Cameron and Vala slipped into working together as if they had been doing it all along. They hadn't. All they had really done was play basketball and go out to eat, dance on First Thursday.
Dance between the sheets on the bed in his quarters and sometimes in the one they had given her.
She had different quarters this time. Further away from Daniel's. She hadn't missed that little detail. She also wondered about the term 'quarters.' A quarter of what exactly and was there someone on the Base who actually warranted getting a 'whole'? And could she see one maybe?
Daniel had been the one to fight for her to stay but it was Mitchell who became her mentor and teacher of all things Earth and SGC. The first was weapons, which she took to pretty quickly. The P90 gave her a moment's pause. He taught her to field strip it and then gave her an entire fresh crate to work on – stripping them and changing out the stock site for the specialized one the SGC personnel preferred. He taught her to fire and aim for the head in close range, the chest at medium range. It took her the longest to learn to fire in bursts for long range. Cam told her she was never going to be as good as Sam Carter – and few people were – but she'd do.
He also pushed her to refine her fighting skills. She had balked at that, believing that her survival skills had served her just fine until now.
"You're a street fighter. There's no finesse."
"You don't need finesse!"
"Which is why you couldn't even beat up an archaeologist."
That shut her up and made her angry enough to come at him. When he flipped her easily onto her back Vala reconsidered.
Thus her training in the warrior ways of the Sodan and the Jaffa (assisted by Teal'c) had begun.
They also started taking Vala out from under the mountain as often as they could. It was part of her continuing education in Earth culture but she didn't miss the fact that Cameron studiously avoided being alone with her. The whole group went to the movies, often; and out to eat at all sorts of places so Vala knew how to order off a menu at Mc Donald's and at the Broadmoor. Jillian was teaching her about wine and Sam was teaching her about cars and how to work on them. Daniel was teaching her the nuances of the language and Cam was taking up the slack in everything else.
The plan to avoid being alone with Vala fell apart when they had tickets for a basketball game at the University of Colorado and the whole team begged off one at a time.
It was a relief to Cameron when Daniel left for the planet they called Camelot. Vala had been unusually good about her promise to stop baiting Jackson and she had been nothing but supportive of all of them on the mission to the Pegasus Galaxy. She still flirted with him occasionally but it seemed more like it was habit and Vala knew Jackson was safe to flirt with. He'd never take her up on it. As for Jackson, it seemed he gave Vala fewer and fewer of his disapproving, repressive stares. Jackson didn't like watching basketball anyway and Cam was pretty sure Jillian didn't either. But, damn it, he had gone to the opera with them. (It hadn't been that bad – ironically it was Isaac Albéniz' English language Merlin. He'd listen patiently to Daniel's criticism of the history all the way home in the Jackson's Escalade. But the girls had all loved it, including Vala [and Sam for some reason that still eluded Cam].)
Then Teal'c and Sam had decided to go visit the Hak'tyl because Cassie had just passed some major warrior level and there was going to be a celebration.
So there was Sam and Teal'c off on one planet and the Jacksons off digging through a dusty library on another and Cam stuck with taking Vala to her first real basketball game.
Vala who was gorgeous and athletic and curvy in all the right places. Vala who said what she wanted and what she needed, most of the time. Vala who was too real and too fantastic and too complicated and too easy all at the same time.
So he took a woman from another planet to a basketball game at the Coors Event Center, to watch the University of Colorado Buffaloes play the Air Force Falcons. His life was already kind of weird beyond belief or explanation. So why not?
He was glad it was an away game for Air Force because he'd have felt compelled to wear his uniform to Clune Arena and it was good to just wear jeans and his Air Force sweatshirt and not have every fresh faced cadet they passed saluting him just in case. He'd also been thinking that it had been the worst idea ever to be alone with Vala because she was wearing a pair of skin tight, low slung jeans and a white tank top with a necklace of turquoise beads. There was a matching bracelet on her wrist and earrings dangling down to catch in her loose cascade of hair.
Mitchell had long ago accepted that when he took Vala anywhere, men stared. People stared. When Vala was in the room, other women seemed to fade into the background. Take her somewhere with Carter and Jillian and the world seemed to come to a halt. Traffic stilled. Trees bowed down. Birds sang in chorus.
He had to prod the guy in the concession line ahead of them to keep moving because he kept turning his head to cast her surreptitious looks.
The guy who took their order almost couldn't speak and spilled half her popcorn on the floor before he got the bucket filled. The old guy at the cash register gave Cam a thumbs up and an appreciative nod. Cam tried to ignore them both.
Cam bought Vala the biggest popcorn and diet Coke they sold, along with a program and a Buffaloes t-shirt just because she wanted one. They had seats just four rows back from the Air Force bench, because working at the SGC had its perks. Vala perched on hers, picking out popcorn one piece at a time. She was fascinated, looking around with childlike wonder. She liked playing two on two – aliens against the Earthlings. Cam wondered why he hadn't thought to take her to an actual game before this. He hadn't even thought to turn on ESPN for her and let her watch one.
"This is incredible," she said, "All these people come to watch this little game you taught me?"
"Yes," Cam said, "and this is just college level. The pros bring in even more people."
"Amazing," Vala said, finally settling back in her seat. "Did you play in college?"
Cam laughed, " Oh hell, no. Where I came from basketball was for fame and money and blood. Besides, I'm too short."
"You play now," she pointed out.
"For fun," he stressed. "Exercise. Something to get Jackson out of his office."
She munched popcorn and continued absorbing everything around her. "Will you take me to a professional game sometime?" She asked. Then she hastily added, "Please? Will you take me to a professional game, please?" She followed that with a blazing smile that took his breath away.
"Sure, if we can. We'll go up to Denver to see the Nuggets play."
Vala leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. He responded automatically by putting his arm around her shoulders. She pressed against him. The Coors Event Center went wild greeting the teams but all the noise faded into the background and all Cam could hear was his own heart beating.
She pulled back enough to look him in the eyes. Cam held his breath. They really needed to start the damned game and soon or he was going to kiss her. She was warm in his arms, relaxed and willing.
There were a lot of things in life that scared Cam – the Goa'uld once upon a time and now the Ori, and certainly being told that he would never walk again. But right up there with all of those was the idea of disappointing his mama and his grandmother. Cam wasn't sure how his mama and grandmother would ever find out that he'd had sex with a woman who was married to someone in another galaxy but he'd know and experience told him they'd take one look at his face and know he'd done something.
He let go of Vala and managed to exhale as the teams met in center court for the jump ball and the game finally started. He focused on the action to keep from thinking about the fact that – as far as he knew – Vala hadn't slept with anyone since returning from the Ori galaxy. She was still an outrageous flirt and always would be. But the only one she seemed interested in actually sharing a bed with was Cam.
The game was a nail biter, with the teams very evenly matched and Vala continued to sit on the edge of her seat taking it in. At half time he got her a hot dog with relish and another Coke, a soft pretzel and a big box of red vines. The second half saw Air Force surge to a 74-68 victory and their side of the Coors Event Center went wild. Cam leaned over and shouted into Vala's ear that this victory put Air Force firmly in the top ten. Vala nodded as if she understood what that meant and maybe she did. She wasn't stupid after all. Mysterious yes, but not stupid.
Cameron had a master's degree in aerospace engineering, which meant he was - quite literally- a rocket scientist; and he still could barely figure out Vala Mal Doran. Maybe he should have gone for a degree in psychology.
They forced their way out of the crowded arena and for the first time that night Cameron wished he had on his uniform. The rank tended to clear a path. But they made it to the parking lot, cheeks flushed from the cold wintery air. Vala eased into the bucket seat of his classic Mustang and settled back. She still had the program he had gotten and the t-shirt. She spread both across her knees and smiled in a small, private way that startled him.
When she looked up at him and smiled in the same real, unguarded way and said, "Thank you," it startled him so much he threw the car into third instead of first and stalled it out. Damn, he hadn't killed an engine that way since he'd been fifteen and still on the farm.
As he turned the key again he said, "You're welcome. It was fun," because it was.
He drove them home to the mountain, talking about the game and the defense and the offense and what being in the top ten meant for Air Force. Vala let him chatter, because when he got going about something he was passionate about, Cam could talk longer than Daniel. She asked him just enough questions to know that she was still interested.
When she said she was hungry he hit the drive-thru at Burger King and let her pay because she was on the payroll now and needed to know how that all worked too.
Besides, it wasn't a date.
Once back under the mountain they went to the rec room and played ping pong for a while. Cameron waited until she was in the middle of her second match against Jake Bosworth from SG13 and then slipped out of the room to head for his quarters. Vala would continue to hold court in the rec room for quite some time and Cam didn't want the awkwardness of walking her to her door and saying good night.
On the way to his quarters he passed Jillian in the corridor.
"You're back," he said.
"I have to go home to the baby," she said.
"I know," Cameron said, "But I thought you were scheduled to come back hours ago."
"I was," Jillian said, "And I've been home already. I came back to get a book we left here to cross reference something. Dad's staying at the house."
Cameron scowled at her. Jillian might get frustrated when Daniel went without sleep but when push came to shove she could be just as bad.
"Daniel's still on Camelot?"
"Yes, but you know how he is. The library could flood and he'd be up to his chin before he noticed the water. We did find something though, which is why I need this book and the one at home."
"Don't be up all night working on it," Cam cautioned, even though he had no ability at all to give Jillian orders. He hoped it sounded like concerned advice.
"I'll try not to be," Jillian said, "I'm scheduled to go back to Camelot at 10 am."
"Okay. Then sleep well."
They parted company. Cam watched her for a moment but it only served to remind him that Jillian was going towards the home she shared with Jackson, where her father and her son were waiting; and Cameron was going to his empty quarters, alone.
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