Xander was surprised when he got a call the next day to report to Elizabeth's office.
"Xander, Cordelia, General O'Neill called. Homeworld Security has finished clearing the paperwork to allow you to formally adopt D.J. Which means she's also being cleared to visit Earth. You'll need to 'gate to Earth to sign the paperwork."
"That's great news. You know, this is perfect timing. It's been six months since we found her and Carson estimated her age at six months, at the time. We could name this as her birthday. If you're willing to give us a week off, we could take her to Sunnydale and introduce her to our family." Xander said.
"I don't have a problem with it. Things are quiet now. Go ahead, take a week."
"Thank you, Elizabeth." Cordelia said.
"Yes, thank you." Xander agreed. And they went to pack and prepare for their trip to Earth.
The little family stepped thru the Stargate. It was D.J's first time and she looked like she was trying to make up her mind if she was having a problem with it. Finally, she just laid her head on Xander's shoulder. He was grateful she didn't get sick. There was a surprise waiting for them. Jack, Daniel, Vala, Teal'C, Janet and Cassie. Sam and the Athena were on patrol, but Jack had recorded a message from her congradulating them.
"Come on, let's get this paperwork out of the way so we can get started on the munchkin's party." Jack ordered. "We've got more fun things to do. Like introduce her to chocolate cake."
"I was thinking Twinkies." Xander said.
"She can have a bite of each. You are not hopping her up on sugar." Was Cordelia's thoughts on the matter.
"She's the boss, Jack."
"Yeah, Carter warned me. Okay, fine. Chop, chop, let's go."
Signing the paperwork took quite awhile. There was a lot of it and Cordelia insisted on reading every line. Who could blame her? She was a lawyer and a negotiator. Legalese she understood. Afterward, they headed to Janet's. It was a quiet party. Xander demonstrated to D.J. how to open a present. She only had to see it once to get it.
"Man, she's having a ball ripping up that paper." Xander was a little bit in awe.
"Charlie was the same way. She's being allowed to do something that would normally get her in trouble, so she enjoying it to the hilt." Jack said, mention of Charlie sparking a twinge of pain, he would never be able to think or speak of Charlie without some pain.
"She likes the toys, but I think she also likes the clothes. She's a little fashionista, she like dresses. I'm sure Cordy's planning to introduce her to a shopping mall before we head back."
"No doubt. How long can you stay?"
"We've got a week off. We'll stay here for a couple of days and then head to Sunnydale. Thanks to those relay stations Atlantis had us set up, I can be here and still know what's going on there, without Atlantis thinking I died."
"What are you going to tell your friends?"
"Well, Faith we can tell the truth. The rest? A variant of the truth. She was an abused child we discovered. We've been working on clearing the paperwork and getting clearance to be allowed to bring her back with us and adopt her. The scaring on her chest, we'll say is part of the abuse, which it is, but say it was ritualistic in nature. We'll also tell them that she wasn't given a name, so we chose one for her. As for her ability. Well you know I have an ability, psychometry and they know that and accept it. So we'll just tell them, she has one too."
"Sounds good. Okay, I'll approve you telling them that. Any problems, give me a call."
"We will, thanks Jack. You've gone to alot of trouble and pulled alot strings to make this happen as fast it has and we will always be grateful."
"She deserves to have family that loves her. All kids do. Like I said, you've got this, kid."
A sudden squeal had Xander turning quickly towards D.J. who had just opened the present from Cassie. A teddy bear the same size as D.J. her arms were currently squeezing it tight and she looked like she was never planning to let it go.
"Looks like you did good, Cass." Xander congradulated her. "Looks she's got a new favorite toy. And I like the color. It's a pretty shade of purple."
Cassie looked pleased that her gift had gone over so well. Once all the presents had been opened and everything cleaned up, they headed out to the backyard where Jack had put his grill. He put some steaks on for everyone and they had a grand time catching up. D.J. refused to let go of her bear, so had to be fed around it, but it was her birthday, so no one was objecting.
Over the next couple of days, they took D.J. to an amusement park, where she also had a ball and to Xander's enthusiastic agreement, decided she didn't like clowns and wouldn't go near them, aside from that, it was a good day. The day after, Cordelia and Vala introduced her to a Mall. Xander wasn't sure how they expected to get everything they bought back to Atlantis. Did they expect him to figure that out? He really hoped not, because he had no clue.
All in all, they had a grand time with their Stargate friends and could only hope their visit to Sunnydale went as well.
