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Vala sits across from him in the caf, lifting forkfuls of runny scrambled eggs into her mouth while balancing Jackson on one of her knees, she has perfected holding their normally squirmy teammate like it’s an art form.
“So, I was thinking with Jackson being—”
“Temporally challenged?”
Jackson is opening and closing his mouth at every serving she lifts to hers. His eyes growing wider and wider with each bite he doesn’t get.
“Sure—anyways, I was thinking—”
“Good Morning, Colonel Mitchell.” Teal’c sits down, his weight not even jostling the table an inch.
“Morning, Teal’c. So—”
“Good Morning Vala Mal Doran. Daniel Jackson.” He smiles at Vala still shoveling eggs into her mouth as Jackson now tries to grab her arm. She throws a lazy wave, her cheeks stuffed full like a chipmunk.
“So, I’ve got an idea for a mission,” he presses, leaning forward into the table and accidentally shifting it. Vala’s drops the fork which clatters to the floor as both of her hands wrap around Jackson to hold him steady. Her sigh of relief is quickly followed by an irritated glare at him, and a chortle from Jackson. “Sorry.”
“What mission, Colonel Mitchell?”
Teal’c takes his unused fork from his tray, using his napkin to shine it before leaning over the table, again not even sending a shiver through his mug of coffee, and hands it to Vala, who grins widely, and Jackson, who tries to take it.
He grins and he knows there’s a ruthless quality to it. “Infiltrating The Trust.”
Vala swallows her eggs and then blows a raspberry at him, trying to contain her laughter. Jackson who is more like a ventriloquist dummy now, feeds off her happiness and starts to bounce with joy.
“What?”
“Mitchell, there’s no way we can do anything with the Trust.”
“Why not?”
“Well, because they know what you and everyone at the SGC look like, for—yes, yes, fine—” she halts tearing him down to finally relent to Jackson’s grasping fingers and allows him a forkful of eggs which leak out of his mouth. She wipes his chin with her hand and then her hand on her pants and turns back to him like nothing happened. “I also worked with many of them as Qetesh.”
“I’m not talking about a full infiltration. Intel says that one of the main branches of a bank downtown is a Trust front.” He tosses his napkin over to her, which she uses to wipe at Jackson’s face, then his hands as he slaps them down onto the remaining plate of eggs. “You’re not going to be a sleeper agent. I figure—”
“Oh, so I’m meant to do this.”
“It’s a new crew, they won’t recognize us, especially with Jackson as a baby.”
Teal’c stops steeping his tea bag, and Vala stops bouncing Jackson in her lap.
“Please forgive me if I misunderstood, Colonel Mitchell.” Teal’c’s eyes give a subtle shift from him to Vala, and then back. “But you’re suggesting bringing the infantized Daniel Jackson into a potentially perilous situation.”
“Yeah, he sort of has to be there as our cover.”
“So, you’re planning on using baby Daniel as a human shield, now?” Vala, obviously growing more uncomfortable with his idea by the second, flips Jackson around, patting his back gently, smoothing out the small button up shirt he has on.
“No. I figure our cover could be as a family. You and me and Jackson could go in, say we’re going to open up a savings account for his college, and scope out the place and Teal’c runs recon from the car.” He leans back, crossing his arms, a little defensive, but also growing a little red because now that he’s said the plan out loud, it wasn’t the sterling one he had in his mind.
Teal’c quietly sips his tea, probably only half listening to their discussion at this point.
Vala rocks Jackson gently, his flinging arms and legs slowly coming to a rest, the butterfly stitches holding the three cuts on her face together almost glow in the fluorescent lighting in the caf, and he gets why she’s hesitant.
“Why do you and I have to be the couple?”
Okay, so maybe it was for a different reason entirely.
“What?”
“Why do you have to be Daddy.”
“Do not call me that.” He shakes the icky feel out of his body, again hitting the table, and causing Jackson to let out a tiny dissatisfied grunt. She glares at him again, still rubbing his back. “Who else would be his dad?”
“Why couldn’t Teal’c do it?”
His brows furrow as he watches her for any signs that she’s playing. “Are—are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“Well—”
Teal’c sets down his tea, his face it’s usual blank canvas. “I’m curious as to the reason why as well, Colonel Mitchell.”
“Well because you’re both aliens for one. You don’t have experience in Earth economics—”
“How sweet.” Vala flips Jackson back around, letting him stand on her thighs as she helps him keep straight. “Uncle Colonel Mitchell doesn’t remember that I have hacked this complex’s financial accounts at least a dozen times.”
“Okay, then there’s the obvious reason.”
Teal’c cocks a brow at him. “Which is?”
“You’re really gonna make me say it?”
“Oh, I have a wonderful idea.” Vala snaps her fingers together and points at Teal’c and him. “Why don’t you two both be the parents?”
And that is how he ends up running recon from the car.