How
By: spacegypsy1
CATEGORY: Romance
WARNINGS: None
AUTHOR’S WEBSITE:
http://www.fanfiction.net/~spacegypsy1/
Number One:
Vala bounded into the room, disheveled from sleep. Her hair stuck out wildly from a hastily prepared knot and her BDU jacket barely covered her skimpy nightie. “Daniel! I’ve got it! I’ve got it!” She had a half eaten candy bar in one hand and the sleep mask in the other.
“Oh, god. What now? Not again, Vala?” He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back into the chair. “Have another dream?”
“No, no… I was wide awake when I got it!”
“And what did you get?” He leaned forward, elbows on the desk.
“Well…you see, I’m in love with you Daniel. I mean R E A L L Y in love with you. I mean I love you, but I’m also IN love with you. I just wanted to tell you that. Goodnight.” She left as frazzled and disheveled as she’d entered.
He sat back stunned by her outburst and suddenly he laughed. What a nut case. She loved him. Vala space pirate former Goa’uld thief and con artist Mal Doran was in love with him… “Humph, well, that works for me.” Daniel got up leaving his work without a second thought and headed for Vala’s quarters. He had something he wanted to tell her.
Number Two: No Longer Puzzled
“Vala, get out of my way.” Daniel’s frustrated voice held a slight tinge of humor.
“Oh, Daniel, it’s a puzzle,” she stood directly in front of him before the wall of symbols in the dark and dusty temple. “At least give me a chance at it. I do so love a puzzle. But not those Sudoku thingies, but these, I used to be quite good at them. So let me help.”
He was grinning at the back of her head. “Nope, I wanna do this one.”
Her arms went out wide and with fingers splayed she moved them up and down as if she were weighing something. “Give me a minute, I think I see something.” Her hands went to her hips, her head went to one side.
“Vala.” How had she gone from nuisance to delightful? When had that happened? He knew he’d stopped disliking her some time ago. But when had it changed to adoring her goofy ways? “Vala…the teams outside in the hot sun waiting for us.”
Ignoring him she continued, “All the little writings on the wall and all the little figures that have to go together and tell you something… I like these. I like this.” She moved to the wall and traced a symbol. “Like this one. Right here. What does it say?”
“It says…ah jez, Vala… I love you.”
“Really? That’s odd - why would it say that?” Her head cocked the opposite direction.
He didn’t answer. Just smiled and shook his head and stood there behind her while she stared at the wall totally confused.
Vala tilted her head back and forth trying to discern how he got ‘I love you’ from those silly little squiggles. Suddenly she turned, hair flying and eyes wide, a completely surprised look on her face, “What?”
“I love you.”
She grinned, jumped into his arms, legs around his waist and kissed him.
Number Three: A Simple Touch
“What have you done?”
“I didn’t touch a thing, Daniel, I swear.”
“Something was touched because that was not glowing a minute ago.”
“Well, it wasn’t me, you must have touched it.”
The light on his gun was pointed directly into Vala’s face and she was trying to look innocent – quite unsuccessfully. “Vala, I’ve told you a hundred times not to touch anything!”
“Pfft! Ha! Like you never touch things. You’re always touching things” She touched his chest, waggled her head and smirked.
He eyed her with disdain and touched her chest, inches above her breasts with one finger. “I’m an expert on touching. I can touch. You cannot.” He ended with a very mild shove against her chest, dropping the light from her face.
She reared her head back, glared at him and then punched him in the chest.
“Ouch! Damn it, Vala.” He backed up and let loose of the gun, “What the hell has gotten into you?” Hands went to his hips.
“What the hell has gotten into you Daniel?” Hands went to her hips.
The glow of the artifact had turned to a pulsing light. Daniel turned to the light and stared transfixed.
“What is it?” Vala touched his sleeve gently.
“I don’t know, but I don’t think it’s good. Come on,” he grabbed her arm and started pulling her behind him. Before he reached the doorway into the cavern, steel like bars dropped across the opening. “Now look what you’ve done.”
“Me!?”
“Mitchell!” Daniel called into the radio. Dead silence followed. He tried again, “Mitchell?”
Vala tried her radio, “Mitchell? Sam? It’s dead.”
“Great!” Daniel suddenly felt weary. He tossed his pack on the ground and settled himself beside it, back against the wall, eyes staring ahead at the glowing object.
Vala sat in the dirt beside him, leaning into his arm. “I’m sorry. I swear I didn’t mean to touch it. Not really. I just sort of touched it. I’m really sorry.”
“I know.”
“I don’t feel good. I feel all weepy and sad and a few other things like that I won’t mention.” Vala moved to sit on the ground directly front of Daniel with her sad, lost puppy look.
He reached a hand out and smoothed her hair, then cupped her cheek, mesmerized by her face. “Me too. I think it’s the artifact. I feel sort of emotionally drained. Like…well, something I’ve definitely felt before.”
“Think it’s going to kill us?”
“I don’t know. Hopefully someone will come looking for us.”
Vala yawned. “I’m sleepy.”
“I’m sleepy too,” he said, reaching out and pulling her closer to him. “I’m not mad. You just have a way of making me a little nuts sometimes.”
She looked up at him, then crawled into his lap and snuggled as close to him as she could get. “I know. I can’t help it. I love… I love making you crazy.”
Slowly his head tilted closer and his lips brushed hers. “I love making you crazy too.” He wrapped his arms around her.
“I love teasing you.” She nibbled at his lips.
“I love it when you tease me.” He kissed her, long and fully.
Her arms went around his neck and she turned into him, kissing him back with longing. “I love… I…I love…I love…”
“You. I love you. Goodnight Vala.”
“Goodnight, Daniel. I love you.” She fell asleep sitting on his lap arms still around his neck.
When they woke an hour later Mitchell was standing over them, “What the hell are you two doin?”
“Huh?” Daniel sat up, dumping Vala from his lap. He looked around. The bars across the entrance were gone and so was the artifact. “What the hell?”
“That was my next question,
Daniel ignored him and approached the pedestal where the artifact had been. He rubbed his hands across its surface hunting for some sign that might indicate where the item might have gone. “It was right here.”
Vala came to stand on the other side of the pedestal. “Where could it have gone?”
“What? Where is what and what has gone where?” Mitchell watched the two suspiciously. “Have you two gotten into the jungle juice?”
“It’s in this somewhere. It has to be.” Daniel walked around the stone structure and Vala followed him.
Vala looked at Mitchell. “I touched it and it glowed.”
“Then it got brighter and started to pulse.” Daniel kept trying to find a way to get into the pedestal.
“Then it made us sleepy.” Vala was stooping down, inspecting the bottom of the stone.
“Yeah, and then it made us…” Daniel looked down. Vala looked up. They smiled at each other.
“What?” Made you what?” Mitchell was thoroughly confused.
“We need more time to study this thing.” Daniel told Mitchell.
“Not on my watch, buddy, we’re gettin’ out of here before you both turn into simpering idiots…more. We’ll send a team back to study it. This team is going home.”
Mitchell just shook his head as Daniel and Vala walked ahead of him hand in hand through the Stargate.
Number Four: Cold
When the car decided to fail with a clunk and a sudden bucking motion Daniel had managed to coast to the thick snow drifts on the side of the two lane highway somewhere in the Rocky Mountains miles from Cheyenne Mountain.
Wind rocked the car and snow so thick you couldn’t see two feet in front of you began to pile up around the car. Twenty minutes of phone calls resulted in twenty minutes of no help coming for at least an hour. The Wrecker services all around were tied up and no one at SGC could get out.
Vala turned on the radio. “At least this works.”
Daniel turned it off. “We’ll run the battery down.”
“It’s going to get awfully cold and dark.”
“Yep. Not much we can do about it.”
“I’m already cold.”
“Come here.” He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer.
“I’m still cold.”
He opened his jacket and she settled into him with part of the jacket around her shoulder. “Better?”
“I need chocolate. Do you have chocolate?”
“Nope.”
“I need something sweet. And maybe a long hot bubble bath.”
“I can furnish the sweet, the bath will have to wait.” He kissed her sweetly.
“Why did you do that?”
He shrugged. “I just felt like it.”
“Why?
“I don’t know, Vala. You look particularly adorable?”
“That’s not it, Daniel. I always look adorable.”
“That you do.”
She grinned. “Would you care to do that again?”
“I think I can manage that.” He kissed her experimentally.
“Hmmm, not bad.”
“Not bad?”
“Not as good as The Prometheus Kiss.”
“I don’t think that counts. I was knocked senseless and had no idea what I was doing.”
“Are you at long last falling in love with me?” She sighed, hopefully.
“Maybe.” He responded noncommittally.
“Let’s try again. With a mouth like yours you have got to be an extraordinary kisser. I’ve sampled, I know.” Vala closed her eyes and waited but nothing happened. When her eyes opened he was smiling at her. She grinned and shut them again, waiting.
“Open your eyes.” The tremor of his voice sent electric shocks all through her. When she did he kissed her properly.
“Oh, Daniel. That was much better than The Prometheus Kiss.” She felt a bit dazed.
“You closed your eyes.”
“I couldn’t help it. Do you love me?”
“I do.”
“Really? You’re not snow-blind or something like that?”
“Nope.”
“You know, Daniel, it’s getting hot in this car.”
“I know.”
“All this shared body heat; the windows are fogging up.”
“Yep.”
“You’re not going to say it are you?”
“What?” He was looking into her eyes a foolish grin on his face.
“You know…the three little words.”
“You’re cold? You’re hot? Where are we? You’re bored? ” Daniel placed his hands on either side of her head, tangling his fingers with her hair. His thumbs traced circles around her ears.
“Daniel.” Her tone was warning.
“I love you?” Eyebrows went up, his grin widened and sparks seemed to flash in his blue eyes.
“Yes. Those.” She kissed him with pent up longing held inside since that first kiss so long ago.
“I love you.” He said against her lips, kissing her the way he should have so long ago.
Number Five: Hot!
Heat shimmered in waves across the baron landscape of P3Q-189. A rock overhang offered shade and the fresh trickle of water inside the shell like refuge cooled the air.
Both Daniel and Vala had removed their packs and jackets and were inspecting every nook and cranny trying to decide on what afforded the best protection from the coming heat. They were stranded; separated from the rest of the team. The second sun was about to rise and things were going to get hotter. A lot hotter.
“Over here.” Daniel called and Vala came to check the spot he’d picked out. “I don’t think the sun will make it this far back and there’s a little bit of low rock to hide behind. Besides, it’s right next to the water.”
“Good. This will be our happy little home until sundown. Then we can locate the others and get back to the ‘Gate.” Vala drug both packs over while Daniel went outside to try the radio again.
“Nothing?” She looked up from where she sat on the ground crossed legged and rooting around in her pack.
“They’re probably holed up somewhere that’s not getting the signal. I think I’ll leave the radio on at the entrance just in case they try to contact us. Let’s check our supplies. It might be a very long day.”
Vala dumped out odds and ends from her pack, a worried scowl on her face. “OH MY GOD!!!” She practically screamed the words in horror.
Dropping his pack he turned to her, “What!?”
“My M & M’s melted.”
“Damn it Vala you scared the hell out of me!”
She just shrugged her shoulders and found the best spot in the little niche and began to make herself comfortable.
It wasn’t long before Daniel joined her, sweat covered and looking miserable.
An hour later the two of them were drenched in sweat and lethargic. “Daniel, I’m hot.”
He ignored the obvious.
She held her hands up over her head. “I mean really, really hot. I’m going to die right here and melt into a puddle of Vala.”
“It’s going to get hotter.”
“It can’t possibly get any hotter.”
“Yes it can. Be quiet. Try to get some sleep while you can. I’ll take watch.”
It was nearly three hours later when Daniel stood, pulled his T-shirt off and began to sponge up water from the rock wall. Vala’s eyebrows disappeared behind her sweat soaked bangs as she watched Daniel’s damp glistening back, intrigued.
Then she pulled her shirt off and began to do the same.
Daniel tried to keep his eyes on the wall. Her skimpy chemise was plastered second skin like to her body and his traitorous eyes kept taking stolen glances at her.
“Hot.” She said.
“Yeah, I’ll say!”
Side by side they continued to sop up the water.
“Daniel, if I’m going to die I have something I need to tell you. Seriously.”
He turned to her. They stood inches apart and her T-shirt dangled wet and dripping from her fingers. He was squeezing his tightly in his hand.
“I don’t want you to talk. Just listen. And don’t roll your eyes. I don’t want you to say a word. I know every word you will say. I know you think I’ve just been toying with you. I know you think I am emotionally unstable, wacky and wonko and you think I am incapable of feeling true feelings. But before I burst into flames in this oven I just wanted you to know I love you. Really. I know all about real love, Daniel. I was normal once. I was engaged once. I know how it feels to be in love. I know you don’t love me. You barely tolerate me. And because of who I was when you first met me, there is nothing I can do to change that. So I am going to die totally unfulfilled. All those awful things that happened to you happened to me too Daniel. Just like you I threw up all those walls, did everything it takes to keep someone from loving me. To keep from hurting. And as much as you fight it and as much as you feel you are special in some way – as if you’ve been hurt more than anyone else, it’s not true. It’s happened to me too and we are just alike Daniel. We are not different! So I am going to die knowing that I told you…”
Daniel threw his T-shirt to the ground. “Vala. Shut. Up!” He took a handful of her hair and pulled her flush against him and the cool wetness of her chest sent steam rising as his arms locked so tight across her back that she was literally immobile. The inferno of his mouth lit a blazing fire in hers. And somewhere in the midst of delightfully hot as hell kisses the unheard radio kept calling their names.
Number Six: Barbie Doll
Daniel’s head lay on his desk and the plethora of artifacts and books circled him like a halo. Perhaps it was because he was nearly asleep that Teal’c’s quiet voice seemed so anxious.
“DanielJackson?”
“Huh?” His head popped up.
“There has been an accident involving ValaMalDoran.”
“Accident?” He checked his watch. It was just after
“I fear I am to blame.”
“What!?” Daniel came out of his chair and rushed towards the door where Teal’c stood.
“It seems that ValaMalDoran was attempting to leap onto my back as I – unaware of her tomfoolery – moved in the direction of Colonel Mitchell. I believe she frequently confuses Football tactics with Basketball or so her actions indicate.” Teal’c was following Daniel out the door of his office.
“Is she okay?”
“She is not.”
“When did it happen?”
“Nearly one hour ago.”
“An hour!” Daniel took off at a run.
“DanielJackson?” Teal’c called after him.
“What?”
“You are going in the wrong direction.”
Skidding to a stop, Daniel spun and took off the other way.
By the time he reached the infirmary fear and running had his heart about to burst through his chest. He stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted her.
She sat on the bed, hair curled and full, putting on lipstick without a mirror. Her eyes lifted to him and she grinned. “Daniel! Look!” Vala lifted her right leg to reveal the neon green cast that stopped right below her knee. “It’s green and matches my new robe, isn’t that wonderful. Don’t you just love it! And this one,” she lifted her left arm to reveal the neon pink cast that went nearly to her shoulder, “is pink!”
Daniel turned and glared at Teal’c who dropped his head in shame.
* * * *
Standing at the foot of the ramp Daniel scowled at the four people about to go through the active ‘Gate.
“
“Sam. She’s a woman. Vala needs a female helper!”
“You didn't just fall off the turnip truck. I need a scientist, not an archeologist. This is a simple mission. Breckenridge here knows the culture. You’re stayin’, we’re goin’. Nuff said. Move out!” Mitchell turned and led the team through the Stargate.
Daniel was more than unhappy about being left with babysitting duties for Vala. But she couldn’t stay in the infirmary and there really was no one else to take care of her. His head dropped despondently and he went off to collect his charge.
* * * *
After three days being cooped up in his apartment with Vala, Daniel was near the point of breaking. He’d pigtailed her a hundred times. Dressed her like a Barbie doll only to have to redo it because she changed her mind. He fixed her meals, brought her magazines and books and literally waited on her hand and foot. He stopped at her requests to bathe her… he wasn’t that naïve - she could bathe herself. Dr. Lam insisted she could also dress herself and feed herself, but he was willing to help out as much as he could. And to be honest she was a good sport about the whole thing.
“DANIEL!” She called from the guest bedroom. He squeezed his head in agitation retracting his last thought, before taking his time to get to her.
“Yes?” Standing in the doorway he forced a smile.
“I’ve decided on the pink nightgown. This blue one doesn’t go with the green cast. And I thought I’d watch television in the living room while you work since I can’t sleep.”
He shuffled through the drawers and found the nightgown. He laid it on the bed beside her. He hated that drawer it always made him shiver-unfortunately in a pleasant way.
“Aren’t you going to help me put it on?” She waggled her brows and eyed him seductively.
“I think you can manage, call when you’re ready and I’ll wheel you up front.”
She shot him a pouting leer, “We make a happy couple together. I think I should move in here with you. You know I love you. We could have a few kids and live happily ever after.”
“Call me when you’re ready.” He left the room.
* * * *
“DANIEL!”
He came to stand in the doorway looking oddly distracted.
“Daniel?”
She’d put on lipstick, fluffed her hair, worn her favorite nightie – the one that made him want to take it off of her. He stared across the room with a blank expression. “A wheel just came off the wheelchair.”
“Well, darling, I’m not THAT heavy. You could carry me.”
He knew that smile. Calculating and guilty. How could she have gotten the wheel to fall off? No way…had to be a faulty chair. He had one eye half closed in a ‘I’m not so sure’ squint towards her.
Vala, still grinning - teeth bared and eyebrows raised - waited.
Still frowning in indecision he lifted her from the bed. “Ugh. You weigh a ton.”
Wrapping her arms around his neck she snuggled in close, wiggling about and placing her newly shinned and glossy red lips against his neck.
He all but dumped her on the couch and went back to the work he’d spread out on his dining room table. She spent an hour watching some movie, fast forwarding through it for what she termed, ‘the juicy parts’ and said not another word to him. That he realized was more distracting than her constant chatter.
What was she up to? He couldn’t concentrate. He would only admit it to himself – he liked having her here. Not the distracting sexual innuendo part. That made him crazy…and wanting. But her being Vala, that came with the package. Constant chatter that he’d come to appreciate like a piece of music in the background while he worked. A smile that could blind a man. The body of a goddess. The mind of genius cleverly disguised in rhetoric. And humor! She could make Jack sound like a stone with her often hilarious remarks. Damn. Damn. Damn. He was really getting excessively fond of Vala.
He could just see the top of her dark hair above the couch as the credits of the movie rolled across his television. Standing he called softly, “Vala?” When he got no answer he walked over and found her sleeping, a grimace on her face and sweat on her brow. Gently he touched her cheek. She moaned softly. He gathered her in his arms and carried her to the guestroom. Carefully he placed her on the bed and began to pull the covers over her.
“Daniel?” Her voice sounded pained.
“I’m right here.” Brushing the hair from her face he knelt beside the bed. “Are you okay.”
“Sort of. My arm really hurts. Stay with me, I’m sleepy, stay with me.”
“I will. Go to sleep.”
* * * *
He was sound asleep on his back when she threw the weighted cast across his thigh. “Daniel?” Opening her eyes she found his blue ones staring at her, a pained expression held there. “Sorry. Did I hurt you.”
Not yet, he thought. But it was bound to happen soon enough.
Vala rolled into him, protecting her aching arm. Her leg was still across him; the cast digging further into his flesh. Unable to get the leverage she needed to remove it; Vala gave him a pitiful look and shrugged her shoulders.
Carefully he removed her leg.
“Don’t go.” The soft whisper of her words washed over him.
Blue eyes were intense. “Are you hungry?”
“I’ve been hungry since the day I met you.” She grinned and he smiled and did the oddest thing. He kissed her. Warm and tenderly, his hand upon her face.
And when his lips left hers she smiled and he grinned and she kissed him with all the love she could muster, all the pent up longing, from the depth of her soul.
When at last their eyes met once more his were full of something she had never witnessed before. He appeared to be blinking in slow motion, his expression warm and caring.
“Daniel?” His name fell in a question of a thousand words from her lips. “Daniel.”
“Vala. Vala, I think I love you.” He whispered, bewildered, bemused and happily befuddled.
Number Seven: Sometimes it takes a swift kick
Daniel woke up in the infirmary, blurry eyed and hurting. After ten long years one would think you’d get used to this. What the hell happened? It must be late, the lights were dim and no one was hovering over him. Well that had to be a good sign. Couldn’t be too bad if the team wasn’t sitting around waiting to see if he was going to make it. Or…uh oh, what if they were in worse shape? What the hell happened? He tried to sit up for a look around but couldn’t seem to muster the strength. All of Dr. Lam’s whistles and bells started going off. The doctor appeared beside his bed as if instantaneously materialized. “What happened?” He thought he’d spoken but he didn’t hear his voice make a sound.
Blinking, he made the effort to bring Carolyn Lam into focus. Her hand rested lightly on his shoulder, “Be still. You’re fine.” She was injecting something into his IV and all went fuzzy and then black.
When next he woke, something dark blocked his vision and ticked his nose. He blinked, wiggling his nose and blow out a puff of air to get the hair from his face. Vala popped up, mouth agape and eyes wide and staring at him. “Daniel! You’re awake! I was just trying to get a closer look at your wound. It looks god awful, but Carolyn insists it’s healing well. She went to get something, she’ll be right back. Poor baby. It’s just the most dreadful thing.” Vala leaned again to peer at his neck.
“Wha…” His throat ached painfully and still no sound escaped him. He tried to lift a hand, but felt too weak. What he hell happened?
Someone was rubbing his foot at the end of the bed. The apparition was unfocused, but he recognized Sam.
He tried again to talk. Sam patted his foot. “Don’t try to talk yet. Dr. Lam says it’ll be a little while. Just relax.”
Daniel lifted a hand, thumb to forefinger and wrote in the air. Vala blinked, frowned, then smiled and did a little silly wave. He scowled shaking his head no at her and she frowned again.
Again he tried to talk, but the pain was excruciating. His dull eyes shifted to Sam and back to Vala.
Vala moved away as Carolyn appeared, a sweet concerned smile on her lips. “Good to see you back amongst the living Dr. Jackson.” She patted his shoulder. Carolyn turned away and his blurred vision lifted to the foot of his bed where Carolyn was looking, then back to the doctor who spoke to Sam. “The last X-rays looked good, Colonel, but it will be a while. Let him rest.” Carolyn snapped the cap off a syringe and moved to inject his IV. Daniel kicked at his covers, shaking his head furiously. He kept trying to gesture writing but no one seemed to be paying attention. Carolyn eyed him curiously and relented. “Alright. We’ll see how it goes without the pain meds. I’ll get something set up so you can administer what you need with a push button.”
Vala materialize on the other side of the bed, pad and pen in hand. “Daniel, why don’t you try to write something?”
He rolled his eyes in exasperation and that made him dizzy. Squeezing his eyes shut a moment he waited for the lightheadedness to pass. All but snatching the pad and pen from her hand he managed to scribble ‘What the hell happened’ underlined repeatedly.
Vala read the message. “You were kicked by that ugly mule on PR5-430, right in the throat, not ten minutes after you stepped from the ‘Gate. I told you not to go on that mission with SG-14. They have the most appalling record of getting into trouble. Even I know that! I’m not sure how they manage to stay alive! They’re worse than we are. And who would have…”
Daniel kicked the covers like a child in tantrum and wrote ‘Ha Ha’ on the paper and returned it to her. Vala read it and passed it back. Sam hadn’t moved from the foot of the bed and she was stroking his foot like a mother hen.
Fuming, he wrote large on the next page of the notebook,
“Tell.
Sam squeezed his foot again, and he moved it from her grasp scowling in her direction.
Vala flipped the paper over and wrote in tiny perfect script. ‘I told you, you were kicked by a mule. M-U-L-E’-underline, underline, underline. “Really, you were.” She said handing it back to him.
Looking around he saw the unfocused image of Mitchell leaning over Sam’s shoulder. Carolyn handed Vala Daniel’s glasses and she carefully put them on him. “There. Better?”
Focused on the foot of the bed he saw Teal’c standing near
the door and Mitchell still peeking over Sam’s shoulder. “Hey,
Teal’c took Mitchell’s place beside Sam. “I too, am happy to see you are awake and healing DanielJackson. I will leave you to your rest and return later.” He waited, looking at Sam.
“I’ll be back,” Sam didn’t seem to be able to say more, she came to the side of the bed, leaned in and kissed his forehead. Looking up she frowned at Vala. “Vala, you need your rest. You’ve been here for two days, he’s fine. Come on. You can come back later. He needs to rest.”
Vala unhappily nodded in acquiescence. She kissed Daniel’s lips and he frowned at her and with sad smile looking back, she left with Sam and Teal’c.
He had a vague memory of the incident, and more of hearing Vala chatter on and on at him all the time he was semi-conscious. That, he remembered now, had been like a lifeline and he smiled and drifted off to sleep.
A nurse had come in and hooked up the med device, removed his glasses, checked his wound and left him alone. Daniel had relented to the pain meds later when his throat had begun hurt, but unable to sleep he drifted in and out. Sometime in the middle of the night, Vala sneaked back into the infirmary. Relaxed and painless with the meds he wasn’t able to respond to her, but he was happy to have her presence there and finally slept peacefully when he’d felt her head settle against his arm and her hand wrapped softly around his.
Later, her voice waft over him as he returned to semi-consciousness. “Darling, I know you can’t hear me, but I was so scared when they brought you back. You could hardly breathe and I was frightened. That awful animal almost crushed your windpile..wind.. something…breathing apparatus there in your lovely throat. You know, I love your throat, it is by far the most kissable neck I have ever encountered. And believe me, I have encountered a...well, that’s all in the past. I’m not that person anymore. I know you don’t think that. Be, really it’s true.” She sighed sadly. “And what would I do without you, Daniel?” He felt her tears on his arm where her head lay on the crook of his elbow. He wanted to stroke her hair, tell her how much he appreciated her concern for him, but he couldn’t seem to gather the strength. Unable to speak, he’d listened to her soothing voice, amazed at how much he had come to care for her.
“I love you, Daniel.” She fell asleep against his arm.
When the nurse arrived later to check him, he was wide awake. Smiling she went to wake Vala and Daniel raised his other hand in a stop gesture and shook his head. With an understanding nod, the nurse performed her duties, whispering to him as not to wake Vala. “Need anything Dr. Jackson?” She asked finished with her duties. He shook his head slowly with a smile and she left them alone.
Daniel gazed at the dark head of Vala Mal Doran that lay lovingly on his arm. His eyes unexpectedly stung with moisture and he blinked to alleviate the unwanted emotion there. That mule had either kicked him senseless or kicked some sense into him. Whichever, he was suddenly filled with a desire and longing he’d thought he would never feel again. His eyes fluttered, and unable to remain awake he slept dreaming of Vala.
Carolyn’s hand lightly touched Vala’s back. Vala sat up and smiled at the doctor. Carolyn checked her patient carefully and instructed her nurse to change the bandage while he slept soundly. “You really should go get some rest. He’s doing really well. We’ll run some tests and x-rays later today, but he’s healing quickly and he will be able to speak again. Not to worry, Vala.”
Sitting back against her chair, Vala watched the pained expressions that moved across his face as the nurse removed the bandage and redressed the wound and left.
Vala hadn’t slept a wink through the rest of the night. When the doctor arrived around five in the morning she stopped beside Vala, arms folded and watching her patient. “He’s fine. Go get some sleep. Please. I don’t need you ending up in here from exhaustion.”
“I’ll stay. I need to be here.” Vala seemed to plead.
“Alright. Try not to wake him. And at least get some rest. There’s an empty bed right over there you can use. That’s doctor’s orders.” Carolyn insisted.
“I will. I promise.” Vala smiled wanly and returned her gaze to Daniel.
Later, still sitting up, Vala’s head nodded off in sleep several times only to jerk up back into wakefulness. Daniel moaned moving around, rustling the sheets; one hand went to his throat. She jumped up and took the hand, gently placing it back on the bed beside him. When he relaxed and seemed to slept peacefully again, she looked around the quiet and otherwise empty room, bit at her lip and decision made, she crawled onto the bed, settled against his body, head on his chest, arm wrapped across him and whispered, “I love you,” kissing his chest.
Sleepily, he wrapped an arm around her, his mouth, close to her ear, and managed a hoarse whisper, more breath then words, “I love you, too.”
Number Seven and a
Half
Continues scene in number seven
At his desk, Daniel flipped through the ancient tome. He scratched at the healing wound of his neck and Vala reached over and slapped his hand.
“Stop that. You’ll irritate it.” She returned to the translation she was editing for Daniel.
Surreptitiously, he watched her write into his journal. He distinctly remembered that morning five days ago when she had lain in his arms in the infirmary and they whispered words of love. When he had next woken up, she was gone and had not said anything to him about the…incident. Actually, she had been right back at being playful, teasing Vala, as if it had never happened. He wondered now if it had. Probably just some drug induced dream. That made more sense. Once again he studied the text, unsure of what he felt, if it had been a dream, if he wanted it to be a dream.
Vala wrote into the journal, fleshing out the meanings, editing his half written words. She was miserable beyond anything she’d felt before. Distracted, she read her last entry and surprised, she scribbled it out, then, just to be safe she ripped the page where she’d written ‘I love you Daniel… I love you too’. She tore the page into tiny bits…
His expression clearly sent her a message of first awe that she would tear something from his sacred journal, with a reproachful furrowing of his brows, slight glare of the eyes and hard set of the mouth…followed lastly with brows raised in question.
“I mucked it up. Starting over.” Vala went back to work.
Thinking she certainly could read him well he flipped a page of the book before him without really seeing the pages. Vala was more distracting then ever – in a very different way. Unusually quiet, going about her work, not interrupting him. He didn’t like it one bit. How was he ever going to get any work done if she kept this up? No twirling pigtails, no sitting on his desk – right on top of his books and papers. No face going through a gambit of silly grins and loving smiles. No rambling idiotic comments. No crawling into his arms and kissing his chest. He threw the pen down irritated by his last thought.
He forced a rasping whisper, “don’t tear my pages out.”
Without looking up she shook her head, “You’re not supposed to be talking. Doctor’s orders. No talking at all until after your speech therapy today. So stop talking!”
He rolled his eyes just as she looked up.
“No, it is not stupid. You’ll never get your voice back if you keep rattling on and on like that.”
Returning to his work he wondered how she’d learned to read him so well. Vala was an enigma – with soft gray eyes that speared his soul at every look.
She could feel his gaze on her, but fought the need to look at him again. She couldn’t take it anymore. Those blue eyes without the searing words he so often used said things she didn’t understand. Intent on her work she asked, “Are you hungry?”
Not a sound came out of him. Of course not, she’d just berated him about speaking. With a quick slant of her eyes she saw him shake his head. “Okay, then back to work.”
Daniel placed a hand over hers and her gaze lifted to him in shock.
Blue eyes, deep with a caring expression watched her. “Vala…” he forced her name in a whisper, raspy and jagged.
“Daniel! Stop it! Stop talking. It is totally unnecessary and particularly harmful.”
He flipped a printed sheet of paper over and jotted down something then shoved it over to her. She read his scribbled text...are YOU hungry?
Vala responded by writing beneath his note… I might be a little hungry… She slid the paper back.
Let’s get something to eat he wrote.
Reaching her arm across the desk she penned on the side of the paper Yes!
Daniel grinned and wrote You know you don’t have to write it down, and passed the note back to her.
I think it’s fun. That way it will be easier for you not to talk. She turned the paper towards him.
He hesitated before reaching across and sloppily scribbling That’s very sweet of you. Thank you.
You are welcome.
Want to go out
somewhere to eat?
Out? Wonderful idea.
Okay, now?
Now would be good. Actually, I’m starving. Vala punctuated the note with a smiley face. Don’t forget a pad and pens so we can ‘talk’
He grinned and nodded digging a spiral note pad from his drawer and picking up two pens. In the hall he grabbed a hold of her arm above her elbow and she turned in question.
With a frown he wrote on the pad I forgot. I have therapy in less than an hour. Commissary?
Vala nodded and followed him back the other way. Every time someone in the corridor spoke to him Vala would wave and tell them Daniel said hello.
In the commissary, they loaded a tray with a menagerie of food and returned to his office.
Vala speared a piece of his broccoli and chewed it, surprised by the crunching sound it made in the silent room. She snatched the pad that lay halfway between them. Damn, but that broccoli is loud.
He reached and twirled the paper in his direction and laughed with a scratchy release of air and sound.
Vala warned him with her eyes squinted menacingly. His eyes continued to twinkle but he did manage to look somewhat contrite. He pulled the notepad to him wrote and slowly scooted it in her direction. I want to thank you for staying with me in the infirmary. I really appreciated that, it meant a lot to me.
She read it with a carrot munching noisily in her mouth.
Tentatively she found the pen and responded I
would never leave you all alone. Besides, I was worried about you getting the
right care.
Still…thank you.
Anytime. I’d be happy to crawl in bed with you. She sent the paper his way before suddenly realizing what she had written. He had already begun to read it and she tried to snatch it back. Her heart began a cacophony of skipped beats.
Slowly his eyes shifted to her, his pen poised over the paper. Vala swallowed, clear and telling it the quiet. Daniel wrote, without scribbling, taking his time. The pad skidded across the desk at her, like a bullet to the heart. I meant what I said.
Reading the precisely written script her eyes began to sting
and she blinked. Rising from the chair, Vala pulled the pad along the table
with her as she went to stand beside him. She leaned over and wrote What?
What I said. I meant
it.
When you said what? She scrawled across the paper in big letters.
He sighed. When you He paused in thought When you snuggled sweetly beside me in the infirmary.
Both were writing furiously as if they were sparring on paper.
What did you say?
You don’t remember?
Yes. But what did you
say?
You want me to put it
in writing?
Yes. I may need it
someday.
No you won’t I’d never
deny it.
Deny what?
V-A-L-A!!
I love you, Daniel. I
was really afraid to say it. I’m afraid to write it. I don’t want anything to
come between our friendship. I’d be lost…
He pulled the pad right out from under her pen sending her next word out into a squiggled line.
Vala covered her face with her hands. She could hear him scratching out something on the pad. He stood and pulled her hands from her face and handed the paper to her.
Don’t ever be afraid to tell me anything. He started to try and speak, but she placed a hand across his mouth. Sitting, he took her hand and kissed it softly and pulled her into his lap. He wrote quickly I need to say it out loud then whispered against her lips, “I love you.”
Number Eight: Left Behind
The blue pool of the active Stargate reflected back on the four SG-1 members. Mitchell and Sam moved up the ramp as Teal’c and Daniel prepared to follow. Vala’s shout from the control room stopped them. “Wait! I’m sure I can go!”
Daniel’s head dropped and Mitchell turned with an unhappy expression. “Vala, I’ve already said it eight-hundred and eighty-nine times. We all have to do an annual. We do it when it’s scheduled. We all have to be poked and prodded and examined and tested for three days. No exceptions.” Mitchell turned without another word and went through the ‘Gate with Sam right beside him. Teal’c realizing Daniel was not moving stopped just short of the shimmering pool and looked back over his shoulder. Daniel was looking up into the control room. Vala pouted and waved down to Daniel who nodded and moved forward to join Teal’c.
* * * *
"
Standing with a light trained on the wall of symbols, Teal'c watched Daniel, “Perhaps it is Vala Mal Doran's absence that has you distracted."
Daniel nearly dropped the journal in his hand, "Are you kidding me!? Three days without Vala pestering me? This is a dream come true."
One raised eyebrow was Teal'c’s only answer as Mitchell and Sam exchanged knowing grins.
Sam strolled into the cave, "Daniel, you've gotten used to having her around and even you have to admit she is a valuable addition to the team. And she seems to really excel as an assistant."
"She is NOT my assistant!"
"I wasn't insinuating that, she's been a great help to me. Personally, I like having her around, she's smart and funny. I miss her when she wonders off to pester you. Daniel, she only does it because she gets such a kick out of your responses." Sam walked off. "Daniel, just go back to what you were doing and hurry it up." She said, eyes twinkling at Mitchell, who grinned.
With a huff he went back to scribbling in his journal.
"
* * * *
Vala was spinning around in Carolyn's chair behind the desk where the doctor sat, perched on the edge, arms folded across her chest. "I feel weak. Bloodless. I can't take anymore bloodletting. Aren't you through?" Vala would push herself into a spin again every time she rolled around forward, "Can't I go join the team? Couldn't you fill a jar with the rest of my blood and run your tests to you're heart's content? I don’t want my body invaded. Let’s skip that part."
Carolyn placed a hand on the top of the chair interrupting its cycle. "If you wouldn't disappear for hours at a time we could get this over with. Here," for the third time the doctor tried to hand Vala a gown, "put this on and meet me in the exam room."
Vala pouted. "I don't like this part. It's very strange. I mean surely you could check it out with one of your machines, like that kitten machine."
"Cat Scan."
"Yes."
"Vala, this is required. We have to do it."
"Ugh!" She shivered with dread, "I don't get it. I don't like it."
"None of us do."
"You've already squashed my breasts to pancakes… Oh! pancakes. I'm really hungry. Can we do this after breakfast?"
"It's 1300 hours, you just ate lunch."
Vala sighed deeply and put her elbows on the desk, rested her chin in her hands and sighed again. “I’m crazy in love with Daniel.”
“Yes, I know. As does everyone else in the mountain.” Carolyn tried to hand her the gown. Vala ignored her efforts.
“Except Daniel. He thinks I’m just a fruitcake without feelings. What I’m I going to do? He’ll never love me back. I’ll be a spinster…that’s the right word isn’t it? Growing old without hooking up with anybody?” Who’d want anybody but Daniel anyway? He’s so adorable. And sexy. And….”
“Vala!”
"Alright. Well. Fine. Let's get it over with." She snatched the gown from Carolyn’s fingers.
* * * *
Walter walked down the empty hallway towards Dr. Jackson’s office. He’d just been relieved and it was 1600 hours, but he had something important to do before he went home. At the door to Daniel’s office he knocked on the frame.
Surprised to see the airman Vala immediately stood up. “What is it Walter? Did they call in? Has something happened? Did Daniel say hello to me? What’s wrong, something’s wrong. Is it Daniel?”
“They called in. They’re coming a day early. In about an hour.”
“What happened?”
“Ah, seems Dr. Jackson fell in a cav…”
She was out the door running towards the control room.
“Vala! He’s fine. Oh boy! Now I’m in trouble. I wasn’t authorized to tell you! General Landry will skin me alive!” Walter yelled at her retreating back.
She stopped and turned, “Oh.”
“An hour, at least. A sprained ankle, nothing serious. Maybe you could just wander to the Gateroom in about forty-five minutes.”
Vala threw her arms around his waist and kissed his cheek. “Thanks Walter.”
“Anytime.”
* *
Loitering outside of the Gateroom Vala paced. It’d been an hour. Did something happen? Where were they?
She heard the first metallic click a second before the lights and alarm sounded, followed by the words that sent a thrill through her. “Incoming traveler.” Her nose nearly touched the closed door as she waited for it to open. As it slid aside, she was grateful for her slim build and scooted sideways through the door the instant it was feasible.
He came through first, limping, the blue bandana tied around his head, dust covering his uniform. She ran up the ramp, threw herself against him, locked her arms around his neck and kissed him. He reeled from the impact, but Teal’c grabbed his shoulders a moment to steady him.
Mitchell grinned at Sam, “I think she missed him, too.”
Daniel tried to pull her arms from his neck unsuccessfully. She tightened the grip and kissed him harder, open mouthed with teeth and tongue, igniting passion and he gave in and kissed her back. No denying he’d missed her. No denying her mouth on his felt right. His arms went around her back and he lifted her from the floor, taking over the kiss.
Landry’s voice came over the intercom. “Dr. Jackson, Miss Mal Doran, I’d like to see you in my office. Now.”
Daniel disengaged the kiss and Vala looked up into his eyes, “Oops. I think I got you in trouble. Fraternizing in the Gateroom! But I missed you.”
“Missed you too,” he murmured, dazed.
Mitchell, shaking his head and grinning, patted Daniel on the shoulder. “It was bound to come out sooner or later. Bad choice of times, though. I’ll support you two as much as I can. Thankfully you’re not military. Go on. Get it over with.”
Sam squeezed Daniel’s arm. “Don’t worry. There’s really not much he can do, but yell.” She said following Mitchell from the Gateroom. Teal’c bowed his head without a word and left them behind.
He’d never planned this. He just reacted. But Mitchell was right. They weren’t Military and no one had specifically outlawed civilian ‘fraternization’ and fraternization was definitely in his future. Like a staff blast to his heart, Daniel was struck by the thought that he was falling in love with Vala. God help him. Vala loved to tease him, but that was a far as her feelings went. She would break his heart, but it didn’t seem to matter anymore. He would live. He’d done it before. With his arm around her waist they headed off in a slow walk towards Landry’s office. Trying to clear his thoughts, he asked. “So, how’d the tests go?”
Vala’s heart was beating fast. She so wanted him to love her. She wanted to tell him how she truly felt about him. Instead she said, “I’m in perfect health. Which I tried to tell them. How was the mission?”
“Slow going. Lots of stuff. You know, ancient text, another Morgan le Fey hologram, some Goa’uld technology, a nice cache of weapons. A hint of Merlin technology.”
“Nothing unusual?” Vala grinned up at Daniel.
“Nope, that’s about it.” Daniel stopped in front of Landry’s office window and took a deep breath. What could he say to the General that would make any sense? “I don’t know what we’re going to tell the General.”
“Well…I will tell him the truth. I’m in love with you…really, really, really in love with you.”
“Landry’s going to… What did you say?”
“Dr. Jackson!” Landry called while Daniel stood outside his door dumbfounded. Vala patted Daniel’s chest and marched into the office, taking a chair, a wide tooth grin on her happy face.
Eight and A Half –
Left Behind
Continued from Number Eight – Left Behind
Daniel walked into General Landry’s office and stared open mouthed, totally astonished at Vala, before rattling his head around to clear his head. Repercussions were not on his mind when he’d made the fatal mistake of kissing her back instead of shoving her off. That would have satisfied the general. Vala obviously could get away with just about anything. He on the other hand, could not.
“Have a seat, Dr. Jackson.” Landry was frowning.
Taking a seat, Daniel watched the general uneasy, and then managed to get his face to relax.
“I’m considering taking Vala off the team.” The general’s statement was so profoundly surreal that Daniel didn’t react. Vala did.
She jumped up from her chair, “NO! You can’t. Please general. I was just so glad to see him I got carried away. Please. You can’t take me off the team. It’s my life.”
Daniel placed a hand on Vala’s arm, pulled her to her seat, kept his hand on her and spoke with venom to the general. “She goes. I go.” He forced himself to calm down, “It was as much my fault as hers. I’m not in the military and neither is Vala. We’ve always had a strong connection. We’ve become close. We may have been out of line, and I’m not saying it won’t happen again, but it won’t happen again in the Gateroom. Or any other inappropriate time or place. But let me make this very clear…it’s not a threat. I am not trying to strong arm you. We can come to a compromise. Because, General, I will leave the program if you insist on taking Vala off the team.”
Both Landry and Vala were looking at him in shock.
The general rose from his chair with a scowl. “I understand, Dr. Jackson. Let me make something perfectly clear. I run this program. I make the decisions. But I will take your statement under consideration. I will see you both at the team debriefing in an hour. After that we can discuss a…compromise if I decide on it. Dismissed.”
Daniel took Vala by the hand and led her out.
“Daniel! You can’t leave because of me. I would never allow that.”
He continued holding her hand and leading her along. “Please, Vala, for once be quiet. We can talk about that later.”
“Later! Have you lost your mind?”
“No. Just my heart.”
“This is your life. Here with SG-1. What do you mean…just your heart?”
“And what kind of life would it be Vala, if you weren’t there? If we are going to be together, then we should be together.” He reached Sam’s office and hand in hand they entered. Teal’c stood like a sentinel beside the doorway. Sam was at her desk and Mitchell leaned against a counter. They were waiting to hear what happened.
“He’s thinking about taking Vala off the team.” It still sounded unreal. Daniel sat on a stool and pulled Vala between his legs, her back against him. “I told him if he did I would leave.”
“You what!?” Mitchell stood straight up and took a few steps toward Daniel.
“Where will you go DanielJackson?” Teal’c asked as if it were an ordinary thing for Daniel to leave.
“What!? He’s not goin’ anywhere.” Mitchell was amazed at Teal’c’s comment.
Sam folded her arms on her desk and smiled sadly at Daniel. “Digs? University?”
“This is by far the craziest conversation I have ever heard. I’m goin’ to talk to Landry.” No one stopped Mitchell from leaving.
“I have no idea where we would go. But I’m not sorry it happened. I do love her. As crazy as it is.” Daniel squeezed Vala’s waist.
“Look, Muscles, Sam, you have got to talk him out of this. He can’t leave SGC because I kissed him! That’s ludicrous… You do?”
“DanielJackson will do what DanielJackson wants to do. He will leave or he will stay. It is not our decision.”
“Right.” Sam agreed.
“Right.” Daniel confirmed. “And, yes, Vala, I do.”
“But, Daniel, where will you go?”
“Not where will I go, where will we go. That is if you meant what you said.”
“Of course I meant it, silly. I love you. I’ve always loved you. And I will go wherever you go. I can work. Well… I can waitress and I’m good with ship technology and…well I’ll think of something.” She wrapped her arms around his neck standing between his thighs and kissed him.
Sam cleared her throat. “Guy’s, we have a briefing to attend.”
When Daniel finally came up for air he had that dreamy, dazzled look. “Yeah, right, sorry.”
* * * *
After the briefing General Landry asked Colonel Mitchell, Dr. Jackson and Vala to stay. Teal’c and Sam stood up, and Mitchell put out a hand in a stop motion. “Wait, guys. General, I think the team needs to be here for this. Sir. If you don’t mind.”
Landry nodded with a frown and Teal’c and Sam sat again. “I still think it would be best to separate you two, but before you storm off, hear me out. I might be willing to compromise on this one. Against my better judgment, because of Colonel Mitchell’s adamant, and long winded I might add, defense of you both”
Sam and Teal’c both looked from Daniel and Vala to Mitchell with satisfaction.
General Landry continued, “He gave a hell of an argument, he’s quite a determined young man. As your commanding officer, he feels secure you two…ah… well, what you do on your own time is none of my concern, or the Air Forces. What you do on MY time is. Personally, I think some kind of disciplinary action is in order. But I am willing to compromise. It’s best for base moral. For the military personnel.”
“General Landry, sir, and all that due respect that is thrown around, sir, this was all totally my fault and any disciplinary action should be directed at me…Sir! After all I am alien to your culture and sometimes I tend to get a little out of hand…as Daniel has told me many times…Sir. And I’m not convinced that you’re not aware of all the married and otherwise fraternized couples that are…”
Daniel squeezed her arm to shut her up. Vala glared at him a moment and continued. “There are many married and otherwise affianced couples and lots of those fraternization thingies going all around the base, why just last week one of your…ouch!” She turned to Daniel with a devilish scowl and snatched her hand from his.
On the outside, General Landry looked quite calm and in control, on the inside he was about to spontaneously combust. Vala Mal Doran could turn any conversation into a debacle. “I am well aware of the couples who are and who are not married. One of which, may I point out, are you and Dr. Jackson. My concern is team moral. And Colonel Mitchell has assured me that SG-1, with you two…shall we say, coupled, is not and will never be a problem.”
“I concur, GeneralLandry, Vala Mal Doran and DanielJackson work well together whether they are bickering or…not.” Teal’c, suddenly, without a clue as to how to continued, turned to ColonelCarter.
“Ah, yes Sir! They are always very professional and forthright on missions, Sir…really.” Sam turned away from the General’s scrutiny and look at Colonel Mitchell.
Landry could not keep from closing his eyes and shaking his head. “Here’s the compromise. Vala, you are restricted to base for three weeks.”
SG-1 in unison nodded in consent. Except for Vala who sat with her head tilted oddly and her mouth open.
“Dr. Jackson, you are restricted to off base, off missions for one week.”
SG-1 swapped apprehensive glances around the table. After a
long and excruciating silence, Mitchell agreed, “Yes Sir. That’s acceptable.”
Daniel snatched at her arm so hard that she came down as fast as she went up. The only problem was, she landed in his lap. “Well, there you go, general. Three weeks is just fine with me!” Her shoulders came up to her ears. Hands cupped at her chest. Her eyes danced with mischief and her grin was a thousand watts of teeth.
The General actually slapped his forehead with a hand and stood without another word, leaving the room.
Those, around the base, close enough to hear, would have thought that SG-1 had just won the lottery.
Number Nine: Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
SG-1 had left the building. Daniel laughed at the thought.
It was after nine in the evening and he was alone at SGC, at least as far as
his team was concerned. Vala had taken off to
Here he was. Quiet time to himself. Time to go through boxes of artifacts he’d put away because he hadn’t had the time to deal with them. Carefully unwrapping the items he sneezed repeatedly at the dust clouds and laid the relics out on his desk. Uncomfortably, he suddenly realized that the old familiar excitement just wasn’t there. It wasn’t that he was bored with them, or didn’t want to study them; it just wasn’t quite the same without her there. No babbling interrupting him. No nuisance of spilled drinks or crushed eye glasses. No lithe body laying across his papers and pouting. Of all the bizarre things; he missed Vala Mal Doran!
Sitting in his chair he totally ignored the glut of ancient remnants before him, confused by his train of thought. He scanned the deserted room, and realized it was too quiet. He tried to turn on a radio he hadn’t used for years. All he got was static and he turned it off. He wandered aimlessly around his office searching books, trying to clear his mind. He spotted a framed picture Vala had recently given him. He laughed again. She’d gotten the security video of him strapped to the anti-prior chair and done a snapshot of her sitting on his lap. He was looking sternly-all prior faced and she was looking sad and forlorn. He placed it back on the shelf and moved on.
He found an empty Jell-O glass where she’d obviously stuck it back between some books. He pulled it out, inspected it and put it on his desk to return to the commissary. There was a shinny, jeweled dragonfly hair clip resting on top of his coffee pot. From the shelf over the coffee pot he lifted another framed picture. The one he’d taken of her when she’d received her SG-1 patch. She looked so proud. So beautiful.
Taking the picture he placed it on his desk. He sat, studied
the picture a moment and then tried to focus on the artifacts before him.
Returning his gaze to the picture, he picked up the phone and dialed Jack’s
“O’Neill.”
“Hey, Jack.”
“Daniel.”
“So. How are you?”
“Peachy. Two gals, one guy, ya know how it is.”
“Yeah. Nice.”
“NICE?! What planet are you on?”
“Earth.”
“Ah, that explains it.”
“So.”
“So? Did you need something? Or just calling to bore me to death? Because that’s okay too, seeing as I have Paris and that other one, what’s her name? Oh yeah, Paris and Nicole here with me.”
“Which ones
“They keep switching up on me. I can’t keep ‘em straight.” A long silence followed Jack’s last comment. “Daniel?”
“Yeah?”
“How ‘bout I let you talk to Vala?”
“Sure. That’d be fine.”
“Hey, Vala, phone.”
“Me?” Vala looked up from the pile of shopping items she and
Sam had just purchased. The ones Jack tried desperately to ignore. The ones
they were pulling out one by one from the large, pink
Jack held the receiver out towards her and she took it with a confused look.
Jack looked over at Sam and mouthed ‘Daniel’. Sam smiled and mouthed silently, ‘who else?’
“Hello?” She got no answer. “Hellooooo?
“Hey.” His one simple word, said so warmly, sent her heart into flutters. Made her knees weak. Lodged a lump in her throat.
“Hi.” She responded softly.
“I just wanted to say hi, hope you’re having fun.”
“Yes. I’m having a lovely time. Tomorrow Sam and I will get
to meet with the President. Isn’t that exciting? And I bought the most wicked
thing at
“That’s great.” Daniel said quietly.
Vala chewed her lip as silence prevailed. She turned to see Jack and Sam walk out onto the balcony.
“So.” Daniel finally stated.
“Yes. So. Well. Daniel, I ah…well…are you working?” Silly question, of course he’s working.
“No. Not really. I…ah, actually, I miss you.” I can’t believe I said that.
I love you. “I miss you too. Jack’s no fun to pester, he just takes it all in stride.
And I don’t. “Yeah. Good old Jack.”
“Yes, Good old Jack. You should see these two around each other.” Not like us.
“I’ve seen it. Are they still keeping their distance?” Like me? Stupid, stupid me?
“Well, not when they think I’m not looking. Why do they pretend they really don’t care around other people?” Like me? Stupid, stupid me?
Because they are afraid that if they show their feelings to the world it will become too real. “I don’t know.” He sighed.
She sighed. “Oh.”
“Maybe I’ll call tomorrow. Think I’ll go to bed.”
“Staying on base or sleeping in your own bed?” Bed. Daniel in bed. Will he sleep in something? Will he be naked? Oh my god! Stop it!
I swear to god, I wish you were in my bed. “Yeah. Staying here.”
“Good night, Daniel.” I love you.
“Good night, Vala. I think I’m falling in love with you.” He hung the phone up.
Vala stared aghast at the phone receiver. What did he say? She was dialing his cell number from memory. “Jack! Jack!” She cried out in panic!
Jack came flying into the room, Sam right behind him. “What the hell is wrong!?”
“I need a jet, or a helicopter… No I need a beam. I need to beam to the base. Right now.”
“What the hell happened?” Both Jack and Sam stood, hearts racing, waiting to find out what catastrophe had struck SGC.
Daniel’s cell phone was ringing but he wasn’t picking up the call. His voice mail came on and she screamed into the recorder. “I LOVE YOU TOO! I’m beaming over…Scotty… Ah, I mean Jack is going to arrange it. Stay right where you are. Do not leave that base. I’m coming directly your… JACK! Get on the phone and get that damned beamable ship here, now! And I’m coming directly to your room. Don’t you…” The recorder stopped. Vala turned to Sam who had a hand over her mouth and laughter in her eyes. “He said it! He actually said it! I have to go. Now.”
Daniel suddenly realized what he’d said. Out loud. Into the phone. To Vala. His head swooned and he slapped each side of his face with his palms. Holy buckets of jumping jackrabbits! What was he thinking? Maybe she didn’t hear him. His cell phone was ringing. It was Jack’s apartment number. He ignored it. What the hell was he supposed to do now? The envelope popped up on the screen and the little message beep sounded, but he couldn’t force himself to hear it. His cell phone was ringing again. Uh oh, she’d heard him loud and clear. Another message beep. Maybe he’d go off world until she forgot. Like for a hundred years or more. She was going to eat him alive…oh bad thought. Crap! He jumped up from the desk and paced the room. And paced. And paced.
On his final pace an airman appeared in his doorway. “Dr. Jackson, MS Mal Doran asked me to give you a message…and I quote, ‘When you see the white light in your quarters…darling…it’s the woman who loves you too’ unquote. Good night, sir.” The airman left with a silly smile on her face.
It took a half a second for his heart to start beating again
before he made a mad dash for his quarters. He reached his door in record time,
couldn’t find his card and had to run back to his office, snatch the card out
of his jacket and run back. He tried to swipe the card, but he dropped it. He
tried again, fumbled again, and dropped it again. Three times was the charm and
he yanked the door open. There she was, just coalescing into solid matter,
grinning wide, brows raised and wearing the most wicked thing from
Number Ten: Mistaken
Identity
WARNING: Sexual
Innuendo! Handcuffs! Proceed with caution!
A/N: this one is short and to the point! One little not to Unending-no spoilers. Enjoy!
He wasn’t quite sure how it happened. Somehow the villagers on PQQ-677 had thought he and Vala were a couple and put them in the same small room with one bed. Mitchell had snickered until they’d stuck him in with Sam. It wasn’t quite so funny anymore and he had bitched the entire walk across the courtyard towards the guest area until Sam had told him if he didn’t shut up she’d report this whole incident to General O’Neill. That shut him up for good. Teal’c, being the honored Shol’va had been given a large room in the main palace.
They discussed swapping rooms to girls and boys, but the guards at their doors deterred their plan.
Once they were safely locked into the ‘guest’ quarters Vala had stood in the middle of their room laughing. He had started laughing with her. Somehow it had gone from laughing to kissing.
Vala’s head lay upon Daniel’s chest, dark hair spilling around her face. Daniel lifted her limp arm, brought it to his lips and placed a kiss on the inside of her wrist, laying her hand back to rest over his heart. He could feel her smile against his chest.
“Go to sleep, Daniel.” Her muffled words held laughter.
“I’m wide awake now.” He stared at the ceiling, a happy grin on his lips, wondering if she'd heard his whispered confession in the heat of passion.
Her head popped up, both hands pushing into the mattress, one on either side of him. Vala tried to shake the hair from her face.
With both of his hands, Daniel combed her hair back threading his fingers through the dark mass. They were cocooned in the darkness, only the soft light seeping in from the door lent an ethereal glow.
He pulled her into a deep kiss, fingers completely wrapped about her head.
She straddled him and he let out a delighted ‘umph’. “I have something for you.” She kissed his forehead.
“I can see that.”
Vala slapped his chest playfully, “Not that, silly. I have something else for you.” She hopped out of the bed and practically disappeared in the darkness.
He came up on his elbows squinting, trying to locate her in the fuzzy dimness.
Far across the room Vala rummaged in her pack. He closed one eye and tried to focus on her blurry image.
Thankfully, she had the good sense (not to mention the contrivance) to bring lingerie especially chosen and purchased for her archeologist. No guilt there. A girl has to do what a girl has to do. By the time she came back to the foot of the bed, Daniel had retrieved his glasses.
There she stood in a red satin nightie, one hand on her hip and a pair of red handcuffs dangling, swinging, inviting from one finger.
“Now where the hell did those come from?” He was grinning.
“I kept hoping you’d come around and I needed to be prepared. They’ve been in this pack since my first trip through the Stargate as a member of SG-1. Daniel, I love you, too. I just wanted you to know that before I cuff…”
He leapt from the bed, straight to the end and grabbed her. She didn’t even have time to squeak.
Number Eleven: Love is Never Having to Say You’re Sorry
If she lived through this he was going to kill her! If he lived through this he was going to kill her…again. Today was the closest he’d come in a long time to using foul language. Real foul language, not the Jack O’Neill rated ones either. He knew too many words to have to insert something crude to express himself, but everything decent had flown out the window of his mind when she stepped in front of him and took the hit. She was flung over Teal’c’s shoulder as they raced through the desert sand toward the Stargate. He was too far back to see if she was conscious.
Sam reached the DHD and Teal’c stood as close as safety allowed to the Stargate. Daniel and Mitchell were on their six, firing away at the mass of bodies coming at them like a wall of humans.
Sam yelled, Mitchell jerked his head for Daniel to go, but he stayed beside the colonel, blasting away. “Come on, Mitchell, we both go or we both die, right here.”
By the time he reached the infirmary supporting Mitchell, Daniel felt sick at his stomach. Sam and Teal’c were standing outside the door and two aides took Mitchell into the room. Carolyn turned to Daniel, “She’ll be fine. Wait outside.” Someone closed the infirmary door in his face.
She’ll be fine. Daniel let the air out of his lungs, leaned against the wall and feeling as if he were about to pass out, he slid down the wall and sat on the floor. Sam squatted beside him and patted his shoulder. “You okay?”
“I don’t know. What the hell was she thinking?”
“Perhaps, she was thinking your life meant more to her then her own. I have long believed ValaMalDoran has much love for you DanielJackson and she demonstrated that love today.”
Sam smiled up at Teal’c, the ever eloquent
* *
The door opened and Carolyn smiled at the faces turned toward her, then she gestured toward Daniel. “Is he alright?”
“Yes,” all three responded in unison.
“
“Can I see her?” Daniel asked.
“She’s not awake. I think it would…”
Daniel stood suddenly, “Just for a minute, I promise I won’t stay.”
Carolyn’s gaze moved from Teal’c to Sam then to Daniel. “Two minutes, any more and I’ll have the guards haul you out of here. Understood?” She said in all seriousness.
Daniel nodded and Carolyn stepped aside, ushering him in.
He stood at the end of the bed staring at her the entire two minutes. Carolyn came and tapped him on the shoulder, gave him a stern look and with hands deep in his pockets he turned and left.
* *
Sam, Daniel and Teal’c sat with Mitchell on his infirmary bed having been cleared in their post-mission exam. The curtain was draw around Vala’s bed and the four sat quietly watching the medical staff move in and out of the screen.
Carolyn came up behind them. “Go. Leave. She won’t be awake for at least two hours. I’ll call you.” She walked off without a backward glance, knowing full well they would stay right where they were.
* *
“I raise three cents.” Mitchell tossed the pennies onto the bed where they joined the nickels and other pennies.
“Call.” Sam neatly placed her pennies in a stack.
“I will fold.” Teal’c looked at the clock, then the door. “Where has he gone?”
Sam shrugged and laid her three tens on the bed. “Damn.” Mitchell threw his pair of aces into the pile of other cards. “Where the hell is he?”
Sam shuffled the cards. “He said he’d be back in about an hour.”
“That would be now.” Mitchell said concerned.
“Now what?” Daniel asked.
“Where the hell have you been?” Mitchell didn’t like worrying. It made him irritable.
“I had to pick up something. A little gift for Vala. Did she wake up?”
“Yeah, about ten minutes ago, but the docs got us on standby.”
Carolyn pulled back the curtain around Vala’s bed.
Vala was sitting up, pillows fluffed around her. She looked pale but smiled brightly when she saw them. Daniel reached the bed first, took her hand and squeezed it. “I swear I could just kill you!” He leaned and kissed her forehead. “Thank you anyway… I think. Here. I brought you something.” He handed over a packaged.
Sam smiled. “Glad to see you’re alright, you had us worried.”
Teal’c bowed slightly. “I too am most pleased to find you alive and well.”
Grinning happily Vala opened the beautifully wrapped gift, then frowned and looked at Daniel. He was blushing. She looked again at the strange gift. It was an odd looking cake that appeared to have been broken apart and smashed back together. “What is it?”
“A fruitcake.”
Her eyes widened and brows frowned. She looked at him confused. “Do I eat it?”
“If you want.”
She began to break off a piece, but the fruitcake fell
apart. From the center of the cake a small white box with a hand drawn
pictogram on top fell into her lap. She studied the symbols. An eye was drawn
in perfect detail, followed by a red heart and then the
Sam gasped and Teal’c smiled. Mitchell didn’t get it.
Vala took Daniel’s hand, closed her eyes, and brought the box and his hand to her chest - to rest against her heart. She opened her eyes blinking back the tears, “I…”
“I know.” Daniel squeezed her hand again.
“What?” Mitchell asked looking at Sam’s misty eyes. He felt Carolyn pinch his arm and turned to her. “What?” Carolyn put a finger to her eye, then her heart and then pointed at him. He got it. But was she explaining or talking to him? He followed her as she walked away.
“Open the box Vala,” Daniel whispered.
She took the top with the pictogram off and carefully set it on her lap then pulled the hinged red velvet box from the bottom. She opened the box. “Daniel?”
“Yes?”
“I thought you were going to kill me.”
“I might.”
“But not before the wedding?”
“No.” He smiled and kissed her.
Number Twelve: Eat, Drink and Be Merry, For Tomorrow You May Cry
They had returned from the mission feeling battered, bruised and hopeless. The entire staff at the Mountain moped around. Nothing seemed to be going right. Showered and changed they gathered in Daniel’s office after leaving the infirmary. Mitchell fiddled around with an ancient and irreplaceable artifact, tossing it up and down in his hand. Daniel couldn’t care less as he shelved a pile of books in their appropriate slots. Teal’c sat on Daniel’s chair turning to and fro an uncharacteristic look of dread in his eyes. Sam was perched up on a counter, arms crossed and staring, unseeing across the room. Vala leaned against the wall, silent, hands deep in her pockets.
Carolyn Lam wandered in and scanned the group. “All reports are normal. You are all fine. Free to go.”
No one said a thing. Mitchell hesitated in his artifact tossing for the briefest moment, nodded at the doctor and continued on with his one item juggling.
“Or, should I recommend you all for a psych evaluation?” The doctor watched for some sign of life, but got nothing. “Dinner’s on me, O’Malley’s. Doctors orders.”
Sam hopped down from the counter. “I’m starving.”
Vala pulled her hands from her pockets, “Me too.”
“I could eat a bear.” Mitchell put the relic on the desk.
Teal’c stood, “I too, could eat a bear, though I have never had one, nor do I remember seeing it offered on the menu at O’Malley’s.”
Daniel sat the remaining books down and walked toward the door. “I’ve got a taste for something chocolate.”
* *
In the corridor, Vala laced her fingers with Daniel’s. Instead of pulling it free, he squeezed her hand and held onto her. Mitchell put an arm around Carolyn’s shoulder, hugged her to him for a moment then relaxed his grip, leaving the arm in place. Sam placed a hand on Teal’c’s back and he wrapped his arm around her waist.
The bond between them as they passed through the halls of SGC was not lost on the personnel who watched them go by.
O’Malley’s was crowded, loud and just what they needed. The beer flowed freely, but no one was getting a buzz. They ate a lot, with little talk. There was the slightest chuckle when Teal’c expressed his disappointment that indeed, there was no bear on the menu. When the table was cleared, each sat back in quiet contemplation of their strange life made more profound by the ‘normal’ people who laughed and drank and talked seemingly without a care in the world. Sam excused herself for a moment, wandered out side and called Jack on her cell phone. He didn’t answer and she left a loving message and went back inside.
Carolyn was paying the bill, not letting anyone talk her out of it.
In the vehicle Daniel leaned forward, “Teal’c could you drop me and Vala off at my place?” Daniel put his arm around Vala’s shoulder, she looked up at him. “Life’s just too freaking short, Vala.” He kissed her as he had always wanted to kiss her. Teal’c’s eyes lifted to the rearview mirror and his face lit up with a true smile. Daniel settled back against the seat pulling her closer into him. His eyes were on her as if he tried to memorize every line of her face. “I love you, Vala. I love you with every breath I take and I am an idiot for not telling you sooner.” He kissed her again.
“Drop me off at Peterson Airfield, Teal’c.” Sam closed her eyes and leaned against the seat.
Mitchell looked across at the
“Tomorrow I will not be at the base. I will visit Ishta, then Ry’ac and his family.”
Everyone nodded in understanding. They remained quiet and thoughtful as the world continued on around them.
Number Thirteen: Duly Noted
If you are reading
this note then I must be dead. Or missing and probably dead. I wanted you to
know I love you, Daniel. I mean that sincerely. I’m in love with you. I wish I
was standing right there as you read this so I could say it out loud. I love
you. –there was a littleheart drawn before
her elaborate signature, Vala.
He’d received it less than an hour ago. Teal’c had placed it on his desk, bowed and left without a word.
He got up and paced the room, the note clutched in his fist. He never stood a chance. Not from the minute she removed that damned Super Soldier helmet on the Prometheus and not when she walked back into his life in that crazy leather