One Month Later
Janet grins as she sees the test result. She slips it into the pocket of the lab coat, and walks out of the infirmary calmly. She only manages to walk calmly because she knows that she doesn't want anyone to follow her, and if she breaks into a run now, she's going to have a herd of panicked medical staff on her tail.
As soon as she's out of sight of the infirmary though, she breaks into a run. When passersby see the good doctor sprinting in heals they slam themselves against the wall to stay out of her way. No-one wants to be responsible for slowing her down and possibly costing someone their life.
But no-one's life is at risk.
She bursts into her husband's office without knocking, sits down on his lap, and gives him the sort of kiss that makes him want to lock the door and give the boys in security the kind of tape that could make a Kardashian famous. He resists the urge, and pulls away from her, "Do I have an alien virus to thank for this afternoon romance?"
She giggles, "Nope, I'm just really excited."
"Ok, can you tell me the news so I can be excited too?"
She pulls the stick out of her pocket.
He stares at it. "No way."
"Yes way."
"It can't be."
"Daniel, I'm a doctor, it is."
"No, it was going to take years for us to get pregnant."
"Are you regretting trying right away?" Janet asks worriedly.
"No, I just can't believe it. We're having a baby. We're going to have to change the guest room into a nursery. But I think we should probably keep the baby in the bedroom with us for a while. Maybe even in the bed. I know a lot of people don't do that in America, but there are many societies in which it is commonplace. And it helps with breastfeeding, I mean, if you're planning on doing that…"
"Daniel, stop," Janet says, putting a hand on his arm, "I'm only three weeks along, we do not have to decide all of our child-rearing policies right now."
Daniel's eyes are wet, "We're having a baby."
"A little tiny Dr. Jackson," Janet says.
"As long as it's got as much of your doctor as mine," Daniel responds.
She smiles, "Admit that this baby has an amazing father."
"His mother is pretty amazing," Daniel says.
"Someday, I am really going to make you say it."
"It," he says, capturing her mouth in a kiss.
-0-0-0-
Cassie has seen Daniel dance a total of twice in her life. Once at her father-daughter dance, and once at his wedding. Now he's dancing around the kitchen as he sets the table.
"You're certainly cheerful tonight," she says with a giggle.
He puts the plates down on the table, and grabs Cassie's arms to twirl her, "Yeah, I'm really happy."
"Any particular reason?" Cassie asks.
Daniel looks at Janet, "You're going to be a big sister."
Cassie freezes, and pulls away from his dancing, "Mom, you're pregnant?"
Janet nods.
Cassie's eyes fill with tears, and she turns and runs out of the room.
"What is she upset about?" Cassie asks.
"I've got this one," Daniel says quietly.
He goes up to her room, and knocks on the door.
"Go away!"
He pushes the door open, "I'm sorry, that's not an option right now."
She's lying face down on her bed, and he sits next to her. "I love you, Cassie," he says softly.
"But not as much as you are going to love your real kid."
"Real? Sweetie, you are my 'real' kid. And I'm not going to love this new biological kid more than you. It's impossible to love anybody more than I love you."
"I'm not yours. Not really."
"Honey, adoption, by definition, means you becoming someone else's child."
"Maybe, but Mom adopted me. You didn't. I'm your step-kid. Less than that, I'm your adopted step-kid."
Daniel takes a deep breath, "Cassie, you know that my parents died too, right?" she turns over to look at him, and doesn't miss the fact that tears are squeezing out of the corner of his eyes. "I was a foster child. Foster children are always temporary. I didn't have anyone that I could ever call "mom" or "dad". I know what it is like to live with that uncertainty. To never feel wanted. And if you honestly felt that, if I honestly made you feel that for one second, then I am really a failure as a parent. And I am so, so sorry."
Cassie looks up at him, feeling like she should be the one apologizing. "But this kid, you're going to have it ever since it's born. You're going to love it more."
"No," he says.
"I'm sorry," she says, believing him for the first time.
"Well, if after this kid comes, you ever, even for one second, feel like you're not getting the attention you deserve, you let us know, and we'll give you the attention."
"Babies need a lot of attention, you can't just stop feeding it or whatever to pay attention to me. I mean, the baby is going to need you, and I don't need you."
Daniel smiles, "Well, in case you didn't notice, you actually have two parents. So if the baby needs something, one of us can take care of that, and one of us can take care of you. Your needs are just as important as hers, even if they're more emotional and less physical. I promise, there will always be enough love for everyone in this family. And when this little baby grows up, she's going to love her big sister a whole bunch too. So it's actually going to make more love, not less."
"Sorry I overreacted."
"You're allowed to have your emotions," he says, kissing her forehead, "And I want you to always tell me when you're upset about something. I like being able to solve your problems."
"Thanks, Daniel," Cassie says.
And he doesn't miss that she isn't calling him 'Dad'.
-0-0-0-
"Is she ok?" Janet says when he comes back into the kitchen. She's stirring a pot as if she were slaying her enemy.
"She's going to be fine. She think we won't love her as much now that we have a biological kid."
"And you told her that she was crazy, right?"
"In more polite words, yeah, I did. I also promised that if she asked for attention after the baby came we'd drop everything and look after her."
"If there are two of us."
"There will be."
"Unless you're off-world," Janet points out.
"Yeah, I guess I should have added that exception on," Daniel says.
"There is going to be more than enough love to go around."
"Janet, there is something that I wanted to ask you for a long time. Since we got married actually. But I didn't ask, because I was protecting your feelings. But I didn't realize that Cassie's feelings were involved too, and her feelings matter more than yours do. Not because I love her more," he quickly amends, "But just because she's a kid, and you're an adult."
"You're right, so what is it?" Janet asks.
"I want to adopt her," he says, looking directly into his wife's eyes.
"Why do you think that would upset me?" Janet asks.
"Seriously? The wedding night melt down?" he says.
"That wasn't about you being her father. That was about me being her mother."
"Ok, well, she mentioned that I'm just her step-father. I don't want her to feel like that. I want her to know that I chose her. I choose to marry her mother. But I also choose to be her father. They were separate decisions. Connected, but also separate."
Janet nods, "I'm fine with it. You are her dad. I don't care if the paperwork agrees with the truth."
"Thank you," he says, walking up behind her and kissing her temple. Then he reaches his hands around and places them on her still-small stomach.
The Next Day
"Do you have a lot of homework tonight?" Daniel asks when he picks Cassie up from school the next afternoon.
"Not much, no."
"Good, because I have a form I'd like you to fill out," he says, passing a paper back to her.
Cassie stares at it for a minute, "Wait, you're going to have a kid, and you're adopting?"
"Babe, I'm adopting you."
"No, I don't want you to adopt me just because I freaked out yesterday."
"Cassie, I wanted to adopt you ever since I married your mother. I just didn't bring it up, because I didn't want to hurt your mother's feelings."
"Well, I don't want to hurt mom's feelings either."
"She's ok, with it. Really. So if you want this, it's done."
"Yeah," Cassie says looking bashfully down. "Ah, in home ec I've been working on something for a while. I finished it today. Originally I was going to give it away to charity. Now I really want the baby to have it," she says, pulling a teddy bear out of her backpack and sliding it into the front seat.
"The baby is going to love it," Daniel tells her.
-0-0-0-
"Sam, you're a girl, right?" Emma asks, running up to Sam when she walks into the house, still wearing her fatigues.
"Yeah, I am."
"But you're a soldier, too?"
"It's possible to be both. Girls can do anything that they want to do."
"What if I want to be a daddy?"
"Well, girls can't be daddies. But they can be mommies."
"My mommy didn't want to be a mommy," Emma says gravely.
"And she was a fool. But let me tell you, I want to be your mommy."
Emma throws her hands around her.
"So can Ty be a mommy?"
"Nope, he's going to have to be a daddy."
"Even if he wears a dress?"
Sam ponders this question for a little bit. "No, even if he wore a dress he'd still be a daddy."
"Ty doesn't wear dresses anymore," Emma pouts.
"I've noticed," Sam says, and she can't help but smile at the thought.