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“Hey.” An envelope flapped against Daniel’s face, and he squinted blearily. “Mail call.” After a beat, Daniel’s eyes flew open.
“They already called? Why didn’t you get me?” He found his glasses and the envelope came into view. His heart flipped at his name scribbled on the back in a familiar scrawl.
“Relax, she wasn’t there.” Jack shrugged. “SG-5 just got back, I guess they’re in rough shape.” Daniel shot him a look. “Not that rough,” Jack promised.
“Any other news?” Daniel turned the letter over in his hands, tapping the back of the envelope with restless fingers. Jack rolled his eyes.
“Nothing important.” He waved a flippant hand at Daniel’s letter and turned to leave. “Enjoy.”
“Thanks.” Daniel paid no heed as Jack left, at last slipping the envelope open. It wasn’t sealed, only tucked shut, and Daniel eagerly pulled out the contents.
Outside the wide window of his palatial room, waves crashed on the shore and some kind of bird shrieked. Another bird called back, and wind rasped through the sparse, dry grass. The late afternoon sun slanted through the window, casting lengthening shadows across Daniel’s room.
It was too late for napping, but there was hardly anything else to do. Loran was a bright, curious boy, and Daniel had no issue with teaching him basic reading and writing until they could get him to the proper resources. Sam had volunteered to help with math, but Daniel had gently steered her away. Her idea of “basic math” probably included exponents and variables. Besides, Loran would only sit still and listen for so many hours in the day, hours that went marginally more quickly for Daniel as long as they had a goal.
Life in a castle on a beach had been relaxing for about four days. They had all done a lot of sleeping, something their bodies were constantly short on, and exploring the castle had filled some otherwise empty time. None of the artifacts or writings around the architecture were terribly difficult to decipher, but Daniel had found that, with absolutely nothing else to do besides his supposed greatest passion, it wasn’t nearly as enthralling as usual. He still picked away at it every once in a while, taking pictures and writing notes, but all that really excited him at this point was hearing from home.
Hammond checked on them once every twenty-four hours, not quite a day on this planet, and sent through supplies as requested. Teal’c had come through a few times to check in, but for the most part it was just Sam, Jack, Daniel, and Loran. Hearing another voice- even Hammond or Walter- had become a balm to Daniel’s soul, and he was sorry he’d missed it.
Of course, another voice was even better, when she could make it to the gate room. She asked about withdrawal, and nutrition, and whatever other official medical concerns she could believably raise. Daniel couldn’t have a real conversation with her, not when it meant monopolizing the wormhole and however many millions of dollars it cost to keep it open. All the same, it soothed Daniel’s restless mind to hear her voice.
But not today, if Jack was to be believed. Today, all he got was a letter.
Not that he was complaining.
Dear Daniel,
Cassie asked again if you were going to make it home to chaperone her field trip, and I told her, again, that she shouldn’t have signed you up in the first place. It does sound like you’ll be home in time, and probably still on medical leave, but I don’t want to get her hopes up. We’ll play it by ear- maybe I can send Teal’c instead.
Andy is enjoying the owl book the last few days. She looks at it more than bites it, anyway. She’s holding herself up more, but as soon as she reaches for anything she topples straight over. The last time she knocked her head, and I think Cassie cried harder than Andy did. (She’s fine, obviously.)
Everything at the SGC is pretty much status quo. I’ve had Siler in my infirmary twice this week- maybe he’s trying to make up for you being gone. He’s fine, too.
We all miss you, and Sam and Jack. I keep wondering what you’re doing, and wishing I could just hit fast forward. I can’t wait for you to get home.
Stay safe, and come back to us soon.
Love,
Janet
Daniel read the letter three times in rapid succession, and each read through sank in a little deeper. The fourth read through he barely looked at the words, far more concerned with the slant of Janet’s letters. He could imagine her writing it, the slight pucker in her lips as she focused, the way she would cross her ankles under her chair and lean over her desk. She was so vivid in his mind he could almost reach out and touch her.
“Yeah, fast forward would be great right now,” he sighed. He went to return the letter to the envelope and brightened when he realized it was still heavy. He flipped it over and two photos fell out into his hands.
The first picture was of Cassie, holding the tiny bundle that had been Andy when she was a few days old. She had Andy tucked possessively to her chest and was shooting a stern look out of frame, where Daniel knew Janet had been sitting on the couch.
“Mom, you’re supposed to rest. You’re not supposed to pick her up!” Cassie insisted. Andy goggled up at her, startled by her sudden exit from Janet’s arms. She was wrapped up tight in her soft brown blanket and had been perfectly content where she was, but neither Fraiser woman seemed to be able to leave her alone too long.
Janet pursed her lips, still sitting next to the now empty baby carrier. The hospital band was still on her wrist and her hair was in the same frizzy braid one of the nurses had done so her hair wouldn’t get matted. She shifted and couldn’t hide a wince, though Daniel couldn’t tell if her ribs or her incision were the culprit this time.
“I can hold her,” she said with forced calmness, and glanced at Daniel. He kept out of the argument- technically they were both right, but he had learned not to appoint himself mediator very shortly after moving into the Fraiser household.
And it was pretty bold of Janet to be annoyed by Cassie’s mothering, as if she hadn’t learned the behavior directly from the chief meddler of the SGC.
Daniel set Janet’s purse by the door and hung the keys on their hook on the wall, pieces of their expanding puzzle finally slotting back into place. The house had seemed so empty without Janet, though in reality it had been packed to the gills. Between a teenage girl, the entirety of SG-1, and a newborn baby, it had never been more cramped.
“It’ll hurt your muscles! And your stitches will pop and you’ll get an infection-”
“Honey, you can give me medical advice as soon as you graduate and pass your boards.”
“You’re hilarious, Mom, you should sell tickets-”
With a click and a flash, they both fell silent. Daniel grinned at their stunned faces and held up the camera. “Don’t mind me. Just capturing this magical moment. We only get so many, you know.” He frowned at the camera. “At least that’s what it said on the box. I feel like it’s a bit morbid for an advertisement.”
Cassie scrunched her nose at him, caught off guard but still irritated. Janet rolled her eyes, but her face softened into a smile. She beckoned Cassie closer.
“Can you at least sit down?” She patted the cushion next to hers. After a suspicious look, Cassie lowered herself to the couch, arms firmly around her baby sister. Janet scooched closer and wrapped one arm around Cassie’s waist. She ran light fingers over Andy’s forehead, and both she and Cassie stared down at her little face with soft expressions.
Daniel watched them for a moment, heart impossibly full. Then he opened his mouth and promptly ruined the moment.
“Even better, two for the price of one.” As one, Janet and Cassie shot him identical grimaces, and Daniel fled to the kitchen. He didn’t bother hiding his grin as he went.
Daniel traced over Cassie’s commandeering face. She had been firmly opposed to Janet lifting anything heavier than a sandwich for the first two weeks, and even when Janet was cleared by her obstetrician Cassie had been dubious. It had come from a place of love and Janet had been conflicted on dissuading her, but after a month of nothing more exciting than Andy’s first smile, Cassie’s anxiety had receded. Not completely- Daniel suspected it never really would, as long as she had people in her life it would hurt her to lose. It was, however, very possible that he was projecting.
Daniel shook away the thought. Long as the days dragged on in their alleged paradise, the nights could get even longer if he allowed himself to spiral into hypotheticals.
The other picture had less complicated emotions attached to it. Janet had taken this one while Daniel was off world, knowing he would want to be part of it as much as possible.
Andy peered at him from the photograph, little wisps of hair damp and sticking up from her bath. Her bluish-brownish eyes were wide to the point of being perfectly round, staring at Janet past the camera as if she were the source of all things bright and beautiful.
Again, Daniel was probably projecting. But he liked to search for himself in his daughter’s face, much as he insisted she was Janet’s carbon copy.
“Andy held her head up by herself.” Daniel blinked, dazed both by the news and the fact he hadn’t slept in over twenty-four hours. Janet’s voice was gentle and casual over the phone, as if she were reporting what she’d had for dinner.
Navigating Daniel’s job and his presence- and frequent lack thereof- had been one of their earliest hurdles. All-nighters at the SGC had become a thing of the past, as well as the extra side projects he picked up from other teams. But he was still going to miss things, that was just reality.
“That’s great. That’s-” He imagined Cassie cheering, Janet’s smile and cooing as Andy stared at her. “-really great. I’m sorry, I don’t know what else to say.”
“You should get some sleep.” She didn’t sound accusatory, or even disappointed. She was practical that way- this was their life, and she planned to live it. Daniel would miss certain things but she would be there, and as her schedule returned to normal he would do the same for her.
“Wait- did she like it?” There was a pause, and Daniel pictured her raised eyebrows.
“Holding her head up?”
“Yeah, did she seem- I don’t know- happy about it?” Andy had discovered her smile early and was quick to show it. Her gummy grin was as good as an espresso after a long mission- Daniel found hours of energy just to watch her.
“She smiled at me, if you think that counts.”
“Yeah, well, she smiles at you anyway.” He pretended to be miffed about it, but of the many smiles they were discovering, Andy’s joy when she saw Janet was one of Daniel’s favorites. “You’re her favorite person in the universe.”
“I don’t think she has a favorite,” Janet said magnanimously, and Daniel smirked.
“Well, that’s very kind of you to say, but I have to disagree. I can’t blame her, you’re my favorite person, too.”
She let out one short laugh, and Daniel’s lingering tension melted away. The adrenaline that kept him powered through missions finally bled out of his system, and all at once crushing tiredness descended on him. But a glance at the clock told him he had another hour before debriefing with Hammond. Hopefully it would be a short one, and he could finally get home to his girls. If he’d done his math correctly, he would get to see Janet for at least a few hours before she came in to be on call for the night.
“I missed you.” Her voice was softer, now, with fatigue creeping in around the edges. She sighed. “This is going to be hard.” He wasn’t sure if she meant her shift, or the rest of their lives, but either way she was right.
“I know.” Daniel ducked his head, tucking the phone to his ear as if he could hold her closer. “We have fun, though.” Janet didn't laugh again, but she did make an amused little sound that shot another tiny pump of energy into Daniel’s system.
“I suppose that’s true.” Daniel’s jaw dropped, though the performance wasn’t for anyone but himself- his office was as untouched as he had left it, with a fine layer of dust on the lesser used surfaces.
“‘Suppose’? We can do better than that.”
“We can’t do anything,” Janet warned with amusement in her voice. “So don’t get your hopes up.”
“Oh, they’re up. Hopes are up.”
“You’re ridiculous.” A thin wail broke through the phone and Daniel expected Janet to excuse herself, but as the cries grew louder he realized she had taken the phone with her to the nursery. “What’s up, buttercup?” There was a rustle, then- “All clean, are you just hungry?” Andy was still crying and Daniel winced as the volume increased sharply before she was cut off.
He waited a beat, then asked, “Is she eating?”
“Mm-hm.”
“Dang.”
“Daniel Jackson.” She barely even made an attempt at scolding, her smile was evident in her voice. “Your daughter getting nourishment is not your personal strip tease.”
“I don’t see why it can’t be both.” Janet took a breath to answer but he cut her off. “Now about those very, very high hopes…”
Daniel let his mind wander through other memories for a few minutes before he brought himself up short, hot under the collar and desperate to move around. He focused back on his daughter’s sweet face and smiled at her wide, inquisitive eyes, then got to his feet.
Janet had sent several photos the last few weeks and in his copious spare time he could spend hours looking at them, though it always made him homesick. This was the longest he’d been away from any of them since Andy was born, and he almost yearned for a shootout or a dungeon. Time always seemed to speed up when his life was in mortal peril.
He’d commandeered what appeared to be some kind of ancient Goa’uld craps table and arranged his photos on it. Jack called him a sap without any bite, and Sam laughed but he’d caught her looking at the pictures herself more than a few times. They were all sick of being here, in this ancient castle with its boring secrets. More than that, they were sick of being so far from home.
Andy and Cassie smiled and laughed out at him from all over the table, some posed and some candid. Some of Cassie’s school photos were next to Andy’s picture in the NICU bassinet, and Daniel’s terror the first time holding Andy sat beside his evident ease a few weeks later at Andy’s baptism, with one arm around Cassie and Andy in the other.
Janet hardly featured at all, which rankled him to no end. She was in the background of some, or played the riveting parts of hand or elbow that just happened to be in frame. But she hadn’t sent any of just herself, in any context. At this point, he’d take her driver’s license.
He loved his girls, of course, but he missed his wife. Missed touching her, kissing her, missed the way she’d swing her hips as she walked away just to get him to chase after her. She was never more than a voice through the MALP, and in the few photos she was in he could barely see her. He was utterly deprived of Janet, and it was such an unpleasant experience he almost missed withdrawal. He had her words on paper and the knowledge that she would be waiting for him when he got back, and for nearly two weeks, that had been enough. But the days loomed before him, seemingly endless before he would get to see her again.
Daniel slumped onto his bed, staring at his haphazard collage. Cassie beamed at her sixth grade graduation, and Andy stewed in the sink, positively fuming at her first bath, and Daniel missed them so much his stomach hurt. The curve of Janet’s cheek, dimpled with a smile, peeked out of the corner of a picture of Cassie at her thirteenth birthday.
Daniel snatched a piece of paper and started to write. He couldn’t send it until Teal’c came through to visit again, but it was better than nothing.
Dear Janet,
I miss you, too. All of you, but especially you, sometimes I try to picture what you must be doing and imagine I’m there with you. Then I imagine other things that I won’t get into on paper.
Thanks again for all the pictures, it makes it easier. And harder, if that makes sense. It makes me miss you more, but I feel closer, just a little.
Loran asks me about them, and I think it’s good for him to hear stories about other families.
I can’t wait to see you, but I have one request in the meantime. I know for a fact you have more photo books than fit on our shelves, so somewhere there have got to be pictures of you. I love the girls, I love the pictures of the girls, but I want to see you. Think of it as part of my treatment. I’m wasting away here without you.
I love you. Tell the girls I love them, too, and I’ll be home soon.
Yours,
Daniel
“We’re sending through some vitamin tablets.” Her voice was crisp and utterly professional over the radio, but Daniel shivered. Sam gave him a concerned glance. “Looking over the MALP data, I’m concerned you may not be getting enough Vitamin D. I want you all to take one a day.”
“Is it the cherry flavor, doc?” Jack called. “You know I don’t like grape.” In the brief pause, they could all predict her suppressed smile.
“Daniel-” His heart leapt. “There’s another bottle of antihistamines for you. And-” There was another pause, and some murmurs in the background. “SG-4 is due to gate back any minute. Is there anything else you need? Anything we can do for you?” Daniel could think of plenty, but nothing suitable for Walter’s delicate ears.
A crate scooted through the wormhole, piled with various containers. Daniel thought he caught the clinking of glass bottles- undoubtedly from Siler.
“We’re okay, Janet,” Sam said. “We’ll see you soon.”
“All right, SG-1. We’ll see you in a week. Fraiser out.”
“Five days, doc!” Jack yelled as the wormhole collapsed. “Not a second more!”
Sam raised an eyebrow at his outburst, and he stared right back. “What?” He moseyed towards the crate. “Can’t a guy get a little homesick?”
“Yes, sir, I suppose so.”
“Ha! Bless you, Siler!” Jack drew a beer from the depths of the crate and tossed it to Sam. He pulled out two more, and aimed one towards Daniel. Daniel managed to catch it while barreling towards the crate, and he set it aside to dig through the rest. A few pill bottles, a box of feminine products for Sam-
“Looking for this?” Jack waved the envelope in Daniel’s face, and jumped when he snatched it. Daniel swept a finger along the seam- it was sealed this time- and rifled through the contents.
“More baby pictures?” Sam asked brightly, and sidled up to look over his shoulder. Daniel snapped the envelope to his chest.
“Um-” He cleared his throat. “Not this time. Sorry, I told Loran I’d read to him.” Which was true, Daniel just left out the part where he’d already spent the morning with Loran. He’d discovered an affinity for the Boxcar Children, which was not the fine literature Daniel would have chosen, but it worked well enough as an introduction to Earth. “See you later.”
He slammed his door behind him and sat on the bed facing the window, tucking his treasures close to his chest.
For my ridiculous husband-
This is what you get. For anything else, you’ll just have to wait.
Love,
Your accommodating wife
Daniel grinned, vividly imagining Janet’s little smirk as she’d written. Anything else… was very broad, and a tempting daydream to wander into, but Daniel returned to the envelope.
The first photo sent a pang of love and longing through his chest, and he zeroed in on Janet’s beaming face. She was in her maternity uniform, the long frock ballooning over her swollen belly. She’d been seven months along at this point and her days in her regular button-up blouse were long behind her. Daniel was next to her in his nicest black suit, grinning down at her with confetti in his hair. The white veil and bouquet of flowers were the only departure from her uniform, besides the curls bouncing loosely around her shoulders. She tilted her chin up to meet his gaze with so much happiness and devotion in her face Daniel had to pinch himself. Despite all the tragedy and heartache in his life, he’d somehow ended up with a better family than he ever could have dreamed of. Without photographic evidence, sometimes he couldn’t believe he was so lucky.
“Do you need to sit down?” Daniel asked, leaning down so his nose was practically in her hair while their friends did an excellent impression of a baseball stadium after a home run. He kept a steadying hand on her back as she shook her head.
“No, I’m fine.”
“Wait wait wait!” Cassie sprang in front of them, physically blocking the courthouse door. “Let us go out first!” She frantically beckoned Sam, Jack, and Teal’c forward. General Hammond, his daughter, and his two granddaughters followed them out in an orderly row. Hammond paused as he passed them and held out a hand to Daniel.
“Congratulations, both of you.” His leisurely button-up and slacks suited him, if you didn’t know better he could have been any civilian attending a friend’s wedding.
“Thank you, sir.” Janet’s shoulders pushed back seemingly without her consent, but her happy expression only brightened. Hammond gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek, beamed briefly at both of them, and followed his family out the door.
Janet’s parents were next, gamely going along with the show though Daniel could see in her mother’s face that she was bursting with questions. All they knew was that their daughter had been trapped in a remote village with no passage out after a flood- or an earthquake? Daniel reminded himself to brush up on the cover story- and that she’d miraculously returned four months later with a husband and impending baby.
Janet’s father shook Daniel’s hand while her mother wrapped her in a hug. “I’m so happy for you, dear,” Janet’s mother whispered as she held her close. Janet melted in her arms, and for a second instead of the confident, competent woman Daniel had always known, he saw the little girl she must have been. She’d been nervous, he knew, that her parents wouldn’t approve of such a hasty marriage after the dismal failure that had been her first. Not that it would have stopped her, but a small part of her had still hoped for their support. And she’d gotten it, unequivocally.
Janet’s father squeezed Daniel’s hand just a shade past a friendly grip. “You’re a lucky man.”
“I know,” Daniel said simply, and Janet’s father grinned.
“All right, where’s that granddaughter of mine?” Janet’s mother pulled back and attempted a subtle swiping of tears out of her eyes. She took her husband’s arm and nudged him towards the door. “Sounds like she has something planned.”
Janet’s father pulled her in for a quick hug and kiss on the cheek, whispered he was proud, and allowed his wife to steer him out the door.
Janet sniffed once, and Daniel tucked an arm around her. “Are you all right?” She gave him a wobbly smile, eyes shining.
“I’m fine.” She tilted her chin up, straining onto her tiptoes, and Daniel met her for a kiss. It was even better than the first of their legal marriage- there were no eyes on him, just Janet’s hand threading into his hair and her smile against his lips as her belly pressed to his stomach. She broke away with a look of utter contentment on her face. “I’m perfect.”
“Mm-hm.” Daniel cupped the back of her neck to draw her back to his lips, but they startled at a banging on the door. Janet bit her lip over a grin.
“I guess Cassie’s ready.”
“Shall we?” Daniel presented his arm, and Janet wrapped both hands around it. He pushed on the door and it rapidly swung away from him, revealing Teal’c with what amounted to a grin on his face. As soon as they stepped through the doorway, rice pelted them from all directions, and Sam attacked from the side with a shower of confetti. Janet’s parents cheered from a few steps down and Jack stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled. Tessa and Kayla shrieked with laughter as they tossed handfuls of rice, and after an enthusiastic nod from Cassie, General Hammond held up a camera.
Daniel tucked a hand around Janet’s waist to steady her as she cautiously made her way down the stairs. She looked up at him, eyes shining and face bright with deep happiness.
The camera flashed the second before Daniel leaned down to kiss her.
The second photo was the reason he’d fled from Sam, even after just a brief glance at it. His eyes devoured every inch of it, and as impatient ants prickled up his body he wondered if he’d made a grave error. He wouldn’t see Janet in person, after all, for five more days.
She laid stretched out on the sand, and the bright sun gave her skin a healthy glow. There were large sunglasses on her face but he guessed her eyes were closed, based on her peaceful expression. One leg was propped up and she had a casual arm behind her head that gave her back a slight arch.
A teal bikini left almost nothing to the imagination, and Daniel’s heart kicked up as he traced the dip of her cleavage down her abdomen to the white crescent of her c-section scar, then down toned, tanned legs.
Accommodating wife, indeed.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” Cassie didn’t bother to answer, she just leveled Janet with a look that bordered on insolent. She sprawled back on the motel bed and started scrolling through channels. “We’ll be right outside, if either of you needs anything-”
“Janet.” Daniel squeezed her hand and glanced at their daughters. Cassie plopped a bag of gummy worms on her belly and settled on some sitcom Daniel wasn’t familiar with, squashed back in the pillows as if they were going to swallow her. In a cot tucked between Cassie’s bed and the window, Andy breathed deeply and evenly, finally asleep after a sunny, eventful morning. Fed, clean, and tuckered out from fighting her parents and sister all day in her endeavor to eat sand, she would be out for at least an hour.
Janet bit her lip, eyes bouncing between Cassie and Andy, and Daniel tugged her towards the door. “They’ll be fine, we’ll stay close. Okay?” he asked Cassie, and she rolled her eyes before nodding. With a camera slung around his neck and towels tucked under one arm, Daniel urged Janet towards the door.
“We’ll be back soon.” Daniel opened the door and Cassie squinted at the sun streaming in. “And there’s snacks and water in the fridge-” Daniel pulled Janet out of the room and shut the door behind her. He didn’t let her lose momentum, hustling her down the stairs from their little balcony to the sandy sidewalk below. Janet’s fingers flexed in his, but she didn’t object as he pulled her all the way down to the shore. Their door was still in view, within yelling distance if Cassie put her heart and soul into it, and they both reflexively turned to check it was still closed.
“I’m not sure about this.” Janet’s forehead puckered behind her enormous sunglasses. “What if something happens and we’re all the way out here? We should-”
“Janet.” Daniel tugged her to his side and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “They’re both fine. We’ll check on them in forty-five minutes, and they will be fine then, too.” Janet’s frown didn’t budge. “Thirty minutes?”
With a deep sigh, Janet conceded. “All right.” She looped her arms around his middle and tilted her chin up. “Hello.” Daniel grinned and leaned down to give her a proper kiss.
“Hello.” In the whirlwind rush that had been the beginning of their first proper family vacation, they’d barely spoken two words to each other that weren’t about diapers or plane tickets. “How are you?”
“Mm. Tired.” Daniel smiled and pressed his lips to her temple.
“I don’t remember what it was like not to be tired.”
Waves crashed on the shore with a shock of sea spray, and Janet shivered. She turned her face toward the sun, and Daniel nuzzled into her hair. Wind played a few strands of her hair across his face, and a gull cried overhead as the bright sun beat down on them.
Daniel took Janet’s hand, and after depositing the towels several feet away from the water on a still-dry patch of sand, he slowly led her into the ocean. It was cold enough that she only followed him up to her ankles, but as the water swept over their feet with a dull roar, she let her head fall back with a sigh. Her white linen coverup whipped against her thighs and she swept her hair off her face. Daniel lifted the camera and snapped a picture, and she grimaced at the click.
They had already gone through far too much film, but there had been plenty of firsts worth documenting. First plane ride for both Cassie and Andy, Andy’s first little bathing suit, first time feeling sand between her toes… though they scolded each other for it, neither Janet nor Daniel could resist reaching for the camera at the slightest indication.
Daniel smiled from behind the camera, and after a moment, a reluctant smile spread across Janet’s face, too. She waded towards him and stretched to speak directly into his ear over the waves and wind.
“I’m going to lay down for a few minutes.”
“Are you okay?” Daniel asked, instantly alert. She had been cleared for all activity by her OB, her incision was completely healed and she was building back her strength, but Daniel still half-expected a sudden dizzy spell or flash of weakness to snatch her away from him. Somehow, on a beach far from any trouble with their daughters snug and safe, it was terribly easy to imagine something going catastrophically wrong again.
“I’m fine. I just never get to see the sun, that’s all.” She smiled and kissed him. “I’d like to enjoy it.”
“Mm.” Daniel stole another kiss before she wandered out of the water, grabbed a towel, and spread it on the sand.
Daniel took a few more pictures of the horizon, the foam-capped waves, even a seagull with a donut in its mouth. He had spent plenty of time in sandy climates growing up but not a lot on the beach, and he couldn’t decide whether he liked the wet, oddly pliant sand between his toes. Every wave kicked up pebbles and shell fragments, and he watched them roll back down the shore as the water receded again. Cassie had expressed interest in brightly colored shells to take home and Daniel scoured the sand, but found nothing that would pass her inspection.
He kept an eye on the time, knowing Janet would abandon him if their thirty minutes ran out and he didn’t answer her summons. When they were down to a few minutes he turned back towards the motel, half-expecting to see Janet partway there already. But to his pleasant surprise, she was still on her towel, relaxed and peaceful in the sun. Daniel collected the other towel and patted dry as he approached her, only to stop in his tracks a few feet away.
The coverup was gone, bundled up as a makeshift pillow, and she stretched out on her back in a bright blue bikini. She had one hand behind her head and the other resting on her ribs, and Daniel swept his eyes over her curves and down her long legs. He wouldn’t have guessed when all he’d known was her uniform and shapeless white coat, but she had the proportions of a dancer- long arms and legs, graceful fingers, short torso, all packaged into a 5’2” frame. A perfectly normal height, she frequently reminded him with a jab to the chest, usually when he had to retrieve something off a tall shelf for her. It wasn’t her fault that everyone around her was freakishly tall.
Her incision had healed perfectly, according to her OB, leaving only a thin white scar below her bellybutton that traced the curve of her stomach. Her body was different now in her softer, fuller curves and pale stretch marks, and Daniel loved every inch. It was the physical evidence that she had carried their baby, and the scar showed that they’d both survived.
Daniel lifted the camera, and she wrinkled her nose at the click. She turned her head towards him almost groggily, and when she spoke her voice had a crackly edge of sleep. “What are you doing?”
Daniel grinned. “Documenting.” Janet snorted. “You’re beautiful.”
“Hm.” Janet looked around and got her bearings. “Is it time to go back?” Daniel took a quick step forward and narrowly avoided kicking sand all over her towel.
“Not yet.” He hastily spread his own towel and laid down next to her. “We have a few more minutes.” He held up a hand, and Janet threaded her fingers with his and laid their hands between them.
“All right, if you insist.” Janet ran her thumb over his. “Just a few more minutes.”
“Welcome home, SG-1.” Jack strolled down the ramp with his jacket slung over his shoulder on one finger.
“Thank you, sir. I gotta say, it’s nice being stuck on a beach planet for once.” Hammond’s lips twitched.
“I don’t doubt it.” He cast an eye over the MALP and various crates they’d strapped to it. “Is this everything?”
“Yes, sir.” Sam and Jack’s packs had also been tossed on the MALP, but Daniel kept his satchel tucked on his shoulder. Having come through the gate dead and half-dressed, he didn’t have personal gear to bring back besides the changes of clothes he’d been sent in the meantime. And, of course, a thick stack of envelopes.
“Very well.” Hammond swept a hand towards the door. “Get yourselves down to the infirmary. I’ll see you in forty-eight hours.”
Sam grinned. “Thank you, sir.”
Daniel left his teammates in the dust, ignoring Jack cracking jokes as he disappeared out the door. “Oh, you know how Daniel loves a good medical examination, sir.”
With a badly concealed eyeroll, Dr. Warner swept Daniel straight to an empty gurney and pulled his stethoscope from his pocket without preamble. “Feeling all right?” he asked after listening to Daniel’s lungs. “Any pain, dizziness, nausea?”
“Nope.” It was only a tiny lie- his stomach was twisted in knots, but it was nothing Warner could fix for him. Still, he submitted to a lymph node exam and blood draw, and the nurse was labeling samples when Sam and Jack finally ambled into the room in fresh clothes.
“Geez, Daniel.” Jack hopped onto a stretcher with a grimace, and Warner veered away to Sam. “Who lit a fire under your butt?” Daniel didn’t bother with an answer, tapping his hands on the bedspread and trying not to look at his watch. Warner was a fine doctor, but he was certainly not the doctor Daniel had been hoping to see.
Warner made his way through Jack and Sam’s exams just as efficiently, and he quizzed all of them on their symptoms, or lack thereof, as they had blood drawn.
“Well, I’d need an EEG to be sure…” Warner drawled, with a glance around at all of them. “But I see no evidence of decreased neural activity or withdrawal on exam, so I don’t believe it’s indicated. Come back in about an hour, we should have your lab results by then.”
“Oh, ha ha, Doc,” Jack said sharply. He’d looked distinctly alarmed at the idea of a drawn out test with wires stuck to his head. “Very funny. Where’s Fraiser? She’s got a better bedside manner.”
“Sergeant Siler managed to earn himself a few more stitches,” Warner reported perfectly neutrally, though there was still something long-suffering about him as he said it. “She should be out shortly.”
With some comment about blue jello, Sam and Jack hopped off their stretchers. Sam looked back at Daniel and raised an expectant eyebrow, but Jack rolled his eyes and nudged her forward.
“Come on, Carter. We’re old news.” Sam frowned for a split-second before her mouth formed an “O.” Jack waved back at Daniel as he ushered Sam out. “Say hi for us.”
“I will.”
A pair of nurses straightened Sam and Jack’s stretchers, and after a pointed look Daniel removed himself as well. “I’ll be in her office,” he said quietly, and one of the more experienced nurses gave him a friendly nod.
Stark and gray as Janet’s office was, a trace of her shampoo still lingered in the air, and Daniel took a deep breath as he sank onto her couch. From the only shelf not dedicated to journals and pharmacology textbooks, Cassie and Andy smiled out at him. Cassie was posed, hair brushed and shining, arms crossed and head at a painful-looking tilt for her school picture. Andy laid on her back, clutching her feet and beaming toothlessly. Tucked in next to them, a newer frame caught Daniel’s eye. He blinked and squinted, and eventually got up to round Janet’s desk. He pulled the photo more into the light.
He stood with an arm around Cassie, and Janet was on her other side with Andy on her hip. They were all in t-shirts and shorts, and if Daniel remembered correctly they had been at a picnic for SGC personnel and their families. Daniel’s heart swelled as he traced over their faces, beginning and ending with Janet. She beamed out at him, just as radiant in sneakers and a ponytail as he’d ever seen her.
His ears perked up as heels tapped down the hall. He settled the picture back on the shelf just as the door swung open.
“Oh!” Janet blinked at him, eyes wide, and shot a glance at her watch. “When did you-?”
“About thirty minutes ago.” Janet’s face split in a huge grin and Daniel darted around the desk to sweep her into his arms. Her arms latched around his neck and he buried his face in her shoulder.
“Are you all right?” She threaded her fingers through his hair, swiping her hand over his skull as if searching for cracks. “Did Bill-?”
“Absolutely fine. Just waiting on labs.”
“Well I’d like to take a look as soon as-” She cut off with a squeak as Daniel scooped her off the floor and pressed his lips to hers. She smiled into the kiss, hands on his cheeks, and all the tension in Daniel’s chest unspooled at the feel of her cool hands on his skin. He peppered her face with kisses until she laughed out loud, then let out a deep sigh into her neck.
“I missed you.” He dropped a kiss to her neck, just because it was there. “I feel like I’ve been gone for ages.”
“I missed you, too. But, um-” She squeezed his shoulders. “You wanna put me down?”
Daniel let out a deep, long-suffering sigh. “Not really.” But he leaned over just enough to set her back on her toes before he pulled her into another kiss, deeper and more heated this time. He stroked his hands down her sides, relishing her curves even under her coat and uniform.
“Easy, tiger,” she gasped. She turned her head but that only exposed more of her neck, and Daniel trailed his lips from her jaw to her shoulder. “There will be plenty of time for catching up later.” Daniel let out a frustrated huff against her skin.
“How much later are we talking?” He didn’t budge from his position, arms tight around her waist and nuzzling her neck. Janet threaded her fingers into his hair and pulled back to look him in the face.
“As soon as your labs come back clear, we’re going home.” Daniel’s ears perked up.
“‘We’?” Both of us?” Janet grinned at his excitement.
“Mm-hm.” She ran her hands down his arms. “Think you can wait that long?” Daniel played up a wince.
“I don’t know, it’ll be close.” Janet rolled her eyes, stretched up for one more peck, then slipped out of his arms to saunter to her desk. Daniel flopped onto the couch, resolved to watch her until Warner declared him fit to go.
Janet made a show of starting a report, probably about Siler’s stitches. She pointedly did not look up at him, but there was a tiny curl to her lips as she typed a few sentences and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.
“So, did you like your pictures?” she asked in a mockery of a light, conversational tone. She finally flicked her eyes up at him, and he gaped at her.
“Now that’s just not fair.”