Tu Me Manques
Rating: G, I suppose
Disclaimer: Not Mine. MGM gets to play for real, I get to play in my head.
WARNINGS/SPOILERS: uh Ripple Effect...Beachhead...
SUMMARY: Vala...in Ripple Effect...Vala is on one of the alternate teams that comes through the gate...
AUTHOR'S NOTE 1: Originally written for the DV-Exchange on LJ for a prompt by hariboo_smirks...this consumed my soul a little. Though it was very hard to get back into the swing after a year of not writing at all! but i couldn't have done it without shari, the snow to my flake, the christmas to my tree, the sugar to my cookie, the baby to my 'it's cold outside' (without the sexual reference). Without her i might have just thrown my poor laptop out into the snow.
AUTHORS NOTE 2: this sucker has created bunnies. many bunnies. bunnies for an entire AU series. cause i sure have time for that *headdesk* nice prompt ari. nice prompt.
Basically this could end up an entire AU season 9 and 10 if I let it. and if anyone wants to read it. What if starting at Beachhead Vala and Daniel's roles had been reversed - yes i realise he can't get pregnant but he could father the thing couldn't he? who slew of stories keep popping into my head and basically re-writing from Beachhead on. cause of course i have time for this (not)
AUTHOR'S NOTE 3: Tu me manques - french for I miss you. however it is also a confusing verb for anglophones since it appears kind of...backwards, directly translated (not properly but if you just look at the sentence) it looks more like you miss me. A lot of people have a terrible time getting that when they are learning french. I felt the confusing backwardness reflected their relationship and the weird circumstances of this story fairly well ;) plus...ya know...Daniel does miss her.
When Daniel arrived in the control room, he couldn't help but wince in sympathy upon taking in Sam's hunched-over position in front of her computer monitor. He knew all too well the various twinges and pangs that would be offered to her by loudly protesting muscles when this was all over.
General Landry, who was standing near the doorway along the back wall, caught his eye and nodded a tired hello.
"Any progress?" Daniel murmured.
Landry's mouth quirked upward wryly. "Doctor Jackson," he said, "the only thing progressing is my headache. Part of me is still hoping I'll wake up and find out this is all just a truly bizarre dream."
"Ah," Daniel intoned. "Unfortunately, General, I've found that is one wish that rarely comes true where the Stargate's involved." Across the room he heard Sam sigh, and he glanced over in time to see her shoulders sink downward just a little bit more. He gestured to the mug of steaming coffee in his hand, and then at his wilting friend. "If you'll excuse me…"
Landry heaved a sigh of his own and waved him forward.
Wholly engrossed in her work, Sam didn't turn as he sidled up beside her. He observed her eyes moving rapidly back and forth across the screen for a moment, and then moved so he could lean over her shoulder to peer at the diagnostic she was running. After a second he concluded no amount of squinting would make the jumble of numbers and letters resemble sense - some languages he would never understand, and Sam's was one of them.
"Not going so well?" he asked, straightening up again.
Sam started at the sound of Daniel's voice. She swiveled a bit in her chair and blinked up at him. "How long have you been standing there?"
"Long enough that I'm glad I brought you this." He held out the mug and she took it gratefully. "Landry says you haven't made any progress."
"Not really, no. I've been working on the problem with…myselves for hours and I, er, we haven't come up with a thing. What's more, there are still more teams dialing in under fire and so we have to let them –"
As if to demonstrate, the klaxons began to sound. The Stargate roared to life behind the iris, and within seconds Mitchell's voice, mid-sentence, sliced through the quiet of the control room
"…they're right on our tail and we need that gate open when we get to you…" Static and weapons fire drowned him out for a moment, then, "…have you got that DHD hotwired or what?"
The huskily accented reply sent a jolt through Daniel, leaving him gaping out the observation window.
"Yes, Cameron, the gate is open. Now get over here so that we can get back safe and sound and you can all thank me immensely."
It couldn't be. His ears were playing tricks on him…And yet: Sam's face now bore a hint of surprise beneath the exhausted frustration that had been present before, and a quick glance at General Landry revealed the man pinching the bridge of his nose as if his headache had suddenly worsened.
So maybe his ears weren't deceiving him after all.
Mitchell's voice came over the speakers again, a shout over the sound of more weapons fire. "Command, we're coming in hot. We need that iris open NOW!"
With a nod from Sam, Sergeant Harriman hit the control panel and announced, "You are clear to come through, sir."
The metal shield whirled away, revealing the shiny blue surface of the incoming wormhole. Daniel traded a quick glance with Sam. She shrugged. "There's an infinite number of alternate realities out there, I guess it stands to reason…"
Below them Alternate-Cam and Alternate-Sam came sprinting through the gate side by side, followed closely by their team's Teal'c. Finally galvanized into action, Daniel managed to shut his mouth and head for the stairs, his feet carrying him down to the gateroom at a not-quite run. He reached his destination just as a small, raven-haired woman backed through the gate, a P-90 in each hand.
"Shut the iris!" she shouted with an oddly practiced ease.
As the metallic barrier finished grinding into place, Daniel opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. Sam had explained, repeatedly, the whole multiverse, sub-universe, alternate reality thing – had alluded to it just now in fact – but despite all that, Daniel still, for some reason, had never even conceived of this variation.
"Thanks for the cover, Rambo," Mitchell drawled. He chuckled a bit as he brushed himself off, then turned towards the gateroom door, continuing, "But next time d'you think you could…avoid…" His eyes landed on Daniel and he stopped short, his mouth finishing out the sentence soundlessly.
Vala turned as well, eyebrow raised in challenge, but whatever response she might have had died on her tongue.
Daniel shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot as, one by one, every gaze in the room swung towards him. "…Hi?" he ventured, offering a small wave.
The spell was broken, and Vala ran down the ramp towards him. She paused an arms length away to place her ample armaments on the floor, then resumed hurtling forward to fling herself around him. Even as he was still wondering, with some confusion, under what circumstances Vala would be allowed to carry that many weapons in any universe, Daniel found himself returning her vice-like embrace.
A few seconds passed, maybe even a minute, before she finally pulled back to look at him with sparkling eyes. "What happened on the cargo ship?" she demanded. Daniel frowned, let go of her and took a step back, but he had barely begun to formulate a response before she went on, "And where have you been? How did you get here? Are you all right? I wanted to say – I mean I can't believe…"
The questions were fired out with dizzying rapidity, and Daniel struggled to puzzle through them, to parse out what exactly Vala's excited words meant. Eventually he gave up on attempting to understand and forced himself to speak the words that needed to be said, regardless.
"Vala…"
She continued to speak, gesturing enthusiastically, "…I was starting to think we'd never find you, even though General O'Neill assured me you were part feline, but I never understood how that related to –"
"Vala." He reached for her again, gripping her hands to still them, and she stared back at him warily. "I'm…not your Daniel, Vala."
Her brow furrowed and she shook her head. "What do you mean you're 'not my Daniel'? What's happened to you?"
"I'm sorry," he said. "But I'm not."
Still caught up in his larger ones, her hands closed into fists. "I don't…"
Several feet away, Sam interrupted, "Vala, he's right. He isn't our Daniel." She was staring up into the control room at the mirror image of her self. "We aren't exactly in Kansas anymore."
Cam followed her gaze. "Hoo, boy…" he exhaled. "Princess, that's some messed up hot-wiring you did, there."
Daniel cleared his throat. "Um. I think we can explain. Or, well, Sam – my Sam, that is, can explain. If you'll just follow me to the briefing room?"
He released Vala and pivoted on his heel.
He was glad when their footsteps immediately began echoing behind his. Otherwise it might have looked a little too much like he was running away.
After Sam had once more gone through her well-practiced diatribe about parallel universes and black hole funnels, she and her alternate-self headed off to join the Sam Think Tank and try to find a solution to the ongoing problem.
General Landry shook his head as he watched them leave. "I feel as though I should be making a phone call. I know some people who would pay good money to see Colonel Carter bored by a lecture on astrophysics." This forced a chuckle from most of the room's occupants, and an amused head-tilt from Teal'c. Only Vala seemed to have trouble mustering up a smile.
"At any rate, I'm sure you would very much like a moment to rest," Landry went on. "And I'll have an airman show you to some temporary quarters where you can do just that. But before you go, if you don't mind satisfying an old man's curiosity by answering just one more question?" He glanced significantly at Daniel and then at the alternate team. "Where exactly is your Dr. Jackson? I'd be lying if I said that scene in the gateroom hadn't piqued my interest."
Daniel silently thanked the general for broaching the subject.
At first, it seemed no answer would be forthcoming. After an awkward moment when both Vala and Mitchell tried to speak over each other, the two settled into what seemed to be a battle of wills, each glowering at the other fiercely.
At length, it was Teal'c who answered flatly, "DanielJackson was lost on our mission to destroy the Ori beachhead."
"Actually," Vala interjected, still staring defiantly at Mitchell. "We're still not sure exactly."
"Vala," he gritted out. "We cannot keep going over this."
"We can and we will until you decide to see reason," she retorted. Mitchell threw up his hands and slumped in his seat. He made brief mutterings that he wasn't the one being unreasonable before Landry silenced him with a well-placed glare.
Vala glanced at him as much to say "Ha" before turning her attention to Daniel and the general. "To be precise," she said crisply, "Daniel was sucked into the singularity created by the Ori beachhead mid-transport while attempting to use the rings on a tel'tak and we do not know where he is. We are assuming he is now in the Ori galaxy."
General Landry nodded, accepting their explanation. For Daniel, however, it only generated an explosion of half-formed questions too numerous and too murky to begin to articulate.
Landry nodded, "I see. Well, thank you again for your understanding," he rose from his place at the head of the briefing room table. "Rest assured we will get you back to where you belong as soon as possible. Airman? Please see this SG-1 to their quarters."
The baby-faced airman who had been standing at the door nodded stiffly. "Yes, sir."
Taking their cue, Teal'c and Mitchell rose to their feet as well and made their way over to the airman. Vala moved more slowly, stopping next to where Daniel was still seated and placing a hesitant hand on his arm. When he looked up at her, she said quietly, "If you had been him, I would have liked to have said thank you."
If you had been her, I would have wanted to say the same. The words lodged in his throat.
"I'm sure he knew…knows," Daniel choked out instead.
Her face twisted up into a knotted smile, and he was both horrified and fascinated to realize she was teetering on the edge of tears. Over him. Then, so quickly he thought he might have imagined it, she plastered over the expression with a flirtatious grin. The transition left something within him aching.
Vala joined the rest of her team at the door, made the airman blush with a "Hello, tiger, shall we?" and they filed out one by one.
Daniel stared blankly at the table in front of him, warring with the part of himself that desperately, inexplicably, crazily wanted to follow her. To say – to say what?
I haven't given up on you either.
"Doctor Jackson?" Landry's voice.
"General?" he responded, hoping that his voice didn't betray the fact that he had momentarily forgotten the other man's presence.
"You're dismissed as well."
"Oh, ah, yes, sir. I know. I was just…" What was he just? "…thinking," he finished lamely.
I wish I had been better to you when you were here.
"I see," Landry said. "In that case, feel free to continue as you were. I, myself, am going to the commissary to see if I can't manage to find a cup of blue Jell-O the Colonel Carters might have missed."
"I should probably wish you good luck."
"Thank you, Doctor Jackson. I suspect I'll need it."
I regret that we lost you, and I wish things had happened differently.
"And Doctor Jackson?"
"General?"
"For what it's worth, I often find the words I regret the most are the ones I didn't have the guts to say."
I never thought I'd miss you like this. Up until today, I didn't even know that I did.
Immediately upon entering her temporary room Vala kicked off her boots and settled on the bed, leaning back against the headboard with her eyes closed. Teal'c had accepted an invitation to join several other versions of himself for a session of kel'nor'reem, while Cameron had decided to take part in a pick-up game of basketball; three on three with…himself. Vala had considered attending – the potential display of testosterone was enticing, to say the least - but had ultimately opted out. There were many sayings about "too much of a good thing" and she suspected there was some wisdom in them. Since Sam was also otherwise occupied, busy at the genius emporium trying to resolve their current situation, Vala was left alone with her thoughts for the first time since this most recent adventure began.
And what an adventure it was.
Seeing Daniel had certainly been a shock, she reflected. Though she'd be lying if she claimed it hadn't been a dream come true to walk through the gate and find him there, waiting. And not just because he was delicious to look at - finding him was the entire reason she had stayed with SG-1 after he had been lost at the beachhead. Perhaps even the real reason she had come to earth in the first place, all those months ago. Treasure was wonderful, but the chance to see – and of course tease and torture – her Daniel was nearly priceless, and had been impossible to pass up.
She was shaken from her thoughts by a knock. "Come in," she called out, grimacing a bit in reluctance. Hopefully it wasn't someone come to fetch her for another round of painful bureaucratic debriefing exercises. The activity was not nearly as much fun as its name led one to believe.
She was both pleasantly surprised and immediately nervous when it was the object of her ponderings that stepped inside the door, looking a little awkward and as though he wasn't entirely sure why he was there. "Ah, hello again," he said, as he shut the door gingerly behind him. "I hope you don't mind me interrupting your…" he paused, seeming to search for a word before settling on, "…relaxation."
"Not at all," Vala said. "Do come in. It was a bit too quiet in here for my liking anyhow."
Ironically, as soon as the words were out of her mouth the room fell into a heavy silence. They merely regarded each other for a few moments until Daniel finally sighed and said, "So um, how are you doing?" He shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked once, twice, on his heels. The gesture was so familiar that it stung a little and Vala had trouble finding the bravado with which he surely expected her to respond.
"Oh, you know, darling, stranger things have happened. I haven't got a snake in my head, I'm still in my own body, no one's tried to burn me to death. The day could be worse I suppose." The laugh she finished with rang hollow even to herself. Likely Daniel saw through the façade as well, just as he always did.
"Of course," he said. "This wouldn't faze you at all."
"Not in the least," she responded, eyeing him as he edged closer, apparently emboldened by whatever he had, indeed, read in her words.
"Right." He paused, and then began, "Vala I wanted to ask you -"
Not prepared to have the conversation that was bound to follow that particular segue, and having more pressing matters on her mind at any rate, she interrupted quickly, "So, where am I in this lovely little universe of yours? I mean obviously we have at least met…"
An expression she could only call guilt flickered across his features. "We're still not sure exactly," he said, echoing her own earlier explanation before continuing hesitantly, "I…we didn't exactly…listen to your suggestions during the beachhead situation, and so you took the cargo ship by yourself to sabotage the Supergate." He looked away. Yes, guilt, then. "I, er, no one noticed you had left until it was too late to go after you. You succeeded in destroying the Supergate but you…well you didn't make it back in time. Sam said that you were in transport when everything was sucked into the singularity…" Daniel trailed off and hazarded a glance back at the woman on the bed.
Vala nodded and stared down at her hands. So, it was the other way around in this universe. She was gone and Daniel remained.
"But, hey," Daniel said, finally sitting down on the bed. He tried to catch her gaze unsuccessfully before continuing, "My Sam came to the same conclusion as yours, and….we're hoping my Vala made it to the Ori galaxy, as well."
She tried not to show how it foolishly made her heart jump in her chest to hear him say 'my Vala.' She knew it was in reference to the other Vala, and only to differentiate from her, the one sitting in front of him. But, still - a part of her she didn't like to acknowledge very often found the phrase had a nice ring to it.
"Vala," Daniel pushed forward, not to be distracted from his goal for long, "what I came here to ask was, in your universe, what happened at the Supergate? What did you mean when you said you wanted to thank me…I mean him?"
Vala at once wanted to both melt into his concerned gaze and shrink away from it. She slipped past him and began to pace back and forth at the foot of the bed.
"My Daniel didn't listen to me either," she began, the words tumbling out in a jumbled mess. "At least not at first, I mean I kept trying to tell them, but they didn't want to hear what I had to say, so I left. That is, I headed off to carry out my own plan in order to destroy the Supergate." She paused then, remembering how shunned she'd felt when they had ignored her multiple attempts to suggest a solution and the odd burning desire to prove herself to them, to Daniel, as she jogged off the ship's bridge.
Daniel simply nodded, urging her to continue. She stopped pacing and stared off into the distance recalling the events that she had replayed in her mind so vividly, so many times…
Vala ran down the hallway of the Prometheus, darting past repair crews and airmen, focused solely on the plan still forming in her mind. She hadn't heard Daniel calling her name, hadn't even realized he was behind her, until he grabbed her arm as she reached for the ring controls. She reflexively shook him off before demanding, "Daniel what are you doing here?"
"Funny you should ask, because I was about to ask you the same question," he replied, congenial words belying the heat of his tone. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"
"Oh you care now?" she retorted haughtily. With a flip of her hair she turned towards the control panel of the ring room.
"Vala" Daniel said grabbing her arm and spinning her to face him once more.
"I am trying to help, Daniel. Someone had to do something, and you wouldn't listen." She pulled away from him and began quickly pushing a series of buttons on the control panel. "Actually, I got the idea from Colonel Carter. The objects are being held in some sort of energy field, like links on a chain, and I intend to take the place of the last link."
Frustrated, Daniel moved in front of her as best he could and batted her hands away from the controls. "And how exactly are you going to do that?" he asked.
"On the cloaked cargo ship Garek left to watch us, which I am currently setting the rings to seek out," Vala answered matter-of-factly.
Daniel stared at her agape, it appeared as though he was not entirely sure he wanted to know how she was aware of the cargo ship but was impressed despite himself. She took advantage of his momentary freeze to reach around him and finish tapping in the sequence.
He shook his head to clear it. "Fine, but I'm coming with you. If something happens to you, you'll need an extra pair of hands to finish the job. And to make sure you make it back."
"I'll be fine Daniel," she replied dismissively, still staring at the controls. She muttered a few choice words in goa'uld before smacking the side of the panel sharply. A few more lights flickered on and she nodded with satisfaction.
"You can't know that."
Vala paused as she was about to hit the final button, and for the first time met Daniel's eyes. "We still don't know if the link between us is finally broken or not, you might collapse once you're over there." He protested stubbornly.
Taking in the fierce determination on his face, she sighed. She knew very well that her plan, which was still being created on the fly, might end in her not coming back at all - and she was not interested in risking anyone but herself. However, Daniel did have a point about their ongoing attachment issue. She also didn't have time to argue with him any further.
"Fine. I suppose you may accompany me. Wouldn't want to kill the both of us by getting out of range prematurely, now would I? But, I don't want you claiming all the heroics for yourself when we return, do you hear?" she conceded, while pointing a finger directly at Daniel's face.
Daniel sighed and rolled his eyes, allowed her to key in the last piece of the sequence, and followed her onto the ring platform.
Things had gone smoothly once they had arrived on the tel'tak, Vala had taken care of the Jaffa pilot, ringing him back to the Prometheus while Daniel contacted the others from the pilot's station to explain their plan and began moving the ship into position.
"Daniel, when that singularity forms, there will be a powerful shock wave. The cargo ship won't survive," Sam's worried voice said over the communication system.
"Yeah, apparently that's the plan," Daniel replied. He could practically hear the concerned looks Mitchell and Sam shot each other at that admission. "I didn't say it was a great plan."
"Hey!" Vala exclaimed as she came up behind the pilot's chair.
Daniel didn't bother to dignify the defensive outburst with a response. "We'll ring back before that happens, guys."
She reached over, leaning dangerously into his personal space, to hit a command into the console. "You need more thrust Daniel." She squinted out the view port before turning to look at him. His eyes pointedly traveled from her chest, which was directly in his line of vision, up to her face. He raised an eyebrow. "What? Not everything I say and do is laced with innuendo, you know." She said indignantly.
"Uh huh," he responded, turning his attention back to his 'parking job'. Tapping in some final commands he added, a few seconds later,"Okay, Vala, we're nearly there. Go get ready to ring back to the Prometheus."
Vala hurried back to the control panel, stumbling slightly as the ship jolted into place, barely beating the final section of the Supergate to its spot. She had her hand on the controls waiting for Daniel to join her when blue bolts of electricity began to surge through the ship, into the electrical systems, and by extension through Vala's hand into her body. She crumpled to the floor with a strangled cry.
Daniel whirled at the sound. "Vala!"
He bolted to the ring room, turning her onto her back. She opened her mouth to reassure him but what came out was less than encouraging, "I-I-I'm fiiuuuuuowwww…"
"Yeah, not fine, Vala. This is what not fine feels like." He carefully picked her up and placed her within the rings before moving back to the control panel. It had stopped sparking and he punched the button to activate the rings. Nothing happened. He hit it again with his fist, putting a lot more force behind the blow. Still nothing.
"Just perfect," Daniel spat. It must have blown out – unsurprisingly, considering the energy that was still surging through the ship. He raised his arm to try the console one last time, in what he knew would be a vain attempt, then glanced at Vala.
She was struggling to watch him from where she lay, barely conscious and fighting every step of the way to keep her eyes open. Yet, even so, she could see all too clearly the direction in which Daniel's thoughts were heading – and knew the moment he had reached his decision.
His stare hardened, and he pressed his lips together tightly. His hand, which had been hanging uselessly in mid-air over the control panel, fell to his side.
"Daniel…what are you…don't you even-" Don't you dare.
Her lips refused to form the words.
Daniel launched himself back towards the pilot's chair, tripping and stumbling as the ship shook even more violently. He looked back to the ring room, to where Vala's face, ghostly pale under the flickering lights, was turned toward him. "I'll be right behind you" he assured her as he placed his hand on secondary ring controls.
"Daniel, no -," she attempted to say again, but in a flash of light she found herself back on the Prometheus. Her plea went unheard. She forced herself to find the energy to none too gracefully roll her aching body off the ring platform – he had said he would be coming along after her. He'd said it.
But he never did. The rings lit up and began to hum. Then nothing. Daniel never materialized.
Vala groaned as the shockwave from the singularity reached the Prometheus, causing the floor to shake under her and her headache to worsen. Within moments Vala had passed out completely.
"Why!? Why did you do that?"
Daniel placed his hands on Vala's shoulders in an attempt to steady the shaking woman before him. Her voice cracked as she asked again, "Why?" She looked up into the face of the man she had been trying to find for months, desperate for the explanation she had been searching for just as long.
"I can't know why he did what he did Vala…I can only tell you that if I'd realized my Vala was gone before it was too late, I imagine, I mean…I…well, I know I would have followed her, too." It was clear the words were difficult for him to say, even as he put all his energy into trying to soothe her, moving his hands from her shoulders, down her arms, to take her hands in his.
"No, not just that. Why did he have to play the hero, why did he save me at the expense of himself?" She pushed him away and began to pace again. "Why didn't he try to find a way to get himself back, too? What made him think I was any more important than he was, that I was worth…"
Daniel stepped into her path, stopping her increasingly frantic movement, and brought his hand under her chin to tilt her face towards his. When he was sure he had her attention, he continued, "He probably saw the same potential in you that I saw in my own Vala.…and he wanted to be sure you had the chance to see it in yourself." His last words sounded strangled, laced with what she thought might be regret.
Vala shook her head. She tried to hold back the sob that was rising from her chest, but was clearly unsuccessful as Daniel murmured a soft "Hey" and pulled her into his arms. Vala melted into his embrace, finally allowing herself to feel everything lurking behind the iron-willed determination to just find him that had driven her for months. She had resolutely refused to consider that her Daniel might be gone for good. That he might be dead. And now being here with this Daniel, the idea was all the more painful. So many things had gone unsaid, undone, she had kept her act up with him for so long and neglected to…
"I never thought I would admit it but we've missed you around here. I mean Cam was just getting used to you and Teal'c…well Teal'c is hard to read I guess," Daniel's babbling broke into her thoughts and he pulled away from her a little. "But General Landry – well actually, I guess he did mention that that migraine finally went away after…What I'm trying to say is that we…well that I…miss you, I suppose." He paused, then repeated distantly, "I miss you."
A second ticked by. He cleared his throat and put even more space between them. "Well, it's been quite the day, hasn't it? No one can say our jobs our boring."
"No, they certainly can't," Vala agreed, the faint hint of a smile dancing on her lips. She reached for his hand and to their mutual surprise Daniel didn't move away, but grasped her fingers in return. "Daniel, I,…"
"Vala, I meant to –"
As they tried to speak over each other, a knock came at the door. An airman, looking more than a little uncomfortable when Daniel opened it, informed him that his presence was required at another briefing. Immediately.
Daniel turned to look at Vala and she could see that he was torn but she just nodded, forcing a small smile and motioned for him to take his leave.
The missed opportunities and things unsaid hung heavy in the air, pressing down on Vala as Daniel shut the door behind him. She would find her Daniel. And she would tell him exactly what she had been about to tell this Daniel. He was out there somewhere, and she would not give up.
Vala turned at the sound of the gateroom door sliding open. "Come to see us off?" Vala asked, as Daniel entered. Her mouth quirked upwards in a tiny grin. The rest of her team was loitering by the ramp, not-quite-subtly trying to give them some semblance of privacy.
Daniel nodded, then reconsidered and said, "Came to see you off," because what the hell. If ever there was a time to be honest, this was it. "I thought you deserved a proper goodbye this time."
A brief shadow of pain skittered across her face, but he couldn't regret causing it. Not when it was followed so closely with a warm, "And you, too, Daniel. You deserve one, too."
Before he could give it much thought, he enveloped Vala in another hug. She leaned into him, squeezing tightly. "I hope that if your Daniel is still out there that you –," Daniel murmured softly next to her ear.
Vala didn't even let him finish. "He's alive. And I'll find him," she interrupted with conviction. Daniel tried to let some of that certainty settle within himself.
From several feet away. Cameron said, with exaggerated loudness, "Boy, I sure am excited to get home!" A smacking sound – probably compliments of Sam – and a muffled "Ow!" followed.
Vala sighed, and releasing her grip on him said, "It seems that it's time I get going."
Daniel rolled his eyes. "I find it truly disturbing that that man leads SG-1 in multiple realities."
"Do you?" Vala asked as the gate began dialing. "I find myself hoping that I'm lucky enough to follow him in as many realities as possible." Her lecherous wink ensured there was no mistaking her meaning.
Daniel shook his head. "Get out of here," he said, marveling at the sheer fondness in his tone as he did so. As the rest of her team walked through the event horizon she turned and gave Daniel a somber wave, then blew a kiss before stepping backwards through the gate.
The wormhole blinked out of existence and Daniel shook his head again, shoving his hands in his pockets. He found himself more sure than ever that he would see his Vala again. Come hell or high water, Ori invasion or galaxy-spanning black holes, he had no doubt that she would eventually find him…them. And despite his better judgment a small smile tugged at his lips at the thought.
Because he missed her.