"Dad?"

He looks up from his book and see's their oldest daughter lingering in the doorway. "Hey, Addy. What's up?"

"I was just starting on my homework…" She shrugs when he shakes his head. "I need to get a sample of DNA from you and mom."

Cam sets his book down. He's shocked. The fact that it's eight am on a Saturday and Adria is already up and working on her school work isn't what does it. It's the fact that he can't give her that sample.

"Well…" Vala's still lightly snoring next to him and he's sure that Tyler and Lyra are both also fast asleep. "If we are really careful we can pluck a couple strands from mom and she won't even notice."

Only mom though. Not him. She's only 12. They aren't planning to tell her yet. He's so afraid of losing his girl.

She giggles and quickly hides her mouth behind her hands to not disturb Vala. Adria leaps onto the bed and Cam caches her and clasps her waist as she hovers over her mother's head. Her small hand reaches out and she grabs two strands and yanks.

Vala jumps and yelps. "What?" Her hand is rubbing at her head as she rolls over to look at her husband holding the oldest child on his lap. Strands of dark hair, that used to be attached to her head dangling from a clenched fist.

"Good morning, momma." Adria tips her head and beams her largest grin at her.

"Most good mornings don't start with hair being viciously torn from my scalp." Her overly dramatic description makes Cam and Addy laugh and she sticks her tongue out at them. "What's that about?"

"I've got to run a DNA test." She grabs the tiny ziplock bag she's brought with her and carefully puts Vala's hair into it. "Your turn, Dad."

"No. No test for dear old dad. He's got to keep all the hair he can to hold off the inevitable balding."

Vala rolls her eyes. "Like Daddy really has to worry." She reaches up and runs her fingers through Cam's hair - still, true to her words, as full as ever and soft under her fingertips. "Not about going bald, at least. I do see a hint of gray..."

Cam tries to act un-phased but he gets up under the pretense of going to the bathroom and stops in the mirror to check his hair and see if she was lying about the gray. He hears Adria and Vala both snickering behind him.

He turns and points at them. "Remember who makes the pancakes around here before you go making too much fun."

Adria and Vala both school their expressions to something more respectful, but as soon as he shuts the door behind him it's all giggles again.

xxxx

By ten am their kitchen is bustling. Tyler and Lyra are loudly arguing over what cartoon they'll watch once they've had breakfast. "Dad, she wants to watch baby stuff!"

"Ty, bud, you had it first," Cam points out, pouring five glasses of orange juice.

"But that's because I woke up first!" Tyler looks at Vala, hoping his mother will be on his side. "Mom, the ones with the trucks is coming on! That one's my favorite."

"Mom, the one with the ponies is coming on! That one's my favorite!" Lyra looks at Vala with a wobbly lower lip, eyes filling with tears.

"Mooooom!" This time it's Tyler. "She always cries to get her way!"

"So do you," Adria points out, nibbling on toast with a textbook in front of her. She doesn't look up from what she's reading when she says it.

"One of you can go watch TV in our room." Vala decides that the chance of stray crumbs and having to change the sheets later is better than listening to them argue. However both of them squeal at the idea of cartoons in the big bed and race upstairs. "Great..." She mutters to herself.

"It was a pretty good solution, mom. But you didn't take into account all the variables. Like the comfort level up there versus the couch or the treat factor." Adria's still concentrating on her homework. She's in an advanced science and math class at the high school instead of her middle school work. She's stuck with her friends in the proper grade level but the classes weren't challenging her enough so as soon as she was in the complex that was walking distance, across a park, to the high school Cam and Vala enrolled her in a few upper level courses.

"Sometimes I wish my first child wasn't a genius." Vala ruffles her hair as she gets up to help Cam with the dishes. Adria is still grinning over her textbook. "Darling Cameron, do you need any assistance?"

She's wrapped her arms around his waist and his arm has automatically circled her shoulders. "I'm good, baby, if you have things to do."

"I was just going to make sure that they haven't killed each other or destroyed our lovely room."

He kisses the crown of her head before letting her go. "Don't tell me you wouldn't love the excuse to redecorate."

"Why, Cameron, you don't-" His pointed look makes her grin. "I might enjoy redecorating but not at the expense of our comfortable, quiet mattress.

"Mom!" Adria scolds from the table. "I'm still here..."

"Oh dear, We should be having that talk soon." She kisses Adria's cheek after she walks past her to head up and check on the younger two. Her face is flushed because she knows what was being hinted at even if she doesn't completely understand everything. Vala winks at Cam over Addy's head before jogging up the stairs.

"You're mom just likes to tease you." Cam grabs a mug of coffee and sits down at the table with Adria. "Although..."

"Dad, I've been through fifth grade... I don't need the... The talk." She's redder as her face heats up. Talking to your mother about sex is one thing but your dad...

"I won't embarrass you more, but if you ever need me for anything. No matter how uncomfortable or awkward, I want you to know I'm here for you, honey."

"Thanks, Dad, I know... It's just..."

Cam gets it. He remembers his mom giving him the run down on sex and girls and how he wanted to die. He makes the choice to switch subject. "So what's this project about?"

"Genetics. We're supposed to have samples from both parents." She looks pointedly at him, and Cam wishes he hadn't asked. Of course she won't just drop it.

He tries distraction again. "How about some ice cream?"

"I'm not even done with breakfast, Dad." She rolls her eyes at him. "Try that on Tyler or Lyra."

Cam reaches over and steals a piece of her bacon in retaliation for the smart remarks. "They'll let you by with just one."

Adria begins to feel uncomfortable with her father's attitude toward this. "Why don't you want to, Dad?"

"I have a deathly fear of my hair being pulled." He leans over and kisses her forehead then gets up, leaving his hand resting on her shoulder. "I'm going to save your Mom. It's been five minutes and I haven't heard any noises, I'm fearing the worst."

"Aunt Sam's taking me to the museum later, don't forget!"

"I won't, trust me. We're babysitting Aiden."

Adria grins. "I think he's funny."

"You don't have to pay for the repairs every time." He squeezes her shoulder and walks out of the room, going upstairs. He finds Vala in the middle of their big bed, Lyra on one side of her and Tyler on the other.

"Mommy made us watch her cartoon," Lyra says, but she doesn't seem too upset over it.

"Well, I guess that's fair in your mom's world." They've all just sort of come to accept Vala logic. In the cases of the younger and more impressionable ones, it's just a way of life - and one they're prone to adopting themselves. "Hey, can we..."

He nods outside.

"They're gonna go kissy," Lyra says, giggling. Vala bounds out of bed with energy that rivals her children's and gives Cam a big smooching kiss. Tyler and Lyra both shriek with amusement and exaggerated disgust.

"So we've been run out of our room, and Adria's downstairs..." Cam leads Vala into Lyra's room. It's purple and white and silver, with artwork on the walls and a mural of unicorns drawn by Adria.

Vala absently makes the bed before they sit down, pulling Lyra's stuffed penguin to her chest and looking at Cam. "You are such a mom," he says, leaning over and kissing her. It's only meant to be a quick peck but she leans in and he forgets to pull back. Eventually he remembers that he had something to say to begin with and sits back again. "Addy's still trying to get me for that genetics test. Do you think you could call the school and have them talk to her? Come up with some reason why she can't participate? Or just..."

"Just what?" Vala knows how troubling this is, and she's worried herself, but she's not sure what she can do. "Have them secretly doctor the results?"

"Well..." He looks down briefly and Vala realizes that the thought actually had crossed his mind.

"We'll think of something," she promises him, not wanting him to worry.

Cam's sure that all of this will go south before he can get control of the situation. It's already caught him off guard.

"Maybe we should tell her..." His heart already aches with the thought. He loves her. Loves her fiercely, as if she were his own. He forgets that she's not most of the time.

"Do you want to?" Vala's leaving all the decisions regarding this up to him. Her poor, dear, husband who's going to be heartbroken by the reaction Adria has. "We've got a couple years yet... until the point we've agreed on."

"I just..." He pulls her into his side, head on her shoulder, nose pressed to her neck. Her scent grounds him a little. "I don't want her to find out on her own. I think... I think that will be far worse."

"She won't find out. We'll figure this out. I'll call the school on Monday." Vala strokes her fingers through his hair and just lets him cuddle into her for a while. She doesn't envy him, having to make this sort of call. She's lucky that all three children are hers, biologically. She'd give anything to make that the case for Cameron. "You're making me miss my cartoon, you know?"

She feels him grin against her neck and knows that her comment has effectively lightened the mood. His lips part and he starts kissing and nipping at her skin.

"I've got better things to offer than some animated action." He lets his tongue trail upwards, tasting the salt of her flesh. His lips find hers again and they kiss, more passionately than the last time. He's seeking something else. Another type of comfort.

"I don't think that Lyra's bed is the best option for the activities that you're imagining." Vala lets him kiss her some more and returns the affection with equal enthusiasm. Her fingers play behind his ears and she knows it's unfair, touching his most sensitive spots, but she's never played fair before.

"We need a vacation." Cam's breathing hard as he pulls back, she's not unaffected either. Her breasts are heaving as she sucks in oxygen. "One without the children."

"We just had sex..." She's about to say when but then she realizes that she doesn't remember. Her eyes meet his and the look she gets tells her that he can't either. "We need a vacation." He nods.

Vala's nipples are pert under her silk pajamas and it makes him harder than he already was. "When do your parents get back from theirs? They are bound to be dying to get the children alone by then."

Cam loves how she thinks. "Another two weeks I think."

"How much do you think we'd have to pay Samantha to take all of them out?" Vala asks, leaning back on the bed and pulling Cam down beside her. He rests a hand on her flat stomach, just underneath her pajama top, fingers playing on her skin.

"Not enough money in the world, sweetheart." He kisses her temple, letting his face just rest there against hers, breathing her in. "But we can still try."

"Perhaps we could play up the 'but you've been lonely' angle..." Vala says, referencing the fact that Daniel's been offworld for almost three weeks. "No chance to be lonely with that bunch running around."

"Not a chance," Cam agrees, grinning. It's one of the things that he loves - that their house is full of noise, laughter and happiness, sometimes tears and screaming, but all very much reminding him that he's home.

"I think it's been three weeks," Vala says, seemingly out of nowhere. She sees his confusion and clarifies, "Since we've had sex. Adria was at a sleepover, and Lyra was sick and the cold medicine put her to sleep, and-"

"Tyler'd had a soccer game and he was beat, passed right out as soon as we got home." Cam grins remembering the blissful night of no interruptions.

"We should take a vacation somewhere offworld," Vala says. It's the first time she's made such a suggestion and it catches Cam off guard. He's worried often in the past that she'll get restless here with them but even now as she says it she doesn't seem wistful, exactly.

"Offworld? Any reason?" He asks, trying to sound casual and not accusatory.

"Because it's faster to get back through the stargate than a car or an airplane, if something goes wrong" she says, and he wants to kiss her again out of relief - so he does. "What was that for?"

"I love you," he says, leaving it at that so he can kiss her again, long and slow. She wraps her arms around his neck and he shifts over her, her chest pressed against his, supporting his weight above her.

"We'll, that's a relief," she teases, mouth still against his in a kiss that doesn't seem to end, just sort of fluctuates in intensity. "I was certainly wondering."

He knows she's joking but glances at her eyes just to make sure. When he's reassured he shoots back, "Yeah, well, I was on the fence for a while."

She snickers and swats him on the butt.

Three weeks is a long time. Besides when she'd just given birth he doesn't know if they've ever gone that long. He must have a look of concern in his eyes.

"It's time, darling, not interest. I'm very interested still..." Vala licks at his lips before taking them with her own again. God, it's been so long since they've just kissed like this. Kissed and talked. Sometimes she misses the days of children that could still be put to bed at six. She puts a hand on the nape of his neck and kisses him more fiercely.

"Momma!" Lyra's looking in on them when they break apart and glance towards the summon, "That's my bed!"

She's bounding over to them and pops into her bed with them, trying to get into the middle of all that cuddling.

"Yes, well, ours was being used." Vala just nonchalantly answers back as they make room for their smallest child. "Were you not just watching cartoons on it?"

"Yeah, but I got bored without you too so I came to bring you back." She seems to recall that her father is there as well. "You can watch too, daddy."

Cam kisses her temple. "Do I get to snuggle mommy if I do?" He holds back a laugh as Lyra rolls her eyes at him.

"Course not. Tyler and me gets mommy. You get her every bedtime. When we are awake it is our turn." Lyra's so matter of fact about it. She's getting impatient for her mother so she slides off her bed and grabs Vala's hand. "Lets go." The O in the word is long and drawn out.

"Looks like you've got plans." He kisses her again before letting her up, much to the chagrin of Lyra who huffs her annoyance. "How come I'm never in on these plans?"

"The children clearly love me more." She just teases and he can see it in her eyes, but Lyra is quick to his defense.

She never wants her daddy to feel like she doesn't love him. "That's not true, mom! We love you both the same." Now she feels a little bad about it all. "You can snuggle momma if you want to when we watch, daddy."

He gets out of bed and picks up his wisp of a five year old. Her cheek is still pink from sleep and he peppers it with kisses. "That's alright, daddy has manly things to do."

She giggles and squirms until he sets her down. "Better tell Tyler, he likes to do those kinda things."

Vala mouths over her head. "Manly things?" There's a smirk on her face and a disbelieving tilt to her head.

"Gotta mow the lawn, fix something, build something and drink beer. Man things."

"So many specifics in your manly things. Well, I have to watch cartoons with my two babies." Vala kisses Cam's cheek as she goes by him. "But if you need any help cleaning up after said man things..."

"You'll be the first to know."