Zero to Full Throttle in Eight Seconds.

Warning: Possible Unending Spoilers

The envelope was on his desk when he returned from the storeroom at 2248 hours, bringing an armful of books. Daniel put them down and picked it up with a grin. He ripped it open and pulled the card out. There was a cat on the front, hairless and body weirdly distorted with its eyes oversized. He laughed and opened the card. "I'm bug eyed over you." She'd written. Daniel noted the large V that took up the rest of the space. Shaking his head, he placed the card in his desk drawer and returned to work.

He was sleepy. He knew it was possible that he hadn't slept more than three hours a night in the past ten years with the exception of drug induced, alien influenced or coma provoked sleep. Fiddling with his watch he tried to set the beeper 'thingie'. Thingie! Now I'm not only thinking about her, I'm thinking like her. He couldn't get the timer to respond and gave up. Okay… five minutes, he could be out of here in five minutes. He'd made Dr. Lam a promise to start getting more sleep. Straightening his desk, he began making piles when Vala came in at full speed – sleep mask askew – braids this time. One day, he figured, she'd show up for a mission with that thing perched on her head.

He grinned. He was crazy about her and surprisingly loving it. "What's the dream about this time?"

"Wonko."

"No doubt!"

She came and parked herself on his lap. "We should set up a desk for you in my quarters. You could sleep there since it's how you sleep most of the time anyway, then you'd be there when I needed you."

"That is a 'wonko' dream."

She turned, a confused pout on her lips, "that's not the dream, silly. I was flying a cargo ship and I was sitting on your lap."

"Ah, then what?"

"Well then it got strange."

"Stranger than you sitting on my lap flying a cargo ship?"

"That part wasn't a bit strange. Anyhow, stop interrupting. Muscles was our co-pilot and he was telling us about our time on the Odyssey which we really didn't spend there because of the whole time reversal…"

"Thingie?" He offered.

"Yes."

Daniel nodded for her to continue, "go on."

Vala remained quiet, biting her lip.

"Well?" He prompted.

"Well darling, all he said was we hooked up."

"Really?" His voice was a bit patronizing and she scowled at him before continuing.

"For fifty or so years, maybe more."

"Long time to be hooked."

"Hmm, don't you think that's odd? Like some type of sub-conscious memory?"

"Vala, nothing happened. You have to understand. Get Sam to explain it to you."

"Daniel, if nothing happened how come Muscles has that crazy gray streak? Hmm? What about that? I wonder if I had gray hair, probably not. Or you? I bet you looked adorable all old and wrinkled. I'm sure I still loved you even then."

Every time she said she loved him, his heart skidded to a stop then expanded and beat double time. She always seemed so sincere, but he suspected she wasn't, and was too afraid to ask.

She was quietly thoughtful again.

Yawning, he rested his head against the back of his chair, enjoying the feel of her weight on his lap. His eyes drifted closed.

Vala turned to find him asleep. "Poor baby," she whispered. Leaning forward she stole a kiss.

Her fingers brushed his hair, before removing his glasses. Sighing a little disheartened, she kissed him again. "I love you so much that sometimes I feel as if my heart will suddenly stop without your love. And I don't know what else to do to convince you. But seeing as it took Samantha eight years to lasso her man, I guess I can be patient. Eight years." The last was whispered with deep despair.

She kissed him once more, but this time he responded passionately, hands on either side of her face, his mouth open, hot and possessive.

She responded in kind. "Well, darling, eight seconds works too. I love you, Daniel."

"I love you, too. I could spend fifty or sixty years with you, but I'm not promising you anymore than that."

Vala grinned, stretching her back, arms over her head. "Deal. Can I move into your apartment seeing as you are never there, no one would think there's anything going on?"

"I'd have to be sure to be there. I don't think Landry or Mitchell will allow you to live off base without supervision. At least not for a while."

"Right. So. I suppose that means you're okay with telling them?"

"I suppose I'm going to have to eventually."

"Eventually? Like hours, days, weeks or months?"

"Yep. Something like that."

"So you think they'd take me off the team?"

"Dunno."

"That's depressing. You're not on board with the whole don't tell don't ask scenario?"

"Not my style."

"I see." She leaned in for another kiss. "I suppose we shouldn't be doing this."

"No, shouldn't." His lips captured hers for a brief kiss.

"Alright. I'll leave it all up to you." Reluctantly she stood.

"Dinner at my place tomorrow then?"

"Yes. Do we have to invite the others?"

"Nope. Just you and me."

"Great! By the way, Sam knows how I feel about you." Vala said it so fast he barely caught it.

"That's okay; Jack knows how I feel about you." He told her slowly, a small smile on his face.

"Well, good night."

"Good night."

Moving towards the door she turned, stalling. "Love you."

"Love you too."

"Nite." She did her best window washer hand wave.

"Bye."

She wasn't gone out the door more than fifteen seconds before she ran back in, hopped into his lap, arms locked around his neck and kissed him senseless before scurrying out the door once again.

Daniel grinned up at the security camera. Siler had informed him just hours ago that it'd be at least a day before he could repair it. Daniel jumped up and rushed out into the hall. "Vala!"

She turned with a quirk of an eyebrow.

"Come here," he said entering his office to wait for her.