What?, by Amaranth Traces
Genre: Family, kid!fic
Pairing: Sam/Daniel established 'ship
Season: Future season
Rating: G
Word count: 1,101
Note: Part of my Stargate Fic100 Collection. Special thanks to Thraesja for putting up with me fixing up this story for me.
Daniel couldn't help but smile at the spectacle before him. "Jack!"
His friend finally looked up from his spot on the floor, seeming oblivious to the fact that Daniel had called his name twice. "What?"
"I said, Sam should be home soon, would you like to stay for dinner?"
"Thought you'd never ask." Jack turned back to the object of his attention. He raised both hands in the air, outstretched fingers twitching. "A-buzz, buzz, buzz!"
Before him, seven-month-old Ben squealed his anticipation. Jack's hand slowly descended. The buzz-sounds increased in pitch, causing Ben to squirm and giggle until finally the tickle monster landed and triggered a stream of laughter from both the baby and Jack.
Daniel checked his watch and pursed his lips. Sam should have been home an hour ago. But he was sure someone would have called if there was anything he needed to know, so he was doing his best not to worry.
He turned his attention to the laptop and books laid open on the kitchen table. How he thought he'd have had time to do any work today - or practically any day since his son was born, for that matter - he couldn't fathom. He carefully stacked the books and laptop and carried everything back to his study.
When he returned to the living room, Jack and Ben were sitting opposite Ben's favourite spinny toy. Daniel winced as it played its cheery tune for the millionth time since it'd joined their ever-growing toy collection.
"I'm going to start getting supper ready," Daniel said. "Can you keep an eye on Ben?"
Jack held the base of the toy as Ben whacked at it again with an almost-coordinated hand, setting the wheel spinning and re-starting the song. "Like this one, don't you?" he said with a chuckle. "Didn't have stuff like this to play with twenty years ago, y'know."
"Jack?"
"What?"
"I'll just be in the kitchen."
Jack gave him a look. "Okay then."
As Daniel retreated from the living room, the damned song rang out yet again. He sighed and pulled out supplies for dinner. Forty minutes and a dozen peeks into the living room later, he had a casserole in the oven. After throwing together a quick salad, confirming there was enough ice cream and fruit for dessert, and making up a bottle for the baby, he headed back into the other room.
Said baby was still being entertained by Jack, and vice versa.
Jack was lying on his back, holding Ben high in the air, making airplane noises as the baby swooped back and forth above him. "Coming in for a landing!" he said.
Ben circled further and further down until he came to a gentle stop on Jack's chest, and he screeched with delight.
"Ooh." Jack made a face, moving one hand to wriggle his index finger in his ear. "That was pretty loud, little man."
Daniel sat down on the sofa, resisting the urge to check his watch again. "Yeah, it'll get you every time."
Jack bent his knees and sat Ben up, leaning the baby back against his legs.
"At least he's not 'singing' for you. That's always adorable, in an ear-bleeding-I-may-never-hear-again sort of way," Daniel said, watching Ben grasp Jack's outstretched fingers in his chubby little fists and pull himself up to a standing position. He smiled as his son stomped his way forward in tiny steps over Jack's stomach.
"Oof," Jack grunted. "We won't be playing this game after supper."
Ben gave a particularly exuberant stomp and Jack grimaced. "Okay, new plan. What say we walk on the floor instead of on Uncle Jack?"
As he sat up and placed Ben on the carpet, Jack glanced up at Daniel. "Oh, there you are. I thought you were making dinner."
"It's in the oven."
"Smells good, too," said a voice from the front door.
Daniel rose and walked toward Sam, taking in her tired expression and the gauze bandage taped to her temple. "What happened? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Minor explosion. Felger was...particularly unfocussed today. But we got the prototype field emitter online and stable for more than an hour."
Ben had noticed his mommy's arrival and was ignoring all of Jack's attempts to get him to grab onto his fingers again. Sam bent and scooped the baby into her arms.
Jack looked up, his frown quickly fading. "Oh. Hi, Carter."
"Hi, sir," Sam said while grinning at Ben. She gave him a big cuddle and a kiss and then relinquished him to Jack's outstretched hands. "You staying for supper?"
Jack whooshed Ben through the air again before plopping him on the floor next to him, all to the tune of baby giggles.
"Sir?"
"Yeah, he's staying," Daniel said as Jack lifted Ben's little t-shirt and blew a raspberry onto his stomach.
Sam collapsed onto the couch and leaned her head back into the pillows, her hand momentarily touching her head wound. "Things okay here today?"
"Pretty good, actually. We had a rough start, but since Jack showed up, everything's been fine." Daniel settled next to her, smiling as she tucked herself into his embrace. "For the record, teething babies are not my idea of fun."
"At least he's not being cranky now."
"No, he clearly saves that just for us."
"We're special that way."
Ben had a death grip on one of Jack's index fingers and was dragging it into his waiting mouth. Jack had that look he got when they'd meet a particularly curious alien race.
Daniel gestured to them and deliberately raised his voice. "Luckily, it's all under control with our new nanny."
Sam's eyes widened and her head whipped around to look at Jack. When he didn't react to his new moniker, she turned back.
Daniel smirked at her. "Ben has his entire attention."
"Aw." Sam smiled, watching them play again. "That's kinda sweet."
Daniel chuckled. "Dare you to say that again."
"I'd rather do this." Her hand slid up his thigh while the fingers of her other hand curled into the hair at the back of his head. She pulled him into a long and lingering kiss that had Daniel trying to remember the last time they'd had an uninterrupted night in bed together.
Too soon, she broke the kiss, eyeing Jack as their son gnawed on his finger. "Okay, this is just too weird."
When the oven began to beep for his attention, Daniel let Sam drag him to his feet. He glanced over his shoulder as he followed her into the kitchen. "Want to continue this play date after supper, Jack?"
"What?"
FINI
Deep apologies to Thraesja for every time I've done this with her and T-Fap. ...and for every time I'll do it in the future. Sorry! At least I wasn't the one who bought the spinny toy. Though maybe the purple singing puppy wasn't the best idea...
