It had been five months since SG1 defeated Adria and the Ori, and nearly as long since they had seen to the end of the last Baal clone, the last of the Gould. As time passed, things at the SGC had gotten more and more, well, in Vala Mal Doran's opinion, boring. Oh, SG1 was kept busy, certainly. There were charitable missions to help planets that had been hurt by the Ori, and diplomacy missions to make allies for the Tauri. Every now and then, they had a rogue gang of trouble makers that needed to be taught a lesson, but after all that SG1 had been through together, such instances were barely enough to bat an eye at. There was that business of having memories from the erased timeline that had happened almost two months ago, but that was probably the most exciting thing that had happened to them in months, and she couldn't remember it! She supposed she should be grateful that her team was able to save her and Daniel from having their heads implode, but was it too much to ask for a little excitement every now and again?
It was interesting to watch the rest of her team react to this boredom. Cameron's response was to be over enthusiastic about everything they did. Every conversation they had on a new planet, every new ally they made, every bad guy they bested; he made all of it seem like the most important mission they'd ever completed.
Sam, on the other hand, seemed to take the opposite approach. She was present for each and every mission, but her head wasn't. And whenever they were on Earth, she always seemed to find an excuse to be away from the rest of the team. Vala was starting to wonder if she was trying to pull away. After all, she had had her own command in Atlantis for nearly a year, and now she was a part of SG1 again. It only made sense that she move on to greener pastures.
Teal'c seemed even quieter since their experience in the time dilation field on board the Odyssey. Vala couldn't imagine what it must be like for him, to have experienced fifty years and then to go back and live them again, but differently. She often caught him giving her a look, like he knew something about her that he couldn't tell her. She expected he had the same looks for the rest of the team, too.
And then there was Daniel. He was the only one who seemed normal; well, normal for Daniel anyway. In fact, he was probably more in his element than anyone else on the team. Now that Earth was relatively safe from alien threats, he had the opportunity to study the cultures that they interacted with. He was given time with them that he likely was never given before, and he was loving every minute of it.
History had certainly never been a favorite subject for Vala, but she had begun joining Daniel in his studies, if for no other reason than simply to fight the boredom. It started out as an excuse to stare at the handsome archeologist. After all, if she had to be bored, she might as well enjoy some eye candy in the meantime. But as time went on, she found she could actually enjoy the work. Daniel's enthusiasm for the subject began to rub off on her, and she found herself spending hours at a time with him. Daniel, happy to have someone to share his interest with, was quick to invite her along each time he went on a dig or began researching a new culture.
It was almost odd to see Daniel so in his element. She had never really had the chance to see him like this. By the time she had gotten to know him, he had left his archeology days far behind him. They had been so caught up in hunting down the last of the Gould and bringing down Adria and the rest of the Ori. Until now, she had only ever seen his jaded a pessimistic view of the universe. She had always known that deep down he cared, but he seemed to have lost that somewhere along the way. Now, he was finding it again, and she found herself really liking this version of the man she had always cared for.
The more time they spent together, the more Vala's affection for Daniel grew, until finally she made the decision that she was going to ask Daniel out on a date: an actual date, not just a dinner between friends. For once in her life, she didn't want to rush into this. She wanted it to be perfect. Unfortunately, she wasn't quite sure how to do that, so she went to the only person she could think of for advice.