CoL, CH.12: Shine Out the Clearer
Chance on Love
Chapter 12 (Shince Out the Clearer)
A/N: I just wanted to say thank you for everyone who commented and encouraged me to continue this story! (I apologize to anyone I didn't respond back personally to!) It really means a lot to me that you guys appreciate it enough to want to read more. And PEESHAW to any who don't like it. Like many of you said - if they don't like it, they just don't have to read it!
And btw, we're coming down to the end with this part of the series. There are already brabbits at work hatching the continuation storyline, but for now enjoy this new chapter! (There's only two more to go after this!)
Shine Out the Clearer
"Okay, they're on their-" Jack stopped talking at the reprimanding looks Daniel and Vala shot him as he moved back into the kitchen. He hadn't realized Hayden had fallen asleep, her cheek resting comfortably atop Daniel's shoulder. "Sorry..." He said in a much quieter tone, stepping up to the pair by the stove. "They're coming."
Daniel nodded, stirring the contents on the burner with his free hand. "Sam and Charlie?"
It was Jack's turn to nod. "Yep." He patted Daniel lightly on the shoulder. "Kid's been missing you like crazy." He moved over to the table, sitting down.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Vala asked, pulling ingredients for a salad from the fridge. At the silence that followed, she looked up to find two almost identical looks of surprise turned her way. "I just mean, with Hayden being sick and all..." She emphasized with the cucumber in her hand, twirling it around some.
Vala moved over to the counter where she'd already set out the bowl and cutting board. She deposited the items on the counter and picked up the knife. "I don't want your son getting sick." Her grey eyes looked up momentarily before she started chopping into a carrot.
She diced quickly. "Carolyn has avoided this place like the plague for three days now." Vala snorted gently. "She won't even let Cam come over, she's that paranoid."
At the uncomprehending look Jack gave him, Daniel smiled. "Carolyn and Cam are Vala's friends-"
"My family." Vala interjected before going back to the salad preparations.
Daniel nodded. "Her family, and they've got two children." He set the spoon down in the holder and stepped over to the table. "Brian and Cassidy..." He eased himself into the chair closest to Jack, trying not to wake the little girl sleeping against him. "They're a handful when they're healthy."
"You don't want to be around them when they're sick." Vala laughed, having moved on to ripping up the lettuce. She dropped several shredded leaves into the bowl. She threw a playful glance over her shoulder to Daniel. "They've got their daddy's flare for the dramatic."
He returned the look. "Just daddy's now?"
Vala snickered at the comment. "I'm gonna tell her you said that."
"Should this surprise me - you tell her everything." Daniel turned a smug grin to Jack. "Of course Carolyn tells Cam everything, and Cam tells me everything, so I find out what she says about me anyway."
Jack chuckled as the phone in the living room started to ring. Vala cursed her timing once again and moved to go get it.
Daniel watched her go, smiling at the 'you're really gonna pay' look she was giving him. "Speak of the devil..." He turned his attention back to Jack. "She probably wants to know if our quarantine is lifted." Blues eyes looked down as best they could at Hayden against him.
"So you're close with her friends?" Jack asked quietly, staring intently at Daniel as the younger man looked up at him.
Wariness and defiance clouded Daniel's gaze. "Is that a problem?"
Shaking his head, Jack held up a hand in defense. "No...no." He gave his friend a significant look. "I'm just trying to fill all the holes in here - you've been dating Vala for almost three months and I'm trying to make up for lost time." He brought his hand down and stroked a finger over the worn wooden table. "Why did you lie to me, Daniel?"
The question wasn't mean or angry - Daniel could hear it in his friend's tone and see it in those brown eyes. Jack was just being curious. He took a deep breath.
"Because I know you, and I know what you think of my...choices in life." Daniel said softly. He rushed on as Jack opened his mouth to say something. "After we got into it over this the first night, I just felt it would be better if I didn't tell you - at least not until I knew it was something that was gonna last."
Jack sighed. "Daniel, you knew right away." He looked over his shoulder at Vala, who was pacing back and forth in front of the couch, talking amicably with the person on the other end of the phone. "She knew right away."
His gaze found blue once more. "That doesn't mean you had to lie." Jack sat forward a little. "You know that's one easy way to piss me off and make me suspicious."
"I was trying to do something on my own, Jack." Daniel rubbed a hand over Hayden's back as she whimpered in her sleep. "Something that you didn't do for me, or that I didn't do for a fix." He willed for Jack to understand. "Vala and Hayden are that something - I love them."
Jack tried to make Daniel see where he was coming from. "She a single mother, Daniel." He didn't know how to make the next words not seem so judgmental, so he just came out with it. "The father of that little girl could come back at anytime and that could...no, will be trouble for all of you - all of us, for that matter." Jack gauged Daniel's reaction. "Is this something worth all the baggage?"
The younger man was silent for a moment, just continuing to rub Hayden's back. Finally he looked at Jack knowingly and tilted his head a fraction. "Did you ask Sam the same question before she took on all your baggage?"
Silence settled on the two again, and for a moment Daniel thought he'd challenged just a little too far. Then Jack broke out in a surrendering smile and nodded.
"Okay, point taken." He laughed, quieting as the sound cause Hayden to jerk slightly against Daniel. She sniffed loudly and slowly her eyes opened a little.
Daniel looked down at her. "Hey sleepy head." He brought his hand to cup the back of her head. "You feeling any better?"
She shook her head drowsily and latched both her arms around his neck. "My head hurts, and my throat hurts, and my body hurts, and my nose is runny, and my eyes are tired." Hayden mumbled into Daniel's neck. "Make the sickness go away, Daniel."
Jack's heart clenched at the look of guilt that flashed across his friend's face at her plea. Both men knew the illness would go away when the virus had run its course, but that didn't make the knowledge that she was suffering any easier to bear. Especially for Daniel.
"I'm trying, baby."
Hayden sniffed, this time due to her tears. "I don't wanna be sick anymore."
Closing his eyes, Daniel rested his cheek in her hair. "I don't want you to be sick anymore, either." He looked up at Vala as she came back into the kitchen, tapping the phone against her thigh.
She gazed at Daniel with concern. "She okay?"
Daniel nodded, resuming the soothing rubbing on Hayden's back. "She's just over it all."
A sympathetic look came over Vala's face. She gently pulled Hayden out of Daniel's grasp. "I'm sorry, monster." She placed an apologetic kiss to her daughter's temple as Hayden rested her head on her mother's shoulder. Vala softly rocked her from side to side.
"Can I go to bed mommy?" Hayden mumbled, closing her eyes lethargically.
"No, babygirl." Vala denied. "You need to eat dinner before you go to bed."
Hayden whined. "But I'm not hungry." She wiped her nose on Vala's shirt. "I just want to sleep."
Standing up from his chair, Daniel stepped over to Vala and pulled her hair back a little. "Why don't we let her sleep on the couch until dinner is ready, and then after she eats she can go to bed." He brought the back of his fingers to stroke her neck.
"You know how hard it is to wake her up on a good day." Vala muttered to him. "If I let her sleep, by the time the food is ready she's not gonna want to get up and she'll be cranky. Plus it'll mean she'll be up half the night."
Daniel just shrugged. "She's cranky already."
She sighed in defeat. "Still doesn't fix the problem of her being awake all night." Vala grumbled, carrying her already half-asleep daughter to the living room.
Jack watched as Vala expertly maneuvered the little girl down onto the cushions, gently draping a blanket over her. She then knelt down and softly kissed Hayden's forehead, brushing her fingers through her hair.
"She's amazing..."
The sound of Daniel's voice brought the older man's attention back his direction. Blue eyes were transfixed with the sight of mother and daughter together. "They both are."
"They really do make you happy, huh?" He finally sighed, slouching a little in his chair. Jack had finally given into the fact that there was no point in denying it anymore - Daniel was helplessly in love.
The younger man gave him a little half smile and nod in return. He moved over to the fridge and pulled out two bottles of beer. Daniel handed one to Jack, then popped the top of his own. "Hayden is so adorable and perceptive..." He sighed appreciatively as he sat down and sipped from his bottle.
"And Vala?" Jack questioned, removing the cap from his bottle and taking a sip himself.
Daniel fiddled with the cap in his hand, a devious smile coming to his face. "She is exciting and fun and amazing and..."
A slender hand reached out and snatched the bottle from his grasp. "And thirsty." Vala added just as the doorbell rang. She winked at Daniel and Jack as she sipped from the bottle and strolled out of the kitchen towards the front door.
"Thief!" Daniel hollered after her before turning a scowl on Jack, who was laughing. "That's not funny." He muttered as he sank back into his chair.
Jack nodded. "It kinda is though." He pointed his finger in the direction Vala had gone. "I think I like her already..."
It was Daniel's turn to laugh this time. "Already? A few hours ago, you hated her more than your ex-wife." He looked around as Vala escorted Sam and Charlie into the kitchen entryway. "Hey you two!" Rising from his seat, Daniel stepped over to them. He gathered Sam in a tight hug.
"Daniel." Sam breathed, returning the embrace. "It's good to see you."
He released her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Yeah, phone conversations just aren't the same." Daniel smiled and looked down at Charlie. The boy was watching him silently. "Hey kiddo - Someone told me you've been missing me..."
Charlie nodded.
"Well, don't I get a hello?" Daniel asked, holding out his arms.
The little boy looked back at Vala, and pointed. "She told me to be quiet."
Daniel looked up at Vala, who was giving him an amused smile. He laughed and knelt down to scoop the kid up into a hug. "Well, that doesn't mean you can't give me a hug."
Despite his best efforts to do what he was told, Charlie started to giggle and hugged Daniel around the neck. The other three adults smiled at the exchange, and Jack stepped over to the group, leaning to place a hello kiss to his wife's lips.
"The lady told me her daughter is sick..." Charlie announced to Daniel as he braced the small boy against his hip.
Nodding, Daniel carried Charlie over to Vala. "That's right - her daughter Hayden, who you met when I came to your house last time, is sick. And this ain't just no lady..." He smiled affectionately at Vala, who was biting her bottom lip a little. Daniel reached out and took her hand with the one not holding Charlie. "This is my girlfriend, Vala."
Charlie looked from Daniel to Vala, then back again. "Girlfriend?" As Daniel nodded, smiling softly at him, Charlie frowned. "Does that mean you...kiss her?"
Laughing, Daniel nodded again. "Yeah, I kiss her."
"Ew." The boy shook his head dramatically, looking over at Jack. "Daddy, Uncle Danny kisses..." Little brown eyes whipped around to look at Vala, a little pointed finger following. "Her!"
Vala looked at Daniel, trying hard not to start laughing. He grinned at her, letting Jack take Charlie from his grasp.
"I know, kid." Jack said dramatically, shaking his head in mock disgust for show. "And what's worse is I think he loves her."
"Loves her?" Charlie gasped, looking back at the couple under the spotlight.
Daniel never broke his eyes away from Vala. "Oh, I definitely love her." He closed the space between them, pulling her by her hip so that she was flush against him. Vala squeaked at the action, smiling up into the playful blue gaze. His free hand came to the side of her neck, and Daniel placed his lips to hers.
Vala wrapped one arm around his neck, hand coming to rest at the back of his head. She pulled him in closer, deepening the kiss as she heard Charlie start protesting at the action. He smiled against her, hand coming around to splay across her back.
"Eww, daddy!" Charlie pointed at the two. "That's almost like when I saw you and mommy Sam on the bed!"
That was enough to break the kiss as Vala laughed into Daniel's mouth. He pulled back, mouth hanging open. She clamped her hand over her mouth, tears watering in her eyes, and both turned to look at the couple now under the spotlight, and currently blushing red.
Sam let out an embarrassed laugh and moved to take Charlie from Jack. "I thought we agreed not to talk about that, Charlie."
"But that's what they looked like, 'cept they aren't naked like you and daddy were..."
Her eyes widened, and she looked up at Daniel and Vala, who weren't doing a very good job of hiding their amusement. She cleared her throat. "I, uh… I think Charlie and I need to go have a little talk.”
Vala nodded, pulling her hand down and motioning for Sam to follow her down the hall. “You can use my bedroom…we don’t want to wake Hayden.” She pushed open the bedroom door and gave Sam a wink as she passed. “And I would keep him away from the bathroom, unless you want to explain a whole lot more.”
The blonde woman narrowed her gaze. “Yeah, thanks.”
Laughing lightly, Vala headed back down the hall to the kitchen. She found Daniel had gone back to working on dinner, and had roped Jack into helping. Of course the two men were bantering back on forth about the little ‘secret’ Charlie had let slip.
“I don’t know if I approve, Jack.” Daniel said with mock sternness. He turned on his friend, dangling a wooden spoon in the older man’s direction. “Having sex in front of a child could be very traumatic.”
Jack rolled his eyes. “Oh yes - now I’m getting parenting advise from the-” He picked up a half chopped stalk of celery and chucked it at Daniel. “Master of PDAs!”
Dodging the celery, Daniel held up a finger as he straightened back up. “Hey, at least Vala and I haven’t been caught in the act by the children of the house.”
“At least not this house’s child.” Vala decided to join in on the bantering as she stepped up behind Daniel, wrapping her arms around his waist. She leaned to the right to catch the look on Jack’s face, her cheek resting against Daniel’s arm.
From the unsure gaze Jack was throwing their way, both Daniel and Vala could tell that he wasn’t sure she was being serious or not. The couple just smiled enigmatically until finally Jack’s eyes narrowed and he pointed the knife he was holding in their direction.
“You guys are messin’ with me, aren’t ya?”
Vala and Daniel just continued to smile, not giving any hint to whether Vala’s words had been fact, or fiction.
Shaking his head, Jack turned back to putting the finishing touches on the salad. “This is just great!” He grumbled. “Now I get to deal with a girlfriend who’s just as annoying as he is!”
He tensed at the cheek that rested against his back. “Wait until Hayden is well again.” Vala’s voice reached him from behind. “Then the fun really starts.”
“Just peachy.” Jack bitched good-naturedly, tossing Daniel a look over his shoulder.
The younger man smiled and turned back to fixing their dinner.
-----
Dinner went off without any hint of the tension or aggression that had filled the same kitchen just hours before. Everyone talked, bantered, and laughed, and it didn’t take Vala very long to understand why Daniel held such reverence for Jack. He was, in fact, a good man who maybe cared a little too much for his young charge, but Vala didn’t think that was a bad thing.
By the end of the meal, she felt as much at home with Jack, Sam, and Charlie as she did with Carolyn and her lot. Vala was actually quite excited at the prospect of the two ‘families’ meeting. She had a feeling that the Mitchell’s and the O’Neill’s would come together quite nicely, even after all the drama that had gone down over the two that had brought them together.
Pulling the comforter of her bed up over Hayden’s shoulder, Vala crouched down beside her sleeping daughter. “Got ourselves a pretty big family now, baby girl.” She whispered, brushing her fingers through damp brown hair.
Vala smiled as Hayden stirred just a little at the touch then settled right back to sleep. She stood back up, leaving a kiss on the little girl’s forehead as she went. Turning off the bedside light, Vala headed for the door. She left it open part of the way, and then made her way down the hall.
The soft voices of Jack and Sam in the kitchen mixed with the sounds of dishes being washed. Vala decided to leave them to it, figuring they would just refuse her help a second time, and instead headed out the door just before she reached the kitchen that led to the back porch.
Sitting in the same chair he’d been in the night he’d told her his biggest secret, Daniel was staring out at the backyard with his feet pulled up on the seat. A beer bottle dangled from his fingertips, hanging over the arm of the chair. His other hand was fisted loosely against his mouth.
Quietly, since she didn’t want to startle him, Vala stepped up to the back of the chair and gently circled her arms around his neck. He drew in a deep breath at her touch.
“Hey.” He whispered, tilting his head back to smile softly at her. “Hayds asleep?”
Vala nodded. “Asleep, tucked in tight to our bed, and hopefully not planning to wake up any time soon.” She said the last part with her mouth pressed near his ear, her muffled words making him let out a breath of air as a laugh.
Daniel turned his attention back out to the dark lawn, letting quiet fall over the porch once more. Vala decided she wasn’t going to make any progress from behind, so she released her hold on him and moved to the front of the chair. She stood directly in his line of sight, and it only took a few seconds for his eyes to meet hers.
“So you want to tell me what’s wrong?” She asked, reaching a hand out to brush through his hair. “I can’t imagine after the good day this turned out to be that you’d still be down.”
His eyes closed as she continued to stroke her finger in his hair. “I’m not down.” Vala’s fingers stopped and Daniel opened his eyes to see giving him an ‘I don’t believe you’ stare. “Really, I’m not down.” He laughed, though it lacked his normal playfulness, and pulled her down into his lap. Blue eyes shined as they stared up into grey.
“Just…pensive.”
Vala tilted her head and resumed her brushing. “And why is that?”
He slouched down, relaxing a little in her immediate presence and under her tender touch. “I just keep thinking how we’re - I’m - going to have to tell Carolyn and Cam about my…habit.”
“Your former habit.” Vala corrected.
Daniel shrugged. “Still, it was a habit and a major problem nonetheless.” He shook his head and looked down at a random point near Vala’s thigh. “I’m just scared the trust they’ve given me, even though they didn’t have to, is going to be lost once they find out.”
His blue eyes were bright with guilt and self deprecation. “I don’t want to trade your family for mine. It’s not fair to them or you…” The laugh came again. “And right now, I’m regretting every time I stuck that fucking needle into my arm because each time represents another reason for them to feel disappointed in me.”
“Hey…” Vala soothed, taking his face between her hands and resting her forehead against his. “We’re not going to be trading any families anymore. If Cam and Carolyn can’t accept your past for what it is, if they can’t see you through what you were before, than there’s no need for me to see them again.”
“Vala…” Daniel shook his head, shame coloring the word.
Still, Vala held tight. “No, you’re going to listen to me now.” Daniel stopped resisting and looked her in the eyes once more. “I just made a promise to your family that I would never let you lose your way again, and I mean it. If that means sacrificing my friends then so be it. I love you too much to lose you, Daniel.” She felt the tears burning in her eyes. “And I don’t ever want to see that utter look of abandonment on Hayden’s face because you walked out on us.”
She pulled in a deep breath and blinked, reigning in on her resolve. “That’s never going to happen. I won’t let it happen, and I know you won’t either.”
“No.” Daniel whispered back with conviction.
Vala pulled back and smiled a little. “And besides, you have to give Carolyn and Cam a chance to listen to you before you go judging their reactions.”
He closed his eyes. “I’m sorry… I’m just a little scared.”
“I know you are.” Vala nodded, pressing a loving kiss to his lips. She pulled back slowly, stroking a finger under his chin. “But you aren’t in this alone anymore, sweetheart. I’m gonna be by your side until the day I die.”
Daniel pulled in several deep breaths, and then gave her a shaky smile. “I love you.” It was difficult to say with the tight feeling of overwhelming affection coming from his chest. His bottled emotions were too much to take a moment longer, and he pressed his lips to Vala’s again in a passionate kiss.
From inside the kitchen, Jack and Sam watched the exchange intensely. After a few moments of eavesdropping on the intimate connection between the young couple, Sam turned and smacked her husband hard with the dish towel in her hand.
He jumped in surprise. “Hey!” Jack yelped, rubbing the spot on his arm were the damp material had struck. His brown eyes glared with shock at Sam. “What the hell was that for?”
“I told you she was good for him.” Sam hissed, pointing out the window with the same hand holding the towel. “But did you listen to me? No! You had to go and be an ass and just about ruin a friendship you’ve had for over a decade!”
Jack held up his hands and backed up as she smacked him on the chest. “I made things better, didn’t I?!”
She glared at him, though he could see her playful nature poking through. “Barely…”
“I was just trying to protect him.” Jack offered.
Sam’s smile finally flitted to the surface. “You’re too protective, Jack O’Neill.” She turned back to the sink and returned to her dish drying. Her smile grew as familiar arms gathered her in an embrace.
“But I thought that’s one of the things about me that turned you on.” His voice was rough and devious.
Fighting her womanly desires, Sam untwined his arms from around her waist. “Be a good boy.” She turned to face his pouty expression. “We can’t get all frisky here.”
Jack’s pout grew more pronounced. “But they’re ‘all frisky’ out there!” He whined, holding a hand past Sam’s head to once again point out the two making out on the porch. He took a step closer to the sink, noticing that Daniel and managed to snake his hand up under Vala’s shirt. “Hell, they’re about three minutes from doing the dirty!”
Sam’s hand found its way to his body again - this slap harder than the rest.
“Keep your voice down.” She whispered at the wounded look he shot her. “There are children in this house, and I would hate to have to explain to Daniel and Vala why her daughter found them necking on the porch.”
Jack snorted sarcastically. “Then they’ll know how it feels.”
A soapy sponge dangling in front of his face effectively blocked his view of the steamy scene outside. “Shut up and get back to washing these dishes.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Jack sighed, snatching the sponge. He went back to work cleaning the dinner plates, but not before sparing one last glance at Daniel and Vala outside. He smiled softly as they finally separated, and settled comfortably into the chair they both occupied. The way Daniel tenderly stroked his fingers through Vala’s hair as she talked to him, and the affectionate smile on his face, finally let Jack feel at ease with the whole situation.
Comments and feedback are always appreciated!
Chapter 12 (Shince Out the Clearer)
A/N: I just wanted to say thank you for everyone who commented and encouraged me to continue this story! (I apologize to anyone I didn't respond back personally to!) It really means a lot to me that you guys appreciate it enough to want to read more. And PEESHAW to any who don't like it. Like many of you said - if they don't like it, they just don't have to read it!
And btw, we're coming down to the end with this part of the series. There are already brabbits at work hatching the continuation storyline, but for now enjoy this new chapter! (There's only two more to go after this!)
Shine Out the Clearer
"Okay, they're on their-" Jack stopped talking at the reprimanding looks Daniel and Vala shot him as he moved back into the kitchen. He hadn't realized Hayden had fallen asleep, her cheek resting comfortably atop Daniel's shoulder. "Sorry..." He said in a much quieter tone, stepping up to the pair by the stove. "They're coming."
Daniel nodded, stirring the contents on the burner with his free hand. "Sam and Charlie?"
It was Jack's turn to nod. "Yep." He patted Daniel lightly on the shoulder. "Kid's been missing you like crazy." He moved over to the table, sitting down.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Vala asked, pulling ingredients for a salad from the fridge. At the silence that followed, she looked up to find two almost identical looks of surprise turned her way. "I just mean, with Hayden being sick and all..." She emphasized with the cucumber in her hand, twirling it around some.
Vala moved over to the counter where she'd already set out the bowl and cutting board. She deposited the items on the counter and picked up the knife. "I don't want your son getting sick." Her grey eyes looked up momentarily before she started chopping into a carrot.
She diced quickly. "Carolyn has avoided this place like the plague for three days now." Vala snorted gently. "She won't even let Cam come over, she's that paranoid."
At the uncomprehending look Jack gave him, Daniel smiled. "Carolyn and Cam are Vala's friends-"
"My family." Vala interjected before going back to the salad preparations.
Daniel nodded. "Her family, and they've got two children." He set the spoon down in the holder and stepped over to the table. "Brian and Cassidy..." He eased himself into the chair closest to Jack, trying not to wake the little girl sleeping against him. "They're a handful when they're healthy."
"You don't want to be around them when they're sick." Vala laughed, having moved on to ripping up the lettuce. She dropped several shredded leaves into the bowl. She threw a playful glance over her shoulder to Daniel. "They've got their daddy's flare for the dramatic."
He returned the look. "Just daddy's now?"
Vala snickered at the comment. "I'm gonna tell her you said that."
"Should this surprise me - you tell her everything." Daniel turned a smug grin to Jack. "Of course Carolyn tells Cam everything, and Cam tells me everything, so I find out what she says about me anyway."
Jack chuckled as the phone in the living room started to ring. Vala cursed her timing once again and moved to go get it.
Daniel watched her go, smiling at the 'you're really gonna pay' look she was giving him. "Speak of the devil..." He turned his attention back to Jack. "She probably wants to know if our quarantine is lifted." Blues eyes looked down as best they could at Hayden against him.
"So you're close with her friends?" Jack asked quietly, staring intently at Daniel as the younger man looked up at him.
Wariness and defiance clouded Daniel's gaze. "Is that a problem?"
Shaking his head, Jack held up a hand in defense. "No...no." He gave his friend a significant look. "I'm just trying to fill all the holes in here - you've been dating Vala for almost three months and I'm trying to make up for lost time." He brought his hand down and stroked a finger over the worn wooden table. "Why did you lie to me, Daniel?"
The question wasn't mean or angry - Daniel could hear it in his friend's tone and see it in those brown eyes. Jack was just being curious. He took a deep breath.
"Because I know you, and I know what you think of my...choices in life." Daniel said softly. He rushed on as Jack opened his mouth to say something. "After we got into it over this the first night, I just felt it would be better if I didn't tell you - at least not until I knew it was something that was gonna last."
Jack sighed. "Daniel, you knew right away." He looked over his shoulder at Vala, who was pacing back and forth in front of the couch, talking amicably with the person on the other end of the phone. "She knew right away."
His gaze found blue once more. "That doesn't mean you had to lie." Jack sat forward a little. "You know that's one easy way to piss me off and make me suspicious."
"I was trying to do something on my own, Jack." Daniel rubbed a hand over Hayden's back as she whimpered in her sleep. "Something that you didn't do for me, or that I didn't do for a fix." He willed for Jack to understand. "Vala and Hayden are that something - I love them."
Jack tried to make Daniel see where he was coming from. "She a single mother, Daniel." He didn't know how to make the next words not seem so judgmental, so he just came out with it. "The father of that little girl could come back at anytime and that could...no, will be trouble for all of you - all of us, for that matter." Jack gauged Daniel's reaction. "Is this something worth all the baggage?"
The younger man was silent for a moment, just continuing to rub Hayden's back. Finally he looked at Jack knowingly and tilted his head a fraction. "Did you ask Sam the same question before she took on all your baggage?"
Silence settled on the two again, and for a moment Daniel thought he'd challenged just a little too far. Then Jack broke out in a surrendering smile and nodded.
"Okay, point taken." He laughed, quieting as the sound cause Hayden to jerk slightly against Daniel. She sniffed loudly and slowly her eyes opened a little.
Daniel looked down at her. "Hey sleepy head." He brought his hand to cup the back of her head. "You feeling any better?"
She shook her head drowsily and latched both her arms around his neck. "My head hurts, and my throat hurts, and my body hurts, and my nose is runny, and my eyes are tired." Hayden mumbled into Daniel's neck. "Make the sickness go away, Daniel."
Jack's heart clenched at the look of guilt that flashed across his friend's face at her plea. Both men knew the illness would go away when the virus had run its course, but that didn't make the knowledge that she was suffering any easier to bear. Especially for Daniel.
"I'm trying, baby."
Hayden sniffed, this time due to her tears. "I don't wanna be sick anymore."
Closing his eyes, Daniel rested his cheek in her hair. "I don't want you to be sick anymore, either." He looked up at Vala as she came back into the kitchen, tapping the phone against her thigh.
She gazed at Daniel with concern. "She okay?"
Daniel nodded, resuming the soothing rubbing on Hayden's back. "She's just over it all."
A sympathetic look came over Vala's face. She gently pulled Hayden out of Daniel's grasp. "I'm sorry, monster." She placed an apologetic kiss to her daughter's temple as Hayden rested her head on her mother's shoulder. Vala softly rocked her from side to side.
"Can I go to bed mommy?" Hayden mumbled, closing her eyes lethargically.
"No, babygirl." Vala denied. "You need to eat dinner before you go to bed."
Hayden whined. "But I'm not hungry." She wiped her nose on Vala's shirt. "I just want to sleep."
Standing up from his chair, Daniel stepped over to Vala and pulled her hair back a little. "Why don't we let her sleep on the couch until dinner is ready, and then after she eats she can go to bed." He brought the back of his fingers to stroke her neck.
"You know how hard it is to wake her up on a good day." Vala muttered to him. "If I let her sleep, by the time the food is ready she's not gonna want to get up and she'll be cranky. Plus it'll mean she'll be up half the night."
Daniel just shrugged. "She's cranky already."
She sighed in defeat. "Still doesn't fix the problem of her being awake all night." Vala grumbled, carrying her already half-asleep daughter to the living room.
Jack watched as Vala expertly maneuvered the little girl down onto the cushions, gently draping a blanket over her. She then knelt down and softly kissed Hayden's forehead, brushing her fingers through her hair.
"She's amazing..."
The sound of Daniel's voice brought the older man's attention back his direction. Blue eyes were transfixed with the sight of mother and daughter together. "They both are."
"They really do make you happy, huh?" He finally sighed, slouching a little in his chair. Jack had finally given into the fact that there was no point in denying it anymore - Daniel was helplessly in love.
The younger man gave him a little half smile and nod in return. He moved over to the fridge and pulled out two bottles of beer. Daniel handed one to Jack, then popped the top of his own. "Hayden is so adorable and perceptive..." He sighed appreciatively as he sat down and sipped from his bottle.
"And Vala?" Jack questioned, removing the cap from his bottle and taking a sip himself.
Daniel fiddled with the cap in his hand, a devious smile coming to his face. "She is exciting and fun and amazing and..."
A slender hand reached out and snatched the bottle from his grasp. "And thirsty." Vala added just as the doorbell rang. She winked at Daniel and Jack as she sipped from the bottle and strolled out of the kitchen towards the front door.
"Thief!" Daniel hollered after her before turning a scowl on Jack, who was laughing. "That's not funny." He muttered as he sank back into his chair.
Jack nodded. "It kinda is though." He pointed his finger in the direction Vala had gone. "I think I like her already..."
It was Daniel's turn to laugh this time. "Already? A few hours ago, you hated her more than your ex-wife." He looked around as Vala escorted Sam and Charlie into the kitchen entryway. "Hey you two!" Rising from his seat, Daniel stepped over to them. He gathered Sam in a tight hug.
"Daniel." Sam breathed, returning the embrace. "It's good to see you."
He released her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Yeah, phone conversations just aren't the same." Daniel smiled and looked down at Charlie. The boy was watching him silently. "Hey kiddo - Someone told me you've been missing me..."
Charlie nodded.
"Well, don't I get a hello?" Daniel asked, holding out his arms.
The little boy looked back at Vala, and pointed. "She told me to be quiet."
Daniel looked up at Vala, who was giving him an amused smile. He laughed and knelt down to scoop the kid up into a hug. "Well, that doesn't mean you can't give me a hug."
Despite his best efforts to do what he was told, Charlie started to giggle and hugged Daniel around the neck. The other three adults smiled at the exchange, and Jack stepped over to the group, leaning to place a hello kiss to his wife's lips.
"The lady told me her daughter is sick..." Charlie announced to Daniel as he braced the small boy against his hip.
Nodding, Daniel carried Charlie over to Vala. "That's right - her daughter Hayden, who you met when I came to your house last time, is sick. And this ain't just no lady..." He smiled affectionately at Vala, who was biting her bottom lip a little. Daniel reached out and took her hand with the one not holding Charlie. "This is my girlfriend, Vala."
Charlie looked from Daniel to Vala, then back again. "Girlfriend?" As Daniel nodded, smiling softly at him, Charlie frowned. "Does that mean you...kiss her?"
Laughing, Daniel nodded again. "Yeah, I kiss her."
"Ew." The boy shook his head dramatically, looking over at Jack. "Daddy, Uncle Danny kisses..." Little brown eyes whipped around to look at Vala, a little pointed finger following. "Her!"
Vala looked at Daniel, trying hard not to start laughing. He grinned at her, letting Jack take Charlie from his grasp.
"I know, kid." Jack said dramatically, shaking his head in mock disgust for show. "And what's worse is I think he loves her."
"Loves her?" Charlie gasped, looking back at the couple under the spotlight.
Daniel never broke his eyes away from Vala. "Oh, I definitely love her." He closed the space between them, pulling her by her hip so that she was flush against him. Vala squeaked at the action, smiling up into the playful blue gaze. His free hand came to the side of her neck, and Daniel placed his lips to hers.
Vala wrapped one arm around his neck, hand coming to rest at the back of his head. She pulled him in closer, deepening the kiss as she heard Charlie start protesting at the action. He smiled against her, hand coming around to splay across her back.
"Eww, daddy!" Charlie pointed at the two. "That's almost like when I saw you and mommy Sam on the bed!"
That was enough to break the kiss as Vala laughed into Daniel's mouth. He pulled back, mouth hanging open. She clamped her hand over her mouth, tears watering in her eyes, and both turned to look at the couple now under the spotlight, and currently blushing red.
Sam let out an embarrassed laugh and moved to take Charlie from Jack. "I thought we agreed not to talk about that, Charlie."
"But that's what they looked like, 'cept they aren't naked like you and daddy were..."
Her eyes widened, and she looked up at Daniel and Vala, who weren't doing a very good job of hiding their amusement. She cleared her throat. "I, uh… I think Charlie and I need to go have a little talk.”
Vala nodded, pulling her hand down and motioning for Sam to follow her down the hall. “You can use my bedroom…we don’t want to wake Hayden.” She pushed open the bedroom door and gave Sam a wink as she passed. “And I would keep him away from the bathroom, unless you want to explain a whole lot more.”
The blonde woman narrowed her gaze. “Yeah, thanks.”
Laughing lightly, Vala headed back down the hall to the kitchen. She found Daniel had gone back to working on dinner, and had roped Jack into helping. Of course the two men were bantering back on forth about the little ‘secret’ Charlie had let slip.
“I don’t know if I approve, Jack.” Daniel said with mock sternness. He turned on his friend, dangling a wooden spoon in the older man’s direction. “Having sex in front of a child could be very traumatic.”
Jack rolled his eyes. “Oh yes - now I’m getting parenting advise from the-” He picked up a half chopped stalk of celery and chucked it at Daniel. “Master of PDAs!”
Dodging the celery, Daniel held up a finger as he straightened back up. “Hey, at least Vala and I haven’t been caught in the act by the children of the house.”
“At least not this house’s child.” Vala decided to join in on the bantering as she stepped up behind Daniel, wrapping her arms around his waist. She leaned to the right to catch the look on Jack’s face, her cheek resting against Daniel’s arm.
From the unsure gaze Jack was throwing their way, both Daniel and Vala could tell that he wasn’t sure she was being serious or not. The couple just smiled enigmatically until finally Jack’s eyes narrowed and he pointed the knife he was holding in their direction.
“You guys are messin’ with me, aren’t ya?”
Vala and Daniel just continued to smile, not giving any hint to whether Vala’s words had been fact, or fiction.
Shaking his head, Jack turned back to putting the finishing touches on the salad. “This is just great!” He grumbled. “Now I get to deal with a girlfriend who’s just as annoying as he is!”
He tensed at the cheek that rested against his back. “Wait until Hayden is well again.” Vala’s voice reached him from behind. “Then the fun really starts.”
“Just peachy.” Jack bitched good-naturedly, tossing Daniel a look over his shoulder.
The younger man smiled and turned back to fixing their dinner.
-----
Dinner went off without any hint of the tension or aggression that had filled the same kitchen just hours before. Everyone talked, bantered, and laughed, and it didn’t take Vala very long to understand why Daniel held such reverence for Jack. He was, in fact, a good man who maybe cared a little too much for his young charge, but Vala didn’t think that was a bad thing.
By the end of the meal, she felt as much at home with Jack, Sam, and Charlie as she did with Carolyn and her lot. Vala was actually quite excited at the prospect of the two ‘families’ meeting. She had a feeling that the Mitchell’s and the O’Neill’s would come together quite nicely, even after all the drama that had gone down over the two that had brought them together.
Pulling the comforter of her bed up over Hayden’s shoulder, Vala crouched down beside her sleeping daughter. “Got ourselves a pretty big family now, baby girl.” She whispered, brushing her fingers through damp brown hair.
Vala smiled as Hayden stirred just a little at the touch then settled right back to sleep. She stood back up, leaving a kiss on the little girl’s forehead as she went. Turning off the bedside light, Vala headed for the door. She left it open part of the way, and then made her way down the hall.
The soft voices of Jack and Sam in the kitchen mixed with the sounds of dishes being washed. Vala decided to leave them to it, figuring they would just refuse her help a second time, and instead headed out the door just before she reached the kitchen that led to the back porch.
Sitting in the same chair he’d been in the night he’d told her his biggest secret, Daniel was staring out at the backyard with his feet pulled up on the seat. A beer bottle dangled from his fingertips, hanging over the arm of the chair. His other hand was fisted loosely against his mouth.
Quietly, since she didn’t want to startle him, Vala stepped up to the back of the chair and gently circled her arms around his neck. He drew in a deep breath at her touch.
“Hey.” He whispered, tilting his head back to smile softly at her. “Hayds asleep?”
Vala nodded. “Asleep, tucked in tight to our bed, and hopefully not planning to wake up any time soon.” She said the last part with her mouth pressed near his ear, her muffled words making him let out a breath of air as a laugh.
Daniel turned his attention back out to the dark lawn, letting quiet fall over the porch once more. Vala decided she wasn’t going to make any progress from behind, so she released her hold on him and moved to the front of the chair. She stood directly in his line of sight, and it only took a few seconds for his eyes to meet hers.
“So you want to tell me what’s wrong?” She asked, reaching a hand out to brush through his hair. “I can’t imagine after the good day this turned out to be that you’d still be down.”
His eyes closed as she continued to stroke her finger in his hair. “I’m not down.” Vala’s fingers stopped and Daniel opened his eyes to see giving him an ‘I don’t believe you’ stare. “Really, I’m not down.” He laughed, though it lacked his normal playfulness, and pulled her down into his lap. Blue eyes shined as they stared up into grey.
“Just…pensive.”
Vala tilted her head and resumed her brushing. “And why is that?”
He slouched down, relaxing a little in her immediate presence and under her tender touch. “I just keep thinking how we’re - I’m - going to have to tell Carolyn and Cam about my…habit.”
“Your former habit.” Vala corrected.
Daniel shrugged. “Still, it was a habit and a major problem nonetheless.” He shook his head and looked down at a random point near Vala’s thigh. “I’m just scared the trust they’ve given me, even though they didn’t have to, is going to be lost once they find out.”
His blue eyes were bright with guilt and self deprecation. “I don’t want to trade your family for mine. It’s not fair to them or you…” The laugh came again. “And right now, I’m regretting every time I stuck that fucking needle into my arm because each time represents another reason for them to feel disappointed in me.”
“Hey…” Vala soothed, taking his face between her hands and resting her forehead against his. “We’re not going to be trading any families anymore. If Cam and Carolyn can’t accept your past for what it is, if they can’t see you through what you were before, than there’s no need for me to see them again.”
“Vala…” Daniel shook his head, shame coloring the word.
Still, Vala held tight. “No, you’re going to listen to me now.” Daniel stopped resisting and looked her in the eyes once more. “I just made a promise to your family that I would never let you lose your way again, and I mean it. If that means sacrificing my friends then so be it. I love you too much to lose you, Daniel.” She felt the tears burning in her eyes. “And I don’t ever want to see that utter look of abandonment on Hayden’s face because you walked out on us.”
She pulled in a deep breath and blinked, reigning in on her resolve. “That’s never going to happen. I won’t let it happen, and I know you won’t either.”
“No.” Daniel whispered back with conviction.
Vala pulled back and smiled a little. “And besides, you have to give Carolyn and Cam a chance to listen to you before you go judging their reactions.”
He closed his eyes. “I’m sorry… I’m just a little scared.”
“I know you are.” Vala nodded, pressing a loving kiss to his lips. She pulled back slowly, stroking a finger under his chin. “But you aren’t in this alone anymore, sweetheart. I’m gonna be by your side until the day I die.”
Daniel pulled in several deep breaths, and then gave her a shaky smile. “I love you.” It was difficult to say with the tight feeling of overwhelming affection coming from his chest. His bottled emotions were too much to take a moment longer, and he pressed his lips to Vala’s again in a passionate kiss.
From inside the kitchen, Jack and Sam watched the exchange intensely. After a few moments of eavesdropping on the intimate connection between the young couple, Sam turned and smacked her husband hard with the dish towel in her hand.
He jumped in surprise. “Hey!” Jack yelped, rubbing the spot on his arm were the damp material had struck. His brown eyes glared with shock at Sam. “What the hell was that for?”
“I told you she was good for him.” Sam hissed, pointing out the window with the same hand holding the towel. “But did you listen to me? No! You had to go and be an ass and just about ruin a friendship you’ve had for over a decade!”
Jack held up his hands and backed up as she smacked him on the chest. “I made things better, didn’t I?!”
She glared at him, though he could see her playful nature poking through. “Barely…”
“I was just trying to protect him.” Jack offered.
Sam’s smile finally flitted to the surface. “You’re too protective, Jack O’Neill.” She turned back to the sink and returned to her dish drying. Her smile grew as familiar arms gathered her in an embrace.
“But I thought that’s one of the things about me that turned you on.” His voice was rough and devious.
Fighting her womanly desires, Sam untwined his arms from around her waist. “Be a good boy.” She turned to face his pouty expression. “We can’t get all frisky here.”
Jack’s pout grew more pronounced. “But they’re ‘all frisky’ out there!” He whined, holding a hand past Sam’s head to once again point out the two making out on the porch. He took a step closer to the sink, noticing that Daniel and managed to snake his hand up under Vala’s shirt. “Hell, they’re about three minutes from doing the dirty!”
Sam’s hand found its way to his body again - this slap harder than the rest.
“Keep your voice down.” She whispered at the wounded look he shot her. “There are children in this house, and I would hate to have to explain to Daniel and Vala why her daughter found them necking on the porch.”
Jack snorted sarcastically. “Then they’ll know how it feels.”
A soapy sponge dangling in front of his face effectively blocked his view of the steamy scene outside. “Shut up and get back to washing these dishes.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Jack sighed, snatching the sponge. He went back to work cleaning the dinner plates, but not before sparing one last glance at Daniel and Vala outside. He smiled softly as they finally separated, and settled comfortably into the chair they both occupied. The way Daniel tenderly stroked his fingers through Vala’s hair as she talked to him, and the affectionate smile on his face, finally let Jack feel at ease with the whole situation.
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