"I'm not a runner!" Daniel shouted from what seemed to be miles away rather than feet, Adrienne so far ahead now there was no way he was going to catch up, especially since he knew she would take the stairs and not the elevator.
"And I'm not a sprinter, so you shouldn't be so far behind," she continued her advance to the door, the stairwell in sight, her feet pounding the cement
"Ad, dammit, this isn't funny!" Daniel continued to scream, running full force...
...right into General Jonathan J. O'Neill.
"Christ Daniel, did I miss some sirens!?" Jack asked, throwing up his hands looking back at his companion, Colonel David Telford, to see if there really was something he had missed. There was a shout down the passageway, Daniel holding Jack by the shoulders to peer around and see how far ahead his fianceé was now.
"Sorry, my, I've, I've gotta go!" Daniel stammered out, racing back down the hallway, both Jack and Telford watching him dash to the stairwell door, which slammed shut into his face, the archaeologist swearing before opening it, racing down the stairwell.
"What was that?" the colonel asked, shaking his head in confusion, but Jack was laughing, rubbing his face with his hand.
"That my friend is what happens when Daniel's getting laid," the general responded, laughing, leading his comrade to his wife's office to discuss the latest Tok'ra intelligence report.
"Ad, really, I want to get that finished. You know Rodney is gonna steal you away and then I'm going to be stuck alone. This is the first week in months we've been left alone for database work..." Daniel playfully whined, stopping at the platform to level K, two full floors below their new quarters, courtesy of Sam, who had indeed ordered a queen size mattress and set it on top of two smaller beds strapped together.
It was a really sweet gesture that they both appreciated.
Adrienne was nowhere in sight, not a sound, but he could have sworn he heard her footsteps come to a halt right where he was standing. Frowning, he scanned the landing when he felt a hand at his shoulder, a force jerking him around forcefully and lips pressed to his.
Found her, he thought, submitting to the roughhousing, Adrienne's mouth working its way feverishly across his before taking his lower lip between her teeth, nipping at it gently.
"Do we need to go upstairs?" he asked, relenting, knowing that as much as he wanted to make some headway in the database he could also never say no to this, to her tempting offer. He had to admit that he had never felt this way before, never cared that much about any person in his life to toss it all aside, but Adrienne?
Adrienne was different.
She was perfect, she was so much like him, she was the other half of his soul.
It sounded so ridiculous and sappy, but every time he stood there, staring into her eyes, he thought back to that night in the hotel room in Nebraska when she had showed him that tattoo on her hip, the unfinished tree, the moment his entire opinion of her changed. Before he thought of her as a pest, albeit a talented one, but standing at the doorway to the bathroom of that seedy motel he realized that inside of that strange and unique individual was a kind and loving heart, one that he had never given a chance.
More than that, though, he now realized that he was the other half of the tree; that he was her soulmate.
"No," she laughed, pecking him lightly a second time before pulling away, "I just needed to burn some energy and wanted to talk to you, sans cameras and possible interruptions."
Shrugging, she handed him back the folder, taking a seat on the metal stairs, Daniel sitting quickly to join her.
"Oh I could see you needed to burn energy," he teased, "But given your, well, drive lately I was wondering what kind."
"What have I done to you?" she laughed, Daniel shrugging.
"We discussed this…" he said, leaning to kiss her head, "Beast…"
She shook her head and he leaned over, trying to gauge the look on her face when her fingers were at his, intertwining with them tenderly.
"Daniel I need a break," she said quietly, her eyes darting down to the folder in guilt.
Daniel's heart stopped; what did she mean a break?
Did she mean a break from them?
A break from this?
Was she reconsidering?
They had just about narrowed down a date and then had planned to actually go to New Orleans and tell her aunt, let her family meet him...
He started to speak, stammering for words when she shook her head, laughing lightly.
"Oh no cher, not that kind of break. A work, well, reality break. I need a vacation. Badly. I need to not think about dead aliens, bureaucratic paperwork, or jackal headed assholes that want to kill the love of my life. I need that kind of break," she corrected, leaning over to kiss him softly for emphasis.
Whew, he thought, way to panic.
"I wasn't thinking that," he covered quickly, smiling.
"You're a bad liar Indy. Always have been," she teased, picking up his arm so she could cozy under it, letting it drape around her, Daniel pulling her close.
"You're lucky no one uses the back stairs," he whispered, kissing her temple as he held her tightly to him.
"Which I think says a lot about the overall health and fitness choices my colleagues are making, but I shall refrain from commenting," she joked and he laughed, shaking his head against hers.
"Give me two days to go through the database, two, also gives Rodney time to play with your blood and remaining trinium samples you two have been diving into. That will make it Thursday, and we can take off and stay at home for a long weekend," Daniel offered, pulling back just a touch to let her answer.
"Daniel, I don't wanna stay home. I want a vacation. Remember those things we used to take when we were friends and we didn't think the end of the world was coming?" she clarified, hoping he wouldn't take it the wrong way.
It wasn't that she didn't want to spend time with him; it was that she wanted a real escape, something that made her forget the realities and hardships that they faced together each day and reminded them of the joys of just that, being together. There was a pause, as though he was considering her words in true Daniel fashion, over analyzing, trying to determine if he had done something to offend her.
"What did you have in mind?" he asked instead, taking no offense and Adrienne smiled, nodding her head.
"Something fun, something different, something borderline childish. I've got an idea, but, Indy, can we, really? Can we leave Wednesday night? I can arrange everything; I'm gonna be waiting around Rodney's lab for at least the rest of today, if not tomorrow, we're just waiting for results and I'll have plenty of time. Please?"
She made a sad face, that fake Vala pouty sad face she liked to throw at him when she wanted something.
"I should say no just for this display, but fine, ok, I'll scrap a few days of uninterrupted research just to appease you. Why not?" he mocked back, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. Her face aglow, yep, that look alone was worth scrapping the work, she leapt from their cold metal seat, rushing into his arms again, kissing him softly.
"This is gonna be great. Trust me," she promised as she pulled back, locking her eyes on his.
"Go before I change my mind ja-wer," he noted, shaking the retrieved folder. Biting her lip and wrinkling her nose, Adrienne darted from the stairwell, headed up the flights that would take her to their quarters.
"Damn distracting Adrienne," he said aloud, smiling as he jogged back down the stairs to M-level, heading back for the lab.
"Thank gawd you're here!" Adrienne exclaimed as Vala opened the door to her office, confused by her friend pushing past her and marching over to her desk.
"Thank God what, of course I'm here. I'm here listening to what other idiots have recorded, stolen, picked up, useless shit rather than getting it myself, but no, I'm here at your disposal, what do you need?" Vala ranted, hands on her hips as she watched Addy take a seat in her chair, tossing her satchel on top of the lead intelligence officer's desk and pulling out her laptop, firing up the machine like she was just supposed to be there.
"I need, mon ami, for you to keep Daniel away from me," Adrienne replied, typing furiously, her eyes darting back and forth along the screen.
Vala frowned.
"What did he do now? Do I need to punch him again?" Vala inquired her interest peaked as she sauntered over to the desk, finally finding something more interesting than poor intelligence.
"I'm planning a trip, a real trip, a trip I want to go on and I don't want him trying to come in here and influence me and sweet talk his way into what he wants to do," the Cajun responded, clicking feverishly when her eyes widened, glancing up at Vala.
"Does your office phone have long distance?" she asked.
"Yeah, why?" Vala answered but Adrienne didn't reply, just picked up the receiver dialing, covering up the mouthpiece for just a moment.
"Rodney too. I feel like a maple tree. Tell him I'm tapped out," Adrienne ordered, holding up her finger to shush her friend, "Hi, my name is Dr. Adrienne Rowan and I'm a researcher with the United States Air Force how are you?"
Well that was rude, Vala thought, watching her friend switch right into that sweet mode she got into when she wanted something. What in the world is she up to, Vala thought, walking to the door to heed her friend's request. She closed the door and peered back at Adrienne, sitting at her desk, holding up a note as she asked to speak to a manager.
I owe you
"So what else is new?" Vala grumbled, smirking, walking to pull her guest chair to Adrienne's side.
A few hours later the phone buzzed in her pocket, breaking her concentration yet again. Growling, Vala hit stop on the recording, pulling the headphones from her head to look up at Adrienne.
"That's the sixth time he's called me. If you're not answering and I'm not answering he's gonna put things together. He knows us..." she stated, reaching into her pants for the cell, waving it at Adrienne who was shaking her head.
"One more call Vala and I have everything set, just one more," she pleaded, reaching for Vala's desk phone one final time.
"Why are you using my phone anyway? You have a cell phone," she stated as Adrienne dialed, checking the number again on the computer screen.
"Daniel's nosey. Once he figures out I'm not gonna tell him what we're doing, he'll wait until I'm asleep and search my phone," she answered simply, her tone changing as she said hello into the phone.
"I think that's creepy Addy," Vala replied, setting her phone down on her desk where she was sitting across from Adrienne, working, "Didn't you already yell at him about going through your stuff when he started secretly paying your damn bills?"
"I tell you too much about our relationship," Adrienne grumbled before perking up again,"Yes, I know that we don't have enough people to get a group discount, but I was calling to see if you offered a military discount. Yes, I'll hold," Adrienne sighed out, on hold yet again.
"How many people is a group?" Vala asked, now even more curious.
"Fifteen according to the website," Adrienne replied, tapping her pen nervously at the desk.
"Wait? How many people are you thinking about going?" she now asked, thinking that Adrienne had been planning a romantic getting away with Daniel but apparently not.
"Five I guess. I was thinking SG-1, me and Indy, you, Cam, T. There is no way Sam can get away, I already texted her, and Teyla couldn't find a sitter so fast, the docs are still in clone land and playing with my spinal fluid and John won't go without Teyla, trust me, they are like me and Daniel minus sex," Adrienne answered, now bopping her head to what Vala could only imagine was horrible elevator music judging by her friend's face. She smiled, understanding that she was welcome on this adventure when her face furrowed, realizing that Adrienne had forgotten someone.
"Addy, what about Ronon?" Vala asked.
"What about him?" Adrienne replied.
"Why didn't you list him?" she continued as Adrienne held up a finger, speaking into the phone again.
"Yes, Airforce. That's right, we're all active military. Thank you," Adrienne answered the person on the other line, looking back at Vala.
"Because," she smiled slyly, "Someone in this room has yet to, how did you so eloquently put it to me not too long ago, throw him against the wall and make him yours…"
"Ugh," Vala slammed her notepad on the desk, leaning back in the chair, "It's different and you know it."
"Uh huh," Adrienne teased, "You keep telling this to the woman whose future husband you threw yourself at for years, who has personally borne witness to the Vala Mal Doran seduction process."
Vala grunted.
"I want you to ask…" Adrienne teased evilly.
"Oh Addy, can we invite him? Can I invite him? Please," Vala mocked, holding up a middle finger as she did, waiting for her friend to explode but she didn't instead sighing out as the salesperson came back on the phone.
"Six tickets I think, I think we'll need six. Yes, yes I'll have ID. Thank you, thank you so much," Adrienne said, hanging up the receiver, smirking.
"I was gonna get him a ticket," she said laughing, "If not for any other reason than to give you an equal amount of shit that you gave me about Indy."
Vala made a face, rolling her eyes, "See if I let you in the next time you are trying to hide from your 'true love'," she spat, adding air quotes to true love.
Adrienne giggled, "But as soon as you ask him you meet me at our room, because I want DETAILS," Adrienne requested and Vala stood, trying to play it cool, heading for the door, heading out into the hallway toward the gym, the first place she would check. She had gotten about five steps from the room when she paused, peering over her shoulder.
"Wait!? That's MY office! I can call him from MY office!" she shouted, turning to head back, continuing to shout at Adrienne, "And I never got any damn details!"
Daniel finished drying his hair, tossing the towel into the hamper as he left the bathroom to see Adrienne sitting cross legged on the bed, hidden behind the satin canopy reading intently.
"What's that?" he asked, noting the absence of blond vampires and blood, in fact, it looked like a kid's book, a teenager riding a Pegasus on the cover.
"Percy Jackson," she replied without looking up.
"Which is...?" he asked, walking over to their bed, pulling back the curtain to crawl in beside her, underneath the unnecessary blankets in the August heat, air conditioning or not.
"Teen demigods of the ancient Greeks," she responded, her eyes racing back and forth across the page.
"Must be good if I'm not even getting a kiss goodnight," he joked as he scooted down on the pillow, playfully turning his back to her, feeling a light swat at his head.
"Let me finish this chapter o' master of patience and I'm right behind you," she played back, racing to finish. There were only a few pages left, and Adrienne found herself speed reading, even more so as he pretended to snore beside her.
"Ya such a damn cooyon," she teased, laughing at the poor attempt as the acting grew louder.
"Dammit," she swore, tossing the book on her night stand, "sa c'est bette," she fussed, rolling him onto his back and crawling on top of him as he laughed hysterically.
"I am not stupid," he laughed, throwing her off and over to her side, pinning down her arms playfully, cautiously, walking the fine line he always walked when they chose to rough house. Seeing her smile, he leaned down kissing her gently before pulling away, gazing down in her eyes.
"I said you're silly," she corrected his Cajun, reaching her hand to his face, letting her fingertips trace his cheek, jawline and full lips.
"Only due to your terrible influence," he answered, kissing her fingers and laying on his back, pulling her to his chest as he reached back to shut off the light. Sighing, she snuggled close to him, wrapping her arm around his waist and draping her legs across his, silently listening to his heartbeat, letting its soothing rhythm carry her to sleep.
"So...where are we going?" he asked, Adrienne outright impressed that he waited until after work, dinner, cleaning and showers before asking. Well, asking after his repeated phone calls all day, but this was Daniel and his patience once they were face to face again was something to be commended. Giggling, she rubbed his chest softly, leaning up to peer into his azure eyes, sparkling in the moonlight that was peeking through their window.
"Nice try Indy. My vacation, remember? And what if I was trying to surprise you? It's not fair to make me ruin a surprise," she responded, smiling softly.
"Is it? Is it a surprise?" he asked, confused. The only thing she did tell him about the trip was that it included six people, that it wasn't just to two of them, which he didn't mind, it just made him that much more curious.
"Actually, yes. Parts of it, yes, have been carefully planned. See I have this problem. I fell in love with you and it seems to put a kink into everything," she replied, leaning forward to peck his lips ever so gently, so much so he breathed in, chills rushing down his spine. Hugging him close, she settled down again against him, her arm back where it usually rested, her head the same.
"Ad?" he whispered into the dark.
"What cher?"
"Did you ever think you'd be engaged to the guy who wore a cone of foil on his head?" he asked, withholding laughter.
"Go to sleep Indy or I leave you at home."
He laughed, letting himself do just that.
Wednesday didn't fly by, nor did it drag, although to Adrienne it felt like a hundred years had passed, spending most of the day answering a billion questions Rodney had about her athletic routine and how it might have differed since the trinium was injected into her spinal column as he created a timeline of her medical records, any full body scans and her post-recovery examination by Carolyn. Throughout the process, he kept rambling on about incompetence, how this was missed before when she sustained the original injury and how annoyed he was that Sam could not get in contact with Xe'ls for more information. At one point he went as far as to suggest that they inject a little trinium back into Adrienne to see if she reacted, but she put a stop to before he could even try to persuade her to agree.
At times she couldn't believe that she was working here, and studying with him, voluntarily.
She must be going crazy.
Released from McKay's clutches, Adrienne texted Daniel to let him know that she was going to head home and pack for both of them, knowing that her beloved would use the packing as an excuse to pry for further details. Not even giving him time to respond, she left base, taking the first train home to get started.
At five he really wasn't where he wanted to be and with Adrienne having sent him a text well over three hours ago, not a peep since, he was worried. Despite his hints over breakfast, the metro ride into work and the entire ride down the elevator, she hadn't budged, hadn't told him a thing other than they were riding separate from the others and he needed to be home by seven.
He walked in their front door at six.
"I knew you'd be early," she teased as he came in, making his way quickly to the office to toss his work bag, having been forewarned over coffee that no work was allowed. In the past he would have been upset, but now he was more intrigued than anything.
"I figured you shouldn't be left to do all the packing," he answered, walking straight for where she had apparently finished packing already, reaching for his suitcase.
"Touch that case and die cher," she warned, not moving an inch toward him. Stopping in his tracks he turned to face her, trying to give her that look, that innocent clueless look she claimed he gave her that made her melt, but she just shook her head and pointed to the door.
"Bags to Jeep. Don't open anything and get in the passenger side," she ordered, smiling. Doing as he was told, honestly excited about the possible surprise, Daniel grabbed the suitcases, taking them out to his car
Daniel was waiting patiently when Adrienne finally locked the front door, smiling as she skipped down the walk. Curiosity burning inside of him, Daniel scanned her from top to bottom, trying to see if her attire gave away anything, but other than choosing to wear a light peach summer blouse with her jeans rather than a T-shirt there was no difference.
As expected, she crawled over the door to the Jeep, the top having been long since stowed in the garage once the weather warmed, reaching into her pocket before making herself comfortable in the seat.
"Relax cher," she ordered, pushing him back by his chest into the seat. Playing along, for now, he saw that what she had in her hand was one of his bandanas, folded like a blindfold.
"Adrienne, come on, a blindfold?" he asked, starting to change his opinion fast, thinking maybe this was a surprise he didn't want.
What in the world does she, in consort with Vala, have in mind?
What's going on with her lately?
Not that he was complaining, after their encounter with Laja and her enchantment, or whatever that was, Adrienne had been much more affectionate, open, telling him about her crazy family, talking about certain ancient wedding traditions that she wanted to include in their own ceremony.
And, she'd been much much more impassioned and tactile, another fact about which he was not complaining.
"Please Indy, please, for me," she pleaded, leaning forward to kiss his lips softly, so softly, now it was his turn to melt.
"Fine," he gave in as she pulled away, "but it's not fair to use that to get your way."
"I still find it funny that it works so easily on you," she joked, sitting back in the driver's seat and starting the ignition.
"For the record, only when it's you…" Daniel clarified, as he pulled the bandana to his eyes, covering them as requested and leaned back into the seat, closing his eyes to nap until they arrived at their destination.
It was her lips that brought him to, smooth and tender against his own, making him reach out to take her in his arms when there was a pulling, and she was gone, leaving Daniel confused.
"Dammit, haven't you two been together long enough to be sick of that yet?" he heard a voice, Vala's voice, realizing that they weren't at home, this wasn't morning and they must have arrived at their destination.
He reached for the back of his head, the blindfold still tightly in place, when smaller hands, her hands, beat him to it, untying while another voice spoke.
"Ma'am, can I get your keys?" it asked, the hands leaving the back of his head, a clang of keys shaking her response. Anxious, Daniel returned his hands to the fabric, ripping it off, bright lights shining in his face, making him squint. Eyes closed, he grabbed his glasses from where he had set them in the console, slipping them onto his face and trying to open his eyes a second time.
"Adrienne what have you done?" he asked in amazement, taking in his surroundings. They were in the entrance loop of a huge stone building, valets in classic outfits awaiting their keys. There was a fountain behind him and one to his left, leading down a stone walkway and a set of ornate doors positioned on the side of a golden revolving door. The building had to be at least a hundred years old or older based on the brick coloring alone, but was in pristine condition. The entire hotel was accented and supported by gorgeous Greek revival architecture, columns, and he was sure that played a huge role in her selecting this location.
"Welcome to the Jefferson Hotel," she whispered in his ear, "Built in 1895 by Lewis Ginter, the son of Dutch Immigrants, this hotel was a lifelong dream of his, to built a luxury hotel, in the Renaissance style, in his adopted home of Richmond, Virginia," she began to lecture, ushering him out with her hands so the valet could park the car. Scanning he could see their friends standing at the entrance, Teal'c carefully examining a large bronze alligator gracing the hotel patio.
"Ad, this place isn't cheap," Daniel scolded, stepping out of the Jeep and reaching for their bags, but she was shaking her head already.
"First, I only paid for our room, so no worries there and second you bought me a house Daniel, and paid off all of my debt. Don't lecture me about expensive," she pointed out.
Point for Adrienne, he thought, deciding not to argue and followed the group inside.
Adrienne turned around from the check in stand and a man seated awkwardly at the ornate desk on the other side of a high counter that didn't seem to fit, handing him the key card, a sad look on her face.
"I tried to get the honeymoon suite, but it was booked. I was holding out that they canceled, but they didn't. I'm sorry," she apologized, looking genuinely upset. Smiling, he reached forward, grabbing her hand and interlocking their fingers.
"I'm here with you, that's all that matters," he whispered, leaning in for a kiss.
"Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop," Vala shouted as embarrassingly loud as she could in the middle of the mezzanine, forcing her way between them, "you promised adventure and not a love fest. We get it, we all get it, you're so in love, soul mates, blah, blah, blah."
Red in the face, with Cam shaking his head at the two of them as well, Adrienne led the way down the hall, to their respective rooms and away from the embarrassment.
It had taken the better part of two hours to get from D.C. to Richmond, Virginia, two hours that was exhausting after a full day's worth of work. By the time they were checked in and settled, only Vala wanted to go out, insisting that it was boring just going to bed early like old people. Adrienne tried not to give too much away, knowing they needed to be rested for tomorrow, but Ronon saved the day, volunteering to take Vala downstairs to the bar for drinks, while both Teal'c and Cam decided to turn in for the night.
Adrienne didn't mind in the least.
It wasn't the reason for the vacation, not by far, she really wanted a getaway, but Adrienne didn't argue when Daniel had taken her by the hand, leading her gently to the bed, laying her down tenderly. Smiling he crawled on slowly beside her, pausing as she pulled his glasses off of his face, continuing his advance once she had set them aside on the nightstand.
There were no impediments, no possible sirens and he had tossed both of their cell phones into his suitcase, refusing to answer them as well.
Tonight it was just him and the woman of his dreams, with no interruptions.
Bringing his hand to her face, he kissed her slowly, deliberately, the wine she had poured while they were unpacking still fresh on her soft lips, sweetening the kiss. She returned his advance, pulling her body closer to his, her hands moving down his hips, grabbing his backside to force his pelvis to her own. Chuckling, he reached down to her waist, gripping the hem of her fragile blouse gently, raising it over her head, past her arms to discard it to the floor, returning his lips to her collarbone rather than her face. He knew that drove her wild, wilder than kissing her neck, but he wanted to take this slowly, so he pulled away, leaning up to remove his own T-shirt from his torso.
"I wanted to do that," she whined, jokingly, just as he was leaning to pull it over his head, stopping and holding his hands up like she had taken him captive. Giggling, she finished the job, pulling the shirt over his head to bring her nose quickly to his chest, nuzzling him, tickling him, making him laugh, until he pushed her away, smiling.
Returning his attention to her, where he wanted it to be, he let his fingers glide gently up her shoulder to her bra strap, pulling it down to the side, kissing, teasing his way down, moving to the other side when the first strap was hanging at her bicep. She breathed in slowly, loving that he was taking his time and hating it all the same, pushing him onto his back and climbing slowly on top of him. Pausing, Daniel gazed up at her, resting his hands on her hips as he let himself get lost in her beauty.
"I really should wear my contacts," he whispered, running his hands lightly and softly down her toned waist.
"Why is that?" she asked, her index finger working its way slowly down his stomach, to the top of his pants, where she was already undoing the button.
"Because I feel like I miss so much, that if I just give in and wear the damn things, I can see how magnificent you really are," he admitted, reaching his hands up her back to pull her into an embrace. He held her for a moment, so very close, like he didn't want to let go, before she sat up, pulling away, to look down at him, her hands back at his pants, pulling down the zipper. Taking her hand away for a moment to kiss her fingers, he let go, reaching to unclasp her bra and remove the garment, tossing it to the ground and turning to the side, forcing her to lay beside him on the bed.
"Let me," he requested quietly and she nodded, lying on her back to allow him to pull the jeans from her hips, kicking his own to the floor and slipping inside of her ever so slowly.
She hissed in with pleasure at his initial thrust, her hands quickly gripping his hips, letting him guide their rhythm but wanting to feel it in every part of her body. He was slow, deliberate, lifting her slightly with each thrust, the waves of pleasure rocketing from inside, inside like only he had ever been able to do, making her moan and clench him strongly. There was a tightness around him again and he slowed his pace slightly, not wanting to end this closeness too soon. Reaching around her back, he took her into his arms, bringing them to their sides, clasping her thigh to bring her closer to him to drive deeper into her, rocking in and out of her warmth as she whispered his name, pecking his ear and kissing passionately down his neck. Eventually, she was curving her hips, thrusting herself towards him, holding him both tighter to and in her body. Fulfilling her request, Daniel clasped her butt in his hand, squeezing it, feeling a sensation within himself that he didn't want to feel just yet.
"Not so soon," she pleaded, kissing him lightly, caressing his face.
"I'm trying," he gasped out, too caught up in the moment to stop. Hoping to calm himself, he grabbed her waist once more, turning their bodies again, guiding her to a position where she was now riding him lightly, his hands reaching out to slow her grinding onto him. She got the message, smiling, leaning forward, bringing their lips together into a passionate kiss as she rocked against him.
"I love you ja-wer, more than anyything," he whispered to her as he held her face close so he could see, through the haze of his blurred vision, those mystifying eyes that had hypnotized him so long ago.
"I love you too Daniel, it's alright, let go," she requested sweetly, nearly there herself, feeling him throb inside of her, the final swell before the end. Giving in to the climb he let her sit up, riding him, rocking into him, holding him tightly inside of her body and he released, letting his head relax into the pillow as the crash of feeling took over his body, only vaguely aware of Adrienne gasping on top of him, one hand planted firmly on his chest, the other frantically reaching for his hand, clasping it in her own. He hit his final peak, shouting out something he did not remember, his chest heaving as she came to a rest on top of him, curling into him, hungry for his skin against hers.
It was good to take a little vacation.
"Hello?" Daniel answered, reluctantly unwrapping himself from Adrienne, mostly, as he couldn't quite undo their legs.
"Good morning sir. You requested a seven a.m. wake-up call?" the voice replied, Daniel vaguely remembering the request. Adrienne had said something about needing to leave here by quarter to nine, so, given her ability to be on time he should have gotten a call earlier, but he would just need to rush her.
"Yes, thank you," he replied, hanging up the phone and reaching to wrap his arms around her shoulders, kissing her cheek, and nuzzling her ear.
"Wake up Ad, that was your call," he whispered, expecting her to argue, beg him to stay in bed, which he was fully prepared to do if she only said the word.
"I heard," she answered, to his amazement, rolling over, her face cuddling into his neck. So funny, he thought, the moment hitting him as it did so often now. He had never imagined when he met her nearly two years ago that he could even have a conversation with her, much less a friendship, and end up like this.
And, he had never thought the woman that kicked him in the face for grabbing her wrist would be a cuddler.
"What?" she asked, giggling, pulling away, looking at him strangely.
"Just never imagined this; I never imagined I'd be happy and I get to keep you, for the rest of my life," he admitted, feelings racing through him, wanting to take her into his arms again and repeat the slow love making from the night before when she sat up quickly, staring down at him and shaking her head.
"Nuh uh, we have places to be that do not involve rolling around in this bed. This is my weekend, so get ya fool tchew up," she clarified, frowning at him.
"This must be something great because you're actually moving," he teased, and she shoved him, sitting up in the bed but still holding the blanket to her.
"Someone really wants to be single again, doesn't he?" she taunted, Daniel rolling over.
"And someone wants to go somewhere alone I guess," he joked back, Adrienne playfully pushing him, untangling their legs and crawling on top of him.
"Let's get in the shower," she requested, tugging at his arms to pull him upright, "we're meeting everyone at the restaurant downstairs in about an hour. Daniel started to argue, this was supposed to be a vacation, he could just eat a Powerbar, leave later, skip the restaurant, when he registered her words: let's.
"Yes ma'am," he said, standing and following her to the bathroom.
"Really Ad? A theme park?" Daniel was unable to control his shock as she drove right into the parking lot behind Cameron's rental car, containing the rest of the group.
"Come on Indy, it'll be fun," Adrienne reasoned, knowing that he wasn't afraid of heights per se, but he didn't have a strong liking for them either.
"Define fun," was his response, as he looked over at her, that classic Daniel frown plastered across his face.
"Fun is planning a last minute trip to a romantic hotel then being able to get up with your friends and act like a kid again. I promise cher, it'll be great," Adrienne assured him, pulling up to the booth to pay for their parking. Sitting back in the seat, Daniel let his eyes wander to the spread in front of him, the entrance, a large yellow roller coaster right at the main gates, a brown boat turning upside down and then he spotted it in the distance.
It was red, tall and something that no one should ever find fun.
Sure he'd jumped out of planes now, for work, for the sake of the world, but he knew why she had dragged him here.
His future wife, ever the thrill seeker...
Suck it up Daniel, he willed himself, remember you want this woman to marry you; you will ride the damn coaster.
"Earth to Indy, we're here," Adrienne informed him, woke him, evidently he'd been staring out into space, staring at the ride. He started to sit forward when he felt her hand on his, squeezing it.
"That's the Intimidator. It's a three hundred foot drop straight down. Tallest and fastest in the country. It's supposed to be amazing, some people even black out due to the G-force," she explained, following his gaze.
"So that's why we are here? Not because you wanted to have a romantic getaway at the Jefferson, but to ride that?" he asked a question for which he really didn't want the answer and she was beaming already.
"Pretty much," she replied, leaping from the Jeep, "Riding coasters all over is also a thing I do."
Taking a breath, Daniel followed, telling himself that this was going to be fun.
About an hour into their adventure, he had to admit that it was indeed fun. Adrienne had decided that he needed a warm up, stopping him at the first ride, which was, as he thought, the yellow roller coaster. He'd been a bit apprehensive, but watching her leap onto the ride in glee he just towed behind, seeing the excitement blaze in her eyes.
She's just so full of life, he thought, that's why this is so perfect.
Standing in line, he listened to her and Vala giggle about their silly vampire show, which now Ronon was apparently watching, making Daniel start to wonder if the Sateadan had interests of his own or if his interest in the show was merely a ruse to woo Vala.
Who kept laying her palm on his arm, in that flirtatious way she used to with him.
Maybe he ought to tell Ronon to go for it, that he really didn't need to woo…
Regardless, he watched Adrienne laugh, Vala tease, and Ronon try to figure out for himself why everyone on the show was in love with that stupid waitress. He eyed Cam as he studied the park map, reading the captions explaining the history of each of the attractions to Teal'c, who was leaning over to examine the structure of the rides.
This is it, he thought, this is my dysfunctional family, the part that was present at least, his beautiful wife to be sitting on the top rail of the line corral without a care in the world.
They'd narrowed down two windows for the date of the big day, mid January or early April. The former, Adrienne had argued, was in line with Ancient Greek wedding traditions and a tribute to Hera, but given her warm-blooded nature and general aversion to winter, Daniel had suggested April, when it would be warmer but also not conflict with her family's Easter Celebration.
Not wife, he corrected himself, but "companion." One of the things Adrienne had requested of him was not to call her wife, as she saw it as an antiquated term that indicated ownership. He really didn't but he understood her point and respected her wishes, not minding the word companion.
He also was not blind to the fact that it was a Doctor Who reference, but he kept that fuel for later.
"Daniel, are you feeling ok? You keep spacing," Adrienne was in his face again, concerned.
"Yeah, I'm good, wanna ride in the front?" he asked, hoping that would strike her fancy and she smiled, taking him by the hand and leading him to the gates.
She even got him to switch to his contacts after two rides, because of course she had brought them in her pack, popping them in for him herself after he had decided that the restrooms left much to be desired.
"You two make me sick," Vala hissed as Adrienne carefully held his eyelids open, the small piece of corrective plastic balanced on her fingertip.
"You realize I did this before we were together right mon ami?" Adrienne pointed out, blinking at Daniel so he would mimic her which he did, adjusting the lenses.
"You made me sick then too," she replied, her face changing as Ronon came out of the restroom himself, walking straight for her.
"Ad, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Daniel asked, pulling her aside before Cam and Teal'c rejoined them.
"Sure Brain, but where we gonna find rubber pants in our size?" Adrienne answered smiling, making Daniel shake his head at her constant silliness.
"No cher, I am. I didn't invite him. She did, and he hasn't left her side," she added, reaching up to wipe a tear escaping the corner of his eye caused by his newest ocular accessories, "Like I said before, hot James Bond couple."
"I'm glad," Daniel answered quickly, seeing Cam making a beeline in their direction, "she deserves to be happy. Dex is a good guy."
"He is," Adrienne agreed quietly, peering over her shoulder at the hand now resting there.
"Next is the Volcano and that sounds insane!" Cam declared, pointing to a very large fake mountain in the near distance.
"Cho! It's called that?" Adrienne exclaimed, ripping the map from his hands and reading the description.
"AdrienneRowan, Colonel Mitchell says that you erupt from the volcano in the same fashion as molten lava," Teal'c explained, excitement in the old Jaffa's face, "It utilizes a variation of a jet propulsion system to launch the vehicle."
"You're literally shot up into the volcano," Cameron added, directing his attention to Daniel, who lacked the privilege of a park map. Adrienne was already rushing ahead to inform Vala and Ronon, the latter who seemed to be as equally as excited as Addy.
"Hey honey!" Adrienne screamed out, using a new moniker he noted.
"Yes!"
"You're gonna wanna close your eyes on this one. I only brought one pair of contacts!" she continued.
"What do you say to that?" Daniel asked Cam, who was already laughing as they approached the ride.
Adrienne insisted that they not ride the "Coaster of the Gods" as she was calling it, until last, explaining that if you ride the best ride too early, everything else just doesn't seem as good. To be honest, Daniel didn't see how anything could be better than that crazy volcano ride that ended up being much more fun that he had imagined.
Yes, he screamed, he shouted and lifted Adrienne from the ground like some cheesy movie once they were down the exit platform.
She was right, this was so exhilarating, and he hadn't once thought about work, about things that they still needed to take care of at the townhouse, about the wedding, about Anubis. He'd almost completely forgotten about that until they walked by a stone structure covered in carvings representing different gods from different cultures and there he was, the jackal, on display in the dead center.
Forcing himself to remember that it had been months now, months since they last had any sort of real contact, Daniel walked on, hand in hand with the woman he loved.
They roamed around the Congo area, rode a few more coasters, surprising both Cam and Adrienne that this place had that many roller coasters, making their way down the midway through the games and various places to eat. They settled on pizza for lunch, Adrienne of course getting salad, but then eating a slice of pizza too, laughing and talking like there was no life or death struggle to return home to.
There were those thoughts again, that worry, but Daniel just stood from the table, going to refill his soda.
After lunch they strolled down the midway, turning into an older part of the park, taking in a show at the main theatre, some teenagers singing and dancing to a selection of modern pop music, music of course Adrienne knew by heart. He sat there in the dark with his arm around her just like they were one of those teens themselves, enjoying the show and the closeness.
The show wasn't, however, everyone's cup of tea, Teal'c, Cameron and Ronon deciding that they wanted to go back and do some 'bungee jumping experience', an experience Daniel refused to participate in. He came to this decision very quickly after watching one group of teens nearly vomit when they were unstrapped; that was about the limit of his thrill seeking for the day. Adrienne passed, not wanting to abandon Daniel, leaving Vala who didn't seem interested in the least.
Agreeing to meet back in thirty minutes, the three grown men dashed off, looking very much like three young boys.
"Ok, so you guys wanna go hit the water rides?" Adrienne asked, eyeballing the map Cam had left her.
"Can we ride that?" Vala questioned in reply, pointing to the one type of ride Adrienne had managed to avoid, stationary circles, knowing full well that she would have the major headache to deal with if she chose to ride.
"Be my guest," the Cajun responded, walking to take a seat on a nearby bench to wait.
"But I don't want to ride it alone, that's boring," Vala responded, looking over at Daniel.
"Nuh uh," he spoke up quickly, trying to come up with an excuse, "I'd like to keep down my lunch."
Making a face at both of them, Vala crossed her arms, staring them down.
"You two will ride that crazy loop the loop shit and won't do that! There's a five year old on that ride for crying out loud!? One ride will not kill you," she argued, making a pitiful face.
Dammit, Adrienne thought, I wonder if she's hurt that Ronon didn't stay behind with her.
Trying to convey that thought to Daniel with her eyes, she glanced at him quickly, but it looked as though he was already reading her mind, turning to face her.
"Rock, paper, scissors?" he suggested, playing off her obvious mood. Smiling, thankful he was so intuitive, Adrienne brought her fist to her hand, nodding to start the count off.
"My count, one, two, three, throw," she ordered, opening her hand for paper while Daniel had gone with rock. Disappointed, he looked right at her, his eyes pleading.
"You don't love me," he whispered, standing to follow his now skipping friend.
Adrienne let him get about five feet away when she stood, cupping her face.
"Yes I do! I love you Daniel! Madly and passionately!"
Frowning, he followed a prancing Vala through the line, short, which was probably due to a large number of people also not enjoying going around in circles.
"Why haven't you set a date yet?" Vala started the moment the "Soaring Eagle," as it was called, left the ground.
"Why is it any of your business?" he retorted, not wanting to have this conversation with her.
Forget Vala being Adrienne's bodyguard, she'd become Adrienne's pitbull.
"Because she's my friend and I'm not gonna let you break her heart, again," she explained, turning the "beak" on the carriage, jerking their seats higher into the air, forcing Daniel to hold on lest he go slamming into her.
"I'm not gonna break her heart, we've got a lot of things to consider. We can't just point at the calendar and hope," he replied, taking the opportunity to check on said fianceé who was typing away furiously at her phone, not even looking in their direction.
"You'd better not. You bought her a damn house, she's shacking up with you and you can't even make anything official," she continued, jerking the handle in another direction sending Daniel flying to the opposite side of the car.
"I didn't buy her a house, I bought us a house. We're not shacking up, we have moved in together, which I personally think is a smart thing to do before committing yourself to a lifetime with someone else. Sometimes there can be chemistry between two people but when you put it to test in the real world, it doesn't work," he spat, cutting his eyes as she slammed the handle a third time, sending him flying into her.
"Alright, but I don't ever want to see her crying like that again, understand?" Vala hissed, turning the beak to slam him back, but he caught himself this time, keeping his glare on her.
"Crystal clear Vala, crystal. By the way, does Dex know you've dedicated your life to nosing in mine and Adrienne's relationship? You'd think he'd like to know that that much of your attention was dedicated elsewhere," Daniel growled, not liking her tone.
"Leave Dex out of this," she shot back.
"Oh," he replied, snarkily, "Not so great to have someone nosing around your relationship is it? Or is there even a relationship? I distinctly remember you calling me a chicken for a long damn time."
"I'm not a wuss like you," she spat, slamming the handle again to send Daniel flying to the side. He caught himself just in time, glaring at her but refraining for further comment.
They rode in silence for the rest of the ride, not speaking as they exited, heading straight for Adrienne, who was approaching them, smiling.
"Fun?" she asked, looking at Vala.
"Loads. Glasses is such a good time. Can we go find the boys?" she asked, walking back in the direction of the bungee jump and leaving her friends behind.
"What got into her?" Adrienne asked, peeking back at Daniel confused.
"Reality," he responded, gripping her hand to pull her to follow.
By the time they were back at the diner Cam had texted them about, the three were sitting at a table, laughing happily about their little adventure, drinking milkshakes. Seeing them enter, well seeing Vala enter as she had stormed in front of them the entire time, Cam waved to a cute little teenage girl in skates who smiled and nodded, heading for the kitchen.
"Chocolate ok?" Ronon asked, looking to Vala to see that it was alright.
Good, Daniel thought, keep her the hell out of my future marriage.
"Perfect, so what now Cam? What does your stupid map say we do next?" she spat as she took the seat beside Ronon, leaving one chair left at the end of the table. Noticing, Teal'c stood, offering his seat to Adrienne, but she refused, sitting quietly on Daniel's lap as he reached out for her.
"My stupid map," he started, answering smartly, "says that we only have the big one to ride and then fireworks at dark. After that, I suggest we head back. I feel like a lobster."
Taking a second look at the colonel, Adrienne noted his fair complexion was looking pink, pausing to look at her own pale Cajun skin which was as equally flushed.
"No wonder I got the faiblesse," she said, hoping Daniel didn't know that meant to faint, otherwise he would kick into worry overdrive, but he must not have, since he only rubbed her leg lightly. She heard Teal'c telling someone thank you and glanced up to see the young girl on skates again, three milkshakes on a tray, each in a paper cup.
"The line's long, so I got these to go," the colonel explained, standing to lead the group to their final destination.
She barely made it through the first thirty minutes of the movie Daniel ordered to the room but he was glad. Adrienne might have been in ridiculously good shape, but she was sunburnt and dehydrated from today and needed sleep. He decided since he'd paid for it, he would leave the movie on, holding her in his arms while he did.
The Intimidator had been a blast and while he didn't black out on the turn like she swore he would, it did give him a bit of a rush, so much so that he rode it with her two more times. It was dark by the end of the third time, thankfully, his body reminding him that he was not twenty years old anymore, so they headed to the fireworks, sitting on a bench together, Adrienne wrapped in his arms like she was right now.
He'd honestly lost track of what was happening in the film, his thoughts on the wedding that they had just begun to plan, had really just begun to discuss and finally, really, meeting her family.
What would they think?
Would they like him?
Would they think he was too old for her?
Would they have a problem with him having been her boss?
What would it be to have inlaws, and not in a patriarchal culture he had been a student of, but a pack of loud Cajun inlaws?
"Ad, I hope I don't screw this up too," he admitted out loud, gazing down at her as she slept in his arms, her chest moving gently as she lightly snored. Smiling, he sat up a bit, laying her carefully onto her side, covering her, adjusting her, making sure she was comfortable, and, as expected, she didn't even come close to waking up.
"You can literally sleep anywhere through anything," he whispered, laughing at his own words.
"I think January, Greek themed and a honeymoon to the paradise place Vala found," he stated to his sleeping love, laying down and turning off the TV, hoping something would come to him in his sleep, or tomorrow, during Adrienne's planned shopping adventure through a pre-planned antique store trail.
"Sir, we are approaching our destination," the voice behind him stated, making him look up from the diagrams on his monitor. Glancing at the time keeper at the top of the screen he noted that they were ahead of schedule, giving him plenty of time to get things in order.
"Excellent, take us into a low orbit around their moon," he ordered, tapping the display to bring up the image of the planet ahead, closing his graphs, charts and notes.
"Almost time to play," he hissed, using his fingers to zero in on a large green land mass.