Title: A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

Summary: Vala remembers fun times with Daniel and her friends while making a scrapbook.

Rating: K-T

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing.

A/N: I decided to go with a few more chapters. Thanks for all the story love!

Warning: Some foul language in this chapter.

Picture 10: Friendly Comfort

When Vala found the picture of her being goofy with Cameron, tears welled up in her eyes. The memory of how that photo came to be wasn't the best, but she loved the picture of her and Cameron so she decided to put the photo in her scrapbook anyway.

It was SG-1's day off when Vala decided to accompany Daniel to the SGC so that he could work on translating a new artifact that they had found the week before. The strange tablet from P8J-783 was very old and crumbling, just like Daniel liked. More importantly, it had some odd language on it that Daniel had never encountered before.

Vala was amazed that there were still languages in the galaxy that the great Daniel Jacksin still did not know. He just couldn't get enough of the dusty old artifact, so thus, there they were on their day off, in his office.

Vala quickly got bored, wondering why she just didn't stay home and watch movies. Daniel wasn't exactly the most talkative person in the world when he had his mind set on something, so he had had his head buried in the artifact for about two hours when Vala lost it.

She sauntered over to Daniel and pushed the artifact aside so that he would pay attention to her. "I'm so bored Daniel!"

He looked up at her, anger and frustration clear in his eyes. "You didn't have to come Vala! You're the one who said 'I want to come with you darling! I'll miss you too much!' Well, you are stuck here now until I'm done so go find something to amuse yourself." He waved his hand dismissively at her.

She took a sharp breath. She knew that Daniel was in his little 'archeology zone' as she liked to call it, but he was being awful harsh to her and she wasn't about to let him get away with it.

"Is it too much to ask that we do something fun on our day off?"

He gazed up at her again, obviously beyond annoyed. "This is fun! I mean I have never seen a language like this before! Can't you think about anybody else besides yourself?"

He had cut the wound deeper. Yes, it was true that Vala Mal Doran could be selfish at times, but she was working to remedy that. Besides, he had promised that they would go have a picnic in the park on one of their days off, and she had been hoping to go today when he was done. Now, that seemed unlikely.

"Me? I'm being selfish? You're the one who puts old dirty artifacts before our relationship! You were supposed to take me on a picnic some day, did you forget that? Or maybe you just took the artifact in my place? If you could have sex with your dusty relics, you would probably just date them! Wouldn't you?"

Daniel slamed down his pen and stood to face Vala. His blue eyes burned into her like fire. "You are so ridiculous! And no, I wouldn't date an artifact if I could have sex with it. I'm not obsessed with sex like you are! How many men have you slept with? Fifty? A hundred? More?"

Vala felt her eyes burning with the tears that she refused to shed. "Don't...don't you start with that bullshit! You know very well that the majority of the men that I was with was because of Quetesh! I am not some whore and I don't like you insinuating that I am one! I'm trying really hard to make this relationship work between us. I'm not used to having a steady relationship with someone whom I genuinely care for okay?"

Daniel crossed his arms. "I don't know what to think anymore. Maybe we shouldn't have gotten into this. Maybe we are too different."

Vala took a step back from him, shocked. "Wh...what are you saying?" Her mind was reeling, was Daniel going to break things off with her? Her heart was breaking at the mere thought of being without him.

He sighed. "I don't know Vala. I just don't know."

She didn't want to hear anymore. She ran out of the room, tears streaming from her face.

Neither Sam nor Teal'c was around that day, but she thought she had seen Cameron come in earlier so she quickly ran to his quarters and knocked.

"Come in!"

Vala opened the door to find Cam lying on his bed reading a magazine.

"Hey Mitchell."

He didn't look up from his magazine. "Go bother Jackson."

She sniffled loudly and he finally looked up and saw her red, teary face.

"Princess? What's wrong?" He threw down the magazine and walked over to her, clearly concerned.

Vala ran into his arms and Cameron hugged her back hesitantly.

"Daniel...he...I...oh I don't know what to do!" She buried her face in his chest as she cried.

Cam just held her for a bit before setting her back. "Hey, tell me what happened okay?"

She nodded and told him what had happened between her and Daniel, and how she thought he might leave her.

Cam smiled at her. "Look, me and Jackson have been good friends for a while now and trust me when I say he is crazy about you."

Vala couldn't stop crying. "More like I drive him crazy."

Cam chuckled a little. "Well, yes, but what I meant is that he loves you. He really does. He never shuts up about you, it's kinda annoying actually."

Vala gave her friend a weak smile. "Really? You don't think he will leave me?"

He shook his head. "Never. Jackson is head over heels in love with you."

She looked up at him. "Like in those sappy romantic movies?"

"Worse."

Vala giggled lightly.

"I came in to work on my mission reports, but got side tracked when I found this magazine I was looking for. Did you want to stay here with me until Jackson has calmed down?"

She nodded and took a seat in one of the chairs by his small table. He sat across from her and took out his chess set.

"Wanna play?"

Vala scrunched up her face. She wasn't very good at chess. "Okay, but go easy on me."

The pair played for a good while and when Vala was waiting for Cameron to take his turn, she noticed his digital camera sitting on one of his shelves. She picked it up and brought it over.

"Take a picture with me? Something silly that will make me feel better?"

Cameron looked pensive for a second before nodding. "Okay, come over here."

She perched on his lap and they stuck their tongues out at the camera for the photo.

Daniel chose that moment to barge in the room.

Vala sprung away from Cameron quickly, but not quick enough. Daniel was outraged. He went straight over to Cameron and punched him in the face.

Vala went over and caught Daniel before he could do any more damage. "Darling! Stop!"

He ignored her and got back in Cam's swiftly bruising face. "What the hell? She's mine! Mine! What were you trying to do Mitchell?"

"N...nothing! I swear!"

Vala turned Daniel back to her. "He didn't do anything Daniel. He was just comforting me because I was upset. We were playing chess and then I asked him to take a silly picture with me. That's all."

His face relaxed. "Oh." He turned back to Cameron. "Sorry man, I just let my emotions get the best of me I guess."

"You owe me a beer Jackson, or a whole case."

Daniel and Vala left Cam's room to talk alone in the hallway.

"I'm so sorry Vala, I didn't mean to be such a jerk. I'm still learning to be in a relationship as well. I had almost forgotten after so many years."

Vala gave Daniel a small smile. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have came here if I wasn't going to be patient."

He pulled her close. "No, you have nothing to apologize for, I was being an asshole, plain and simple. I never want to be without you Vala. You are my everything."

Vala usually wasn't one to forgive so easily, but looking into Daniel's eyes, she saw that he was sincere. He really was sorry and he really did love her. She closed the distance between them and pressed her lips against his in a sweet kiss.

"I forgive you darling. Can we go on a picnic now?"

He laughed and agreed, and the couple left the SGC together, hand in hand.

Vala smiled at the bittersweet memory. The tears she had felt earlier faded away as she remembered their lovely picnic, and the makeup sex that had come afterward.

Picture 10 complete. Reviews are always loved and appreciated!

-J