~o0o~ ~o0o~
"I had the strangest dream." Vala, voice shaky, and barely above a whisper, stood just inside Daniel's office.
"Not now, Vala." Without looking up, Daniel continued reading the ancient text, all but ignoring her.
Standing there looking unsure, she watched him a moment. "If you could, maybe later I mean, stop by - it was scary, Qetesh, you know, and I'm sorry I disturbed you..."
"What?" He looked up, concerned. "Oh, gods, Vala. No, you're not disturbing me. I'm sorry. I was reading something. Come in. Come here."
Daniel pushed his chair away from the desk. An open invitation for her to sit in her favorite spot. His lap.
"Those dreams always surprise me these days, I just don't expect them anymore." Sitting sideways across his thighs, Vala stared ahead.
Removing his glasses, Daniel laid them on the desk, and gently turned her face towards his. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"No. They're like monster dreams I had when I was a child and my father had been gone a while." She was silent for a few seconds. "She tried to kill you." Her eyes flicked up towards his and down again as quick as a hummingbird.
"Okay." He rubbed her back. "Why don't I walk you back to your quarters and sit with you for a while?"
Ducking her head, Vala shrugged. "You're busy."
"I can read while you try to sleep." He knew she hated appearing vulnerable; it was a rare thing to see her like this.
"Well, if you want to, darling. I do think the lighting is better in my room."
Daniel's hand continued to rub her back. "Yep, much better lighting."
Vala picked up his glasses from the desk and placed them perfectly on his face. "There." Then she closed the dusty, tattered book he'd been reading, lifted it and hugged it to her chest. "Ready?" She stood, stepping aside to give him room to stand.
"Yep, ready. Let's go." He followed her out, a grin on his face and his gaze intermittently dropping to the sway of her hips.
~END
