Daniel breathed in deeply as he slowly started to awaken from what had been one of the most peaceful, restful sleeps he could remember. He didn't really know where he was or how he got there, but he knew he was very warm and cozy, and strangely happy. For some reason, however, the fact that he was this happy also made him unsettled and nervous. But that didn't make sense, he realized as he stirred a little, wrapping his arm more tightly about the warmth that was snuggled up against him. How could he be so content and yet uneasy at the same time? As he felt the warmth alongside of him get even closer and warmer, he smiled from ear to ear. Then the warmth moved again slightly and something light and airy tickled him under his nose. After a moment's thought, he understood that it was someone's hair, and there was a lot of it in his face and against his nose.
"Good morning, sunshine."
He grunted in reply, the familiar voice confusing him further as he started to slowly become aware of the world about him once more. He realized suddenly the hair was attached to a person…okay, that made sense and would explain the warmth against him. This person was soft to the touch, very curvy, and yet he could feel firm muscles beneath the softness. Daniel tried to open his eyes, but found it to be quite a struggle. He felt a hand tenderly caress his cheek, playing with the days-old stubble. He couldn't help but smile at her touch, nuzzling into her hand. He felt the hair move away from his face, though her head still rested upon his shoulder.
"You are simply darling when you sleep, did you know that?"
The voice was much quieter this time, and he wondered if he was supposed to hear that one. The sleepiness was starting to fade finally; he felt his conscious mind coming more and more into prominence. He finally felt the weight of his eyelids lessen, and managed to open them after a few half-successful attempts. At first all he saw was a complete blur, but quickly a smiling face framed in black hair came into focus.
He startled as he realized who was curled up with, his expression turning to one of shock. Vala smiled all the more as she asked, "What's the matter, darling, can't remember anything from last night?" Her eyes danced as she looked into his, her fingers still playing upon his cheek.
"Uhm," was all Daniel could muster as his eyes glanced around and he blinked, the rest of the room coming into focus. He started to recognize it as the interior of a cargo ship. Then he started to panic a little as he actually was having a hard time remembering how he got here.
Sighing, Vala ran her fingers up through the hair on the side of his head, "Well, I guess I shouldn't feel too offended. You were rather exhausted after you and I were done, you passed right out in fact." She paused before continuing, "Though last night really was wonderful, sweetheart. You and I should have done this sooner, and we should certainly do it again." With that she winked at him as she saw the panic rising in his eyes.
Daniel felt trapped, extremely confused, and very conflicted. What did happen last night, and how did they get here? Did they…? He couldn't imagine they did, particularly given where they were, but what if they did? What was most scary to him at the moment was that the idea they did what she was hinting at didn't make him feel uncomfortable the way it would have months ago. He furrowed his brow slightly as he tried to figure out – how did it make him feel?
He sat up a little, feeling stiff all over. Surprisingly enough, he didn't try and push Vala away, rather he pulled her up with him. Why did he do that? She moved with him, still snuggled up to him. He ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to shake out the cobwebs, trying to force his brain to remember. The raven-haired beauty that was curled up with him said nothing, but continued to smile at him with incredible satisfaction.
Suddenly his eye caught a glimpse of the two packs next to the two stacks of crates halfway across the cargo hold. He looked around with recognition. They were in the cargo ship with Sam, Colonel Mitchell, Teal'c and…what was that Jaffa's name? That's right, it was Hak'tan. He dimly remembered that Teal'c and Hak'tan were in the cockpit, but he didn't see Sam or Cam here. The rest of it was starting to come back now, though he was feeling remarkably sluggish and having a hard time remembering everything.
He looked from the far side of the room back to Vala, who smiled all the more at him. "Ah, I see it's all coming back now," she said as she read his expression. Sitting up a little, she said huskily, "I trust you enjoyed it all as much as I did…"
The archaeologist blinked as he stared at her for a few moments. He thought about it intently for a while, then shook his head and said, "Nothing happened."
She raised an eyebrow at this, "Darling, I'm shocked that you think so little of what we shared last night." She looked genuinely upset.
Suddenly he started to panic. The last thing he wanted to do was to hurt her yet again. For the life of him, he couldn't remember all of the details of last night, he couldn't say they didn't…he cleared his throat as her expression continued to dour and he saw the wounded look in her eyes rapidly growing. He didn't really see any way out of it, except…"Vala, you didn't let me finish," he started as he tried to pull her back to him, gently touching her cheek with his other hand. "I was trying to say nothing happened that shouldn't have happened a long time ago…" as soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them, feeling even more nervous and on edge than before. His words had the intended effect, however, as her expression quickly changed to one of glee and she let him pull her close again, curling back up.
Vala rested her head back on his shoulder, still looking at him. Daniel looked back at her with what he hoped was a happy façade as he tried desperately to keep hidden the tumult of conflicting emotions and feelings that were swirling within him. "I can't tell you how happy it makes me to hear you say that, Daniel." She smiled brilliantly at him, a smile that was reflected even more brightly in her eyes. She said nothing more for several minutes and the two just looked at each other in silence. As he looked into her eyes, he suddenly felt himself calming, felt the confusion slowly start to abate, though it wasn't going away just yet. He found himself becoming lost in those brilliant blues and she looked even happier as they lay there quietly together.
Suddenly someone's stomach growled loudly. The mood ruined, they now looked at each other with bemused expressions, Vala working very hard to stifle her laughter as she blushed a little. "Well then, the least you can do now is make me breakfast. I'm absolutely famished after all our strenuous activity." She winked as Daniel chuckled at her words and shook his head wryly. He was only glad it wasn't his body that had protested the lack of food. Vala was smiling from ear to ear as she reluctantly sat up and stretched, looking as stiff as Daniel felt. He took the opportunity to do the same, sitting up completely and stretching the tight muscles in his back and arms. As he watched her stretch, however, he couldn't help but notice the pain on her face. "Are you alright?" he asked with a worried tone.
She nodded, "Yes, I'm fine darling, it's just that I'm not only stiff from last night, but now there's this dull, throbbing pain I've got with every little bump and bruise I've been sporting." She sighed at this, looking positively miserable.
He reached down to their packs by the crates they were sitting on, fumbling around in each before he sat back up triumphantly with a pair of boxes and a canteen of water. Fishing about the one box he pulled out a small packet of asprin which he gave her to take. He then pulled out a several drab olive bags from each box. Vala sat next to him, taking the asprin while looking at what he retrieved. She regarded him with apprehension, asking, "What are those?"
Daniel grinned at her answering simply, "Breakfast," as he opened one of the larger bags from each box and poured water into each. He then waited for a few moments before dropping other bags from each box into their respective partners and used the boxes to keep them upright. He couldn't help but laugh at her sour expression. "They're called 'MRE's or Meals Ready to Eat," he started to explain. "It's what our government provides to its soldiers for food in the field." He smiled as she glared at the bags with a wary eye. "I've actually eaten quite a bit of them since joining the Stargate Program, they're usually pretty good."
She glanced over at him, noticing that steam was starting to curl out the bags. "Indeed? So what's for breakfast?"
He glanced at one of the boxes and answered, "These are…cheese omelets." He looked back at her, winking, "I've had these before, I like them."
She brought her knees up and rested her arms on them and her chin upon her arms, meeting his gaze with a raised eyebrow. "Alright, we'll see." There was a small stretch of silence before Vala asked, "So how and why did you join the Stargate Program, Daniel? You once told me that very few people on your planet even know about the Stargate or that anything is going on beyond your dear old Earth…how did you become one of those lucky ones that do?"
Glancing at his watch and keeping an eye on their food, the archaeologist smiled nostalgically at her question. "Well, they needed me to figure out how it worked." He said simply, looking over to see her regard him with a mixture of surprise and respect.
"Oh?" She prompted, clearly eager to know more.
Daniel explained how the Gate was found on their world and how the government had needed him for translating the ancient Egyptian writings found with it. He surprised himself when he told her about the paper he published that got him laughed out of the academic community. Continuing his story, he told how Catherine Langford had found him and brought him in to solve the puzzle, and it was not without a measure of pride that he explained how he had figured out what the symbols on the inner wheel of the Gate were and how they worked.
As he spoke, he decided that their meals had finished cooking and he took one of the bags and opened it, offering it to her. She took it, shifting her position to cross her legs before her. She tried a bite and smiled at him, telling him that she liked the food while prompting him to continue his tale. Daniel then opened his own meal package and told her about the trip to Abydos that he and Jack took almost ten years ago. The whole time he spoke, Vala listened to him intently, never taking her eyes off him. As they ate he found himself retelling the whole adventure of how they managed to start an insurrection on the planet that culminated in Ra's death, going on to tell of his marriage to Sha're, and then the return of Jack one year later. He explained how Sha're was taken as a host and that was why he joined the Program in the first place, to find her and try to save her somehow.
"You never told me you have a wife," Vala said quietly, ending the suddenly awkward silence that followed. "I take it you found her, then?" She avoided looking at him, focusing instead on the now empty pouch that her breakfast had been in.
Daniel looked up at her and hesitated before he answered, "I did about three years later…but I became a widower in the process." He frowned at this, slightly overcome at the memory, even today. He too chose to look down at the empty bag in his own hands, suddenly feeling even more awkward and now depressed, not sure what else to say. He felt Vala's hand upon his and he looked up at her.
"I'm so sorry, Daniel," her voice was soft and heartfelt, and he could see earnest sentiment in her eyes. He smiled at her, taking her hand in his.
"It's alright, Vala, it was a long time ago," he said quietly, trying to brush it off, looking down again.
She squeezed his hand, "It was, but you clearly loved her very much. That kind of hurt doesn't just go away," she said with an underlying passion to her voice. "Not ever," she added firmly. There was something to her words and the sound of her voice that made him look back up at her as she held his hand tightly. He watched her intently, looking into her eyes and thought he saw sympathy there that was born of experience. He suddenly remembered her tale of being engaged before she was taken as a host, a love that she lost even though she was later freed from Qetesh. In remembering the telling, however, he found himself unavoidably and forcibly reminded of his own words moments afterwards, when he asked her if she had made up those stories of her past. As he looked into her emotion-filled eyes and felt the strong grip of her hand, he began to feel incredibly guilty for having asked what now seemed like a rude, insulting, and stupid question.
He sighed in spite of himself, and she tilted her head, looking at him now with a questioning face. "What was his name?" He asked with a soft and gentle voice, looking at her with care and affection. He hoped that by asking the question, she would understand that he was ready to believe her now. Vala was clearly taken aback by the question, blinking a few times as she hesitated to answer.
"What was whose name?" she asked half-earnestly. Daniel could tell she already understood whom he meant; he just wondered if she realized what he was trying to say. She looked somewhat nervous and uncomfortable now, and he half thought she was going to pull away from him or just leave.
She didn't, however, but rather waited for him to answer. He looked down for a moment as he rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. Looking back up to her, he simply replied, "Your fiancé's name." Vala drew in a deep and troubled breath, looking down at this in silence. Several moments passed by without a word between them, and Daniel started to think he had made matters even worse, yet again. He started to apologize, "I'm sorry Vala, I shouldn't have…"
"Darius," Vala interrupted tensely, cutting off his apology as she looked up at him while squeezing his hand. Daniel saw the swell of emotions in her eyes as she repeated more quietly, "his name was Darius." He reached out to take her other hand in his with his free one. She smiled slightly at this, squeezing both of his hands as she sighed with a slightly ragged breath.
Impulsively, he told her with a tender voice, "You know, they say that people who hurt can find solace by keeping friends with others that share their pain."
Vala smiled widely at this, in spite of the emotion that still lingered in her gaze. Reaching into her treasured bag of Earth idioms, she replied, "You mean 'misery loves company'," and winked at him. Daniel grinned wryly at this and they both started to chuckle, their hearts lightening considerably as they drew comfort from each other.
"Yeah, I guess you could say it that way," he said, regarding fondly her as he held her hands tightly. "I suppose I've always tended to complicate things."
"Hm, that's one way to put it," she grinned, leaning in to kiss him lightly on the cheek, scooting closer to him as she did. Daniel closed his eyes and smiled pleasantly at this, finding that she seemed to linger just a little. He opened his eyes to look at her again as she pulled away to sit up straight once more. She squeezed his hands firmly again, looking down. "I've never told anyone else about him, you know." She paused and then added, looking back at him, "Since I was a host, that is."
Daniel nodded and was silent for a moment, feeling even guiltier. She had told him of it only as a rebuke for his terse and offensive accusation of how she used sex as weapon. He sighed, not sure what to say because of that. Vala watched his face and his eyes intently, easily reading his thoughts. She added quietly, "I would have told you about him anyway." He looked up at her again, smiling a little as she continued with a nervous voice, "There's a lot about myself and my past that I'd like to share with you." She looked into his eyes with a sincerity and honesty that made him take pause. He saw depths in her eyes that he didn't know existed before. He then found himself thinking of the things she'd done and said at the Ori beachhead and since she returned and was even more in wonderment at her. There was no way he could possibly reconcile all of it with the Vala that he thought he knew, the Vala that he had been rude and mean to. The only rational thing he could do was accept the fact that he didn't yet understand her at all. Strangely enough though, he now found himself eager to know this woman better.
Daniel smiled at her then. Vala's serious face in turn blossomed into a dazzling smile, and only then did Daniel realize that amongst everything else he'd seen in her eyes, he also had glimpsed her fear as she took that first step towards opening up to him. "I want to hear everything," he said simply, his eyes never leaving hers. She squeezed his hands at this, looking positively radiant although he could tell there was still an underlying nervousness. He continued softly, "we can both share with each other." Vala nodded, drawing in a deep breath. She started to tell him the details of her early life, leading up to her being taken as a host and well beyond. Daniel told her countless stories of his last ten years, but also shared the early years of his life, including the loss of his parents. The two continued to talk for several more hours, smiling and laughing while also spending more tender moments together as they continued to share story after story from their lives with one another.
The Gate control room was rather quiet, only a few technicians attended the consoles. Only twelve hours ago, the room had been an absolute zoo as it had served as the nerve center for the effort to coordinate treatment and placement the incoming wounded from Dakara. There were too many to rely on solely the base facilities, so they had to coordinate with other top-secret military installations that were also now under the purview of Homeworld Security.
Walter looked at the clock. It was eight seventeen and SG-9 was overdue for their next scheduled check-in. General Landry came briskly down the stairs calling out, "Good morning everyone. I trust we're back to normal?"
"Actually, sir, SG-9 has missed their scheduled report," Walter called out as the General came to stand near his chair.
"Oh? By how much, Sergeant?"
Walter glanced at the clock again, "It's been eighteen minutes, sir."
Landry sighed. He didn't like the prospect of another crisis so soon, this place tended to have catastrophes in series. It was one of the first things he'd learned after taking command. Typically when something went horribly wrong, it was followed by a string of subsequent disasters. This could go on for days or even weeks, and quite often he ended up getting no sleep during these periods. The General had the bad feeling that Dakara was just the beginning of another set, and what a hell of a way to start one off. He nodded, "Alright, we'll dial the planet and try to raise them. Before we do, though, what's next on the roster?"
Walter looked at his computer monitor, "We've got a scheduled connection to the Beta Site to exchange house-keeping traffic at 9am, and SG-18 is scheduled for a departure at 9:30 AM."
The General grunted as he listened. "Alright, dial up PX8-317. Let's try and get SG-9 on the horn." Walter nodded as he started the dialing sequence, the inner wheel of the Gate unlocking and starting to spin. Landry silently watched the wheel turn this way and that, listening to Walter call out the chevrons. Wait…Walter? Hold everything…
"Sergeant, why are you here?" Landry asked.
"Sir?" Walter asked hesitantly, missing the next Chevron.
"You were here last night when we were supporting Dakara," Landry supplied, looking at the man with a furrowed brow.
"Yes sir," he answered simply as he attended his console, continuing on to say, "Chevron five encoded."
"It was 3am when I was last in this control room, and you were here," Landry pointed out. "You're here now, and it's eight twenty."
"Yes, sir," Walter repeated, continuing on again, "Chevron six encoded."
"Well," Landry continued with a growing exasperation to his tone, "Shouldn't you be on your way home? Our shifts change at eight, four, and twelve."
"Chevron seven locked," Walter said, pausing before continuing as the wormhole connected, the sound of the blow-back filling the room. "I'm pulling a double, sir."
"Now why would you be doing that, son?" The General asked.
"Keegan called in sick today, I volunteered to cover for him."
"Ah, I see," the General answered. "Couldn't someone who was off-cycle cover for Keegan?"
"It's a little tight right now with the cutbacks. I've got the radio online, we're ready to transmit if you like."
Landry sighed at this, pulling a microphone over. "Colonel Parker of SG-9, this is General Landry at the SGC, please respond." He repeated the call a few times, waited a few minutes before making the call again. He then waited another few minutes before making the call one last time. He looked at his watch and told Walter, "Close the Gate."
The wormhole disappeared and the General sighed. "Have SG-4 prepare to go to PX8-317 in six hours if we don't hear from SG-9 before then."
Walter nodded, "Yes sir," executing various commands on his console in response to the General's orders.
Landry turned as he said, "I'll be in my office, Walter." He heard the Sergeant reply affirmatively while he climbed the stairs. The General braced himself for a rough couple of days.
Cresting the stairs and making his way into his office, Landry stopped on his heels as he suddenly noticed the man sitting in one of the chairs on the other side of his desk, who immediately rose up and stood at attention, saluting. He had never met the man before, but he was decked out in the formal dress of the US Air Force. "Colonel Gerald Simons reporting, sir."
Landry sighed, noting the package in the man's left hand. He returned the salute casually and nodded for him to sit again. "At ease, Colonel. What can I do for you, son?"
The man paused at the General's reaction, taken aback by the informal air about his superior. He hesitated, then sat after Landry motioned for him to do so with his hand while taking a seat himself. "Uhm, well I'm here to see Dr. Jackson, sir."
"Well I'm afraid the good Doctor isn't around at the moment. I expect him back within the next four or five days, however." He paused, eyeing the package again. "Is there something I can do for you in the meanwhile?"
The Colonel looked confused at this, as if he didn't know what to do next. "Ah, I really need to speak with Dr. Jackson. I'm to deliver this package to him as soon as possible; it's a matter of great urgency."
Landry took pause at this. Dr. Jackson never got any mail from the outside, particularly mail from the US military. Even odd was that it was being delivered by courier – and a Colonel at that, which was unheard of in its own right. With the last two crises already well underway, Landry's gut knotted up as he felt the third one starting to form, like so many twisters he'd seen back home when he was a child. "I am in charge of this facility and the people in it, Dr. Jackson included. If you could just let me know what you need to deliver to him and who it's from, I can take possession of it until he returns."
The man hesitated, looking very uncomfortable at the idea. "Well, uh, sir…my orders were to give it to Dr. Jackson, and only Dr. Jackson."
The General sighed as he looked at the befuddled Colonel, anticipating this was going to be a drawn-out, needlessly tedious affair. It was clear the man didn't handle the unexpected well, and Landry inwardly wondered which General's coat-tails he had been riding up through the ranks. He didn't have much patience for lap-dogs and political sycophants, and had been relieved when he found none of the above in the SGC. It was a welcome break after constantly having to deal with those types through his many years of service in the Air Force. He had almost thanked Jack for it several times, since the man had essentially hand picked him as his replacement. Each time, however, Landry found that he just stopped short and chose not too. Jack would never let him forget about it if he just came right out and expressed appreciation like that. The man had too much fun tormenting his closest friends to do otherwise.
Drawing in a deep breath he said with forced patience, "Alright, let's take this from the top, son." He groaned inwardly as he started to knuckle down to get this little item taken care of. He wondered how long it would be until he started yelling at this shrub. With everything going on, the next few days were not going to be fun.
"So you can't still tell me that you don't think they're falling for each other," Sam grinned at Cam as they each relaxed opposite one another on a couple of seats behind the front chairs in the cockpit of the cargo ship. It had been several hours since she and Cam came out of the cargo hold. Sam had been awake for about fifteen minutes before Colonel Mitchell woke up. When he had, she suggested they quickly and quietly leave so that Daniel and Vala could continue sleeping. Those two had still looked dead to the world and had shown no signs of waking up any time in the foreseeable future. The time since then had been filled with random casual conversation amongst the four, with some serious topics covered as well. Each of them had put forward some speculation as to what had happened at the hatchery, as well as whom this new enemy was. Everyone suspected that both attacks were by this new foe, though none of them could come up with who they were or why they were attacking the Jaffa.
As he heard the question, Cam looked at Samantha with a wry grin. He had been expecting this since they woke up this morning and he saw Dr. Jackson and Vala curled up together like two lost lovers reunited. It had been a surprise to him – no, it had been a complete shock – as he had fallen asleep shortly after settling himself on the crates in the hold and missed everything that followed. He thought about his answer as he noticed Teal'c glancing over his shoulder at them. "Well, I recon it's still hard to say, Sam."
She looked incredulously at him, "You're joking, right?" He grinned in reply as she continued, "What's it going to take to convince you, a wedding?"
Chuckling, the other Colonel replied simply, "briefing room."
Sam pursed her lips at that, then shrugged. "So? There's nothing wrong with a little bickering now and again. It's to be expected between two people that care for each other."
Her words made Cam grin even more, chuckling as he answered, "Really? Oh, you mean like with you and…" he paused intentionally as Carter's expression hardened and she glared at him sharply. "…who was it you said before that you're involved with?"
Sam furrowed her brow in anger as she replied tightly, "I didn't."
Teal'c looked back again at the two and smiled warmly. "Perhaps this argument would be best settled by asking Daniel Jackson and Vala directly whether Colonel Carter is correct or not."
Sam and Cameron both looked at Teal'c in shock. "No!" they said in unison.
They looked at each other with a slight glare before Cam turned back to Teal'c and continued, "You've got to be kidding me, big guy. What are you, nuts? You don't just go asking people stuff like that, particularly these two."
"Absolutely. Only the closest of friends would talk about that kind of thing," Sam amended thoughtlessly. At her words, Teal'c and Cam then exchanged looks and turned to stare at Carter. A few moments passed before she asked with apprehension, "What?"
Cam looked back to Teal'c for a moment before he supplied, "Well, you and Daniel are pretty tight…" Teal'c raised an eyebrow at Carter, continuing to regard her with an inquisitive look.
"What, you want me to ask him?" she asked him incredulously, suddenly surprised.
He shrugged, "Well, I gotta believe if there's anyone he'd tell, it's either you or General O'Neal..." At his words, Teal'c turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow as Sam gave him a dubious look. Seeing their looks, he grinned slightly, "Okay maybe not." His smile grew slightly as he added, "All the more reason for you to do it, Sam."
A frown crossed Sam's face as she shook her head. "No way, I'm not going to put him on the spot like that. If they are falling for each other, then it's a delicate time right now and I don't want to go messing things up by sticking my nose in where it doesn't belong."
Teal'c tilted his head, "Are you not already sticking your nose in where it does not belong, Colonel Carter?"
She looked at him with a surprised expression, "No! Look, there's a big difference between speculating about this kind of thing with mutual friends and up and asking that person the question point blank."
"Yeah, she's right big guy. On Earth it's called 'gossiping' and it certainly doesn't count as sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong." He couldn't help but grin at her from ear to ear. Sam glared back at him while she started to fume in her chair.
"Although," he continued while looking at his watch, "I am starting to wonder what they heck's going on in there. It's been over fifteen hours since we started out, and we've all been out here for the past five hours. I can't believe they're still asleep. Even if they woke up after twelve hours of shut-eye, what have they been doing for the past three hours?" At this moment, Sam and Cam shared a glance, looking at each other with furrowed brows.
"You don't think," she began, looking slightly uncomfortable as she spoke.
He shook his head, "No, they wouldn't…" he glanced back at the cargo hold doors. He looked back at Sam, now uncertain, he asked, "D'ya think they might be…?"
Sam paused for just a moment, looking back at the closed doors. She looked back at Cam with an uncertain gaze, but then shook her head, "No, they wouldn't." She did glance back at the doors one more time with a look of indecision, however.
Teal'c regarded the two silently for a moment, his face expressionless. "If you are concerned for their welfare, then perhaps I should go check on…,"
"NO!" Sam and Cameron both interrupted him with a yell, glancing back at each other apprehensively.
"I'm sure that whatever is going on in there, everything is very professional and there's nothing inappropriate," Cam said with a voice that suggested he was trying to convince himself as much as everyone else. "I'm sure they'll be out to join us when…" he paused at this, faltering with what to say next.
"When they're ready," Sam said simply with a nod, though she regretted saying it instantly as she and Cam shared another look with each other and Teal'c.
As if on cue, the doors to the cargo hold opened up. Daniel and Vala strode out together, smiling warmly at the four seated in the cockpit. "Hey everyone, what's going on?" Daniel asked in a chipper tone, smiling at the group. Vala was all smiles as well, regarding everyone with a warm gaze. When they didn't receive any reply and the rest simply shared awkward looks, they looked at each other with confused expressions. "What's going on?" Daniel repeated now with trepidation in his voice, suddenly feeling the sense of awkwardness that the rest shared, though for the life of him he didn't know what there was to be awkward about.
"Nothing," Sam answered, forcing a smile at him. Daniel couldn't be sure, but he thought she might have been blushing. It must be his imagination, he decided.
"Are we almost at the planet?" Vala asked, checking her watch carefully. She was continually fascinated by the technology of the Tau'ri and found it to be a major highlight of the past eight hours that she got to wear one of the watches that were standard issue for SG teams.
"We will arrive within a half an hour," Teal'c answered, the only one of the other three that seemed capable of maintaining his cool at the moment. Then again, he never had trouble maintaining his cool. He glanced back at the forward window, "As you can see, the planet already looms large before us." Sure enough, a vibrant Earth-like planet was filling the view and growing larger with each passing minute.
"It's almost show-time, then," Cam answered, glad to have an excuse to stand up and end the awkward game of back-and-forth inquiring stares vs innocent looks that had been going on between he, Daniel, and Sam while Vala and Teal'c spoke. "I'd say we'd all best get our gear sorted out and be ready to move out in the next half-hour." Sam stood likewise, avoiding eye-contact with Daniel. He pursed his lips at this, glancing back over to Vala who hadn't missed any of it. They shared suspicious looks and then peered at the other two who sheepishly filed past them while avoiding their gazes. Teal'c didn't move, having never unpacked anything.
"Ever feel like you've been left out of something?" Daniel asked Vala quietly as they watched the others leave the cockpit.
She sighed as she replied, "Or that you walked in at just the wrong time?" They looked at each other again, half smirking now.
"I'm going to go see if I can figure out what's going on," Daniel said, watching the doorway to the cargo hold, which the others hadn't bothered to close.
"Sounds like a good idea, darling." She glanced over at Teal'c. "You take Sam, I'll work on this one here." She grinned up at Daniel as he glanced back down at her. "I'll have him cracked in no time," she winked playfully. Daniel chuckled at this, smiling at her. He paused, looking into her eyes for a few moments. He then wordlessly turned to follow Sam and Mitchell into the other room. Vala watched him leave with a thoughtful smile, her mind swirling with all that they had shared since she had returned. She continued to watch the doorway for a while after he disappeared into the hold before she turned away to sit behind Teal'c, starting to pester him.
Daniel walked into the cargo hold to find Sam folding up her blanket and Cameron just finishing stuffing his into his pack. The two were very focused on their respective tasks, and Daniel had the sense that the two were talking just before he walked in, though he wasn't completely sure. Grinning to himself, he walked by Colonel Mitchell as he stood to go.
"See you up front, Jackson," Cam grinned at him, patting him on the back as they passed each other. Daniel nodded in reply, walking over to the crates on the far end of the room where his and Vala's packs lay. They had already cleaned up after themselves and packed up everything, so he simply grabbed the two bags and turned around, walking over to Sam. She was kneeling by her pack, stuffing her blanket into it as he came up to her, squatting down beside her.
Turning as he came over, she smiled at him, "Hey there."
"Hey yourself," he answered pleasantly, returning the smile. He paused for just a moment before asking, "So, what was going on out there?"
Sam focused on packing her blanket, which she suddenly was having difficulty managing. "What do you mean?" she asked with an attempt to sound innocent, though he wasn't buying it for an instant.
Daniel grinned, looking down for a moment as he answered, "Come on, Sam. It was pretty obvious to both of us that for some reason, when we walked in, we made whatever conversation you were having pretty uncomfortable. It's bound to make us wonder…" He looked back up at her, tilting his head.
Pausing as she managed to finish with the blanket, Sam hesitated. She finally answered, "I don't know what you're talking about."
Picking up her pack as she stood, she had half turned to go, when Daniel said firmly, "Sam…"
She paused, feeling worse now. Turning back to face him, she had an expression of embarrassed guilt as she looked at him apologetically. It was with great difficulty that she finally managed to say, "We were…talking about you and Vala."
His expression made it clear to her that he was expecting this as he grinned wryly, looking at her with a knowing eye. "Uhuh. What about us?" he asked with a flat tone that was a mixture of both fond amusement and slight irritation.
"Well," she started, hesitating further as her embarrassment grew. Daniel peered at her over the rims of his glasses as she paused, "We've been kinda arguing about whether or not you two…" she paused again, asking with a pleading tone, "do I really have to tell you?" Daniel simply fixed her with an annoyed glance. She sighed, looking down as she said, "We've been arguing about whether or not you two are falling for each other." Lifting her head back up, she looked at him with a contrite expression. Daniel opened his mouth to say something but Sam started talking, picking up speed as she went. "I'm really sorry, I know it's none of our business, and I really shouldn't be sticking my nose in where it doesn't belong, so I'll just shut up about it and be respectful of your privacy and…"
"Sam," Daniel interrupted her with a grin.
She paused, hesitating as she answered, "Yeah?"
"Relax, it's okay," he was still smiling at her as she relaxed a little.
"Really? I mean, you're not mad?" she asked with an incredulous voice.
Chuckling, he shook his head. "No, I'm not mad. You and Teal'c are two of my closest friends," he paused, glancing towards the door. Seeing no one, he lowered his voice, "Okay, so maybe I'm not thrilled about Colonel Mitchel being in on the conversation, I mean he's not exactly Jack..." he paused, smiling more as he saw Sam grin at his words. Raising his voice to a normal tone, he continued, "But if there's anyone I'd be comfortable talking about this with, it's you, Sam." He hesitated, then added, "Actually, I've kinda been wanting to ask your advice."
Her smile was one of relief as she answered, "I'm really glad to hear that, I felt kind of guilty about it, particularly after you two walked in on the middle of it just now."
He smiled, nodding. His expression then grew a little serious. "Actually, I know we don't have time for a long drawn out chat, so the whole advice thing will have to wait. But there is something quick I want to ask you about…specifically, last night."
Sam looked at him quizzically, "Oh?"
"Yeah, this is going to be a little awkward, but I need to know." He stepped closer so they could talk in hushed tones. This confused her, but she leaned in so he could ask her his question. Hesitating at first, he finally managed to ask, "Is there any way last night that Vala and I…" he paused, struggling with the words, "you know, is there any way that we could have…" Sam looked confused though he got the sense she had an inkling about what he was asking. He tried again, "You and Cam never left the cargo bay last night, right?"
Sam nodded as understanding started to dawn on her, "That's right, we didn't leave until about five hours ago, after we woke up."
Daniel's expression grew slightly annoyed. "Yeah, that's what I figured you'd say. So there's no way that anything…noisy could have happened in here without you knowing about it."
Sharing a wry expression with him, Sam answered, "Yeah, I think we'd have both noticed it if you two…well,"
"Uh, yeah," they said in unison, both looking distinctly uncomfortable as they stepped apart. "I take it she led you to believe that…" Sam asked.
"Uhuh," Daniel nodded a few times, looking quite perturbed now.
Sam sighed in sympathy for her friend, regarding him with a comforting gaze. She wasn't sure what to say, but she started with, "Well, maybe it was with the best of intentions…" Daniel looked at her as if she was insane. "Well, come on, Daniel. It at least shows that she's interested in you."
"Interested in tormenting me, maybe," he replied with irritation in his voice as he picked up his and Vala's packs, walking out of the cargo hold. Sam picked up her own and followed, wondering if the fireworks were about to begin.
The rays of the rising sun slowly started to shine over into the valley that held the capitol city on Dakara which was slowly recovering from initial shock of the attack. Only a few curls of smoke rose from the damaged buildings, there were much less than there had been. The wounded Jaffa from all quarters of the city had either been sent to Earth for immediate care or were being helped by their fellows in the city. Many in the city were unsettled that the attack had even taken place, even though there were now over a dozen Ha'tak in orbit around the planet. Many of the sabotaged ships had been completely repaired, while more reinforcements had arrived.
Bra'tac stood at a table with several Jaffa. They were consulting a map of the city which had dozens of wooden markers on it, signifying where there had been significant damage. The older Jaffa had been very busy during the last dozen and a half hours, finding only a few moments for sleep here and there as he dealt with one crisis after another. Now that the wounded had been addressed, he and the rest of the interim government were now able to focus on assessing the damage to the city itself and starting to direct repairs.
A lone Jaffa entered quietly into the room, making his way over to Bra'tac as soon as he saw him among the others. He waited patiently for a few moments to allow his elder to finish what he was telling them. As soon as there was a pause, he tapped Bra'tac on the shoulder and leaned in to whisper something to him. After hearing what the other had to say, Bra'tac nodded, excusing him self from the rest. He and the other Jaffa left the room in a hurry, making their way through the veritable maze of corridors in the capitol building.
"Where?" Bra'tac asked simply as they walked.
The other answered, "Within one of the more damaged sections of the city."
Bra'tac nodded, "It was to be expected. There has been much chaos in those districts due to the attack." He paused for a moment, then said, "After you take me there, go and inform the Tau'ri. Use the new console they brought to replace the one that was destroyed."
The other glanced sideways at his superior as they walked. "Must we tell the Tau'ri everything?"
"You would do well to be glad for the help of the Tau'ri," Bra'tac replied with an acid tone, "for without them, we would still be under the thumb of the Goa'uld."
His words were met with silence as they continued down the hallway. They then descended several flights of stairs and continued down a longer hallway. At the end of this, there was an iron door with heavily armed guards on either side of it. As they saw their leader arrive, the one started to open the door, entering a code on a keypad nearby. The door unlocked with a loud noise, and the other guard pulled the door open with considerable effort. Bra'tac nodded at them as he entered wordlessly, one of the guards entering with him.
The cargo ship bearing SG-1 was within minutes of the planet, on a very aggressive approach pattern. Within minutes it would be entering the atmosphere of the planet. Daniel and Sam had joined the rest in the forward compartment, Sam resuming her seat behind the cockpit while Daniel came to stand with Vala a few feet back. She smiled up at him but her expression grew concerned as she saw his face. "What's wrong, Daniel?" she asked quietly.
He glanced down at her with irritation. He leaned in closer and whispered bitterly in reply, "We never had sex last night."
She grinned up at him from ear to ear, answering just as quietly, "Oh, is that what's got you upset? I wish you'd let me know that a few hours ago, we had the cargo bay all to ourselves…" she winked at him, her sparkling eyes full of merriment.
Her words were greeted with an even deeper frown, "You said earlier…"
"Nothing of the kind, darling," she interrupted, still smiling brilliantly while adding, "But I'm excited you are so interested. Perhaps after this all is done we can find some quiet time together and make your wildest fantasies about me come true…" Daniel blinked in shock at her as she yet again turned everything upside-down. He pursed his lips and tried to figure out how to proceed, while being mindful of his promise to be patient. Before he could get his wits about him, however, she added with a delighted tone, "However, now that I know that's what you thought I meant when we woke up, I have to say it's even more flattering that you said we should have done it a long time ago."
Answering in an agitated tone, he asked, "Well if you weren't suggesting we had sex, what was all that talk about 'our strenuous activity'?"
She chuckled, kissing his cheek. "Well what would you call a five mile hike up a twenty degree slope made of slick stone, with no hand-rail? We were all pretty tired…"
Huffing in frustration, he followed up with, "You talked about how you enjoyed last night and went on about 'what we shared'."
"We spent last night curled up together, wrapped up in each other's arms," she answered, reaching up to caress his other cheek as she continued to whisper, moving closer to his ear. "Of course I enjoyed it, Daniel, we shared a sweet night of tender affection. Shouldn't I have been happy about that?" She pulled back to look into his eyes. He saw mirthful teasing there, but he also saw she was completely sincere about her words. "Weren't you happy?" she asked, her voice with an underlying tone of apprehension.
He sighed, covering her hand upon his cheek with his, "Of course it made me happy. I told you as much." For some reason, he was feeling extremely disoriented now.
She stared more intently into his eyes, whispering even more softly with a serious voice, "So you meant what you said?"
He quietly drew in a deep breath, suddenly feeling like he was standing on a precipice. After he took the next step, there would be no going back, at least not without serious consequences and hurt feelings. He looked deeply into her eyes, the memories of the last five hours they spent together washing over him, along with the very intense memories of being so close to her while they slept. Without thinking about it, he started to nod. "Yes," he said simply. It amazed him how the answer simply spilled out of him, and so too he was amazed at the reaction that simple word elicited from Vala, her face blooming into one of the most brilliant smiles he'd ever seen.
"Good," she said simply, leaning a closer to him, bringing her lips near to his.
"Hey you two, dunno if it's of any interest to you, but we're about to start our descent." Mitchell's harsh voice snapped the two apart, and they both looked forward to find both Mitchell and Sam looking at them over their shoulders. Cam looked like he was ready to take someone's head off and Sam had an annoyed, though slightly bemused, expression. Daniel smiled sheepishly at them while Vala merely grinned with complete and shameless satisfaction. Turning forward again Mitchell asked Hak'tan, "So how about a scan of the planet, maybe see what we're up against."
The Jaffa shook his head, "The nebula prevents any accurate readings from sensors."
Mitchell frowned intently at this. "Well I don't like the idea of going into this fat, dumb, and happy. I don't suppose you've got a cloaking device on this heap? Maybe we can do a stealth fly-by?"
Hak'tan nodded. "That we can do." He then touched a set of controls on the console, causing the ship to disappear as they started their descent into the atmosphere.
The ride down was rough, but not out of the ordinary for entering the atmosphere of a planet. As they descended, it became apparent that the planet was extremely rich with vegetation and life, as opposed to its sister. The moon they had left had some vegetation on it, and a breathable atmosphere, but it was not as evolved. They flew for several more minutes before they neared the surface, leveling out their flight at several hundred feet.
"Are we too close to the ground?" Mitchell asked, "I don't want this thing's engines to tell anyone we're coming."
Hak'tan answered, "The craft is actually fairly silent, it is a newer model." He paused before continuing, "Besides, if we fly too much higher, we won't be able to see anything worthwhile."
Mitchell hummed in reply, and they flew on wordlessly for another few minutes, everyone watching intently out the forward display.
"There!" Teal'c called out suddenly, pointing to the center of the horizon before them. Within moments everyone saw the structure that they were nearing. Hak'tan slowed the craft so they could get a better look as they flew by. Multiple buildings came into view as they approached, and they saw some faint traces of smoke curling out of broken windows. There was no apparent structural damage beyond that, and they saw no signs of activity. As they flew over the compound, no sign of life could be seen.
"That doesn't bode well," Mitchell commented, watching with a concerned brow as they finished their fly-by. "Alright, I don't think we want to be ringing into the middle of that place, for all we know there's hostiles inside. So I figure we'd best land a few miles away and approach on foot."
Hak'tan nodded. "I agree. I can stay with the ship in case you need a quick exit."
Mitchell glanced over at Teal'c with a concerned expression. The Jaffa nodded confidently, to which Mitchell answered, "Alright. Set us down a ways away and we'll hike it in." Reaching into his pack, he gave Hak'tan an extra radio. "We'll use these to keep in contact. You'll be able to hear everything we say. Push this button to talk to us."
With that, the shuttle craft started its descent, approaching a clearing of trees several miles from the seemingly empty complex. The Colonel stood and looked at the rest of his team. "Alright, people. Let's do this."