A/N: OK this I hadn't planned to write. The story was supposed to be a one-off. But then acer-sigma sugested that I write from Daniel's POV.
The thing is,this could be read as out of character, but I wanted to show Daniel as different to the usual. I also wanted to keep up the 'theme' of running, and both Daniel and Vala's reasons for no longer running.
He had always wanted to go to Atlantis. That was no big secret (inside the program, of course).
He had always been a geek, only befriended by other geeks. (He doesn't count Teal'c and Jack – those friendships were forged mainly due to their reliance on each other to survive.)
Atlantis, however, was full of geeks. Even some of the soldiers were geeky in their own right, like Sheppard with his maths and comics and Lorne with his geology.
His argument for his wish to go to Atlantis was that he was the foremost expert in the Ancient culture and language – in both Galaxies. That was what he told Jack – and himself.
But if he acknowledged the truth, it was running. Running from a society that didn't truely accept him – a man best at ease with his nose in a book, reading and speaking different languages or living ancient cultures. He stayed on Abydos, not wanting to face Earth's culture again, and later (according to the tape recording) stayed in Ancient Egypt.
Then she came crashing into his life. A brilliant 'space pirate' (never mind the fact that she was a complete fruitcake). She had seen so much. She had been a host to a Goa'uld, she had been a liar and a thief, but now, now she was trying to be something else. He saw her trying to become an honest, reliable person and member of SG1.
Though she would try to drive him crazy, right when he was at the end of his tether, when he was about to snap, he would sometimes be lucky enough to glimpse that look in her eyes … that look which conveyed the truth behind her sexual banter, her fear of rejection, her insecurity, her wish to have a friend.
So Daniel stayed. He stopped trying to run. He had friend that was not a geek, had not befriended him just because they were forced together into dangerous situations due to their job (if you discount the bracelets that is). He had a friend, who he hoped might, just might, become something more.
