The Green-Eyed Monster
A/N: I had a specific order in mind that I wanted to post these one-shots. The next one up was supposed to be the "Unending"-type blowup between Daniel and Vala—I wanted to do the scenario that fit canon close to the first. However, I am having a demonically hard time writing that one, so I thought I'd go ahead and post what I had finished rather than continuing to delay because of being married to that particular order. Hopefully I'm the only disappointed in the change to the sequence.
This story didn't turn out the way I intended (does anyone else have this happen to them with such alarming frequency? Or is it just my muses who pull such shenanigans?). I was going to use an OC as my Daniel-is-jealous catalyst. But I read a few John/Vala stories on Archive of Our Own, and fell in love with the pairing. I still am a die-hard D/V shipper, never fear, but if a relationship with Daniel became utterly impossible for some crazy reason, John would my second choice for our beloved space pirate. At the very least, I think John and Vala could be great friends.
To be perfectly honest, I am not sure jealousy is such a realistic catalyst for these two. I do think Daniel would feel jealous if Vala showed an interest/started flirting with someone else. I just am not sure he'd actually act on it. I find it more likely that he would take it as confirmation that she had always been playing with him and would simply stuff his feelings. So I decided to have him start out doing exactly that, then have circumstances convince him that she was indeed serious about the other guy. Hopefully that will make the scenario a little more realistic.
Brief reference to Jack/Sam.
Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate SG-1, and I make no profit.
The city of Atlantis being cloaked above the San Francisco Bay struck Daniel Jackson as a birthday present, Christmas present, and thanks-for-saving-the-galaxy-once-again present all rolled into one perfect package. He kept busy at the SGC taking care of the backlog now that the galaxy was fairly quiet as well as studying the Asgard database, but he decided to take a month-long vacation so he could go visit what Jack and Cam both called "Daniel Disneyland." He fully acknowledged that it would be a working vacation. He planned to spend as much time as possible digging deeper into the Ancient database and studying the various artifacts there. It wasn't as urgent now, with the Ori defeated, but Daniel still thought it important. Not to mention utterly fascinating.
Partly because they had fallen into a comfortable rhythm working together and partly because he knew that most of the time Vala was stuck on base when they weren't off-world, Daniel invited her to come along. Not surprisingly, she jumped at the chance.
He knew that "working vacation" wasn't a concept likely to go over well with Vala, but to his surprise she agreed to assist him in Atlantis just as she did at the SGC. She did warn him, however, that since this was still a vacation of sorts, she wouldn't be willing to work unreasonably long hours. "I expect to eat, and sleep, and have at least some fun while we're there, Daniel," she insisted. He grinned and acquiesced. "I may put in longer hours than I'll expect of you," he offered, "but I promise to let you knock off at reasonable times. Maybe you can talk some of the Atlantis crew into entertaining you."
He would later come to regret those words.
They had been in Atlantis for about four days when Vala bumped into Colonel John Sheppard one evening on her quest for food. She'd already quit work with Daniel for the day and was starving. Still, eating with company was always better than eating alone. To her delight, John not only agreed to join her for dinner, he offered to take her to dinner in the city of San Francisco. Vala's eyes lit up. She still hadn't had much opportunity to explore the planet beyond Colorado Springs. She had read about San Francisco, and the idea of seeing part of it was exciting.
It turned out to be one of the most enjoyable evenings Vala had ever had. John took her to a delightful seafood restaurant overlooking the Bay. The food was delicious, the view was amazing, and the company was charming and funny. For the first time since stepping foot on Earth, Vala found herself genuinely attracted to someone other than one oblivious archaeologist.
So began a new routine. When Vala quit work for the day, she would find John. They would eat together, usually in Atlantis itself, but sometimes they splurged and ate out in the city below them. Afterward, John would either show her around Atlantis, or the two of them would explore San Francisco together. One Saturday, John took her to a beach, and they spent the day there. He taught her to surf. Another weekend, he introduced her to golf.
He never made a move on her, but Vala could feel the physical heat shimmering between them. She liked John. She even thought she could love him...if only she weren't so completely, irrevocably in love with Daniel.
They talked about it one night early on, sitting over dessert. John asked her point-blank if she and Daniel were a couple. Vala laughed and rolled her eyes. "No, love, Daniel isn't interested in anything that isn't ancient, or Ancient." She smirked, but John could see her heart in her eyes. He nodded slowly.
He leaned forward, looking her straight in the eye. "Look, I'll be honest. I like you, and I think we could have something here. But I'm not interested in being some sort of stand-in for Jackson, or a consolation prize because you can't have him."
"I know," she said quietly. "And I wouldn't do that to you, John. I...I like you, too."
"Okay, then. We keep going just as we are. No harm in hanging out and enjoying each other's company. If it leads to something more, great. If not, well, at least we've had a good time and gained a good friend, right?"
She smiled in relief. "Right. Sounds perfect."
Late one night, about two weeks after Vala and Daniel had arrived in Atlantis, it happened. John and Vala had been watching movies in his quarters and had had a bit too much to drink. Vala was feeling relaxed and happy, and John's inhibitions were definitely lowered. He was walking her back to her room, not an unusual occurrence. What was unusual was his hand resting lightly on her back, just above her rear.
They reached her quarters, and she turned to tell him good-night. And then he was kissing her, pulling her hard against his body. She responded in kind, her hands tangling in his hair, their tongues tangling together in frantic need. She felt his hand moving upward along her ribcage.
"Vala!" They broke apart and stumbled away from each other at the startled cry. Swinging around, Vala met Daniel's stunned gaze. Poor guy; his eyebrows were nearly to his hairline.
Just as quickly, the surprised look changed to an angry scowl. Stalking forward, he roughly grabbed Vala's arm. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he hissed. "This is highly inappropriate and unprofessional, Vala! I thought you'd finally quit coming on to-"
"Jackson, back off," John interrupted. "I kissed her, not the other way around. You're out of line."
"Yes, darling," Vala said, tossing her head. "Just because you're not interested doesn't mean no one else is."
"Oh." Daniel released her arm, an indecipherable look in his eyes. "Sorry, then. I'll just be on my way." He hesitated, then added, "I'll see you tomorrow, Vala. I just wanted to get your thoughts on something I was working on, but it'll keep till morning."
After Daniel left, Vala tried to get her emotions back under control. She looked up at John, who gave her a rueful smile. "Kind of killed the mood, didn't he?"
Letting out a relieved laugh, she agreed, "Yeah, kinda."
"Probably just as well," John murmured. He leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss to her forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow. We won't drink so much, okay?"
"Sounds wise," she grinned. She kissed his cheek. "Good night, John."
The next two weeks passed quickly, and soon it was time for Daniel and Vala to return to Cheyenne Mountain.
Vala hugged John tightly as they said good-byes. "Thank you...for everything," she whispered.
"You bet," he murmured back. He kissed her lightly. "Keep in touch, huh? You know you're welcome here anytime." Vala's heart swelled, and she hugged him harder. Finally, she pressed her own kiss to his lips then reluctantly stepped away.
Life at the SGC continued much the same as always. SG-1 continued to go on missions, and Vala continued to work with Daniel or with SGC scientists when they weren't off-world. She began an email correspondence with John, though. Sometimes they chatted via webcam as well. Vala really enjoyed that. Even long distance, John could make her smile.
Daniel noticed. He could see her excitement whenever she opened one of John's letters. And although he couldn't hear the words being said, he had witnessed their tender good-byes back at Atlantis. Clearly, this wasn't Vala's usual playing—she must really feel something for the colonel.
Something in him twisted at that realization. He had always thought—okay, hoped might be more accurate—that if Vala ever got ready to be serious and settle down, it would be with him. But no, he had to take her to Atlantis and let her meet an intergalactic heartthrob. Daniel's eyes widened at that thought. He didn't think Vala was playing, but was Sheppard? Would the colonel break Vala's heart?
Daniel thought back to the farewell scene between the two. He could be wrong, but he thought John was serious too. Surely, the tenderness and affection in Sheppard's eyes couldn't be fake.
Daniel swallowed hard and let his gaze drift over to Vala. She was hunched over the work table, working on a translation, obviously deep in thought. He bit back a sigh. Maybe he should see if he could finagle a transfer for her. He loved her, and he wanted her to be happy. If Sheppard was what made her happy...
However, Landry and the IOA might not approve the transfer. Daniel frowned in thought. Maybe he could ask for one for himself as well. No one would be surprised; everyone affiliated with the Stargate program knew how much he had wanted to go to Atlantis several years ago. Jack wouldn't protest now that the city was no longer in another galaxy. Mitchell wouldn't like it, but the original "band" had already started to break up when Sam left. Mitchell could deal. If Daniel asked to transfer with Vala, saying he still needed her to be his assistant, the powers that be might just go for it.
The question was could Daniel stand to be on Atlantis and watch John and Vala together? He had survived the month mostly by being in ignorance for the first half of and by assuming Vala was playing around for the second half. Believing now that she was serious, that she had real feelings for Sheppard, would make it an awful lot harder.
Still, he loved her enough to try. He could just bury himself in work; he'd done it before. He took a deep breath. "Hey, Vala?"
"Yes?" she asked absently, her focus still on the translation before her. Daniel said her name again, more insistently this time, and she looked up. "What is it, darling?"
Darling. He winced. He had hated her calling him that at first, but now he knew he would miss the pet name when she stopped using it. Or maybe she wouldn't stop; maybe she had a different affectionate moniker for John. Having her continue to call him darling might be just as painful. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.
Still, he shoved down his feelings and plowed ahead. "What would you think about the two of us transferring to Atlantis?"
Vala blinked in surprise. "Atlantis? Permanently? Leave SG-1?"
She'd worked so hard to be part of SG-1, Daniel remembered belatedly. "Well, yeah. You know, we worked well together for that month. And I've always wanted to be stationed there."
Her head dropped forward. "And I prevented you. Twice." He could hear the guilt in her voice.
"Hey, it's okay," he said quickly. "I forgave you a long time ago, Vala. And things worked out okay in the end. We got to save the galaxy one more time. But now...Atlantis isn't that far away, and the rest of the galaxy is fairly quiet. We work well together. And...you could be closer to Sheppard."
Her head shot up. "What?"
Daniel sighed. "C'mon, Vala, I'm not stupid. You know I saw you that night outside your room. And I saw the way you two acted saying good-bye, and I've seen how happy his letters make you. It's not hard to put two and two together."
"Well, it must be, because I think you've come up with five," she retorted. "John's a friend, Daniel. A very good friend to be sure, but a friend nonetheless."
"A friend with benefits?" Daniel hoped the bitterness in his voice wasn't obvious to Vala.
She laughed. "Funny, that's the phrase he used."
"Oh, did he now," Daniel muttered. Maybe he'd been wrong, and Sheppard wasn't serious about Vala after all. Damn. If the colonel hurt her...Daniel's fists clenched involuntarily.
"Look, darling, if Atlantis is still your dream, of course we'll transfer," Vala said with what Daniel could tell was forced cheerfulness. "I'm actually flattered you want me to come with you." She hesitated, then admitted, "Sam actually offered me a position on the Hammond, but I declined. I miss Sam desperately, but not as much as I'd miss you." Another brief pause, then she added, "You're my best friend, Daniel."
It wasn't the declaration of love he would have liked, but Daniel could tell that Vala meant her words and that they had been hard for her to say. He covered her hand with his own. "Thanks, Vala. You're mine too. That's part of why I wanted to offer you Atlantis. I mean, if you're interested in Sheppard..." He couldn't bring himself to say "in love." "Interested in" was much safer. He could still hold on to hope even if she confirmed it.
She laughed again. "Oh, my Daniel, you're so sweet. We can go to Atlantis if you want, but please don't make it be on my account, okay?"
He nodded. "We'll think about it, how's that?" She agreed, and they went back to work.
A few days later, Vala came bounding into the office. "Darling, guess what? John's coming to visit! Isn't that fabulous? Maybe we could all go out together one night while he's here? Sam will be here too, which is beyond perfect. A full SG-1 team night—well, full new SG-1 anyway, since I doubt Jack will be able to make it—and Sam and John will be able to catch up as well. Doesn't that sound wonderful?"
Wonderful was the last thing it sounded to Daniel, but he forced a smile and agreed that it was indeed wonderful. He just hoped John and Vala wouldn't be all over each other at dinner. He wouldn't be able to stomach that.
It went better than he feared. Vala was wedged in the booth between Daniel and John but spent much of the evening chatting with Sam, who sat across the table from her. Daniel began to relax and breathe normally.
Then one of Vala's favorite songs came on. Usually she would be begging Daniel to dance with her. Tonight, however, she turned to John. "Dance with me?" she said hopefully. John never hesitated. He took her hand and led her to the dance floor. Daniel stared at his plate, knowing he couldn't stand to watch.
"So when did they..." Sam let her question trail off when she saw Daniel's pained expression. She winced. "Oops. Sorry."
"Don't worry about it," Daniel shrugged. "I took her to Atlantis with me a few months back. They got pretty chummy then." He frowned. "I just hope he doesn't hurt her. I think she's serious about him, but something she said made me think maybe he's not so serious about her."
Sam frowned too. "That doesn't sound like John. McKay teases him about being Captain Kirk, but he really doesn't toy with women."
"Well, he better not start now," Cameron declared. "I'll take him out myself if he does." Teal'c nodded in agreement. "Indeed."
Daniel sighed. "I offered to get her and me a transfer to Atlantis, so she could be closer to him, but I can't decide now if it's a good idea or not."
Cam scowled. "Now why do you both have to go? If she wants to go to Atlantis, fine. I'd hate to lose her, don't get me wrong, but why should I have to lose both of you?"
"I figured her transfer would be more likely to be approved if mine went along with it," Daniel replied.
Sam shook her head. "Don't do that to her, Daniel. I offered her a spot on the Hammond. Truthfully, I could really use her. She hated to turn me down, because we're such good friends and believe me it was a sweet job, but she doesn't want to leave SG-1. She said she'd worked too hard to be accepted, and she doesn't want to lose her family. She'd go to Atlantis with you, thinking it would somehow make up for you not being able to go the first two times and because, well, it's you, but believe me when I say she'd rather be here."
Daniel nodded slowly. "Well, if she wants to stay with SG-1, that's fine with me. I made my peace with being here a long time ago, and the Asgard database is going to keep me busy for years." He didn't noticed Teal'c's lips twitch at that.
The song ended, but John and Vala didn't return to the table. Daniel finally gathered the courage to look for them on the dance floor. He saw pretty much what he expected; they were dancing close together, completely wrapped up in each other.
Out on the dance floor, John placed his lips next to Vala's ear to whisper, "They're watching us. More specifically, they're watching me."
Vala giggled. "How sweet. I'm not used to having protectors."
"Well, now you have quite a few, it would seem," John smirked. He added, "Count me in that group. You need me to kick somebody's ass on your account, you just let me know."
She giggled again and kissed him. "Thanks, love. I'm touched."
After two more dances, they returned to the rest of the group. John danced with Sam, and Vala could tell he was amused by the conversation he was having with his former boss. She turned back to Daniel. "Dance, darling?"
He wanted to tell her no. He ought to tell her no. But he looked into her eyes, sparkling with happiness, and even though he hadn't been the one to put the sparkle there he found he couldn't resist her. "Sure," he agreed, sliding from the booth. He held her loosely in his arms, partly out of respect for whatever relationship she did have with Sheppard and partly to maintain his own sanity. When the song ended, he danced with Sam.
"Find out anything from Sheppard?" he asked as they moved to the music.
She shrugged. "Not really. He's playing his cards pretty close to the chest. All he would say is that they're friends, and he likes her a lot. He looked pretty amused, honestly."
Daniel expelled a noisy breath. "Well, that doesn't make me feel better. Vala said they were friends too. But Sam, you didn't see them saying good-bye when she and I left Atlantis. And you haven't seen how excited she gets when she talks to him or gets one of his emails or video letters. I'm telling you, she's not playing with him; she's serious. But she said something about Sheppard calling them 'friends with benefits', which makes me think he's not really committed to her. I had thought he was until she said that. And now you say he's amused?" Daniel shook his head in frustration. "I don't like it. He's going to hurt her. And I swear, I'll kill him if he does."
"Get in line," Sam replied. "Cam and Teal'c will want first crack at him, you know that. And then I'm next."
Daniel scowled. "Now how'd I end up last?"
Sam laughed. "I don't know. Personally, I think I should be first since I used to be his CO. But I'm not gonna argue the point with Teal'c." She hesitated, then said seriously, "Listen, keep me posted on this okay? I'm going to be worrying about her while I'm on the Hammond."
Daniel nodded. "Sure. Hey, are you going to be here long enough to take her for a girls' day or a girls' night or something? She might open up to you."
"We're going shopping tomorrow," Sam answered. "I'm not going to pry, but I'll give her plenty of opportunity to spill, don't worry."
"Good." Daniel let out another breath, this time in relief. "You'll let me know if you find out anything?"
"If I can," Sam responded neutrally, and Daniel knew that if Vala swore her to secrecy, Sam wouldn't break the confidence. He groaned. "I really hate this whole female loyalty thing, you know."
Sam laughed again. "Tell you what, let's head back to the table, and I'll see if I can spirit Vala off to the ladies' room with me. Maybe she'll let something slip there, and I won't be bound by any oaths."
But all Vala said in the ladies' room was how glad she was Sam was home, and how good it was to have the whole team together, and how much fun she was having. She didn't impart any tidbits about what her relationship with John might be.
The next day didn't go much better. Sam and Vala shopped, ate lunch, got manicures and pedicures, and caught up on SGC gossip. Vala did chatter about how much she loved San Francisco and how much fun she'd had on her visit to Atlantis with Daniel. Seeing an opportunity, Sam tried to steer the conversation to John. "So John was good to you? He showed you the sights and everything?"
"Oh, yes," Vala enthused. "We really had a lot of fun together. And I'm so glad he got to visit; it was wonderful to see him again." Sam was going to press further, but Vala must have somehow known it for her next sentence deftly redirected the conversation. "I'm glad his visit coincided with yours. I bet you enjoyed seeing him again too. Do you miss Atlantis?"
"Not as much as I miss you guys," Sam murmured, wondering how Vala managed to evade questions she hadn't even been asked yet. No wonder the woman had been such a good con artist. No wonder she was such an asset to the Stargate program.
In the end, Sam didn't have much to report to Daniel. At one point, she asked Vala point blank if she was seeing anyone. Vala just laughed and once again changed the subject. Later, Sam tried to ask if Vala was interested in anyone. The former pirate's eyes clouded briefly. "C'mon, Samantha, you know the answer to that. We don't need to rehash it, do we?"
But Vala had confessed her feelings for Daniel to Sam long ago and in strict confidence. It wasn't something the colonel could share when she talked to Daniel. Still, she was beginning to think that 'friends with benefits' didn't indicate that John was unwilling to commit, as Daniel thought. Perhaps it meant that Vala wasn't able to resolve her feelings for a certain archaeologist and so hadn't wanted to start a "real" relationship with John.
Unfortunately, that was just speculation, and Sam couldn't tell Daniel any of it. He was unhappy, as she had known he would be. Still, there wasn't anything she could do about it.
Sam headed off to Washington for the rest of her leave, and Vala came bounding into Daniel's office, ready to work yet practically bubbling with excitement at the same time. John, it seemed was still at the SGC for meetings regarding the fate of Atlantis, and he would be taking her out that night after the talks concluded. Her eyes had that sparkle again, and Daniel felt his stomach clench.
He'd watched her flirt with half the base and never felt more than annoyance. This gut-wrenching jealousy was an entirely new emotion, and he had to admit that he hated it. He wanted to be happy for her, but between the worry and the jealousy, it was awfully hard.
Throughout the day, Vala continued to practically buzz with her eagerness for quitting time and her date with Sheppard. Daniel scowled. He could feel himself growing grouchier as the day wore on, and he knew he was taking it out on Vala. Like it was her fault she didn't return his feelings. He knew it wasn't right or fair, but he still found himself snapping at her for no good reason. When he bit her head off for asking if she'd correctly translated a particular phrase on a glyph that SG-8 had brought back, he could see the hurt and confusion on her face. He closed his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Vala. I don't know why I'm such a grump today." Which was an outright lie, but he'd be damned if he'd tell her the real reason. "Look, why don't we go grab some coffee and maybe a snack?"
"Sure," she agreed, but her voice was subdued. Daniel winced. Crap. He must have really hurt her feelings.
After the break, he made a concerted effort to rein in his emotions. It must have worked, because Vala's good mood soon returned. Of course, the fact that the end of the working day was drawing near might have something to do with that too. He forced himself not to scowl again. He bore down on his pencil instead. The lead breaking for the third time in ten minutes made him rethink that plan. He switched to a pen.
John arrived at the door to his office just past 5:30. "Jackson," he said, nodding at the archaeologist.
"Sheppard," Daniel returned in the same even tone. He saw Vala scribble one last line before she straightened up and flashed a dazzling smile in Sheppard's direction. "Hey, love, you sprung for the day?"
"Yeah, you ready?"
Vala looked at Daniel, who waved her on. Smile widening, Vala leaped into Sheppard's waiting arms. "Let's go," she said happily. "I'm always excited to get off this base and go somewhere fun!" She waved at Daniel. "See you tomorrow, darling."
"Sure, have a good time," Daniel murmured, struggling to keep his feelings in check as he watched them leave, Vala's arm tucked through Sheppard's.
He stayed late, attempting to stuff his emotions by burying himself in work. Finally, at about ten o'clock, he headed toward his quarters. He hesitated, then decided to try knocking on Vala's door, although he really didn't expect her to be back yet.
She wasn't. Not wanting to go to bed but unable to concentrate on work any longer, Daniel wandered the halls. He went to the gym for awhile. He showered. He visited the commissary for a cup of coffee and a snack. Finally, he headed back to quarters. Glancing at his watch, he noted that it was now well past one a.m. Surely, she'd be home by now?
No such luck. Giving up, Daniel went to his own room to try to sleep. The effort went badly, as he kept being tormented by images of John and Vala together, and by five he was up again.
Unable to help himself, he checked with the guard and learned that Vala still hadn't made it back to base. Daniel's stomach dropped to his toes. Crap. He headed to his office to bury himself in work again and hopefully distract himself from his tortuous thoughts.
So when he headed back to the commissary a couple of hours later for coffee and breakfast, he was less than thrilled to see one Colonel Sheppard there, filling his own mug with java. "Jackson," Sheppard nodded in greeting.
Daniel felt a sudden, irrational urge to deck the colonel. He controlled the impulse, but he couldn't stop his fists from clenching. "Sheppard," he responded, just as he had the day before. He hesitated, then asked, "Just getting back?"
John looked surprised, but he nodded. "Yeah, ended up drinking a little too much last night. I didn't trust myself to drive back to base and didn't want to call for a ride. We crashed at Sam's. It was within walking distance, and Vala has a key."
Daniel could feel his his face flood with heat. They had crashed at Sam's. Sam was in Washington, so they would have been alone. They had been drunk...or at least Sheppard had been. Sheppard and Vala were all over each other the times Daniel had seen them together. He could guess quite easily what had probably taken place last night. Of course, he'd suspected before, but now it seemed certain. His jaw tightened.
John wasn't stupid; he saw Daniel's balled up fists and struggle to control his expression. Hell, it looked like the man was literally biting his tongue to hold back whatever words were trying to escape his mouth. John's lips twitched in amusement. It would be fun to watch the guy squirm, and he almost made an innuendo-laden comment designed to do just that.
But John wasn't cruel by nature. Jackson seemed like a decent guy, and playing up to his obvious jealousy would be a rotten trick. Plus, John genuinely cared about Vala...and Vala was in love with Jackson. She was convinced that Jackson didn't feel the same, but John wasn't so sure...especially now. He decided to help them both out.
"You're a lucky man, Jackson," John said casually.
Daniel blinked in surprise. "Huh? What do you mean?"
"Vala's quite a girl," John continued.
Daniel's forehead crinkled in confusion. "Well, yeah, she is, but doesn't that make you the lucky one, Sheppard?"
"Nope," John smirked knowingly. "No one's got a chance with her, including me—she's too crazy about you."
"What?" Poor Daniel looked so baffled that John couldn't help it; he laughed out loud. "Look, Jackson, I shouldn't be telling you this, but I'm going to anyway. Vala and I are not dating. We enjoy hanging out together, and I had hoped it could lead to more, but she's completely nuts about you, so it's not happening. We probably would have ended up in bed together that night you caught us on Atlantis—I was pretty drunk, and she wasn't exactly sober. But when you interrupted us, it kind of killed the mood."
"And last night?" Daniel couldn't help asking softly. "I wasn't there then, and apparently you were drunk again."
John sighed. "It was close," he admitted. "We were definitely headed in that direction when we got to Sam's. But in the end, Vala couldn't do it. She said it wasn't fair to either one of us. We did sleep together, because Sam's only got one bed and I was too drunk to stay on the couch, but we didn't sleep together."
Still trying to process all that John was saying, Daniel queried, "Vala said you called your relationship 'friends with benefits'?"
John laughed again. "That was a joke, Jackson, and it's better understood in context—which I'm not about to provide, since it's really between her and me. Just know that I've never made love to her, and she's not in love with me. You want her, you go after her." Taking his coffee, John walked out of the commissary.
Daniel took a deep breath. Okay, so apparently he'd read Vala's entire relationship with Sheppard wrong. Funny how a little jealousy could scramble one's brain cells. He swallowed hard. And apparently he didn't have to wait any longer for his space pirate to fall in love with him—according to Sheppard, she already was.
His face broke out in a wide smile, and he practically sprinted back to hall where both his and Vala's quarters were. Knocking on her door for the third time in twelve hours, he was relieved when this time the door swung open. Vala was dressed for the day and in the process of braiding her hair. "Morning, darling," she greeted. "What brings you here so early? I was planning to head to your office right after breakfast. Did something urgent come up?"
"You might say that," Daniel murmured huskily. "How was your date with Sheppard last night?"
Something he couldn't identify flickered across her face. "It wasn't really a date, darling. You know the drill—it was just dinner between friends and coworkers. Although I guess we aren't really coworkers, since John is stationed on Atlantis. So just dinner between friends."
"Oh? No movie or karaoke afterward? No culminating in a night of-"
"Daniel!" Vala looked at him in shock.
He shrugged. "Just wondering. I know you didn't come back to base last night."
She flinched. "Yes, well, we did hit a club after dinner. No karaoke, just dancing. We, uh, might have had a bit to drink. We crashed at Sam's. I have a key."
He nodded slowly, trying to think of what to say next. He knew he wanted to declare his love for her, but he couldn't bring himself to just blurt the words out. He struggled to think of where to go from here. He decided to try the lighthearted approach.
"So how about tonight? Any plans? You and I could do dinner, maybe karaoke or dancing—you pick. Then we could head to my place instead of Sam's."
Vala's mouth fell open. "Are-are you asking me out on a date?"
"Yeah, I guess I am," he answered. "What do you say?"
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why?"
He should have known she wouldn't let him off the hook that easily. "Why not?"
Her hands went to her hips. "Daniel, I have pursued you for years, and you have never once shown the slightest bit of interest in me. Why now?"
He sighed and plowed a hand through his hair. "You want an honest answer? I'm an idiot. I was waiting for some sign that you were serious, that you weren't just playing around with me. Then you hooked up with Sheppard, or at least I thought you did, and I was so jealous I couldn't see straight. I thought you'd finally gotten serious about someone—and it wasn't me."
He drew a deep breath. "I bumped into Sheppard this morning. I knew you hadn't come back to base last night, so I was already driving myself crazy thinking about what the two of you had been doing. When he said that he'd been drunk and you two had gone to Sam's, I nearly lost it. I wanted to deck him."
"Nothing happened at Sam's," Vala said, then hesitated. "Well...not exactly nothing. But we didn't have sex."
"I know," Daniel said quietly. "He told me. Vala...why didn't you?"
Her gaze dropped. "I couldn't," she admitted in a low voice. "I thought I could. Casual, meaningless sex to distract myself from the fact that you were never going to love me...to remind myself that someone found me attractive, even if it wasn't the someone I wanted. But I couldn't do it. I couldn't do it to John, although he offered it for those very reasons. I really do care about him, and I couldn't use him like that, even if he was willing. And...I couldn't do it to you. Even though we're not together, even though we haven't made any promises...it felt like betrayal."
"I'm glad," Daniel said softly, touching her cheek. "And Vala...you're wrong. I do find you attractive...very much so. And I do love you."
She looked up, her eyes shining with hope. "Really?"
"Really," he confirmed. He started to say more, but Vala suddenly launched herself at him. Laughing, he caught her and pressed his mouth to hers.
Once again, Daniel found himself watching John and Vala say their good-byes. John's meetings at the SGC were done, and he was heading back to Atlantis.
Daniel understood that John and Vala had gotten close, but he had to admit that watching them embrace and murmur softly to each other twisted something in his gut. When Sheppard pressed a light kiss to Vala's mouth, Daniel found himself once again clenching his fists involuntarily.
He's leaving, Daniel reminded himself. He's going back to Atlantis. And Vala doesn't love him—she loves me.
That did it. He relaxed and allowed a smile to come to his face. He and Vala had confessed their feelings, and they had a date tonight. She wasn't going to Atlantis with Sheppard. She was staying here with him.
Sheppard finally released Vala and left. Vala came over to where Daniel stood and slipped her arm through his. "Ready to go, darling?"
Daniel exhaled audibly. "Yeah, I'm ready. Let's go." He wrapped his arm around her, feeling possessive. One of these days, he was going to have to talk with Vala about this "friends with benefits" thing she still seemed to have going on with Sheppard. But not yet. Things were still new between them, and besides Sheppard was gone for now. There was plenty of time to sort it all out. For now, he would just enjoy this new relationship with Vala.
Daniel woke up the next morning to find himself in bed alone, but he could smell coffee brewing. As he made his way to the kitchen, he could hear Vala giggling into the phone. She looked up and seeing him, she smiled and blew him a kiss. "Daniel's awake, Samantha; I've got to go. I'll call you back later, okay? Sure, will do. Bye." She ended the call and set the phone down on the counter. "Morning, darling."
"Good morning." He kissed her, then smirked. "Filling Sam in about last night?"
"Of course. She's my best friend, Daniel."
He frowned in mock anger. "Now wait a minute, I thought you said I was your best friend."
For the first time in the years he had known her, Vala blushed and ducked her head shyly. "Yes, well, I lied. I had to give you some reason why I'd follow you to Atlantis if you asked, even though I really wanted to stay here. But the truth is, you're the love of my life. Sam is my best friend."
Daniel chuckled. "I'll accept that. Because as it turns out, I lied that day too. The truth is, you're the love of my life as well. And Jack is my best friend."
She giggled. "Maybe the four of us could double date sometime. That would be fun."
"Sure," Daniel agreed readily. "Just don't ask me to do any double dating with Sheppard. I can tell you right now, I'm not comfortable with that."
She eyed him curiously. "He's really a great guy, Daniel. I think you two would get along."
"I'm sure he is," Daniel responded evenly. "But I don't want to watch the two of you together. And I doubt very much that we'd get along—you would always there between us."
She looked utterly lost. "Daniel, I don't understand. He and I are friends. How is that a problem between you and him?"
Daniel closed his eyes. "It's the whole 'benefits' thing. Vala, do you have any idea what it was like watching you hug and kiss and generally be all over him?"
She stared at him in wonder. "You really were jealous, weren't you?"
Daniel rolled his eyes. "Why is that so hard to believe? C'mon, Vala, how would you have felt if the situation was reversed and I was dating someone else?"
"Well, of course I would be devastated, darling. But then, I've always known that I was madly in love with you. But John and I weren't really dating. He wouldn't get involved with me that way because he knew how I felt about you. And I never imagined you being jealous, because you had never given me any indication that you felt anything other than friendship for me."
"Then why in the world did the two of you have to act like you were dating?" Daniel grumbled.
She blinked. "We enjoy spending time together, like any good friends do. When we were in Atlantis, we would go see the sights in San Francisco together. He taught me to surf and to play golf. We have a similar sense of humor, and he doesn't shy away from my innuendo. So of course when he came out here to visit, we also went out and did things together."
"I don't really mean the time together, Vala," Daniel said irritably. "I'm talking about all the kisses I had to see and the generally being draped all over him."
"I flirt, darling, you know that," Vala said. "You've seen me hug Teal'c and 'drape all over him.' You've seen me kiss Cameron and 'drape all over' him." She hesitated, then expelled a noisy breath. "I'll admit that there's a...physical attraction with John that isn't there with Muscles or Cameron. I think I could have fallen for him if I weren't already in love with you."
Daniel sighed. "And that is the difference," he said. "I know you see Mitchell and Teal'c kind of like brothers. Your hugs and kisses with them have a sort of chaste, sisterly quality that is obvious. With John, there's this kind of sexuality that exudes between the two. It's impossible to miss that you're attracted to each other, that there's something there between you. And so yes, it made me so jealous that I couldn't see straight. And I'll probably never be comfortable with him, or with you and him, because of it."
She nodded slowly. "I promise to be more hands-off with him from now on, Daniel. But I don't want to end our friendship. He's become rather special to me." She saw him flinch. "As a friend, darling. You're the love of my life, remember?"
Daniel took a deep breath. "I'm not asking you to end your friendship. I don't have that right, and I know you'd never stand for it anyway. I would appreciate the more hands-off approach." He wrapped his arms around her. "Call me selfish, but I want to be the one you're hugging and kissing and draping yourself over and sending off sexually charged vibes with, okay?"
She giggled at that and kissed him soundly. "Of course, darling. I've always wanted to do all that with you anyway. I really do love you, you know."
"I know." He pulled her closer and gave her a kiss of his own. "I love you too." And the first time since their 'working vacation' in Atlantis, the knot in his stomach dissolved completely.
END