# 3 Texting is acceptable
-o0o-
"Hey." Daniel looked up with a smile as Vala entered.
"Hey, yourself."
"I was looking for you earlier...ah...anyway...did you find those books?"
"I left them on your desk earlier, probably buried there somewhere by now. And I told you where I was going before I left and when I would be back and..."
"Oh...er...I'm not checking up on you...I didn't mean that. Right, ah, where did you go?" His brows scrunched up in thought.
Her eyes shot skyward, then returned, narrowed and accusing, and a little huff of indignation escaped. "Mitchell has put me in charge of re-tagging all alien technology brought back by SG-1 and writing down how they work. I had to go to that place that doesn't exist except for a number, and I had to pick up some examples – ones I actually know how they work."
"Area 51? Goa'uld devices?"
"Yes. Are we still on for dinner tonight?"
"Ah, ah...well, that's why I was looking for you..."
"No problem, Carolyn said if you backed down as usual, she wanted to go see a movie. See you tomorrow, Daniel."
"Wait! What does that mean?" He got no answer as she disappeared out the door. "Damn!" He breathed out, running after her. "Hold up there, Vala!"
She stopped, turning slowly. "What?"
"I wasn't canceling." He lied easily, taking her gently by the arm and returning to his office. "I wanted to tell you I thought we'd go somewhere fancy and you might want to dress up. But if you'd rather go to the movies with Carolyn..."
"Oh." She looked contrite.
Daniel felt awful lying to her. Wanting to study the new artifact closer, he'd thought he could work through the night and figure something out. "So, are we on for dinner?" He asked, shoving the folder marked 'Urgent' into his desk drawer.
"Of course, darling. But it's too late for me to get all dressed up, so maybe next time we can go fancy, if there ever is a next time."
"Sure, they'll be a next time." His comment was off handed as his gaze dropped in interest to the artifact
"Why?"
"Because, Vala." Picking up the stone orb, Daniel focused on an indentation, all but ignoring her.
She moved closer to his desk, one hand going to her hip as she tapped his desk with a well manicured nail. "Because why?"
Staring at the annoying digit that distracted him, Daniel sighed. "Because we're friends!"
Propping her six on his desk she put on a look of exaggerated shock. "I thought we were co-workers." She quirked her mouth in agitation when he continued to study his little object and her well practiced shocked expression was wasted.
"We are. We're co-workers and friends." Finally he looked up, confusion warring with vexation.
Vala leaned forward, her face mere inches from him. "You know darling, I'm not going to wait forever." Pulling back, she winked and turned to leave, looking over her shoulder. "I'll inform Carolyn that a miracle has occurred. Then I'll get dressed and meet you...you are going to shave and comb your hair, aren't you? And wear those nice form fitting jeans...and the blue shirt that accentuates your lovely eyes. And come to my quarters, oh, say about seven?"
Daniel blinked, eyebrows diving downward. "Are you smirking at me?"
She gave him a wide smile and left him to his work.
-o0o-
The beep from the cell phone started Daniel. The text alert, though low, still seemed shrill in the quiet and Daniel snatched up the phone. He hated texts! And the only two people in the world who used it were Mitchell and Vala. Mitchell for work, Vala for pleasure. Vala frequently, Mitchell rarely.
As he thumbed the text page up, he hoped it was Mitchell and didn't require a reply, because he hadn't yet mastered the tiny keyboard to respond.
Nope. Not Mitchell, he discovered peering at the phone. Darling, it's 6:16 or 18:16 did u shave and get dressssed u r runing out of ime.
He grinned. Apparently she still hadn't mastered the keyboard either...though she'd told him that was normal. Misspelled words and letters for words. Whatever! Daniel found and hit the letter K and then send. To be honest, he needed a break anyway.
Not wanting to be totally honest, even with himself, Daniel ignored the little voices in his head -the one that tried to convince him that he was excited about dinner with Vala. And the evil one that kept making him wonder what sexy little number she'd picked out just for him. As he slowly, hands deep in his pockets and head down, headed towards his quarters he let the voices have free reign, occasionally mumbling to himself, and totally oblivious to those who darted out of his way and looked back at him with a shake of a head.
Things had changed. Something more than co-workers and friends lurked just under the surface.
She'd been gone a lot lately- loaned out on varied missions, or he'd been gone – mostly holed up on Atlantis scurrying to discover every thing possible before "the powers that be" sent it back to the Pegasus Galaxy.
Saving Earth everyday had dwindled down to finding ways to protect and save the world from any future issues that might arise. Then there was the occasional diplomatic mission. A few rescues, and those rare and treasured explorations.
Reaching his quarters, Daniel sighed. Mitchell could be found mostly filling in as base commander. General Landry spent many weeks on leave or in Washington...and...as everyone knew, Landry would retire soon. And Teal'c allotted almost all of his time to heading up the Free Jaffa, on Dakara. Wow. Life was different. Even Sam hardly visited anymore, splitting her time between the Hammond and Washington. So he chose to wander Atlantis day and night. Usually, in the past, when he'd been hold up somewhere, she'd been right there annoying the hell out of him – but now, it was intermittent and he found himself missing her. A lot. Yep, things had changed.
-o0o-
He showered, shaved, combed his hair and donned the things she requested. God forbid he show up in something else! Daniel tapped on her door with a knuckle and nearly gasped when she opened it.
The sexy little number – which he knew was chosen just for him – was a brilliant blue slinky mini dress, stretched taut and formed to her remarkable figure. Legs were bare. Shoes were like spiked heel ankle boots that some maniac had taken scissors to. For a moment he stared at them then slowly as to not miss a thing, he started scanning upwards, taking a quick pause at her hips then her breasts and finally arriving at her lovely face.
She grinned, mischievously, knowingly, and sexy. "Ready, darling?"
Well, shit, I think I am now. He thought with a worried sigh, then getting a handled on his evil voice Daniel smiled sweetly. "Right. Let's go."
In the car Vala remained quiet, but she eyed him as if he were a giant candied version of himself. He kept his eyes on the road, also remaining quiet in fear that he'd say something he shouldn't. Like he was, possibly, or probably, falling in love with her.
Dinner started out just fine. A nice shared appetizer and two bottled waters.
But things went downhill from there.
"You know the last time you took me to dinner you lost me." She pushed lettuce around on her salad plate, watching him intently.
"Wasn't my fault. Besides, I had this place scoped out, all's well. Eat your salad." The reason he didn't look up was because he was seconds away from snatching her up and kissing her breathless.
"You don't want to talk?"
"I want to eat, Vala. I'm hungry." Okay, that came out a bit rough. He was having trouble keeping his senses about him and it was showing.
"Why are you suddenly so grouchy?"
"I'm not grouchy, can't we even have a meal without you looking at me like I'm the dessert?"
"What!"
"You heard me."
"Look who's talking with those baby blues doing an x-ray vision look all over my body, stopping for long periods of time at strategic points...all night long!"
"You wore it!"
"I'm going to the ladies' room." She snapped as she stood.
With a gruff breath, Daniel rolled his eyes. "Watch out for alien snatchers back there!"
Vala's text arrived on his phone shortly thereafter.
if you didn't want to do this, why'd you ask me out?
Because I lobe u.
oh you love me?
Erp I meen
Yes?
Well, kay, mayb I have some feelings and I want to explore the posibilty of
I love you too and you know it. And, as much as I want to doo the explore thingie, and let you ease urself into this relabionship, I bery much like 2 go 2 ur partment, get naked, make love and talk about our future.
'K. Sounds good to me.
Look up darling.
He'd been so focused on texting he hadn't notice she'd returned. She stood there, smiling at him, cat eyes soft and pleading.
"I'm sorry." He told her, standing. "Dessert?"
"You? At your place?"
"Yes."
"Alright. I'm ready." Vala picked up her purse.
"So am I."