Summary: Janet finds a good listener as she deals with her sudden motherhood.

Author's Notes: Part 1/8 of a Daniel/Janet friendship series, tracing their relationship through the first few seasons. The order of the stories is as follows: "A Singular Friendship," "The Price of Compassion," "Legacy of Trust," "Crossing the Line," "Gaining in Inches," "Smaller Victories," "Not Too Late," and "After All."

Dedication: To the fantastic folks on the danandjan list, whose feedback and encouragement keeps me writing!

Daniel Jackson sighed restlessly as he tried to focus on the translation in front of him. He had been working for almost twelve hours, and his normally indefatigable drive was failing him. He wasn't exactly tired, just restless. He really wanted some companionship other than his books. In a decisive move, he flipped shut his Latin dictionary and ran through a checklist in his mind of who he could reward with his presence.

Jack had taken Teal'c home with him to introduce the Jaffa to the wonders of the Stanley Cup playoffs. They had invited Daniel along, of course, but the last time he had watched hockey with Jack, he hadn't really enjoyed himself and had ended up with a wretched hangover the next day. Plus, he had an early meeting on base, so it seemed wiser just to sleep there tonight. Sam was locked in her lab working on some kind of gate simulation program that Daniel didn't want to admit he didn't understand. He could go bother her, he supposed, but she probably wouldn't appreciate it. Suddenly, a better idea popped into his head. Janet was on call tonight, and unless she was busy in the infirmary, she would probably welcome a distraction.

The thought of visiting Janet became more and more appealing as Daniel turned it over in his mind. He hadn't paid much attention to the doctor when he first met her, but about a month ago, after the horrific Hathor incident, he found himself longing to talk to someone about what had happened. For some reason that he still couldn't identify, Dr. Fraiser kept coming to mind as the best person to talk to. After the third night that he got no sleep because of nightmares, he steeled his resolve and visited his doctor. She welcomed him, and he quickly found her understanding, sympathetic, and an excellent listener. Much to his surprise, he was able to open up to this woman with complete honesty; he was delighted to find a new friend.

He had seen her a few times between the Hathor incident and the time that Cassandra came to Earth, but since Janet's adoption of the alien girl, all of SG-1 had spent more time socializing with their doctor. Tonight, Janet had mentioned at lunch, would be Janet's first night on call and consequently Cassandra's first overnight with the babysitter. As Daniel got up and headed toward the infirmary, he wondered how the new mother was holding up.

As Daniel approached Janet's office door, he could hear her talking on the phone. "Okay, you're sure you're doing okay? And you'll be fine tonight with Mrs. Long?" She paused. "Well, then, I'll be home tomorrow when you get back from school. Bye, sweetheart, and you've got my number, so call me if you need anything." Daniel stuck his head in the door and watched as she hung up the phone and sighed.

"Hi!" he said brightly.

"Daniel! What brings you this way? You haven't hurt yourself or anything, have you?" she asked cautiously as she stood up to greet him.

"No, no, I'm feeling fine. I was just getting kind of restless and thought I would come down to say hi."

"Ah, well, come in. It's pretty slow around here tonight so far, knock on wood. Would you like some coffee?"

"Sure," he agreed, and she went over and began scooping grounds into her coffee maker. "So was that Cassandra on the phone?" he asked.

"Yes," answered Janet with a proud smile. "It's the first night I've been on call since she's been with me, so it's also the first night she's stayed with the babysitter. I think she's doing fine, but I'm kind of a nervous wreck. That was the second time I've called," she admitted.

Daniel laughed lightly. "I'm sure she'll be fine. But you seem like you've already got the 'concerned Mom' thing down."

Janet grimaced good-naturedly. "I know, and I can hardly believe it." She paused as she poured out the coffee, handed Daniel his, and sat down opposite him. She looked thoughtful for a moment before continuing. "After my divorce, I never really expected to have children. In fact, my resistance to my ex-husband's idea that I should quit my job and be a mom and housewife was part of what caused my divorce. I've caught myself several times in the past couple of weeks stepping back and looking at Cassandra and at myself and wondering what in the world I've gotten myself into."

Daniel looked at her with concern before replying. "No one ever thought this would be easy for you, Janet."

She snorted in response, then looked a little embarrassed. "It's worth it," she said with resolve, "but you're right, it *hasn't* been easy." She looked down into her coffee mug for a moment before continuing softly. "You're the first person I've been able to admit that to," she said, raising her eyes to meet his. He was startled by the vulnerability he saw reflected there. "Captain Carter...Sam...wanted to keep Cassandra so badly, and I know it hurt her to give her up. I feel like if I seem in the least ungrateful..." She trailed off, but before Daniel could think of a way to respond, she continued with escalating agitation. "I'm not ungrateful...or I don't want to be. Cassie is really an amazing girl, and I have already completely fallen in love with her. I'm just so scared I won't be a good mother, and if I'm not, not only will I have failed Cassandra, but somehow I will have failed Sam, too."

"Hey, hey," said Daniel soothingly as he caught the hand with which Janet had been gesturing desperately, "calm down. You *are* a good mother, and you will continue to be. I have never had a moment of doubt on that subject, and neither has anyone else, Sam included." He squeezed her hand reassuringly. "I think we have all come to love Cassandra, and Sam did form a special bond with her at first, but Sam elected of her own free will not to adopt her. You are Cassie's new mother, not Sam. And it isn't an offense to Sam to remind yourself of that, okay?" Janet nodded faintly. "Most importantly," Daniel continued, ducking his head to look her in the eye, "you don't have to do this alone. We are all here to stand with you and to support you. And for what it's worth, you can always tell me how you feel, regardless of how you think Sam would react."

"Thanks," Janet answered softly, squeezing Daniel's hand briefly before releasing it. They shared a smile. "Of course," she continued, a slight gleam appearing in her eye, "I'm really not sure how I feel about my other new role as dog owner. I've thought about calling up Colonel O'Neill every time that puppy decides in the middle of the night that he needs to go outside!"

"I'm sure Jack would appreciate that," laughed Daniel.

At that moment, a nurse knocked lightly on the door and stuck his head in. "Dr. Fraiser? Lieutenant Johnson just came in complaining of nausea and stomach pains."

"Thank you," Janet answered. "I'll be right there." She and Daniel stood, and she collected their empty coffee mugs. "I certainly hope this is not foretelling a long night ahead of me," she told Daniel with a sigh as she followed him out into the infirmary.

"I hope not. Have a good night, Janet," Daniel said as they parted company.

"Thank you, Daniel...for everything. I really appreciate the listening ear."

"Always, Janet," he answered, watching her petite form disappear into the infirmary. He smiled to himself as he made his way back to the elevator, increasingly grateful for this special friendship.