GENRE: a little Hurt/Comfort but mostly Cotton Candy Fluff and Maple Syrup Sap ;)
PAIRINGS: Daniel/Vala
CHARACTERS: Daniel Jackson, Vala Mal Doran, Cam Mitchell, Sam Carter, Teal'c
SPOILERS/TIMELINE: ep09x05 "The Powers That Be," ep10x05 "Uninvited," ep10x20 "Unending," post-Ark of Truth, post-Continuum
SIZE: 3300 words approximately
SUMMARY: A series of mistletoe kisses over the years.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: OK, you have to realize that I have no idea when Christmas falls in these seasons, so let's say for argument's sake that Christmas is after "The Powers That Be" in Season 9 and maybe after "Uninvited" in Season 10.
Season 9
It had been a long day. A long few days.
Daniel was escorting Vala back to her room from the infirmary. Their post-mission check-ups had taken longer than usual. Understandable of course after their trip to P8X-412, but still, Daniel just wanted to go home and sleep for two or three days.
Christmas was right around the corner too. He wanted some time to himself to go shopping for Sam and Cassie. Mitchell probably deserved something too, especially after his recent near-death experience which truly made him a full-fledged member of SG-1. He'd have to ask Sam if Mitchell had been invited to her annual Christmas dinner.
Vala was silent on their walk to her room. Subdued even. No banter, no pestering. Just a quiet, thoughtful Vala. It got Daniel thinking. And remembering. Remembering her going after that prior with a P-90. It had been brave and selfless, but in the end pointless. Though it did get him thinking about her. Seeing her in a different light almost.
When they got to Vala's room, she opened the door and walked in. She mumbled a weary "good night, Daniel" and was about to close the door on him when he noticed something swinging from the doorframe.
"What's that?" he asked.
Vala looked up and shrugged. "I have a lot of free time around here. And I like to observe. Apparently there's this tradition on your world. I thought I might catch you here one night. That's all." She shrugged again and turned around slowly to walk away.
Before he knew what he was doing, Daniel quickly glanced back and forth down the hall and grabbed Vala's arm. He brought her close and kissed her.
Maybe he just wanted to remember their first kiss. Maybe he wanted to thank her for following along with all his stupid plans these last few days. Maybe he just…maybe he was just falling for this smart, brave, beautiful woman.
Just as quickly, he stopped kissing her. And immediately strode away for that "anywhere but here" place.
Season 10
Vala was bored. Bored and tired and insulted and bored some more.
Insulted because no one had believed anything she'd said about wild, exotic beasts and how to capture them. Tired because she seemed to be taking the crash course on SGC training, from aircraft studies to weapons training. It wasn't anything she couldn't handle, but they were piling it on her hour after hour for days and weeks on end. She didn't seem to have any time to catch her breath.
One might wonder why she was bored then, but that was more a perpetual state of being than anything else. Vala was bored because there was hardly anything interesting going on. And more importantly Daniel was still in England.
Vala hated being bored.
But she hit on an idea to keep her occupied when she went to the cafeteria for dinner one night. A few airmen and lab techs were stringing up garland and twinkle lights on the walls. Christmastime! That holiday she'd experienced last year. That's it! She'd decorate Daniel's office for when he got back.
A few days later, Vala ran into Daniel pouring himself a cup of coffee in the cafeteria.
"You're back!" she exclaimed. "How was your trip? Did you learn anything useful? You won't believe what happened while you were gone? Samantha is being incredibly generous taking me around your planet and showing me so many new things. But Mitchell is a complete grouch nearly all the time. I think he misses you. But not nearly as much as I do, darling. So here's what happened—"
"Vala!" Daniel had set his mug down and clamped a hand over Vala's mouth. "I need you to be quiet for five minutes while I drink this coffee. If you're not quiet, I will not be held responsible for what happens. Do you understand?"
Vala nodded underneath his hand, so he slowly lifted it from her mouth. "I'm—"
"Valaaa," Daniel interrupted.
"Sorry," she finished.
Daniel nodded and finished fixing his coffee.
Vala stood there quietly, pressing her lips together tightly. She was tempted to speak again, if only to feel Daniel's warm hand over her lips. Or maybe he'd do something else to quiet her, maybe he'd cover her mouth with his. He did say he wouldn't be held responsible for his actions. And if she knew her Daniel, a kiss is something he'd be embarrassed enough about to blame it on lack of coffee.
Finally, Daniel had his coffee in hand and had taken a few small sips. Had five minutes passed yet? Vala really wanted to hear how his trip had been. After taking a much larger sip, Daniel relaxed noticeably. He motioned for her to join him as they went to his office. Vala practically bounced and skipped along the way, every so often opening her mouth to speak, then thinking better of it. They were on their way to his office. Where she'd spent so much time the last few days. Vala hoped Daniel would appreciate her efforts.
They arrived at his office and he opened the door. And Vala finally understood the expression of a "jaw hitting the floor." She just wasn't sure if it was caused by disgusted shock or delighted surprise.
"My god! It looks like a Christmas store threw up in here!"
Disgusted shock then. Or maybe he was pleased by the sentiment but unhappy with the quantity.
"I'll admit I may have gone a bit overboard, but you have no idea how over-boring it was here, Daniel." Vala looked around the room, taking in her decorations. "The garland is tasteful, but maybe I should have used white lights instead of the blinking multi-colored ones. And the dancing Santa Claus and reindeer aren't quite your style, are they?" She glanced from the decorations to Daniel and back again. "No, you're quite right. Much too gaudy. But you have to admit, the Christmas tree isn't too bad. The silver tinsel and red bows are simple and tasteful. I think I did a good job there. I'll just take these paper snowmen off the walls and get you different twinkle lights. Everything will be fine."
She took a step further into the room but Daniel grabbed her elbow and pulled her back. Vala was about to say something, but the look in Daniel's eyes kept her quiet. It was an intense look, a stare almost, but there didn't seem to be any annoyance or malice behind it. Actually it was one of the looks he used on old manuscripts or stone tablets, the one he used when he was trying to figure something out.
Vala became quite nervous all of a sudden. She wasn't sure she wanted to be the object of Daniel's scrutiny any longer. She opened her mouth to speak and at once Daniel was kissing her. It shouldn't have surprised her; she'd really had fair warning. He was practically speechless because of her decorations, she'd been prattling on and on about them for more than a few minutes, and she'd already guessed that he might use this tactic to shut her up while being able to blame the kiss on something else, namely the mistletoe she'd hung above the door.
The thing was, this wasn't a typical mistletoe kiss—she'd observed quite a few in the last few days in the cafeteria. Those kisses were usually quick ones on cheeks or lips. None of the ones she'd seen involved mouths and tongues and…this kiss was typical of their kisses. Breathy, intense, wet. Daniel's lips parted and Vala took the opportunity to slip her tongue inside his mouth, tasting the sugared coffee that lingered there. His free hand wrapped around her waist and brought her closer to him. She brought her arms up to curl around his neck and shoulders, pushing him back against the door.
Suddenly he stopped kissing her and lifted his head. Vala opened her eyes and met that gaze of his again. He let go of her waist and slowly pulled her arm off his shoulder, giving himself some room to back away from her a little.
Then he reached up, unhooked the mistletoe from the doorframe, and placed it in her hand. "Leave the decorations. They're all fine." He gave her a sheepish smile then. "This one might be trouble though."
Vala nodded, and watched Daniel take a seat at his desk, but not before pressing one of the singing snowmen's hands to play a tinny Christmas carol.
Vala smiled to herself as she walked back to her room. What powerful stuff, this mistletoe!
Unending's Time Bubble
Sam kept a calendar for them all while they were stuck on the ship. At first she'd felt the need for the measurement, but after a while, Vala had wanted to know the dates of special events, holidays, and birthdays. She was hoping to keep everyone's spirits up with various entertainments. Sam admitted that Vala's efforts were appreciated and well thought out. All work and no play, etc., etc.
Vala seemed very excited when she glanced at the calendar and noticed Christmas was coming up soon.
"We definitely need to take a couple days off for Christmas," she said. "You and Daniel aren't allowed near these rooms for … for 48 hours, agreed?"
"It's just a day, Vala. We might learn something. Something important to get us out of here."
"Then you'll find it the day after Christmas. I'm not taking no for an answer. The two of you are going to burn yourselves out and I won't have it. Do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal." Sam giggled to herself. They'd watched A Few Good Men a couple nights ago, just the two of them. She hadn't had the heart to tell Vala it wasn't the kind of movie she thought it would be. That didn't stop Vala from enjoying it, though, and starting to quote all the memorable and famous lines.
"Good." Vala winked back at Sam and then went over to the matter conversion console to start making Christmas decorations.
Daniel was much more pliant than Sam was about taking time off. A week before Christmas, he and Vala were decorating in the dining room after lunch. Well, they'd started out decorating that is. At some point the mistletoe had been taken out of the box of decorations and held over Vala's head. It was quickly becoming her favorite Christmas tradition.
What had started out a sweet and tender kiss became a heated frenzy of lips and tongues in a matter of minutes. The mistletoe was abandoned and lying on the floor as Daniel pushed Vala up against a bulkhead with the Christmas tree on one side and a window looking out into the starry galaxy on the other. Vala sucked on Daniel's lower lip as she tugged at his shirt and freed it from his pants. She got her hands up underneath his shirt and splayed them on his back, feeling each rippling muscle as she fenced with his tongue.
Daniel gathered his arms around her, holding her close and palming her breast over her clothes. He lifted his mouth and kissed a trail up to Vala's ear, licking the outer rim and blowing across it. Vala shivered against the bulkhead, electric sensations shooting through her nerves.
"Daniel," she gasped. He sucked on her earlobe while his nimble fingers danced on her hip and breasts. "The others…we eat here. Daniel!"
He finally lifted his head, a rainbow of twinkle lights bouncing off his glasses.
"Bedroom. Now, darling."
He nodded, and they raced down the hall together, narrowly missing Teal'c at the intersection.
Post-Ark of Truth
The Ori were gone; Adria was in a battle for the rest of eternity; the armies were leaving. Everything should have been fine. Christmas was even close. Only a matter of days away. The problem was that because everything was back to normal, Vala had been out in the snow with a bunch of other SGC airmen and scientists. Building snowmen, constructing forts, having snowball fights. From what Daniel could tell she and everyone else had had an incredibly wonderful and normal snow-day. The downside of course was that Vala had caught a cold, complete with headaches, sniffles, coughing, and a sore throat. She'd proceeded to curse snow, cold weather, and all other wintery things.
Sam had wanted to take Vala home with her so she could be comfortable somewhere and still be able to enjoy Christmas a little, but Cassie was coming home for a visit, like she did every year, and Jack was flying in from Washington for the day. Sam really didn't want the two of them to get sick.
Daniel told her not to worry. She should still have her annual Christmas dinner; he'd take Vala home and make sure she ate chicken soup and took her medicine and was completely comfortable. Sam was relieved and told Daniel she'd bring some dishes by on Christmas morning.
It would've been a great plan too, if Vala had cooperated. But she was so miserable she stubbornly refused to leave her room at the base in her condition. Daniel wasn't sure what to do. He couldn't very well leave Vala all alone. Literally alone. Nearly everyone had leave for the winter holidays, even Carolyn and her infirmary staff. There'd only be a skeleton crew of technicians, security guards, and nurses.
There was nothing he could do but stay here with her. He packed some of his most comfortable jeans and shirts, an extra pillow and blanket, then raided the cafeteria pantry for various soups and pastas. He also snagged all the different colored jello packets as well as chocolate and vanilla pudding. He'd cook everything in the main kitchen but he wanted to have choices for Vala and he didn't want anyone else grabbing something that she might want.
For three days he stayed with her in her room. He'd slept in her armchair the first night, but Vala had insisted he share the bed with her if he was going to stay with her any longer. She could handle her runny nose and sore throat, but she couldn't stand the guilt over his sore back. It was proof of how tired and sick she was that she didn't seem to notice how readily he agreed.
On the fourth morning, Christmas morning, Vala was doing much better. She was still tired and pale, but her throat wasn't sore anymore and she felt well enough to get up out of bed and take a refreshing shower. Daniel hoped her energy would last for at least a few more hours.
He got her breakfast, oatmeal and strawberries, and then he sat her in the armchair with her CDs and magazines while he changed the sheets on the bed. Vala tried to get up and help but he proved to her he could be just as stubborn. And just as sneaky. He opened the third drawer of her dresser and pulled out a pair of pink fluffy handcuffs. Four days living with her and he knew where she kept everything.
Vala raised an eyebrow and uncrossed her legs, getting ready to stand up and daring him to use the cuffs. Daniel stared her down, though, and smirked a little when she finally curled back up in the chair. She rested her head on the back of the chair and silently watched him clean her room.
When the bed was made up and all the snotty tissues thrown away, Daniel suggested Vala take a nap while he went to the kitchen and figured out something for lunch.
He came back after a couple of hours to fetch her. Vala pulled her hair up in a half ponytail, then threw a silky, red and green robe over her pajamas. A pair of white furry slippers completed the outfit.
They made their way to the cafeteria, going slowly on account of Vala's fatigue. Daniel stopped them in the hallway just before the double doors.
"You belong here, Vala. With us, I mean. You know that, right? That even though Adria and the Ori armies are gone, we want you to stay."
"Well, I…" Vala trailed off. Daniel pulled a tiny sprig of mistletoe out of his pocket and held it over their heads.
"I want you to stay, Vala." Then he touched his lips to her forehead. He looked into her eyes and leaned closer, bending his head to kiss her lips.
Vala backed away and stuttered, "You-you'll get sick too."
Daniel just smiled. "Then someone will have to take care of me, just like she always does." He closed the distance between them and kissed her gently on the lips, hoping to convey all the love he felt for her.
Vala stepped into Daniel's warm embrace. She understood. She belonged here, and she was going to stay. Daniel took her hand and led her to the cafeteria. He was happy he'd convinced her to stay, but it was always a good idea to have back up.
The rest of SG-1, as well as Jack, General Landry, Carolyn, and Cassie, were all there gathered around a long cafeteria table decorated with evergreens and pine cones and piled with all kinds of Christmas dishes. Daniel sneaked a glance at Vala and saw tears of joy well up in her eyes. Yep. If the kiss hadn't convinced her, this surely would have. Everyone came over to give her a hug and wish her a Merry Christmas. They were family. The kind of family that sticks together, thick or thin, healthy and feeling fine or sick as a dog with bags under the eyes. No questions asked, drop everything and come help kind of family.
As they sat next to each other at the table, Vala reached for Daniel's hand and squeezed it. He read her thanks in the gesture. Told you, he said with a return squeeze, you belong here.
Post-Continuum
It was their first Christmas. Well, their first Christmas as an actual couple. The Ori had been dealt with, Ba'al had been dealt with, and Samantha was back from Atlantis. Things couldn't have been better.
And the kissing didn't hurt either.
Even though Cam was the one who was supposed to be benefiting from her decorating skills.
"Daniel, you are like a mistletoe magnet." She laughed as he pulled her aside and started nibbling at her neck. "I hung these up for dear Cameron. He's been trying to get Bill's assistant Karen to notice him for weeks now."
"Your plan worked," Daniel mumbled against her temple. "He caught her under the mistletoe last Wednesday on level 15…or was it 16?" He shook his head and went to nibble Vala's other ear. "They went out Saturday night and hit it off."
"He didn't say anything to me," Vala complained with a breathy hitch in her voice.
"I may have asked him to keep quiet," Daniel confessed, abandoning her ears and finding her lips. "We both liked the idea of more mistletoe all over the base."
"Hmm… You make an excellent point." Vala wrapped her arms around Daniel's neck and rubbed her hands through his hair. All thought of Cameron and Daniel's duplicity fled as she was consumed by Daniel's delicious kisses. Lips and tongues melded in a familiar pattern. Flames ignited in her belly and radiated warmth throughout her body.
They weren't so far gone, though, that they forgot they were in the middle of the SGC hallway. After a moment or two, Daniel lifted his head and pressed a final kiss to Vala's forehead. "Don't take any of the mistletoe down," he said as he took her hand and they walked toward the elevators. They were soon going to be late for a meeting with General Landry.
"Who knows? I may even leave it up all year."