Title: Malika
Author: Meushell
Disclaimer: The characters are not mine.
Summery: The Tok'ra have gone into hiding, though SG-1 continues to visit as Malika grows up.
Rating: PG-13
Relationships: Sam/Martouf/Lantash (later Sam/Kela'an/Martouf/Lantash), Daniel/Freya/Anise, Gete/Aldwin/Amb/Malek

Author's Note: I apologize with the delay between this and my last stories. Part of it was blanking on what to do next. I had only partial ideas. A big part of it was being busy in life. I've recently had my own child, who's almost six months old now. As you can imagine, he's kept me very busy.

Malika and Iasis are growing up, and time references at the beginning of each section will be referring to Malika's age. I have ideas on what issues I want to hit on, like Malika's friends, but I also want to hear from you, if there is anything in particular you'd like to see in their lives. Thank you, and again, I apologize for the long delay.

Part 1, Didn't We Do That?

-Three Months Old-

Lantash looked down to the screaming child in his arms, his mind void of ideas on what to do.

Did you eye-glow? Martouf asked, knowing she liked it. Though he had been awake the entire time, exhausted, he couldn't remember what Lantash had already tried.

Yes, I eye-glowed. Lantash did so again, but little Malika Jolan Carter did not respond.

Diaper?

I gave her a new one.

Maybe she's hungry again?

Samantha fed her recently.

Burped?

Yes, he replied in irritation. I know how to take care of our child. At least, he felt like he did until now. Out of desperation, he set her down on table in front of him and pulled out a healing device. He ran it over the little girl for probably the eighth time in the last fifteen minutes, desperate, as if this new scan would suddenly show him was what wrong with his daughter.

Nothing.

What if-

I've done everything, Lantash snapped. He closed his eyes, frustrated tears threatening. I'm sorry. "Malika, please. What's wrong? Tell your father what is wrong?"

Let me try.

Lantash gave Martouf control, watching helplessly as his host failed in the same way he had. Some emotional side of him wanted to hold her again, magically fix her, as if he could do something different than Martouf. As if he could suddenly fix the problem. Of course, he knew that wasn't true.

The crying had started early in the night. After a few hours of fixing every new need that came up, Malika finally calmed down. Lantash told Sam she could go to sleep, that he'd stay and watch Malika. He felt she and Kela'an had needed it more.

Not ten minutes after Sam's head hit the pillow, Malika started fussing. Lantash quickly moved to the other side of the tunnels with her. He set up a sound dampening field to not wake anyone up, especially his wife.

It hadn't worked out quite as planned. It wasn't completely soundproof, and soon after Martouf took control, Malek came walking in.

"Sorry," Martouf muttered, tired and not realizing how badly he had fumbled the word.

Malek sat down, glancing to the table. The evidence of everything Lantash had tried was laid out. Feeling he couldn't do any better than Martouf to ease the child, he began cleaning and sorting the mess. It wasn't long before he looked to Martouf, looking at Malika, his expression screaming of how helpless he felt.

"Maybe she just needs to cry," Malek suggested as he glanced between Martouf and his namesake.

That seemed to jolt Martouf into rocking again.

After several more minutes, Malek convinced Martouf to let him try. A few minutes after that, he was regretting his decision.

That didn't matter since Sam woke up anyway, came in, and took Malika from him.

Lantash and Martouf felt guilty as they watched her try.

Maybe she's hungry again, Kela'an thought.

Sam briefly considered that until, as if in answer, Malika puked on her. Sour again.

Martouf grabbed a towel and began cleaning them as Sam tried to soothe her.

It wasn't long after that Yosuuf walked in. She had just arrived from a trip to her homeworld when she heard and followed the cries.

Malek seemed to be the only one who noticed, and he gave a quick greeting of return.

"Perhaps I can try," Yosuuf offered.

Out of ideas, good or desperate ones, Sam reluctantly handed over her child.

Yosuuf took Malika into arms, quickly positioning her and moved in a bounce sway. Soon, Malika's cries began to lessen.

Didn't we do that? Martouf thought, quite sure that Lantash and he had both done the same thing.

I thought so.

Sam looked as confused as them.

"Go to sleep. Let me take care of her." Yosuuf smiled as she looked the calming baby. "I'll get you when she's hungry."

"Thank you," Martouf replied, finding this situation strange. Until recently, he had never a chance to become close to her or Garshaw, and part of him still saw them by their rank.

"My sisters and I helped each other all the time. We kept each other sane."

Martouf headed back to the room, briefly forgetting about Samantha. He looked back suddenly as he remembered, finding her there. Climbing in bed, he waited for her. He soon put a hand on her shoulder, gave her a quick kiss, and wished her a good sleep.

I think she's asleep already, Lantash thought.

Martouf gave a small smile as he closed his eyes. Sleep. They soon joined her.

To be continued...