Same Story, Told Twice
By: hariboo_smirks
CATEGORY: General
WARNINGS: None
AUTHOR’S NOTES: MA BABIES, they’re back!
AUTHOR’S WEBSITE:
http://hariboo-smirks.livejournal.com/
“Daniel, would you please hold still?” Vala whispered
harshly as the man under her lost his grip on her hips and she lost her
balance.
“Excuse me, it’s not like I have much practice at this.” Daniel gritted out
through his clenched teeth, gripping Vala’s hips again, straightening his back
and tensing his arms to hold her weight. “And it’s not like you’re light.” He
muttered not too quietly.
“Hey, I heard that.” Vala lifted her foot and tried to kick him across the
shoulder, missing her mark, and having to balance her weight again.
“Meant for you to.” Daniel sighed, tightening his hands and rolling his eyes.
“And don’t do that again.”
“You didn’t complain last time,” Vala scrunched her nose, mimicking him — don’t
do that again — and went back at the task at hand. “Shh, I’m concentrating!”
“Vala.” Daniel warned as he could feel the water that had been lapping at his
ankled three minutes ago rising to his knees, skimming his thighs.
Vala hmmmed, a small sound at the back of her throat that normally Daniel was a
fan of, but right now he just wanted to get out of this mess. This mess
currently being the flooding burial chamber under the pyramid in PX8-980 — of
which Vala was trying to jimmy the lock of the ceiling hatch and hopefully get
themselves out. The water was steadily reaching past his thighs, and damned if
it wasn’t cold. He could hear Vala cursing something to herself in Goa’uld, but
couldn’t even care to reprimand and correct her on the verb usage. Then he felt
the shake of her body over him, he made sure he had a good hold on her as he
felt her sock clad toes clench around his shoulders for grip. Next to his
thighs he could feel her boots bobbing in the water where she had taken them
off and risked a look up to see how she was doing.
The knife they had was, apparently, not the ideal tool for this and her hair
clip, the real reason she wore them now clear to him, hadn’t worked.
Looking up, he could see her hitting the rusted edges with the butt of the
knife, flipping it around to try to slide in the sharp edge into the space she
was creating and trying to lever the hatch open. She is doing good, Daniel thought, really good, and actually keeping him calm, because she knew what
she was doing and he trusted her in that.
“Daniel, get ready to catch me if this works.” Vala warned him from above, face
tilted down to meet his eyes, and Daniel nodded.
“Sure.”
Vala smiled and returned to face the latch, sliding the knife under the space
she made between the hatch’s edges and moved it back and forth loosening the
area. “Okay, now.” She turned the knife back around and with the other end hit
the weak edge hard. The latch went loose and Vala lost her balance. Daniel
could feel her falling forward, the momentum carrying her and moved his body to
prevent her from falling. When he had her in his arms was when he noticed -- the
water was now at his waist.
As he adjusted his grip, he managed to get her in an awkward bridal hold,
before smiling and setting her down. The second she hit the water she let out
small hiss at its coolness.
“Not our finest moment, I should say.” She looked around them, at the rising
water and at the latch. Both knew what was going to come next. Vala had only
been able to reach the hatch before because she stood on Daniel’s shoulders,
and while she could make it up and out, she didn’t have the arm strength to
pull Daniel out, and Daniel, well he was too heavy for Vala to hoist up. So
they had to wait.
Until the water raised them high enough to reach the hatch again.
“Well, at least this time you’re not trying to steal my ship.” Daniel grinned
ironically as the water hit his chest and for one of the few times since Vala
entered his life he noticed how much shorter she was than him. Not by much, but
enough that now that the water was reach his chest he could see it was just
passing hers. He looked up at the hatch, licking his lips, “You sure that’s
going to open?”
Vala nodded and the water was raising them now, “Of course it will, I already
made sure it could.”
“Okay,” Daniel nodded and stepped closer to Vala, “but if we die…”
“Yes, yes, this time it will be my fault.” Vala smiled and in the next minute
her head disappeared under the water.
* * * *
Coughing, Daniel lay on the ground next to the now closed hatch that had
released them from the underground room. Vala shook her hair out, the dark
strands by her neck sticking to her damp skin like small spider-webs, and
rested herself next to him.
“Well, we didn’t die.” She smiled, letting her neck curl around his
outstretched arm.
“Yeah, we didn’t die.” Daniel repeated, hearing the sounds of the marines they
had been with rushing towards them, and turned, his wet lips shining with the
low lights of the pyramid. “But it’s the last time we go off-world with SG-6.”
Vala nodded, tucking her chin to her chest, “Agreed. Muscles would have never
let this happen.”
* * * *
The infirmary was cold normally, colder still when sitting soaking wet
and exhausted on one of the beds, waiting for a nurse to bring you a change of
clothes. Vala shivered lightly under the blanket she had been given, but she
was still cold and Daniel wasn’t in much better shape next to her either.
Carolyn was currently taking his temperature and looking disappointed in them,
her warms hands worrying over them.
“This is the third time this month one or both of you have been in this
infirmary with a serious affliction.” Carolyn shook her head, finishing taking
Daniel’s temperature, ordering the nurses to find them some scrubs faster and
switching over to Vala in one swift move.
“It’s not like we do it on purpose. I mean, I do like you, Carolyn, but I
promise getting injured isn’t my secret plan to spend more time with you.”
Carolyn rolled her eyes at Vala’s words, only making the other woman grin wider
as the nurse on duty finally came towards them with two set of blue scrubs.
“I should hope not. I like you too, Vala, but you’re just not my type.” She
handed one set of scrubs to Vala, turning to hand the other to Daniel when she
hear a wet plop behind her.
Vala was shucking ofd the blanket and wet t-shirt immediately, not even giving
Carolyn the time to close the curtain between hers and Daniel’s beds and just
as she was about to ask Vala was already out of her wet BDUs and slipping into
the scrubs. Offering an innocent look at Carolyn, Vala shrugged, “I was cold.”
“Okay,” Carolyn only nodded, not really caring that Vala had disrobed in front
of her, but that Daniel hadn’t made a comment. Slipping the other pair of blue
pyjamas to Daniel behind her, she was rewarded with the sight of the man
slipping into his own scrubs without asking for the closed curtain either — at least they’re not shy around each other
or just that cold, Carolyn thought before continuing her examination.
* * * *
They were let out a half hour later when Carolyn was satisfied that they were
not, in fact, getting hypothermia, a flu, an infection, or a parasite from the
water. The scrubs feel scratchy on her damp skin and Vala pulled on the neck,
getting polyester cotton blend as far from her as possible. Reaching her
quarters she had her hand curled around the doorknob when she heard her name
being called behind her.
Sam rushed up behind her, blue eyes wide with worry and when she reached Vala
she wrapped her in a warm hug. Vala laughed, hugging the other woman back just
as tightly.
“I’m fine, Samantha. Smelling a bit like a wet dog,” she paused for a brief
second, the colloquialism falling heavily on her tongue, but Sam didn’t correct
her, and she continued on, “but fine.”
Pulling away, Sam smiled, “I still owed you a hug for a Life in Peril
situation. And Daniel? I haven’t seen him yet.”
Vala grinned, “Oh, he fine. He’s offered to buy me dinner. After all, I did
save his life today, but we were both in dire need of a shower and change of
clothes.”
As Samantha nodded, Vala could see the other woman was trying to fight of a
smirk, “So I’ll see you two in the commissary then?”
“Actually,” Vala opened the door behind her and turned to step in, “he’s
offered to buy me a proper dinner, outside the mountain and everything. Please
tell the boys, and please tell them not to give him too much grief for it.” She
winked at her friend, giving a small wave. “That’s my job.”
Samantha’s laugh was cheerful as Vala closed the door. Inside she let out a
brief sigh and then stripped down to her underwear, heading straight for the
shower.
* * * *
The restaurant Daniel had decided on was expensive and had a very nice
roasted chicken, but the minute he pulled into the parking lot in front of it,
he gave a look to Vala, reading the same thought in her eyes. Too tired. And it was true. From the
planet, to the flooded chamber, to the hour in the infirmary, the two showers
they had very much needed and had almost fell asleep in: they were exhausted.
Vala was slumped in his Jeep’s passenger seat, her eyelids heavy over her grey
eyes.
“Want to order pizza and rent a movie?” Daniel offered, putting the car in
Neutral.
Vala shrugged, one shoulder lifting, “You don’t have a TV.”
Chuckling, Daniel conceded her point, waving to his bag, “I have a laptop.”
In her seat Vala turned, curling into the warm leather and smiled, “Sure, I
think I downloaded some things to your iTunes account anyway.”
“I have an iTunes account?” Pulling out of the parking space, he has the stray
thought that he should drive Vala back to the base, but he likes having her
presence next to him, albeit right now it’s a sleepy presence. Plus he’s too
tired to drive back to the base and his apartment is closer. The rationalising
feels flimsy even to him, but the mission lag, and yeah, there is such a thing
as a mission lag, is pressing down on him. He didn’t give a second thought as
he turned onto the road heading to his street. The radio is still on the
station that Vala had programmed in and Dylan is a quiet beat in the car.
“I got it for you a while ago. It’s rather annoying ordering things from Amazon
when you live on a military base.” Vala explained, reclining back in her seat,
knees pressed against the dashboard.
For some reason though, the explanation sat wrong with him — the idea that she
can’t do the normal mundane things a person should be able to do — and he
coughed delicately, giving her soft side glance. “You know, you can just have
it sent it to my place. I don’t mind.”
The smile he got in return is worth whatever she will order and they don’t say
anything else until they reach the apartment.
* * * *
Daniel’s apartment wasn’t all that big, especially for someone with his salary,
but Vala liked it. She leaned against the door frame as he opened the door and
held it open for her. The inside was filled with artifacts that, would she
still be acquiring her livelihood from reliving owners from their accumulated
wealth, she’d have a field day with, but she hasn’t felt the need to pick any
pockets (save Cameron’s, but that doesn’t count), or anything else for some
time now and she rather enjoys knowing she doesn’t have to steal. But still can
should she need to. Or should the team need her to. Sometimes, Vala was
learning, it’s nice to have people in your corner. They come in handy when
others have their guns pointed at you.
As she stepped in, Vala dropped her small shoulder bag down on the end table he
has by the door and settles on the couch, draping herself over one edge. Daniel
moved around putting down his laptop bag and the books he brought home with
him. Watching as he opened the laptop and unrolled the wires, Vala decided she
rather likes this, watching Daniel in his home, and is caught of guard when he
asks her something.
“Sorry, what?” Vala lifted her chin, settling on it on her hand.
“Do you want to watch the movie here or the bedroom?” Daniel repeated, a smirk
twitching at the corner.
Vala blinked. “What?”
“Come on,” Daniel held out his hand, rolling his eyes, as he pulled her to her
feet and led them to the bedroom.
Daniel’s bedroom is small, not that much bigger than his room on the base, and
that helps Vala feel at home in it. Making her way to the bed, she dropped on
it, shoes removed and set at the end, before she moved back and stretched out
comfortably. Daniel quickly finished setting up before following her, settling
next to her, lifting his arm to allow her space under his arm.
The opening credits began rolling and Vala chuckled as The Mummy drifted on the screen. “I had forgotten I bought that.”
“Oh, I wish you had.” Daniel shifted next to her, removing a pillow.
“Then why are we watching it?”
“I need a good laugh.”
Vala rested her chin on his shoulder, “You know you get more indignant than
amused, right?”
“Too tired for indignant today.” He explained.
“Fair enough.” She nodded. Three minutes later, Daniel’s head dropped to hers,
just after Evie had destroyed the library and Vala paused the movie to get him
in a more comfortable position. Managing to get his glasses off and him under
the comforter, she had a second of debate about joining him before pressing the
play button again.
Ten minutes later, as the adventurers get to Hamunaptra, Vala was asleep.
* * * *
Morning came in the form of Daniel’s alarm clock, ringing cheerfully at seven
and Daniel rolled in his sleep, instinctively moving to shut it off when his
hand met a warm shoulder. Blinking, he opened his eyes to the form of Vala
laying across half his bed, reaching for the same thing he had been.
“Vala,” he managed out as her hand met the ringing contraption effectively
stopping the evil sound.
“Morning, darling.” She rolled to her side, facing him now, and wrapped an arm
across his waist. “We missed the movie.”
Now as the day before began reforming in his mind, Daniel groaned, rolling his
neck. “Mmm, clearly.” He paused, letting Vala cuddle to him some more and nose
her hair out of his way, pressing a kiss to her temple. “They’re going ask
about this when we get back to the mountain.”
Vala only let her body mold to his, her leg falling over his waist as she
straddled his hips. The kiss she reached up to give him was wet and soft and
Daniel found himself not caring as she reached for his belt. His hands were
already at her own jeans button when she answered.
“They always do.”
** The End **
Feedback to: isaqueen8@googlemail.com
Stories by Rating and Category
Copyright©2004-2011
Midnightstorms.net
All Rights Reserved.