Undaunted Courage

Spacegypsy1

She may be fearless, determined, but Vala Mal Doran can be vulnerable also. D/Vness. With Sam, Cam, Teal'c and Jack. Shifts between Vala's POV and Daniel's POV.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It takes courage to keep going when you are consistently blocked at every turn. I should know. I have tried my best to wait, or even give up. Really, I have tried.

But I know for a fact that Daniel has feelings for me. There is a softness that permeates the room sometimes. A smile that is telling and even his voice goes deep and caring. His incredible blue eyes periodically open up in Stargate fashion and his feelings come out like the kawoosh. Wash through me. Suck me into the wormhole. Before he pulls back.

I don't think he has a clue it happens. But it does...of course, not tonight.

I don't know what I said to set him off. Possibly, I let something slip out. You know, some wicked, blatant innuendo. Why do I keep doing that? Because I'm afraid or because I know what's going to happen anyway? Because of those piercing eyes and what I see?

It wasn't a very nice scene. He actually yelled at me. It never ceases to amaze me how he can yell without raising his voice.

Now here I sit crossed leg on my bed having left the frustrated archeologist – sigh, head dropped and all.

So much is going through my mind. Including some song about the tracks of my tears.

I'm crying. Sobbing. Weeping. You get the picture. My life is a spiral and everything in it turns back into itself. Repeats.

He's knocked on the door several times. That's our pattern. He apologizes. I apologize. We make up...as friends and then the cycle starts all over. But this time I completely ignore him. I don't even know why...why this time it hurts so much more.

I've spent the last hour tossing around not knowing how to stop crying or what to do with myself. It will pass. It always does. Or at least it always has.

I dig through all my DVDs and locate the saddest movie I can find, so I can watch it and explain why my eyes are red and puffy tomorrow. Because, as we all know, life will go on and I will have to go to work...with him.

Here he is again… knocking, and this time he's also calling from his cell phone. I refuse to answer, shaking my head emphatically...as if he could see me.

The instant he hangs up I pick up the phone and call my friend Jeffrey. "Jeffrey," I say, "darling, it's Vala, how are the kids? Good. I need a favor." You see, Jeffrey is head of security. All his minions, those SF's, are at his beck and call. "Could you send two of your biggest and bravest along with two of your largest and scariest guns to stand by my door?" He tries to explain the rules and regs. But in the end he concedes. "Thanks, I owe you one," I tell him before I hang up. Then I called him right back. "And can you block Dr. Jackson's number from my phone? Yes, I know you have to undo it by morning."

Inserting the DVD, I pick up the large headphones...the ones Cameron says look like Princess Leia's hairdo...and stretch the cord across the room so I can get back into the bed. There I lay, crying, legs shifting, flopping all around. I never turned the DVD on, so I can hear the commotion outside my door. Ha! He's obviously a bit peeved. How delightful. Now he's yelling my name.

I jump up to turn on the DVD forgetting the headphones and cord wrapped around me, and I go sailing back, knocking over the lamp. My phone rings, reading Security. "Yes?" I'm all sweetness and very calm. "Fine, I was … ahm… dancing and laughing and knocked over something." I can hear him repeat that to Daniel before I hang up. Those guys are so clever. I'm sure Jeffrey gave them the scoop.

No sleeping occurs for hours and nothing is going on outside my door. I burst into tears and try to cry myself to sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I pulled a chair from my room and sat down in front of my door with a book – right across from Vala's room. Periodically, I look up and smile at the SF's. Their faces blank, eyes trained over my head, they ignored me. She's clever, but I can wait her out.

At one point Mitchell came down the hall, stopped at his quarters, then proceeded to the end, looked at the SF's and then at me, shook his head and mumbled 'Jackson' with reproach, then returned to his room without another word.

A few minutes later Teal'c showed up, assessed the situation, bowed and left, also without a word. But unlike Mitchell he returned, hands behind his back, and stopped to stand in the Tee of the corridor, facing straight ahead.

"DanielJackson?" Teal'c called, softly.

"Yep?" I replied without looking up from my book.

"May I speak with you?"

"Sure."

"Would you mind coming to stand over here?"

Confused, I stood, set the book on the chair, and walked over. "What?"

"Did you and ValaMalDoran have another argument?"

"You could say that." No secret there, I thought. By now everyone knows this was one of the big ones.

"And she has barred you from her room so that you cannot possibly apologize?"

I couldn't stop myself from shuffling my feet in guilt. "That's right."

"And do you intend to apologize and set things right?"

"Eventually."

"Do your plans include putting a stop to this madness?" Teal'c raised a brow.

"Definitely." I nodded. That was my intention, anyway.

"May I ask how?"

I have to admit I was a bit disconcerted and nervous. I shot back in rapid dialog, "I'm thinking of confession. Baring my soul. Going for broke. Disregarding all sense and sensibility. Giving up. Giving in. Probably marriage. Against all odds. Taking the plunge. Not caring if I end up shredded in tiny bits, never to be sane again. It could not possibly hurt more."

One or Teal'c's hands came out from behind his back and he fired a Zat at the two SF's.

Before I could utter a word, Mitchell appeared between us, practically screaming, "What the hell's goin' on!?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It is extremely difficult to sleep when you are stuffy from crying and cannot breathe. And you are tangled up in a cord that is wrapped around your neck. And you hear Zat fire followed by two distinct thuds. And Muscle's rumble, Cameron's drawl, and Daniel's laugh.

I picked up the base phone and dialed, punched in my special code and got through faster than I expected. I have very little time as they are much too knowledgeable to be long in undoing my security lock. Probably frisking the SF's now for the override card.

"Samantha, did I wake you?" I tried very hard to sound normal and talk fast, but there was a lot of crackling and a little delay in the connection.

Voice suspicious - Sam always could read me so well, she asked me, "What's wrong?"

"I need a favor, quickly."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I was the first one through her door, with Mitchell right behind me and Teal'c bringing up the rear just in time to see the white light engulf Vala and her window washer wave.

"I had not thought of that!" My Jaffa friend said with a note of scorn from the open door.

"Apparently!" I snapped as if it was all Teal'c's fault.

"I believed the George Hammond to be out of range." Teal'c was obviously put out, I could tell... there was the slightest hint of it in his tone, something most people would never recognize.

"Sam's a smart woman. She can boost the signal. Damn, I miss her." Cam glared at me as he spoke... as if it was my fault Sam left his command. Frowning, he folded his arms across his chest, and shook his head. "Jackson, I'm gonna go back to bed. You can explain this to Landry. I'm sayin' I slept through the whole thing."

"Indeed." Teal'c agreed.

"Wait!" I pleaded as they tried to walk out...they stalled, turning...

TBC~