2012 Holiday Fruitcake Exchange gift
Decided to put this on my LJ so I'd never lose it. :)
TITLE: Parents and Teachers and Meetings, Oh My!
AUTHOR: aeryn_b
RATING: PG-13
GENRE: Family, Humor
PAIRINGS: Daniel/Vala, no others
CHARACTERS: Daniel Jackson, Vala Mal Doran, two kids, a boy and a girl
SPOILERS/TIMELINE: None, post-series family fic
SIZE: 3000 words approximately
SUMMARY: The trials and tribulations of Parent-Teacher Conferences
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Written for milena_d for the 2012 Holiday Fruitcake Exchange. Original post date: 12/21/12. Prompt was Daniel/Vala, Parent/Teacher Meeting. Merry Christmas, Milena! :)
***
“Mum, Dad! You here?” Danny Jackson asked of the house.
“Down in the basement, darlings,” Vala called back.
His younger sister CJ stopped at the top of the stairs and sighed overdramatically. “Please tell us you’re both decent.”
Daniel walked past the stairwell with his arms full of books. “Of course we are.”
“Give the poor girl a break, Daniel,” Vala whispered as she followed him with her own stack of books. “We weren’t twenty minutes ago.” They shared a glance between themselves and hidden from their two teenage children.
“So, what’s up, guys?” Their father asked. “How was school today?”
CJ answered first, flopping down on an old sofa and tossing a softball between her hands. “Eh, so-so. Totally aced my trig test.”
Vala plopped down next to her baby girl and gave her a hug. “That’s wonderful, darling! Nicely done.”
“Never doubted it for a minute, sweetie,” Daniel said as he passed by, caught the softball and ruffled her hair. He tossed it over to Danny next. “How about you?”
Danny easily caught the softball and tossed it back to CJ. “Got our essays back.” He shrugged while bringing his paper out of his backpack. “A+. No big deal.”
Vala beamed at her first-born. “Of course it’s a big deal.” She stood up and gave Danny a hug. “Executive motherly decision. Let’s go out for a celebration dinner.”
CJ smothered a laugh. “Didn’t plan anything for dinner tonight, Mum?” She tossed her softball back to her brother. “Wonder what she would’ve done if we came home with C’s.”
“Hot dogs with mac ‘n cheese probably,” Daniel said, patting Danny on his back. “Thank goodness you kids do well in school.”
Danny joined in ribbing his mum. “Only way we eat well.” His natural first-born guilt surfaced though. He bent down and kissed her cheek. “Just teasing, Mum.”
“Ha-ha, very funny, all of you.” She clapped her hands and ushered her family up the stairs. “Come now, chop-chop. Time for dinner.”
Danny smacked his forehead. “Almost forgot. Parent-Teacher conferences are scheduled for next week. You guys aren’t gonna be off-world, are you?”
“Don’t worry,” Daniel said, “there doesn’t seem to be anything pressing going on at the SGC. We’ll work around the meetings somehow.”
***
“Vala honey, are you okay?”
“Yes, of course,” Vala replied.
“Okay, but you were about to step into the shower with all your clothes on.”
Vala looked down at herself and laughed. “Whoops, guess I was a little distracted.” She took off her blouse and tested the water on her arm. “I was thinking about our first parent-teacher conference with Danny’s kindergarten teacher. Do you remember?”
“How could I forget,” Daniel replied.
[FLASHBACK]
“Good afternoon, Miss Merriweather.”
“Mrs. Jackson, Dr. Jackson.” They all shook hands. “Thank you for coming. Please, have a seat. I must say, Danny is a delightful boy. He’s smart and energetic. He gets along with all the children, sharing and cooperating which can sometimes be an issue with first-borns. I imagine he enjoys being a big brother to little Claudette.” Miss Merriweather smiled at the little tow-headed girl resting on Daniel’s shoulder.
Vala returned the smile and nodded. “He loves her so much. He plays with her and reads bedtime stories to her. He loves that.”
“Yes, yes. His reading skills are wonderful. You two have done an excellent job with him. Reading, math, social skills; he seems to be doing fine in all areas of his development.” Miss Merriweather looked down at her notes. “One thing I did want to talk about was his vivid imagination. One of the things we like to make sure our children know by heart is their telephone numbers and addresses, in case anything unforeseen happens. When it was Danny’s turn to tell everyone his address, he said some strange words I’ve never heard before, six actually, and then said the seventh symbol of our address was actually the point of origin, or something, of whatever planet you’re on.”
Daniel and Vala shared a look over Claudette’s sleeping head. Daniel then cleared his throat. “I hope he didn’t disrupt the class. It’s one of his stories. Exploring the galaxy.”
Miss Merriweather waved away Daniel’s concern. “The bell for recess rang soon after and all the children went outside to play. I spoke privately with Danny on the playground and he explained that was how he could find his way home if he was on another planet. I reassured him that it was a good idea, but that I want him to know his house address in case he’s ever lost and needs help finding his way home. He thought about it and said that was a good idea too. Then he told me his address and that was that. Nothing to worry about, but maybe something to keep in mind. He could be a great author one day, or perhaps if he really is interested in space, he could focus on science and be an astronaut or something.”
Miss Merriweather smiled in her good-natured way and asked if Daniel or Vala had any questions of her. They shook their heads and the meeting was over. As Vala was putting Claudette in the car seat, Daniel spoke, “Do you think Danny remembered that DHD lesson we gave him when he was three and we were all stuck at the Alpha Site for two months?”
Vala shrugged. “I guess he did. I honestly didn’t think memories could stick like that at three-years-old.”
“Guess we’ll have to have a little talk with him on our way home from Jack’s.”
[END FLASHBACK]
With the water still running, Vala hopped out of the shower while Daniel hopped in. “Even though that one was a little embarrassing,” Daniel commented over the running water, “I still like the one from second grade the best.”
Vala paused while toweling herself dry. “I was so proud of him that day.”
[FLASHBACK]
“Vala, what’s going on?!” Daniel rushed into Danny’s classroom. “I got a message from the secretary to come to the school immediately because Danny was fighting.”
“I don’t know any more than you do,” Vala said. “I was at the store when they called me.”
A moment later, both Danny’s second grade teacher and Claudette’s kindergarten teacher came in from the hallway.
“Mrs. Stewart, Miss Merriweather,” Daniel started, “Danny couldn’t have been fighting. You know it’s not like him.”
“Calm down, Dr. Jackson, everything’s fine.” She motioned the four of them to take seats. “I’m sorry for the confusion. Danny wasn’t fighting, just somewhat involved in a fight.”
“What do you mean?” Vala asked. “Where is Danny? And why is Miss Merriweather here.”
“Relax, Mrs. Jackson,” Mrs. Stewart said, “let me explain. There’s a new boy in Danny’s class. He started Monday and has been a little unruly. This afternoon at lunch recess, CJ and some other girls were coloring on the blacktop with colored chalk. The girls say Steven came over, took their chalk, and pushed CJ when she asked him to give it back. Danny must’ve been watching his sister because he was over there before any of the other teachers on recess duty. The girls say he also asked Steven to give back the chalk, but Steven punched him instead. At this point Mary called Miss Merriweather over. She waved to me and we both saw Danny huddled over CJ to protect her while Steven was punching Danny’s arm and trying to pull CJ’s pigtails. Just before we got there, CJ stood up and stomped on Steven’s foot to stop him.”
“Oh my goodness,” Vala gasped and stood up. “Where are my children? I want to see them now!”
“They’re fine, Mrs. Jackson, just fine,” Miss Merriweather said, patting Vala’s arm. “They’re in the nurse’s office.”
“What?!” Daniel practically shouted.
Mrs. Stewart shook her head. “I do assure you, they’re fine. CJ wasn’t hurt, but she insisted on staying with Danny. He needed a band-aid for a small cut on his hand and an ice pack for a little bruise on his upper arm.”
Both Daniel and Vala took a few long breaths. “Ok, they’re fine,” Daniel said. “That’s good. But what happens next?”
Everyone sat down again while Mrs. Stewart continued, “The principal is talking with Steven’s parents now. I won’t go into his punishment with you, but you should note that Dr. Burnstein isn’t talking with all of us. According to everyone, Danny didn’t fight back, but merely stood there guarding his sister. And even though CJ did try to physically stop Steven, it really wouldn’t have made a difference since he’s so much bigger than her.”
“It might be a good idea,” Miss Merriweather offered, “to remind CJ to find a grown-up when there’s trouble. I don’t want her to become accustomed to using violence to solve her problems.”
Vala nodded. “We’ll definitely have a talk with them when we get home tonight.”
Mrs. Stewart stood up and led them all to the nurse’s station. “We are very sorry that this happened today. We teachers will be keeping a closer eye on all three of them over the next few weeks and months.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Stewart, Miss Merriweather.”
“Hi, Mum,” Danny said.
“There you are, my brave little man.” Vala scooped him up in a big hug while Danny squirmed. “How are you? Are you hurt?”
“No, mum, ‘course not, but Mrs. Crous said I had a cut on my hand and that I had to keep this ice pack on my arm.” Daniel came over and ruffled his son’s hair. “I didn’t hit him back, Dad, promise. It’s just that he was pushing CJ around. I didn’t want her to get hurt.”
“I know, son. You did the right thing.” CJ was sitting on the desk, swinging her feet and sucking on a lollipop. Daniel picked her up and hugged her. “But you, young lady, need to find a teacher when somebody hits you. You don’t fight back, okay?”
“But that mean kid was hitting Danny,” CJ protested around her lollipop. “Nobody’s s’posed to hit Danny.”
“Yes, darling,” Vala said, sharing a brief look with Daniel. “But when you’re at school, find a grown-up. Those are the rules, capeche?”
Their little imp smiled back at them and nodded. “Capeche.”
[END FLASHBACK]
“I’m really glad CJ got into sports so young,” Vala told Daniel as he got out of the shower. “With all the energy that girl had, she could’ve gotten into a lot more fights.”
“Like mother, like daughter, I guess,” Daniel teased.
Vala stuck out her tongue. “I was a saint as a child.”
Daniel snorted. “Ha, you told me you gave your parents fits.”
“Oh,” Vala thought back, “I told you that? Well, I may have exaggerated. Besides I didn’t get really bad until adolescence.”
Daniel sighed. “I’m so glad Danny and CJ don’t run around partying all the time. I have more than enough gray hairs.”
Vala came over and ran her fingers through his hair. “They definitely haven’t taken after us in that respect.” She pressed a kiss behind his ear and whispered, “Remember that parent-teacher conference a couple years ago when Danny was a sophomore.”
Daniel kissed Vala back. “Only slightly. Why don’t you remind me?”
[FLASHBACK]
“You said you weren’t going to be off-world this week,” Danny whined slightly. “I told you about this meeting weeks ago. I even wrote it on the calendar.”
“Relax, darling. Your dad had some last minute negotiations to finalize today. He’ll be back in time, I promise.”
“Remember to ask Mr. Denton about my PSAT scores,” Danny said, pacing around the kitchen. “I’m really worried about the math portion. He’s going to say I failed it, I just know it.”
“Danny, sweetie, come here. Sit down.” He plopped down next to her and dropped his head on the table. “Danny, what’s really bothering you?”
“Nothing,” he mumbled.
“Do you want some chocolate fudge ice cream?”
Danny looked up at his mom and smiled. “Yeah.”
Vala scooped out some ice cream for both of them. “Okay, spill.”
“My classes are starting out a little tougher this year, basketball tryouts start in a month and I’m afraid I’m not ready, and…and Vicky asked me if I wanted to go to the homecoming dance this Friday.”
“Okay,” Vala started. “One, you have nothing to worry about with your classes. You know that, I know that, it’s just that your brilliant brain is coming up with things to be worried about. Like the basketball tryouts. Again, you’ll do fine. You know that, I know that. Don’t stress over it. As for Vicky…” Vala trailed off.
“Yeah.”
“Well, what did you tell her?”
“I told her yes, I wanted to go.”
“But you don’t want to go.”
Danny put down his spoon. “No, I do want to go, it’s just that…”
“She asked you out.”
“Yeah.” Danny stared down at his melting ice cream, and Vala let him think. “Does that make me a loser or something, having a girl ask me out?”
“Of course not!” Vala exclaimed. “Is that what’s bothering you? Oh darling, you are the absolute opposite of a loser.” Danny lifted his head a little and she smiled at him. “You know why Vicky asked you? So that she could go to the dance with a terrific guy, and she didn’t want to risk having to go with a real loser if you asked someone else.”
“You think?”
“I know, sweetie.”
Danny seemed to perk up, but then his face fell again. “But all the guys will definitely think I’m loser for not asking her first. And all her friends too. Oh geez!”
“There’s an easy way to solve that,” Vala said. “If you two are having a good time at the dance, ask her to the movies for the next weekend. No one will think you’re a loser then, and besides, we know it doesn’t matter what other people think, right?”
“Yeah, I guess…but, how does that make me not a loser?”
“Because, darling, sometimes a man needs to be sure of a woman’s interest before he asks her out. Take your father, for example. It took him forever to ask me out for a proper date, and a lot of that had to do with me not being honest about how I felt. I’m glad you’re being cautious with your heart. Rejection stings. It doesn’t make you a bad guy if a girl asks you out. Your friends will understand, you’ll see.”
“Mum, Danny, I’m home!”
“Oh boy.” Vala looked at her watch. “I’m gonna be late for that parent-teacher meeting.” She kissed Danny on the forehead and CJ as she came in from the garage. “You two, be good. There’s lasagna in the fridge. Love you. See you later.”
***
“Hey, what’re you doing here?” Vala asked Daniel in the spare classroom that was set up like a coatroom. “I thought I’d have to do this by myself.”
“I drove straight from the mountain,” Daniel said, taking off Vala’s coat and hanging it up for her. “I missed you,” he said, kissing her.
“I missed you too.” Vala kissed him back. “I formally request that you stop taking missions lasting three weeks.”
Daniel answered her back in between breathy kisses. “I formally accept your request to stop taking three-week missions.” Vala pushed him back farther between the coats. “Except, I’m not the one assigning me to long, three-week missions. I think we’re going to have to talk to General Mitchell about this.”
Vala wound her hands behind Daniel’s suit jacket and up under his shirt. “Kiss now, talk later.”
“Ahem. Dr. Jackson, Mrs. Jackson.”
Both Daniel and Vala blushed a bright, bright red. Danny’s counselor, Mr. Denton, a sweet man in his early seventies, had effectively caught the couple making out in the coatroom.
“I suppose if Danny takes after you two, I’ll have my hands full for the next few years, won’t I?”
“Yes, sir…I-I mean, no, sir,” Vala stammered. “I mean, Danny doesn’t really take after us in this sense.”
Mr. Denton raised an eyebrow, much like an alien co-worker of theirs.
“No, no,” Daniel interpreted the counselor’s look, “my wife didn’t mean that Danny doesn’t like girls or making out or anything. It’s just that he’s much more interested in his schoolwork and extracurricular activities right now instead of dating.”
“Well…” Vala began, and Daniel gave her a look. “That was true, up until today. Vicky Lawson asked Danny to the homecoming dance this Friday.”
“She did? That tramp.”
“Daniel!”
Mr. Denton only laughed. “The first girlfriend is always the hardest, Dr. Jackson.” He led them out of the coatroom and into his office. “Don’t worry. I think Danny is a charming young man and a gifted student. You both are doing very well with him. I wouldn’t worry about him noticing the opposite sex. We should all keep an eye on his schoolwork, though I doubt his focus will change that dramatically. But please don’t hesitate to come to me for help or advice if there are certain, ahem, topics that warrant a conversation.”
Daniel and Vala nodded back. “Of course, Mr. Denton. Please forgive my outburst. I was just shocked.” Mr. Denton nodded back. “Oh,” Daniel recalled, “and please forgive our behavior before.” He blushed again. “I’ve been…out of town for work for almost a month.”
The sweet elderly man waved aside Daniel’s apology. “Nothing I haven’t seen before, Dr. Jackson. Not to worry.”
[END FLASHBACK]
Through heavy kissing, Daniel and Vala could hear their kids pounding on the bedroom door. “Are you two going to keep making out, or are we going to dinner?” CJ shouted.
Vala smiled up at Daniel. “To be continued, darling?”
Daniel pecked her on the nose. “You betcha.”
[END]
EDIT: Found a slight error. General Landry would most likely be retired (or god forbid, gone) at this point. So Cam got a promotion and is running the SGC. ;)