Author's Note: I got this idea while re-watching Memento Mori for research on a different story of mine and couldn't resist. It's just a one-shot, and while I may in the future add some chapters to it, for now, I'm focusing on two other stories.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own Stargate SG-1, it's characters, or anything associated with it. I'm just letting my imagination run wild with their creation.

o0o

Scrambled Memories

Who the hell was she and why were so many people after her? Was she really that bad of a person before her memories were lost? All she wanted to do was go back to Sol's Diner and wait tables at this moment; it was safe there, she felt safe there, and she just wanted to be Val. She didn't like this Vala person people kept calling her and if this is what her life entailed, she didn't want to remember. Val stiffened when she heard footsteps in the warehouse; they had found her, she wasn't sure who, but it didn't matter, she had to get out of here no matter what.

"Vala?" a voice called out hesitantly, "Vala, it's me Daniel. We know you're in here; there's nowhere else you could've gone."

There was a pause before - "Vala!" came the voice of the man from the motel.

"Vala? I know you're scared, but we're not here to hurt you. We can help you remember," the first voice tried to persuade.

Val didn't know if she could trust these people, but first man's voice struck something within her and she wanted to believe him. She considered coming out but that was until the shooting started. Luckily, both parties didn't seem to know where she was. She grabbed the gun she hid in the waistband in the back of her pants and waited for her moment. One side seemed to be gaining the upper hand and she knew she had to make a move soon or else. She glanced quickly in the direction of the exit before making a break for it. She was almost home free when a man suddenly appeared in front of her, aiming a bizarre weapon at her.

"Get out of my way," she ordered, "Get out of my way or I will shoot," she warned.

He raised his hands in surrender, lowing his weapon, but didn't move out of her way. "I know you don't remember who you are, but I do; you won't shoot," he stated confidently.

The shooting suddenly stopped; one side had won, this man's side. With a slight whimper, she re-aimed to gun that had wavered a bit.

"If I let you go I know you're gonna make yourself disappear; you've been running for so long, it's almost second nature to you," he told her gently, "You may not remember it, but you promised to stop running. It's over. Now it's time to come home."

An onslaught of memories came to her, but they weren't like they ones she usually had; instead, they were of him. One memory, they were kissing, another they were hugging, the next he called their house a nuptial of them and that they were married, another they were out to dinner and she touched his cheek affectionately, next he was kneeling in front of her, hugging her pregnant belly as she combed her finger through her hair, a little girl calling her mother, his face across from her over a table, him in the elevator, and then they stopped.

He was her Daniel and she loved him; looking at him and remembering all those moments, all she felt for him was love. They were married and they had a child – how could she have forgotten her child, their daughter? Tears came to her eyes at the thought of not remembering her own child, the tears came at the relief of knowing she was loved, tears came with the overwhelming emotions she felt for Daniel, and tears came because she knew, looking at him, that she was safe and she was home.

Her gun wavered and she lowered it. "Daniel?" she choked out, still confused but also relieved.

Daniel cautiously approached her, grabbing the gun before gathering her into his arms. She hugged him tightly in fear of losing this sense of safety and peace. Her memories were still hazy and while she remembered the faces of others that slowly gather closer to them, memories of Daniel were the strongest, and she didn't want to let him go.

They heard the approaching sirens and knew it was time to leave. "Vala, we need to go," he told her gently, still hugging her, "Before others show up."

She nodded and released him partially, but still clung to his arm. When he put her in the car, she climbed onto his lap and held on tighter; he was the only one she knew she could trust. He was her husband after all, right?

"Vala, are you okay?" the blonde-haired woman sitting in the back seat with her asked softly.

Flashes of the woman came to Vala and based on them, they were friends, sort of. "I know you," Vala whispered.

"Yeah," Sam smiled encouragingly, "we're friends."

"I'm sorry, but I don't remember your name," she whimpered slightly and rubbed her head. She was so tired.

"That's okay," Sam reassured, "it'll come back."

"Why can't I remember anything?" she whispered, frustrated.

"It's a long story," Daniel interjected, "but you remember me, and that's a good sign."

Vala tucked her head under his chin and snuggled further into him. "Of course I remember you," she mumbled, "you're my husband and I love you."

Daniel swore he stopped breathing. Surely, she didn't mean it like that. He felt the stares of his whole team on him and he looked to Sam for help, but all she gave him was a shrug. "Your memory will come back," was what he came up with, "just give it time."

"Daniel, I'm so tired," she sighed. The past couple weeks suddenly just came crashing down on her and the mental fatigue was the worst of it all. She was so tired of not knowing, of not feeling safe, and so tired of running.

"Go to sleep," he whispered into her head, "you're safe now and we'll be home soon."

"Home," Vala hummed out and then she startled slightly, "Daniel, our daughter, is she okay? I can't remember her name, why can't I remember my own daughter's name?"

"Hey, it's okay," he calmed her and settled her again, "everything's okay. Go to sleep."

"Daniel, what's her name?" she pleaded.

Everyone looked at each other and her, all of them heartbroken for her and the pain she would have to go through all over again with Adria. Obviously her memories were scrambled to hell and she wasn't remembering things correctly. She was most likely confusing Daniel with Tomin; the thought hurt Daniel more than he thought it would and he refused to analyze why right now. Vala needed him, them, right now.

"Adria," he reluctantly told her, "her name is Adria."

"Adria," she sighed and drifted off.

Daniel held her tightly to him and he tried to process what Vala thought they were to each other; how the hell was he going to fix it and how the hell were they going to come back from this?

"What are we gonna do?" Daniel asked the rest of the car quietly.

"We got our girl back, that's what matters," Mitchel tried to comfort from the driver's seat, "The doc will fix her up and she'll remember."

"I think that's what I'm afraid of," he muttered to himself.

o0o

"What happened?" Dr. Carolyn Lam demanded as she watched Dr. Jackson carry an unconscious Vala Mal Doran to the gurney she and a nurse had brought up.

Daniel gently laid Vala on the gurney and stepped back so they could do their thing. "She fell asleep in the car," he explained, "She looks a little banged up from the from the accident earlier, but she didn't get hurt when we were in the warehouse."

"And her memory?"

Daniel hesitated and followed as they pushed the gurney back into the mountain. "She remembered me," he replied, "but her memories aren't completely accurate, they're jumbled up and she's confused on certain details."

"Such as?" as they stepped in the elevator, Lam began taking her blood pressure.

He hesitated again, glancing back at his team first. "She thinks we're married."

He had to give it to the doctor; she kept her surprise and reaction to a minimum, and he almost missed it - she was good at staying professional. "Anything else I should know?"

"I can't think of anything," Daniel turned to the team again, seeing if they had anything to add, and they all shook their heads.

"Daniel?" Vala's groggily asked as she woke up, "What's going on? Where am I?" anxiety seeped into her words.

Not knowing what else to do, he took her hand and leaned closer to her. "You're okay, we're at the SGC," he calmly told her, "You're safe. This is Dr. Lam and she's going to help you. Trust me."

"Okay," she whispered.

They got off the elevator and he walked with the gurney, his hand still in hers, but once the hit the infirmary, he released it. "I'll stay close," he promised, hoping it would alleviate any fears she may have.

She nodded but she still looked scared and his heart hurt for her. She was so confused about her life and her memories weren't helping. He would have to eventually tell her that they weren't married, or she would remember on her own that they weren't and where would that leave them? Vala said she loved him, and he wasn't sure if she meant as a friend or as something more. She had said it right after she called him her husband and she could've either said it because she only thought they were married and that's how spouses felt about each other, or she actually felt it and meant it. And if she did, what the hell was he going to do, what were they doing to do?

o0o

"So, how is she?" Daniel asked the second he spotted Dr. Lam coming their way.

"She's resting now," Lam replied, "and physically, she seems fine. Her memories are still a bit of a mystery."

"What about using the Galaran memory device on her?" Mitchel suggested, "Could that help bring back her memories?"

"It certainly could," Carolyn conceded reluctantly, "but I'm hesitant to any type of technology on her. Her brain had already been tampered with enough and gone through something traumatic. I'm not sure if using even more alien technology is a good idea. She seems to be slowly remembering things on her own and now that's she back in her normal life, they should come back faster."

"Should?" Daniel repeated.

"There's no guarantee," Lam admitted, "but I strongly advise to give her a day or two and see what happens. Tampering with her mind in this way even more could result in something far worse."

"So we wait?" Landry asked.

"Yes, we wait," Lam confirmed, "for a day or two. In the meantime, try to help jog her memory, do the things she likes, take her to places she knows best, try to assimilate her back into her normal routine, just do it as gently as possible and don't push too hard."

"She thought we were married," he said quietly, "what do I do about that? Do I correct her or wait for her to remember on her own?"

Carolyn hesitated. "I don't know if I can answer that," she replied softly, "You know her better, do what you think would best help her."

Daniel nodded even though he hadn't a clue what to do and what was best for her.

"You all can see her now," Carolyn said, "and once she's awake again, someone can take her back to her quarters. Make sure someone checks in on her regularly and if she starts acting stranger than usual, sluggish, experiencing headaches, or anything like that, bring her back to me."

They all agreed and headed for her bed. She was still sleeping when they crowded around the bed and Daniel shooed them away, claiming the first shift. They rest nodded and left with the promise of returning. Though she wasn't an actual member of SG-1, she had become an unofficial one and deserved the treatment they all extended to each other, including have one of them at their bedside during an illness or injury – mostly the injury.

Teal'c came by ten minutes into his shift with some translations for him to do. Daniel smiled thankfully at him and got to work. It was better than just sitting there; the least he could do was be productive. Teal'c was good at sitting still with nothing to do, Jack always played his Gameboy or with a yoyo and Mitchel was like Jack, but he and Sam always worked, preferring to focus their worry on solving something else. It was how they all coped.

While Vala wasn't seriously injured, he was still worried; worried about how this would affect their friendship going forward, a friendship that had just started to form. Try as he might, he couldn't focus on work, he could only focus on why she thought they were married and why she would say she loved him. He thought about it the whole trip back to the SGC and during Dr. Lam's examine and he still wasn't all thought out. What would it mean for him if she had meant it? Sure, he had been worried as hell when she was missing; remembered his words to Cam's, about wanting to be right again, that she had found a way to survive again, and he had. The relief of seeing her again, alive, was insurmountable. But was it only relief that he felt or had there been something else as well? Was he seriously contemplating whether or not he had feelings for Vala Mal Doran?

Damn it, he was fucked, wasn't he?

"Daniel?"

Daniel shoved his translation onto a tray table and scooted his stool closer to her bed. "Hey, how are you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess," she muttered sleepily, and she looked around, "Where are we?"

"We're at Stargate Command, remember?" he silently begged her to remember.

"You brought me here," she recounted, "you said this was home; do we live here?"

He sighed but smiled softly at her. "Pretty much," he didn't know what else to say, "We work here too."

She squeezed her eyes as flashes of a blue puddle appeared. "The Stargate, the chappa'ai, we go through that, but I don't remember why."

"That's good, you're remembering stuff," he praised encouragingly, "and we're intergalactic space heroes," he joked.

She smiled at the joke before frowning. "That other guy, the one I cuffed to the motel bed, he said I was an alien."

"You are," he confirmed gently, "but you're the good kind, the human kind."

"None of this is making any sense," she whispered, rubbing her head.

"It's going to come back," he promised.

"Where's Adria?" she asked and looked around, "Where's our daughter?"

Something inside him broke every time she asked for Adria. How do you tell a person that the child you birthed was the evil villain, hell bent of galactic domination? Someone willing to slaughter millions of innocent people who weren't willing to be enslaved?

"She's not here," he said, trying to vague as possible, "We need to get you better first."

Fortunately, she seemed to accept his answer. "You're right, I don't want to confuse her," she smiled sadly, "Can you tell her I love her and I'll see her soon?"

"You don't even remember her, how can you love her?" he questioned curiously.

"I have a few memories of her, I remember carrying her, seeing her little face, and when I do, all I feel is love; just like when I look at you," she told him, fully believing her words, "Besides, she's my daughter, how could I not love her?"

Oh boy. He had to change the subject – now. "You hungry?"

"Starving."

He cracked at smile. "Why am I not surprised?" he joked and pulled her into a sitting position, "Let's get some food."

o0o

Daniel had Vala changed into some BDUs before heading to the commissary. When they arrived, the team was already there at their usual table. Daniel checked his watch and realized it was dinner time. He gently led her to the food and started to fill his own tray while she stared at hers thoughtfully. When he finally noticed she wasn't grabbing anything, he put a hand on her back and caused her attention to shift to him.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I don't know what I like here," she confessed, feeling stupid, "it's a little different from the food at the diner. I should be able to remember what I like to eat, right? How pathetic is that?"

"You've been through a lot," he corrected, "it'll come back. For the record, you eat pretty much anything."

"Really?"

"Really," he smiled warmly at her and grabbed a few of her favorites, "Start with these and we can come back if you don't like them or want more."

"Thank you, darling."

Her using his pet name struck something in him. It wasn't said with her usual casualness or flirtatious flare; instead, it was sincere, said with an emotion he never heard from her. "You're welcome," he replied as led her to their table, "Let me know if it gets to be too much," he told her before they hit the table.

"I will," she promised and smiled hesitantly at the people who were supposedly her friends.

"Princess!" Mitchel exclaimed, "Good to see you up and around."

She frowned, sitting down and turned to Daniel. "Am I a princess from where I'm from?"

Daniel choked on his water while the rest of the table stifled snickers. "No, that's just…uhh his nick name for you."

"Oh," she said simply, she looked back Mitchel, "Your name is Cam…or is it Sam?"

The blonde woman and Cam/Sam both laughed.

"I'm Sam," the woman raised her hand, "short for Samantha."

"I call you Samantha, right?"

"For the most part, yes," she smiled at Vala.

"You normally call me Cameron or Mitchel, depending on your mood," Mitchel chimed in.

Vala looked over at the bulky man. "You're a Jaffa," she stated, "I don't really remember what that is but I know you're one."

"Indeed," Teal'c nodded.

"I call you Muscles, but I have a feeling that's not your actual name," she sent him an apologetic look.

"You do indeed refer to me as 'Muscle' quite often," Teal'c acknowledged, "but my name is Teal'c."

"Shol'va," she muttered, and she noticed he flinched very slightly at the word, "I don't remember what it means; it feels like a cruel word, but in conjuncture with your name, it means something different, something almost wonderful, hopeful."

Teal'c smiled at her. "I am pleased you seem to be regaining your memory."

"They're all a mess, muddled up together," she closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to clear the cobwebs, "it's hard to sort them all out."

"Give it time," Daniel told her again.

Vala nodded and cautiously began to eat her food but once she took a bite of each thing on her tray, she was no longer worried, and quickly polished off most of it. Seeing her tray mostly empty, Daniel offered some of his food since he had grabbed extra; it was almost a habit since she always stole from his tray. In hindsight, he probably shouldn't have done that; it was something a husband would do and he didn't want to confuse her further.

He could only hope that she would remember soon.

o0o

Dr. Lam's two-day estimation had come and Vala was still no closer to remembering that they weren't a couple than she was the day they found her. Most of her memories had come back, just not the ones that clearly stated that she and Daniel weren't a couple, and that Adria wasn't her innocent child but instead a demonic, power hungry woman; it was killing him. Daniel couldn't keep this up, he couldn't keep pretending that things were fine when they weren't. He had originally decided not to say anything and not contradict her, thinking that she would remember by that first morning, but it hadn't happened, and he as stuck in this charade. He wasn't equipped to handle these emotions; hers or his. He wasn't in that place where he could see himself getting close to someone again, still afraid of getting hurt like had been with Sha're.

"I don't know what to tell you," Dr. Lam said wearily, "She seems to have regained most of her memories and I don't know why she hadn't remembered the truth about Adria or your relationship with her."

"Could she subconsciously be resisting the memories of Adria?" Daniel asked, grasping at straws.

"That could be a possibility," she conceded, "It could be her mind trying to protect her from the painful truth of what the Ori did to her and her child."

"Could that be the same reason why she hasn't remembered that we're not together?" he asked, somewhat skeptical.

"Possibly," she acknowledged, "your memories may be loosely tired to the ones of her and Adria. You were there the day the Orici was born. She could also be confusing you with Tomin."

Daniel's hand balled at the thought; he preferred the other scenario where she actually did love him – so what did that tell him regarding his relationship with her? "So, what do we do now? Wait it out some more?"

Dr. Lam sighed and shifted on her feet. "It might be time for you to try and tell her the truth, gently of course, or else this could go on longer that we anticipated. There is also the option of using the Galaran device."

"What do you recommend?"

She was silent for a few seconds and looked away from him. "I think you should tell her the truth," she finally admitted, "because when she does eventually remember, no matter what way it came about, she'll probably be upset that you let it go for as long as you did."

"Damn it," he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He had been hoping that it wouldn't come to this; he really wanted her to remember on her own. It wasn't like anyone could do this part; well, they could but it would be cruel to come from someone else…right? "Okay, I'll tell her."

"Be as gentle as possible," she advised, "and she may try to resist it and the memories but be patient and stay calm."

"Got it," he nodded, "thanks," he waved and walked away.

"Good luck," she called after him.

o0o

Daniel found her in his office, staring at a tablet with a pencil in one hand. He smiled at the scene. Since coming back to the SGC, she helped a lot with translations and rarely complained about being bored; he was going to miss that once he broke the news. He had a feeling she would avoid him for a while after this conversation.

"Hey," he caught her attention.

She looked up at him with a grin. "Darling!" she greeted, "There you are. I was just finishing up this translation before coming to find you."

"Vala, we need to talk," he said seriously.

She let the pencil fall from her fingers. "What's wrong?"

"Not here," he insisted and motioned her to come closer, "Come on, let's go to y – our quarters" he corrected himself from calling it her quarters. He stayed with her each night since coming back until she fell asleep before going back to his room. When she asked why he didn't stay, he told her he refused to take advantage of her in that state, even if it was just sleeping; she reluctantly accepted his explanation.

Vala grabbed his hand and followed him warily to their room. Once he closed the door, she wrapped her arms around herself. "Daniel, what is it?" she had this feeling in the pit of her stomach, like she knew that she wasn't going to like this.

He led her to the bed, sitting her down softly before kneeling in front of her. "There's something I need to tell you and I want to start off by apologizing for not clearing it up right away."

"This is about my memories, isn't it?"

"Yeah," he sighed and didn't know how else to tell her other than being blunt, "Vala, we're not married nor have we ever been in any romantic type of relationship."

Vala laughed. "Don't be ridiculous," her smile fell at his forlorn face, "Daniel, that isn't funny."

"No, it's not," he agreed, "but it's true. I don't know why you thought we were and we should've told you right away, but you were regaining your memories on your own, so we decided to wait to see if your misconceptions would clear up on their own...but they haven't."

"No!" she denied, "I remember us together. I remember us kissing, you called our home a nuptial one, you clearly said we were married, I remember looking at myself in a wedding dress, I remember us hugging, out to dinner, me touching you affectionately, and I remember you hugging my belly when I was pregnant, though you have cut your hair since then," she brushed her hand through his short hair.

"Okay, that last one wasn't me," he denied gently, "and I can see how you got things mixed up but Vala, each of those memories can be explained and none of the explanations end with us being married."

It was like her mind was resisting any new memories from popping up; she resisted what he was saying. How could any of it be true? She loved him, she knew that for certain. "Why are you doing this to me?" she whispered painfully, "They're real, Daniel, I know they are, because when I look at you, all I feel is love. I love you, Daniel; it's not something I'd forget. I don't know why you're saying these things but it's cruel. I know what I feel and don't you dare try to tell me any different!" she jumped from the bed and backed into the wall behind her.

He watched as she squeezed her eyes shut and he was certain she was trying to resist certain memories from resurfacing. And then, he knew what to do, he knew what he had to say to shatter any illusions she may have. "Vala, it's true, I wouldn't lie to you about this," he began softly, slowly approaching her, "There's one more thing you should know; Adria isn't a child anymore. The Ori genetically altered her and she was full grown within a day. You've only met her once and she's not a good person; she's the Orici, created to convert this galaxy to Origin and slaughter those that refuse."

"No," she moaned, shaking her head, "she's my baby."

Daniel put his hand gently on her face, making her look at him. "She was never yours, not really," he hated himself for saying it, "you never even got to hold her; they denied you that right."

The pain from that moment hit her all at once and she couldn't stop the on slaughter of memories that filled her mind. And then, she knew, she remembered everything; it all came back to her. "No, oh gods no," she whispered, horrified and mortified at the thought of the last few days. Oh gods, she thought she and Daniel were married! What was even worse, she told him how she felt! Mortified and horrified didn't even come close to describing what she was feeling.

"Vala?" Daniel inquired gently, having a feeling that he had gotten through to her. As tears flowed from her eyes, he knew it had. He gently wiped them away. "It's gonna be okay. I'm so sorry."

She pushed him away; she couldn't stand him being so close to her, being so nice and compassionate. "You need to leave," she forced herself to sound cold.

"I'm not leaving you," he protested softly, "remembering all that couldn't have been easy for you. I'm here for you."

"I need you to leave," she told him firmly, pushing him further away.

He fought the distance she tried to put between them. "Vala, I'm n –"

Vala pushed him with as much strength as she could muster. "Leave me alone, Daniel!" she yelled at him before bolting to the bathroom and quickly locking herself inside.

Once separated by a wall, she couldn't stop it this time, she broke down. Sobs came fast and hard; she tried to stifle them with her hand but it didn't do much good. The emotional turmoil from the last couple of weeks finally caught up with her and she couldn't stop it no matter how hard she tried. She slid down the wall that was directly across from the door and brought her knees to her chest, burying her face them as she cried.

It wasn't fair, none of it. There was so much pain. There was a reason why she tried to keep an emotional distance between her and Adria since finding out she was pregnant; she was never her daughter and she was never meant to be, but that last few days, she had let herself feel the repressed feelings she had for her child and they were killing her. When she didn't remember, she imagined what her life with Adria and Daniel was like, she let herself dream and want that life. But that life would never be, she would never have a relationship her daughter and they never be anything but enemies, no matter how much she wanted the exact opposite. After years of denying herself hope, the hope of a family, she had let herself do exactly that for the last few days and now it was crushing her.

That wasn't even mentioning Daniel. Falling in love with him had never been the plan, it was something she tried to avoid at all costs, but as luck would have it, she did, and she fell hard. She had been able to love him freely these last few days and it was the happiest she could ever remember being. She didn't think she could recover from this, from the humiliation of it all. Loving him came at to high a price.

Too distraught in her thoughts, she didn't notice that Daniel had been yelling her name while pounding on the door for the last few minutes, she didn't notice when he broke into the bathroom until she was pulled into a warm body and he held on tight, not wanting to risk her escaping. But instead of resisting, she clung to him, crying into his shoulder.

Though neither Adria or Daniel were ever really hers, she still felt like she lost a husband and her child today; disappeared like a puff of smoke. It fucking hurt, more than her mother's death, more than her father abandoning her, more than her own village hating her, more than her former betrothed trying to stone her, more than Tomin's abrupt change in temperament after he joined the Ori army. Today, she lost the daughter she confessed to herself that she loved and she lost the first man she came to love in over a decade. A thought suddenly occurred to her; the entire base knew that she believed she and Daniel were married and now that she knew the truth, they were going to feel sorry for her, throw her pity looks, and she couldn't handle that, not now at least.

She had to leave Earth, not forever, but for a little while so she could deal with this in private.

Vala had cried herself out, for now at least, and with her mind made up to leave Earth, she pushed herself out of Daniel's arm and sprinted to her room, quickly finding a bag to pack her stuff in. She tossed it on the bed and made a beeline for her dresser, pulling out her old clothing and threw them into the awaiting bag.

As she went back for a second load of clothes, Daniel caught her arms and backed her up against the wall. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he asked, a bit of anger tinted his words, along with worry.

"What does it look like, Daniel?" she spat out rhetorically, "I'm packing."

"Why?"

"Why does anyone pack? To leave."

His hands tightened on her. "Like hell you," he protested, "You're not running, you left that behind and if you think I'm gonna let you then you're sorely mistaken."

"You can't stop me."

"Try me!" he challenged, "No more running," he implored.

She closed her eyes. "I can't stay, Daniel," she tried to explain, her voice cracking, "not after…everything."

"Is that what this is about?" he chuckled slightly in relief, "Vala, no one's gonna care. We all understand; it doesn't matter."

"It matters to me," she told him and blinked back more tears, "it's humiliating, Daniel. It's soul crushing and I can't handle the ramifications of it, not here at least."

"It wasn't your fault," he tried again, not understanding completely.

"Daniel, you're not understanding me. I told you I loved you! I thought we were married; I can't deal with that when you're nearby."

"Vala, I don't hold it against you; I understand that you were confused."

"I wasn't confused," she whispered, "well, yes I was but not about that."

"What are you saying?" he asked warily but also a little hopeful.

Vala laid her head back against the wall. He was going to make her say it, admit it now that she was mentally all there again. "I meant it," she whispered fervently, "I meant it when I said I love you."

"Oh."

Not the reaction she was hoping for. She fought against his hold but he held on tighter and pressed up against her, giving her little to no wiggle room. "See, this is why I need to leave," she stated desperately, "I can't stay here, seeing you everyday and not have my heart smashed to pieces. I can't survive that. Please let me go," she pleaded, tears rolling down her cheeks once more and she did her best to look away.

He released one of her arms to brush the tears away. "Vala," he tried to get her to look at him.

"Just give me a moment," she begged, still turning her face away from him.

Still using his body to hold her against the wall, his other hand released her arm and it went to her hair, brushing it away, while his other continued to stroke her face. He saw it in her face, in her eyes, tone and expression; she meant what she was saying, she really loved him. And just like that, he swore he felt the pieces of his heart slowly come back together. He wouldn't say he loved her, not yet, but he cared for her greatly, what he felt for her was serious and would eventually lead to love. The only question was, was he ready? Was he willing to risk it again? And lastly, would he continue to let fear hold him back?

"Vala," he murmured gently, "look at me," he ordered/pleaded.

When she finally did, he knew his decision. Daniel leaned down and kissed her; she was surprised, he felt it, but it was only for a moment and she locked her hands on his neck, bringing him closer and deepening their kiss.

When he pulled away, she didn't open her eyes, and the vulnerable look on her face made his heart hurt. "Daniel…" she whispered, trailing off in an unspoken question.

"I'm not messing with you," he promised her, causing her eyes to open, "and I swear if you're messing with me…" he trailed off.

"Never," she solemnly vowed.

That all he needed before pulling her back into him for a hard kiss, a passionate kiss, filled with heat, and repressed feelings. One second, he was pushing her up against the wall and kissing her in a way he never had with a woman, and then next, they were half dressed on the bed, with him on top. When she went for his zipper, his mind finally caught up and he stopped her.

She slumped into the bed, dejected. "I knew this was too good to be true," she whispered forlornly.

Daniel leaned down to kiss her again and rested his head against hers. "It's not that," he assured her, "but we can't do this. You're still reeling from getting your memories back, you're not in a good emotional headspace and I'm not taking advantage of you in your vulnerable state."

Vala giggled and he looked at her in surprise, not expecting that. "Is that all?" she teased, "You had me worried for second," she admitted honestly.

"Vala, this isn't a good idea," he tried again, "Don't get me wrong, I want to, but I don't know if you're ready."

"I'm telling you I am," she stared directly into his eyes, trying to show him she was serious. "I do appreciate the concern, though. I just want to be with you."

He kissed her. "You sure?" he mumbled against her lips, kissing her again.

"I've never been more sure of anything else in my life," she said seriously.

Daniel dove back in, deciding not to question her further. Only to change his mind once more. "Wait," he mumbled, pulling back again.

"For gods' sake!" she groaned, "I have no qualms about taking control and trust me when I say I will if you ask me one more time if I'm sure!"

He grinned down at her. "I wasn't going to, but good to know," he chuckled, "What I wanted to say is that I need you to know that I don't do this lightly; I care about you, Vala, really care."

"I figured as much," she mused, caressing his cheek.

"I also think you should know that while I have serious feelings for you, I can't say that I love you," he brushed a finger over lips to keep her silent, "I don't think I'm ready to love someone like that again, but if you can bear with me, I know I'll get there. I want to be able say those words to you, and I know someday soon I will, but I need to know if caring for you the way I do is enough for you. I won't do this unless it is; I won't hurt you like this."

"It's enough," she whispered hoarsely, "Knowing you want to say them is more than enough and until you're ready, I have love enough for the both of us."

"Gods, you're amazing," he muttered, crashing their lips together again.

"I know," she said smugly, "This means we're dating now, right?"

"Yes, now shut up and help me remove the rest of our clothing."

Vala giggled at his behavior and loved every second of it. She loved this man. As humiliating it had been to go around for two days thinking they were married and constantly telling him how she felt, she couldn't come to regret a single thing; it led her to this moment, in the arms of the man she loved, a man who despite his fears, was risking it all with her.

Though he either wouldn't admit or simply didn't know, she knew that he loved her. The way he was with her since finding her in that warehouse had proved it. No, he didn't shower her with flowery words or anything like that, he had simply been there for whatever she needed. He showed her in the little things in life, things people often overlooked. His willingness to try and make a relationship work with her was the main proof; she knew had deeply scarred he was from Sha're and he was terrified to be hurt in that way again, but here he was, taking a chance on an emotionally unstable wreck of a woman, a woman who was broken in so many ways.

Who knows if this would have ever happened had her memories not been all scrambled like they had been? She didn't want to know; she didn't want to think about what ifs. All she wanted to concentrate on was Daniel and her. Two broken people who somehow, when brought together, became whole.

The End…maybe.

o0o

Author's Note: Well, that's it, for now at least. I like the idea of adding chapters to this based on certain episodes throughout the rest of the series but we'll see.

Also, they never said how long it took for Vala to regain her memories so I obviously took some liberties there...

Let me know your thoughts!