PART ONE
Dr Daniel Jackson sat in his office. He had random artefacts everywhere in his office; on his desk, on his shelves, even on the floor. Everything had its own spot, and it was organised, no matter what anyone else said.
"What cha doin'?" Came a voice from the door.
Daniel looked up and sighed. "Trying to work." He said. "But I suppose with you here, I'll be trying to stop you from breaking anything." The end of his sentence became a warning.
Vala Mal Doran looked up from the artefact she was holding. "I wasn't going to break it." She said. "But considering that you're Earth's top archaeologist, getting your hands on replacements wouldn't be that hard."
Daniel glared at her. "Yes it would. Lots of these things are one off items."
"Darling, I could get my hands on all sorts of stuff like this all the time." Vala said.
"I don't care." Daniel said. "Get out."
Vala
pouted. "But Daniel…"
"No."
"I'm
bored."
"Whatever."
"Entertain
me."
"Entertain yourself." Daniel said.
Vala sighed. "Take me out for dinner."
Daniel looked up. "What?"
"Please take me out for dinner." She looked hopeful. "I'm so bored on base. It's boring! And the food's not that crash hot either."
Daniel sighed, took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes."
"I'll pay." Vala said.
That caused Daniel to laugh. "I doubt that. Look, I'll take you out, on one condition."
"Anything."
"You don't complain when I bring you back here."
Vala looked thoughtful for a minute. "Fine." She said finally, then she tugged at Daniel's arm. "Let's go."
Daniel sighed. It was going to be a long night.
Vala sat across the table from Daniel. "So…" She said. "How's life treating you? Off base I mean."
Daniel raised an eyebrow. "Like you wouldn't already know." He said. Then seeing the look on Vala's face, he added, "It's alright."
"Not seeing anybody?" Vala asked, trying to look innocent.
Daniel chuckled. "No. Very subtle question."
Vala smiled. "Darling, I'm the queen of subtle."
They sat for a while in silence, eating their dinner.
"This is nice." Vala said quietly. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Daniel replied, surprised that Vala would think of saying thank you.
"I love this planet." Vala said quietly. "Of all the places I've been, this is the only one where I've felt… truly at home."
Daniel smiled slightly at her. "I'm glad you feel that way."
Vala smiled back at him.
"You don't want to go back to base, do you?" Daniel asked.
"Not just now." Vala said.
"Do you wanna, I don't know, maybe drop by my place for a drink?" Daniel asked.
Vala's face lit up. "Yes please!"
Daniel chuckled. "I thought you would."
Vala looked around Daniel's small apartment. She liked it. It was cosy.
"Here." Daniel handed her a glass of wine.
"Thanks." Vala sat down on a barstool. She watched as Daniel tidied his kitchen and poured himself a drink. He sat on a stool next to Vala.
"You've got a nice house." Vala said.
"Thanks." Daniel said. "I try to keep it tidy."
Vala shrugged. "A little mess never hurt anybody." She said.
"Yeah, well. I like things tidy."
Vala laughed. "But your office at base is so…" She trailed off.
"It's organised!" Daniel protested.
"Whatever you say." Vala took a drink. She put her glass down. "Daniel?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I stay here tonight?"
Daniel sighed loudly and rolled his eyes.
"Please? I hate being on base. It's cold, and un-homely."
"Un-homely?"
Vala grinned slightly. "Yeah."
Daniel stared at her for a few minutes. "You can stay on the couch."
Vala's grin broadened. "Thank you Daniel!" Then she paused. "You don't have spare pyjamas do you?"
Daniel emerged from his bedroom a little while later with an old T-shirt. "Will this do?" He asked.
Vala nodded, grabbing the shirt. She slipped it on, before removing the dress she wore underneath. She handed it to an astonished Daniel, and removed her bra as well. She dumped that in Daniel's arms as well.
"Thanks." She said.
"Any time." Daniel muttered after a long pause.
Vala crawled onto the couch, on which Daniel had placed some blankets. She sat up and looked at Daniel.
"What?" He asked.
"Can I have a goodnight kiss?"
Daniel
rolled his eyes. "No."
Vala put on a pout. "Please?" She
got off the couch and walked over to Daniel.
"Knowing you, this 'kiss' will turn into something more." Daniel said.
Vala gave Daniel a sad look.
"Fine." Daniel said.
"Yay!" Vala wrapped her arms around Daniel's torso and kissed him gently on the lips. "Goodnight Daniel." She whispered, and returned to the couch.
"Night." Daniel said as he walked to his bedroom, discarding Vala's clothes on the way.
Vala awoke with a start. She looked around. It was still dark. Daniel's VCR flashed the time, 1:07. Vala sat up and wiped her eyes. She realised she'd been crying. She'd had a bad dream. She kicked off the blankets and got off the couch. She walked through the dark apartment until she found Daniel's room. She stood in the doorway for a little while before entering the room. She pulled back some of Daniel's blankets and crawled into bed beside him. It was warm here, and Vala knew he'd be mad at her for this, but too bad. It was a surprise then, when she felt Daniel's arm snake around her, and pull her close to him. He was still asleep, she realised. Vala smiled into the darkness and closed her eyes and went back to sleep.
Daniel woke up early the next morning. He felt Vala in bed next to him and sighed. He wondered when she'd got into bed with him.
"Morning." Daniel heard Vala say.
He rolled onto his side and found himself staring into Vala's eyes.
"Morning." He said in reply.
Vala looked a bit embarrassed. "I'm sorry." She whispered. "For…this."
Daniel looked back at her. "Why are you here?"
"I had a bad dream." Vala admitted. "And I wanted some comfort."
They lay there staring at each other for a while.
"Vala? What do you think about when you see me?" Daniel asked.
Vala looked surprised at the question, and then thoughtful. "At first it was sex." She said. "But over time, I came to see you as more than just a guy. I see you as a talented, special, wonderful man." Vala paused to catch Daniel's reaction. Then she continued. "And I think I've fallen in love with you."
There was quiet in the room.
"Well." Said Daniel after a while. "You know, when I first met you, I thought you were a dirty, rotten, gorgeous, thief."
Vala smiled.
"Then I saw you trying to change, and struggling with yourself, and then I saw you as a talented, clever, gorgeous woman." Daniel said. He leaned close to Vala. "And I'm in love with you too." He whispered. He reached out and brushed Vala's hair away from her face. He leant into Vala and kissed her gently.
"Oh Daniel." Vala murmured as he kissed her jaw and down her neck. "You are the most amazing man I've ever met."
"Mmm." Was Daniel's reply.
"Daniel?"
"Yeah?"
"What's the time?"
Daniel looked up at Vala's face. "I don't know. Check the clock."
"You have a clock?"
Daniel rolled his eyes and checked his watch. "It's 5:22."
"Oh boy. We could get more sleep." Vala said. "Sleep is good."
Daniel managed to shut her up by kissing her again.
"However," Vala said, kissing Daniel back passionately. "This is good too."
Daniel and Vala were awake again at 7:00am. Daniel lay on his back, staring at the ceiling. Vala was curled up next to him, her legs entangled with his.
"Daniel?"
"Mmm?"
"What are you thinking about?"
Daniel rolled over so he was facing Vala. "How do you know that I'm thinking something?"
Vala smiled. "You always are."
Daniel smiled back. "I'm thinking about you."
"Good things or bad things?"
"Just…things." Daniel said. "Some good, some bad, some in between."
Vala ran her hand over Daniel's bare chest. "I'm thinking about you." She said. "When you're off world. You try to do what's right, and sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. But you never give up. I admire that about you."
Daniel stroked the side of Vala's face, then he leant down and kissed her. "You're a beautiful woman, Vala. And not just physically."
Vala smiled up at Daniel, and kissed him return. "Thank you." She murmured.
"Would you like some breakfast before we leave?" Daniel asked.
Vala smiled at Daniel's thoughtfulness. "Sure."
Daniel poured some cereal for Vala, who was sitting, once again, on a barstool. He passed Vala her bowl and a spoon. As Vala reached for the spoon, Daniel grabbed her hand and brought it up to his lips. He kissed it gently and gave Vala the spoon. She smiled at him.
"Thanks." She said.
"You're welcome." Daniel replied, as he poured himself some cereal. He walked around the kitchen bench to sit beside Vala.
"Got anything planned for today?" Vala asked in between mouthfuls.
"Not really." Daniel replied. "I'll probably just study some more artefacts."
Vala pretended to stifle a yawn. "Darling, your job seems so boring."
Daniel smiled good-naturedly. "To you maybe. To me, its interesting."
Vala put her spoon down as she finished her breakfast. She smiled at Daniel, who smiled back and finished eating.
"Can I take your dishes?" Daniel asked.
"Sure." Vala replied, handing Daniel her empty bowl. He returned to the kitchen and placed the dishes in the sink. Then he felt Vala's arms encircle him from behind. He grabbed her hands and pulled them away from his body so he could spin around to face her. He interlaced his fingers behind Vala's back. She put her arms over Daniel's shoulders, and jumped up so her legs were wrapped around his waist. Daniel held her there as Vala leant down and kissed him passionately.
"Always full of energy, aren't you?" Daniel asked between kisses.
"All the time." Was Vala's reply. She leant back in Daniel's arms, legs still wrapped around his waist, and pulled Daniel's shirt over his head and dropped it onto the floor. The she pulled the oversized shirt she was still wearing over her own head, leaving her naked except for her knickers. She leant down to kiss Daniel again, who was feeling very aroused by now. He carefully walked over to the couch with Vala still holding on. He dropped her carefully onto the crumpled blankets, and climbed on top of her, kissing her on the lips, and down her neck to her breasts.
Then the phone rang.
Vala made an angry growling noise in her throat.
"I'm sorry." Daniel said. "I have to answer that."
Vala nodded, kissing Daniel quickly before he went to answer the phone.
"Daniel Jackson." Daniel said into the phone.
"Daniel, it's Sam." Samantha Carter's voice floated through the phone. "I'm sorry to do this to you, but we've been put on for a mission."
"Right." Said Daniel.
"And… do you know where Vala is? She's not on base." Sam asked.
"Uh, yeah." Daniel said. "She's here. I let her stay the night."
Daniel could practically hear Sam raise an eyebrow. "She slept on the couch." Daniel said, glancing over to the couch, where Vala was lying, waiting for him.
"Whatever." Sam said. "You both need to be here in 20 minutes."
"Okay,
we'll see you then."
"Bye Daniel."
"Bye Sam." Daniel hung up the phone.
22 minutes later, Daniel and Vala walked into the SGC.
Vala looked at Daniel, who was walking next to her. "Shame we were interrupted." She said.
"Yeah." Said Daniel. Then he turned to face to face her. "I promise we'll make up for that. When we get back. We'll pick up where we left off."
Vala grinned. "I'm looking forward to it."
Daniel chuckled. "Of course you are."
"Jackson! Vala! Let's go! You're late!" Cameron Mitchell cried when he saw them.
Daniel checked his watch. "Late? By two minutes?" Come on."
"We're here now, let's go." Vala said. "Where are we going anyway?"
Mitchell smiled despite himself. "We're visiting the new Jaffa home world as part of peace negotiations."
Daniel raised an eyebrow. "And this wasn't scheduled?"
Mitchell shook his head. "They contacted us about an hour ago, saying they wanted to see SG1, today. They wouldn't take no for an answer."
"Why SG1?" Daniel asked. "Why not someone in charge? General Landry maybe."
Mitchell shrugged. "Dunno, maybe 'cause we're SG1. We're famous."
Daniel gave a wry smile. "Yes we are. But mostly because of Jack, so don't let it go to your head."
"SG1 to the gate room." A voice said over the PA.
Daniel looked across at Vala. "We should get ready."
She nodded.
"See you in the gate room in five." Daniel said to Mitchell.
Sam, Teal'c and Mitchell were waiting in the gate room when Daniel and Vala arrived.
"Four minutes, I'm impressed." Said Mitchell, checking his watch.
Vala rolled her eyes. "Are we going?"
"Anxious?" Asked Mitchell.
"No." She replied. "Bored. And I figure, even if we're at boring peace talks, we're off world."
"SG1, good luck." Said General Landry.
"Thanks." Mitchell said sarcastically.
"Let's go." Said Sam, walking up the ramp, Teal'c following closely. Sam and Teal'c disappeared through the gate, followed by Mitchell. Daniel and Vala went through last.