***I do not own anything here, all characters belong to MGM, I just play with them now and again.*****

Chapter 7

It had been two days since Daniel Jackson had begun systematically searching the base for Vala. He had hit a brick wall. Every now and then he thought he caught a glimpse of her in the distance only for the person to either not be her or to disappear. He had grilled Bill Lee to no avail. Bill said he was a friend of Vala's and he owed her loyalty. Then he walked away. Daniel had never felt such a strong urge scream before. Why would no one assist him in finding one space-pirate-vixen? He sat at his desk simply staring into space. He couldn't remember when he last slept or ate. He wasn't even completely sure why Vala being away from him upset him so. He knew she was safe, he knew she was okay, so what was the big deal? Suddenly a hot cup of coffee was slid under his nose.

"Good morning, Darling, here's your coffee." Vala just smiled her brightest smile at Daniel and waited for his response. She wasn't disappointed, Daniel jumped from his chair and practically vaulted the desk to envelope her in a hug.

"Vala!" Daniel began kissing her passionately. "Where have you been? Do you know how I have missed you? Don't ever leave me like that again!" Daniel interspersed barely coherent sentences with his kisses. His hands roaming her body as if to assure him she was really there.

Vala enjoyed his attention, but knew she needed to have a serious talk with one archeologist. She slowly eased her mouth away from his. Daniel was not deterred and began kissing her jaw line and down her neck. Vala stretched her neck, giving him better access and then realized that she was allowing him to control this reunion. She pulled back again and stepped away from him, one hand firmly on his chest pushing him away.

"Daniel, as much as I am enjoying this, we need to talk, NOW." Vala eyed Daniel from a distance, watching him slowly get a grip on himself. His hands kept flexing as if eager to reach for her again, his eyes were devouring her. She pushed the plate of breakfast pastries closer to his coffee cup, "sit and eat darling, drink your coffee, and let me do the talking for once."

Daniel rolled his eyes but walked back to his chair, took a seat, and grabbed a donut. He watched Vala pace, she seemed a bit nervous, that was not like his Vala at all, but he was determined to allow her to do this at her own speed. He had missed her more than he realized and had some pretty important things to say to her as well.

Vala tried to get a grip on her emotions. Daniel's joy at seeing her had totally distracted her from what she wanted to say. She took a folded piece of paper from the pocket of her BDU's. She quickly glanced over her list muttering to herself. "Wendy says I can do this, I have the right to state my opinions, and this must be a relationship of equals." Across the room listening to her mutter, Daniel frowned a bit…. Who was "Wendy"? When did Vala begin making lists? He watched her pace in the extremely tight top and low-rise BDU's, those could not be standard issue, not one of the other women on based looked as good as she did in them.

Vala seemed to gather her thoughts and face Daniel "Daniel darling, I needed time to myself to think about what is between us." To Daniel this didn't sound like Vala's words, but decided to hear her out and grabbed another pastry.

"I wanted time to decide what it is I want from you" Vala frowned at Daniel when she heard him mutter "sex", so he decided to shut up. "I do want more than sex Darling; I just tease you because you blush so sweetly." Vala smiled as the flush spread across Daniel's cheeks. "Back on topic, darling. You have always intrigued me, from the first moment on the Prometheus." Vala winked at Daniel and watched him blush again. "It wasn't just the fact you are gorgeous, but who you are. Daniel," Vala stopped pacing and faced him. "You are the kindest and most caring person I have ever met. You are so good that you inspire me to be good; you make me believe I can have friends, family, and even a home again. I now want everything Qetesh took from me; everything I believed was lost to me forever." Daniel stared at the tears shining in Vala's eyes.

Vala took a deep breath and continued, "But, and there is a huge but here. I want us to be a relationship of equals. All throughout our relationship, it has totally been on your terms." Vala regained her composure, resumed pacing, and began talking faster. "you were always the one setting the pace, saying yes or no, deciding when we did whatever we did, you decided it was time for a hug, time for a kiss, or time to be distant. MY needs never mattered. Even when we went out to eat, YOU were the one who decided whether it was a 'date' or not. I had… I have no control and that is not fair at all." Vala folded her arms across her chest and positively glared at Daniel.

He took another sip of his coffee and waited for Vala to continue. She simply glared at him for a few more seconds and then resumed pacing. "I really have come to…. Oh damn I shouldn't, but Wendy said it is perfectly acceptable" Vala had her back to Daniel muttering. Daniel waited to see just what "Wendy" thought was appropriate.

Vala spun around and placed her hands on her hips, "Daniel, I think I , no I know I love you. I want to know how you feel about me and whether or not we can have a relationship of equals." Vala waited breathlessly for Daniel's response. He finished his coffee and then stood up, walking slowly to stand in front of her. Daniel looked into Vala's gray eyes; he had never noticed how bottomless they seemed before.

"Vala, I have always been intrigued by you. Soft and sweet one moment, then knocking me on my ass the next. A mass of contradictions. You are simply a beautiful, exciting woman and I am a geek, a nerd, a scholar, not the type of man I thought you would be interested in."

Vala huffed "oh Daniel, I like nice, sweet, and gentle men, you and Tomin had that in common. Bad boys never did it for me; maybe because I have seen too much true evil in my life." Vala explained.

He raised a finger and placed it gently over her lips. "Let me finish please." When Vala kissed his finger then drew back he continued. "I am not a wealthy or powerful man; I am just a scholar who gets lost in ruins, in books, in the past. I will forget about dinner appointments, I will not notice a new dress, I will become so involved in my research that I will forget everything, including you, and then you will leave me. You will be tired of feeling alone and unwanted, that is my history, Vala, and a woman like you, who is so vibrant and full of life, will tire of me very quickly. "

Vala's eyes flared with anger "see this is the problem, you are making the decisions. Don't you think you should ask me what I want from a man, from my life with him? You are making my decisions again, the decisions about our relationship." She began to pace agitatedly again. "damn it Daniel, this is about us, not simply you. This is my life too. It's obvious you find me to be shallow and self-centered so you don't trust me, but I refuse to be simply a passive person in this relationship."

"No one would ever describe you as passive Vala" Daniel interjected. "But I know my history and …."

"You do not know what I will do, Darling" Vala stalked toward Daniel. "Have you ever been able to ignore me for any length of time? I will not permit that" Vala smirked at him. "I know what you are like; I have been here three years. I know you get involved, I know you forget to eat and sleep, but Darling, I will not forget you. Do I go looking for others to entertain me? No, I bring you meals and coffee; I pull you out of your dusty books and into the sunshine, and I make sure you get sleep as well as exercise. I am not asking you to change, just admit that I have a say in this relationship too. I am tired of fighting for every inch from you. I will always be your friend Daniel, but…." Vala swallowed hard, she knew she was leaving herself wide open for pain with this. "I want to be your lover, your partner, and your equal." Vala braced herself for Daniel's response.

A/N--- sorry to leave it here, but the chapter was getting too long… more coming soon!