Chapter One: Blinded by Love

Daniel heard the click-click-click of high heels a minute before Vala sauntered past his office door. "Vala, where are you going?" He yelled out but got no response. And…dressed like that? He hopped up and rushed to the hallway skidding to a stop. "Vala?"

She stopped, head cocked in question. Her short black leather skirt looked like a second skin. Those high heels he'd heard click past his door were tied at the ankles with satin bows. She tossed her head around to get the cascading curls that were coming loose from her upswept hair out of her face. Pulling at the low cut red sweater she straightened it, flicking at a little loose fuzz, then beamed a bright smile at him. "Yes, Daniel?" Sultry voiced and pouty lipped she waited.

"Where are you going?"

"Out." She'd had to take a detour to walk past his office, but obviously it wasn't wasted on him.

"Oh."

"Goodnight, have fun with your dusty old books and silly stones."

"Ah, goodnight… where are you going out to – you…you look ahm…nice."

"Why thank you! I'm going to O'Malley's with Siler and Harriman and that really nice Lt. Anderson. They invited me for steak and beer. Their treat."

"Oh well, have a good time." He stood in typical befuddled Daniel fashion. Hands deep in pockets, eyes open wide in bewilderment, head slightly tilted down, waiting to drop in uncertainty.

"Toodles." Walking away she waved behind her with her fingers wiggling.

He watched her hips sway until she turned the corner. Lt. Anderson? Who's Lt. Anderson?

He stood staring unseeing at his littered desk, not remembering how he'd gotten there. Glancing at his watch he turned and headed for Sam's office. It was only nine and he knew she'd still be there.

"Who's Lt. Anderson?" Daniel asked wandering nonchalantly into Sam's lab.

"Well hello to you too." Sam smiled turning from her equation board, bright red marker in her hand.

"Sorry, hi. Who's Lt. Anderson?"

Placing the marker on the ledge she answered with a lopsided and knowing grin, "He's the new science officer on SG-9. Just transferred. Nice guy. I think it's Jim or Tim. Kinda cute, too. Dark hair, green eyes about thirty five, did I mention cute?"

"You did." Daniel was looking into her microscope trying to appear disinterested.

"Why?" If she could somehow make money reading Daniel's motives she'd be a wealthy woman.

He looked up, "Why what?"

"Why do you want to know who he is?"

He shrugged, "Oh nothing, just curious. What are you doing?"

"Building a Stargate." She threw out the first thing that came to mind.

He was back to looking into the microscope. "Hmmm, how's it going?" He suddenly stood up and whipped his head around towards her, "What!?"

"I'm doing some calculations Daniel, it's what I do. I'm not really working on deep space telemetry ya know."

"Ha ha, very funny. How about we go grab a bite? Maybe a beer at O'Malley's?"

Unable to keep the goofy grin from her face, Sam picked up the marker and fiddled with it, popping the cap off and on. Yep, she'd be a wealthy woman if there was a market somewhere for 'What Is Dr. Jackson Thinking?' "Sure, Daniel. Sounds good. How about giving me an hour? I'll drop by your office as soon as I'm done here."

"A whole hour?"

Smashing her lips together to keep from laughing out loud, Sam nodded and turned back to her work.

With a loud sigh he walked away, "Ok, I'll be waiting."

Fifty-eight minutes later, feeling sorry for her friend, Sam showed up in jeans and T-Shirt in Daniel's office. He was dressed to kill! Rarely did she notice him as anything other than friend and teammate. Tonight he looked like a real guy. A real good looking guy to boot. Poor Vala. She was about to understand the earth meaning of backfire! Oh boy,this was going to be a show that Jack would be sorry to miss!

Daniel was blinking his blue eyes furiously.

"Contacts?" Sam thought here was a man who – when he put his mind to it – knew how to accentuate the positive. The blue of his tailored shirt set off his eyes like a hundred watt azure crystal bursting into hyperdrive.

"Yeah, new kind, supposed to be better for allergies. Thought I'd try again. I feel like I've got peanut butter in my eyes."

Laughing she hooked her arm through his, "Let's go. It gets really crowded late at night. We might have to see if there's anybody we know there so we can share their table." She led him out, grinning up at him.

"She… that's not why I'm going. It was our place long before anybody else started hanging out there." He tried to deny the obvious.

"Sure."

When they reached the elevator, Teal'c in his Murray hat and Mitchell in tight jeans and black T-shirt waited. Daniel glanced at Sam questioningly. She just smiled and shrugged.

"Ready?" Mitchell asked.

It was Friday night at O'Malley's. They had to park a block away and there was only standing room at the bar and a forty minute wait for a table. Mitchell spotted Siler and company at a table dead center in the room. Siler was waving them over. "Come on, let's scrounge up some chairs and join the party." Mitchell was already on his way before Daniel could protest.

They all scooted in close, pushing Vala right up tight with Lt. Anderson, and Daniel clear across the table. Not to worry. Vala's chewing gum had fallen out of her mouth the minute she saw him. Backfire!

The waitress nearly dropped her tray of beer when she spotted Cam and Daniel. "Helloooo gorgeous and gorgeous, what can I do for you two?" Daniel and Mitchell looked at each other and then back to the waitress.

"I'll have a Guinness." Sam said. Both Mitchell and Daniel turned in surprise.

"No more trips to Washington for you Colonel, you're developin' bad habits." Cam grinned.

When he turned that grin on the waitress her knees nearly buckled. "Honey, I don't know where you came from, but I get off in an hour." She passed the beers around.

"Well, sweetheart, I'll save you a chair."

"You do that, what can I get you? This one's on me."

"Then I'll have a Sam Adams. And bring my friend here one too, and it's on me." Cam pointed to Daniel before he motioned the waitress closer, whispering in her ear, "Matter of fact, darlin' put the whole table on my tab."

"You got it babe." She looked at Teal'c with a questioning smile.

"At the moment, I will have a menu." She nodded and left to fill their orders.

Vala was trying to flirt with Lt. Anderson, but her eyes were drawn to the magnetism of Daniel's from across the table. He was openly watching her but she couldn't read his expression. While his lips held a smile his eyes were intense, stark blue steel orbs unrestricted by glasses. He wasn't wearing glasses! And he didn't appear to have trouble seeing her clearly. No. He definitely was seeing her clearly, possibly right through her ruse.

It was too loud for her to hear his conversation with Mitchell and Sam. She could barely hear Lt. what's his name who was sitting right next to her. She never expected Daniel to show up. What was he thinking behind those incredible eyes of his? The ones that kept shifting to her without guile?

Jim Anderson touched her arm. Her head moved slowly in his direction as if it didn't want to. "Hmm?" She responded to his effort to get her attention.

"I was saying, I wondered if you might want to go for coffee later?"

Coffee? I can't drink coffee with another man. That's like cheating on your lover! Who's not really my lover. God! I wish he were my lover. "Not tonight. I have plans later this evening." Vala's eyes cut to Daniel but he was leaning across in front of Cameron and laughing with Sam.

Jim Anderson hadn't missed the exchanged looks between Jackson and Vala. He hadn't really been sure the rumors of 'something' between those two were anything. At least not until the moment she saw Jackson standing there. Yes. The rumors, sadly, were true. And if people thought Jackson wasn't interested as some assumed, then they were blind. The guy was jealous and most definitely interested. Too bad. He gave her a quick wink and a smile, leaning in close in the deafening noise he told her, "If you ever change your mind look me up."

From the corner of his eye, Daniel watched the exchange between Vala and Anderson. Feeling as if his chest were about to explode he tried to focus on Sam's comments, totally unsuccessful. And from the look Sam was giving him, she knew what was spinning around in his head. That's what comes with long term close friendships. You can't get away with anything. He gave her a sheepish grin and took a sip of the cold beer.

"Hungry?" Sam asked with a knowing smile.

Knowing she wasn't talking about food, Daniel only countered with that weary 'I'm completely out of my element' look.

Mitchell kept turning from one to the other as if watching a tennis match wondering how long he'd have to hang out with these guys before he could understand 'the looks' that they shared.

When the waitress returned Teal'c ordered the biggest steak on the menu, while the other three only ordered appetizers and more beer. And Mitchell ordered another chair for her, and she got all flustered by his charming smile. "What's your name, darlin'?" He whispered in her ear. "Sam, short for Samantha." Uh oh, that's all I need, another Sam. "Well, I'll just call you darlin' as my friend over there," he nodded towards Sam, "is Sam, short for Samantha."

"Call me anything you want to, babe." Sam the waitress strolled off, hips sashaying in invitation.

While Lt. Anderson and Vala discussed the Stargate, Daniel kept trying to bring her in focus. One contact had gone astray and the other one was dry as toast. He continuously squeezed his eyes shut and tried to route the lost one back in place by rubbing a finger across that eye.

"Sam?" Daniel leaned across Mitchell and his new friend who, unable to procure a chair, was sitting on Mitchell's lap.

"Yes?" Waitress Sam answered.

"Ah, the other Sam." Daniel gave up then, as Astrophysicist Sam was turned away deep in conversation with Teal'c. He stood up and offered his chair to the waitress. She frowned disappointed. Coming up behind Sam he leaned over and told her he needed to leave, pointing to his red and irritated eyes.

"We'll catch a ride back, Daniel." Sam was laughing and having too much fun to be interested in Daniel's contact fiasco. A little tipsy, she wasn't ready to leave and Daniel nodded, disheartened.

Vala came up out of her chair suddenly. "Where are you going?"

"What?" Daniel was squinting.

"Are you leaving?"

"What?" He blinked, squinted again and rubbed the lid behind which the lost contact floated around somewhere in his eye.

Vala scrutinized the crowded table situation, locked into her position. Resourcefulness was her forte'. She stepped on the edge of Lt. Anderson's chair, shoved him forward and hoisted herself up, crawled behind him, did the same to Walter and managed to get out and onto the floor.

They moved toward each other in the crammed restaurant.

"What?" He asked again when they stood face to face.

"What's wrong with your eyes? They're all red. What have you done?"

"Contacts."

"What?"

"Contacts!" His voice rose to be heard over the racket.

"I heard you; I'm not sure what you mean." Vala put her lips close to his ear and Daniel reeled from the bolt of electricity that shot through him.

"Contacts, in place of glasses. One's lost in one eye and the other one is possibly permanently affixed to the other eye."

Still leaning into him, mouth hot and moist against his ear, Vala remarked, "Can you drive?"

"I think so," His hand had come to rest on her back without him realizing what he was doing.

Someone bumped into Vala and sent her crashing into Daniel's arms.

Fully encompassing her waist, he held her against him.

"Maybe I should drive you home." The trill of that thought had her grinning silly and delighted.

He looked at the table of fiends, who ignored them as if they were on some distant planet. "Sure, probably a good idea."

Vala stood against the door frame of Daniel's bathroom watching him. He had the finger of one hand holding open one eye and the other hand digging around for the thin cellophane like apparatus he'd lost. He'd gotten the other one out and Vala wondered what in the world would make someone put something like that in their eyes.

His eye was turning redder and redder and he still couldn't find the thing. Vala approached the sink where he stood and peering at him in the mirror she watched open mouthed and concerned. "Maybe I should do that. You don't seem to be making any progress. Sit down."

He complied sitting on the closed toilet seat and looking up at her with the offending eye tightly closed. Vala took the solution box and began to read it. Then she picked up the small contact lens box removed the folded paper and read that too. "Humph!" She washed her hands and got the bottle of solution he'd set on the sink. Lifting his chin she smiled at him. "You're such a klutz sometimes."

Eye still tight he tried to grin, "How would you know?"

"I have a copy of Jack O'Neill's Standard Dr. Daniel Jackson dictionary."

"Real funny. Just get the damned thing out!"

Vala pulled at the closed eyelid with her thumb. "Relax Daniel."

He tired to relax the eye, but it kept twitching closed. "I can't relax, you're about to go digging in my eye."

"Don't you trust me?" She stood between his legs, leaning way to close and her breasts were right at his face.

Of course he didn't' trust her! "I don't think I have a choice."

She got the eye open and managed to squeeze a gush of solution into it. "Quit squirming."

He pulled back and closed the eye when her finger touched it. She puffed out an exaggerated sigh and started all over again, and again he fought the intrusion into his eyeball.

"If you don't stop I will insist on taking you to the infirmary and having Carolyn dig it out. She would absolutely love being woken up to dig around in your beautiful blue eye!"

The slightly better red white and blue eye looked up at her. A long, unhappy breath escaped him. "Fine!" He forced the other eye open and rolled it back as far as he could.

"I see it." Vala wet her finger with the solution and invaded the socket.

"Ouch!" His hands grabbed either side of her hips and remained there.

"You're such a baby." She tried to ignore the heat of his hands resting so casually on her body.

"There's the little bastard! I've got …. Damn it Daniel! You blinked and I've lost it."

His hands remained on her, burning a hole through the leather skirt. His semi-good eye was locked on her exposed cleavage. The bad eye was scrunched up tight as the trinnium iris of the Stargate.

She looked down at him as his one eye looked up. When their mouths met open and welded together, Daniel pulled her in as far as she would go. When their lips came apart like a suction cup releasing Daniel stood taking her into his arms, one hand low on her six and the other one on her neck and initiated a new round of mouth to mouth combat.

When she finally broke away, looking at him breathless, both of his eyes where open and blinking at her confused.

A slow smile began to spread across her face. Vala lifted a finger and wiped the contact off of his cheek, then held it out for him to see.

"Well. I think my technique is much, much better than the doctors wouldn't you say?" She flipped the contact across the room and locked her arms around his neck.

He backed her into the wall across the room. Lips fully engaged.

She whimpered and started unbuttoning his eye-solution soaked shirt.

He was pulling up the bottom of her fuzzy sweater.

"This is crazy." He mumbled against her lips.

"Yes. Don't you just love it!?"

His lips were all over her neck. "Yeah, but this is crazy."

Her head was slung back to expose more of the skin she wanted him to kiss. "Yes. Don't you just love it!?" She said again, breathing hard and well aware of every inch of skin he touched.

"We have to stop." He said tossing her sweater over into the sink.

"Ok, later." She was pushing his open shirt down his arms.

"I think now would be a good time."

"Daniel, if you stop I will strip you and hang you upside down to die..."

"Mmmmm, okay, first part's fine, second part, not." She was trying to get his shirt off of him but the buttoned cuffs held it in place like a blue cotton set of handcuffs.

Suddenly he pulled back and stood blinking red eyed and in a total state of disconcerting confusion at her. Hands trapped at his sides by the dangling shirt, he backed up shocked at himself for having gone this far with Vala.

She read the waving uncertainty in his eyes. A dramatic sigh rushed out of her and she put one hand on the wall and one over her eyes to get a grip on herself. "You're a dead man, Daniel!" There was a tinge of real malice in her voice.

"This is crazy!"

Again she sighed dramatically. Her shoulders dropped in disappointment. "Can't you – the linguist – think of anything else to say?"

His mouth was agape and his head was moving side to side in slow motion as he stood shirtless and bound by cuff sleeves in the middle of the room.

"Obviously not!" Vala snatched her sweater from where it dangled from the edge of the sink. "Good night Daniel, I'll have someone at the base return your car." And she was gone in a heart beat leaving him shirtless, bound and baffled; alone in his bathroom.

Next - Chapter Two: Leap of Faith