Spacecadets

Beer bottles lay scattered about by the group of six who sat around the cabin's low coffee table, playing a very mean game of scrabble...with a twist. The twist being anybody who spelled a word higher than eight points had to take a quick shot from their own collection of beer.

Which, Daniel realized, would explain the delightful buzzed feeling swimming around his head. Because, no matter how hard he tried, almost every word he spelled would range in the twenty-ish area. Damn him and his vast vocabulary. He was just glad words in other languages weren't allowed.

Vala shifted in his lap as she placed her pieces on the board. Daniel gazed around her sleek form to see what she had spelled. Because of the huge advantage everyone had over her, nobody argued when Daniel said he'd help Vala. It meant that she got to sit in his lap, and he had no intention of letting her out of his reach.

Vala looked expectantly at everyone, seeing if she'd done it right. After a short moment of silence as Daniel exchanged considering looks with Sam, Cam, and Teal'c on the opposite side of the table. He couldn't see Jack, who sat just beside him, because of Vala in his lap. She fidgeted impatiently, then finally everyone appraised her word at the same time.

Vala bounced up and down, and Daniel 'oomphed' playfully as she did so. He leaned in and kissed the back of her arm. She was too caught up in her moment to acknowledge it. Vala happily took a sip from her bottle as Sam announced the word had gained a total of eighteen points. As she started to boast about one day being to kick all their butts at their pathetic spelling game, Daniel smiled contentedly and rested his head against the seat of the couch. He rubbed his hand gently over Vala's back.

Feeling a light push against his right leg, Daniel lifted up his head and turned a hazy gaze on Jack. His friend, his BEST friend he thought happily, was giving him a look of amusement and concern.

"You okay?" Jack asked as he leaned in closer to Daniel.

The younger of the two nodded, giving Jack a smirk. "Peachy."

Jack smiled and nodded in return. "Buzzin' good, eh?"

"Oh yeah." Daniel lifted his beer bottle to tap gently against Jack's.

"Amen." Jack replied as the glass clinked together.

Their moment was broken as Cam announced he was running low on beverages. A chorus of 'me toos' followed, and Jack sat back up adding his own to the mix. Daniel rubbed a hand along Vala's side, indicating for her to get up.

"I'll get them." Daniel volunteered, lifting Vala with him as he pushed himself to a standing position. He picked up an armful of empty bottles. A silent message passed from him to her as he drew his free hand across her back.

Vala latched onto the hand as Daniel moved towards the kitchen. "I'll help you." She stated calmly.

"Does it take TWO of you to get a few beers?" Cam asked, and shook his head as the pair shot back 'YES!' simultaneously. He sipped the last dregs from his bottle and looked at the others. "I don't know what's worse - Princess complaining constantly because Jackson's not here, or the two of them feelin' each other up constantly."

Sam punched him in the arm. "Quit it! They haven't seen each other in a month..." She ignored the pained expression Cam gave her as he rubbed his arm, and gave a significant look to Jack. "I personally find it very romantic." She drank from her near empty bottle.

"Well, one thing's for sure." Jack stated as he moved to place some pieces on the board. "The minute we get back, I'm making a memo saying 'Under NO circumstances keep Spacemonkey and Spacesparrow apart any longer than..." He looked up at the others, who looked on expectantly. "Ever."

"Spacesparrow?" Sam smirked with a raise of her eyebrow.

Jack shrugged. "It fits..." He trailed off as a playful yelp and the sound of bottles crashing against each other drifted out from the kitchen.

A/N: How many got the reference to Vala being SpaceSPARROW? -wink wink, nudge nudge- Oh, and since I haven't said it yet...REVIEWS ARE LVOE!