TITLE: Lather, Rinse, Repeat

AUTHOR: Spacegypsy1

RATING: Older Teens

CATEGORY: Romandce/Adventure

CHALLENGE: So I decided to sign up for SG1 Friendathon Live Journal #45 Daniel, Vala in a time loop, but only one remembers the loops – Unfortunately, writing a friendship between Daniel and Vala...which I thought would be easy...was anything but easy... I had to drop out of the SG1 Friendathon challenge because this story shows what happens when I try to write D/V as friends.

PAIRING: Daniel/Vala

CHARACTERS: Daniel Jackson and Vala Mal Doran with guest appearances from Cam Mitchell and Teal'c.

SPOILERS/TIMELINE: After Season 10

WORD COUNT: Approximately 5500

SUMMARY: Daniel's the only one who knows they're caught in a time loop. D/V fluff included in the loops.

A special thanks to whoever contributed the #45 Daniel and Vala in a time loop Challenge to SG1Friendathon at Live Journal!

~o0o~ same time loop

~Lather~Rinse~Repeat~ new time loop.

~0o0~

"What!"

Vala leaned away from Daniel's ear belting out with a snide huff, "What, what?"

"Whoa there, you two are not starting my day with an argument. We've got a mission and I'm not gonna go off world and listen to you two bicker for hours and hours and hours. Get this straight before the pre-mission briefing." Mitchell stood, snatched up a biscuit from his plate, grabbed his coffee mug and exited the commissary.

"We were not arguing." Vala insisted, her tone clearly agitated.

Daniel stared perplexed at Mitchell's retreating back. When he turned towards Vala she gave him a childish sneer and looked away.

"Déjà vu." Daniel whispered removing his glasses and pinching the bridge of nose.

"What?" She shot a look dripping with scorn in his direction. "Oh, that's the word for you feel as if you're reliving something, reliving something, reliving..."

Jaw clinched he glared across the table, slammed his glasses on and narrowed his eyes, focused on her. "You're being unreasonable."

"Me! I've slept over at your house countless times, why all of a sudden...Daniel where are you going?"

Vala turned to Teal'c who quietly ate his breakfast. "Well," she said, plopping her elbow on the table and resting her chin on the back of her hand. "I supposed he was right all along. We're just not right for each other. And what's this silly rule about no sex on the first date? Does that mean our scheduled second date will be void of intimate contact? I can't keep up with all Daniel's rules. I'm beginning to think we will never be able to have sex. Ever. I think he doesn't know how."

Teal'c's brow shot up, but he managed to remain silent.

"Muscles I don't think I've ever seen you look so surprised. Don't repeat that because 'Grumpy McDaniel' will be very, very, very mad...madder? ...more mad?"

~o0o~

"Jackson, if I have to say it one more time, I'm gonna split a gut! Don't touch anything while we're gone!" Mitchell walked backwards towards the Stargate. "I mean it, stop that!"

Shaking off the feeling he'd done this all before, Daniel smiled, his finger poised inches above the one moving part of a stone obelisk.

"DanielJackson, it would be unwise to disregard ColonelMitchell's advice while we are away."

Ignoring Teal'c, Daniel inched his finger closer...pay back time for the past two weeks of Mitchell's constant practical jokes! Daniel's smile morphed into a full blow grin.

The archeologist's finger continued to hover while his gaze stayed on his two retreating, deserting, friends. "Not to worry. Leaving me alone with her," he cocked his head in Vala's direction. "We'll be fine. We'll continue to explore, look at stuff, figure stuff out...collect rocks, maybe push a button or two, you know. Me. Vala. Alone." Waggling his brows, the last image of Mitchell's worried frown as he disappeared through the Stargate, had Daniel laughing out loud.

The laughter trailed off into a lingering smile when he turned to Vala who had been in the process of freshening her lipstick. She looked up, gave him a seductive wink, twinkling eyes dancing with delight, and that one dark brow doing it's Teal'c imitation – rising to new heights. He sobered quickly. His fingers brushed over the obelisk before shoving his hands in his pockets and heading off across the field.

"Wait! You. Me. Alone. At last. Daniel? DANIEL!" Vala took off at a run after her intended target. "Does that mean, darling, that, here, on this planet, on a mission, by the way, we are going to finally be consolidating our relationship?"

"Consoli...oh, you mean consummate." he yelled back.

"Where?"

"Where what?" Daniel continued marching towards the deserted village.

"Where are we going to have great sex? And maybe some lovemaking tossed in if I'm lucky?"

He stopped in his tracks. Unfortunately...or fortunately, Vala had caught up to him and slammed into his back. He pivoted, grabbed her shoulders and set her back a step. "Not."

"Not what?"

His gaze went over her shoulder towards the Stargate, and he had that creepy feeling again that this had all happened before. Odd thing, he suddenly could see how this was going to turn out, as if he actually had experienced it more than once. First he would kiss her...and who was he to tempt fate?

When he finally fought himself and won the effort to stop, he reluctantly pulled his mouth from hers. Something familiar about that kiss had him wondering if he only compared it to the one on the Prometheus...although this one seemed to hold more meaning.

Vala was speechless. Her eyes softened and she stared at Daniel in awe.

Clearing his throat Daniel took a step back. "Don't you feel like this has happened before?"

Raising her hand, Vala stroked his cheek. "I would remember something like that, darling."

~Lather~Rinse~Repeat~

Mouth to his ear, Vala whispered. "I don't understand. I've slept over at your place a dozen times...okay, three times. And not once has it been as exciting as it should have been. The sex would have been sensational and the resulting and recurring lovemaking I am absolutely convinced would have been phenomenally wondrous...but no, you're still not sure about me and my motives." She felt empowered today, and she wasn't going to make his life any easier. "...and you say we can't spend the weekend at your place. It's mean and absurd and I don't understand! We're, and finally I might add, almost a couple judging by the way you keep looking so longingly at me and don't forget, we've had one real date...and we're scheduled for date two tonight...so, darling...don't you think we should move in together."

"What!"

Vala leaned away from Daniel's ear and snapped right back. "What, what?"

"Whoa there, you two are not starting my day with an argument." Mitchell stood, snatched up a biscuit from his plate, grabbed his coffee mug and exited the commissary.

"We were not arguing." Vala insisted.

Daniel stared perplexed at Mitchell's retreating back. "I don't think this is Déjà vu."

~0o0~

"Didn't we just go to PX7-985's moon?" Daniel dropped his pen on the conference table.

Mitchell looked up from his notes. "Huh?"

"PX7-985's moon. That's where we just were, right?"

Vala, who sat beside Daniel, feet in her chair and knees to her chest, rolled her head in his direction. "No, darling, that's why we're here at this little get together."

Daniel, head tilted to one side, stared at Mitchell while Mitchell, head tilted to the opposite side, stared at Daniel.

Picking up his pen, the archeologist pointed it at the Colonel. "Obelisk? Me? Vala? Stayed...alone? You, Teal'c, took off to 985?"

"Man, what have you been smokin'?" Mitchell took a quick peek at Landry who stood silently at the head of the table.

Shocked, Daniel looked around the conference room before coming back to Mitchell. "What are you smoking? Mission? Big round moon, discovery that bigger rounder planet actually has a Stargate? Small glowing stone, pointy at top, with carvings of lots of things, including planet's Gate address on it..."

"Are you alright, Dr. Jackson?" Landry looked back and forth between Mitchell and Daniel.

"Jackson? Mission. Today. Moon. Not...bigger, rounder, planet. That's why we're havin' a," the Colonel opted for bunny air quotes, "PRE" mission briefing."

Again, Daniel studied his teammates for signs of some sort of joke. "You...you don't remember? The message on the obelisk? "Go to big round planet for exciting new things?"

Vala sat up straight. "Really? It said that? How very disturbing."

"I'm..." Daniel cut his eyes to Vala then back to Mitchell, "...confused."

"Yeah, I know the feelin'."

"Colonel Mitchell, is this mission a go?"

"Yes, sir!"

~Lather~Rinse~Repeat~

When he finally fought himself and won the effort to stop kissing her, Daniel reluctantly pulled his mouth from Vala's. Convinced that the something familiar about that kiss could only be one thing, Daniel knew he'd kissed her many times before. It had to be...it could only be...they were stuck in a time loop.

Vala's eyes softened and she smiled at Daniel.

Clearing his throat and he took a step back. "Don't you feel like this has happened before?"

Vala stroked his cheek. "I would remember something like that, darling."

"Not necessarily," he conjectured. "Shit! I barely touched the damned thing."

"Barely touched what?"

"That stone..."

The crackle of the radio, interrupted. "Jackson?"

Not taking his eyes off of Vala, Daniel thumbed his radio. "Yeah?"

"Looks like we're gonna be here a while, maybe all day. Lots of old ruins and funky objects de art. You?"

"Same. See ya."

"Mitchell out."

"Daniel? I haven't seen any ruins or art stuff."

"I have a feeling we will. Soon. And Vala...if I'm right, there should shiny treasures."

"Really? How do you know that?"

He only waggled his brows, gently nudged her in the right direction, sauntering off after her towards the half buried temple. And though he should have been worried about the whole time loop thing – which he was pretty sure existed – the other treasure that awaited him had him hastening his pace.

They'd crawled through dust and dirt into a chamber rife with carefully staged fallen rocks. Vala, being smaller, made it through the last barrier and he heard her squeal of delight.

When he finally made it through, he stood and brushed at the dust on his pants.

"Darling," she said as she threw her arms around his neck, "This reminds me of the old days. Isn't this fun!" She kissed him soundly on the mouth, her arms tightening around his neck.

Automatically his arms went around her back pulling her tighter.

The kiss deepened. Starting slowly, each testing, then escalating as passion ignited like the proverbial firestorm.

It was Vala who ended the kiss, leaving Daniel bereft as he stared longingly at her thoroughly kissed and swollen lips.

"We really need to work, so we can get back, so we can do more of this." Her arms disengaged from his neck. Her hands ran down his T-shirt across his chest, before she forced them to retreat to her sides.

"Right."

Vala crossed the room, away from Daniel. "Should we try to catalog all these lovely, shiny thingies?"

"No. I think we should send a team back for that. Let's look for journals or tablets, anything that might clue us in on who these people were, and where they went."

Grinning, Vala ducked her head and whispered. "Alright."

He shoved his hands in his pockets and let his gaze wander around the room wondering why she appeared so different standing there with her head tucked down and gently twisting to and fro. Not shy, not vulnerable, not teasing, not messing around. Just different. It didn't take long to realize it wasn't that Vala looked different, only that he saw her differently. She was beautiful, kind, loving. It was if he was seeing her for the first time, really seeing her, the real Vala. And he wanted her.

~Lather~Rinse~Repeat~

"PX7-985's moon. That's where we just were, right?"

Vala, pulled her legs in tight to her chest and rolled her head in Daniel's direction. "No, darling, that's why we're here at this little get together."

Picking up his pen, the archeologist pointed it at the Colonel. "No it's not. We keep doing this, time after time. This has to be a time loop. We've had this meeting six, seven or possibly more times. On the moon we found an Obelisk. Vala and I stayed on the moon while you and Teal'c, took off to 985."

"Hold on a minute there, cowboy. You're sayin' you think this is one of those O'Neill/Teal'c loop de loop, time repeatin' scenarios? What the hell did you touch?"

Vala turned with a pout to Daniel, speaking low. "Certainly not me."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." Daniel mumbled, shooting her a knowing grin.

Unsure of what he'd said or why he grinned so delightfully at her, Vala grinned back. Daniel seemed to have magically changed his feelings for her and that was all that mattered...well, as long as it wasn't alien influenced...except in her alien-ness it could, quite actually, be alien influence.

"Vala?" General Landry repeated for the third time.

"Oh? Right? Sure? I mean, what was the question?"

"What do you remember?"

"Me?"

"Yes, princess. The General's askin' you what you remember."

"Let's see," she raised her eyes upwards, puckered her lips and thought back. "Hmm, nothing. Since I haven't been to the moon, or the big round planet, yet, I really wouldn't remember it, Mitchell, would I?"

Vala smiled at Daniel and he rolled his eyes, shook his head and looked back at his CO.

"Okay, that doesn't help. Only Jackson has the loop memories, sir." Mitchell nodded to their commanding officer before turning back to Daniel. "So. What'd you touch?"

"I remember running my fingers over the raised carvings on the stone. That's it. Nothing else."

"What else did you find?"

"I told you."

"When?"

"Last time we had this meeting...er...oh...ah...I found, actually Vala found, an entrance to a buried temple."

"I did? Good for me!"

"And she unearthed a cache of gold, jewels, various and sundry artifacts, assorted tablets and journals..."

"Hmm. Really? Me? And I didn't, you know, appropriate anything? Or stash something in my bosom? See, General Landry? I have greatly improved." Vala took a moment to preen then turned once again to Daniel. "What was I wearing? What color lipstick, I mean?"

They all stared at her.

"I believe, ValaMalDoran, that you are currently wearing Passionate Pink, and in DanielJackson's loop we would be leaving not for the first time after this briefing so therefore you would be wearing Passionate Pink."

"You're sure, Muscles?"

"I am. Though it is quiet similar to Suddenly Sexy, it has less red in it and is indeed pinker."

Vala nodded in agreement. Landry, who'd been standing, sank in his chair with a groan. Mitchell folded his arms across his chest and glared, while Daniel scrubbed his face trying to alleviate the tension headache that was building rapidly.

"Why," Daniel asked, "could the color of your lipstick matter?"

"Don't be silly, Daniel, if I was wearing something other than this one then it really couldn't be that we'd been there before or actually were going there again."

"Colonel Mitchell?" Abruptly, General Landry stood.

"Yes, sir?"

"Is this mission still a go?"

"Yes, sir!"

~Lather~Rinse~Repeat~

Mitchell and Daniel walked out of the Stargate side by side.

"See, Mitchell? An Obelisk." Daniel approached the stone structure. "And here," he pointed, "Asgard writing."

"How'd you know that, Jackson?"

"I'm beginning to figure this out."

Vala, her gaze on their perimeter, P-90 at the ready stepped further away, careful not to get to close to the obelisk. "Maybe you were here while in ascension?"

Daniel looked askew, his gaze landing on Vala's recently lipsticked mouth. The mouth he'd soon be kissing again.

"I need to make a rubbing or some notes and see if I can figure out how to stop this loop. Here," he points, "it talks about some 'key' hidden in the temple. I think that word is 'key'."

"Well, Daniel, I thought you knew like a bazillion words in Asgard."

"Yep, I do, but this one isn't one of them. Here," he points, "it talks about the additional yet lesser temple on the uninhabited planet. Which, it says here," he pointed below, "that the only time the planet is habitable is in the summer cycle...which is now...due to some Goa'uld manipulation of the atmosphere. So. Anywho, I need to find more info here on the moon and someone needs to check the planet."

"Jackson, if we're in a time loop won't touching it just re-loop it?" Mitchell scratched his head.

"I wouldn't know until I studied it...wait, re-loop?"

Vala continued to keep a close eye on their surroundings. "Yes, that would create a loop on top of an existing loop, or an actual re-loop."

"No, don't think so."

"But, you are not sure?" Teal'c asked

"No. I'm not."

"Well, genius, we can't go to the planet without a ship and last I looked we didn't bring one."

"It has a Stargate." Daniel informed his team.

Mitchell shook his head. "Not according to our..."

Daniel pointed to what was obviously a Stargate address carved in the stone.

"I'll be damned...so...why don't me and the big guy run over to the planet and check out the other stuff? What are we looking for?"

Shrugging was Daniel's response.

"Okay," Mitchell hiked his P-90 up. "Teal'c dial that address. Jackson. Vala. You two behave."

~Lather~Rinse~Repeat~

She whispered somewhat threateningly in his ear. "I don't understand. I've slept over at your place a dozen times...okay, three times. And not once has it been as exciting as it should have been..."

When he turned, placing his lips against her ear, Vala gasped.

Daniel told her softly as his lips caressed her ear. "You're right, I'm sorry, and yes it has been exciting, the sex, and yes, sensational, and the lovemaking was phenomenally wondrous, as you said it should be, and yes we should move in together."

Her feet flew out of the chair and Vala sat up straighter. "WHAT!"

"Whoa there, you two are not starting my day with an argument. We've got a mission and I'm not gonna go off..."

"We're not arguing!" Both Daniel and Vala shouted at once.

"Look, Mitchell...we are in a time loop."

~0o0~

"We have to stop this now." Daniel indicated the chair behind Landry. "Sir, you might want to sit for this one."

The General sat, his bushy brows diving into a curious V.

"So here's how it goes...We go to the moon of P7X-985. We see an Obelisk that has the Gate address to the P7X-985, which we have never before..."

By now, Vala's mouth is wide open and she's staring totally confused at Daniel.

Mitchell crossed his arms tightly, and barked out, "Ah, Jackson, that's..."

Daniel held up a finger. "Wait for it." He turned to Teal'c. "I barely brushed the Obelisk with my fingertips, but I did get a tingly feeling."

"That was me, darling." Vala interjected and Daniel grinned.

"We're experiencing a time loop," Daniel looked around the table at the disbelieving audience, that was all but Teal'c. "I think we're on loop seven or eight, however, it could be a lot more. Mitchell and Teal'c went to the Planet, Vala and I stayed on the moon." Unable to stop the automatic response to that revelation, Daniel flushed red.

"Anyway, we, ah, found the planetary history..."

"Hold up there a minute, Wonderboy, we haven't been to..."

"ColonelMitchell, I advise you to, as you say, not go there. And may I add, GeneralLandry, that it would save a very large amount of time to forego sending DanielJackson to see Dr. Lam."

"Alright, Teal'c. Go on Dr. Jackson." Not the least bit surprised by Teal'c's advice, Landry waited for the rest of the story. It was, after all, SG-1 he was dealing with.

"Vala found the temple. She found the way in. She discovered the tablets with the planetary history..."

Chewing on her lip, Vala look curiously at Daniel. He smiled and she grinned back. "And how would you know so much about this loop thingie?"

"I've been in one before."

"Then why didn't you know how to avoid it?"

"Because this one is different from the one we experienced."

"We who?"

"Jack, Sam, me and Teal'c."

"How very nice for you all. So now we do it all again?"

"Yep."

~Lather~Rinse~Repeat~

"We really need to work, so we can get back, so we can do more of this." Her arms disengaged from his neck. Her hands ran down his T-shirt across his chest, before she forced them to retreat to her sides.

"Right."

Vala crossed the room, away from Daniel. "Should we try to catalog them?"

"No. I think we should send a team for that. Let's look for journals or tablets, anything that might clue us in on who these people were and where they went, and anything about a key."

Grinning, Vala ducked her head and whispered. "Alright."

It didn't take long to realize it wasn't that Vala looked different, only that he saw her differently. And he wanted her.

"Here it is, Darling!" Vala held up a large tablet for him to see. "This bit is about the Goa'uld. Apparently hundreds of years ago they took most of the people from the planet as slaves and hosts, sabotaged the atmosphere and the survivors came here. It doesn't say what happened to them after that."

He approached her slowly, smiling, heart beating ninety to nothing. "Let's see," he took the edge of the tablet, his fingers brushing hers. He forced his eyes away from hers to the tablet, but the markings blurred. His gaze lifted. "Vala..."

"Hmm?" Unable to handle the heat of his gaze, Vala studied a pile of coins, picking up one after the other and tossing it aside. When she felt the weight of his hand in her hair she thought she just might break into a thousand pieces.

"Vala?"

"Hmm?"

"Look at me." Daniel pleaded.

"I...I can't." Coins jingled as they cascaded from her hand.

"Why?"

"Because, if I do I'll...I'll most likely jump you...your bones as they say here on Earth." One of her perfectly painted fingernails poked at a coin. "And, that of course would be wrong, right?"

"Wrong." He picked up a strand of her hair and rubbed it between thumb and forefinger.

"Wrong, as in right it'd be wrong, or wrong as in wrong it'd be right?"

Daniel laughed, dropping the strand of hair. "I can't sort that out, Vala," he took her hand and started pulling her up off the temple's stone floor. "But if you look at me and then decide you do in fact want to jump my bones, my bones are available for jumping. And though you don't remember it, you've jumped them before."

~Lather~Rinse~Repeat~

"Uh oh."

"What, darling?"

"We were...we were just...damn, that's like sixteen times!"

"Sixteen what?" Mitchell thumbed through his paperwork.

"Loops, time loops."

"Jackson, what are you talkin' about?"

"Right, wait!" Daniel jumped up and rushed down the stairs. "Walter!"

Mitchell, Teal'c and Vala had dashed after Daniel.

The Chief turned unaffected by the abrupt and loud interruption. "Yeah?"

"Have there been any energy spikes in the Stargate?"

"Or any unwarranted alarms...or fritzing lightening arcs?"

Daniel eyed Mitchell with a good deal of awe, the man was a walking SG-1 mission encyclopedia. "How the hell did you remember that from reading?"

The colonel shrugged.

"No, nothing weird. Well nothing weirder than usual or unexplainably weird."

SG-1 returned to the briefing room.

"Jackson?"

Daniel sat, feeling totally exhausted. "We've been in a time loop for weeks now. I keep trying to find out how to stop it. We've already been to PX7-985's Moon."

Vala pulled her knees to her chest as her head rolled in his direction. "No, darling, that's why we're here at this little get together."

"We're experiencing another time loop," Daniel paused briefly, continuing when one one interrupted him. "I think we're only on number sixteen, however, it could be a lot more. It's hard to keep count."

Mitchell scratched his jaw. "Yeah, that was in the file..."

"We know." Not only Daniel and Vala said at once, but Teal'c and General Landry joined in.

"Anyway, there's this obelisk. I was able to decipher most of the carvings so we split up and Mitchell and Teal'c went to the planet, Vala and I stayed on the moon."

"Jackson, Corona mass emissions, magnetic storms...you haven't mentioned those as part of your personal time repeating escapade."

"Right, we didn't have those. I barely touched the obelisk, but it did tingle and the glow stopped. Vala found journals on the moon and I've been trying to find out how to stop this...by finding out how it happened. And that's why I keep having to convince you guys quicker and quicker so I can get back and find the solution.

Mitchell stood. "Let's go, we're wastin' time."

"Dismissed." Landry nodded.

~0o0~

"Alrighty. Obelisk, as aforementioned in meeting. Check." Mitchell said the instant he came through the Stargate.

"Planet's 'Gate address." Daniel pointed to it and Teal'c studied the address then turned away to the DHD.

"Check." Vala said. "Now what?"

"Now I make notes...again and we go play in some temple ruins."

~Lather~Rinse~Repeat~

"Wrong, as in right it'd be wrong, or wrong as in wrong it'd be right?"

Daniel laughed, dropping the strand of dark hair. "...if you look at me and then decide you do in fact want to jump my bones, my bones are available for jumping. And though you don't remember it, you've jumped them before."

"What do you mean I've jumped your bones?"

"I mean just that."

"When."

"About now."

"What?"

"At least twenty, maybe thirty, I think or maybe a hundred times. You jumped, I accepted. I mean after I figured out, or thought I figured out, we weren't going to find anything here to stop the loops. And then the rock slide happened."

"What rock slide?"

"The one that got us stuck in here."

"Stuck where?"

"In here where you jump my bones, and I jump yours and then Mitchell and Teal'c return and radio and gets us out and then the whole damned thing starts all over again."

"So, Daniel, you're telling me that we've had sex..." She moved in closer.

Head down, he nodded slightly. "...and made love, don't forget that one...or more than one."

The ground shook, slightly, and the roar and thumb of the rock slide interrupted their discussion.

Mouth screwed up, lip slightly caught between teeth, brows scrunched with concern, Vala moved quickly away from the resulting dust towards Daniel.

"Not to worry, that's all there is to it." Daniel sighed.

Grinning wide, she asked, "At least how many times?"

"Probably more than twenty, I got tired of keeping track." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"But I don't remember it and that's not fair." She was close enough to touch him but refrained.

"Right." Breathing became a difficult task. Each time, each loop, though he knew it now like a long studied artifact, seemed new, exciting, marvelous.

"I've been patient and like you, I've made major changes in my life and you're telling me I'm not actually able to enjoy the knowledge that you caved under my well planned seduction? And let's not even discuss enjoying the pleasure or enjoyment of pleasures or whatever I would be enjoying." By now she was running her hands up under his T-shirt across his bare chest, taking the fabric with her.

Daniel assisted by removing his shirt when she almost strangled him with it.

She suckled his neck. "...or that finally, you reciprocated...that's the right word isn't it?" She had her hand on his belt buckle.

"I think that'd do fine." He took her face in his hands and kissed her.

"And how, again will you or me or us stop the loop? I mean it's going to stop, this is the last one right? Because when we come through the gate next time you know what we are going to do differently, because you figured it out."

"I didn't, you did." He mumbled between kisses.

"How? And boots darling."

"What?"

"Boots, Daniel, take off your boots."

"Oh, right." He sat and took off his boots and socks and watched as she removed hers. "I'll tell you later."

"So when does this particular loop end – being it's the last one?"

"Right after Mitchell and Teal'c reach the temple and radio us."

"How long do we have?"

"Two hours, forty two minutes, twelve seconds – barely enough time to get dressed once we hear the radio. I have to tell you something."

"And that is?"

"I love you and I think we should live together. But I've told you that before."

~0o0~

Vala's hand trailed teasingly down his belly. "I can see why you'd want to keep looping now. And since you seemed to like it so much, I'm all for another round of..."

Daniel grabbed her wrist. "Not enough time, Vala, they'll be here soon."

"I won't remember this. That makes me sad. And when it starts again tomorrow it will be the end and I will..."

He kissed her wrist. "Don't worry, we have a date, remember? Date two."

Vala sat up and ran her fingers through her mussed hair. She sighed, "Yes, but you know how you are."

"Nope, not like that anymore. I may have said no sex on the first date, but I never said no sex on the second date. And maybe since this is the last one...and we move forward from here...maybe you will remember. I can't remember if Jack remembered, actually he never told us what he did remember other than we were looping. But, we didn't so maybe you won't. I'm sorry."

She looked over her shoulder at him laying there, hands behind his head and grinning. "You know I love you, will you remember that?" She asked.

"I remember everything." He pulled her down for heated kiss. "Let's get dressed, they'll be here soon."

Vala picked up her shirt and saw Daniel's journal opened under it. "What's that?" Her finger pointed to a sketch.

"Part of the words on the Obelisk. It says the key remains..."

"No, it doesn't."

"Really?" He said with false concern.

"It means, 'Stay where you are.' It's Goa'uld slang."

Standing, Daniel began to dress. "Um hmm, I read Goa'uld."

Still on the floor, Vala pulled on her panties while she smiled up at Daniel. "Darling, you know how Mitchell will say y'all, meaning you all, or you guys, or all of you people or just you? Well, 'Ah kee', that's Goa'uld slang for 'Aray Kree'...Stay where you are. Don't move. Don't go there. Something like that."

Leaning down he pulled her up and kissed her soundly. "I know, you told me that on the last loop."

"So, this time...this loop could have ended this morning when we arrived?"

"Yep."

"Daniel!"

"I wanted to be sure!"

The radio hissed and crackled then Mitchell called, "Jackson? Vala?"

~Lather~Rinse~Repeat~

"Okay, I think I got the first part...me and Teal'c left said moon for new addressed planet?"

"Yeah."

"So then what happened?"

"Vala found the temple, got through the carefully staged maze of rocks and fallen debris, found the cache."

"Uh huh, she's got the nose for it. Then what?"

"We settled in and I started looking at all the tablets."

"And the princess?"

"Vala was being Vala."

"Twirllin', twistin', fiddlin' with stuff, hands all over everything?"

"Like you wouldn't believe."

"So how'd you stop it?"

"Huh?"

"The loop, how'd you stop it?"

"Oh, that. I haven't...yet. I will this time. Vala figured out the correct translation. It's the Stargate, or maybe dialing P7X-985 or using the DHD. That part I haven't completely figured out which one, or how it actually creates the time loop. I kinda need Sam for that part. She's on her way, she'll meet us there. The trick is to not go to the planet. And since I was the only one that touched the Obelisk somehow I was the only one who remembers. So, off we go, no leaving the moon and we'll be back within a few hours. Which is good. Vala and I have a date."

~END~