Daniel walked to his room around 2 a.m., hoping to get some sleep before the next mission, which was scheduled for 0800 hours. The artifact he was working on was giving him fits. He'd spent all night agonizing over it and figured that he should just give it a rest for a while. If he got a fresh start on it later on, maybe something will click.
As he took off his olive green shirt and pants, he thought that it would be nice for once to get a whole night of undisturbed sleep. He sat on the side of the bed in his T-shirt and boxers and thought, 'It'll never happen'. Maybe a shower would ease the pain in his lower back and help him relax. It had been a long day and he was really tired.
After drying off and combing out his hair, he put on a clean T-shirt and his shorts and slipped under the covers. He was just getting ready to turn out the light when he heard a soft knock on his door. Who would be wanting to talk to him at this time of the night? Most nights the base was almost empty. He seriously thought about ignoring the knock but his curiosity got the best of him. Maybe it was important.
He got up, put his light blue pajama bottoms on and opened the door to find Vala standing there in her robe and slippers. Oh no. He couldn't hardly wait until the effect of the marriage bracelets wore off and she could leave. She was such a pest.
"What to you want? And where's the guard that's supposed to be keeping you locked in your room?" he growled.
"I don't know where she is. Maybe she went to get a cup of coffee. I couldn't sleep, Daniel. I heard your door so I thought maybe we could talk for a few minutes?"
"About what?"
"I don't know. I'm just bored to death and I'm tired of looking at the same four walls. I've read all the magazines Sam got me and I've watched all the videos that were in the cabinet under the TV. I just want to talk, that's all," she said as she leaned against the door frame.
"Vala, I'm really tired. It's very late. I have a back ache and a stiff neck. Go."
"You work too hard, Dear. Let me give you a massage."
"No."
"Daniel, I promise I won't molest you. If you want, just sit on the side of the bed and I'll give you a good back rub. No strings attached."
"You're right about that!"
"Please? I won't hurt you. I promise."
"No."
"Come on, be a sport."
He looked at her like she was some sort of nasty bug. He didn't trust her at all but his back really did hurt. A lot.
"All right. But, just my shoulders and neck. They do hurt a lot. And, if you try anything, I'll throw you out of here so fast..."
"I promise."
He stood back and let Vala enter his room. She looked around the place and then her eyes settled on the bed.
"Okay, Daniel, sit on the end of the bed. I'll climb up behind you."
"Can't I just sit in the chair?"
"No, you won't relax enough in a chair."
"How do you know? I'm so tired right now I could fall asleep anywhere."
"The idea is to loosen up your back and neck. I can't give you a proper massage in a chair. Do you have any lotion or oil?"
"No. Look, forget it."
"Wait, I have a little tube of hand cream in my pocket. That should work. Come on," she said as she took him by the hand and led him over to the bed.
Why did he feel like this was going to be a big mistake? He shut the door, pulled off his T-shirt and sat on the end while she took off her robe, kicked off her slippers and climbed on behind him. He turned to her with a worried look and said, "Vala, keep your clothes on, you're not going to be here that long, anyway."
"I am dressed, Daniel. I'm wearing these pajama's Sam loaned me, so quit complaining."
The pajama's consisted of a dark blue silk camisole and matching long pants and Daniel had to admit they were really cute and sexy. Wait, what was he thinking! This is Vala! He quickly turned around and studied the floor, blushing.
She just smiled and rubbed her hands together and then spread a liberal amount of lotion onto his shoulders and worked it in, kneading the tight muscles. He was really cute when he blushed, she thought.
After a few minutes, she said, "Daniel, your back is one complete knot! How can you stand it? You really should take better care of yourself."
He was slumped over, enjoying the experience more than he ever thought he would. "You're starting to sound like a nag, Vala."
"Ha! You know I'm right." She thought he looked like he was going to roll over and land on his head.
"Darling, I really can't work on your back like this. You need to lay on your stomach. Climb up here and lay down with your head on the pillow."
As much as he didn't trust her, he did realize that she was good at this. He did as she asked as he was just too tired to fight about it. "Okay, but the warning still applies."
"Fine. Just lay on your stomach. Hands down by your sides."
"How did you learn to do this?" Daniel mumbled into the pillow.
"Oh, I was once a masseuse on a planet where the women were expected to treat the male population like their masters. Like a lot of planets, actually. I wasn't there long before I found a way to escape but in the meantime, I learned a few tricks."
"I'll bet."
She climbed up and straddled Daniel's butt which immediately made him jump. He started to turn around to tell her to stop, but half way through realized what might happen if he did roll over so he stopped. He didn't want her on top of him like that so He gave her a glare over his shoulder but she just smiled.
"Daniel, I promised I wouldn't molest you. Relax, Sweetheart. I can't properly massage your back if I sit on one side."
After one more look and an exasperated sigh, he laid his head back down and let her get to work. It wasn't long before he realized how good this felt. His back was starting to relax and his mind started to drift.
She was using light strokes along his back and before long heard him snoring quietly. Poor man. He really must be exhausted. She worked on his back for another 20 minutes or so and then slowly climbed off and laid down to watch him. He was so complex. He looked so innocent and child like when he was asleep but she had a feeling he had a core of steel that made him a dangerous man when he needed to be. She covered him up with the sheet and blanket and then turned off the light on the night stand.
Vala woke up when Daniel turned on the light, and the first thing she saw was skin. A lot of skin. She was snuggled up against him and her eyes traveled upward to see him looking at her intensely, leaning on his hand. His blue eyes and rough beard made him look like a pirate. A really good looking one, at that. This guy's been working out and in the sun, too. Breathtaking!
"Good Morning, Vala." He didn't look too pleased. In fact, he looked downright dangerous!
"Good morning, Darling."
"Vala, what are you doing in my bed?"
"After your massage, I fell asleep."
"Oh, stop! You didn't just fall asleep. You turned off the light and got under the covers. Why didn't you just go back to your room?"
"I was tired. It was warm here. I get cold sleeping alone."
His stare was a bit unnerving. Those big blue eyes were hypnotizing her as he gazed down into her face.
"I have a question, Daniel. How are you feeling right now? I have a theory and I wanted to find out something first before I said anything."
He stopped to think about it for a minute.
"Actually, I feel pretty good. Better than I have in a long time. I can't remember when I've had such a good night's sleep. Why?"
"Well, you know that if we spend enough time or distance away from each other, we get dangerously sick and could die."
"Yeah, no thanks to you," he grumbled.
"But, when we're closer, we feel better. It made me wonder what happened if we were really close together for a longer period of time."
"So, the closer we are and the more time we're together, the better we feel?"
"You did say you slept very well."
"True. But that could have been because of the back rub."
"It's just a theory."
"True. But, maybe you have something there."
She love to hear the sound of his voice. The deep resonance made her shiver. She reached up and started caressing his shoulder and said, "So, Daniel, shall we see if we can make each other feel really good?" Her index finger was slowly traveling downward across his chest.
He grabbed her hand to stop her. Gritting his teeth, he said, "No, Vala. Its time for you to leave." The last thing he wanted was to get sexually involved with this nit! He might catch something!
"Can't blame a girl for trying," she said with a pout.
"Yeah, right." He gave her a look that could melt ice.
He got out of bed and crossed the room to the door. He opened it just in time to see Cameron and Teal'c were standing on the other side, getting ready to knock. They looked at him, shirtless with his hair rumpled and then they saw Vala in his bed relaxing under the covers. Their expressions said it all. Vala got out of bed and slowly picked up her robe and slippers. She then approached the three men on her way out of the room and said to Daniel as she caressed the side of his jaw, "Thank you, Darling. I can't remember when I've had a better night in bed." She winked at him and then headed across the hall. Cameron and Teal'c turned to look at Vala as she passed and then they looked at Daniel. The guard outside Vala's room had a truly shocked look on her face as Vala slinked into her own room and shut the door behind her. Teal'c had one eyebrow raised as he turned away. Cameron could catch flies with that mouth hanging open. He turned and followed Teal'c down the hall, shaking his head as he went.
Daniel shouted to the retreating duo, "This isn't what it looks like!"
Cameron could be heard laughing as they went out of sight around the corner. "We leave in 1 hour, Jackson! Oh, and make sure you bring your girlfriend!" he shouted.
Daniel slumped against the door frame and knew that he would never be able to live this one down!
After shaving and getting dressed, Daniel grabbed his gear, left his room and approached Vala's door with trepidation. He knew what the gossip of the day would include and it made him angry to think about how she had manipulated him, again! He nodded to the guard who had just started his shift and just as he was about to pound on her door and yell for her to hurry up, Vala opened it, walked past him and headed down the hall.
"Daniel, what are you doing standing there? We're going to be late and we haven't had breakfast yet!"
"Fine! Let's go. And don't talk to me. Because of you, the whole base is going to think we've got something going on between us."
"Don't blame me. You're the one who let me into your room. It's your own fault if they take it the wrong way."
"WHAT?"
"You heard me, Daniel. If you didn't want anyone to know about us, why did you let me in your bed?"
"WHAT? I didn't let you in my bed. You waltzed in there and took up residence! And there is no 'us'!"
"You didn't have to open your door!
Vala's guard was trying to ignore the conversation but he was having a hard time. At least once, he almost laughed out loud. Daniel gave him a dark look and that's all it took for him to get out of the way.
Daniel had quite enough of her excuses and stormed down the hallway heading for the commissary. Vala told her guard as she passed, "He's just grumpy because he didn't get enough sleep last night." The guard just shook his head and followed her swaying hips to the elevator. Daniel was there waiting for her but if looks could kill, she'd surely be 6 ft. under.
They entered the commissary and saw Mitchell seated at a table on the far right, finishing his coffee. Cameron looked up and saw Daniel and Vala enter the room and said, "Hey Jackson, sleep well?" He snickered but the look from Daniel quickly shut him up. 'Uh oh, this isn't good!'
Daniel grabbed a mug of coffee and sat across from Cam, all the while trying to ignore the vixen who was approaching with a loaded tray of food.
"Daniel, you have to eat, sweetheart. I know you're worn out from last night but you have to keep your strength up for the mission today."
"Vala, shut up!"
"Oh, my! You are out of sorts this morning. I thought you said you felt better."
"That was before. Go sit at another table and leave me alone."
Cam looked at the two and said, "Lover's quarrel, already?"
Daniel glared at Cam. He didn't have much choice about being stuck with Vala but he wasn't about to put up with any razzing from his team leader.
Teal'c took the 4th seat and inquired, "Daniel Jackson, are you not well today?"
"I'm fine, Teal'c"
"Daniel's grumpy," Vala said. "He's tired from last night and he needs to eat."
"Didn't you rest last night, Daniel Jackson?"
"As a matter of fact, Teal'c, that's all I did, contrary to what Vala might be implying. I slept very well, thank you." He didn't want to take his attitude out on Teal'c but he also didn't want his good friend to think that anything inappropriate had happened overnight.
Vala set a plate of pancakes and scrambled eggs in front of him and handed him a fork. "Eat, Darling. We leave in a few minutes and I don't want you getting sick on the trip."
He glared at her over the rim of his eyeglasses and then turned toward his breakfast and dug in. He noticed that a few of the new comers to the commissary were giving their table some funny looks and he thought he knew why. His reputation was shot, thanks to this little brat sitting next to him.
"Daniel, lighten up. Nobody thinks badly of you? Hell, who could blame you for what happened last night? A beautiful, sexy woman shows up in your room ... any man would do the same," Cam said with a sly grin.
"Nothing happened!" Daniel shouted and all eyes turned toward him. "We didn't sleep together! She gave me a massage and I fell asleep! That's it!" Oh, no. If they didn't know about it before this, they surely did now. He blushed furiously and stormed over to the other side of the commissary to an empty table and launched himself into the chair.
Vala got up as if to follow him but Cam grabbed her sleeve and told her to stay put. "Jackson needs a few minutes by himself. Leave him alone, okay?"
Vala stopped and stared at her plate. She did look contrite and for once had nothing to say. She really didn't mean to hurt Daniel's feelings. Maybe she had taken the teasing too far.
"Teal'c, would you escort Vala to the gate room while I get Daniel?"
"I will. Colonel Mitchell."
Teal'c and Vala got up and headed for the exit.
"Go slow, Teal'c. We don't want our friends here to end up in the infirmary, again."
Teal'c gave Cameron a formal nod and led the way to the double doors. Cam grabbed Daniel's plate and headed across the room. "Eat, Jackson. You've got a few minutes before Vala gets too far away and you need to be ready for this mission. Sam's getting her gear together and said that she'd meet us in the gate room. And hey, I'm sorry about that remark. I didn't really think you'd get that upset about it." He gave Daniel a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.
Daniel finished his breakfast without talking and then slid his chair back, preparing to leave. "I can't stand that woman. I can hardly wait until she's gone for good." He seemed to be shaking with the effort to control his emotions. A ticking bomb came to Cameron's mind. For Daniel's sake, he hoped that Vala would be able to leave soon. This was an unpleasant distraction for the resident archeologist and he didn't need his team compromised because of one willful, manipulative woman.
He tried to cheer Daniel up by saying, "Maybe it won't be long before she can go. We know that you don't have to wear the bracelets anymore so hopefully it won't be long now."
"It won't be too soon for me," Daniel quipped.
"Well Jackson, my grandma used to say, 'be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.'"
Daniel gave Cam a long look. "Easy for you to say. You're not the one stuck with her." He turned and left, ignoring the stares from the others in the room. Cameron quietly followed him and met Sam in the hallway. He slowed down to greet her and let Daniel go ahead.
Sam said, "Hey Cam. Is Daniel all right? I heard the buzz. They didn't really spend the night together, did they?"
"They did and they didn't. He said nothing happened but I did see her coming out of his room and it was obvious that she'd been there overnight. But, he says all she did was give him a back rub and he fell asleep."
"I doubt that was the outcome she wanted," Sam noted with a smirk.
"Yeah, too bad for her." Cam smiled and they headed for the gate room. This was going to be a long day.
Much later in the infirmary on the Daedalus...
"Hey. Jackson," Cameron called to the dozing archeologist who was resting in one of the beds.
"Sorry, I keep falling asleep." Daniel looked like he'd been pushed through a wringer.
"Well it's better than the alternative," Cam noted.
You're lucky that the bracelets effect was wearing off," Sam said.
"Yeah, lucky me." He looked depressed. He didn't like Vala, that wasn't news, but he didn't really wish her harm, neither.
"Vala Mal Doran will be mourned," Teal'c dolefully informed his friend.
Daniel didn't seem too pleased about the events that had just transpired. Cameron wondered if maybe Daniel had some feelings for Vala, after all.
"I've been going over the telemetry from the last few seconds before the formation of the singularity. A matter stream left the cargo ship just before it exploded. There's at least a slight chance that it was pulled into the singularity," explained Sam. She sounded hopeful.
"So, you're saying that she could be alive somewhere in the Ori home galaxy?" Daniel seemed to perk up a bit with that revelation.
"It's possible." Sam looked hopeful.
"Well... we wanted to send them a message." Daniel smiled at the thought.
Just what kind a message they had just sent? One could almost pity the Ori. Almost.
The End