A Month Later

Daniel rushes in from a mission to see his wife sitting in the infirmary. "I see you finally took my advice about putting your feet up," he says going over to kiss her.

Janet's face scrunches up.

"Well, ok, no kisses then."

"It wasn't you," Janet says with a laugh, "It was just a contraction."

"I contraction? You're in labor? We're having the baby here? I thought we were going to have the baby in the hospital."

"Relax, honey we've got a lot of time before this baby comes," Janet sooths.

"Why didn't you have them recall me, and have someone drive you to the hospital?"

"I was fine."

"You're having a baby, Janet!"

"I know, and as a doctor I knew there was enough time to wait for you. Now you can drive me to the hospital, or if you can't get the panicky look off your face I could get someone to do it for me."

"I'm fine," he says helping his wife stand up.

-0-0-0-

"I am not comfortable," Janet says.

"Well, you're pushing a human out of your body, so I'm not surprised," her husband says.

"You are so not good at the comforting thing," she says.

"Sorry," he says with a laugh.

"Oh, oh, but you know what you are good at?" she asks.

Daniel smirks.

"Not that, I'm not thinking about that. You can tell by the way I'm in labor," he says.

"What do you need?" he says.

"You know that thing where I sit between your legs? I think it would really make my back stop hurting," she says.

"Honey, you're in a hospital bed."

"We did it in Lamaze."

"You weren't in a hospital bed in Lamaze class."

"Daniel!" she screams his name in a contraction.

"Scoot," he says moving her forward, and sliding in behind her. "Where should my arms go exactly?" He says with his arms outstretched awkwardly.

"Can you put them around my belly?" she asks.

"This ok?" he asks obeying her.

"Yeah, it's the first time I've been comfortable in two days," she says relaxing back against him.

"Sir, you can't be up there," a nurse says entering the room.

"Oh no, see my wife is in labor, and she gets whatever she wants," he says.

Janet leans back, yep marrying the Delectable Daniel Jackson was such a good choice.

"Sir, that is not an optimal position for child birth," the nurse says.

"Well, actually my wife, the doctor, doesn't seem to think it's a problem. The majority of early civilizations gave birth squatted, so…"

Janet laughs, and looks at the nurse, "You're not gonna win, honey."

The nurse slips out the door.

"God I love you," she says to her husband.

"You too," he says kissing her temple.

-0-0-0-

"Daniel, you delivered two babies before, right?" Janet asks.

"Yes."

"I want you to deliver ours."

"Honey, there are real doctors around…"

"Daniel, please?" she pleads. "I want the first person to hold our son to be his father."

"Ah…ok, gloves, I'm going to need gloves," he says slipping out from behind his wife, and lowering her back down against the hospital bed gently.

-0-0-0-

"Janet, it's out son. Our son is coming out of you!" Daniel exclaims.

"Not helpful!" she comments.

"Oh, but he's perfect. Hey William, it's Daddy."

"Don't talk to him until he's out of me!" Janet complains.

"I've been talking to him for the last couple of months I don't know what would be different about this time."

"It's different. Make sure the chord isn't around his neck," Janet instructs.

"I could get a doctor in here if you wanted."

"No, I trust you," she says.

"And his shoulders are out, one more push honey," Daniel says.

And then their son slips into the world. Daniel holds his bloodied son close to his heart, and starts to cry.

"Hey, I'm still in labor here," she says.

"It's just the afterbirth," he says dismissively looking at his son.

"Yeah, well than you push it out of you," she says.

"Ok, you hold the baby, and I'll give you my full attention," he says.

-0-0-0-

Janet's SGC family has left, and her biological family won't be here until tomorrow. Daniel offered to spend the night with her in the hospital, but she sent him home.

So it's just her alone with the baby. She should be really happy. She was really happy when she adopted Cassie. She's been wanting this baby for a really long time. Now the kid is here, and she can't stop crying.

She knows that this is normal. There are so many hormones in her body right now, and it doesn't mean anything.

"I love you, Will," she says hoping that the words will make her feel all the things that she wants to feel. But it doesn't have any effect.

A Month Later

"Shelby I want to speak with you," Teal'c says through the slit of the door.

"Well, you can't come in here, it is bad luck to see someone before you marry them," she says sticking her head through the slit.

"I do not adhere to your Earth superstition," he informs her.

"Yeah, well, neither do I, actually" she says opening the door.

"You look beautiful," he says looking at her dress.

"Yeah, well, I think you already said this dress was beautiful when you saw it hanging on my door the day that I picked it out."

"It looks much more beautiful when you are wearing it," he says.

Shelby smiles, "What did you need?"

"I wanted to ensure that you wanted to marry me," he says.

"You think I was going to change my mind this late in the game? I definitely want to be your wife."

"That is well."

"Unless, are you having second thoughts?" Shelby says nervously.

"I am looking forward to an eternity united with you," Teal'c says. Shelby leans forward and kisses him.

"Ok, now get out of here, because if Janet finds out that you snuck back here she's going to kill you."

-0-0-0-

The music starts, and Shelby starts to walk toward her husband. The music is something from his culture. It's got a strong drum beat, and a lot of flute.

Teal'c wanted to have Shelby's mother walk down the aisle, but Shelby didn't think her mom deserved the honor. So she walks down the aisle by herself. Independent, like she has been for as long as she can remember.

She reaches the end of the aisle, and Teal'c takes his hands in hers.

She's not alone anymore.

First the Pastor walks them through the traditional vows of her congregation. Then they do a ceremony from his culture.

First Teal'c and Shelby turn toward one another, and they place their hands palm toward each other. Then they touch their foreheads together. Shelby knows that she is supposed to be meditating, but she's so nervous that she can't manage it. She feels like her husband's mind is drifting as well.

They let one of their hands fall to the side, and with the other they start holding hands in a more traditional pose. As the pastor winds a red chord around the union of their hands, he says, "You started life as two separate souls, and now your two souls are being united into one. May you journey through life together."

They have to leave the chord on their wrist until they are alone at the end of the night. They try to turn while tied together, and Shelby slams into her husband's huge side. Everyone in the room laughs.

-0-0-0-

Shelby tries to keep herself calm. She's just kissing right now, and she and Teal'c have kissed each other lots of time.

"Are you uncomfortable?" Teal'c asks pulling away.

"I'm just a little bit nervous, here," she says with a giggle.

"We do not have to engage in sexual activity, simply because we have begun our pledge," he says.

"No, I want to, I'm just nervous," Shelby says pulling the chord from their hand. There are marks left on her hands. Not ones that are painful and deep, but one that remind her she is forever bound to her husband.

He starts to kiss her again, and Shelby reaches over, and removes his shirt. She starts to run her hands over his chest but comes into close contact with his symbiot pouch. "Oh," she says pulling back.

"You seem surprised by my symbiot pouch, but I revealed its presence to you before we embarked on a romantic relationship"

"I know, but that was a long time ago, and I sort of forget it was there."

"If you would like me to put my garment back on I would be willing to do that," he says reaching for it on the floor where she tossed it.

"Right, well now I'm thinking about it. And I'm also thinking about how similar the shape of a symbiot and a certain part of male anatomy are to one another."

"My male genitalia is not sentient," he replies.

"Well, good to know, but it's still freaking me out."

"I could get some symbiot solution to maintain my symbiot temporarily while we engage in sexual intercourse."

"Yeah, but then you've have to take it out, and it would just be swimming around in a tank. And you'd have to ask for that from the SGC, so everyone would know that I was freaked out by this. And that wouldn't be a solution for today," Shelby says.

"I told you before that we do not have to have sex. You have a right to choose what to do with your own body."

"You've waited so long," she says.

"I am willing to wait for as long as necessary for you to not be made uncomfortable by my body."

"It's not that Teal'c, I love your body. I mean, it's all tight, and big, and sculpted," she says running an arm down his bare bicep.

"My sybiot is part of me."

"Well, not really, it's in a little pouch that is technically outside of you," she stammers. "Maybe, if we just start with our stomach's apart," she suggests.

"Indeed," Teal'c says with a sparkle in his eye that Shelby has never seen before. He goes down on his knees before her.

"Honey, the stomach's don't have to be that far apart," she says but the end of her words are cut off by the amazing sensation he's sending through her body.

Two Days Later

Shelby stands in the doorway watching her husband meditate.

"Did you know that kal-no-rem, causes a heightened awareness of your surroundings?" Teal'c asks.

"Sorry," she says.

He pats the spot in front of him.

Shelby comes and sits down in front of him. Teal'c puts up his hands, and Shelby lets his palms met his like they did on their wedding day.

"Hi," she says.

He smiles at her.

She runs a hand across his leg.

"This is not kal-no-reeming," Teal'c informs her.

"No, it's mating," she says using his word.

"Are you sure that my symbiot will not be an issue for you?" he asks.

"I don't think so, I mean you have me such a…nice experience on our wedding night. And you never complained when I didn't return the favor, and I just think I'm ready."

"Inform me if you change my mind," he says.

Shelby reaches over, and takes her husband in her hand.

-0-0-0-

Shelby runs her hand across her husband's rippling muscles. "You would make a really good sculpture, like a Greek sculpture."

"You choose to speak of strange things after you have engaged in coitus," Teal'c comments.

"Ok, let's not call it coitus," she says.

"What term would you like for me to use?" he asks.

"Lovemaking," Shelby decides after a few seconds. "Do you want to go to my bed now, I mean it's a lot more comfortable than your little mat on the floor. Although it doesn't have all the candle ambiance."

"I have no purpose for a bed," Teal'c says.

"Right, you don't sleep," Shelby says standing up.

"The act of cuddling after lovemaking is an important element of human sexuality is it not?" Teal'c asks.

"I don't know, I've never really done this before, but I think so," she says.

"I will cuddle you in your bed for a short period of time, before finishing my kal-no-reem," he says.

"Thanks."