Land Mines

childofspacegypsy1

Synopsis- How D/V get past the land mines of thier relationship.

xxxxxx

Panties. Must find my panties.

Uh-Oh. She saw the wisp of red silk. Biting her lip she studied the situation. The problem was the panties were peeking out from under a pillow. The same pillow Daniel's head was buried under, and from the look of it, the red silk panties were not only under the pillow, but Daniel's head as well.

Frell it. Let him figure it out.

Vala shrugged and wandered to the kitchen to see what was for breakfast and call for a taxi.

In the kitchen, Vala found the fridge to be empty and the cupboards bare. With a sigh she rooted around a bit and finally came up with a box of what was hopefully cereal.

Corn Flakes. What are corn flakes? I've heard of Frosted Flakes, but not Corn Flakes. They look awfully dull. No colorful box, no sugar coating. Hmpf. Well what else should she expect to find in Daniel's kitchen?

Now. Milk. Where's the milk?

xxxxxx

The insistent honking of a horn, followed by the soft click of a door closing were the first things Daniel was conscious of. The next thing was so unpleasant it had him gripping the pillow with both hands and laying as still as possible. When that didn't stop the pounding in his head or the spinning of his stomach he propped himself up on his forearms. The pillow slid off the back of his head and down to the bed, taking its sunlight dimming shadow with it. Hanging his head to avoid direct sunlight Daniel's gaze settled on the red silk crumpled were his head had been before. Frowning at the panties in confusion, he picked them up and looked at the tags still attached to them.

Oh God. Vala.

xxxxxx

Much later that day…

Daniel stood in the doorway of his office watching Vala. He was a little surprised that she hadn't noticed him yet. He leaned on the door jam, thinking back on everything he had come to realize about himself and Vala. Thinking of all the ways he knew he and Vala could twist things, how they had made their day to day friendship into a war. He knew he cared for her, loved her, like he did all his friends and teammates. He also sensed the possibility for more, for deeper feelings.

But it wasn't going to be easy. He was going to have to fight past all the land mines he and Vala laid out for each other. But he deserved this and she deserved this. They deserved this chance.

Stepping into his office, Daniel quietly approached Vala where she sat curled up in the large overstuffed chair that had mysteriously appeared in his office a few months back. She was busily chewing on the end of a pen and scribbling on what appeared to be a translation she was working on for SG-7.

Dangling the panties above her tablet, Daniel slowly lowered them into a pool of red silk.

"Thank you, darling." Vala brushed the underwear off the side of her notes.

Daniel waited.

Vala blinked then snatched the panties from where they now lay in her lap.

They both stayed silent, remembering the previous night, and what had led to Daniel having Vala's panties in his bed.

After 3 weeks of peace and rest, the team, with Jack's blessing and presence, had decided to throw a little party.

The relaxed atmosphere brought a lighthearted playfulness to the group, leading them to dub the night a great success.

As Daniel and Vala waited for the cab that would take them to Daniel's apartment…Daniel had insisted that she stay in his spare room instead of going back to the base alone…Sam remembered that she still had one of Vala's shopping bags from their trip to the mall earlier that day.

When the group by the door saw the small pink striped bag, they couldn't resist ribbing Daniel about what he was likely to see later that night. Surprisingly, Daniel played along good naturedly. He even went so far as to snatch the bag from Sam before Vala could take it. Dancing around the living room evading Vala's attempts to retrieve the bag, Daniel pulled the single item from the bag and began teasing Vala with them.

He never did give them back. Keeping them from her reach the entire ride home and she realized that morning when she snuck into his room that he'd fallen asleep, clutching them in his hand.

"Oh. Well, um. I wasn't sure I would be getting these back. You seemed terribly attached to them last night." She grinned up at him, waiting for his inevitable scowl. It never came.

"I figure we can do one of two things." Daniel took the papers and pen from Vala, setting them on his desk.

"Oh, what is that?" She was intrigued, and a bit nervous.

Smiling warmly, Daniel grasped her by the arms and pulled her to stand in front of him. Having not stepped back when he pulled her up, Daniel stood nose to nose with Vala. "We can go to lunch as friends and co workers…or I can shut up and kiss you." As he spoke Daniel's voice had dropped to a whisper of breath.

Vala was stunned. Speechless. Standing with her lips slightly parted, trying to think of how to respond to his statement. She never got the chance.

Enveloping her in his arms, Daniel kissed her lightly. As she gripped his shirt to pull him closer he smiled against her lips before deepening the kiss.

When they finally pulled apart, Vala smiled shyly at Daniel. "Daniel?"

"Yes, Vala?" They were still standing, Daniel's arms wrapped around her waist.

Vala dropped her chin and rested her forehead on Daniel's chest. "Does this mean I can hold your hand in the commissary?"

Chuckling, Daniel momentarily wondered what he had gotten himself into. "Yes, Vala."

Grin widening, Vala raised her head, but still wasn't looking Daniel in the eye. She picked at invisible lint on his shoulder. "And I can tell everyone that we are…dating?"

Tipping his head back, Daniel stared at the ceiling for a heartbeat before looking down at the side of Vala's face; she was still facing slightly away from him. "Yes, Vala."

Her smile was electric.

"You know though Vala, that's not something that a couple announces. It's not like we got engaged." Daniel realized his mistake immediately.

"Yet."

"Yet?"

"Yes, yet."

"Fine, but it's still nothing to announce...yet" Daniel grinned at Vala's gasp.

Finally meeting Daniel's gaze, Vala's smiling expression turned watery as she studied his eyes deeply. Suddenly she jumped into action. Grabbing Daniel by the hand, she turned and headed for the door.

"Vala, where are we going?"

"To see Samantha."

"Why are we going to see Sam?"

"Because she's my best friend, and I am so deliriously happy that I must share this wonderful news with her."

"Okay, but why do I have to go with you?"

Vala stopped at the elevator doors and after pressing the button she turned. Standing close to Daniel she soaked up the wonderful feel of him as he brought his arm to rest around her waist. "Because she is your best friend, and you are so deliriously happy that you must share this wonderful news with her."

"Oh. Right."

Their laughter echoed through the hallway as Daniel and Vala fell into the elevator wrapped in each others arms.