Title: Dark Hours of the Night
Author: Bkwurm1
Pairings: Jack/Daniel friendship, Daniel/Vala in a romantic, established relationship. (No other ships mentioned or hinted at.)
Rating: Teen
Summary: Daniel and Vala are vacationing with Jack at his cabin in Minnesota. During the night, Daniel wakes, leading to a friendly conversation with Jack and a reflection on what he now has in his life. Mostly fluff and proud of it.
Daniel quietly awoke in the dark hours of the night, one too many light beers from the previous evening rousing him from sleep. Slowly he lifted his head from the feather pillow he'd been sharing with his wife, pressed his lips softly against the curve of Vala's creamy shoulder, undraped his arm from around her waist and gently eased out of their warm bed. He opened the bedroom door and then paused looking out at the hallway until his sleepy mind remembered which direction led to the cabin's bathroom.
He turned to the right and walked a few feet down the hall until he found the correct door. He left the light off while he took care of his business, going through the motions without completely waking up. On exiting the bathroom, a light at the end of the hall caught his attention. A second later, he heard the clink of a glass against wood. His semi-lucid mind was still making connections when Jack popped his head around the corner and peered down the hall.
"Daniel?"
"Jack?"
The rapidly greying general raised the mug he held in his hand. "Coffee?"
Daniel glanced between his friend's expectant look and the shadowy bedroom he had been contentedly sharing with his wife and reluctantly made his way toward his former teammate.
Jack took another mug off the shelf, set it on the table, lifted the metal coffee pot off the stove and poured him a cup. "Couldn't sleep?"
"Hmm? No. Bathroom." Daniel squinted from the overhead light in the kitchen and idly scratched his stomach through his grey t-shirt.
"Vala?"
"Asleep. You?"
"Not asleep."
Jack didn't elaborate, but the tightness of his smile and the haggard shadows in his eyes told Daniel all he needed to know. Given the brutalities they'd witnessed and the number of times on their watch that the world - make that the galaxy - narrowly escaped extinction, not to mention their own personal tragedies, no one would be surprised to learn that all members of SG-1, past and present, suffered from the kind of dreams that ended only when you woke up screaming.
In the past, both he and Sam took refuge in their work, burying themselves in their respective fascinations until they fell into an exhausted, and hopefully, dreamless sleep. Teal'c eased what his symbiote-free mind now conjured through meditation. Mitchell hit the gym in the middle of the night, rehabilitating his mind by intensively training his body.
For many years, Vala pasted on a brazen smile and tried to outrun the violent and unpredictable images that nearly every night surfaced from her subconscious. She still didn't like to talk about them, but at least now, when the monsters lashed out with their glistening claws extended, she didn't have to ward them off alone. Daniel knew in his own case that waking to her warm, loving, and highly distracting presence had taken the lasting sting out of most of his bad dreams.
Jack was like Vala in that he preferred to deny the demons that hunted him at night. He counter programmed his mind with silly obsessions such as the Simpson's and held out until he could be back at his cabin, holding a fishing pole. The pond was frozen over right now, which may have been why Jack invited them to join his vacation in Minnesota. Vala was always game for new experiences and Daniel had been glad for the chance to check up on his old friend.
Jack's time in Washington had aged him. Of course, Jack claimed the full head of nearly white hair he now sported was a sign of victory since what he really wanted to do was tear it all out. By Jack's account, navigating Washington's crazy politics was more harrowing than facing any alien enemy.
Tonight though, Daniel suspected the helpless frustration that looked out from Jack's soul was borne of things far worse than overexposure to "bureaucratic numb-nuts." Some pain never went away.
In addition to the coffee, Jack set on the table two slices of the apple pie Vala brought back from the restaurant. Betty's Pie Shop had experienced a banner sales night when they dropped in for dinner. They'd express shipped almost half a dozen frozen pies back to Colorado and Vala brought just as many fresh ones back to the cabin.
Seven days. Five pies. Three people. For the next week, everything came with pie.
At least it was good pie.
Daniel scooted a wooden, pea green, rail back chair up close to the scarred kitchen table and wrapped his hands around the waiting mug of coffee. He sniffed it cautiously and then glanced at Jack. "It this decaffeinated?"
Jack cocked his head to the side. "Do you want it to be?"
"Yeah."
"Then it's decaffeinated."
Willing to suspend his disbelief, he took a sip. Right away, Daniel recognized the familiar flavor of the medium roast, fully caffeinated coffee that Jack always bought, but said nothing even after Jack ostensibly coughed and used his hand to hide his growing smirk.
Once Jack had his "cough" under control, he took a bite of pie and then broached another topic. "So, what did you two kids decide we're going to do tomorrow?"
"Vala still wants to go out on the trails. Is there a place we could rent snowmobiles?"
"Rent them you say. What about the pair already sitting out front? The way I see it, she beat the Swenson brothers fair and square; she told them right upfront there was no they could win."
"Be that as it may, we both agreed holding your neighbors to the terms of last night's bet might make things a tad uncomfortable for you."
"Nah, everybody knows those boys are smug idiots. Served them right for trying to show off in the first place. Nobody around here minded seeing them knocked down a peg or two. Use the sleds while you're here."
"I'm not sure…"
"I'm sure. Tell you what. The boys' uncle works with the Sheriff down in Two Harbors; I'll let him know we're just going to make 'em sweat for the week to teach them a lesson." Jack nodded to himself, satisfied with his plan. "Mark and their whole family will appreciate it. As for hitting the trails, tomorrow should be perfect. The snow's not real deep, but it's fresh and the trail groomer is out there as we speak. Can be real peaceful in the woods. The snow makes everything soft, muffled, kind of sparkles and glows… in a good way. Not as good as fishing, but…," he shrugged and took a sip of his coffee to chase his rapidly disappearing dessert.
Daniel wasn't sure how racing three high-speed sleds through the forest while trying to avoid splattering into tree trunks or breaking through partially frozen lakes could be considered peaceful, but at least the shadows in Jack's eyes were going away. They continued to eat their pie and chat about tomorrow's plans for a while. Then they discussed the idea of ice fishing (thankfully Jack wasn't sold on it either) and making a daytrip down to Duluth later during the week.
Their pie plates were already in the sink and Daniel was on his third refill of "decaf" when a huge yawn caught Jack in the middle of explaining why Two Harbor's Winter Frolic's Outhouse Races made staying through next Saturday absolutely essential. He glanced at the clock that read 3 am, scowled and narrowed his eyes.
"Dammit Daniel, we've got a full day of riding tomorrow. You can't keep me up all night gabbing."
Daniel blinked a few times at his abrupt change in tone, but rolled with it. "I don't know what I was thinking. Sorry?"
"Alright then. Apology accepted." Jack nodded once, pushed back from the small table and stood up. He turned to go, but before he left the kitchen, he paused and glanced back. For a moment, his eyes softened and he silently acknowledged the real reason why they'd been up talking. "Daniel…"
Daniel nodded and smiled. "Anytime." His former commander rolled his eyes.
"Now don't get all sappy on me," he ordered. He threw a negligent wave behind his back as he went around the corner. "G'night Daniel."
"Goodnight Jack," he called back, still smiling a little.
He emptied what remained of the coffee in the sink, set their mugs there as well, turned off the overhead light and shuffled down the dark hallway back to his bedroom. With the curtains pulled back, moonlight spilled through the windowpane and illuminated Vala's sleeping form. A surge of feeling swelled in his chest. In his absence, she'd rolled over onto her stomach and sprawled with one arm reaching out onto his side of the bed.
He rested on the edge, lifted her arm, and sidled in beneath the covers. As he shifted on the mattress, so did she, moving without waking until her body was half draped over his torso and her cheek cushioned on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist, closed his eyes and absorbed the feel of her warm, fragrant body melted against his. He pressed a kiss against Vala's silky hair and then slowly exhaled.
Something about the dark hours of the night made the starkest truths stand out. For most of the past decade, he dreaded waking in the middle of the night, but now he actually regretted the nights he solidly slept through.
So many people he knew, good people and good friends, struggled to find any sort or sense of peace, but every night he held in his arms the very foundation of his. Which was ironic since no force in the universe left him more off kilter than Vala. He smiled. For a long time, he'd known both assertions were true, but his mind no longer balked at the contradiction. Vala arrived and changed the course of his life. Then she did it again. And again. And again.
Life with Vala wasn't always easier, but it was immeasurably better. The love that flowed between them cushioned any pain that taking life's risks inevitably brought and elevated every good moment in between. After hiding and denying what he'd felt for too long, he tried to take extra care to make sure she knew what she meant to him. Jack had no idea just how happily sappy he could get.
Thoughts of Jack sobered him for a moment. He hoped this break from Washington was what his friend needed. It had been a long time since he'd seen him look that worn out in spirit. Instinctively, his hold on Vala tightened. She stirred in his arms.
"Mmm, Daniel. Did you just come back to bed?" She asked in her throaty, melodic voice. He loved the sound of her voice. Every lilt, every warm intonation or sly inflection was music. Immediately, his tense muscles began to relax. He nodded and started rubbing circles on the small of her back. She made a sleepy, contented sound, but a moment later sounded much more awake. "How's Jack?"
Her question made him pause, surprised she'd known where he'd been. He shouldn't have been. Very little ever got past his wife.
"I think he's good. Just needed someone to talk to for a while."
She snuggled closer. "What he needs is to leave Washington D.C. for good. He's alone too much."
They both understood the painful complexities of being alone.
"At the very least," she continued, "Jack should split his time between the East and West coast. I mean honestly, he is the head of Home World Security and what with the entire city of Atlantis sitting in San Fran something Bay and good old Cheyenne Mountain just a tic yonder, I would think your leaders would be clamoring for him to be where the action is."
"I can't argue with your logic."
"Good, then it's settled. You'll do your Daniel thing and talk him into moving closer to where we can keep an eye on him."
He half raised his head from the pillow. "Why do I get the feeling your motives are not entirely altruistic?"
Vala tilted her head to look at him and trailed her fingertips along the bristly jaw he decided not to shave while on vacation. "Well, if Jack moving back just so happens to mean there will be someone else not only inclined to drag you out from behind your dusty relics, but with the authority to make it happen, I wouldn't say that's such a bad thing."
"Ha. Ha."
"Yes, I thought it was funny as well."
Daniel resumed rubbing circles on her back. After a moment, he spoke up quietly. "Am I…am I really so bad that you need to recruit outside help?"
"Oh, my dear, sweet Daniel." Vala reached for him, scooting up higher on the mattress until she was could grasp his scruffy face in both hands and pull him close enough to capture his mouth. He responded hungrily to her kiss, sliding his hand deep into her midnight tresses and tightening his arm around her waist.
When the kiss broke, she rested her forehead against his and stroked the side of his face. "I want Jack to be around only because I think Jack should be around. He's the missing piece to our little SG-1 family. Maybe there was a time when I could have used all the help in the universe, but now we both have a much better grasp on how to communicate to each other our needs."
He caught the hand caressing his cheek, brought it to his mouth, and pressed a tender kiss to her open palm. "I don't want you ever to doubt how much I love you."
In the moonlight, her eyes, already wet with emotion, took on a brighter sheen. "I love you too and I promise if I ever truly feel neglected, you will hear directly from me."
The corner of his mouth curved up. "That's a promise I believe. But I promise you, I will do my best to make sure you never have to keep it."
"Mmm, from what I recall, your best is very, verrrrrry, good," she trailed her fingers down the side of his neck and slid them beneath the cotton collar of his shirt, "but maybe you should remind me."
He clutched her tighter and rolled them over so his weight pressed her body into the soft mattress. Lowering his head and lightly scraping his beard against the curve of her neck, he murmured, "Because of your short attention span?"
Vala's head lolled to the side, exposing more of her long, graceful neck. "Not my fault. You are extremely… distrac…," a breathy moan escaped from her lips as his hot breath heated the skin he was nibbling. One of her hands slid up through the short, crisp hairs at the back of his neck urging him to continue while her other hand curled into the material covering his shoulder. "What was I saying?"
He pulled back and grinned down at Vala with all the contentment and joy he felt every time he woke during the dark hours of the night. His beautiful wife's silver eyes were heavy lidded, glazed with desire and love. "Don't worry," he reassured her as he pulled his t-shirt off over his head and then began raining down hot, open-mouthed kisses starting at her collar bone and working toward her soft, shadowy curves, "Every chance I get, I'll remind you."