A/N: And we've reached 100+ reviews. Thank you so much to everybody that is reviewing and enjoying the story. Yay for you:D


Chapter XII: Answers lead to Questions

As they looked at the information on the screen Daniel, again, questioned Vala about the name he was seeing on the screen; the name of the place they would need to go next.

"So Sahal?" Daniel sighed. This was not good. In no way was this in the realm of good.

"Sahal," Vala confirmed, with her own apprehension.

"Jack really isn't going to like this."

"You said that already."

"Because that's how much he's not going to like this." Daniel stared at the words on the screen in the vain hope that they would change.

"They're not going to change, Daniel," Vala said, reading his mind. She turned and brought her hand to his cheek, meeting his gaze. "We have to go."

Daniel sighed. "I know." Then he smiled softly, "Jack really isn't going to like this."

Vala smirked. "Let's go tell him."

"Troublemaker," he murmured softly.

She leaned against him. "It's what I'm best at."

At that Daniel stared at her. She was so close to him, her body the only thing corporeal, warm, and touchable in this dimension. This dimension where it was just them, nobody else to tease or to allude to what their opinions about them. He was overcome with an inclination that felt too natural so he leaned in and kissed her. Reminiscent of her earlier kiss, except this time, he was all too aware that it was his lips that sought hers.

It was soft and quick and almost innocent, if it wasn't for the quick spark of something that shot down their spines, making Vala blink when the moment was over. "Why'd you do that?" Her voice was heavy with a sweet, shocked surprise that warmed his heart.

"I don't know." Daniel smiled and quickly pressed the sequenced to put them back in phase, Vala still staring at him.

"Got anything?" Sam smiled at the returning duo, the blond vaguely wondering if they knew they had stopped observing the boundaries of personal space.

"Yep, the planet's name, and now we just have to tell it to Jack." Daniel answered his friend with a frown.

"Then why so glum, isn't that a good thing?"

Vala looked away from Daniel as she answered. "We have to go to Sahal." Her voice held a similarly dire tone as Daniel's.

"Oh." Sam processed the new information and frowned. "Jack isn't going to like that."

"Exactly."

"Good luck. I'll just be here working on the cloaking technology." She focused on her work with an amused expression on her face.

Daniel's smile was sardonic. "Gee, thanks Sam."

"I do what I can. Call me when the fireworks are over."

"Oh come on, it won't be that bad." Vala tried to be optimistic, giving a half smile at the looks she received from Sam and Daniel. But then she hoped Teal'c wasn't with Jack too. Then they would really have fireworks.

§

The bridge was as usual full of people. Controllers, crewmembers, scientists, engineers and mechanics – all working or trying to get the captain to approve their requests for the many things that they or the ship required. Today it was Bill and Novak asking him for something or other for the engine room. He had half a mind to send them to Sam, who would actually be interested in what they were saying, unfortunately she had informed him that she was not to be bothered until she either fixed Vala's problem or got cloaking capabilities for the ship. Jack sighed and looked over to his head controller, at least Harriman seemed to be picking up on most of what these two were saying.

"Okay, okay. Wanna give me all that in one sentence or less?"

"We want to hook up the device that Sam has in her lab in the engine room and run some tests on the ship's systems," Bill explained excitedly. Next to him Novak was trying to hide her increasing hiccups – it was obvious she was excited about this too.

"Ask Sam." Jack sighed, he knew he probably shouldn't send these two to Sam right now but the engine room was her domain, and she would hate him if he made any significant decisions about it without consulting her.

"But she –"

"Ask Sam. Or Vala. And if they say yes, you're free to run as many tests as you want just as long as you don't mess with my schedule. We reaching the next planet on our list in… How long, Walter?"

"Two days." Came from the man to Jack's right.

"Two days. Thanks, Walt. Now if those two agree and your tests don't mess with that time – run all the tests you want."

The second and third engineers for the ship under Sam grinned like they had just received a new chemistry set for their birthdays and thanked their captain.

As they left Jack turned to Harriman, "That was a good thing, right?"

"I think so, sir."

"Good. Anything else?"

"No, sir. All systems look to be fine, our course is set, and everything is on schedule."

"Sweet." Jack leaned back on his chair and looked out the room's window at subspace.

"Jack." Daniel sounded happy, too happy. Jack's felt his good mood was soon to be in severe jeopardy.

"Hey there, Jack love." Vala's tone was sweet and mild.

Jack felt chills run up his spine. "Daniel. Vala." He turned to them. "What brings you two to the bridge?"

"We translated the information on the machine and it gave us a gate address along with a planet."

"I take it that's where we're heading to next." Jack sighed, so much for the next planet.

"Yep." Vala grinned and plopped herself on the arm of his chair. Jack didn't know whether to pull on the pigtails she had taken to wearing when on the ship or roll his eyes. He did both.

"And do I even want to know where we're going next?'

Daniel and Vala shared equally happy looks. "Sure."

Jack wasn't fooled for a second. "Okay, I'll bite. Where to?"

"Sahal..." Daniel answered, avoiding eye contact.

"No, no, and no." Standing as if lightning had struck him where he sat, Jack almost tipped Vala over and stood in front of the duo.

"Jack!"

"No! And don't do that ganging up thing. It's creepy." Daniel and Vala just looked at each other, shrugged and turned back to Jack.

"Jack…." Daniel began.

"It will be perfectly fine. Sam's working on the cloaking technology as we speak, and I'm going back to help as soon as we're done here."

"No."

"No, what? Sam mentioned we should be up here." Cam walked up to them, Teal'c next to him. Now it was Vala's turn to feel chills, because Teal'c wasn't going to like this at all. Why, oh why, did Sam have to call Teal'c?

"They want to go to Sahal," Jack practically spat out.

"What!" Cam exclaimed in surprised shock, but no protest.

"No." He didn't yell or raise his voice, but Teal'c's voice grew deeper, an angry baritone that none on the ship, save one, had ever heard before. It held a tone of no argument that Jack envied. Daniel, Cam and Jack stared at the man, while Vala tilted her head and tried for a hopefully placating smile.

"Muscles -"

"No."

"See, even Teal'c here agrees. I like this." Jack moved to stand next to Teal'c, both men tense like two soldiers standing guard.

"Jack."

"Daniel."

"It's important."

"Is that supposed to make me care?"

"Yes."

"Not working." Jack crossed his arms.

"It will be fine. The odds are in our favour." Vala stood and faced her friend.

"That is not reassuring, Vala Mal Duran." Jack had a notion that Teal'c was disliking this little quest as much as he was.

"Why?"

"Because the odds never stay in our favour."

"See, Daniel, listen to the man." Patting Teal'c on the shoulder, Jack nodded.

"Why do you even wanna go to Sahal?" Cam looked between Jack and Daniel, and Vala and Teal'c. The four seemed to be having a volley of words going between them, and as amusing as Cam found it, it could probably go on for hours. If there was one thing that Jack, Daniel, and Vala could do, it was talk and argue. And Teal'c, well, Teal'c just wouldn't break.

Vala sighed. "We don't want to go to Sahal. We have to. It's the planet where the notes on the machine tell us they hid the weapon."

"Ah, well if it's where the machine told us to go…"

"Jack," Daniel exhaled.

"No, ever since we got the machine it's been one thing after another, and now you want to go to a planet that is not only one of the more dangerous systems of the galaxy, but ruled by one of the worst bastards in the galaxy."

Silence blanketed the room, until a soft accent broke it. "We know, Jack," Vala paused, and then continued, subdued. "We know… But what we could find there could help us rid the galaxy of him and a much worse bastard. We have to try."

"Do you even know where to look?" Jack hated when dangerous plans stared to make sense, but he knew Vala was right. And it wasn't like they weren't known for dangerous plans.

"The temple in Melina. It's the oldest temple on the planet, predates the Goa'uld and everything else on the planet." Vala put in helpfully.

"Great, I hate that city…" Jack stood and walked over to the window, hands in pockets. "I don't like this but fine." He turned back to the group, pointedly looking at Vala. "I want those cloaking capabilities first."

"Deal. I'll go help Sam, and when we get to Sahal, me and Daniel will go down with Cam – the less people the better."

"Fine." Jack sighed.

"No." At Teal'c's third no, Daniel started to wonder as to why the man was objecting. So far he had seemed supportive of Vala's decisions, at least the ones that didn't jeopardize her health and suddenly Daniel got nervous.

"Teal'c." Vala once again turned to her friend.

"No. You will not go down. It is not safe. I will go down in your stead."

"I'll be fine. And lest you forget it's not exactly safe for you either," Vala argued back.

"I will be fine."

"And I won't? That's a double standard."

"I do not care. You will not go down." Teal'c's eyes bore into Vala's and they held no leeway.

Still she tried. "How 'bout you come down with me? It's not the smartest thing, but I need to go down and I think this is the only way you'll let me."

A heavy pause filled the room. "We will discuss this later. I have a sparring session with Sgt. Siler." Teal'c bowed his head, thoughtfully, and walked off the bridge, leaving Vala to slump heavily in Jack's chair.

After the doors closed behind him, Daniel, Cam and Jack turned to Vala, but it was Daniel that asked – quietly as if he knew the weight of the question beforehand. "Why doesn't he want you to go down?"

Vala sighed and met his eyes. "Ba'al. Ba'al has a bounty on both of us. A big one."

§

Vala walked with heavy footsteps into Sam's lab to see her talking to Bill and Lindsey. She had met the second and third tier engineers of the Prometheus when she had first boarded the ship, but hadn't had much time to get to know them.

"Hey there, Bill, Lindsey."

"Hey Vala," Bill greeted warmly. Vala had liked the short, bearded man immediately. He had been very sweet and open to her from the moment they met. He had even given her a plant for her room along with his old data pad and workstation for her work with Sam.

"Hello, Ms. Mal Duran." Lindsey on the other hand was quite the bundles of nerves, and her hiccups didn't help a bit, but she seemed perfectly pleasant as well. According to what Sam had told her, she was also one of the newest crewmembers and was still getting used to living on a ship.

"Lindsey, call me Vala." She smiled at the shorter woman.

"Okay, Ms. Mal Duran." Hiccupping between words, Vala smiled warmly at the woman, ironically increasing the hiccups.

Vala just shared an amused look with Sam and shrugged. "So what's up?"

"Oh, we were wondering if we could borrow the ZPM and attach it to the ship's hyperdrive to run some tests." Bill paused for a second, "Can we?"

"I told them to wait for you to get back, considering it's your ZPM," Sam said.

Vala looked at the two other scientists and leaned forward, as if she was measuring their worth. Lindsey's hiccups increased slightly and Vala grinned. "Of course you can."

"T-Thank y-you," Lindsey said, smiling widely in between her hiccups.

"Thanks." Bill was practically bouncing as he headed over to the ZPM and the buffering device Vala and Sam had made for it. "Can I?"

"Sure. And Lindsey?"

"Yes, Ms. Mal Duran?"

"Try peanut butter." Vala gave a parting wink.

As they left the room, Sam asked. "Are you sure you don't want to go with them?"

Vala looked back to where the door was. "I trust that you trust them."

"I do."

"Then everything's fine." But Vala couldn't hide how not fine everything was.

"What's wrong, Vala?"

"We told Jack about Sahal."

"Fireworks?"

"Yep, but it wasn't just Jack. I knew Teal'c would have a problem with it too."

"Why?" Sam asked, curious as to why Vala and Teal'c would have problems in going to Sahal, beside the obvious fact that Ba'al was a sadistic bastard.

"Long story." At Sam's look, Vala sighed, "I'll tell you later, but do you think you can handle working on the cloaking technology by yourself for a tad bit longer?"

Sam nodded. "Sure, why?"

Vala let out a long and deep breath. "Damage control and best friend preservation."

Living on a ship with three very stubborn and different men, Sam knew all too well what Vala was talking about. "Good luck."

"Thanks, I'm gonna need it." Vala headed out to find her best friend.

§

Ever since he and Vala had fallen into this partnership Teal'c had been spending the majority of his time in the gym as many of the Prometheus' crew were interested in staff fighting. But today, after his short session with Sgt. Siler, he had left the gym and made his way to the docking bay where Vala's and his ship dwelt – for now at least.

He looked over the beautifully streamlined ship and sighed.

When he had agreed to help his dear friend in her quest he had known they would be coming across many obstacles, but he could not lie and say he did not wish that this journey could be easier for his friend. Vala was strong, he knew. He had seen her strength from the first moment he saw her, it was her strength that had propelled him to her in the first place, but she was also extremely fragile. It had been that fragility that propelled him to stay with her. She reminded him of the ceramic bowls his grandmother used to make – able to hold great amounts of grain, flower, water, dirt, anything; but if dropped or struck in a precise spot they would break and shatter into innumerable pieces that would be almost impossible to put back together again. Teal'c was not willing to let his friend shatter; the fractures she held still ran too deep.

"I'm not doing this because I want to."

"Are you certain of that?" Teal'c turned to face the raven-haired woman who stood still next to him.

"Yes… At least I think I am." Vala walked up and stroked her ship with a reverence most have for religious icons.

"I have known you many years, and while I have always known that you would do your best to stop Anubis and the Goa'uld if the opportunity ever arose, I have never known you to take such risks with yourself. In the entirety of our partnership, you have been most mindful to keep yourself from these types of situations, for several reasons."

"Teal'c."

"Are revenge and vengeance so blinding?"

"This isn't just revenge. Anubis is destroying a galaxy," Vala defended. "And I don't think that you can say on much this topic – have you forgotten Apophis?" She shot back and then instantly regretted her words.

"Well said, my friend." Teal'c met Vala's silver eyes with heaviness, but said nothing else. Vala sighed at what was not said.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. But this, going to Sahal, is not something I want to do, it's something I have to do. This is my duty. It was entrusted to me by someone with a much great understanding of this crazy universe than I ever looked to have. I… The moment the message ran through our screen it was like something finally fell into place, I can't explain it but this thing is my responsibility." Vala paused, and stood right in front of Teal'c, and looked him straight into his brown eyes.

"I vowed to stop Anubis the minute I felt Tau'ri die, but for years it felt like it was this huge impossibility – this great goal I tried to reach but had not real way of achieving. But now I can. I can stop the thing that killed my world and has caused the death of so many others. I can stop this." She paused and fervently continued, never looking away from her friend's gaze. "We can stop this. And if it means sneaking down to Ba'al's planet and getting whatever the temple at Melina has in store for me – for us – then I'll do it. I'll do it because I have to. I have to. Not want, Teal'c. I have to do this. I have to stop him."

Teal'c took in his friend, who stood in front of him, shaking in determination, strength and fear. She was scared; he could now see that as clearly as he saw her strength. Without a word he took her slight frame in his large arms and held her. Vala wrapped her arms fiercely around her best friend and held on. Sometimes she didn't know how she had ever survived without Teal'c.

Letting go, both friends stood back and Vala quickly wiped the moisture that had gathered under her eyes. "Nobody saw that, right?"

"I do not believe so." Teal'c smiled softly at his friend, and then stood up straight and met her eyes again. "I will go down with you. Ba'al might not be on the planet, but I will not take that chance with your life. He will still be angered about our last encounter."

Vala nodded stiffly. "Well wouldn't you be, after somebody killed your queen?"

§

"Why'd we drop out of hyperspace?" Cam questioned as he walked back into the bridge, two coffees in his hand. He went over and handed one to Jack.

"Do you want the answer I like or the answer I don't like?" Jack leaned back against his chair and took a drink form his coffee.

"Like."

"Vala's ZPM. Bill and Novak wanted to attached it to the hyperdrive engine to run some tests with it, and so far they tell me that it'll make the ship run twice as fast."

"Good stuff." Cam momentarily took Marks' seat and looked over the information streaming through the screen, wondering if Vala had a spare ZPM in that ship of hers. He then looked back at his brother-in-law. "And the not like?"

Turning to Cam, Jack gave a half smile. "Sahal."

"I thought so."

"Apparently with the power from the ZPM we can get there in less than a week."

"Wow, and Sahal's practically on the other side of the galaxy, isn't it?" Cam was awed at the news.

"Yep, but that depends on how long it takes them to fully configure it with the ship's systems and how long it takes Sam and Vala to get us those cloaking capabilities."

"That might be quicker than you think…"

"Oh…" Jack looked curiously over at his second in command, "You know something I don't?"

"Maybe," Cam smirked, "I just came from Sam's. Believe it or not, begin stuck out of phase yesterday gave Sam's some ideas on how to speed up work with the cloaking stuff. Something about correlating the cloaking programs from the Seraphim to the Prometheus. I don't really know, I kinda stopped paying attention after she said 'correlating'."

"I don't blame you." Chuckling, both men shared a look. "And Daniel? What is he up to?"

"He holed himself up in his office again. He's trying to read everything he has on the temple in Melina, and between that, the manuscripts and worrying about Vala, I think he might burn himself out." Cam leaned against one of the consoles on the bridge and brought up what he had been worrying about, "What do you think about the situation with Teal'c and Vala?"

Jack met Cam's eyes. "You mean the bounty?"

"Yeah." Cam drank from his cup, keeping his eyes on Jack and Jack could clearly see the solider peeking through. They both knew what it was to evade capture in several situations.

"They're able." Jack leaned back in his chair and stared out the windows of the bridge.

"They are." Hearing the tone in Cam's voice, Jack turned to face Cam for a second and saw the small smile he had on his face. Admiration.

"They've evaded capture this long." Jack smirked.

"They have."

"I don't know whether to like them more for that fact or worry that they might get us in hot water with Ba'al when the time comes." He paused and glance over at Cam, "Not that we're not always in hot water with all Goa'uld, but…" Jack looked out his windows, "Until the situation becomes a problem, let it rest."

Cam nodded. "Will do."

"Plus they're giving us cloaking capabilities."

"That they are." Cam quirked a smile.

§

Sam was on a roll, her 'whiz kid' gene going at full force. She was in the zone. If she was right and this worked…

"How's it going?" A voice from the doorway cut Sam's train of thought. Glancing up she saw as Vala walked into the room. She looked better than when she had left and Sam hoped that all had gone well with Teal'c. It certainly appeared like it had.

"After this you might call me a genius." Grinning widely, Sam turned her data pad towards her friend.

Vala chuckled, "Sam love, I already call you a genius." Walking over, Vala looked at what Sam had to show her. She grinned and looked up her friend. "Youare a genius. Bloody genius."

"Told ya." Sam took back the pad and handed Vala some notes that the woman took to help her friend with the brilliant idea she had just come up with.

"We're going to have to test run the program to see how well it functions with the ship, check compatibility, but I think it should work and with the ZPM attached it should integrate with the ship's systems easier than expected."

"Oh, I'm sure it will." Then a wicked grinned crossed Vala's face, "So who is going to tell Jack that we can start heading to Sahal in just a few short hours?"

"I was thinking Cam," Sam said with a glint in her eyes and turned back to finish her work. Vala sat next to her, ready to help.

§

Dinnertime found both women in the main engine room ready to implement the cloaking capabilities of the Seraphim to the Prometheus. They stood by where the ZPM was giving an extra boost to the ship's hyperdrive and which would hopefully help them get the cloak to engage.

Sam was fiddling with her socket wrench, trying not to be too nervous – it wasn't working. She had never before worked with a ship as advanced and complicated as Vala's, save for a few Asgard motherships, and she hoped she just hadn't messed up big time with trying to give thePrometheus the very appealing cloaking capabilities of the other ship.

"This will work, right?" Vala questioned from next to her.

"I think so." Sam wished she felt as sure as she sounded.

"Good enough for me. Call Cameron."

"Sure." Sam pressed down the com and called Cam, who was currently out in space waiting to confirm or deny the success or failure of this endeavor. "Cam, you read?"

"Loud and clear, Sammy." Sam rolled her eyes at the nickname.

"Okay, here goes." She called the bridge, "Jack, we're ready."

"Okay, Sam, you have a green light."

"Thanks, Jack." She looked at Vala and then at the rest of the engine room crew, with a nod she pressed down the key that would begin the assimilation of the cloaking program. They all watched as the program was written into the ship's system and then immediately activated.

Nothing happened. At least not in the engine room or anywhere else in the ship.

§

Outside the ship was another matter.

Cam saw his, well, one-third of his ship flicker in space for a second and then disappear completely from sight. "That's what I'm talking about." He whispered in awe at the empty space where the ship had been.

"Cam? Cam? What's the status?"

"Yeah, sorry." Cam blinked and focused, "Well, Sam, I gotta say, I think you missed your calling, cuz you'd make one damn fine magician…"

Over the radio Cam heard a laugh. "Is that your way of saying that the ship is cloaked?"

"Damn right."

"Sweet." Jack's voice came through.

"It did kinda flicker though, right at the start," Cam added.

"Flicker?" Vala questioned.

"At the beginning, it flickered, like a light bulb dying."

There was a pause. "No problem, it probably was the stabilizers." Sam voiced came through again, "I just have to do a minor alteration and we'll try it again."

"Okay." Cam watched as the ship came back into sight and waited until they were ready again.

"Cam, we're going again."

"Gotcha." This time there was no flicker, just the smooth transition of the ship disappearing into space. He smiled and shook his head, his life never ceased to amaze him. "I'm telling you Sammy – magician." He heard another round of laughter.

"Thank you, and don't call me Sammy."

"Okay, then, bring it in Cam." Jack gave him the go ahead and Cam began engaging his fighter's thrusters, when he paused and radioed the ship.

"Uh, Jack, Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"Mind actually showing me a ship to get back too?"

This time the laughter clearly came from more than one person and he glared at his radio just as the ship came back into view.

§

It was near 0100 that Vala walked into Daniel's office. "Hullo, darling."

Daniel looked up, his eyes glazed from all the reading he had been doing all day. "Hey, I hear congratulations are in order."

"Nah, it was mostly Sam this time." Vala waved off the compliment. She sat down on the opposite side of his desk and began reading some of the texts he had in front of him. Most were about Melina and Sahal – before the Goa'uld occupation. Rare. Looking up she thought how best to approach the subject, thinking it over for several minutes before she decided to do what she did best and just say it.

"When are you going to sleep?" Okay, that could have gone better, she thought, but at least it had the required effect and she now held Daniel's attention.

"What?"

"Do you really need me to repeat myself?" Vala raised a perfect eyebrow at the man, to which he just smiled slowly.

"No. I was wondering when you were going to bring it up," he teased, and Vala threw a stylus at him.

"Daniel!"

"Well?" He began to organize some notes.

Vala knew this time it was her turn; he had let her in last night. "I know we didn't make any formal arrangements, but I was hoping – thinking – that until Sam and I fix up my room, I could maybe, you know…" Vala trailed off, biting her thumbnail. "Sleep with – stay in your room." She half mumbled the last bit around said thumbnail.

"You tired now?" Daniel asked, trying to keep his smile from emerging.

"No, darling, I just want to clear the air before…"

"How 'bout you help me here and then we'll go to bed. We have a big day tomorrow."

Vala grinned, wide and bright, making Daniel ignored the pleasant feeling he suddenly got in his stomach and both nodded. Vala grabbed some of the texts and both got back to work. Daniel looked at her as she immersed herself in the texts and let his smile out.

§

Hours later as they lay silently and a little uncomfortably on Daniel's bed, both remained unmoving in their positions of prepared sleep, both remembering the last time they had been in this bed together and what had happened.

Vala took a breath and decided their behavior was ridiculous. They were acting like scared teenagers. She moved closer like she had done the night before.

Resting her head on the warm skin between his shoulder and neck, Vala sighed and watched as the goosebumps appeared on Daniel's skin and she shifted, feeling her stomach twist. "I didn't mean to kiss you this morning," she whispered in what she hoped was a convincing manner.

"I didn't mean to kiss you in Sam's lab," Daniel whispered back.

Even though she knew that the kiss in Sam's lab had been an impulsive gesture, she thoroughly disliked the feeling it gave her inside. It felt as if her ribs were being crushed and the guts clenching in objection. Still she felt like she needed to get the next words out. They had been on the cusp of escaping her lips all day and here, so near him, surrounded by everything that was Daniel, she couldn't hold them in longer. Besides, she really didn't want to anyway, if she was honest. She wanted him to know, that despite the insanity of that kiss which should have never happened, she did not regret it. In fact, she wanted it to happen again, very badly.

"I want to kiss you now." Vala felt Daniel's arm tighten around her waist at her words and heard his strangled sigh.

"Vala." Daniel's voice held distinct want and reprimand and Vala wondered how a man could do both things at once.

"You want to kiss me too." She turned to face him fully and felt a deep relief at the yearning in his eyes.

"I never said I didn't." Daniel bowed his head to hers and met her forehead in soft gesture that had Vala wanting to curl her hands around the sheets and pressed her body against him fully.

"So? The problem?" She shifted closer to him and gently rested on of her hands on his chest. Not daring to smile, she only looked into Daniel's eyes and searched for his answer.

Daniel took in her stare and, after a moment when Vala could tell he was looking for every single objection and argument to her suggestion, she felt him cup the back of her neck, bringing her lips to his. The kiss did not start chastely like their previous ones, as their mouths open to let the other in and their tongues began sliding against each other, wet and warm and wanting. The arm that lay under her neck moved, and then Vala felt the hand smooth down her back, resting on them hem of her top, pulling her closer to him. Vala sighed into the kiss and threw a leg over Daniel's thighs wanting to feel as close to the man as she could. She felt his hands grip her hips and haul her closer making her adjust her weight and straddle Daniel's thighs. Leaning her forearms on the sides of his face, they never broke their kiss.

Daniel's hands massaged up her back and Vala let her body fall fully onto his. She could feel the bare skin of her belly, where her top had ridden up, brush against his and Vala pressed closer to him. When Daniel's fingers brushed against the side of her breast, Vala moaned into the kiss and rolled her hips at the small thrust of Daniel's hips.

Somehow it was this movement that brought Daniel from wherever he had lost himself because Vala felt his hand drift from her breast, but not before she felt his thumb graze her nipple and the kiss grow softer. The clash of their lips loosing some of the cloudy lust and the strokes of Daniel's tongue against her became languid and his lips less demanding. Vala felt as if she was being coaxed into sleep by Daniel's slow actions and she let herself drift to her side as Daniel rolled them onto their sides.

Then, just as naturally, they relaxed into each other, the pull between them growing gentler but no less powerful. Daniel's lips moved from her mouth to her jaw and necked as he kissed his way down. "We're not going to rush this." He kissed the words against her ear and Vala smiled, if only a bit put off.

Resting her lips against Daniel's pulse, he rubbed circles on the small of her back, and Vala snuggled against him. "I wasn't trying to shag you by the way, at least not right now."

Daniel smirked and kissed her forehead as he fell asleep. "I know."