So Many Daniels, So Little Time
Summary: Daniel accompanies another team off-world. A ripple effect causes him to return long before he's due to come back. Vala thinks she's died and gone to heaven. DV.
A/N: Remember that episode from Season 9 called "Ripple Effect?" It's the one where a bunch of SG-1s start showing up at the base, and it turns out they're from alternate universes. If that's not enough of a summary for you, then it may be helpful to look up the episode at Gateworld dot net. However, it's not required. I just thought this idea might be fun to go back to. Enjoy!
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"I'm going to miss you, Darling." Vala flashed him her sweetest smile. She pouted her lips, hoping he'd actually kiss her.
Daniel rolled his eyes. "I won't even be gone for a whole day," he grumbled. Vala's hopeful lips turned into a frown. The two stood staring at each other in the Gate room. SG-4 walked past them and through the Stargate. Though it was already nighttime on Earth, the sun was just rising on the planet that they were traveling to.
"I know!" she whined. "It's just pure torture!"
Daniel just shook his head and turned to leave. "Don't mess around with my stuff," he called over his shoulder before disappearing through the Gate. Vala simply hugged herself and sighed.
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An hour later…
"Sir, we're receiving Dr. Jackson's IDC."
"He's early. Open the iris."
Walter and General Landry looked down toward the Stargate. As expected, Daniel came through, although in noticeably different clothing. He had changed from his standard uniform to the local rags of the planet he had been visiting. Upon seeing the onlookers above him, he gave them a quick wave and a smile.
Mitchell was already at the base of the ramp to greet him. "You're early."
"I forgot something." The Colonel looked at him quizzically as Daniel walked out in the direction of his office.
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Vala was happily munching on a chocolate cupcake with frosting as she roamed the corridors. It had only been an hour since Daniel left, and she was already bored out of her mind. Despite his warnings, she decided to look for entertainment in his office. Vala was sure he wouldn't mind if she peeked through his personal belongings, rearranged his artifacts, and played card games on his computer before she went to bed.
Pigtails bouncing behind her, she arrived at his door. Like the cautious fellow he was, he locked it. Lucky for her, she had come across the "lost" keycard that he had to replace months ago. The door opened easily. Vala settled in, ready to spend the next hour in mischief.
It wasn't more than a few minutes when she got caught. "Well… hello," a smooth voice greeted her. Daniel stood in the doorway. Vala nearly fell out of her chair at his voice.
Gawking, she said, "Daniel! I didn't know you'd be back so soon!"
He took a few steps into the office. "Is that so?" Oddly enough, he looked her up and down with a slight smile.
Vala stood up clumsily from her seat at the computer. "I was just keeping your chair warm for you, Darling," she began with a guilty tone. "I felt it was my duty to protect your office until you got back." An innocent smile graced her features.
Daniel traveled the short distance to Vala. He grabbed her hand and kissed it sweetly. She couldn't help but grin even wider. With a sultry tone, he said, "I couldn't ask for anyone more beautiful to grace my office with her presence." Without warning, he pulled her into an embrace and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. He sighed slightly after pulling away. "I'd love to stay, Babe, but I've gotta get back."
He grabbed something off the desk and made his way out quickly. Vala was stunned. She remained in place for a few more seconds, still reveling in the feel of Daniel's lips on hers. Then something clicked in her mind. His reaction to catching her in his office was totally out of character. Since when did he kiss her casually? Vala decided to run after him and find out.
By the time she got to the Gate room, he had already departed. She checked the watch that Sam had given her as a gift. It was already time for bed. She decided to turn in and enjoy pleasant dreams, courtesy of Dr. Jackson. She would ask him about his behavior when he got back tomorrow.
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The next morning…
"He kissed me!" she exclaimed to her teammates. SG-1 was having breakfast together, minus Dr. Jackson.
Mitchell nearly choked on his Froot Loops. "He what?"
"Are you sure?" Sam asked.
Vala scoffed. "I think I would know if someone kissed me." The airmen nearby couldn't help but overhear the conversation. They started whispering to each other and snickering. Vala went on to explain what happened. Soon, everyone in the commissary was listening in.
"That is most unlike DanielJackson," Teal'c commented.
"I'll say. When's he supposed to be back, anyway?" Mitchell said.
Sam replied, "I think he's due back this morning."
"Oh no, he radioed in to say he'll be late. Apparently he and SG-4 found something interesting that they want to continue looking at," Vala explained. Leave it to her to know that.
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SG-1 had just finished breakfast when the alarms sounded. They bounded into the Gate room to see who was dialing in. Walter announced that it was Dr. Jackson, again. When he appeared, he walked in backwards with his P-90 aimed toward the wormhole. His black uniform was slightly tattered. "Close the iris!" he yelled.
"Jackson! What happened? Where's SG-4?" Mitchell asked.
Daniel made no move to acknowledge the Colonel. Once he turned around and saw Vala, he went straight for her. In one fluid motion, he stuffed his gun into Teal'c's arms and captured Vala in his own. He kissed her desperately. Not one to disappoint, she kissed back. Never mind the audience.
General Landry coughed through the microphone. From his high perch in the Control room, he had a perfect view of this little display. Before he could say anything else, Walter was announcing another incoming wormhole. "It's Dr. Jackson's IDC again, sir," he explained in a confused manner.
Suddenly, it was clear. The ripple effect was happening again. Multiple SG-1s could be coming through. While the General should deny the alternate teams access to his own universe, he still didn't have his own Dr. Jackson back yet. There was no telling when he would actually return. Frowning, he told Walter to open the iris.
The sound halted Daniel's hungry attack on Vala's mouth. With the raven-haired woman still in his arms, he turned to look at who would be coming in. She leaned her head on his shoulder and enjoyed his protective embrace.
Still reeling at the sudden display of affection, Sam, Teal'c, and Cameron were in for another surprise. A second Dr. Jackson stepped through. This one was also wearing the black uniform, but he didn't seem to be in any sign of distress. He furrowed his brows at the other Daniel. "What is going on?" he asked. He made his way down the ramp to look at his alternate self more closely.
Vala looked from one Daniel to the other. "There's two of you?" A sly smile crossed her face at all the possibilities this presented.
"Who are you and why are you touching my girlfriend?" the second Daniel demanded of the first one. Vala's eyes went wide. The mouths of the rest of SG-1 dropped to the floor.
"Excuse me?" the first Daniel replied. "Your girlfriend?" He released Vala from his embrace and pushed her behind him. "Who do you think you are?"
"Daniel Jackson," the second one said indignantly.
"That's impossible because I'm Daniel Jackson."
The Gate began spinning again. Whatever argument would have ensued was paused by the arrival of another wormhole, and another Dr. Jackson. This third newcomer was dressed in the same rags that Vala had seen him in before.
"There's three of you?" she said. She quietly moved away from the two Daniels and over to Sam's side. "Sam, pinch me. I think I've died and gone to your proverbial heaven!" Sam did as she was told, but couldn't take her eyes off the three Daniels who were now arguing over which one had the right to Vala.
"Oh dear," Landry mumbled.
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The Stargate worked so much overtime it should have been against the law. Because of the fist fight that nearly broke out between the first three Daniels, the General decided Vala wouldn't be part of the effort to help sort out the many Daniels that were arriving. It had gotten to the point where the team started assigning each new Jackson a number.
Mitchell stood waiting at the base of the ramp, hoping that this next arrival would be his own Jackson. When a Daniel stepped through with shoulder length hair and a beard, his heart sunk. "Excuse me. Who are you?"
"Take a number," the Colonel said, handing this Jackson a piece of paper. He led him out.
Sam moved to take his place. The Daniel that walked in next was shirtless. The only thing covering his chest was the strap to his extremely large gun, and it wasn't exactly doing a good job. "Carter? How'd you get here?"
"Take a number," she said, mimicking Mitchell.
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Vala convinced the guard at her door to let her out. She had whined considerably about needing food and how undignified this was. She had done nothing wrong. It wasn't her fault that three Daniel Jacksons were ready to throw punches in her name.
Teal'c explained to her that something like this had happened before. He noted the large number of Colonel Carters there were to solve the problem the first time it happened. This peaked her interest. She wondered just how many Daniel Jacksons there were now. She lost count of how many times the alarm had blared.
In the commissary, she put on her best smile and interrogated an impressionable young SF for information. He revealed that all the Daniels were being held in the same room. She licked her lips and headed in that direction.
Once there, she found that there were only two guards. They happened to be newbies to the base, not yet aware of Vala's mischievous reputation. She convinced them that the General had ordered them to take a break. When they left, she threw the door open.
Twenty-five Daniels turned their heads toward her. Most of them acknowledged her arrival with a unified, "VALA!"
Her eyes and mouth flew open in gaping shock. A flurry of questions bombarded her ears.
"Where have you been?"
"When are we getting out of here? You and I have dinner plans tonight!"
"Thank God you're alive."
"Are we getting out of here any time soon? Our anniversary is tomorrow!"
"Man, do I have a story for you.
"You're not pregnant?"
"Where is your wedding ring?"
As beautiful a sight this was, Vala just could not keep it together. Her eyes rolled back in their sockets and she let out a breath as she fainted.
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An hour later…
Vala's eyes struggled to open. The faint rhythm of a monitor beeped quietly nearby. When she finally woke up, she smiled weakly at Dr. Lam and Colonel Carter.
"Vala?" the medical doctor asked, "how are you feeling?"
"Oh Carolyn, Sam. I had the most wonderful dream. It was absolute heaven. I dreamt that there were at least twenty Daniels roaming around. And they all loved me. Me!"
The two doctors gave each other a look. Sam decided to explain, "Vala, it wasn't a dream. There really are several Daniels here on base."
"You lie."
"Believe me, I wish I was lying."
"Oh? And how many of them are there exactly?"
Sam hesitated. "Umm… thirty-nine." Vala's eyes rolled back again. "Vala? Vala."
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SG-4 passed through the Gate first. General Landry and Walter sighed in relief. Below, Mitchell, Teal'c, Sam, and the usual defense team greeted them happily at the bottom of the ramp. A Daniel Jackson soon appeared, dressed in the same Green uniform that he had left in. SG-4 quickly dispersed.
Daniel stopped at all the stares he was getting. "Uhh, guys? What's going on?"
"Let me ask you something, Jackson. What time was it when you left the SGC?" Mitchell asked.
"2100 hours. Why?"
"And what was your mission?"
"To help SG-4 decipher some ruins they found on P8X-116. What's with the twenty questions, Mitchell?"
Teal'c cut in. "When were you originally scheduled to return to the SGC?"
"At 0900, why?"
Sam went on. "And why didn't you come back on time?"
"What are you, my parents? We didn't get back on time because we found another set of ruins!"
Mitchell looked to his teammates standing beside him. When they gave affirmative nods, he turned around and addressed the General. "It's him!" he yelled, shooting his fists into the air in excitement.
Daniel furrowed his brow. "Of course, it's me. Who else would it be." Sam patted his shoulder. Teal'c slapped his other shoulder. Mitchell shoved them aside and bear hugged him. "Holy… What the…" After Cameron finished spinning him around and finally set him down, General Landry made an announcement to the entire base.
"This is Landry. We have found our Dr. Jackson!" Daniel could hear the entire base cheer at once.
A minute later, as he walked through the halls of the SGC, he couldn't help but notice all the knowing looks he was receiving. Plus, a certain someone was noticeably absent. 'Oh no,' he muttered inwardly, 'What has she done now?'
"Daniel," Mitchell called after him. He stopped and turned. "Man, sorry if I creeped you out back there. But you walked out so fast you didn't give me a chance to explain."
"I'm not sure if I want to know."
"Oh trust me. You wanna know."
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Daniel stared down, clearly shocked at what he was witnessing in the Gate room. A line of Daniel Jacksons snaked in from the hallway. As Walter activated the next wormhole and Sam controlled a special machine in front of the Stargate, one of the Daniels was busy devouring Vala's mouth with a hungry kiss.
When the wormhole was activated, their exchange ended. Vala had a dreamy look in her eye before he saw her turn to wave at the departing figure. The Gate disengaged.
The next Daniel stepped up. He pulled Vala into an embrace and began whispering in her ear. She giggled. This one gave her a passionate kiss before leaving.
Another Daniel touched her belly and kissed her affectionately.
The next one stroked her bare ring finger and also whispered in her ear.
The Daniel Jackson looking down from the Control room grew red with embarrassment. For some odd reason, he felt jealous. 'Of what? Myself?' He shook his head as if to clear it of the emotion. Mitchell and Teal'c stood back, arms crossed and smirking.
Daniel surprised himself by staying to watch the entire line of his alternate selves leave. He only counted about five that didn't bother to kiss Vala goodbye or even acknowledge her. Those, he thought, were not good odds.
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He later found her sitting alone in the commissary, daydreaming. With one elbow propped up on the table, she rested her chin into her hand. She absentmindedly bit into a chocolate cupcake with frosting. Some of the frosting got on her nose.
"Uhh… Vala?"
Slowly, as if just waking up, she turned to his standing figure. She motioned for him to sit down with her cupcake. As soon as he did, the commissary emptied out as if the alarms were blaring, even though they were not. Daniel couldn't help but notice everyone leaving. Even the fat lunch lady left.
"Daniel," she said in a sweet, but still distant voice, "you are absolutely magical."
He coughed. "Thanks, I think. Listen, you…" He started to point with his finger.
"Oh, there's no need to say it, Darling. You've already told me hundreds of times in oh-so-many ways. You really are dashing, you know."
"Umm, okay. But you…"
She looked straight into his eyes. "I love you."
"You have frosting on your nose… wait… what!?"
"What? I do?" She scrambled for a napkin and chased after it when it fell off the table. The light weight of the flimsy napkin had it sailing across the floor. She got up to retrieve it.
Before she could bend down to get it, Daniel caught her in his arms. With an arm wrapped around her waist, he used his finger to wipe the frosting off her nose. They smiled at each other. He licked the frosting off his finger. "Mmm, no wonder you eat these things so much."
She giggled. "I told you."
"I bet you taste better." He gave her a sweet kiss. She tasted like chocolate. When he broke the kiss, he whispered in her ear, "I love you, too." Daniel continued to kiss her.
Several heads peeked from the side of the doorway. "Carter, what time is it?"
"Quarter after eight. Damn."
"I believe I have won. Pay me." Cameron and Sam begrudgingly slapped twenties into the Jaffa's hand. A few airmen did the same. General Landry groaned as he hesitantly placed a fifty dollar bill in his hand. Teal'c's smile could have lit up Las Vegas.
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Well, there's another one! Hope you enjoyed this little idea of mine. Gotta love DV. Also love reviews if you don't mind! Thanks for stopping by!