Daughter
Chapter 26 – Jaffa Soaps
"EldaMalDoran, two Tau'ri boys call upon you," a Hak'tyl reported from the door of the eating hut.
Her head shot to the door. Then she remembered, her Uncle Hank had promised to send her winter gear. She rose to find Jasuf's overcoat and put it on to venture outside.
Two SGC personnel were loitering in the town center. They were wearing thick jackets, clearly having anticipated the wintry weather of this little corner of the planet. Thick, knitted caps covered their heads and ears.
"Hello?"
When the pair turned around, they were all smiles.
"Baby Cakes!"
"What's up, girl!"
Gracie broke out into a grin. "Marines!" she squealed. Her Uncle Hank wasn't kidding. He really did send her Crawford and Smith. She ran to them to give big hugs. They leaned back to get a good look at her.
"Damn, Smith, she straight up Yogi Bear in that fur," Crawford exclaimed.
"Huh?"
Smith reached out to finger the oversized coat she had donned. "What the hell did you kill to get this?"
Gracie swatted his hand away. "It's not mine. I'm borrowing it."
Crawford grinned and leaned in. "Oh yeah?" He was already adopting a teasing tone.
"Imaginary boyfriend give you that or what?" Smith challenged.
She rolled her eyes automatically. It seemed to be the default setting of her face whenever these two fools were around her. It tickled her how on-the-mark Smith's joking assumptions always really were. She had never officially admitted to either of them that she had a romantic interest on this planet. Gracie let them assume that Jasuf wasn't real. She found it more fun that way.
Fortunately for her, they moved on quickly so she wouldn't have to dodge more teasing questions. She got enough of that from her sisters. Crawford held out the duffle bag he'd been holding. "Here, winter stuff. I bet it'll fit ya better than whatever the hell that thing is."
She took it. "Thank you. I'm sure it will be perfect."
"Damn straight it will be," Smith supplied. "Colonel Carter packed that bag personally. She was in Mama Bear mode." Gracie's eyes widened. Did these two suspect something?
"Guess cuz Vala was too busy to do it herself," Crawford surmised. "Did they mention she got hurt offworld?"
Gracie let out a breath, both in relief that they seemed to write off her birth mother's involvement and in worry over her adoptive mother. "Yes. Is she okay?"
"Think so. Saw her walking around earlier."
"Yep, me too. She was hangin' on Dr. Jackson like she always does." Smith unzipped the bag and pulled out a black knit cap like the one he was wearing. He plopped it onto her head unceremoniously, forcing some of Gracie's blond hair into her eyes. She reached up to slide her golden locks sideways.
Then Crawford pulled out black gloves with rubbery grips on the palms. He held them in the air and flapped them around for her to see. "You should still be able to grip a weapon with these," he explained. He stuffed them back into the bag. "Looks like she threw in an extra pair, just in case. And that coat in there is like the ones we've got on." He pointed at himself as an example.
"This is great. Thank you!" she said with appreciation.
"Anything for you, Baby Cakes."
Smith stuffed his gloved hands into the pockets of his jacket. "I see why you need this gear. It's cold as hell out here."
"I thought Hell is supposed to be hot."
Smith stammered while Crawford laughed. "We miss you, Elda. We really do."
She grinned. "I miss you guys, too. So what's this op you all are going on without me? And when does it start?"
"Well, it should have started already but other shit happened. We're leaving tomorrow," Smith reported.
Crawford nodded. "We probably shouldn't tell you, but since you're joining our team shortly you'll find out sooner or later. We're gonna go undercover as Lucian Alliance. Try to do a take-down from the inside. Or at least instigate it." He didn't seem worried about sharing their classified military op with her.
"Mitchell said it could take a while?"
They both grumbled. "Yeah," Smith answered. "A real long while. Like weeks. It's gonna suck."
"Hmm, I would say, 'have fun,' but it sounds like that wouldn't be helpful."
"Yeah."
"So, it's cold as fuck. We're gonna go back to base now," Crawford announced.
Gracie reached out to hug the marines. "Thanks, guys."
They both kissed her on her cheeks simultaneously. The kisses were wet and slimy.
"Ughhhh!" She instantly reached up with her free hand to wipe away their saliva.
The two human men cracked up. Gracie tried to smack the both of them. They dodged her hits easily while laughing. She kicked them out of the settlement with a smile on her face.
Jasuf was perplexed. When he arrived at the waterfall the next morning to train, she was there. But she had not donned his fur overcoat. She no longer looked like the animal she had been complaining about. She looked very much like a Tau'ri instead.
Gracie turned when he approached and smiled brightly. Her golden hair was obscured by a strange dark cap that encompassed her entire head. The hand that gripped her staff had turned black. She wore a bizarre green coat. It hid her shapely figure underneath its thick, puff-like appearance.
"Are you returning to Earth?" he wondered aloud instead of greeting her formally for the day.
"No, no. This is the winter gear they sent me!" she said happily. "It's just right for me. And now we can continue to train!"
Her smile was infectious. Jasuf decided that her peculiar mode of dress was worthwhile if it meant they could be together. He had feared that the winter weather would remove opportunities for them to see each other. He was not prepared to huddle alone in a warm hut with her again. That would lead to things. Dangerous things.
Jasuf realized it after she had long left his hut the day before. Thoughts of laying with her were the furthest thing from his mind at the time. It took his brothers' torment to remind him of what they could have been doing instead of sleeping. He surprised himself. He'd laid with other females without hesitation before.
It made him a little nervous to think that he had shown restraint with her. It had occurred so naturally. So thoughtlessly.
He knew what it could mean.
She gracefully glided over to him and reached up to peck him on the lips. He responded automatically, but was still bewildered with himself. She looked nothing like a Jaffa female. He shouldn't be attracted to her. And yet, he still found her so beautiful despite being dressed in these distasteful human clothes. Her eyes sparkled at him with boundless affection.
Gracie stood back with her staff and adopted a fighting stance. He mirrored her image unconsciously. She attacked. He parried. They sparred as they had been doing each day, but this time, he was distracted.
Before he knew it, Jasuf was flat on his back on the ground with a staff pointed at his neck.
She regarded him strangely. "What's the matter?" She retracted her staff and stepped back.
He shook his head to reset himself. He hopped back up. "Nothing. Continue." He raised his staff to attack and they began again.
"Cam, watch it!" Sam shouted.
"Quit yelling at me!" he griped. Cam just barely maneuvered the ship out of the way of an oncoming asteroid.
They were currently in Gracie's shuttle not far from a space gate they used to get to this unnamed solar system. Cam was seated in the main pilot's chair, with Sam to the left of him as co-pilot. Vala stood behind them, gripping the backs of their chairs with white knuckles. Even though she had borrowed a pair of mag boots from the shuttle's stash, she hardly felt secure.
The three of them were currently taking turns learning how to pilot the shuttle while Gracie was gone. She had reluctantly agreed to let them borrow it, on the condition that Vala be present for all training sessions. 'Future Vala' had technically taught Gracie how to pilot almost this exact same model. The version of her from this timeline was the only one Gracie trusted with the ship other than herself.
Vala had to admit, though, even she wasn't quite sure what to do with this thing.
"Jesus Christ," Sam muttered.
"Woman, don't even start," Cam grumbled. A bead of sweat poured down his brow.
"Darling, ease up on the thrusters." Vala watched carefully out of the forward port as they approached a moon. Cam's hands pressed the necessary controls to comply. "Good. Now slight turn to the right. We don't want to get caught in that moon's gravity well."
Sam let out a breath as the ship started facing empty space, now safe from any powerful satellites that could pull them down with the force of their respective gravities. She tapped Mitchell's shoulder. "My turn to drive."
"Hold on, I still haven't practiced jumping into hyperspace. Lay in a course."
"For where?"
"I don't know. Pick something."
"You do realize protocol requires us to file a flight plan if we do that?"
"Sam, we're in space. One little baby jump isn't going to hurt. Just pick Chulak or something."
"Do you even know how many lightyears away that is from here!"
Vala rolled her eyes as they argued. "It's like being with children," she murmured. She leaned down inbetween them to reach the navigation controls. The force of the boots magnetizing her feet to the deck kept the lower half of her body in place. Vala entered coordinates, prompting the HUD to show a proposed course through hyperspace to the next solar system over.
The two pilots leaned in to stare at it. They glanced at each other.
"Well? What are you waiting for? Jump!"
"Sam, I gotta admit. I'm jealous. Absolutely, positively jealous."
She smirked on the screen at her husband. Jack was checking in with her from his office in the Pentagon.
"Well, you could come here and check out the ship yourself."
"Don't give me ideas," he warned. He looked up when someone seemed to walk into the office and distract him. His hand could be seen receiving a file folder. Jack nodded to whoever had delivered it. He threw the folder into the pile on his desk.
"How's Gracie?" Sam asked.
"She's fine. I checked on her when I was on lunch. She was napping in the daycare."
"Aww, okay. You should bring her up to your office so I can chat with her."
"Sam," he chided lightly. His wife knew that he shouldn't do that.
"I miss her, Jack." She ran a hand through her hair as she leaned back on the pillow of her bed in the SGC.
"She misses you, too. Keeps asking when we can go over there. She's been looking for her sister, too."
Sam smiled. "Well she decided to head back to the Hak'tyl early."
"She really likes it over there, huh?"
"I guess so. Maybe with SG-3 leaving there's less for her to do here. She's really taken a liking to Reynolds's younger guys."
"Oh? Should we be worried?"
"I don't think so, Jack. They're all roughly the same age. They just get along pretty well from what I've seen. Think it's platonic and harmless."
"She sure seems good at making friends."
"Yeah."
"Of both the human and Jaffa variety," Jack marveled.
"I know! You should have seen her face as she got ready to go back to the Hak'tyl planet. She was ecstatic."
"Gee, what's so great about it, though?"
Sam shrugged.
Gracie dropped her staff when Jasuf captured her mouth. He surprised her. She was in the middle of defeating him during their sparring session at the waterfall.
He only had one way left to win.
As he consumed her hungrily, her hands grabbed at his tunic from underneath his coat. His hands were squeezing her back and her neck, keeping her as close to him as possible. She moaned a little into the kiss, expressing her pleasure with this nice little surprise of his. He liked it. His mouth moved down to her neck. She smiled at his attention with eyes closed and lips parted.
"Jasuf."
They froze.
Their eyes shot open.
Jasuf let go of her and took a step back. He turned and bowed. "Father."
Gracie awkwardly mimicked his actions, bowing about as low as she possibly could. She did it both out of respect and out of embarrassment.
"Escort EldaMalDoran back to her village, then report to the chaapa'ai. You are to meet our visitors and bring them to me in the hut."
His son frowned slightly as he inclined his head obediently. "Yes, Father."
"And Jasuf." His son looked up. "Keep this poor human inside. She would just as soon freeze to death."
Gracie blinked. She thought she heard endearment coloring the Jaffa leader's voice. She caught his stare, but saw nothing other than a bland expression on the older Jaffa's face. He inclined his head to her. She automatically inclined hers back.
Meil'nor left them without further word, long fur coat trailing behind him.
Once he was out of sight, they both exhaled. For a moment, neither knew what to say.
They looked at each other, mortified. Gracie donned a sheepish expression. "I'm sorry," she started.
"You did nothing wrong." His eyes darted in the direction his father had gone. "That was unexpected."
"I thought you said most people don't come through here."
"My father is not most people."
"Check your communicator. Did he try to call you and we missed it?"
Jasuf reached into his pocket to check the small device there. It stood ready for a command and showed no pending notifications. "No. I suspect he was curious. Otherwise he would have sent one of the younger Jaffa to fetch me."
"Curious?"
"He may have been there watching us longer than we realized." He gestured toward the noisy waterfall, reminding them both of how it obscured the sounds of the surrounding forest.
Gracie felt ashamed. Then she shook her head. "Well, we were pretty well-behaved up until that very last moment."
"Indeed. You were demonstrating improvement with your bashaak."
She smiled shyly. "Was I?"
He reached out to pull her back into his arms. "Yes. Although I fear I may have interrupted your progress." Jasuf leaned down to kiss her again.
She giggled into his mouth. "Interrupt me all you like," she said naughtily.
"Sir," Mitchell called out, knocking lightly on the open door.
"Mitchell, come in," Landry said from behind his desk. He stacked some papers together neatly and slipped them into a file folder. He gestured for Cameron to take a seat before him.
The Colonel waited patiently to be addressed.
Landry dropped the file folder into a tray on the desk. Then he looked up at Mitchell. "Carolyn's due to go offworld again to the Hak'tyl planet."
"Yes, sir, she is." Cameron marveled that his commanding officer was referring to his daughter by her given name, instead of her title. He thought he was here for official business. He wondered what was going on.
"SG-3 is obviously busy. SG-1 will resume escort duties for her team."
Mitchell tilted his head, not really surprised. Then he had a thought. "Is our dear friend Elda aware we'll be paying her a visit?" Then he had another thought. "And will this be reaching the desk of one General O'Neill?"
Landry answered both questions in order. "No. And… maybe."
"Sir?"
"Elda doesn't know. She isn't due to check-in until after you all visit. Maybe you can let it be a nice surprise." He leaned back in his seat. "As far as General O'Neill… well, let's just say by the time he finds out SG-1 has run into her offworld, it will already be over."
Cameron pursed his lips, sensing that Landry was trying to keep things quiet. They all knew Jack wouldn't let SG-1 anywhere near his daughter offworld. Not unless he was right there next to her to make sure she didn't get caught up in their shenanigans. It didn't make a difference to Cam. He didn't take offense by any means. He knew just as well as Jack that his team was a trouble-magnet. That's why there was a Number 1 in the name.
"I take it Dr. Lam has been made aware that my team is back on escort duty?"
"I'll be telling Carolyn when I meet with her this afternoon."
Cameron's eye twitched. He did it again.
Landry noticed that he noticed. "Mitchell, I think we're at the point where you can feel a little more comfortable."
He coughed. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean, sir."
"Things are going well between you and her, right?"
Cameron sat up straighter, which was saying something because he always sat up straight as a member of the U.S. military. "I'd like to think so, sir." He suddenly felt uncomfortable, which was on the complete opposite end of the spectrum that Landry was trying to get him to.
"She said she liked your parents."
Oh boy. "She did. They liked her, too."
"And you've already survived meeting my ex-wife," Landry pointed out. He was almost smiling.
Cameron quirked a smile of his own. "Yes, although I wouldn't call that 'surviving,' sir."
Landry openly chuckled now. "Well, Kim is special like that."
The Colonel blinked, worried that he might have caused offense and Landry was graciously brushing it off. "No, no. I meant to say it was a pleasant introduction."
Landry looked at him dubiously.
"Sir, I'm sorry. I actually do like your ex-wife."
His eyebrows raised higher.
Cameron shook his head. Now his words were getting twisted around on the way from his brain to his mouth.
"Relax, son."
"She fed me," he said quickly to try and salvage the conversation. "In my book, that wins any Mama some brownie points right on the spot."
"Best way to a man's heart is through his stomach," Landry quoted.
Mitchell grinned. "Amen to that."
"Cameron," he said his first name with meaning. "You're going to be just fine."
The Colonel looked back at the General and realized he wasn't just looking at his commanding officer. He was looking at a friend. He didn't know why that suddenly made him feel reassured. He thought he was already comfortable around him. They'd been working together for years now. But something changed here in his office. Landry was right. It was time to get more comfortable.
He thought back to how proud he felt when he watched Carolyn handle that fiasco in the infirmary, with the angry Major chewing out Dixon. And how he rewarded her later that night with a nice dinner. She slept in his arms like a baby after they made love. It was the best feeling in the world.
Cameron was already thinking about buying a ring.
Landry had just given him the push he needed to get it done.
"You know," Sam commented as she stepped through the gate with SG-1 and Carolyn's medical team, "it's been forever since I've seen the Hak'tyl."
"Today is your lucky day, Sam," Cameron announced. He smiled at her, happy she would get a chance to see her daughter. He, himself, was insanely curious to see how Gracie had been getting along out here. The girl was so excited to come back that she even came here earlier than planned.
Vala shivered and rubbed her arms in the cold. "You call this lucky?" she said as she looked about at snow flurries.
"A little more enthusiasm from you, Princess," Cameron said meaningfully while pointing a finger at her. He was purposely using her own words against her. "Come on! You get to see your sister in action."
"Yes, well, it would have been nice to schedule this when it was not the dead of winter on this planet. I hate being cold."
Teal'c stepped up next to her, clad in the same black, knit cap as everyone else. "We are aware."
Daniel shook his head at Vala. He knew very well how much she hated the cold. She stole blankets in the night. He refrained from putting an arm around her to try to keep her warm. He had a level of professionalism to exude in front of the medical team. And he needed his hands free in case they had to draw weapons.
Carolyn moved past them with her heavy case. "We'll try to make it quick, Vala," she reassured her friend. While normally he would, Cameron didn't offer to help carry the case. He had to abandon chivalry for much the same reasons as Daniel. Their job today was to escort and protect, not coddle their girlfriends.
The group was met by a Hak'tyl guard. They had donned layers of their own to combat the cold, yet they didn't seem as bothered by the frigid temperature as the humans were. Everyone from the SGC had prepared for the weather by donning matching jackets and gloves. They stood out against the frosty back-drop of the forest surrounding them. Not very stealthy, but they weren't expecting trouble today. And Ishta had reassured the SGC ahead of time that no Exhibition was planned.
The large group arrived at the settlement to find it quiet. Most of the Hak'tyl were staying indoors, it seemed. Ishta greeted them briefly as she always did, directing Carolyn and her medical team toward a hut where they could work. SG-1 looked on with jealousy as the healthcare workers filed inside, where they knew a heater was running. A few Hak'tyl followed them in for their routine bloodwork.
Teal'c lingered with Ishta outside her hut. Cameron didn't mind it. He knew the big guy was missing his girl. And besides, he had an extra band member today in Sam. He planned to split the remaining team into pairs so they could walk the perimeter in opposite directions.
"I wonder where she is?" Vala said, looking around for Gracie.
"Yeah, I dunno," Sam responded.
Teal'c called out, "ColonelMitchell, she is sparring with another Hak'tyl."
"Whoa, what? I wanna see!" Cameron pointed at Sam, Vala, and Daniel. "Hold down the fort." He rushed after Teal'c to another part of the settlement. Ishta ventured back inside.
Daniel bared his hands. "What the hell." He glanced over to the hut where Carolyn and her team disappeared into. As much as they all would have liked to go, they were still technically here on a medical escort mission. They couldn't just leave her behind. Out of the five of them, one would think Cameron should have been the one to stay.
Sam glowered in the direction Mitchell had gone. That was her daughter. If anyone should have gone to look, it should have been her. Vala grumbled next to her, feeling just as outraged. They hadn't seen Gracie in weeks.
"I'm gonna kill him," Vala warned.
"Not if I do it first," Sam countered.
Daniel smirked. "I'll bring the popcorn."
Before they could complain any further, they were distracted by the arrival of Jaffa visitors to the settlement. None of the Hak'tyl outside were particularly bothered by the newcomers. Each one who noticed them paused to incline her head respectfully.
The new group consisted of a pair of Jaffa males followed by a small armed guard. They paused in the town center. Ishta exited her hut to greet them. She glided down her steps to bow before them. "Meil'nor."
The Jaffa group bowed back. "Ishta."
"Come, we will have our discussion inside." Ishta gestured for her counterpart to follow. All of the Jaffa completely ignored the people from Earth who were watching them.
Meil'nor placed a hand on the shoulder of the Jaffa next to him. "Remain here."
"Father?"
"I will summon you as needed." Meil'nor followed Ishta up into her place of governance. The door shut behind them.
His son's jaw moved side to side in obvious disagreement, but he did as he was told. The younger Jaffa turned toward their guard and addressed them in Goa'uld. Vala overheard him ordering them to spread out along the perimeter of the town center. She then heard him give a peculiar order.
Daniel leaned in. "Did he just tell them to 'make nice'?" Vala nodded, seemingly confused. Daniel found the instruction strange.
"That's weird," Sam commented. They watched as the Jaffa males complied. The leader's son stationed himself near the stairs of the main hut. He simply turned around to face the town center with hands loose at his sides. A thick fur was draped over his shoulders to serve as a coat.
Soon, some of his guardsmen were being approached by curious Hak'tyl. Most of the females who dared to speak to them were similar-looking in age to Gracie.
Sam whispered to her friends, "I thought the other tribe on this planet were their rivals."
Daniel whispered back, "I thought that, too." He turned to Vala. "Right?"
Vala didn't answer. She was busy eavesdropping on the conversation being conducted in Goa'uld near her. Another Hak'tyl was now pretending to be busy right next to the leader's son, whose name Vala had forgotten. The girl was casually winding a long rope into a coil around her arms. "What is your intention with our Sister?"
The male kept his body forward but let his eyes glance askance at the Hak'tyl. His face remained neutral. "What concern is it of yours?" His tone was flat, but Vala knew better. He was meeting the brash Hak'tyl's question with a challenge of his own.
Vala was immediately interested. Jaffa drama had its own special quality to it. She lived for this sort of entertainment. The closest she could get to it on Earth were the daytime television dramas they called soap operas. Suddenly, the cold didn't bother her.
The young female didn't mind that he answered her question with a question. She simply continued to coil the rope. "It is the concern of us all. We should like to see our Sister treated well."
"You speak for your tribe?" he questioned.
The Hak'tyl hesitated. She needed to be careful with how she responded. She was not in a position of leadership. But he was. "I merely care to express my support for our Sister. And seek to know your intent," she cautiously clarified.
"What is your name, Hak'tyl?"
"Idul."
"You have a mouth, Idul."
Vala was simply titillated. She could not wait to see how this drama unfolded. The Hak'tyl responded by smiling proudly. Vala guessed she was quite the character within this tribe. Perhaps the village comedian. She could already tell the Jaffa girl was daring. She liked her instantly.
"And you have the heart of our Sister."
A love story! Vala's eyes filled with stars. She sighed internally. She wondered which Hak'tyl girl had captured this Jaffa prince's fancy. So far, he hadn't made eye contact with any of the women who were here.
The male's mouth quirked. He seemed quietly satisfied, but hardly surprised. He didn't respond to Idul's comment.
She ran out of rope to collect. "A successful courtship such as yours would set a positive example for the rest of us. Perhaps one day, we would consider a blending of our tribes. Unity for strength," Idul proposed. She seemed to have no shame making such a bold suggestion to the heir apparent of the other tribe.
"You speak as if the Hak'tyl would accept males into their ranks. I thought that was against your code."
"Is it? I thought freedom was the code. It has been achieved. Let us move on to prosperity."
"Whose prosperity? Yours or your tribe's?" Jasuf turned his head toward her with a dare in his eyes now.
Idul blinked. She'd been caught.
Vala hid a grin with her hand.
"You see that Jaffa there?" He began, tilting his head in the direction of one of his taller guardsmen. "He seeks companionship. But none of the females on our side of the forest agree with him."
Idul's eyes flitted toward the Jaffa in question. Gears began turning in her head. She raked in the sight of him, taking the son's words into consideration.
"Idul!"
The Hak'tyl stood at attention. Nesa had just yelled at her.
"Kel shak!"
Idul briefly made eye contact with the male she'd been conversing with. She inclined her head and left him, dropping the coil of rope into a heap on the ground.
He smirked.
Vala sidled up to the Jaffa before Daniel could stop her. Daniel had been glaring at her the entire time she was eavesdropping. "She's quite the talkative Hak'tyl, isn't she?"
"Indeed. She speaks too much," the son agreed.
"Do you believe her?"
The son made eye contact with Vala. "Of what do you speak?"
"That the Hak'tyl would ever consider merging their tribe with yours?"
"Vala," Daniel whispered with a warning tone. She ignored him.
"That is a matter for the Hak'tyl to decide."
"It's a matter that would directly affect you." Vala took a look around at his guardsmen, most of whom were chatting amicably with local female warriors of similar-looking age. "The Hak'tyl girl you have apparently wooed isn't the first and won't be the last to accept male companionship. Better to seek it from your tribe than from some other planet. What was it the girl said? Unity for strength?"
He narrowed his eyes at her. "What is your name, human?"
Sam elbowed Daniel. "Shouldn't you stop her?"
"Sam, I would if I could."
The blonde Colonel shook her head and was about to call out for Vala herself when she responded to the Jaffa's question.
"Vala. Vala Mal Doran."
His eyes went wide.
Sam didn't fail to notice his reaction. She shared a look of curiosity with Daniel.
Vala quirked a playful smile. "Heard of me?"
The door of Ishta's hut screeched open. "Jasuf," his father called.
Jasuf looked at his father at the top of the steps then back to Vala. He inclined his head to her and said nothing more. He stepped into the hut. The door closed again.
Daniel stepped up to Vala's side. "Did you have to come close to instigating an intertribal conflict?"
Sam also drew closer, shaking her head at her.
Vala laid two hands on Daniel's chest, covered as it was by his tac vest and thick jacket. "Darling, I was having a conversation. There was no conflict involved." She smiled dreamily. "If anything, it's love."
"Love."
"That boy is in love, Daniel. Can't you see it? And the way that young Hak'tyl was challenging him, it sounds like the object of his desire loves him back." She waggled her brows. She was obviously fully investing in this supposed romance.
"Vala," Sam said pointedly, "This isn't One Life to Live."
She squealed and clapped her hands. "No, Sam. It's even better!" She gazed around at the settlement. "I need to visit this place more often!"
Daniel groaned and Sam looked up at the sky.
A/N: Stay tuned... the drama continues. Action is coming as well. Thanks for reading.