The torches burned brightly in the depths of the vast stone chamber, casting flickering shadows about the room as it swallowed up most of their light in its depths. At the top of the stone dais in her ivory throne, the alabaster woman sat in silence, regarding the Prior who stood now off to the side, turned away from her while she considered the matters they had discussed. The two had before spoken at length for many hours, often engaging in heated debate. While it won her respect that this man was so firm in his beliefs, she also found herself incredibly annoyed and even galled by his zealotry.
She was also astounded by his brazenness, given the circumstances. He seemed to have no fear whatsoever, in spite of the fact that he stood within the very seat of her power and she could do with him what she willed. Nonetheless, the man had argued passionately for his faith and often challenged her very directly, never wavering once in spite of his circumstance.
In spite of this, the answers she had received for her particular questions were favorable, rhetoric not withstanding. However, the prospect that lay before her was quite the gamble on her part. She did not like the idea of what she would be sacrificing if she took her nation into the fold of the Ori. At the same time, the prospective gains were considerable. In silence, she had agonized over her decision for some time now, though her face was still cold and placid, betraying none of her inner turmoil.
As she had sat in silence, the Prior merely stood off to the side, turned away with his hooded head bowed in prayer. Indeed, only sounds that could be heard now were the crackling of the torches throughout the room and the soft whisper of the Prior's mumbled words to his Gods. The twenty brown-robed figures encircling the dais stood perfectly still, making not a whisper of a sound.
Drawing herself up in her seat, the alabaster woman allowed herself a tired sigh. She had worked hard to build what she now possessed, and she lamented the idea of casting it at the feet of these Ori. With the System Lords and their vassal Goa'uld gone, all seemed set so fair. But now, there was a new power to rival that of the old was set to seize upon this galaxy. She had not survived for all this time only to make a mistake at this critical juncture. She knew what she must do.
Glancing over to her side, she met the gaze of another cloaked figure far off in the shadows and lifted a finger, giving the slightest of nods. The individual hoisted a large hammer and struck a bronze gong that hung next to him. The metallic disk rang out with a vibrant tone, filling the chamber with its resonant tenor. The Prior lifted his head at the sound, turning to face the woman once more. "Have you made your decision, then?" he asked with what she might have thought to be a sneer as he cast back his hood once more.
Had he been a subject, her glare would have cut fear into his heart. As it was, the bald, mottled-skinned man merely continued to smile at her indifferently, waiting expectantly for her answer. "I have," she said coolly, saying nothing more. Silence settled about the room once again, and the two locked gazes for the duration. The woman stared intently at the Prior, while he merely returned the look with an expectant grin. Though her face remained a façade of cold aloofness, inside she seethed in anger, ready to break this petty man for his insolent attitude.
Suddenly the double-doors of the room opened with a loud clatter, disrupting the woman's thoughts. The Prior looked away to see what it portended. As he did, she resumed her glower at the holy man, her eyes briefly reflecting her loathing as he looked away.
Then the woman then turned her gaze to follow that of the Prior's as yet another brown-robed figure entered the room. Like all the rest, it carried a staff weapon with it, which it tapped on the ground with every other step. The tall figure strode forth to the foot of the dais with long, powerful steps. It stopped at the first step and kneeled, planting its one fist firmly on the ground and bowing its head low.
The ebony-clad woman peered down from her throne at the individual with an imperious glance. She waited several seconds before commanding with an icy tone, "Rise, General Kale."
At this, the robed figure stood and stamped the end of its staff weapon on the ground. Within the brown cowl it wore, it lifted up its gaze at the woman seated at its pinnacle. It was a good head taller than the others about the throne, towering over anyone else around it. Two eyes gleamed within the depths of the shadowy hood, and it spoke with a deep and gravelly voice that resonated through the chamber, "What is your bidding, my Queen?"
"Hear my words, General," she called down to him from the height of her throne. "and do my will..."
The General nodded once and listened to her speak her edict to him. The bandaged hand tightened about the staff weapon as she made her intent clear. Deep inside the depths of the hood, the imposing figure made a bitter face as it contemplated what her decision would mean for their people and the galaxy.
From the depths of slumber, Daniel felt awareness of the world around him returning. As his senses slowly came back to him, he sighed happily, luxuriating in the feel of Vala's body against his. Her bare skin felt soft and silky against his, and he suddenly found himself very glad that Vala chose to wear such scant clothing to bed. He wrapped his arm about her waist more tightly, pulling her closer to him. She snuggled up against him as he did, murmuring quietly in her sleep.
Daniel smiled from ear to ear at this, opening his eyes to stare at Vala's sleeping visage on the pillow next to his. In the faint light from his clock he could barely see the outlines of her face. He watched her heavily shadowed features intently, studying her with a tender gaze. As he lay quietly next to her, he felt relaxed and at ease, glad for the first full night's rest he'd had in a while. It had certainly been a far better sleep he'd had than the night before. In spite of how nice it had been to share the pallet with Vala on the shuttle craft, sleeping on those crates had been rather uncomfortable.
Content in the still quiet that surrounded them, he continued to watch her quietly in the darkness. She stirred slightly in his arms again and he delighted in the feel of her bare skin rubbing against his. The warmth of their bodies entwined together was simply blissful and he found himself considering how lucky he was.
Not too long ago, he'd have found the idea of being with Vala like this repugnant. At least, that's what he'd believed at the time. Lately, he'd found it difficult to know how he did really feel. The roller coaster of emotions that he'd found himself on had been turbulent. Now that he had a full night's sleep and time to himself, he could finally stop and collect his thoughts.
Although her unending efforts to seduce him continued to make him uncomfortable, he was now seeing sides of her that he never knew existed. Her act of sacrifice at the Ori beachhead had been his first glimpse through the crack in the door. It was their conversation on the cargo ship, however, that had really started to open his eyes.
The hours they'd shared with one another then had seemed to both last forever and yet disappear too quickly. They'd both been so nervous at first, like a couple of awkward teenagers on their first date. Soon enough, however, they had relaxed, growing increasingly comfortable together with the more that they shared. Hearing Vala tell him about her youth before she was taken as a host had given Daniel a greater appreciation of who she was, not just what he had seen her as.
Then he suddenly realized that the difference wasn't just from what she'd told him of herself, either. His thoughts turned to how caring she had been when he told her of the more troubled times of his life. She had been so understanding and sympathetic when he had shared the fate of his wife with her. Her words and kindness had touched him deeply then, surprising him with her sensitivity. As they talked, he found himself sharing more such things with her, like the loss of his parents. Each time, she had continued to show him the same tenderness. He was surprised again and again by the seemingly infinite care and concern she showed for him as he opened up. At the time, he didn't understand why he was telling her so much, but he saw now it was at least partly because of the encouragement he'd found from the comfort she'd given him.
As he drew in a deep breath and thought more on the last two days, he couldn't help but think of that traumatic moment they had both been thrust into at the hatchery. He had been acting on sheer instinct, and it was dumb luck that he'd managed to save her from that Goa'uld. Seeing how it affected her had been a complete shock, however. He had always found her to be an incredibly strong woman, as steady and unyielding as a rock (and quite often as stubborn as one). Even when she'd died her fiery death and been raised again she had managed to hold herself together, even if by a thread. Never could he have conceived of her being so terrified or so vulnerable.
Because it was so rare, he was very glad that he had been there for her in her time of need. In spite of all she'd told him during their conversation just hours before, she never really had shared with him in the same way he had with her. She had never spoken of times in her life that where she had been hurt or weak or in need. More than once while they'd talked, he'd found himself wondering why he was sharing so much with her while she seemed to stop short of the same intimacy. More than once, he feared that he was opening up too much with her.
As he had held her in his arms at the hatchery, however, all of those fears were washed away with her tears. Instead, he'd found himself seeped in guilt for his doubt, and more so the same for how he'd treated her before her disappearance. When she had then told him of the most intimate and terrible time of her life, he could only listen in awe, amazed that she was now opening up to him so completely. He was glad that she had chosen to share with him. Then when he had told her how he felt and how much he wanted to help her, she had shocked him with her kiss.
It was so different from how she had kissed him on board the Prometheus. While that kiss months before had been raw and lustful, her kisses on the planet had been soft and tender, intimate. It was a closeness he had never imagined she'd share with anyone. It was a closeness he had been feeling a growing and continuous need to experience again.
As all of these memories swirled through his mind, Daniel couldn't help but now see her now as a caring and compassionate woman, in spite of also being adventuring thief who would do almost anything to get by. He'd always known deep down that the seemingly unprincipled part of her was born of the pain in her life and bred by necessity. But before he had found her weeping in his arms, he had always been too dismissive of her past, unwilling to allow it to excuse her for how she acted in the here and now. But the intellectual awareness of it that allowed him to be so callous was nothing in comparison with seeing first hand the pain she lived with deep inside.
Of course, there was another reason that he'd downplayed her troubles so much before. He was too distracted by everything that she did and said. Her flagrant displays of her sexuality made him uncomfortable and her lack of respect for property had been a continual source of frustration for him, never mind the way they met.
Increasingly, however, none of those little things mattered to him. He even admitted to himself that her shamelessness about her sexuality was perhaps becoming just a little…enticing. What had been difficult now was how much they fought since their return. That was what made these past two days especially turbulent for him. It was difficult enough for him to handle the changes in his view of her, but when mixed in with the snarking and the arguments, it was far worse.
Daniel didn't like conflict. He had always dreaded the fights back when Jack had been leading the team. It seemed like they fought on every mission, in every day. What made it even worse was how close of a friend Jack was. Now, as Daniel lay quietly in the darkness, he smirked while considering the irony of it all. First, the man who became his best friend was someone whom he constantly fought with. Now, the woman whom he was starting to care so much for, who was becoming so important to him was just as apt to quarrel with him.
In the darkness, Daniel blinked in surprise at the sudden realization of the depths of his affection for her. Did he really feel so strongly for Vala? His breathed more quickly as he felt the nervousness starting to boil in his gut. It was one thing to admit to himself that he had been wrong in how he saw her, but this was something completely different.
Then again, had there really been any doubt?
Vala stirred quietly, snapping him out of his thoughts for the moment. The movement of her body against his pointed out the foolishness of questioning his feelings for this woman. If he didn't have feelings for her, why did he miss her so much when she wasn't there? Why did he agree to spend the night with her? If he didn't have a growing affection for her, why did he let her kiss him so much? Moreover, why did he kiss her?
Daniel grinned wryly to himself. He gently squeezed her to him, moving his face close to hers and breathing in deeply, savoring her scent. He'd be a fool of the worst kind if he were to deny his feelings for her, and a damned liar if he had no feelings but allowed her to share his bed, even though they hadn't had sex. The answer was increasingly plain as he considered what had happened in the middle of the night.
He quietly drew in a deep breath, stroking her lengthy hair as he rooted through his foggy memories from last night's slumber. The sound of her weeping had quickly wrenched him out of what had been an incredibly deep sleep. As he had shaken off the cobwebs and kept asking her what was wrong, he had felt a knot of worry in his gut and maybe even scared at what might have been bothering her.
After he had kept pressing her for an answer, she had completely surprised him by turning around in his arms and silencing him with such a passionate, loving kiss. In spite of everything that came before, there was something so much deeper, so much more intimate about that moment. Maybe it was because he had still been half asleep with one foot in the depths of his subconscious, or maybe it had been because of the way she kissed him so eagerly and yet so tenderly too. Whatever it was, her lips and her closeness had affected him deeply. He had found himself yearning for more of her, wanting to keep her as close to him as he could.
Suddenly Vala shifted within his arms and moaned softly, again bringing Daniel out of his reverie. As she stirred this time, he realized that she was waking up. He felt better now that he'd had a chance to think about what was going on between them, but his mind wasn't quite settled yet. Some doubt still lurked in the dark corners of his mind, though he was certainly happier about everything that had passed between them. She moved more, drawing in a deep breath that turned into a yawn. Daniel put his thoughts aside for now, focusing instead on this beautiful woman in his arms.
As he watched her, he impulsively pressed his lips to hers in a kiss that was light and sweet. She moaned softly in surprise, smiling sleepily against his lips while she lazily kissed him back. Awareness slowly started to return to Vala and she snuggled up closer to Daniel. He wrapped his arms more tightly about her, kissing her deeply. Her breath came more quickly and she woke fully at that, reaching up to run her fingers through his hair. She pressed her body to his as they luxuriated in the feel of one another, both moaning softly against each others' lips.
After some time, Daniel finally broke the kiss to whisper against her lips, "Good morning."
She smiled from ear to ear as she teased a few more kisses from him, lingering and not letting him pull away. She sighed happily, "Mmm, good morning…," whispering, she added, "…I could get used to waking up like this…" He smiled and kissed her some more. They teased one another, their tongues lazily dancing lightly together as they lightly pressed their lips together. She languidly ran her fingers through his hair as Daniel stroked his hands over her back, rubbing her sensuously. She had moved to half lying atop of him, her one hand resting upon his shoulder. After some time, she said softly between kisses, "Careful, Daniel…a girl could get the idea you're ready to take that next step…"
He grunted this, grinning as he further tantalized her lips with his. She sighed in frustration as he reached behind him turning on the lamp to its lowest setting. They both blinked at the sudden light, even as dim as it was. Daniel brought his hand from the lamp to gently caress Vala's cheek as he stared at her. He smiled from ear to ear as he studied the way the shadows played softly upon her face in the faint light. Vala stared back at him, her eyes full of happiness as she watched him intently.
"Is everything okay?" he asked quietly, his fingers gently playing upon her cheek.
She smiled faintly at the question, pausing before she broke eye contact and looked down. Her hair partly fell in front of her face as she answered faintly, "I wasn't sure if you'd remember by morning…"
Daniel's hand went from stroking her cheek to brushing her hair back away from her face. She looked back up at this, staring into his eyes. "It's not something I could forget, Vala," he answered, searching her gaze. He brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, continuing, "You had me very worried last night…"
Vala smiled faintly at this and rested her head on his shoulder, looking away as she did. Daniel continued to stroke her cheek as she asked very quietly, "you want me to tell you what was wrong, don't you?"
As he continued to stroke his fingers over her cheek and through her hair, he answered just as softly, "Only if you want to talk about it, Vala."
She snorted at this, answering with a faintly bitter tone, "First you tell me how worried you were and then you say it's up to me if I tell you about it?" She turned her head so she could look at him again. Glaring at him, she raised an eyebrow. Daniel couldn't help but smile faintly as he raised his eyebrow back, shrugging. With a sigh, Vala rolled her eyes and put her head back down on his shoulder, wrapping her arm around his chest and squeezing him tightly. Swallowing hard, she whispered, "I was feeling…insecure."
"About what?" he asked with a gentle tone.
She sighed again, closing her eyes and hesitating to answer. Finally, she said in a quiet, tense voice, "About us…about...how you feel for me." She then lifted her head to look at Daniel again.
He smiled gently at her, and desperately hoped he was sufficiently hiding the gut-wrenching unease he suddenly felt at her words, his doubts starting to rear their heads once more. Staring back into her eyes, he stroked her cheek and hair in silence for a time. His difficulty in dealing with his own apprehension faded partly as he quickly realized that he saw the same fear in her eyes. Drawing in a deep breath, he whispered to her, "You don't have anything to worry about, Vala…"
She swallowed nervously at this, asking hesitantly, "I don't?"
Daniel's smile grew as he continued to stare into her eyes. "Not in the least," he said softly to her. He chuckled softly, adding, "Vala, you're here in my bed with me, and we just spent the night together. We've shared so much with each other. I'm happier than I've been in a long time." She started to smile at this. He whispered, "I've been doing a lot of thinking while you were still asleep…" she looked slightly apprehensive at this but relaxed as he continued, "And I'm really glad for everything that's happened between us. I feel like you and I have been given a fresh start. It's simply incredible..."
Vala couldn't contain herself at his words, quickly diving in to kiss him full on the lips. Daniel made a muffled and incoherent sound in his surprise, hesitating for a moment before he smiled and kissed back just as passionately. Their tongues wrestled together as she hungrily and sloppily pressed her lips to his, desperately trying to crawl atop of him. He found it to be quite the struggle to keep her where she was, but he was determined to keep her from pushing him into what he wasn't ready for. She didn't seem to mind the contest or the fact that she kept losing, she simply continued to kiss him just as hotly, moaning loudly into his mouth and running her fingers over his cheeks and through his hair. Several times Daniel almost lost himself in that kiss, stopping just short of throwing all caution to the wind, only managing to hang on by his finger nails.
It was some time before she finally pulled away. When she did, she looked like the cat that ate the canary as she stared into his eyes with a brilliant smile. Her hair was disheveled, and fell about her face in a tangle. Daniel gasped for breath, feeling like he'd just been assaulted. It was a good feeling, though, her kiss had left him feeling tingly all over. He looked back at her nervously and asked between heaving breaths, "You're not mad?"
She furrowed her brow at this, answering incredulously with a soft chuckle, "Why would I be mad at you, Daniel?"
Looking uncertain, he replied, "Because I wouldn't let you…"
"Oh that?" she answered with a smile. "I won't lie, darling. I'm very frustrated. But right now, I just don't care. What you said means too much to me to ruin it by worrying about what's inevitable anyway." Daniel furrowed his brow at this, opening his mouth to answer but hesitated. She laughed all the more, "you're foolish to think if you can hold out forever, dearest." Her eyes shone as she stared adoringly at him, her expression full of mirth and amusement. "I'll make you mine yet, it's just a question of time." As glad as he was to see her confidence back so quickly, her certainty about it was a little unsettling.
He closed his mouth at this, watching her with a nervous glance again. She smiled all the more, winking at him as she sat up. "Well, let's get this day started, shall we? We've got a lot to do, and while I would love to spend all day in bed here with you, I think they'd come looking for us." Vala laughed at the look on his face, bouncing out of bed, making her way to her bag. Daniel furrowed his brow at her words as he sat up, looking off into space silently.
Watching him in silence for a moment as she read his expression, she then asked coyly, "You don't want them to know, do you?"
Lost in his own thoughts, Daniel didn't react right away. After a few seconds, he looked over to her, blinking a few times. "What?" He asked but then quickly answered, "Oh…no, it's okay for them to know. I mean, I'm not ashamed of us, but…"
Vala paused in the middle of pulling her bathrobe out of the bag. Eyeing him warily, she asked, "but…what?"
Sighing, Daniel answered, "Well…Jack is in town for the next few days."
Slowly taking her bathrobe out the rest of the way, she looked away, saying guardedly, "I thought Jack was your best friend…"
He sighed again, moving to the side of the bed she was on. Catching up her hands in his, he said, "Look, Vala…" she paused, looking at him with a mixture of irritation and confusion. "Jack is my best friend, but you need to understand that he can be difficult sometimes…most of the time, actually. I'm just not ready to tell him about us yet. Not until you and I have had some more time together, anyway."
She continued to regard him warily, not yet looking satisfied with his answer. Pressing him further, she asked, "Difficult how?"
Grimacing, Daniel answered simply, "Once he knows about us, he'll make a point of teasing me with no end. I won't get a moment's peace." He grinned slightly, "Actually, I think the two of you will get along great. You both like driving people nuts...me in particular..." She made a face at him at this, though he could see the faintest hint of amusement in her eyes. Her silence told him she wasn't going to try denying it. She knew better.
"Look, if it makes you feel better, I was already planning on telling Sam about us today." Vala's expression softened slightly at this, and Daniel pressed on as he saw an opening. "I mean, she's as close a friend to me as Jack in a lot of ways, and I know she'll keep it quiet if I ask her to." Chuckling, he added absentmindedly, "Of course, it kinda complicates matters to tell her and not Jack, since she and Jack are…" Vala blinked in surprise at this and Daniel winced as he saw her face. "Damn it, I wasn't supposed to tell anyone about that."
The raven haired beauty standing before him couldn't suppress her smile anymore. She clasped Daniel's hands tightly, leaning in and giving him a soft kiss on the lips. Pulling away, she looked into his eyes. "Don't worry about it, darling. I won't tell anyone about them." Sighing, she added, "and we won't tell anyone about us either, until you're ready." Guilt started to cloud over his face and he opened his mouth to say something. Vala hushed him with another kiss, however, cupping his face in her hands.
Pulling back, she looked into his eyes, whispering, "It's alright, Daniel…really." Her fingers stroked his cheek and he smiled warmly. She smiled back at him, her eyes glinting as she asked softly with a wicked voice, "So shall we take a shower, darling?"
Chuckling, he gave her a quick kiss, answering as he handed her robe to her, "you first."
Agent Barrett sighed as he tossed his headphones on the desk before him. The two agents sitting on the other side of his desk removed theirs as well, placing them gently on the desk. The two exchanged glances as they waited in an uncomfortable silence. On the other side of the desk, Barrett closed his eyes, slumping down in his chair and resting his elbows on the armrest while he rubbed his temples. After a few minutes had passed, he said in a tired voice, "So what happened after their conversation?"
The one man on the right sat up at this, clearing his throat as he answered, "Baal and Mr. Domicci exited the restaurant and left the location in a limousine together. We followed them for a considerable amount of time, but finally the limo pulled into a private garage." He exchanged glances with the other agent beside him again before continuing, "We followed it in, but when it parked, only the driver exited. We waited for some time, and finally approached the vehicle, but found that it was empty."
Sighing, Barrett muttered, "Asguard beaming technology." He stared off into space, looking very tired.
"Yes, sir," the agent that had been speaking answered.
Silence again settled upon the room, the two agents sitting still as Barrett continued to stare at nothing in particular. After a few minutes, the phone on his desk rang, startling the two. Barrett merely glanced at the device with a sullen and expectant glance. He sat up in his chair, reaching for the receiver. As he did, he glanced at the other two agents and said, "Thank you gentlemen, that will be all."
The other two stood up at this and left in a hurry, once more trading glances, their expressions troubled. Barrett waited until they closed the door behind them before he lifted the receiver, silencing the loud ringing.
"Yes sir?" he answered, dreading the conversation. Sitting back in his chair as he listened, he wondered what he was going to say, given what he had just learned from their operation last night. No matter what he said, though, things still weren't going to be good.
Sighing, Walter put his glasses back on and continued drudging his way through the shift turnover procedures. Tiredly, his fingers banged away on the keyboard as he mindlessly filled out the countless forms required. It never ceased to amaze him how chaotic and crazy things could get I this place, sometimes after weeks of tedium. Unfortunately, in his job, there was always plenty of tedium on top of the excitement. The forms and processes were completely unforgiving and unyielding, in spite of whatever was going on. In fact, usually the busier things got, the more he and the other techs had to do on the back end.
Walter tiredly rubbed his eyes, shoving his glasses up to the top of his head. It had been a long shift, and he was looking forward to getting home. In the first few hours of last night, he knew things were going to be hectic after Bra'tac and no less than 3 SG teams arrived within the space of thirty minutes of one another. Sure enough, within twenty minutes of everyone disappearing into the briefing room, Colonel Parker came down with orders from Landry to scrub the two missions slated for tomorrow and set up SG-16 and SG-18 on a mission to PX8-317. Walter was only halfway through the process to do just that when Colonel Mitchel came down with the Jaffa and a veritable laundry list of gate dialing to do.
"Good morning, Walter," Marty Keegan called out brightly as he strode up the stairs into the Control Room. The weary Sergeant seated at the computer glanced over with a slightly irritated expression. After such a long shift, Walter couldn't help but be annoyed to see such a chipper attitude in his co-worker.
"Morning," Walter grunted in reply, quickly turning his attention back to his console, more anxious than ever to finish and go home.
"So what's on the roster this morning?" Keegan asked with a smile, sitting himself down at the station next to Walter and logging in.
"SGs sixteen and eighteen have been reassigned to visit PX8-317," Walter said absentmindedly. He was rather distracted now, as he was just about done his last form.
"Oh yeah?" Keegan replied with an intrigued tone. "What prompted that?"
Shrugging, Walter answered, "Since when do they ever tell us anything like that Marty?" He glanced over to his fellow Sergeant with an annoyed glance. For some reason, the man was particularly irritating this morning, though Walter had no idea why. He had never had any problems with Keegan, in fact, he almost considered him a friend.
"Yeah, good point," Keegan replied with a grin. "Too bad they don't think we're worth telling the important stuff to," he lamented. Glancing over at Walter, he said, "I guess the brass just won't ever give the enlisted folk their due…"
As he finished his last jobs and logged off of his console, Walter turned to look at Keegan with an annoyed glare. "It's need to know, Marty," he said impatiently, scowling at the man. "You and I don't need to know. We have our jobs, and they have theirs. Ours is to operate the Gate. Theirs is to make decisions and go out there and do what needs to be done."
"Right," Keegan answered, looking back at Walter for a moment before turning back to his console. A few moments of awkward silence passed before Walter got up to go.
With a sigh, he continued as he stood, "You should be happy to have this post, Marty. I know you're still kinda new, but it's very rare for anyone to get a job here." He paused, adding with emphasis, "Be thankful for it."
"Uhuh," the other sergeant answered, essentially now ignoring Walter and focusing on his terminal. Walter hesitated for a few moments before shaking his head and walking out of the Control Room, ready to go home.
Sam and Jack walked through the corridors in the SGC, talking quietly with each other. To the casual observer, they would have appeared as nothing more than two Air Force officers having a leisurely conversation. To anyone who knew them, however, the secret looks they kept giving each other would have been impossible to miss. To their dearest friends, there would have been no doubt as to what those looks meant. Both looked relaxed and extremely happy, whereas for years before there had always been the underlying tension between them.
"So don't forget your meeting with Landry after breakfast," Sam reminded Jack. From her tone it was clear that this was not the first time she'd made the point to him.
Sighing, Jack glanced at her with a weary expression. "Yes, de…" he cut himself off, saying quickly instead, "don't you think I know my own schedule?"
Sam looked over at him with a knowing grin, meeting his gaze. Jack returned the smile, and they made one final turn to enter a short corridor that ended in an intersection with an even shorter hallway that ended in a door on each side. Looking from one door to another, Jack muttered, "Do you remember which one he's in…?"
Sam paused with him, looking from one to another. "I think it's the one on the right. But I only came here once, months ago."
They made their way to the door on the right. "Why does he still live here?" Jack asked tiredly, though somewhat rhetorically. Sam had been keeping him very well up to date on everything in the SGC, especially with regard to Daniel. He knew well enough why. Nonetheless, he continued to mutter, "he should get a place off base, especially now…"
Sam affected a laugh at his words. "Cut him a break, will ya? She only came back two days ago, and we've all off world for more than twenty-four of those hours." Jack looked back at her and rolled his eyes, sighing as an indication of his surrender to her point. The blonde-haired woman smiled even more at him as she reached out and knocked on the door. As she did, she added, "Besides, they haven't even admitted their feelings for each other yet. It'll probably be several weeks before they go off and…" she hesitated for a moment, regretting it as she did.
"Shack up?" Jack supplied in a musing tone. Sam pursed her lips, choosing not to reply, but merely stared at him chidingly.
There was no answer for the first few seconds, and the two took the opportunity to continue to stare at each other, Jack smirking innocently while Sam continued to peer at him. Suddenly the door opened. They both turned and though Sam opened her mouth to say something, she completely forgot what it was when she saw Vala opening the door. The raven-haired woman was wearing only a loosely done-up white chenille bathrobe that revealed a fair amount of cleavage, though nothing indecent. Her hair was soaking wet, and she was busily drying it with a towel. Jack's jaw hung slack at the sight before them.
"Good morning," she warmly greeted the two of them. "How is every little thing?" she asked with a broad smile.
Sam blinked in surprise for a moment, unable to answer. Jack too found himself unable to speak, though he was considerably more distracted than the woman next to him. Vala's smile became amused as she asked, "Is something wrong?"
The blonde-haired woman quickly recovered her wits at this. "I'm sorry, Vala. I thought this was Daniel's room, we must have gotten them mixed up." Vala said nothing at this, but only continued to smile and dry her hair. Sam shook her head and continued, "It doesn't matter. Your door was our next stop anyway. We were coming to see if you and Daniel were interested in joining us for breackfast in the commissary in say," she paused to check her watch, "the next twenty minutes or so?"
Vala opened her mouth to answer when suddenly the door behind her opened up. She turned to look as Sam and Jack glanced away from her to follow her gaze, looking past her into the room. Steam poured out of the doorway and Daniel walked out of the bathroom into the bedroom, dripping wet and wearing nothing more than a towel about his waist down to his knees. He was oblivious to the scene before him, his vision obscured because he was busily drying his hair with another towel. As he walked out of the bathroom, he said, "You know Vala, I was thinking about what you said earlier…"
Sam and Jack both looked on in shocked silence at the sight of their friend, neither able to say a word. Vala interrupted him, calling out urgently, "Daniel…!"
Pulling the towel off of his head, he asked impatiently, "What?!" but then caught sight of Jack and Sam at the doorway. He froze where he stood, looking mortified. As she saw the look on his face, Vala found it impossible to repress a bemused grin along with an accompanying chortle. If he'd seen the look on her face, Daniel might have been annoyed. If he'd heard her laughter, he might have been irritated. He was completely oblivious to her, however, as he could only stare at his other two friends that were standing at the doorway.
Within seconds, the other two had recovered. Sam covered her mouth with her hands and it looked like she was trying to hide a smile very similar to the one Vala wore, perhaps even suppress a laugh. Jack merely looked at Daniel with a sublime and entertained expression as the faintest hints of a smile played upon the corners of his mouth.
After a few moments of awkward silence, Daniel cleared his throat and said simply, "Jack…"
The General continued to look back at his friend with laughter in his eyes and answered just as plainly, "Daniel…"
"Uh…," Daniel started, his cheeks flushing as he felt more and more embarrassed while the seconds ticked by. "How's it going?"
Jack answered "Well, thanks." He paused, glancing from Daniel to Vala and back again. "How about you?" he asked, his grin slowly growing. The two women at this point were silently looking back and forth from one man to the other as they spoke, watching like spectators at a tennis match.
"Things are fine," he answered, the nervousness in his voice growing with each exchange.
Jack tilted his head to the side ever so slightly, flicking his glace to Vala and then back to Daniel again before he asked further, "Only fine?" Vala blinked in surprise at this and then turned to glare harshly at Daniel.
The archaeologist sputtered at Jack's words and looked over in shock at the withering stare Vala was now giving him. "Uhm, actually things are good these days…" Walking over to stand immediately behind the raven-haired woman, he looked away from Jack to look at Vala. He hesitantly placed his hands upon her shoulders, looking worried as he did so. Smiling at her, he added, "very, very good, in fact." Vala's stare softened just a little, but she still regarded him warily.
Turning away from Vala to look at Jack and Sam again, he cleared his throat again and asked, "So, uh, what's up?"
Sam hesitantly spoke up at this point, "We, uhm," she paused, feeling the awkwardness as well, "we were wondering if you wanted to meet us in the mess for brunch in about twenty minutes or so…"
Jack jumped in at this, adding, "Unless, of course, you've already eaten…"
Sam turned to stare at Jack incredulously at this. Vala smirked as the man spoke, snorting again as she glanced over at Daniel, eager to see his reaction. The archaeologist's jaw worked soundlessly a few times as he stared at Jack in shock. Finally he turned to Sam and said, "Uhm, twenty minutes sounds good, we'll meet you there."
"Okay, that's great, see you in a bit," Sam said quickly, grabbing Jack's hand and pulling him away. As she did, she briefly met Vala's gaze and the two shared a wry grin with one another. The two men were oblivious to this, however, each only able to stare at the other, Daniel with the same shocked look in his eyes while Jack had the same amused expression. Within a few seconds, Sam had successfully pulled Jack away and around the corner into the other corridor while Vala closed the door.
The raven-haired woman turned around and rested her back against the door after she shut it. She was trying very hard to suppress her grin now as she looked to Daniel. When she saw the look on his face, however, she couldn't contain herself and burst out laughing. Daniel sat on the end of the bed and looked at her forlornly, only able to sigh in reply.
Vala watched him with an adoring expression as her laughter subsided slightly. Smiling at him sweetly, she walked over and wrapped her arms about his neck. Looking into his eyes she said, "Well, look at it this way, darling. At least you don't have to worry about telling him anymore."