A/N: This a rather silly piece, but I think it's fun. Hopefully you'll agree!
Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate SG-1 or its characters. I make no profit.
Daniel glared at the bouquet of red roses sitting in his office. They were gorgeous and expensive and no doubt Vala would love them. He could almost hear her excited squeal when she saw them. She'd probably bounce around in that goofy dance she did too.
But the roses weren't from him. So he hated their very existence and everything they meant.
Vala had moved on.
He supposed it was inevitable. She'd persisted in her dogged pursuit of him a lot longer than he would have expected, really. But of course she would give up eventually.
He was glad that she'd finally gotten the message. The fact that his stomach was twisted and his face stuck in a scowl meant absolutely nothing.
He sat down to get to work, trying to ignore the massive blooms on his desk.
He failed completely, but he tried.
Vala bounded in. Sure enough, she squealed in delight. Daniel rolled his eyes and huffed. Vala's face fell.
"Don't you like them?"
He stared at her. "Huh?"
She chewed her finger nervously. "You don't seem happy about them. I thought you would be."
"Oh, yeah, I'm absolutely thrilled. Just over the moon with joy."
She stayed silent for a long moment, not seeming to know what to say to that. "I'm sorry," she finally said. "I didn't mean to make you mad."
Daniel sighed. He shouldn't be making her feel guilty. She had the right to be happy and to get roses from whomever she liked. He had no business being jealous or trying to throw a damper on all her happiness. "No, I'm sorry, Vala. You're a free agent, and you can see anyone you want to."
He'd thought his words would make her face light up in that smile he loved so much. Instead she looked even more crushed. "I see. Well, thank you for being honest, Daniel. I-I'm sorry to have pestered you so much. I'll just take the flowers and go, then?"
He frowned. What the hell was wrong with her? "Nah, you can leave them here if you like. Enjoy them. We've got a whole day of work ahead of us."
She laughed hollowly. "I can hardly enjoy them now, Daniel." She picked up the whole vase and threw it in the trash can. Daniel stared, wide eyed.
"Vala, seriously, what was that? What's wrong with you? Those were gorgeous, and I told you I didn't mind!"
"Well, I do mind!" Vala shouted. "I know you think I don't have any real emotions, Daniel, but I do! And since you don't want me or my bloody flowers, they can rot for all I care!"
Daniel tried to find his way through the fog of confusion where he suddenly found himself. But he was too lost. "Back up. I don't understand. I'm trying to be a good friend here and tell you I'm happy for you. You should enjoy your flowers and your new relationship and not worry about me."
Now she looked as confused as he felt. "My new relationship?"
"Yeah. With the guy who gave you the flowers."
She stared at him for another long moment, then laughed. This time the laugh was genuine. "Daniel, did you not read the card on the flowers?"
"Of course not! What do you take me for? I'm not going to read something that private! I respect you more than that."
"Oh, for the love of Ba'al," Vala muttered. She dug into the trash and pulled out the card. "Here. Just read this."
Daniel glanced at the card and felt the color drain from his face. "Happy anniversary of when we met, darling! All my love, Vala." "These-these were for me?"
"Yes. I was...trying to let you know how I felt."
"I'm sorry, Vala. I just saw them and thought they were for you and thought they were from some other man. It, uh, made me kind of grumpy..."
"No kidding," she grumbled. "They were on your desk, you know!"
"True," Daniel admitted. "Men don't typically receive flowers though, so it never occurred to me. I am sorry, Vala. I shouldn't have assumed."
She was chewing on her finger again. "So now that you know...what do you think?"
Daniel smiled, and reached for her hand, gently removing it from her mouth. He pulled her to him. "I think we should go out for dinner tonight. And then maybe a movie or karaoke. And I should buy you a bouquet to replace this one."
"So it's a date?" Vala asked tentatively. "Not just two friends and coworkers?"
Daniel grinned at her. "Definitely a date. To be followed by other dates. Lots of them, if I have anything to say about it."
