See, didn't I tell you I'd get this one to you quickly? :) lol Anyway, here ya go; can't wait to hear from you! Thanks!

Chapter 4

Vala stared at Daniel for a long moment. "A what?"

"A vampire," he said, almost apologetically.

"No, I heard what you said." Her face twisted into a frown. "But…I don't understand. I thought a vampire was some mythical creature featured only in stories on this planet—possibly a result of stories about the Wraith circulating from the Ancients that came back here from Atlantis millennia ago. That's what I've heard, anyway."

He shrugged a little, and she still couldn't get over how perfect his every movement looked. "Well, that may still be true; the legends are so diverse that it would make sense if they had more than one source. But the truth is that one of those sources really is native to earth, and that those creatures really do, well…survive on blood," he grimaced.

Vala blinked a few times. "But that would mean—"

"That there are people who are killed by them? Yes, unfortunately," he sighed. "But we don't contribute to that," he quickly added.

"Who is we?" She was asking purely for the information, to process this fact that the legends of these fearsome creatures she had seen in Earth media were real. She refused to yet make any connection in her mind to Daniel. She asked this question uncomfortably, not wanting to make a connection yet.

Daniel appeared just as uncomfortable with the subject as he. "The family I live with now…of vampires. They don't harm humans. They're…vegetarians, to put it simply. They only feed on animals. We do. I…do…" He looked away, grimacing again, as if he still didn't like it and was afraid she wouldn't either.

There was temporary revulsion. Her stomach turned once as her mind slowly made the connection. But she forced herself to focus on the positive part; only animals…It helped some, but she had looked to the ground, and she was still staring at it.

"What happened exactly?" she asked again.

Vala heard him sigh. "I was attacked by another one…a nomad vampire, they tell me it probably was. That means it was a typical one, looking for humans. We were perfect targets, split up in the woods looking for that escaped animal. It…it would have killed me and come after you if Bella and Edward Cullen hadn't been in the area too."

"Who?"

"They're a couple…part of the family I live with. We live in Washington, actually—the state, not where the capitol of this country is. They were taking a longer trip to hunt than usual; actually, I think they were really on some kind of second honeymoon, but they were passing through, and stopped the other vampire before I lost too much blood. Edward ran it off; it wanted an easy meal, not a fight," he winced.

They were both silent for a moment or so, and then Vala put two and two together. Her fists clenched at her sides. "But it was still too late—wasn't it?"

He nodded. "They couldn't do anything else for me but bring me somewhere safe while I changed," he said quietly, and shuddered. He looked away, pacing to the nearest tree to hide his face. "I understand if you don't really believe me. I didn't believe it the first time, and I had just woken up as one."

Vala swallowed. "No…I believe you." She wasn't sure how, but it everything he had said so far fit into what she had seen, what she had heard….She didn't want to believe it, but looking at him now she had no choice. Only something so drastic could explain the visible changes in him. Her arms came up and crossed tightly over her chest.

"But I still don't understand why you never came back."

She could see his pained expression even from the side. "If I had run into you or anyone else much before now, I would have killed them before I could think twice," he whispered, resigned.

She felt a pang in her chest for him, but she pushed past it and questioned again. "You could have called."

"No, I couldn't have," he said, and turned back to her. "If I had called, you would have known I was alive, and you all would have wanted an explanation, and that was something I couldn't give."

"But you just gave me one."

"Because you had already seen me! I hated it just as much as you, but I hadn't run into you last week, you never would have seen me again. I'm sorry…but that was how it had to be. You don't understand…no one can know that vampires…that we exist," he said slowly, visibly taking pain in including himself.

"It puts people in danger," he said quietly. "There's a…hierarchy, of vampires, in Italy. They're called the Volturi. They're the ones that make sure the secret is kept. I couldn't let anyone I had known before I changed see me again because they would know I was different. They—you would figure it out eventually, and that would be dangerous." He eyes grew frightened. "The Volturi kill humans who know the truth."

Vala's mouth gaped open. "Then why…"

Daniel started to pace in frustration. "I had to tell you now, because I know you would have eventually told the others what you'd seen, and all of you would have combed the planet for me again. Yes, I know you were looking for me before," added quickly as her mouth opened. "The Cullens have connections, gained over many more years of life than either of us have. They don't know about the stargate, but they knew the military was looking for me."

He sighed. "But I had to tell you the truth, because I know you know when you're being lied to. You wouldn't have left it alone. I had to tell you to protect you—so you would know that you can't say anything."

"Nothing?" she asked incredulously. "What about the others? Sam, Cameron, and Teal'c, at least? All right, maybe Carolyn and Landry, too, but just them…"

"No," he snapped, and she jumped. She was going to protest before he continued, and his beautiful voice came out broken. "They can't know—not anything. It's much safer than way."

Vala swallowed hard and took a few steps closer. "Daniel…"

He didn't answer, just stared at the ground, fists clenched tightly, jaw working back and forth.

She couldn't quite process all of it. She knew part of her was still in shock, but she couldn't just let him stand there and be miserable. He had been her best friend for more than three years. She had lost him, and now she had him back after another horrible year, even if he wasn't the same.

He was still Daniel.

Vala stepped forward again, and she was standing right in front of him. She managed to tear her eyes from his perfect face, and slowly she reached for his hands. She squeezed them gently, forcing herself not to pull back from the sudden cold that his skin sent through her.

"It's not your fault," she told him softly, looking up into his face again.

His eyes, with their strange new amber color, came up to meet hers. Vala couldn't take the sorrow in them for long, and in a second her arms her wrapped around him in a comforting embrace, and she was glad for the black fake-fur lined winter coat she had worn out this time. She could still sense the cold from his body even through that, but she wouldn't let go.

It took a long minute before Daniel returned the embrace, gingerly. She imagined there were several reasons for that which she wouldn't want to argue with, so she said nothing. After another moment or so Daniel politely took her arms and pulled her away from his body.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I can't do that for long…not yet."

"Oh…right. I'm sorry."

He shook his head once. "No…it's all right. Thank you."

She looked for that small smile of his, which usually would have accompanied such a sheepish statement, but it never appeared. Her heart sank for some inexplicable reason. Was it that he seemed less like himself without it? Was it a sense of normalcy she was looking for?

Would there ever be any sense of normal with Daniel? If she ever even saw him again? The thought sent a spike of panic through her heart, and she was glad she at least still had hold of his hands to squeeze. She tried to distract her mind some other way along with it, and gave him a quick once-over.

"You're not dressed like you," she said, taking in the khaki pants, the collared shirt, and the leather shoes.

"Your hair is straight," he shot back. "And it has brown highlights again—like when I met you, but more of them. Why?"

Touché.

"Do I have to report to you every time I want to change my hair? It was straight when you met me," she huffed.

He let go of her hands and raised a finger. "But never since you came back from the Ori galaxy."

They were quickly falling into their old way of arguing, and Vala didn't want them to be angry at each other in any at all after so long not seeing him, but to some degree the normalcy of it was comforting enough that she couldn't bring herself to stop.

"Well…it was the humidity there, and the primitive hair products. They put the volume into it. But then I found out that it…sort of made people react to me a little less harshly," she said uncomfortably. It looked more innocent, and I thought you would like me better that way. "That's why I kept the look after I was back here."

"But why not anymore."

"Everyone here knows me. I don't have to make impressions anymore."

"Is that all?"

She couldn't bear to lie to him now. "There was no point after you were gone."

Maybe he was expecting it, she guessed from his question to gain that answer, but he wasn't ready for it, and it was obvious he had read the subtext in her answers. He looked away.

"What about your clothes?" she pressed.

"One of the other Cullens—Alice. She's brilliant, but she also acts something like the fashion police. She'll rarely let anyone leave the house in anything she doesn't approve of."

"It looks good."

"Thanks."

Silence.

"Your…your hair looks good too."

"Thank you."

Silence again.

It took longer this time, before either of them spoke.

"So what now?" Vala asked finally, arms crossed again.

"I…should go. The longer we're here the more likely it is that someone will see us," Daniel said.

"Will I see you again?" she asked then, heart jumping into her throat.

He looked at her sadly. "I don't think it would be a good idea. It's better for everyone if I just stay away; it might still be a good idea for you to forget you ever saw me. I still can't come back—ever. I'm sorry."

He started to turn away, and her stomach fluttered in panic. "B-but you could just come every now and then, just so I could see you. You can't just leave…not now that I know you're alive."

"What choice do I have?"

"We could meet somewhere else…not outside, where no one would see us. That wouldn't be dangerous, right?"

Daniel suddenly looked like he was thinking about it. "Maybe not…but where?"

Vala wracked her brain. "Your house," she spit out. "We never did figure out what exactly happened to you, obviously, so it's still there. All of your things are still there. It's padlocked and waiting for you…if you were to ever come back," she told him.

He seemed a little surprised by that, but he got over it quickly. "I…I don't know. I don't want to put you in danger."

"You just said that wouldn't be as dangerous!"

"But there's always the chance—"

Suddenly she was more angry than she'd been all week. "God, Daniel, you've always been stubborn, but I would have thought you would at least understand that I don't care about that part!"

His eyes wentwide, and he didn't have a chance to react before she stepped up to him again, grabbed his shoulders, and firmly pressed her lips to his.

Daniel made a strangled sound and pushed her away, too hard. She stumbled backward and landed on her rear end.

"What are you doing! Do you want me to lose control and kill you!" he shouted, and his eyes were wide, focused on her on the ground. "You can't put yourself in danger like that!"

"I was trying to illustrate the fact that danger means nothing to me after the life I've had," she shouted back, jumping to her feet.

He glared. "I understand that, thank you, but you need to understand that I don't want you putting yourself in danger because of me!"

"Why not?!"

"Because I love you!" he screamed.

"Well I love you too! I always have!"

Both of them fell silent, still glaring, Vala heaving in heavy breaths pushed by adrenaline. Slowly, the furious expression on Daniel's face melted away, and she felt her own expression shifting gradually from angry to incredulous.

"What just happened?" he questioned, voice barely above a whisper.

Vala's mouth opened, but nothing came out at first. It took a minute or two to force out the response. "I think...that we just figured out why we used to argue so much. That is…if you felt that way then."

Daniel took a deep breath. "I don't really know…what I felt then. I—" he cut off and spun away from her, fists clenched again. "I'm sorry I pushed you."

"It's all right. You're a lot stronger than you used to be, aren't you?"

"All of us have that, and speed, heightened senses…" He trailed off, looking at his pale arms.

"Right. Well…I suppose everyone you've been around recently has been just as strong as you. You're not used to the strength, versus human strength…."

He shrugged wordlessly, his back still to her.

Vala went to him again, and carefully put a hand on his shoulder. "Daniel…"

Slowly he turned around. "Look, I've been gone for more than a year. I don't know…" He reached toward her face, but then pulled his back. "Just give me some time, all right?"

Her hand drifted down from his shoulder and took one of his hands, but her eyes never left his. "All right."

"I do need to go now," he said then. "But I'll be back. Can you drive?"

"No."

"All right. Then we'll meet here. I can get you to my house from here."

"When?"

Daniel winced. "It can't be too often, or both the Cullens and the others here might get suspicious."

He'd used the word 'often.' He was going to come on a regular basis…for now. Her heart fluttered, and Vala wondered when she'd forgotten just how strongly she had felt for him—why she had ever tried to deny it to herself.

"Right."

"Okay…two weeks from today then. I'll meet you here at this time. I'm not sure what we're going to do, but…"

She smiled. "It's all right."

Daniel smiled a bit, and reached behind her head with his free hand. With one deft movement, he'd pulled the elastic band out of her hair and pocketed it, bringing a surprised gasp from her. His grin spread. "There's no reason to do that anymore, is there?"

Vala glanced down at her shoulders as her hair fell forward. She couldn't remember the last time she had let it free—at least not since they had thought Daniel was dead. "I…I suppose not." How could she disagree with someone so beautiful? And it was Daniel—back after more than a year. He could have her hair any way he wanted it.

"Do we have to wait so long?" she asked softly. Two weeks was too long.

He looked sad suddenly. "Vala, I have no idea where this is going. All I know is that you're right; you know about me now, so I can't just walk away and never come back. That option disintegrated last week when you saw me."

In other words, they couldn't rush into anything—especially not in this situation. He was probably right. They both needed time to think about this. That was what he was saying.

She sighed. "Okay. Just make sure you're here then."

He nodded once, and then gave her a long look. "Goodbye."

This time he actually let her answer. "Bye."

He was at the edge of a thick stand of trees before she could blink, and then he jumped once, and he was gone.

Vala shivered and slowly sank onto the edge of the rock that was still behind her somewhere. She had to back up and check a few times before she found it and sat, shakily. As she brought her arms up around her body she realized that the shivering wasn't only from the cold.

Her mind felt as if a whirlwind had blown in and out again, giving her no time to collect anything—much less her wits.

Daniel stopped no more than a mile away, on the strong lower branch of a tree, and leaned back against the thick trunk. He could still smell her from here. With this body there was no involuntary shaking, but everything inside him trembled. Even though he didn't really need the air, he gasped for breath.

Every gulp of air brought her human scent, and with it came the burning in his throat that urged him to feed, to hunt…but he stubbornly pushed it aside again. He could hunt in a few hours, when he got back to Washington.

But he wasn't shaking because he was thirsty. It didn't do that.

So what was it then?

Cameron Mitchell did a double take as he passed Vala in the corridor. She was dressed in civilian clothing and a coat, as if she'd just come from outside. That much wasn't unusual these days.

But her hair was down.

"Hey, Vala…"

She turned around. "Hmm?"

"Are you ok?"

Vala raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

Apparently she wasn't going to take the bait. Cam shrugged. "Nothing. No reason. You've just been distracted recently."

She shrugged. "Honestly, Cameron, I'm perfectly fine." She gave him that little smirk, the one they hadn't seen much of lately, and she passed him and went on to her room.

Cameron stared after her for a moment. "Huh."