I'm so sorry for the long delay in posting this! My internet connection has been down, and I'm having to work on an unfamiliar computer for the duration. Please excuse any errors :-)

Atlantis

It was a rare moment alone for them, and as so often happened, it was being taken up with a discussion of what was going on around them, rather than about themselves. The programme Sam had devised had worked, there was no doubt of that. Some of the would-be Alliance ships were fighting back with other weapons, and some were turning and fleeing, as had the ones which faced off with Cam and Teal'c. Jack could only surmise that they wanted to avoid being taken in battle and losing the loads of kassa they carried. No doubt they were flying back, with their chests of the addictive corn, to the source of the Ancient technology to demand a newer, better weapon. The thought made him grit his teeth.

"We'll have to go after them." Sam was, as usual, on his wavelength, almost scarily so. "We can't just leave it at that, not if there's a source of Ancient technology out there.

She looked up at him. "In fact, I'll bet that sending off an investigative team will be your first task when you get back to Washington." Her smile was a little twisted. They'd been due some downtime, together, and this incident had overtaken it. Heaven knew when they would be able to clear their diaries again.

"Actually," Jack took her hand, and idly traced a pattern over the palm, drawing his fingers delicately over the prominent blue veins at the wrist and making her hum slightly in pleasure, "that's unlikely to be my problem, for a very good..."

"They're back!" Daniel's shout echoed down the hall. "The Al'kesh just landed - they'll be in the infirmary any minute." He arrived at the door to the commissary, eyes bright. "Why are you both still sitting down? Let's go!"

Sam was already out of her seat and hurrying after him. Jack sat for a brief second longer, gazing at the Golden Gate Bridge. "I'm trying!" he muttered, to no-one in particular, then heaved a sigh and pushed his chair back from the table.

***

Vala was lying in a private bed in the Atlantis infirmary. Her arm was plastered, and various cut and grazes had been doctored. Daniel was sitting next to her bed, refusing her entreaties to let her get up.

"No, No and No! Just do what they tell you and lie quietly for a bit! It's not so bad - and I should know."

Vala subsided, with a sudden irrepressible giggle. "Yes, darling, I forgot. It's usually you lying in the infirmary after a mission." She rolled her eyes at him. Daniel rolled his back, and said "Ha Ha" but without any real heat.

"I really am fine," Vala continued. "I mean, I like Dr Keller, and all," she paused and cocked her head on one side, "and she has the most amazing hair," head back to the 90 degree angle, "but I'm perfectly OK."

"Well, she says you're to rest." Daniel's tone brooked no argument, and Vala sighed. For a moment they sat in silence, each absorbed in what appeared to be fairly deep thought.

"Val..." As Daniel opened his mouth to speak, Vala, opened hers. "Dan.." There followed a minute of you firsts, and no I insist, before Vala put a stop to it and held up her hand firmly.

"Daniel, I have a confession to make."

Her voice was small, and Daniel's heart began to beat rather erratically. What was she going to say? He had a sudden wild hope that she'd confess to being truly, madly, deeply in love with him, and that would take all the pressure off him. This was followed immediately by the horrified thought that perhaps she was going to confess to these feelings and he wouldn't be able to reciprocate, because, after all, he liked to take these things slowly... The third thought, sneaking along rather nastily on the heels of the other two, whispered that perhaps she was going to confess she'd met a pretty-boy Tok'ra who'd swept her off her feet and she was fed up with waiting around for him to make some kind of move...

So engrossed was he in this internal dialogue that he all but missed her whispered confession. Her eyes were downcast, and he noticed she was gripping her hands together so tightly that the knuckles were whitened.

"What? What was that about tablets??"

Vala sighed, and repeated herself a little more forcefully.

"I lost your tablets. I know they were unique, and I know you trusted me with them," her voice broke slightly and she swallowed at this point.

"I was trying to carry them all but I waited too long, trying to pick up your..." here she suddenly cleared her throat, and hastily continued with "I waited too long and I dropped them all when that no-good wonko kassa dealer zatted me." She fell silent, and swallowed again.

"I'm terribly, terribly sorry."

She still hadn't looked at him, and Daniel was suddenly filled with a great anger.

"You complete and utter idiot," he muttered and Vala threw him a fearful look. "I'm really, really, really sorry," she began again, and he cut her off, holding his hand over her mouth for a second.

"I was talking about myself," he stated without preamble, and shook his head searching for the right words.

"Vala, I don't know where along the line I made you think I was the sort of person who valued tablets, and, and books, and, and, and, artefacts, more than I value people! God help me, I wonder if everyone thinks that...??"

His train of thought derailed for an instant, and his mouth twisted. "I may have a LOT of work to do here." Closing his eyes for a moment, he opened them to see Vala's fixed on him, rather wider than usual at this unexpected outburst.

"I don't" he enunciated clearly, "give a flying...DAMN... about the tablets." Vala's eyes widened further - she knew the expression he'd narrowly avoided using, but she was rather surprised he did.

"The tablets can go to hell for all I care. I was worried sick about you in the clutches of the Lucian Alliance, and if I ever get my hands on the arrogant, unapologetic, no-good useless, piece of crap Tok'ra who left you behind, I will tear them limb from limb and then beat them with the sticky ends. Am I making myself clear here???"

Vala's eyes were shining. "Perfectly, darling."

"Good" Feeling somewhat better after his outburst, Daniel added "And I owe you coffee, as soon as you're well enough. Dinner too." At this point he suddenly realised how very unlike himself he was behaving and almost lost his nerve.

"That is, um, if you'd like to go to dinner with me?" He bit his lip.

"I would" Vala said firmly. "Very much." She snuggled down into the infirmary cot and favoured him with a radiant smile. Daniel felt his knees weaken slightly. He stood up, and waved towards the door. "I'll let you get some rest, then."

"Daniel" He cocked an eyebrow at her.

"That note you sent. The one with the, ah, intriguing signature..." She pleated the sheet, then looked at him. "I was trying to pick that up, to, to take with me, when I got zatted." She grimaced.

" I lost it along with the tablets."

Daniel smiled. No, in all honesty, Daniel grinned.

"Never mind," and he ran his hand slowly over her hair. "I'll write you another one exactly like it."

Vala yawned and gave him a sleepily seductive smile.

"Promise?"

"Promise. Now go to sleep!"

***

Cam Mitchell was in an infirmary bed too, having the gash across his forehead stitched by a very efficient nurse. Despite the local anesthetic, he was grumbling. Teal'c, Sam and Jack sat around the bed, and Daniel joined them in time to hear Cam tell the nurse, reprovingly, that Dr Lam would never have just jabbed the needle in as if he were a piece of tapestry...

"Vala sleeping?" Sam hadn't seen her friend yet; Daniel had locked the door behind him when he'd gone into her private room.

"Yep." He looked pleased with himself, and Sam smiled, happy that they appeared to be working things out. So what if it took the destruction of her precious moonbase to bring it about... Her smile faded a bit. She wasn't looking forward to the fight with the IOA to allow the funding for rebuilding.

Cameron was telling Daniel how the ex-Lucian Alliance vessels were limping home all over the galaxy, and Teal'c was explaining to General O'Neill that a message had come through from the Tok'ra just as they arrived, and that they were offering their services to...

"What?" Sam wasn't sure she could believe her ears. "They're offering to what?"

"Use their crystals to help us rebuild the dome of the moonbase, Colonel Carter." Teal'c inclined his head towards her in a small bow. "It is by way of an apology for leaving Vala Mal Doran behind and thus allowing her to fall into the clutches of the Alliance."

"Well, that's wonderful!" She was jubilant, and her expression was echoed around the bed, although Daniel, she noted, looked slightly wistful. She'd have to ask him why, later... "That should get the IOA off our backs, at least!"

"Yeah." Cam was pleased. "Makes life easier for you in Washington, I would guess, hmm, Sir?" He was addressing Jack, who took a deep breath.

"Well, actually, it was never going to be MY problem," he began, determined that this time no-one was going to interrupt him. "You see, boys and girls, I..."

"So Jack" the voice floated down the infirmary towards them, and every head turned to see Hank Landry striding down the aisle between the beds. He too was looking pleased. "Got all your people back safe, hey?" He clapped Cam on the shoulder, making him wince slightly, and bowed to Teal'c. "Good work, team. And especially congratulations to you, Colonel Carter, not that we had any doubt you'd come up with something." Sam blushed.

"So Jack," Hank turned his attention back to the new civilian consultant. "How'd they take the news of your retirement then? Glad to have him back here at the SGC, people? Civilian or not, he's always good value." Hank beamed genially round, then realised four completely blank faces were staring back at him. "What? What did I say??"

Sam spoke first, turning round slowly to face Jack. "Retired???" Daniel and Teal'c chimed in after her, almost simultaneously with "Again, Jack?" and "Again, O'Neill?" whilst Cameron puzzled out loud "Civilian consultant??"

Hank made a mock-horrified face and held up his hands in a 'don't shoot!' position. Sam was leaning in closely towards the now retired General, her expression dangerously calm.

"When, exactly, were you thinking of dropping this bombshell, Jack?" Her voice was sweet and cold as ice-cream, but there was a suspicious sparkle in those blue eyes...

"Oh for Pete's sake!" He threw his own hands up in the air. "You all know full well I've been trying to tell you something for days here - if it wasn't moonbases exploding it was Carter saving the world...there hasn't been a moments peace around these parts!"

Sam giggled. It was a rather unusual sound and Cam and Daniel both turned startled faces towards her.

"Really retired, Jack? Actually going to happen this time?"

He grinned. "Yep. And, for my sins in both this life and possibly the previous few, I'll be here as civilian consultant, trying to mediate between the military and the IOA..." He heaved a great sigh.

Daniel frowned. "Jack, don't get me wrong here, but that doesn't sound like your dream job. What on earth made you decide to take it on?"

Jack's eyes met Sam's. They were sparkling openly now, and the grin on her face was as uplifting to him as a glass of French champagne.

"Ah, Daniel," Jack leaned forward, and took her chin in his hand. He bent his head towards her, breaking off the movement just before he reached her lips to look over towards his favourite, albeit slightly dim, archaeologist. "The compensations far outweigh any other considerations," and closing the gap completely he proceeded to kiss Colonel Samantha Carter extremely thoroughly indeed.