How to Admit You Love an Archeologist
spacegypsy1
A Vulnerable Vala. A Delighted Daniel. A love story.
~0i0~
"Hey," Daniel stepped into the doorway of the gym looking directly at Vala.
"You missed the best game ever!" She rushed up to him, grinning and sweaty.
"Work." His gaze moved to the rest of the players, not for politeness, but to take his eyes from her, glistening and looking up so adorably right in front of him.
Teal'c tossed the basketball to Mitchell. "Vala Mal Doran and Lt. Jenny Spencer have been quite a team."
"Yeah, Jackson, you're gonna have to get your game on. These two are a force to be reckoned with." Cam tossed the ball over to Jenny who grinned proudly.
Smiling, Daniel looked back to Vala. "We need to talk."
"Oh? Are you canceling our date? Again?"
Before he could open his mouth the others, including Jenny, monotoned. "It's not a date."
"Very funny." Taking Vala by the elbow Daniel urged her out the door as his teammates and their friend laughed. "Listen, about tomorrow..."
"Daniel! You promised. I've been waiting three weeks! I haven't been off base except for missions. I know you think shopping is frivolous but I really need some things. You..."
"Not canceling, I need some things too. It's just that there's a possibility of some bad weather coming in about three tomorrow afternoon. I think we should be at the mall when it opens and get back before it starts up. That's it. So you need to be ready to leave about eight in the morning."
"Oh. Then you don't want to cancel our date to the mall?"
"No. I don't want to cancel our... er... date." Reluctantly, he let go of her arm. He wanted to say more. To confess that he cared for her. That he actually was looking forward to their 'date'. But he couldn't find the courage so instead he told her, "Be ready, and we might have to cut your shopping short."
"Hmm. What about your shopping?" She grinned large, twisting to and fro.
"I'm not shopping. I know what I want and where it is. See you in the morning I've got work to finish." He rushed off feeling a little rattled by his growing attraction to her.
~0i0~
Waiting on Vala, Daniel, his few purchases already stuffed into his laptop case, sat in the coffee shop studying a report from SG-8 about some artifacts on P39-888. His attention was momentarily taken by the big screen TV across the room.
The local weather alert flashed. Conditions were going to change more rapidly and severely than previously thought. A blizzard was expected to begin within the hour.
He grabbed his cell phone and called Vala. Of course he got no answer. "Great." He knew better than to wander the huge mall. Though, he contemplated parking himself in front of Victoria's Secret which is where, gods forbid, she probably was. Shaking the image from his mind, Daniel tried calling her again. Still no answer. He left a message about the weather and returned to his laptop.
No amount of reading - the same thing over and over - could take his traitorous mind from Vala trying on every intimate outfit in her favorite store. And no amount of trying to dispel the notion that he was growing fonder of her in a way he never wanted or expected was going to work.
Picking up his phone he tried again, this time she answered... in stereo. Daniel looked up to see her approaching with a ridiculous amount of bags. For her. Three. Only Three bags. He stood, "What? Couldn't find anything?"
"I just got started. And it's snowing like crazy out there. Have you seen? I rushed out when I realized the weather was getting bad. Why didn't you call me? Don't you know there's a..." From the look on his handsome face she immediately knew. He had called.
Vala thumbed through her phone. "Oh. You called. Well, whatever, darling. Let's go before we end up being stuck here, which actually wouldn't be so bad."
Daniel gathered his laptop and followed her out, his gaze dropping much too often to the sway of her hips accentuated by tight fitting leggings. He mumbled to himself. "Oh my god."
"What?" Vala turned her head to look at him. "Did you say something?"
"Nope."
~0i0~
"Go around, Daniel!"
"Stop yelling! I can't go around."
"Darling, we'll get stuck here, just go around, right over there, that's towards the SGC."
"I can't, Vala! It's knee deep in snow and blocked by snow ploughs parked every which way. We'll never make it up the mountain until they're done and it doesn't look like anyone is moving."
"Well, we can't sit here in the car all day, waiting."
Daniel sighed, heavily. "Look, we can go to my place and wait this out. It's only two miles."
When she didn't say anything Daniel turned to find her staring at him with that electric, wide mouth grin of hers, teeth clamped and shoulders raised. He should have been irritated and it irritated him that he wasn't. Not actually irritated, more like amazed.
Damn, he thought, aware that this 'thing' he had for Vala had escalated over the past year. Gripping the steering wheel, he made a slow, cautious turn in the opposite direction from the SGC, back wheels barely holding the road.
Vala seemed tense. Kept making those ridiculous noises she does with her incredibly sexy mouth when she's nervous or unsure.
Finally, Vala got quiet for a short period then blurted out, "We're not going to make it! We're going to be stranded in the car, helpless!"
"Be quiet, I'm concentrating."
"Fine!" And she started with the quirky noises again.
~0i0~
When the car started sliding towards the curb Daniel slightly turned the wheel and let the vehicle come to a stop.
"Oh no. See, see! We're stuck!"
"Not stuck. Parked. My place is just down this block. We can walk from here. The light's still on in the convenience store. We can pick up some supplies..."
"Food and wine?"
"Sure. Bundle up."
Vala unbuckled and reached for one of her shopping bags pulling out a pair of winter boots while Daniel made his way around the car to her door. The chilled air crawled down his neck, and burned his cheeks as he waited.
Finally she opened her door.
"All done?" He asked as he turned the collar of his jacket up against a gust of wind.
"For now." She brushed past him and trudged through the snow.
"Wrong way." He yelled.
Spinning around too quickly, Vala lost her footing and landed on her bum.
By the time Daniel reached her they were both laughing. "Come on, get off your rear." He pulled her up and brushed the snow off of said rear. They laughed again. Daniel grasped her hand. "There, I'll keep a hold of you so I don't lose you."
"Oh. Right." Vala laced her fingers with his.
~0i0~
They strolled hand in hand laughing. Daniel noticed that people would smile and nod as they passed. He knew. He knew that they thought he and Vala were a couple. And from the look in her eyes maybe, maybe she thought they were. And from the tingling in his chest, maybe he did too.
It's been a crazy year. Both had seemed to let go of their tragic past. Come to a point of reconciliation.
"Where are we going?" Vala craned her neck around as they passed the little store.
"I'm taking you to my place and I'll come back and get some groceries." Stopping at the entrance to his building, Daniel greeted the doorman. "Hey, Jim. Would you take my friend up to my apartment? I'll be right back."
"Sure doc."
Daniel handed Vala the keys and shooed her off.
~0i0~
Picking up the groceries he headed next door to the local coffee shop and got three large hot chocolates, and tray in hand hurried to his building. It wasn't the cold he was running from he realized. The warmth of his companion is what he rushed towards.
Handing off one of the drinks to the doorman Daniel grinned and hopped the elevator.
When he entered his apartment it seemed quiet. He didn't see Vala at first, then noticed her standing at the window watching the snow fall.
Turning, eyes alight with something he hadn't noticed before Vala held him spellbound. "Coffee?" She asked with that voice of hers... the one that could turn a dead man on.
"Nope," Daniel responded heading into the kitchen.
Vala followed as he set the groceries on the counter the tray still held in his hand.
Her eyes closed as she breathed in the aroma. "Ah, hot chocolate. Wonderful."
Putting the tray down he dug into the cloth grocery sack and produced a large bag of marshmallows.
"Oh! You bought me marshmallows." She grabbed the goodies. "You do like me, don't you?"
Taking a step closer he nodded, then took another step that brought him to within an inch or so of her. Without a thought he snaked an arm around her back, tilted his head and kissed that marshmallow loving mouth of hers then slowly pulled away.
"Yeah, I do like you." And he kissed her again.
Vala stood stunned in his embrace for a mere second before tossing the bag of marshmallows over her shoulder and winding her arms around his neck.
The kiss ended, began again and ended again. When he stopped kissing her Vala's arms dropped and he moved away starting to put the groceries up as if nothing happened.
Vala just stared at his back.
"Hungry?" He asked with a hitch to his voice.
She hesitated a moment before answering. "I'm not sure."
"The chocolate's getting cold." Sighing heavily, Daniel stopped and faced her again.
"I don't care." She stared, unsure.
Daniel shoved his hands in his pockets. "We could build a fire."
"You already have."
"Right." Daniel mumbled, rolling his eyes. "So. I guess... er... I better build the other fire and let this one cool. You can heat up the cocoa."
Raising a brow she nodded. "Well, that's not exactly what I had in mind. Why'd you kiss me?"
"I couldn't resist." Daniel pushed his glasses up, sighed, then headed for the fireplace.
"Hmph!" Vala, barely recovered from the onslaught of his incredible kisses, and bewildered by his actions, headed to the kitchen.
~0i0~
They barely spoke as they sat side by side before the roaring fire sipping their drinks, while outside the snow storm had gotten worse and the news reported the closing of most roads. Daniel had made a call to let Mitchell know where they were, and Mitchell said it would be morning before they could send a Humvee to pick them up.
That had him on edge. Spending the night. Here. With her. Truth be told it wasn't that he didn't want to sleep with her. Make love to her. He did. He had had those thoughts for some time now. He just wasn't sure how he would handle that situation... not knowing for sure it wasn't just a casual thing for her. But even if it was just a casual thing, at least for her, maybe he was willing to find out. He wanted something more. That in itself would bring a whole mess of troubles for work. Unless of course they could hide it. For a while.
Meanwhile, poor Vala was as confused as she'd ever been. He kissed her with such passion and tenderness all rolled up into a telling mouthful of things she'd only dreamed about.
Daniel got up and fed the fire, picked up their cups and took them in the kitchen.
Vala stood, moved closer to the fire all the while she watched his every move.
"Hungry now?" He called from the kitchen.
"Aren't I always... well, usually?"
"Where do you put all that food in that slim figure of yours?"
"In my tummy, silly," Turning away she watched the fire.
"It's flat. And taut." He was behind her now having quietly approached.
"You noticed?" She shivered when his hand rested on her shoulder.
"I've seen it before." His words were mumbled as he leaned down and nibbled her neck.
"Oh, right. You have." Her own voice sounded strange to her.
"Vala." He turned her towards him but couldn't voice his feelings. Backing her up he stole kisses as he guided her down the hall towards the bedroom. He didn't stop to think about what he was doing.
With her hands braced on his chest and taking tiny steps backwards as he advanced them, Vala spoke low. "But don't you think I might have gained a little?"
Daniel stopped and eyed her speculatively. "Where? In your hair? Because that's the only place I've noticed getting bigger."
"Is that a compliment?"
Running his fingers through her hair, he gave her a lopsided grin and then hauled her up against him.
"Yes."
~0i0~
Vala Mal Doran realized immediately that she was in big trouble. She was in love. Real love. In love like never before and this was a dream come true... he was her dream come true and she just might be out of her league. Suddenly her confidence waned. She felt nervous. Afraid.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Daniel stopped his methodical undressing of Vala.
Feeling more vulnerable with nothing more than her bra and panties between them, she spoke in a whisper against his neck. "I... I... I'm... Daniel I'm scared."
He pulled back, blinked in surprised. "Of what?"
"Us. I... I've wanted this for so long, and now I worry that I won't be... be what... I won't be good enou..."
Daniel laughed. Hugged her tight. Then spoke with his mouth sneaking up her neck to her face. "God, Vala, you are everything I ever wanted. I know it's taken some time, I mean for me, but this us, it's real. And, you are the all 'enough' that I want, need, crave." His hands completely encompassed her head, bringing her face to look up to him. "Beautiful," was all he said before his mouth fused with hers, hands slowly moving down, palms wide to touch, explore. "You're perfect. Why would you be afraid? If it's what you want?"
"Because, my sweet, sweet, Daniel. I'm afraid that when you make love to me I'm going to tell you... tell you that I love you and I'm afraid that you won't know it's the truth."
First he let go of her. Felt the rush of his heart near to bursting. He sucked in a breath then all of a sudden a grin spread across his face, his eyes opened wide as he tossed his glasses out somewhere towards the bedside table. Then he pulled his tee shirt off over his head, literally picked her up and tossed her on his bed, stripped out of his jeans and joined her. "I know the truth when I hear it. I love you too."
~END