New Fic: Remote and Tropical

[aeryn_b]

TITLE: Remote and Tropical
AUTHOR: aeryn_b
RATING: PG-13/T
WARNING: none
CATEGORY: Humor/Snark, Friendship/Pre-ship
PAIRINGS: Daniel/Vala
CHARACTERS: Daniel Jackson, Vala Mal Doran, Cameron Mitchell, Samantha Carter, Teal'c
TIMELINE: between 10x08 "Memento Mori" and 10x09 "Company of Thieves"
SPOILERS: Big Finish Audio Books "Half Life," "An Eye for an Eye," "Infiltration," and SG-1 episodes prior to 10x09 "Company of Thieves"
SUMMARY/PREMISE: Tag to audio book installment "Infiltration"; Daniel and Vala take a short vacation to a "remote and tropical" locale.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm so happy to have finished this. I loved the recent audio books this year, especially the little bits of shippiness here and there. As soon as they ended I wanted to explore that a little bit in a fic, but still keep it in character for where Daniel and Vala were in Season 10. From some of the clues, I placed it between the super shippy "Memento Mori" and the confusingly snarky "Company of Thieves." I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. :-)



"Well, here we are. A little place I like to call 'remote and tropical.'" She took in a deep breath and smiled up at the sunshine filtering through the sparse jungle foliage.

"What do the locals call it?"

"Hmm? Oh, that's the best part. Uninhabited. Well, at least the area around the gate is." She started walking down the ramp and toward the beach. There was no path but she knew the way by heart.

"Looks a little like the planet we visited recently, you know, with the large carnivorous reptiles," Daniel observed, worry evident in his voice and expression.

"Nothing like that here. Though, maybe keep the P-90 handy. I've seen a tiger or two on occasion. But gunfire will scare them away, and of course a zat blast or two will stun them. Besides, they stick to the jungle, mainly hunting arboreal primates, and we'll be on the beach. Come on, this way," she said happily, all the while praying he wouldn't look behind him.

"We're primates, you know…Whoa!"

Damn it, he just had to look behind the gate.

"You sure the place is uninhabited? Because that pyramid up there would suggest otherwise."

"Daniel, I've been up there. No one lives there or worships there. There are no villages surrounding the gate, the beach, or the pyramid. Believe me, if anyone did live here, they'd be much more interested in the miles of beachfront property they could exploit than that dusty old temple." She tugged on his arm but he stood rooted to the spot staring up at the top of the pyramid he could see through the gap in the jungle canopy.

"It looks Central American, possibly Mayan in design. What was it like?" he asked her enthusiastically. "Were there any glyphs or other writing?"

"Daniel, darling, white sandy beaches this way." She thumbed in the direction she wanted him to go but he still wouldn't budge.

"Look, you didn't let me bring any work with me-"

"Because this is a vacation, darling-"

"And I'm really not interested in baking in the hot sun for three days."

"Not even interested in watching me bake in the sun?" She smiled sweetly, raising her eyebrows in invitation.

Daniel licked his lips, probably from the hot weather not her, and tilted his head as if thinking it over. "Sorry. Nope. I'd be bored after an hour. But," he paused for effect, "if you let me go up to the pyramid and take some recordings, I promise to spend the next two days happily content on the beach."

Vala considered the request and nodded, shifting the pack more comfortably on her back and searching her tac vest pockets for the insect repellant.

"Fine then, we'll go adventuring. Cover your eyes now," she said, raising the bug spray to his face.

"Wait a minute," he shooed her hand away, "I'll be fine on my own. You shouldn't cut your vacation short just 'cause of me."

Vala raised her eyebrows. "Like I would leave you alone after what happened on Lisgar, and well, after everything else that's happened since then." She raised the bug spray once more. "Come on now, the sooner we get going, the sooner we can get back."

Daniel obediently covered his eyes and mouth while she sprayed the insect repellant lightly around his neck and cheeks. He rubbed the excess off with his hands then offered his arms to her, knowing the short-sleeved black T-shirt wouldn't be able to protect him from annoying alien mosquitoes. She proceeded to spray her own arms and got her face covered as well. While she put the industrial strength insect repellant away, Daniel dug out a boonie cap for himself and one for Vala.

"Ha. These are seriously unattractive," she laughed as he put his cap on.

"But they provide necessary shade," he snarked back, adjusting his pack and picking a path up to the pyramid.

Vala sighed dramatically behind him but dutifully followed, keeping her eyes on the jungle, and on Daniel's six.

After a couple of hours traipsing through the jungle, they made it to the pyramid. Daniel took out his video recorder immediately and started cataloguing everything, while Vala circled the perimeter. The place really had been uninhabited every time she'd visited, but there was no need to be reckless either. And even though they didn't see signs of the tiger she'd met quite a few years back, it would be a really good idea to know if it was making the jungle around the pyramid its home.

By the time she made it back to the front of the temple and was satisfied they'd be safe here, she realized that they'd have to make camp for the night. It wasn't even late afternoon, but she knew her Daniel. He'd spend every available moment of daylight recording images of the exterior, and then he'd take the flashlight and explore the interior, well into the night.

Vala unpacked the tent and cooking supplies and started a campfire to brew some coffee. While it brewed, she set up the tent and unpacked a couple of MREs for dinner. She'd known when suggesting this place that she wouldn't be spending her vacation in a five-star hotel or a cozy little cabin in the woods, but frankly, the "remote" was what she was really after, and if that meant roughing it in a tent with nothing but MREs for sustenance, she could deal. And Daniel did promise to spend the next two days on the beach with her, so all in all, no complaining necessary.

A few minutes later the coffee was ready and she poured cups for herself and Daniel, adding plenty of packets of sugar and cream to hers and just a few to Daniel's. Then she went off to find her adorable, boonie-capped archaeologist and make sure he was having a good time.

-~0~-

"All done?" Vala asked as Daniel came strolling into camp with his camera slung over his shoulder. It was at least four hours past sunset. She hadn't even been able to coax him away for dinner.

"Yeah. It's amazing in there." Daniel sank down to the ground, exhausted but grinning from ear to ear. "Thank you for letting me come up here. With all the research I have to do to defeat the Goa'uld and the Ori, I rarely get the chance to just explore and learn about another culture anymore. No strings attached, you know?"

Vala did know. She kind of thought he was a little wonko for making this his life's work, but she couldn't deny how happy he seemed when he made some huge discovery. His smile was worth every boring minute.

"No strings attached, hmm… Isn't that phrase usually used in some other context…like two people, getting along together, friendly-like, with benefits?"

"You watch too much TV," Daniel warned, digging through his pack for an MRE for dinner.

Yeah, his smile might be gone, but she'd gotten to poke and tease a little, and that was certainly entertaining, too.

"You should get some sleep when you're done with that," Vala said, adjusting her position near the fire. "I'll wake you in, say, five hours to take the early morning watch, 'kay?"

"Sounds good." He finished up his meal and crawled into the tent. Vala could hear him snoring within five minutes.

-~0~-

Both the smell of coffee and his watch alarm woke him at the appointed time. Daniel reluctantly sat up and stretched groggily. Part of him really wanted to be back home in his own bed, but Vala did sort of deserve this vacation and he'd also gotten the rare chance to be a real archaeologist for an afternoon, so he didn't mind the bugs and sleeping on the ground too much.

"Thanks for making the coffee again."

"You'll need it. Nothing else to keep you awake besides a few birds making horrendous mating calls." She yawned. "And if there are any predators about, they'll likely start hunting now in the hours just before dawn." Vala patted Daniel on the head as she passed by him toward the tent. "Have fun, darling."

The tent flap was still open and he heard her flop down noisily. "Mmm…your pillow has such a delightful aroma," she called from inside the tent.

"Hey, that's mine!"

"And you're not using it, are you?"

"No, but-"

"Then shut up and let me sleep." She sighed deeply.

"Vala!"

"I clearly detect the pungent odor of bug spray mixed with an enticing, no, make that revolting musty smell from that temple, and…yes, just a hint of testosterone-laden perspiration." He heard Vala settle more comfortably on his sleeping bag. "I think I'll try concentrating on that particular scent."

Daniel huffed once more and was about to go in and wrestle his sleeping bag and pillow from her, but he hesitated out of self-preservation and a mere minute or two later he noticed her soft snoring. She must really be tired, he thought as he looked back inside the tent. She didn't even take her boots off.

He drained his coffee and tried to get a little more comfortable for his four- or five-hour watch over the jungle. He hadn't gotten much sleep but they'd be able to rest once they got back to the beach. Daniel thought again how grateful he was that he'd have something to do now. Vacations and relaxing weren't exactly on the top of his to-do list. He wasn't even sure he knew how to relax. If his work was boring to Vala, then relaxing was equally boring to Daniel.

At least with this little side trip he'd have something to do while lounging on the beach, baking in the hot sun…firmly keeping his eyes off Vala. Because no doubt she'd wear something that wouldn't even pass for swimwear on earth, or worse, she'd sunbathe nude! Get a grip, man, no need to start imagining now. Bottom line, he was relieved he'd have a distraction to help him avoid eye contact with Vala.

As he kept watch over their camp, his mind wandered over their recent adventure. He still shuddered at the notion of himself being cloned, reminding himself once again that Ba'al's facility had been found and the SGC was now successfully disposing of the unimprinted clones. That still left them with the strange task of deciding what to do with the surviving rogue agents.

His own clone had been killed, risking its life during his and Vala's escape. Did that mean that the clones weren't all bad? That as long as the trigger had been identified, they were no longer a threat? Or maybe like Vala said about his clone, the imprinting was faulty somehow and all the clones would somehow degrade before their very eyes. It was certainly a messy decision, and he didn't envy the higher-ups at all.

But that got him thinking about his clone again, and how Vala knew she could trust it-him. What did the clone know about Daniel? Did it-he-really have all of Daniel's memories? All of his thoughts, and feelings? What had he had to reveal in order to get Vala to trust him? Furthermore, why had she been so intent on saving…that other him?

Daniel gave up after a while since thinking about it all gave him such a headache. The woman sleeping in the tent behind him was a bundle of riddles, wrapped in a mind-twisting mystery, encased in a not-so-subtle enigma. What was the truth? Why was she always hiding from him?

Had he been right before when he accused her of using sex as a weapon, as a defense mechanism? He ticked off the points once again in his mind. Solitary existence, moving from place to place, never forming any lasting relationships, using sex as a weapon to prevent her from forming any real emotional bonds. It had all seemed so cut and dried before, but now he wasn't so sure. She was here, wasn't she? She was living at the SGC and working in the Stargate program. She was learning to work as a team, learning to depend on others. She was fighting for a cause, a cause beyond just her interests…well ridding the galaxy of the Ori would benefit her one day if she ever did leave them to go off on her own again.

Leave them. Leave him. Would she? Could he handle it if she did? And why did her staying or leaving matter so much to him anyway?

He took a deep breath and blew it out loudly. Stupid headache again. Seriously, could those birds be any louder. He tried focusing on something else, because the train of thought he was on seemed to be on a damn circular track. It kept coming back around to what was the truth. About her. About him and her. Could there be a him and her? And was there any way he could trust her not to break his heart?

-~0~-

The next morning they broke camp quickly and ate granola bars for breakfast as they trekked back down through the jungle to the gate and the beach. Vala led the way mostly, keeping an eye out for signs of predators and refamiliarizing herself with the area. When they got near the beach, she directed them to a freshwater spring that eventually fed into the ocean nearby. They used it to refill their canteens and then finally reached the beach that Vala was so keen on visiting.

"Can you manage the tent, Daniel?" she asked, slipping off her backpack, vest, boots, socks and pants. "I'm going for a nice, relaxing swim."

She was off like a shot in nothing but her black SGC tank top and matching cotton underwear, and for the life of him, Daniel couldn't stop staring as she waded into the water and dove gracefully over an oncoming wave.

Shaking himself free of her spell, he set his own pack down and started taking out their camping gear. In no time, he had the tent and campfire pit set up and was laying out his camera and journals on the rain tarp from the tent. The sky was cloudless, there was no reason to think they'd need it anytime soon and it was large enough to keep sand out of his camera. Daniel sat down to examine the pictures and recordings he'd taken the day before, only idly glancing up every once in a while to make sure Vala wasn't waving to him for help from an unsuspecting jellyfish or undertow.

Eventually the pictures of the glyphs in the pyramid had become so fascinating that he was truly surprised to see Vala walking up from the shore, fairly glistening in the sunshine.

"I know this is cliché, darling," she remarked as she squatted down by her pack and dug out a small towel to pat herself dry, "but the water truly is fine out there. Please promise me you'll take advantage and go for a swim today or tomorrow. I brought us here for some much needed time off, as you recall."

Daniel blinked once then went back to his camera. "And I appreciate that, Vala. After what we went through, this really is…appreciated." Where had his vocabulary gone? "I'll, um, I promise to consider a swim…later," he risked a glance in her direction and noticed her pulling a brush through her damp hair, her arms raised and slightly hitching her tank top up above her bellybutton. What had he promised? Right, a swim. "Yeah, uh, promise."

"Hmm…we'll see about that."

Out of the corner of his eye he watched her pile a mound of sand up a few feet away from him and the shade of the tree he was sitting under. She then spread her sleeping bag over it so that it formed a pillow that she could rest on while she soaked in the sun. Finally, she dug around inside her pack once more.

"Do you have the sunscreen? I can't seem to find it."

"Oh, yeah." Daniel tossed her the bottle that he'd used on his arms, neck and face.

She thanked him and proceeded to spread the lotion over her body from head to toe. Daniel took a deep breath, preparing himself for the inevitable. Any minute now she'd take off her tank top and ask him to do her back. He concentrated on the pictures and his journal notes. Any second now…

Again he risked a glance in her direction, having heard no exaggerated sigh or any other sound for that matter coming from her. She was calmly lying on her sleeping bag in the sun, her tank top firmly in place, even if it was pushed up to the edge of her bra so that her stomach could get some sun too. She also had her iPod earbuds in, which shouldn't have surprised him really.

They'd had to wait for Dr. Lam and a team from the SGC to come and relieve them once the redirect away from Ba'al's cloning facility had been dealt with. It hadn't been easy but Daniel had somehow convinced Colonel Olssen that he and Vala deserved some leave. He didn't think they'd be approved for Vala's off-world vacation, but it turned out that Olssen had been reprimanded by both General Landry and Jack for not trusting Vala and all but forcing her to take matters into her own hands. So when Daniel suggested Vala's remote vacation locale, Olssen agreed with a slight modification - three days instead of the requested five. Daniel didn't argue for more; he really wasn't looking forward to the three days alone with Vala in the first place. Besides, he got the impression that the IOA had sided with Olssen's original decision not to trust Vala concerning her dubious associate with the proper tech that could help them all. They were a bunch of pompous jerks but there was no reason to tick them off, too.

In the end, Olssen had sent a team through with their jungle gear packed for them. Daniel's camera and notebooks were always in his pack; he suspected Vala always kept an iPod in her pack as well, for otherwise boring missions, no doubt.

The hours slipped by slowly as the sun crept along its arc in the sky. Vala got up and fixed lunch for them: hotdogs and pasta with cheese. Again, Daniel braced himself for some kind of rude comment or gesture involving the meal, but Vala surprised him again by not resorting to such childish behavior. She even asked if he was having fun with his current "dead and dusty civilization."

Daniel rolled his eyes and shook his head. Well, how much sophistication could he really expect of her? While they ate, he shared what little he was learning about the culture. The reasons the pyramid had been so similar to Mayan architecture, and why he thought the area had been abandoned years and years ago. To her credit, Vala kept up and appeared interested for a good fifteen or twenty minutes. Sure, she was eating and then cleaning up while listening, and so probably wasn't paying attention, but Daniel was a realist and he knew he rarely was able to keep his friends' attention for that long when he was in professor-lecturer mode. In the end, when she smiled at him and thanked him for a restful, fully-awake, twenty-minute nap, he realized he couldn't actually ask for more than her silence and rare complaint-free time. Then she patted him on the head like she liked to do, as if he was her puppy or something, and walked back to the shoreline, merely dipping in the water to cool off before coming back to lie down once more on her sleeping bag.

She again went through the ritual of applying sunscreen lotion to her skin, and again Daniel held his breath hoping that this wasn't the moment he'd have to fend her off. And again his worry seemed to be unnecessary. Her dark sunglasses and earbuds were back in place; she was happily enjoying her vacation.

An hour or so later, as the temperature continued to rise, Daniel felt comfortable enough to take his shirt off and lie back against his pack on the rain tarp. He'd tried to anticipate any move she could've made to make him uncomfortable but she hadn't really lived up to his fears about what they'd be like together without the threat of impending death knocking, heck, pounding at their door. Frankly, he'd expected seduction and innuendos at every turn, and a small part of him-okay maybe a not so small part of him-was wondering if he really had read her wrong all along. He glanced back over at her.

Vala was resting on her stomach, her face turned toward him, but he'd swear she was sleeping. And the ocean did look inviting. He decided to risk it; if she could swim in her underwear so could he. He took off his boots, socks and pants and walked off toward the water.

"Be sure not to swim out too far where I can't see your gorgeous body, darling!" Vala called when he was only a few steps away from her.

He stopped and stiffened his shoulders. Read her wrong, indeed! "Yes, mom!" he called back over his shoulder and continued toward the ocean, intent on swimming as far as his arms and legs would take him.

-~0~-

Sweet shooting stars, it was so easy to play that man, Vala thought to herself as she turned back over and propped herself up against her pack to better enjoy the view. Though it had taken quite a bit of patience on her part to make sure he was comfortable enough to let his guard down that little bit. Three days wasn't a great deal of time to get her Daniel all hot and bothered. She'd wanted to do the negotiating for their vacation, but Daniel had insisted he be the one to ask Olssen for the favor. Even though the two of them had agreed that five days was a bare minimum for a proper vacation, she suspected Daniel had consented much too quickly to their allotted three days. Vala sighed to herself. She'd just have to up her game is all.

Letting him explore the pyramid was not an ideal seduction technique for most men, but it was a treasured gift for her Daniel. And the coffee wasn't a bad idea either. The poor man practically rattled in his skin the second afternoon they were on that crazy dinosaur planet. There was barely enough sugar and caffeine in the chocolate bars she kept on her person, at all times, for him to calm down from those awful shakes. She shivered even now as she thought about that godforsaken planet. She'd take a boring mission to Lisgar over that hellhole any day of the week and-how did Mitchell put it?-twice on Sunday. Vala shrugged. Crazy Tau'ri idioms.

But here she was, lying on her favorite sandy beach watching a both handsome and equally intriguing man, she laughed then, trying to swim as far away from her as possible. Little did he know that she'd go to the ends of the galaxy for him. A frown creased her brow. Didn't her recent behavior just prove that? Didn't he know that she was extremely proud of the progress she'd made at trying to fit in his world? At really trying to belong somewhere? Couldn't he see that his goodness was rubbing off on her?

She rolled over onto her stomach and propped her head in her elbows to think. The problem was she wasn't even sure that was a good thing anymore. Her instincts were dulling, as evidenced by her non-capture of Ba'al only a few days ago. That failure still smarted when she touched upon it. The SGC relied on her for her resourcefulness and cunning. She was the one who was able to spot a liar before anyone else, so why was it that she hadn't been able to pull the trigger when necessary? Her newfound responsibility was a double-edged sword. At one time she could only rely on herself and her wits to keep her out of harm's way. Now, not only did she have to depend on others for her safety, their safety depended on her as well. Her independence was officially gone, null and void.

What did this mean for her? For her future? Was this ultimately where she belonged? She thought so, maybe. She had to admit that a part of her enjoyed her adventures with the SGC-crazy mutant beasts, kidnapping, and dinosaurs aside, of course. She was becoming good friends with Samantha and Muscles, and Mitchell would come around eventually, she believed. And there was that whole saving-the-galaxy-from-her-evil-offspring-daughter bit to consider. She at least had to see that through and do her part to help combat the current galactic threat.

Vala shook her head. She so hated the guilt that rose up from the pit of her stomach whenever she thought of Adria. It was much easier to deny that guilt than lend it weight and power over her. Vala was doing the best she could to fix her mistakes, that's all anyone could ask of her, right?

"You're gonna turn into a lobster, you know," Daniel commented from above her.

Vala smiled to herself before turning her face up to his, holding the cups of her bra in place to keep herself decently covered. She'd taken off her tank top earlier during her musings and unclasped her bra in the back to get a tiny bit of sun, and more importantly to get a rise out of her companion. So nice of him to comply with her wishes.

"Whatever do you mean, Daniel? Lobsters are black, aren't they?"

Daniel stood perfectly still above her. "They turn red when you cook them," he managed to say. "You really should cover up. A bad burn could ache for days."

"And miss seeing you stand at attention, darling?" She paused and looked him up and down. "Well, maybe not quite full attention."

Daniel followed her line of sight and finally looked down at himself, huffing in frustration and going to his pack to dig out a towel.

"Geez, Vala, I try to be helpful so that you don't get hurt and you have to…to… Seriously, what did I do to deserve this?"

She watched him quickly pat himself dry and pull his pants and shirt back on. It probably hadn't been the wisest move on her part, but at least she'd learned that the physical attraction was mutual. She clasped her bra in place and put her top back on while he dressed.

"I suppose it can all be traced back to your unwillingness to let me have your precious spaceship."

"You're kidding," he scoffed back at her. "You're saying that was the turning point in my life? The moment the universe turned on its axis and decided that it was going to throw a seductive, space-pirate, fruitcake at me to ruin my life."

"You think I'm seductive? I'm touched, Daniel," she playfully jabbed back.

"That's what you take from that sentence? You frustrating, annoying, infuriating, aggravating…"

"Don't forget seductively attractive, darling," she called as she jogged down the beach to the water. There were still a few hours of daylight left and she intended to go for one more swim before sunset. Probably a good idea to leave him alone and irritated rather than give him a chance to finish his tirade.

"Ugh!" he yelled at her retreating back. "I didn't even wanna come here with you in the first place!"

-~0~-

As Vala got done with her swim, the sun was making its final descent toward the horizon. She had just enough time to dry off, change, and gather more firewood before the sun set completely. But when she reached her pack and sleeping bag, Daniel was nowhere to be seen. She panicked for a bare moment before she caught a glimpse of his silhouette on the zipped up opening of the tent. Fine, Vala thought, if he wants to act like a child, let him.

She found clean underwear and changed quickly, then pulled on a pair of shorts and a three-quarter-sleeved T-shirt. She estimated about forty to forty-five minutes before the sun set over the water, which meant she had maybe thirty minutes to gather the firewood and still have time to enjoy the view.

Even though she was in a hurry, Vala took her time to examine the camp's surroundings once more. From everything she saw, she felt confident that they wouldn't be bothered during the night. She piled the firewood near her sleeping bag and settled down to enjoy a truly spectacular sunset.

As the sun hit the water she made a quiet hissing noise. Her cousin had once told her that if you listened hard enough when the sun set over the water, you could hear it boiling and sizzling. She laughed to herself. He'd been five years older than her and a complete goof-off, and she'd loved every minute spent with him. His death in a mining accident had been devastating. She'd lost a big brother and best friend in a single moment. And it was only the first in a long line of tragedies the universe had decided to heap on her. The next to leave her was her mother, and almost worse than that was the reappearance of her father and a brand new witchy stepmother. Then there was being taken as a host and on and on and on. Her life was nothing but a series of disappointments and tragedies.

Vala shook her head and wiped her eyes. Crying never solved one's problems, well, not unless big fat crocodile tears were necessary to sway a gullible mark. That made her laugh. Okay, she conceded that there had been quite a few good times sprinkled in between all that misery. She kept on thinking back while rifling through her pack for dinner options. Jacek hadn't been all bad, and some of her adventures with Keto had been memorable and quite fun. And there'd been men, well, at least one or two she'd come to care for…a little. Tomin had been sweet and gentle in his own way. She'd felt safe with him for the most part, if she overlooked the insane, religious zealot part of him.

And then there was Daniel.

The meal she was cooking heated up quickly over the fire. When it was ready, she took the dishes over to the tent, unzipped a corner of the front flap and placed the meal inside. She didn't wait for a 'thank you,' probably because she didn't expect one. Theirs was a push-shove kind of relationship. Vala pushed her boundaries, pushed the limits Daniel placed on her, and basically pushed Daniel's buttons. And when she pushed hard enough, he shoved back.

She didn't quite know why she did it, but if she had to take a guess she figured he might have been right in the beginning, maybe it was some sort of defense mechanism. And really she didn't blame him for his assessment. Vala was honestly and wholeheartedly defending herself from being outright rejected by…by the most oblivious man in her acquaintance. She rolled her eyes as she ate her dinner.

Heaven knew why she was attracted to this man who just didn't seem to understand her. But maybe that was part of it. He didn't understand her, but he stuck by her anyway. He put his trust in her, he tolerated her, and he smiled at her on occasion when she wasn't messing with him. Wow, she thought to herself, I like him because he tolerates me. This is a new low, even for me.

But that wasn't all of it. He was handsome, to be sure, and strong and physical, but he was also…good. He had this sweet…innocence that was…kind of refreshing. Daniel Jackson was a person who held to the belief that good conquered evil, and even though she knew in her vast experience that he was way off-base, there was a part of her that craved that feeling, that desperately wanted to believe he was right. Because then there was a reason for it all, a grand cosmic reason she'd had to endure all the misery in her life.

Vala shook her head once again. Not that she could ever tell him that. Any of that. Because, as she'd observed before, her instincts were dulling. She figured that maybe there was an inkling of attraction between them, but if she were wrong, if she confessed what she felt about him and Daniel didn't return her affection…oh how utterly devastating that would be. And she truly couldn't stand herself for getting into this situation in the first place. In becoming so wrapped up in another person, so absorbed in that person's world that her happiness depended on his acceptance of her. Nope. It was infinitely better to tease and flirt and keep him off-guard. Risking her heart just wasn't an option.

Vala cleaned up the small camping dishes and buried the bits of food she hadn't finished. Quite important not to attract any hungry wildlife. She took off her shoes and settled into her sleeping bag, resting her head on her arms as she looked up at the stars winking in the sky.

A few moments later, she heard Daniel come out of the tent and clean up his dishes as well.

"So, um," he cleared his throat, "I'm gonna turn in now. What time would you like me to wake up and take watch?"

"I don't think it's necessary. I think we'll be able to sleep through the night without worry. I haven't seen any signs of large predators in the last two days. No half-eaten kills or tracks. No excrement or evidence of a nearby den. And the campfire will keep the smaller critters away."

"But what if it goes out?"

"I'm a light sleeper. I'll be able to tell if it does and I'll just build it back up again." She patted the wood on her other side. "I've already gathered plenty of firewood."

"You're gonna sleep out here all night?" He came up and sat down in the sand across from her.

"You're not just brawn and good looks, darling. Use that lovely brain of yours. I live inside a concrete bunker in the center of a mountain. No windows, no fresh air. No sunlight, moonlight or starlight. Now, if you were in my position, and you had one night of freedom, would you spend it inside the tent or out here under the stars?"

Daniel was silent.

"That's what I thought." She smiled to herself and breathed in and out deeply.

"Well, what if it rains?"

"If it rains, then…then I suppose I'll get wet," she laughed. "And I don't think I'll mind at all. I think it'd be rather refreshing actually, especially with all this sand and dried seawater sticking to my skin."

Daniel stood up then and brushed off his pants. "Well, I guess if you don't need me to get up early…I guess I'll stay up a little longer with my notes."

"By all means, Daniel, enjoy yourself," Vala replied. "This is your vacation, too."

"Yeah. Right…of course."

She could hear that he hadn't really moved yet, so she craned her neck and looked back behind her toward him and the tent.

"Is there something else?" she asked.

"No, just…I'll be awake for a while if you get cold or want some company or something."

"Something like…naked cuddling?" she asked, smiling up at him and propping herself up on her elbow.

Daniel just rolled his eyes. "Yeah right, maybe in an alternate universe." Then he crawled back into the tent and zipped the flap closed.

Vala settled back into her sleeping bag. Yes, that was probably uncalled for. He was being nice, sharing the tent with her and offering to keep her company. But what would happen once they were in there and they tried talking? She had no desire to relive her awkward teenage years. Better to keep him guessing. Better for both of them.

And that's when it hit her; this really was where she wanted to be. Belonging with the Tau'ri and the Stargate Program. Being a part of SG-1 and a part of Daniel's life. She was sure of it. She wasn't exactly sure what kind of role she wanted to have in his life, but she wanted to be there, with him. Caring for him, protecting him, working with him, and yes, even dragging him along to do something fun and relaxing every once in a while. For now, that's what she'd do, make sure she brought some fun into his life, something she thought he probably needed very much.

After that, a kind of peace enveloped her and calmed her mind. Even with the insects buzzing around her and the birds still making obnoxious mating calls, she focused on the rhythm of the waves crashing on the shore and the stars twinkling in the sky and let her mind slip dreamily into a serene slumber.

-~0~-

As they walked down the ramp in the gateroom of Stargate Command, Vala had finally had enough.

"For goodness' sake, Daniel, just spit it out already! You've been huffing and grumbling for the last hour. Whatever's on your mind, just say it."

"You wanna know what's on my mind? My first vacation in years and you nearly get me eaten by a panther! That's what's on my mind!"

"You're blaming that tiger sneaking up on us on me?!"

"You're the one who took me to that blasted planet!"

By now a crowd was gathering in the gateroom for the show as well as in the control room just above. Both Sam and Teal'c shared a look while Mitchell got on the mic to try to resolve the situation.

"Whoa there, kids. What's this about getting eaten by panthers and tigers?"

"It wasn't multiple tigers," Vala shouted up to the control room, "it was one tiger, and it was drawn to our campsite by someone who forgot to finish his lunch or at least bury the scraps he didn't feel like eating." Vala shot a glare at Daniel.

The rest of SG-1 realized the explosion that was coming and hurried down to the gateroom just as Daniel and Vala handed over their packs and weapons to a waiting guard.

"You insisted there weren't any predators around. And it was a panther. Tigers have stripes; panthers, like the one that was breathing down my neck, are black."

"I'm sure it was a tiger."

"And I'm sure it wasn't."

"Perhaps it was a teklar," Teal'c said as he, Sam and Mitchell approached the arguing pair. Vala immediately snapped her fingers and nodded.

Daniel rolled his eyes and sighed. "That's Goa'uld for 'panther.'"

"Sure sounds a bit like 'tiger' though," Mitchell offered.

"I don't care what it was, it nearly ate me."

"God, Daniel, you can be such a drama-king. For one thing, it didn't eat you, I zatted it before it even had a chance to drool on you. And for another thing, it was your damn fault it found us in the first place. What were you thinking taking a nap and not cleaning up your leftovers?"

"She's right, Daniel."

"Oh, whatever. The fish wasn't really that good anyway," Daniel groused some more.

"Augh!" Vala huffed. "I try to do something nice and catch a fresh meal instead of the MREs we've been living on for a week or more, and you have the gall to complain about my cooking! Well, fine. See if I cook for you ever again." And with that, Vala stormed off down the hallway toward the infirmary and her check-up.

"Sheesh, we go away for one stinkin' undercover mission, T, and the whole place goes to hell in a hand basket."

"Inde-"

"Do not finish that 'indeed,' Teal'c," Daniel butted in while Sam smothered a laugh. "This isn't funny, Sam."

Daniel turned and stomped off toward the infirmary as well. His teammates just stood in the hallway staring dumbfounded at the retreating forms of the space pirate and the archaeologist.

Mitchell was the first to speak up. "There's a big part of me that can't believe they saved the whole darned SGC."

"I have never doubted their heroic abilities, Colonel Mitchell; however, their mutual attraction to one another is becoming quite overwhelming."

"It's obvious Daniel's fighting it," Sam observed. "Sure, Vala needs to be a bit more subtle, but I think all the worrying he's done about her is finally getting to critical mass."

"We'll keep them separated for a couple of weeks then. Let loverboy cool down a little."

Sam frowned. "I don't think I'll be able to help. I'm only here for a quick briefing before joining the Odyssey to investigate the latest rumor about a new Ori supergate."

"That's okay. I'll try some one-on-one basketball therapy with Jackson. Something to let off some of the steam."

"Perhaps Vala Mal Doran would benefit from a session of kel'no'reem."

"Good call, T." Mitchell let out a chuckle. "Never a dull moment in this job, is there?"

To be continued in "Company of Thieves"… ;-)