Sorry for the wait. I had planned on having this finished much sooner but the new year got off to a bit of a hectic start, then I got distracted by a fanvid I'm making and some plot bunnies that decided to come out to play...Anywho, here it is, the finale. Enjoy!
Chapter 3
Vala and Daniel reached the corridor outside their rooms at the exact same time and both stopped in their tracks. Neither spoke for a few moments, just stared at the other. There was so much to be said but now that the time was upon them, words seemed inadequate. Daniel and Vala could always communicate better when they chose not to speak and that's exactly what they did now. They both allowed their emotions to show through their eyes and what they saw in each other bolstered their courage.
"Vala, I-" Daniel said.
"Daniel, there's something-" Vala said at the same time.
They stopped and stared at each other again for a few more moments before Daniel broke the silence again.
"Vala, I...uh, I think we need to, um, talk."
"I agree, but I don't think the hallway is the best place for such a discussion." She smiled ruefully as an SF passed them.
"Right...uh, let's go into my quarters."
Vala didn't answer but followed him into the room. He gently closed the door behind him then turned to face her. She was standing across the room, looking unsure with her lip between her teeth. She looked adorable and the thought made him smile.
"Vala, let me say what I needed to first, okay?" he said before she could speak. She nodded and he smiled again. "I have a confession to make. I...uh, I accidentally overheard your conversation with Teal'c about...about what happened on the Odyssey."
"You did?" her eyes widened and she took an uneasy step back, her hands flitting about as she began speaking rapidly. "I was just, you know, playing around to see if he'd crack. How did I know he'd actually tell me anything? Not that he actually said anything. But I didn't expect him to answer my questions. And I certainly didn't expect him to tell me what he did. I mean, I'd hoped...er, I mean, I thought...Anyway, that's neither here nor there. That fact is, that was a different place, a different time, a different us. I don't want you to feel...I don't expect it to be-"
"Vala." Daniel said with a huge grin as he walked over to her and took hold of her arms, effectively ending her rant. "Let me finish. I didn't mean to listen in but when I heard what you were asking, I couldn't make myself walk away. I wanted the answers, too. Let me ask you something, though. Why was I the last one you asked Teal'c about? The truth, please."
"I-" Vala's eyes darted around nervously but finally they focussed on him once more. "I was scared."
"Of what?" he asked, moving his hand from her arm to her chin so she had no choice but to continue meeting his eyes.
"Of you, Daniel." she said after a short hesitation. He stared at her in shock, not knowing how to respond to that. Thankfully, she continued after a while. "You scare the hell out of me. I've worked so hard to maintain control over my life ever since I was freed from Qetesh. It's the only way I survived, the only way I know how to survive. And I was doing so well, too. You were right when you said I use sex as a weapon. It was my way of keeping people at a distance so they didn't get so close they saw the truth. People saw only what I wanted them to see and that worked for me. Until you came into my life. From the moment we met, you wouldn't allow me to get away with it and it frightened me. The more you pushed past my walls, the more outrageous my behaviour became. I couldn't let you see me vulnerable. I'd been there before..." She trailed off as she remembered her fiancé and how he turned on her after Qetesh.
"Vala, you have to know that I would never use that against you." he started but she interrupted.
"I know that now, Daniel." she smiled gently and placed a hand on his face. "But when I first got here, I was suspicious. The world I lived in before was full of cruelty and distrust. The one constant was that everyone was out for themselves so it was just a matter of time before they turned on me. I'd perfected the art of manipulation and it kept me alive. By the time I realised that I didn't have to worry about that here, it was too late. I'd already convinced you that I was nothing but a shallow little flirt and I didn't know how to change your perception of me."
"That is not how I see you." Daniel broke in and placed a finger over her mouth before she could argue. "I'll admit, I get angry when you put on that act, but that's mostly because I know what you are truly capable of. It saddens me to know you still feel the need to hide from us, from me, even after all we've been through. You have to know by now that you're safe here."
"I do know that, Daniel." Vala smiled and took his hand in hers, squeezing it gently. He smiled and squeezed back.
"I have another confession to make. You scare the hell out of me, too. You came into my life like a hurricane and I've been off-balance ever since. It's taken me a long time to get over my wife but I feel I am finally ready to move on, to make a future with someone. When I picture that future, though, it is always you that I see. Before today, it confused me. I couldn't allow myself to believe you were serious in your advances. The idea of being hurt again...I don't think I could handle it. But, Vala, after hearing what Teal'c had to say, it all makes sense. You are the one who's given me this second chance. You're the one who made me want a future. You've healed me and I want to do the same for you."
"But, darling, you already have." Vala placed the hand that was still in hers over her heart. "Before I met you, I didn't believe I deserved to love or be loved. You made me realise that I can be more and that my destiny is what I want to make of it, not what others tell me it should be. You made me want to stop running. I love you, my Daniel. I have for a very long time."
"I love you, too, Vala." he said as he brought their intertwined hands to his lips and kissed hers. "I'm not sure when it started, all I know is it's there and I don't want to fight it any more. I want the future Teal'c talked about and I want it with you."
"I want that, too.".
Daniel grinned down at her as their faces moved closer together, ending in a deep, loving kiss.
