Just Like A Romance Novel
Nominated for a 2007 Stargate Fan Award
Part Seven of 'The Survivor's' series.
Chapter One
The white sand along the seemingly endless shoreline gleamed in the brilliant sunshine until it almost hurt his eyes to look upon it. The ocean breeze was warm and refreshing and the water so blue that it reminded him of the Caribbean.
Daniel's bare feet left indentions in the wet sand and he smiled as he looked back and watched the waves obliterate his trail. It was almost like he'd never been there. He heard laughter and turned around to see Vala splashing in the surf, throwing pieces of stale bread to the gulls, her royal blue bikini glittering in the sunlight and the golden skinned sight of her took his breath away. He felt possessive of her, though he knew she wouldn't appreciate being thought of that way. She was independent and wild, a free spirit turned loose on the universe and he had learned to love her, despite all the problems they'd had earlier.
When Vala looked up, she saw her lover coming towards her. He was a well-muscled man, deeply tanned with golden highlights just beginning to show in his hair. Her stomach did a little flip at the breathtaking sight of him approaching her and she watched as his beautiful blue eyes found hers. 'How did I get so lucky?' She definitely did consider herself fortunate. How many women at the base had pinned their hopes on him, especially the nurses in the infirmary? She saw how women watched him and the funny thing was - he was totally oblivious! He didn't have a clue how he affected people around him, especially women.
As soon as he reached her, he put his arms around her and kissed her gently. "Hey."
"Hey? Dr. Daniel Jackson, the man who speaks how many languages? And all you can say is, 'hey?'
""Funny," he said and then tilted her head back and kissed her with slow precision. Her knees went weak and it was all she could do to stand there in the surf with her hands pressed against the warmth of his chest, feeling his heart beating beneath them, fast and furious!
When they came up for air, he kissed her ear and said, "I dreamed of a place like this when I was in the hospital. It was paradise but it wasn't perfect. It was missing something."
She said, "What was it missing?"
He looked up into her eyes and said, "You."
His words caused her heart to melt, once again. He valued her more than any man ever had in her whole life. She was overwhelmed by the intensity of his emotion filled words and by the look in his eyes as he caressed her face. They walked to a sheet they had spread out on the sand and continued their luxurious exploration of each other.
She kissed his mouth, watching as he closed his eyes and succumbed to her seduction. Her hands played with the muscles on his chest and shoulders, reveling in the texture and natural scent of him. She deepened the kiss and smiled inside when he groaned. She loved the power she had over him, the power to render him completely helpless in her arms. She made love to him slowly, knowing that she had all the time in the world.
Afterwards, when his head quit spinning and his heartbeat slowed enough for him to think coherently again, he reached out with his left hand and grabbed the edge of the sheet and pulled it over them. As they fell asleep, he thought about how much things had changed for them. He used to hate her but now he felt blessed that they were allowed to spend two weeks on this planet without any other humans anywhere around.
0 0
She woke up as the sun was going down and lifted her head to look out through the opening in the little cotton tunnel they were wrapped in. The breeze had switched around and was coming from the trees, laced with the heady scent of tropical wild flowers. She rested against his side and then she heard her stomach growl. Peeking up to see if he'd had heard it, she saw him smile and knew he was awake, even though he kept his eyes closed.
"Either that's thunder or you're hungry."
"Maybe it's because we're wrapped up in this sheet like a tortilla. Aren't you hungry?"
He rolled to his side, pulled her against him and said, "Yes, I am. But, not for food." Then, his own stomach growled, as he leaned in for a kiss.
"Liar," she whispered and then ducked her face against his shoulder, laughing at the frustrated look on his face.
"Okay, so my stomach turned traitor. I guess we should go back to the camp sight and fix something." He reluctantly pulled the sheet from around them, helped her up and watched as she walked to the shoreline to retrieve their swim suits. 'There's nobody here but us, so why did we bother wearing those?'
He thought about the story of Adam and Eve in their garden paradise, walking around naked before Eve was tempted by the snake. 'I wonder how the story would go if the snake was a Goa'uld. Maybe Sokar?' He almost laughed out loud at the thought.
Their camp was at the base of a limestone formation and consisted of a large two room tent to rest in, another tent for eating in and storing food away from insects, and a large hammock strung between two trees. A fire pit in the center of the grouping was used for cooking.
They fixed themselves a simple lunch and then reclined together on the hammock, watching the water. She thought about her marriage to Tomin. It was a farce and an evil plot to make her pregnancy look normal in front of the townspeople and for the Ori to gain a leader to convert the masses. Adria was so evil, it was hard for Vala to believe she was her mother.
After Adria's birth and the events following, they returned to the SGC. She and Daniel had gone to General Landry and told him they wished to get married and she wanted to know how to go about obtaining a divorce from Tomin. He said he would have to consult the President and the Air Force attorneys that were familiar with the Stargate Program. Daniel stated that if marriages that happened off world were recognized as legal and binding, the same should be said about divorces or annulments. It was a good argument and when Landry approached the President with it, he and the attorneys agreed and wrote up a mandate. She was exempt from notifying Tomin for his signature since there was a war going on and it was next to impossible to find him. Her divorce papers were issued eight weeks later and that evening, Daniel took her out to a special restaurant for dinner. After dessert, he got down on one knee, opened a little black box with a diamond and sapphire ring in it, and proposed, right there in front of everyone. She was teary eyed as she said, 'yes,' and the people at the tables around them congratulated the couple and wished them well. He blushed in his embarrassment but had a really pleased smile on his face.
General Landry had given them permission for two weeks leave after their small wedding at the SGC. They were married in the gate room with as many of the SGC staff as could make it. Three days after that, SG-1 left on a mission to P33-Q17, a diplomatic foray that was successfully completed with a treaty for naquadria, in exchange for medical technology and farming implements. From there, Daniel and Vala left for their 'honeymoon planet.' They knew the IOA would have serious objections to them opening the gate, just for two people to have time off. General Landry knew that they couldn't spend the tax payers money on a honeymoon and this way cost them nothing. So, after the treaty was formalized, Daniel and Vala left directly for P78-Y45, the tropical planet that was under the Protected Planets Treaty with the Asgard. UAV footage had shown a large land mass with a beach and no islands were visible on the horizon so it was thought to be isolate and safe. They had carried supplies to the first planet to take with them to the tropical one. The rest of SG-1 volunteered to bring more supplies after their next scheduled trip back to P78-Y45. Daniel and Vala could look forward to five more days of blissful solitude before Sam, Teal'c and Cam brought them additional food and water. Until then, they had plenty to eat, medical supplies, storm gear and anything else they could think of that they might need.
Vala had pulled on some panties and a button down white shirt and came out of the tent. Daniel followed her out, wearing sweat pants and a T-shirt and started a fire while she rummaged through the large cooler for their dinner. She turned around and saw that he'd dressed and laughed, remembering their first evening when the firewood had popped, throwing sparks around. Daniel had been nude and jumped back just in time to avoid getting singed on some rather tender body parts. After that, he at least wore pants or shorts while tending the fire.
Vala closed the cooler and said, "The steaks are thawed. How does that sound? I can open the bag of salad greens and we could bake potatoes in the coals. We even have some packets of butter and sour cream."
"That sounds wonderful. I'm starving." The fire had been banked earlier in the day so it didn't take much to get the logs started. He reached for the tin foil and wrapped both potatoes and then placed them along side the red coals. Then, he got out a portable grill and placed it on the rocks over some embers, waiting for it to get hot before he placed the steaks on it. Vala put the salad together and soon they had dinner cooked and eaten.
After, they both cleaned up the dinner things and they leaned against a log and watched the fire. Vala leaned back against Daniel's chest and said, "Tell me about Egypt, Daniel. What do you remember from when you lived there as a child?"
Daniel put his arms around her and rested his chin on her head. After he thought for a moment he said, "I remember I played with some of the boys who lived in the town nearest the dig and we would chase each other through the streets. One old lady sold sweets from her wagon and we could usually get her to give us something. She was like a grandmother to all of us. She had white hair, no teeth and lots of wrinkles but she was really nice to us and sometimes she would act like we were nuisances but then she would laugh and give us some sugared dates."
She turned to look up at him and asked, "How old were you?"
"Six. Maybe seven It was a long time ago." He stared into the fire and she realized he was millions of miles away, both literally and figuratively.
She rested her head against his chest and smiled as he sighed contentedly. "Good memories?"
He looked down at her and said, "Yeah. One boy, Asad, had a puppy. I can't remember it's name. It was just a little scruffy thing and it followed us everywhere. Some of the shop keepers gave it treats and I remember that one old man, the butcher, gave it a soup bone." He chuckled a bit and said, "The poor thing could barely drag it around."
"That's cute."
He pulled her close and asked, "Did you have any pets?"
Vala looked off into the distance and said, "I don't remember any."
Daniel watched her eyes, noting the far away look. He didn't know a lot about her past, but what he did know explained a lot about who she was now. She'd had it rough and he was surprised that she'd turned out as well as she had. Some people would become bitter and mean. She always seemed optimistic about life.
The fired burned down to glowing embers and the sky above was dark but one of the moons had risen and sat on the horizon, casting it's reflection on the sea like a big spotlight. The birds had settled down for the night, quieting themselves, but there were other sounds in the dark. Frogs and crickets sang to each other in a symphony of night songs.
He rubbed her shoulders and asked, "Ready for bed?"
"Yeah, I'm tired. It's been a perfect day, Daniel."
He smiled at her and said, "Yeah, it was. Come on. I'll bank the fire and you go crawl in."
She slipped between the sheets on the air bed and waited for him. He joined her, and sighed as he held her close.
'Yup, just perfect,' he thought as he drifted off to sleep.
0 0
A chorus of bird song woke him before sunrise. The sky was still dark and a cool breeze was blowing off the water so he leaned over the side of the bed and pulled a large quilt over both of them. No alarm clocks. No klaxons. No sound of airmen chatting as they passed his quarters at the base. Just peace and quiet. He snuggled down under the covers spooning Vala in front of him, and went back to sleep.
When he next woke up, he could smell coffee and could hear Vala humming quietly. He hadn't noticed that she had gotten up and he smiled as he listened. 'She sounds happy.' When he left the tent, he saw that she was wrapped in a sarong and had her hair in a loose braid and had a flower over her left ear. She turned and saw him and then smiled, which took his breath away. This little thief had stolen his heart.
She handed him a plate of hot food which he carried as he followed her to the beach. They sat on the sheet together and after they finished eating, they applied sun screen to each other's bodies. She stretched out on her stomach and started reading one of the many romance novels she'd brought along on the trip.
"Daniel, this book is very interesting."
"What's it about?" He was amused by her reading addiction. Whenever she had spare time at the base, she had her nose in a book.
"It's about a pirate and a woman whom he captured and taken aboard his ship. He sounds marvelous! Six feet five inches tall and all muscle. Long black hair and blue eyes." She read on for a few minutes and then suddenly slapped the book closed. "Oh, my!"
Daniel grinned at her and said, "What? You get to the sex part?"
"How did you know?"
"You're blushing."
"I've read a few of these and this one is the most graphic one I've read. I didn't know people actually wrote this kind of stuff until I came to earth." She rolled onto her back and covered her eyes with her forearm.
He laid back on his elbows and said, "Yeah, it's a big industry. They usually have a beautiful woman whose in some sort of difficulty. A handsome over-masculine man who rescues her. Some adventure and usually lots of great sex."
She looked up at him and said, "Sounds like you know a lot about them, Darling. Have you read many of them?"
"A few. They're mostly the same, just different names and different places."
"I can't believe you actually have read this stuff? When?"
"A few times when I was laid up at home after some accident. Janet left one, once, when she came over to help. I'd been hurt on a mission and after I went home to recuperate, she came over and cooked dinner. When she left, she forgot the book. I started reading it and got hooked into the story. After that, whenever I was laid up, she would bring over a few from her collection and leave them for me."
"That's sweet. She sounds like she was a remarkable woman."
"Yeah, she was special. Everyone loved her. She was only about 5'2" tall, maybe a hundred pounds. Auburn hair and a great smile. Just a little woman, but she ran the infirmary with an iron fist. She wasn't mean, don't get me wrong. But, when any of us came in injured, she was all business. It's because of her that so many survived injuries that might have killed them. She saved my life more times than I can count."
"I wish I'd met her." Vala knew that if Daniel felt that way about Janet, she must have been quite a woman.
"You would have liked her. She accepted everyone and it didn't matter what kind of person they were or if they were from another planet. She always gave everyone a chance. She even adopted a young girl from another planet."
"Did you love her?" Vala wasn't jealous. She knew that Daniel was special to so many people and he cared for just about everyone.
He looked away towards the water. "Yeah, I guess I did. She never knew it, though. I never took the time to tell her. We always assume that the people we love are going to be around forever. I learned at an early age that sometimes things happen, but I guess I forgot. When she was killed, it affected everyone at the base. It took a while for all of us to come to terms with it."
Vala sat up and scooted closer to him, put her arms around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay. I have you now and I almost let you get away. I won't make that mistake again." He gave her a quick kiss and then said, "I'm going for a swim. Want to come along?"
"No, you go ahead." She pointed to the book and said, "I want to see what happens to the perilous Vanessa."
"Take notes," he yelled back at her and grinned.
She knew that he needed a moment to compose himself. Daniel had a very expressive face. He wasn't just the most handsome man she'd ever met, he was also the most tender hearted, caring man she'd ever had the privilege to know. He didn't always talk about his feelings but she knew that they ran deep. When he was talking about Janet, she could see the pain in his eyes. 'Poor baby. He's been through so much. Too many losses.' She shook her head and then returned to her book.
Daniel swam to a rock, about 30 yards out and then headed back to the beach. The whole time, he was thinking about Janet and how much he had come to admire her. And now, he had a beautiful wife and he vowed to do everything in his power to keep her safe.
When he walked up onto the beach, he grabbed a towel that was laying next to Vala and said, "I feel like doing some exploring today? Not a long hike but I'd like to take a look around. Want to come along?"
"Sure, that sounds like fun," Vala said. They went back to the tent and changed into cotton shirts, shorts and sneakers. He banked the fire and closed up the tent. She packed up some lunch things and the first aid kit and some additional sun screen and water.
They headed inland, and passed the path leading up to the cave where the gate was located, breaking a trail through the palm trees and some undergrowth. She brought along some small plastic bags and he patiently waited while she gathered plant, rock and dirt samples to give to Sam. Wild flowers grew everywhere and the air smelled like roses and jasmine. Citrus trees hung heavy with fruit and Daniel gathered a few oranges and put them in his back pack.
About an hour into the hike, they came upon the shoreline on the opposite side of the island and saw cliffs rising above the beach with caves facing the ocean.
"The UAV showed this but it didn't give much detail.
"Do you want to hike up for a bit?" Vala was game, if he was.
"Just a little ways. It's almost lunch time and maybe we can find a place for a picnic that will give us a great view."
They started up a path and Daniel paused frequently with his video camera to film Vala as she trekked up behind him. The water was aquamarine blue in the shallows and a darker blue where the water ran deep. They found a large shelf to sit on and unpacked their lunch. He filmed and pointed out different, interesting things around them and she got out a journal and made notes for him.
"Vala, you've seen a lot of TV shows about earth. If you could go anywhere, where would you go?"
"I don't know. Maybe the Mideast. You grew up there and it would be interesting to see the places you knew."
"Someday, we'll do that. I'll take you to Egypt to see the pyramids. We'll go to Cairo and I'll take you to the museums there and show you some of the things that archaeologists found over the years. A lot of it is gone but there's still some interesting artifacts there."
"Where did it all go?"
"Well, back in the last part of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th, a lot of things were found and taken to Great Britain, France, Germany and the U.S. The archaeologists didn't take care of the dig sites like they do now. So, what wasn't carted off was destroyed. Some of the artifacts are being returned now but it will take time to recover it all. Some of it never will be returned."
"That's horrible, Daniel. That must make you angry!"
"It does a little, but it was acceptable behavior at the time. Now days, people take more care about the things that are found at the digs and the governments involved make sure that the things stay in their respective countries. It's better now."
She was quiet for a minute and then said, "I know that I stole a lot of things in my past, and I regret it now." She looked sad and realized that she was just as guilty as the grave robbers from earth's past.
He reached over for her hand and said, "That's the past. Don't look back. You're different now."
She nodded and looked away, tearful.
"Come here," Daniel said and pulled her close. He hated to see her cry.
She looked up and said, "You're incredible! How come you can forgive so easily?"
"Because I love you." He smiled and then kissed her on the tip of her nose. "It's that simple."
She could only stare into his eyes in wonder.
"Come on, let's head back," he said. "Let's go find out what kind of mischief Vanessa has gotten herself into." He grinned at her and helped her up.
When they got back to the camp site, they were both tired so they went inside the tent and laid back on the air bed. He fell asleep almost immediately so Vala retrieved her book and settled in for the story.
Captain Danford lifted Vanessa over his shoulder, carried her across the gang plank and went straight to his cabin. She struggled and pounded his back but it was no use. After slamming the door, he cleared his desk with one swipe and sat her on top of it. Maps and manifests scattered unnoticed as he stood before her with hunger in his eyes. "You're mine, now! There's no use fighting it. Give me time and you won't want to!"
"Oh, my! This guy is unbelievable! What an ego!" She whispered quietly to herself and then read on.
He lifted the hem of her dress and drew his hands up her legs to her hips. She tried to fight but before long he had her bent backwards over the desk. He rested his forearms besides her head and kissed her hard. Just then, he heard a knock at the door. "Sir, Come quick! There's a ship on the horizon and it's headed straight for us!" He swore and then backed away. Vanessa would have to wait.'
Vala gulped and looked over at Daniel. 'A woman could get ideas reading this stuff! 'Take notes!' Yeah, right. Well… maybe I should. Daniel does have a desk.'
She read some more before she grew tired and put the book down. Vanessa was on her own, for now.