LIBERTINES AND LIBERATION – Aftermath – CHAPTER 17
NOTE DUE TO TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES; CHAPTER 16 IS A DUPLICATE OF CHAPTER 15;
THOSE CHAPTERS INCLUDE THE SUBCHAPTERS THE PRICE SHE PAYS AND WOUNDS.
This chapter follows Wounds.
WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL SITUATIONS
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any Stargate characters, ideas or themes. As a matter of fact, Stargate can have my ideas if they want them (wouldn't that be great). All standard applicable disclaimers apply to this piece. I have tried to source any materials quoted in furtherance of this story.
Spoilers: Probably some for Season 10 and beyond
Summary: Vala and Daniel centered storyline adventure (hopefully); relationship (okay yes); angst (yup); comfort; etc.
Rating: R to NC-17 in some parts.
Author's Note: This is my first Stargate fiction. I have no betas – not even a beta fish – not even sure what a beta is in fact.
There's more to follow, probably tomorrow.
This story will have multiple chapters.
I took inspiration from Milena D's Misappropriation of Lives and a short story called Believe by Random. I really wish those two authors would write more on those two story lines.
I hope for a few comments.
Aftermath
Daniel awoke in the black leather chair on the Odyssey literally wearing Vala. His face was resting along her temple with a healthy measure of her hair draped over his shoulder. His arms were wrapped firmly around her with his hands splayed, resting in the middle of her back. He'd kept her pressed close to his body. Vala had assisted in this tight bonding by wrapping her arms tightly around Daniel's body; her hands forming a little warm ball in the middle of his back. She'd pulled her bare legs up close to her body and leaned them into Daniel's side. A healthy portion of one of Daniel's arms blanketed her legs.
Daniel felt a surge of pleasure at the warm feel of Vala, and then awareness came to him about why he was wearing his Vala blanket. She'd played the hero yesterday, saved his life, saved Sam, and been tortured and sexually assaulted as a result. His breath shuddered in at the memory of what he'd seen of Emeteo's attack on her and his arms instinctively tightened. Vala, brave, run headlong into any situation and deal with the consequences later, beautiful, fucked up Vala. He wondered what this trauma would do to her; whether she'd handle it by ignoring it. Probably. Was he any better in how he dealt with traumatic events in his life? Probably not.
He moved slightly to look at his watch; they'd been asleep for a little less than two hours. They had another couple of hours before the Odyssey reached the alternate planet they would use to gate home. As Daniel moved, Vala shivered and her grasp around him tightened. In spite of their combined body heat, the room was cold and Vala looked chilled in her scant outfit of boxer shorts, tank top and BDU overshirt.
"Daniel?" she said sleepily.
"Yeah," Daniel said quietly.
"Is it time to gate home?" Vala asked groggily.
"No we're proceeding with the Odyssey to an alternate gate address." Daniel said, "We didn't want to take a chance that there might be other Lucian Alliance looking for Sam on Danter."
"Good idea." Vala smiled into Daniel's chest.
"Are you going to get down off of me Vala?" Daniel asked.
"Eventually," Vala said drawing the word out.
"You've been sitting on me for two hours, and you're shivering." Daniel said.
Daniel felt Vala's body stiffen momentarily at his words, "I fell asleep. You should have woken me up." Vala said almost formally, though she had not made any move to leave his lap.
Daniel spread his fingers out on Vala's back, imperceptibly tightening his hold on her, "I didn't mean it like that Vala. I'm meant that you're shivering and I'm stiff . . ." Daniel started and then stopped as Vala raised her eyebrows at Daniel's turn of phrase.
". . . I mean my muscles are tight and you might like to stretch out." Daniel said defensively. He stood up holding Vala at the waist allowing her legs to unfold and support her. She let go of him. Daniel walked her to the bed, pulled the covers back and she got in without saying anything else.
Daniel thought he saw a little panic in Vala's eyes, but it disappeared so quickly he couldn't be sure; he assumed she still didn't want to be alone, but she'd said nothing.
"Scoot over." Daniel said quietly. Vala scooted. Daniel pulled the covers up over Vala and then lay next to her on top of the comforter. They looked like two cookies in a package each protected from bumping into the other and breaking off the fragile edges by the over-under comforter that separated them. Daniel moved towards Vala and she rested her head on his chest.
"Hmm," Vala said between shivers.
Daniel felt her body relax though the covers. He didn't care to think what this little gesture on his part meant. He couldn't leave her right now. And she wanted him here; she'd said as much, though she hadn't said anything really.
"Daniel?" Vala said.
"Hmm?" Daniel said, though he could feel the smirk building on her face.
"Can we call this our first date?" Vala said, shaking slightly from suppressing her laughter.
"Shut up and go back to sleep Vala," Daniel said.
He was dozing, and he felt her tense and move before he came awake to her jumping off the bed. He recognized her movement; he'd seen it the night she had been drugged out of her mind by the sex pilgrims and he'd watched her sleep in his office.
This time he said nothing as Vala stood in what Daniel had just dubbed, "Sleeping Warrior Stance."
Daniel opted not to startle her awake – that had not worked well the other time. So he merely lay there and waited until she came awake. She didn't seem surprised to find herself in this stance.
Daniel lay quietly. Watching Vala contemplate her options; watching her trying to figure out whether she had awakened him.
"Get back in bed Vala," Daniel said simply.
Vala shook her head no, "I'm up now; I'm going to take a shower and go see Sam."
"Vala, what were you doing? You did it after Quotan too." Daniel asked sitting up in the bed.
Vala shrugged, "I do it sometimes when I've had . . . a bad day," Vala smiled at him, biting her lower lip.
"Vala, I've seen you do that twice now. You had to have training to do that; who trained you?" Daniel asked calmly looking at her with the deep, bright blue eyes she found herself increasingly drawn to.
"It's not training darling; I've never been trained." Vala answered honestly, "I think I have prodigious natural ability; Teal'c always says so when he trains me."
Daniel was confused; he usually knew when Vala was lying to him. He knew her tells, had learned about her world of tells in one of their conversations where she tried to teach him about the real world. She'd probably revealed more about herself to him in those conversations than any other way. He'd started watching and noting what he thought her tells were, until he was confident that he knew them. One of her tells for truth and not lies, was biting her lower lip in anxiety of letting someone learn something they might be able to use against her.
Vala's words seemed like lies; Daniel saw the training in those moves and he made a note to talk to Teal'c. But, unless Daniel was seriously mistaken, Vala believed what she'd told him.
"Not to worry darling, I'd never kick your ass while I was asleep." Vala quipped trying to palm of her hand along the side of his face and felt his stubble, before turning her hand over and running that side over his cheek lighten Daniel's mood.
Vala came and sat next to Daniel on the bed. She ran the again.
Daniel looked at the ineffable depths of her eyes as he felt her hand on his face, "Thank you my Daniel, for staying, for standing me back up yesterday." Then she got up, leaned over him and kissed him lightly on the lips, before moving off and towards the bathroom.
"Taking a shower," Vala called back over her shoulder as she closed the door.