Disclaimer. I don't own Stargate, or SG-1. If I did, there would have been several block buster feature films made by now, and Daniel and Vala would have had their happy ending! As it is, all I can do is play with the beautiful SG-1 dolls before putting them away safely again.

Setting - after Unending, after Ark of Truth and after Continuum. In other words, after everything. Therefore, no rules!

Probably set after 'The Kelownan Incident' (one of my previous fics) but not necessary to read that first. As long as you're happy to go along with an established Daniel/Vala relationship, that is!

Chapter 1 The BBQ, And All That Ensued.

"Are you sure that this is fun?" Vala asked, doubtfully.

Looking down at her best friend who sat on the wooden steps that led into Lieutenant Well's back garden, Sam smiled. "Sure! Well, it's fun for the kids, anyway. And it's only once a year."

"But didn't we do something like this at Easter?" Vala surveyed the melee of excitable SGC staff surrounding them. "At the play barn in town? And last Christmas at the mountain? We definitely did something at the mountain – Landry played Santa. He was a very cross Santa, in my opinion. Even Daniel would have been better. Even I would have been better!"

Sam gave a shout of laughter. "I meant that the summer barbeque is only once a year! All the families who work at the SGC meet up three times a year for a great big get together. It's been going on for years. We're like a family, you know that." She sat down next to her friend.

"So…..remind me again why we're here? When none of us have children?"

The Colonel grinned. "Everyone is here! Kids or no kids. It's an excuse for everyone to get together. Even people who no longer work at the mountain, necessarily."

Sam's gaze wandered to a certain silver-haired General, who was laughing with Daniel and Mitchell, and knocking back a Guinness far too quickly for her liking. "Will you excuse me for a minute?" She stood and moved away in the direction of Jack, eyes narrowing.

Vala sighed. She liked children well enough, but the one's here on earth always seemed to be sticky, or dirty, or soggy. They cried an awful lot too and were very loud when they did so. Perhaps it's me, she thought, they sense I'm an alien and they don't like me.

A small one wandered past, chasing a swiftly moving cat. It tripped and fell face down into the grass, the child not the cat. It didn't cry, although it screwed it's little face up for a moment.

"Let me," said Vala, gingerly taking the toddler's grubby hands with her finger tips and helping it to it's feet. It babbled something peculiar in a language which she didn't understand and lifted it's chubby arms up to be held. She paused, wrinkling her nose. It started to make a whining sound and bounced on it's podgy legs.

"Oh alright," Vala lifted it and held it against herself. It wasn't that bad actually, she thought. She recognised the oddly smelling bundle as belonging to Simon Wells – a cute little boy who looked like his father. He garbled his funny language at her again and handed her an old stick.

"Thank you," Vala smiled, taking it and sticking it into the back pocket of her jeans.

Master Wells smiled then sneezed.

"Oooooh!" Vala screwed her face up and looked around for a tissue. A long table close by that was being used as a makeshift bar had a pile of napkins on it – she grabbed one and wiped his little nose. He grinned and sneezed again. She frowned and repeated the maneuver, handing him the napkin.

"Danny do it," Vala told him. She thought that his name was Danny, or it might have been Dennis. Or David. Something with a 'D'.

He beamed and rubbed his nose with the tissue before sneezing again.

"I'm going to have to put you down you know," Vala said, and did so, wiping her own sneezed-on face and hands quickly. DannyDennisDavid's face fell and he began to wail until she swung him back up into her arms.

"Come on," she smiled, "let's find your parents."

Vala wandered off across the grass, only half-looking for the little chap's Mum and Dad. The other half of her was just watching and taking in all the strange Tau'ri customs that were going on.

There was a bouncy castle – she wasn't sure that Teal'c should be on there, although he did appear to be sitting down. And covered in children. A huge, sparkly pink cardboard cut-out princess castle stood next door, with an opening door and windows. There was a small petting zoo in one corner, with rabbits and guinea pigs and a pony giving rides. Across the garden was a face painting booth – Carolyn Lam was busy turning boys into Spiderman and girls into fairies, and vice-versa. One of the female lieutenants was painting sparkles onto little nails at the adjacent table.

"Would you like your nails painted?"Vala asked DannyDennisDavid, who gabbled something and patted her cheek with his moist palm. She smiled at him – he was rather cute. Perhaps Tau'ri children did like her after all. "Come on – you'd look good with electric blue finger tips!" She went over to the nail booth slowly, and stood in the queue behind a Princess Jasmine and a fireman.

Daniel Jackson was watching her from across the garden, his beer forgotten in his hand. She looked beautiful – he was so proud of her. Watching her hold Wells' little boy close against her body was making him feel peculiar. Nice, but peculiar. It was making him think of how wonderful she would look holding her own little bundle in her arms. Their own little bundle. He shook his head abruptly, trying to clear his mind of the extremely pleasant but also rather shocking vision. Mitchell, Jack and Sam all burst out laughing at some joke which he'd completely missed. He joined in quickly, hoping that none of them asked him what he was laughing at. Trying to get back into their conversation he found that he kept surreptitiously glancing over at Vala – she was seated at the nail bar now, chatting and smiling at Lizzy Keene, the female lieutenant who was helping out there. Oh Lord, was she going to get baby Wells' nails painted? Daniel was sure that their youngest was a boy.

"Excuse me," he said, distracted, handing Jack his beer and high-tailing it off across the garden.

Jack said nothing but winked at Sam who giggled.

"Hey!" the archaeologist reached his girlfriend's side just in time. Vala looked up and smiled, luminous blue/grey eyes crinkling.

"Hello darling," She settled the podgy, soggy toddler on her knee. "DannyDennisDavid wants his nails done – I think electric blue, do you agree?"

"Firstly – boys tend not to have painted nails," Daniel carefully lifted the small boy away from Vala's grasp. "And it's Damien."

"Who's Damien? Oh, he's Damien! I knew it started with a D. Damien – cute name. He's a dear little chap actually – er, you mean, I shouldn't let him have his nails painted? He did seem to want them done."

Daniel grinned. "Well, why don't you get yours' done instead?"

"Ooooh!" Vala clapped her hands. "Is that allowed, Lizzy? Can I have my nails done too?"

"Sure," Lizzy wiped her hands on a towel. "Which colour would you like?"

"Pink please," beamed the alien. She pointed to a vivid fuchsia coloured bottle. "That one please."

"There he is!" Marci Wells came across the grass to them, looking relieved. "I've been looking for you everywhere." She wagged her finger at her errant little son, who waved and laughed, totally unconcerned.

"Here," Daniel went to hand him over but the little boy wailed suddenly, leaning over towards Vala.

"Oh, goodbye!" she said to him, waving prettily with her free hand. "It was nice to meet you too."

Marci took her son and held him towards Vala.

"Say thank you to Auntie Vala for looking after you," she told him. The toddler patted his new friend's cheeks with his grubby paws and gave the alien a wet kiss, smack on her lips.

"Lovely," Vala told him, wiping it off.

Thanking them again, Marci made her way back to the house. Daniel pulled a chair up next to his girlfriend.

Vala tilted her head to one side, eyeing him speculatively. "Do you want your nails done, Daniel?" she asked, cajoling.

"No I do not!" he folded his arms so as not to give her ideas.

She pouted, but only in jest, and laid her un-painted hand on his leg.

Daniel slipped his arm around her shoulders and they sat chatting about everything and nothing with Lizzy Keene for the next half hour or so.

- o - o - o -

It was evening before the SGC family barbeque wrapped up. The twilight sky was a deep blue and the night was clear. Stars were scattered across the sky above them, like so many sequins sewn onto a velvet cloth. Vala was sat on the back steps again, looking up at the sky, when Daniel found her.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he said, perching next to her. She smiled dreamily but didn't look away from her contemplation of the heavens.

"Mmmm." Vala gave a deep sigh. "It is. But I'm glad that I'm here, with you. Really I am. I used to think that if I was stuck on any planet for longer than a few weeks I'd go mad, but I don't feel that here. I like it. I like feeling safe, Daniel, being part of a family. Even a slightly bananas family like the SGC. I still like running about the galaxy, but now I like coming home too."

Her eyes twinkled in the darkness, tiny diamonds of moisture on the ends of her lashes.

Daniel had nothing to say. He felt so full of emotion, and again, so humbled. He pulled Vala close to him and rested his cheek against her beautiful, raven hair. She laid her head on his shoulder. The sky was a much darker blue before they stood up and left the back garden to make their way home.

TBC...

Thanks for reading! More soon!