure. And I am beyond lucky that you are choosing to share your life, your father," at this Jacob tears up again, "And our son with me. I am so excited about this adventure that we are beginning together." He swings her hands a little awkwardly, "So, ah… yeah, I love you."
She grins at him, "My turn?" she whispers.
"Well, you know me and words," he whispers back as he shrugs.
"You did great," she assures him.
"Jack, I would have to say that you've done some pretty amazing things for me as well." Here there is laugher in the room, but only form the SGC contingent, those who know that he is doing the truly amazing thing of having a baby. "I love you, Jack. I loved you, illogically, from the first moment that I saw you. And if you know anything about me, you know that I don't often go against logic. But you were worth going against logic. When we broke up," she takes a breath, "It nearly destroyed me. And I am unbelievably grateful for this serendipity that brought us back together. There is no way that I am ever going to let you go. You make my life interesting. From the strange hallucination ramblings that came out of your mouth when we first met, to the proposal which involved fish guts, and the incredibly sweet way you are with our son. I am excited to begin a life with you. And I can already tell, that life, over the next few months, and years, it's going to be bumpy," she looks at her father here, "But it's also going to be wonderful."
"Do you take this women to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, through sickness and health, as long as you both shall live?" the pastor asks.
"I do," Jack says, looking at his wife with love in his eyes.
"Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, through sickness and health, as long as you both shall live?"
"I do," Sam says.
"You may now kiss the bride," the pastor informs them.
Jack puts his right hand on the small of Sam's back, and his left encircles her shoulder. She thinks nothing of the embrace until the moment that his lips make contact with hers. Then the swings her down into a swoop. She lets out a little squeal of surprise, and her veil goes flying off her head.
Ty runs over, and picks it up, and holds it out to his mother, "You dropped this, Mommy."
Sam pulls back from Jack's lips enough to say, "Thank you, baby," as she takes the veil out of his hand and holds it above her head with one hand. The crowd behind her breaks into laugher.