So...I accidentally deleted this story when I meant to delete a different one. That'll teach me not to try doing things after midnight. Anywho, here we go again. :/

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Prologue

Cheyenne Mountain

Vala awoke disoriented and tried to sit up only to find herself pinned to the mattress by a heavy weight. She glanced down and saw a strong, all too familiar arm draped across her waist. A satisfied smile lit her face before disappearing as realisation dawned. She was in bed with Daniel and, after a quick assessment, concluded that they were both naked. Pushing aside the sensations coursing through her body at the skin-to-skin contact, Vala wracked her brain in an effort to piece together the previous night's events. They'd both been a touch tipsy after the Atlantis launch party but neither had been drunk...or so she'd thought. It had been such a strange night, though. They'd attended the party together and, when Vala jokingly referred to it as a date, Daniel had merely smiled indulgently without arguing. At the time, she'd brushed it off as his not wanting to spoil their final night together. He'd been so attentive and she'd allowed her guard to slip. By the time he walked her back to her quarters, her walls had completely crumbled and she was at his mercy. So, when he'd pushed her back against the door and fused their lips together, she hadn't even thought to resist. And when the steel door gave way behind her and he started walking them toward the bed, she'd only spared a millisecond wondering how he'd accomplished that feat without her key card. After that, all rational thought fled her and a frenzy ensued. Clothes were thrown about without a care and they'd made love multiple times before, finally sated, collapsing into each other's arms as sleep claimed them.

But Vala was wide-awake now and recriminations were streaking through her head like zat blasts. How could she let this happen? She'd been so careful in keeping Daniel at arms length of late. She hadn't flirted with him in weeks and had taken to avoiding him whenever possible. She'd been doing so well, how could one kiss de-rail all of her hard work? Well, the answer was obvious; this was Daniel. One look from him was all it took to have her stomach jumping like some adolescent experiencing her first crush. And that was the problem, she was more susceptible to Daniel than she'd ever been to anyone in her entire life, including her first love. She'd made a promise to herself that this wouldn't happen and she'd only had one more night to go before the temptation was gone for good. Now, because of her weakness, she was going to have to live with knowing what it could have been like rather than simply fantasising about it. And, oh boy, the fantasies didn't do the reality justice at all. Collapsing back into her pillow, Vala took a moment to settle her nerves. After pulling in a few breaths, she felt prepared to face her own foolishness and pushed herself up into a reclining position. When she glanced around the room, she was mildly surprised to note that she was in Daniel's quarters, not hers. Her brain must have completely shut off last night to not have noticed that little fact, though it did explain the key card quandary. But now that she was aware of her surroundings, her heart sank with renewed despair. It was real, he was leaving her. Boxes were stacked about the room, just waiting to be moved to his new home. Atlantis was set to embark for the Pegasus galaxy in three days time and Daniel had decided to join the expedition this time. He'd given her the news a month earlier, looking like the proverbial kid in a candy store, as Cameron put it. But he hadn't asked her along and she'd been heartbroken. But she'd refused to let him see what his announcement did to her, not seeing the point in making them both miserable. She'd merely put on a mask of indifference and helped him box up his office. But each time he sought her opinion on what they should pack, she'd felt her resolve slipping and knew her only recourse was avoidance. It wasn't fair, just as she'd started to believe...Vala cut that thought off harshly as she carefully climbed from the bed, trying not to waken Daniel. The last thing she needed was the awkward morning after. She knew it would only compound the problem and she didn't think she could handle seeing regret in his eyes. Not today. No, it was better all around to simply walk away without putting either of them through that. There had been no mention of love between them and Vala knew Daniel well enough for the omission to prove that theirs was a night of lust, not love. Though the knowledge shattered her, she told herself that it was for the best. At the very least, she could walk away with her pride in tact, if not her heart.

And that was exactly what she meant to do; leave. With a glance at her watch, she realised she was set to do just that in less than an hour. Quickly dressing, Vala made an inventory of her own future plans. A week after Daniel dropped his little bombshell, Samantha had shown up. The George Hammond was docked for repairs and Vala had been beyond happy to see her friend. As was their custom, Vala stayed at Sam's house while the other woman was on Earth. She'd missed having another female to confide in and it had taken very little time before she laid out her sad story, knowing her friend would sympathise without judgement. The next morning, Sam offered her a position on the Hammond and Vala didn't even hesitate in accepting. It certainly beat sulking around on Earth and she did miss gadding about the universe. She enjoyed her missions through the 'gate but there was a certain freedom to be found in space. It was time she got back to that.

When she'd informed Daniel of her plans, he had appeared confused but did nothing to talk her out of it. In fact, neither of them had spoken of the impending separation, not even last night at the party. They were both aware that this might very well be the last time they saw each other and, for her part, Vala hadn't wanted to dampen the celebratory mood. She'd hoped to walk away quietly but that kiss had changed everything. Suddenly, she felt her anger ignite. Anger at herself, the situation, Daniel. He'd started this whole mess. Why couldn't he have just let her leave? Why couldn't he have left well enough alone? Why couldn't he have loved her as much as she loved him? Just as rapidly as the rage surfaced, sorrow took over. It wasn't entirely his fault. She shouldn't have responded, shouldn't have allowed him past her walls, shouldn't have stayed on Earth when she could have left. She was just as much to blame, perhaps more so. But she could rectify her mistake by leaving now. She had to, if only to preserve a modicum of sanity.

Jotting out a quick note, Vala placed it on his bedside table before looking at Daniel one last time. She wanted to memorise everything about him, needed to hold onto this moment.

"I love you, my Daniel." She whispered softly before finally walking away. She didn't look back, she couldn't. It was past time for her to move on...

Daniel awoke to the unmistakable sound of his door closing, a feeling of resignation settling over him as he reached out to confirm his fears. The bed next to him was still physically warm but felt coldly empty. Vala was gone, she'd actually left him. Daniel took a deep breath in order to get his torturous emotions under control before attempting to figure out what the hell had happened to send her running this time. Last night had been amazing, perfect...or so he'd thought. Had it all been a game to her? Had she only been messing with him? Had he misinterpreted what he'd read in her eyes?

Fury tore through him at the thought and he stood, quickly pulling on a pair of jeans before he started pacing the small confines of his quarters. He could go after her, demand answers, but what would be the point? He new he couldn't handle a direct rejection from her. Dammit, this was exactly why he'd been so reluctant to get involved with her, why he'd never let her past his defences. But he'd hoped...he'd thought moving to Atlantis, getting away from the SGC, would prove to be just what they needed to feel free enough to admit how they felt. She'd seemed okay with the change until three weeks ago when she told him she was accepting a job offer from Sam. Why would she do that if she cared for him? Okay, so he hadn't actually asked her to go to Atlantis with him but he'd figured it was obvious they'd go together. They were a team and he'd wanted them to continue to be one in Pegasus. Boy, had he been wrong.

She'd been so excited about returning to space and he'd tried to be supportive. That was difficult, however, when the very mention of her leaving him broke his heart a little more. Just the idea of not seeing her every day, not hearing her voice, not arguing with her over nonsense...He'd taken to avoiding her whenever possible but that only seemed to deepen his despair. He finally realised that he didn't want to live without her and took last night as a perfect opportunity to show her exactly what it could be like if she stayed with him. He thought he'd been making progress, too. Vala had seemed more open, more honest with him than she'd ever been before, and he with her. He'd wanted so badly to tell her that he loved her but was afraid the words would scare her away. There would be time enough for that later, he'd told himself. After their intense night of love-making, he'd hoped she'd changed her mind about going with Sam, that she'd give them the chance they deserved. Obviously, he'd been wrong once again. She'd used him and, now that he'd finally capitulated, she was gone. Just as he'd always feared. He should have just left well enough alone.

Daniel paced the room for a few more minutes before his eyes settled on a small slip of paper on his nightstand. He picked it up, snorting in rancour as he read the hastily scrawled words...

Darling,

Until we meet again.

Forever Yours,

Vala

Forever his, yeah right, he thought as he crumpled the note and threw it into his waste bin. He sat on the edge of his bed with a heavy sigh as his obviously masochistic mind wondered just how many men she'd said that to. He could feel his anger building anew at the thought so he pushed it aside and focussed on the task of moving on without her. He'd go to Atlantis, immerse himself in the city, and forget he'd ever met Vala Mal Doran. He'd done it before, he could do it again. Of course, back then he hadn't known he loved her, hadn't known what it could be like if they both just let go and decided to be happy...