Title: Little Pieces
Rating: PG
Fandom: Stargate SG-1
Pairing: Daniel/Vala, Vala/Sam friendship
Disclaimer: I own nothing! Stargate is copyrighted to its respective owners, and I don't claim anything but the idea for this fiction.
Author's Note: Well, I started writing again. That's a good sign: haven't done this in quite awhile. Hopefully, these spurts continue, since I do love showing my creative side!Summary: Absence makes the heart grow fonder… (Spoilers for "The Quest Pt. 2)

Tick, tick, tick… She'd been hearing that same noise for hours, but like the first time, she'd taken little notice of it. Tick, tick, tick… Time ticking away agonizingly, moments lost forever in the grand scheme known as life, moments spent aimlessly walking around and around the messy office, burning holes in the floor; that was how she spent every second of her time now. Within the past two days, she'd drank nothing, eaten nothing, said nothing, just went around the room, touching things, remembering details of the man who used to work here… and would again, if she had anything to say about it.

A gilded frame on the wall was her next "victim", and she grazed her fingers over the smooth, even gold plating, occupying her eyes with memorizing the figure of the woman in the picture. She looked into the woman's eyes, noticed the thick tresses of black hair, took in the sweet contours of her smile. "I'm sorry," replied Vala softly, her blue eyes misting. "I couldn't save him. Adria has him, and he's not coming back any time soon. I wish he was."

Sha're didn't reply, but then again, Vala hadn't expected her to. Listening, that was the main key to why she was doing this; she'd forgotten what it was like to have someone listen to her intently in the short time she'd lost Daniel. She wanted to scream, she wanted to hate, and she needed someone to be there for her as she dealt with the events that unfolded: Daniel talking to Merlin; Merlin using the device to download his memories and dying, giving Daniel the opportunity to finish what he'd started; Daniel using the machine again and again to build the weapon, all the memories muddling together until he barely knew who he was; Daniel pushing her out of the way to protect her from her own daughter…

"Hey." Sam, from behind her, it sounded like. "Heard you were in here."

Vala tried to put on a brave face. "Colonel Carter. I didn't expect to see you."

"That's what everyone says when they haven't left a room in a few days. How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine."

Sam shook her head. "Bull," she quipped, surprising her team mate. "You're a mess. Doesn't take an astrophysicist to see that." She nodded to the picture, smiling faintly. "Talking to Sha're?"

"She's a good listener," replied Vala, taking her fingers away and crossing her arms, hugging herself. "Daniel must have been very happy with her."

"From what I can tell and from what he's told me, he was. I remember when I first saw them together--"

She flinched, and shook her head, trying to smile through her tears and crack a few jokes. "No, I don't think I need to hear that. Please, Sam, don't tell me things like that. I don't need to know all the petty details of the life of Doctor Daniel Jackson."

But nothing, it seemed, could sway Samantha Carter from discussion. "No one made Daniel happier than Sha're. And when he lost her, it nearly killed him. He thought he'd never have that sort of feeling for anyone else for the rest of his life. I remember him telling me that Sha're was his life, and when he lost her, he lost a part of himself. And, hate to admit it, but I thought he was right. Sure, he had his moments where I believed he would slap his resignation on the table and leave us, where I thought he had feelings for someone else, but no one seemed to make him happy. No one, that is, until you came along."

"I don't understand, Sam. How could you say that? I stole his ship, I beat him up, lied to him, beat him up again, and left. Then, I practically chained him to me, forced him into helping me find buried treasure, and annoyed him the whole time. I was surprised he didn't throw me back into the Stargate the moment I arrived."

Sam chuckled, grinning wide. "You want my honest opinion? In the ten years I've known Daniel Jackson, he has never had anyone get under his skin the way you do. I've never seen him tenser, bothered, or annoyed in my entire life. And that's why you're special to him. I think you did more than steal the ship… I think you stole a piece of his heart, and he's been wanting to get it back ever since."

She huffed. "If he wanted it back, he could've just asked for it."

"But that's the thing, Vala. I think the more he wants to get it back, the more pieces he loses to you. I wouldn't be surprised if he loved you. And," she gave Vala a hug, "I think you've lost your heart to him too. Little by little. That's the reason why you've stayed this long, why you bothered to change yourself to be acceptable, why you wanted to be a part of the team. I think you did it because you love him. Don't worry. We're going to get him back."

Vala didn't know what to say, but the tears sliding from her eyes were a good indication. "Thank you."

"Hey, what're friends for? Besides, it's been awhile since I had a close gal pal. I miss having that. And hey, Vala?"

"Yes?"

"When you get married to Daniel, I'm going to be a bridesmaid, right?"

She laughed, the first real laugh she'd had in quite awhile. "Of course you are. I wouldn't have anyone else."

"Come on, let's get some lunch. You should be hungry."

"Famished."

Sam grinned, and escorted her to the door. "Vala?"

"Yes?"

"We'll get him back. Adria will keep him alive, and SG-1 never leaves a man behind."

"I know we will."