title: impasse
author: m
rating: pg
disclaimer: stargate, daniel and vala are not mine.
"impasse"
The tension that filled the small distance between them was palpable. Thick in the air it cloyed, pulled and pushed at them. Daniel felt her eyes watching him but he didn't turn, didn't look. He wasn't sure he could but he was sure he wanted to. God, how he wanted to. The desire was so strong that it formed a lump in his throat which threatened to choke off the very air that had become so difficult to breathe and Daniel looked away. This was not how this was supposed to be happening, he couldn't figure out how this was happening, Vala was not supposed to be able to get to him like this.
She'd been doing it from the moment they'd met but it felt worse than ever before. She had always been able to aggravate him, challenge him, but she had never sharpened it to such a point before. Her eyes on him felt like she was looking through every wall he put up. Nothing he was holding on to was out of reach to her and the anger that evoked in him was surprising. Daniel'd learned young how to hide, how to say a hundred things without ever actually saying anything at all. It was safe because most people never looked beyond it. They were content to believe the absent-minded, babbling archaeologist was all that there was to Daniel. Even when the truth snuck out from behind the lie they were content to overlook and let it go.
Jack knew the truth. He always had but he'd never called him on it, never seemed to need to. But he was hiding plenty of his own behind his very own lie and if Daniel respected his reasons then Jack was content to respect his.
That was the difference. Vala had her own lies but she didn't care about the rules. She wasn't going to let him hide but she wasn't going to share either.
It was infuriating and a part of him loved it. Daniel wouldn't ever admit it but he did. He was fascinated by the idea that she wasn't going to stop her relentless pursuit by whatever obstacles he threw at her but he wasn't about to stop either.
That was the funny thing about building walls. You build them because you have something to protect and until Vala turned the tables and let him see her secrets...he couldn't trust her with his.
Stalemate.
