Author's Note: Happy Indigenous People's Day/Columbus Day!

Another fluffer for you. Wrote this a while ago and it hasn't been as polished as I would like but I'm in the throws of moving and I'm just too lazy. I hope you enjoy anyways, and let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, sadly. Things would've gone a different way if I had...

o0o

A Better Story

Dr. Daniel Jackson was often called oblivious to a lot of things around him, and for good reason. He missed obvious things all the time – it took him almost two years to realize his wife was in love with him. He didn't even recognize his own feelings for her until Vala dragged it out of him. He accepted the fact he was blind to a lot of personal related things, so that's why he found it so surprising when he was the first to notice something was off with his wife.

He honestly couldn't tell you what it was, but one day, there was something different about her. When he asked her what it was, he expected her to berate him for taking so long to notice, but she was just as confused as he was and told him nothing was different. He accepted her word at face value, brushing it off as an overactive imagination on his part. But a few days later, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was up with her – he just couldn't put his finger on it. She denied it more than once as he persisted with it on his end. Something was going on with his wife and he was willing to stake his reputation on it – but why was she lying to him? What was going on with her?

In the span of a few days, it changed from becoming a feeling to a fact. Watching Vala eat black licorice – something she abhorred – had his suspicions rising. It only increased from there. She started avoiding certain foods she loved, became sensitive to smells, and was eating random stuff she would otherwise never touch. He about lost it when she ate some tofu one day and claimed to actually like it when he asked her why she was eating it.

"What the fuck is going on with you?" Daniel stared at her in disbelief as she picked up another piece of tofu with a pair of chopsticks. "Who the hell are you, and what have you done with my wife?"

Vala ignored his concerns with a roll of her eyes. "What, I can't try new things and actually like them?"

"No!"

She just shook her head at him and went back to her meal.

He proceeded to flip the fuck out when she swiped some mushrooms from his plate. There was something wrong with Vala – if that was even Vala! Their friends didn't share the same concerns and told him he was overreacting, but he knew he wasn't. He knew his wife and she was not acting like the woman he'd known for the last three years. He had every right to be worried.

It was only a few days later when he finally figured out what was going on.

Vala was pregnant.

They had been out shopping for necessities when the realization came to him. They went on a monthly shopping trip for household, personal, and miscellaneous things and this was the second month in a row that he could remember where he wasn't forced to grab tampons for Vala. He distinctly remembered the relieved feeling he felt last month when it wasn't on the list of items. This time, he didn't even look at the list until he was standing in front of the products, and that's when he noticed it wasn't on the list.

He must've stared at that list for a good five minutes before the reality of it sunk in. She was pregnant. They were having a baby. A warmth spread through his chest and his face started hurting from the huge ass grin on his face. Though the grin quickly turned into a frown – why hadn't she told him? She had to know by now, so what was she waiting for?

Then he remembered their six month anniversary was just a week away, and he convinced himself that she was waiting until then – what better gift was there than announcing they were having a child?

He anxiously waited for their anniversary to roll around, he could barely contain himself. He knew Vala noticed it, but she didn't mention it. It was hard not to say anything, but he didn't want to ruin whatever reveal she planned, so he begrudgingly controlled himself, but it wasn't easy. As it grew closer to the day, he berated himself for not seeing it sooner – the signs were so obvious to him now. Maybe if she had morning sickness he would've caught on even sooner, but she thankfully was only plagued with mild nausea every now and then. He didn't think he could stand watching her get sick every day and not do something to help.

But the day of their anniversary came and went, and she didn't say anything. Their dinner in celebration of it passed as well and she still didn't fess up. It was maddening to say the least. What was she waiting for now? What possible reason did she have to keep something like this from him? Another week passed with no word, and he found himself extremely frustrated and annoyed with her. There were even times when he was outright angry with her. She had no right to keep the news of their impending child a secret for him.

So, of course, instead of approaching her and trying to have a calm conversation about it like an adult, he instead completely lost it like a child, and surrendered to the anger that built up over the last two weeks.

"Are you kidding me right now!" he snapped when she ignored his most recent attempt to get her to confess.

Vala froze and her pencil went limp. "What, you disagree?" she asked with mild confusion. "If you more closely at the syntax, I think you'll see what I'm tryi–"

"That's not what the fuck I'm talking about," he cut her off with a growl.

Her face hardened. "Stop yelling at me!" she practically shouted herself. "Try acting like an adult and communicate. I can't read your mind!"

If he wasn't so hung up on this, he would've taken a second to acknowledge how rational she was being – very unlike her – but he needed to know why she hadn't said anything. "Vala, I know!"

Her face scrunched up. "Know what?"

Daniel sighed impatiently. "I know about the baby!" he confessed loudly, not caring that their friends could probably hear them. "What I don't know is why you haven't told me yet! What the hell, Vala!"

Her book and pencil dropped to the ground. "Baby!" she shrieked. "What baby? What hell are you talking about?"

He took a step closer. "Our baby!" Why did she seem so confused? "Vala, I know you're pregnant."

Vala gapped at him. "No," she shook her head sadly. "No, Daniel, darling, I'm not pregnant. Why would you even think that?"

Daniel scoffed in disbelief. "You're definitely pregnant," he argued, softening his voice as he studied her. "Sweetheart…you really didn't know?"

"There's nothing to know because I'm not!" she argued but panic laced her words. "I think that's something I'd know."

He wasn't sure if she was trying to convince him or herself at this point. "Sweetheart, you're pregnant. You've been eating weird shit for weeks now. Your sense of smell is off the charts. You've been queasy for weeks. I haven't been forced to buy tampons in months, and you haven't had a period in…I don't even remember how long. Your breasts have been extra sensitive –"

"Whoa, hey now!" Mitchell's disgruntled voice interrupted. "Let's try to keep it PG, okay?"

Daniel sighed, pinching his nose, and took a second before responding. "Yeah, I'm not gonna do that," he gave Mitchell a pointed look. "My wife and I are trying to have a conversation that really doesn't involve you, so if you don't highlight it out of here in like five seconds, I'm going into explicit details about her increased sex drive."

Mitchell immediately turned around. "We're out!"

"Speak for yourself," Sam mumbled but Teal'c dragged her with them. "Oh, c'mon!" she complained.

"She's practically my sister. I'm not hearing about her sex life," Mitchell grumbled.

With them gone, Daniel took a deep breath before locking eyes with Vala. "The signs are all there. I can keep going on, but Vala, you're pregnant."

Tears immediately began to fill her eyes, and she looked so brokenhearted. "But I can't be," she whispered brokenly.

He caressed her face, his thumbs catching a stray tear. "Why?" he asked gently.

Vala sniffed. "Carolyn said the Ori weren't careful when they impregnated me, and it probably would never happen," she confessed. She refused to look at him. "She doesn't think it'll ever be possible."

His heart broke for her right then and there. "Oh, sweetheart," he murmured lovingly and brought her to his chest. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought you knew!" she sobbed into his chest. "This was after Adria was born." She pulled away from him, looking stricken. "Daniel, I would've never married you if I thought you didn't know!"

Daniel's hand gently wrapped around the back of her neck. "Hey. Hey," he rubbed her neck in hopes to calm her down. "I know. I know you wouldn't."

Vala looked so broken, it was breaking his heart in a way he had never experienced before. "I want to give you children, Daniel, but it's not possible."

He suddenly understood why she wouldn't accept it – she couldn't. Because on the off chance he was wrong, her even hoping just a little bit that she was actually pregnant and ended up not being would break her. She believed she was protecting herself, and he couldn't blame her. He really wished he had a pregnancy test stashed in his pack right about now. There was nothing he could say that would make her believe him.

Daniel sighed before he began removing her vest. She frowned at him but allowed him to do it. Once it was off, he unbuttoned her jacket, and that's when she spoke up.

"Darling, what're you doing?" she asked curiously but there was a hint of suspicion. "Are you finally giving in on having public sex."

He chuckled. "In your dreams," he said with a teasing smile and dragged the garment down her arms.

Vala raised an eyebrow. "So, you're stripping me in the middle of an Ancient structure because…?"

He just smirked at her and lifted her shirt until it rested under her breasts. "So you can see for yourself," he said softly and laid a hand on her stomach. "So you can feel the baby for yourself. Here," he grabbed her hand and placed it in the center of her belly.

Vala inhaled sharply. "Daniel, please don't–"

"Feel how taunt it is," he applied pressure to the hand he held. "Feel the little pouch you've developed."

"Did you just call me fat?" she gasped at him.

He rolled his eyes. "No, I called you pregnant," he contradicted. "Vala, you're a fit woman, but your belly has never been this firm, and that's because there's a little human in there and your body is adding extra padding to protect that life – our baby."

Vala's gaze was transfixed on their hands pressing against her bare stomach. "How?" she asked in a broken whisper.

Daniel smiled softly and tilted her chin until he could see her eyes. "Doesn't matter how," he brought their foreheads together. "We've beaten the odds before, but I honestly don't care how – I just care that it's happening."

That's when she broke.

Her entire body trembled as she broke into sobs. He hugged her to him and let her cry into his shoulder. He felt horrible that he never knew or the kind of pain she was in over it. He felt like an utter bastard for being so harsh and angry with her these past few weeks. He should've just talked to her about his suspicions, and all of this could have been avoided.

Vala abruptly jerked away from his embrace and punched him hard in the shoulder, ignoring his loud cry of pain and 'What the hell?' expression. "Why did you let me come on this mission?" she shrieked. "I'm pregnant, you idiot!"

Despite her yelling at him, he couldn't help but smile. There she is, he thought fondly. "I thought you knew!" he defended himself. "I trusted your judgment!"

She let out a sound of frustration before she fixed her shirt and haphazardly threw her jacket and vest back on. "Men," she grumbled under her breath before stalking away.

Well, he could add mood swings to the list of symptoms.

Daniel stood there for a second in shock before chasing after her. "Where are you going?"

Vala didn't break her strides. "I'm fucking pregnant, Daniel. I'm going home!" she said it like it was the most logical thing. "I'm not going to put it at risk."

His lips twitched. "So, you believe me?"

She looked at him and smiled. "Yeah, I believe you," she said with shiny eyes. "But I'm going to have Carolyn run a test anyways."

He laughed. "Wouldn't expect anything less."

He watched as she dialed the 'gate in a frenzy and send her code through with such speed, he was almost impressed.

"Hey," he caught her attention before she could go through. "I'll see you in a little bit, okay?"

Vala seemed to remember he existed. She stood there for a second before throwing her arms around him in a tight grip. "We're having a baby," she whispered in awe.

Daniel smiled again. "We're having a baby." He kissed the side of her head. "I love you."

She pulled away with a watery chuckle. "I love you too," she smiled brightly. "I'll see you at home." She squeezed his hand before going through the event horizon.

When he stepped through the Stargate a few hours later, Vala was waiting at the end of the ramp with a piece of paper in one hand and a piece of plastic in the other, and a huge smile on her face. He felt his own face light up in elation. He handed his P-90 to Sam's awaiting hands before scooping her up and giving her a twirl, eliciting peels of giggles from her. Despite the number of eyes on them, he kissed her in the middle of the Embarkation Room.

Months later, as he held his newborn daughter, he told her the story of how he knew about her before her mama did. He would tell her that he noticed all the signs, how he waited weeks for her to say something, and how daddy eventually broke and ended up telling her she was pregnant. It would become a story he would tell for the rest of his life.

Daniel should've known that it would be different with him. Though he could've never predicted that he'd be the one to break the news Vala – but wouldn't change it for the world. It was a much better story that way.

The End.