CoL, CH.8 - 10 (Company is True, Death in Judgment, and A Dangerous Business)

Jan 13, 2008 19:08

Chance on Love

Chapters 8 - 10 (Company is True, Death in Judgment, and A Dangerous Business)

Company is True

"It's itchy." Hayden whined, kicking her foot against her seat.

Grey eyes turned on her from the passenger seat. "Don't touch."

The little girl glared at her mother. "Mommy!"

Vala pointed a finger at her. "Ah! Do not touch it... It's starting to heal, which is why it's itching."

Pouting, Hayden turned her gaze out the window. It only took a minute before she whined and slapped her hand anxiously on the seat beside her. "Mommy..."

"You can't scratch it, baby." Vala said sympathetically. "It will only make things worse." She looked at Daniel in the driver's seat as her daughter whined again. "A little help here?"

When he did nothing but continue to stare out at the road, Vala leaned over and tapped his shoulder.

Daniel breathed in deeply and looked at her. "Huh?"

She gave him a slightly concerned look. "Hayds is complaining."

Blue eyes flicked to the rearview mirror, catching Hayden's gaze in the reflection. She pleaded to him with her eyes, bouncing where she sat. Daniel shook his head. "No, Hayden."

"Wow, that was...amazing." Vala muttered sarcastically as Hayden continued to whine and fidget. Her grey eyes stared intently at him. "What's up with you?"

He looked at her a moment. "It's..." He shook his head, returning his gaze to the road. "It's nothing."

Vala reached out and lightly ran her finger over the hair behind his ear. "Daniel."

Sighing, he gave her another quick look. "I'm nervous."

She swallowed thickly at the admission. "Why?"

Daniel heard the anxiety in her tone and glanced at her. He offered a reassuring smile, though it faltered a fraction. "It's not you...It's definitely not you." Blue eyes found the road again. "The fact that I have to admit to lying for nearly two months to my best friend, which is all my own doing, is what's making me nervous."

"I'm sure he'll understand." Vala offered.

He laughed sarcastically. "You don't know Jack O'Neill - trust is a very, very important to him, especially in my case."

Vala frowned at the troubled frown that creased Daniel's features. It was filled with a pain that ran too deep to be just due to his relationship with her. It piqued her curiosity, but she clamped down on questioning him instantly. The last thing she needed was to interrogate him when he was so uptight.

"We're here." Daniel announced suddenly, turning his truck onto a driveway for a house that made hers look like a motel room. Not that her house was very big to begin with. Still...

"Holy crap!" Vala gawked at the two story 'American dreamhouse.'

Hayden blinked at the size of it. "That's a big house, mommy."

Vala nodded, taking in all of it. "This house..." She looked from the large wooden front door, to the giant windows that branched out on both sides from the entryway. Her gaze drifted upward to the second story, then to the roof. "I mean, I thought Cam and Carolyn had a big house-"

"They do have a big house." Daniel laughed gently, the girls reactions having brought him out of his funk for a moment. "And so do Jack and Sam." He shifted into park and turned the ignition to off. "They've put a lot of hard work into this house."

She nodded. "It shows." Vala looked at Daniel suddenly. "God, are they rich? Did I under dress for this barbeque thing? Can Hayden be here?"

Reaching out to take her hand, Daniel placed his other on her cheek. "Hey, relax." He waited until Vala took a deep breath and focused on him clearly. "No, they're not rich. They are just a normal, loving family like Cam and Carolyn. That said, you look fine and Hayden is more than allowed to be here." He looked back at the little girl. "Charlie will be happy to have someone to play with today."

"Charlie's your... godson, right?" Hayden asked curiously, struggling with the word as her finger poked the healing scab on her face.

Daniel reached back and pulled her hand away. "Yes, he's six and very sweet."

Leaning towards him, Vala whispered in his ear. "Of course you're not a five year old girl - he's got cooties."

To confirm the point, Hayden nodded and pulled her hand out of Daniel's. He looked back and forth between them, smirking after a moment.

"I guess I've still got a lot to learn, huh?"

Vala nodded and kissed him affectionately. "We're willing to keep you anyway."

Daniel smiled, his gaze drifting out of the car. The smile turned to a grin, and he quickly unclipped his seatbelt and jumped out of the truck. Leaving the door open, he made his way around the vehicle and a short way up the walk just in time to swoop a laughing little boy into his arms.

Slowly, Vala managed to help Hayden out of her seat and get her own belt undone while watching the exchange.

"Hey, kiddo!" Daniel grinned, hugging Charlie close to him.

The boy hugged back eagerly. "Uncle Danny... I haven't seen you in forever."

Daniel laughed and pulled back a little. "It was just two days ago, silly."

"That's forever!" Charlie corrected with a slight scowl that was very reminiscent of his father's. It quickly faded as young brown eyes drifted to the two people getting out of the truck. He pointed at them. "Who are they?"

"I was wondering the same thing..." A female voice said playfully. Daniel turned slightly to see past Charlie, finding Sam walking up to them. She reached out and took the boy from him. "Hey Daniel."

He leaned in and kissed her cheek. "Hey Sam." Daniel turned back to face Vala and Hayden standing nervously by the passenger door. He walked up to stand next to them. "This is Vala Malduran and her daughter, Hayden Johnson." He smiled at Vala and Hayden. "Guys, this is Sam and Charlie O'Neill."

Sam gave a friendly smile to the two. "It's nice to finally meet you two." She winked at Daniel. "I would say he's talked nonstop about you guys, but we haven't seen enough of him lately..."

"She's definitely not lying." A gruff voice had all of them turning their attention up the walkway. "I'm wondering if he's even coming home at night anymore."

Rolling his eyes, Daniel leaned into Vala. "That's Jack."

Jack wrapped his arm around Sam's waist. "Oh, that's all I get? 'That's Jack'?" He smiled at Vala and Hayden. "Hello ladies." Brown eyes found blue once more. "Daniel, you failed to mention you were bringing company."

Daniel ignored the surprised look Vala shot him, not owning up to the fact that he hadn't told her that he'd never told them. "Must have slipped my mind."

"Maybe if you were here like you used to be..." Jack fixed him with a significant look.

Sighing, Sam stepped out of Jack's embrace and placed Charlie down. "Why don't you lead Hayden around back, okay?" The boy nodded, and Vala nudged Hayden forward. As the two children made their way around the house to the backyard, Sam stepped up to Vala. "Come on, we can properly introduce ourselves."

Vala gave Daniel a look. "Yeah, okay." She leaned up and placed a soft kiss to his lips. "If you need rescuing..." She whispered so only he could hear.

He closed his eyes and stroked her cheek. "Thank you." Daniel gave her another small kiss and reluctantly let her walk out of his grasp, the hand holding hers falling after she walked out of reach.

"Be nice." Sam whispered strongly to her husband as she passed him as Vala fell in step with her.

Jack gave her a smile. "Don't worry, girls. Just need Danny's help with some things inside..." He looked at his friend, who squirmed slightly under his gaze. "If he's not too busy to help?"

Shaking his head, Daniel held his hand up towards the front door. "Nope, I'm all yours."

Jack nodded curtly and tried to keep from stalking up to the door. Daniel slowly followed, staring at the stones that passed under his feet as he walked.

Vala watched him go with concern, sharing a look with Sam. She may have just met the woman, but she could tell as she looked in her blues eyes that she felt bad for Daniel too.

"Don't worry." The blonde offered. "Jack is Daniel's best friend...he would never hurt him."

Death In Judgement

Daniel flinched slightly as Jack slammed a plastic salad bowl on the counter in the kitchen. It was obvious his friend had quickly figured it out and was extremely pissed.

Yet was doing a bad job of trying to look calm.

"So, you and Vala look..." Jack opened up a cabinet, then slammed it closed a moment later. He turned near-furious brown eyes on Daniel. "Close."

The younger man nodded. "We are."

Jack failed to look okay with the admission as he turned his full attention to his friend. "And yet, here I am surprised to find out that you two are still an item. It's amazing, cause I could have swore you told me you had decided to slow things down - that you'd dated only a few times."

"We have technically only dated a few times." Daniel said quietly, looking to the floor.

Shaking his head, Jack snatched up the salad bowl again. He threw open the fridge door, making Daniel jump out of the way to keep from getting hit. "So you aren't denying you've had sex."

Daniel watched his friend closely. "Why would I deny that? Sex is the truest expression of love two people can share-"

"Don't pull your true love crap on me, Daniel." Jack turned and pointed a package of carrots at him. "Sex is just a damn animal instinct, and you let her hook you."

Anger flared in Daniel's chest. "She didn't hook me, Jack." He stepped around the island and looked down at the already prepared food. "Vala and I felt we were both ready."

Jack turned back to the fridge. "Is she pregnant?"

"What? No!" Daniel said, slightly offended by Jack's words. "Why would you assume-"

"Because, for the life of me, I can't figure out why you would lie to me over her." Jack's voice rose with each word. "Why would she come between you and me?"

Daniel rested his elbows down on the island. "Jack, she's not coming between us..."

"You fucking lied to me, Daniel!" Jack whirled around, throwing the bowl across the kitchen and making the younger man jump. "You think I wouldn't figure it out? That I'm too fucking dense to realize you weren't coming home for the past week?" His chest started to heave in anger as he placed his hands down on the island, across from Daniel. "Come on, man! I mean I know you like reading, but you've never spent every day you've had off for four months at the damn library!"

The younger man squeezed his eyes shut a moment. "Jack, I didn't-"

"Didn't what? Didn't lie to me?" Jack was definitely shouting now. "Daniel, please, we both know you did! And if you say you didn't, you're lying again!"

Daniel glared at his friend. "I wasn't gonna say I wasn't lying...I know I did."

Pointing a finger out the sliding glass door just off from the kitchen, Jack leaned in a little. "Did she encourage this?"

"No, she didn't!" Daniel let his voice rise, leaning in as well. "I did it all on my own, this is my problem. You leave her out of this."

Jack laughed sarcastically. "She is the problem!" He turned around and slammed his hand on the counter. "You are lying to me for her, and that's a damn problem."

He turned around and fixed a hard, yet desperate glare on Daniel. "Is she helping you use again?"

Daniel's blue eyes widened, even as he half-expected the question to come up. "How could you ask me that? How could you not trust me enough?"

"You expect me to trust you, Daniel?" Jack laughed again, even more sarcastically then before. "You've been lying to me, and the only time you have ever lied to me is when you're using!"

Shaking his head, Daniel turned away. He knew he shouldn't be getting upset, but he couldn't stop himself. "I love her, Jack." He said, trying to steer away from the topic.

Jack wouldn't have any of it. "You didn't answer my question."

"And it's taken me so long to feel like this again..." Daniel continued like he hadn't heard Jack.

Voice getting louder, Jack pushed. "Answer my question, Daniel."

Daniel just shook his head. "Hayden is amazing...I've just fallen in love with both of them."

"Dammit, Daniel!" Jack slammed his hand down on the island. "Are you using again?!"

The younger man turned around. "No, you son of a bitch!" He shouted, swiping a couple things off of the part of the island in front of him. "No, I'm not!"

Jack shook his head. "I can't believe you! You've lied, you don't come home, you're ignoring your family - It's just like it's been the times before!"

"What the fuck do you want from me?!" Daniel cried out. "I just told you I wasn't! That should be enough for you to believe me..." He stepped away from the island, shaking his head. "I can't believe this... Jack, come on, please believe me."

The older man tried to bury his fury at the desperate look in his friend's eyes. "You've fed me that line every other time before, and I've fallen for it - and I can't do it anymore."

Daniel walked around the barrier between them, hands clasped together. "I'm not lying, Jack. I promise you. I'm not using - there's no way I would go back to that and jeopardize losing Vala and Hayden." He continued to plead to Jack with his eyes. "I'm making my own family here, and I would never mess that up."

"You fucking messed up mine!" Jack shouted, anger returning at Daniel's words.

The younger man paled. "What?"

Jack shook his head. "Don't play dumb with me, Daniel. You know what the hell I'm talking about!" His eyes had gone dark. "Sara left me because I was spending everything to help you with your damn addiction! You're the damn reason I got divorced!" Jack was failing to notice the hurt he was causing. "And you're so fucking ungrateful, lying to me about some woman you met in a damn parking lot, who's probably only using you for financial support!"

Daniel could feel himself start to tremble. "I...I don't..." He bit his lip and blinked back tears. Looking out the door, his blue eyes fell on the mass of black hair that was signaturely Vala's. "I need to go."

Quickly, Daniel made his way around the island and towards the door. He ignored Jack's shouted 'run out, like the damn junkie you are!' as he stepped outside and up to the porch table.

"Sam, I'm sorry but we can't stay any longer." He mumbled, giving her a false smile as the tears slowly started to fall. "Come on, Vala."

Vala stood up, taking Daniel's hand. "What happened?"

"Are you okay?" Sam stood up as well.

Daniel smiled again, and nodded unconvincingly. "I'll call you and Charlie...tell Jack..." His voice faltered. "Tell him I'm sorry." He pulled Vala along. "Hayden, come on, we're leaving."

The little girl turned a pout on Daniel. "But I'm not ready."

"Hayden!" Daniel snapped, making her jump. She immediately dropped the ball her and Charlie had been tossing around and made her way over to him and her mother. She wordlessly took Vala's outstretched hand.

Sam watched them make their leave, then called Charlie over. Carrying him inside, she watched her husband busy himself with trying to make a salad that would now go uneaten. Setting the boy down, she patted him on the butt playfully.

"Go play in your room." She said, giving him a soft smile as he looked at her in slight worry. Reluctantly, Charlie headed out of the kitchen and up the stairs to his room. The moment he was out of sight, Sam turned a glare on Jack.

"What the hell did you say?!"

------

Vala reached out and placed a hand on Daniel's arm. "Hunny, pull over."

"I...I'm fine." Daniel mumbled, tears silently slipping down his cheeks. He squeezed the steering wheel tighter to stem the shaking, his knuckles going white.

She squeezed his arm. "Daniel...." Vala whispered, desperately concerned by his distress. "Pull over, please."

Licking his lips, Daniel flicked on the indicator and pulled his truck to the side of the road near the beginning ends of a forest. He killed the ignition and sighed.

Vala unclipped her seatbelt and leaned closer to him. The second before her lips connected with his cheek, Daniel undid his seatbelt and hopped out of the truck. Vala scrambled after him out his side, following him around the truck.

"H-he promised me..." Daniel said breathlessly, all his emotion getting the better of him. He fell to his knees in the cool grass, trying to breathe normally. A choked sob escaped, and then he couldn't hold it back anymore. He really started to cry.

Vala wrapped her arms around him from behind, holding him tight. She didn't know what had him so upset, but she started to cry anyway. "Daniel..." She breathed into his ear.

His hand came up and gripped hers desperately. "Don't leave me...I love you." Daniel whispered through his tears. "I would never lie about that..." He couldn't stop the tears. "I wouldn't lie to you...believe me."

"I do." Vala kissed his neck softly. He sounded so frightened and betrayed. "I love you too...Love you so much, baby." She stroked his chest with her free hand. "I'm not going anywhere. Hayden and I are here for you, no matter what."

Daniel shook his head. "But you don't know..."

She bent down and pulled him back against her chest. "I'll just wait until you're ready to tell me."

Squeezing her hand, Daniel tried to stop his tears. "What did I do to deserve you?"

"You fixed my tire and took a chance on me." Vala said to him.

The sound of a door opening had her looking around. Hayden had climbed out of the truck.

The girl looked at the two of them. "Mommy?"

Vala gave her a watery smile. "Come here, babygirl. Daniel needs to know you love him."

Hayden rushed over to them, moving around Daniel and throwing her arms around his neck.

He rested his face against hers, the tears silently continuing to fall.

A Dangerous Business

"Is Daniel okay?" Hayden asked as Vala changed her for bed.

Not one to lie to her daughter, Vala shook her head. "I don't know, Hayds."

Hayden helped pull her shirt down. "Did his friend hurt him?"

Identical sets of grey eyes found each other. Vala nodded.

"Yeah, baby, he did."

The five year old lay back in her bed and tilted her head. "What did he do?"

Vala leaned over and gave her a kiss. "I don't know." She pulled the comforter up. "Go to sleep, munchkin."

"Tell him I love him." Hayden said firmly. "I want him to stay."

Smiling, Vala tapped her nose. "I will definitely do that." She stood up and moved to the door. Hand hovering over the light, she turned to look at her daughter. "Night, monster."

Hayden yawned. "Night, mommy."

Vala flicked off the light and closed the door almost all the way shut. She then made her way to the kitchen and set forth making something for her and Daniel to share. Something they both could seriously use. When she finished there, she turned off the kitchen light and opened the door to the back porch.

The moonlight illumined the figure sitting in the large cushioned chair on the porch. She made her way over to him.

"Here..." Vala murmured, holding the mug out to him.

Daniel looked up at her with slightly swollen eyes. "What is it?"

Sinking down into the chair with him, she curled into his warmth. "Irish coffee."

"Oh, well then..." Daniel brought the mug to his lips and took a slow sip. "Thank you." He said after swallowing the liquid, kissing her lips softly.

Vala reached up and stroked her fingers over his hair. "I don't know if it's my place to ask..." She looked into his exhausted eyes. "Will you tell me what happened?"

Breathing in deeply, Daniel tightened his hold on her. "If I do, I'll have to tell you everything or you'll jump to conclusions and I don't want to scare you or anything." He gave her a look that said she could back out. "It's a long story."

"I've got nowhere to be but here with you." She offered him quietly.

Daniel smiled, then took another sip from the cup to brace himself. Only a few people knew about what he was getting ready to reveal to her. "I told you how my parents died when I was eight."

She nodded, sipping from the cup still in his grasp.

"Well, of course, I was put into the foster care system. I jumped from house to house for a while before landing at this certain home. It was a young couple who were having problems having children. They decided on fostering..." Daniel pulled in another deep breath. "They wanted a toddler, and got a slightly rebellious nine year old."

"It was a nice place to live for a little while - I was there so long, I was beginning to think they might actually go through with adoption." He laughed like it was so stupid.

Vala just continued to listen intently.

"Of course things change...people die." Daniel looked into the cup, swirling the creamy liquid around. "It was after Shannon died that Michael started...drinking. She was his one true love, or something. Anyway, the drinking became more frequent - then the beating started."

She couldn't help butting in. "It was never reported?"

Daniel snorted as he drank more of the Irish coffee. "He was good at hiding it and I was too proud to admit it. Though, in the long run, I should have and risked my pride. The turning point was when he got too drunk one night and beat me so terribly, I ended up in the hospital."

"I honestly can't really remember much - actually, a lot of my memories went away from around that period in my life...several of them didn't come back. The first memory I have after the beating was waking up in the ICU...I was heavily sedated, but I remember one of the nurses arguing with this boy."

Drinking from the cup, Vala guessed, "It was Jack."

He smiled at her. "It was...his mom was one of the nurses who had treated me. He was sixteen at the time, and hated the fact that he had to spend his free time helping his mom. She had snapped at him, saying there was a poor boy spending his free time recovering from severe injuries."

"Because of the drugs, it took a while for me to realize she was talking about me. It seemed all surreal hearing this woman retell everything that had been broken or busted in my body because I couldn't feel any pain."

Vala looked at him intently. "How did you and Jack become friends?"

Laughing a little, Daniel shrugged. "He was bored and started talking to me. I think he did it because he pitied me at first - he put up with a too smart eleven year old."

"Jumping ahead a month or so, I was finally recovered enough to head back to the foster center." Daniel swallowed as he went to say his next words. "Of course the pain I hadn't felt that first night came with a vengeance, so they gave me a lot of medication - a lot of morphine."

She was beginning to put the pieces together. "How long did it take?"

Blue eyes found hers. "To what? Get hooked?"

Vala nodded.

"Happened almost instantly - that feeling of not feeling when she was saying all those things...it hit me then. And I didn't want to let it go. It helped that I'd become friends with Jack 'cause I kept going back to the hospital to see him - I started stealing the drugs from there."

Daniel stretched his neck, uncomfortable talking about his habit. "To make it simple, I got sloppy and slipped up - Jack caught me, and helped me through the withdrawal before his mom found out." He smiled warily at her. "She wanted to foster me."

"I was good and clean all the way up until the end of my senior year of high school."

Another piece fell into place. "When your girlfriend died."

He nodded. "I was in the hospital that night...and it all became too much. They left me in the operating room alone with her, to say goodbye. I saw the morphine, and the syringes, and felt the already cooling flesh of Sha're under my fingertips, and impulse took over. By the time the doctors had come back in, I was half high and had stashed several more vials."

"I tried to stop before it went too far, but of course judgment is the first thing to go when you want to get high." Daniel continued. "It got to a point where I was almost always on the drugs...I stopped eating, stopped going to classes, stopped living basically."

Vala rested her chin on his shoulder. "Were you living with Jack then?"

"Yeah...I stayed in his guest bedroom. He was married to his first wife, Sara, at the time." He looked at her. "I know Jack had begun to figure it out again, but he just didn't want to admit it. He was finally forced to admit it..."

She waited for Daniel to continue. It took him several moments to get control of himself.

He let out shuddered breath. "I was so messed up one day; I lost my balance and broke my nose against the edge of the bathroom counter. Because of the morphine, I was already coughing pretty badly and the blood dripping down my throat didn't help. I felt like I couldn't breathe. I flipped out and called Jack, then shot up some more while I waited for him to come home, just to stop the overwhelming fear."

"I was practically comatose when he got there...or so he says. I don't remember much of that day - it's all just a haze." Daniel laughed heartlessly. "You'd think that'd be enough to scare me sober, but the following week, I got high again."

Tears came to his eyes. "Sara was done with it by then. She told Jack to kick me out, send me away for good." He lifted his head and looked out at the stars. "But Jack stuck by me... It took nearly four days for the worst of the withdrawal to pass - I don't know how many times he told me to eat or changed those bed sheets after I got sick...but he was there."

Vala stroked a finger over his cheek. "And Sara?"

Daniel shrugged. "She came back when the worst passed...she was eight months pregnant at the time, so she felt she couldn't just leave. I was just through my fourth day without using, and I could barely function...I went into the kitchen that night, ashamed and guilty. Jack told me he was proud - I didn't feel the same excitement and neither did Sara."

He sniffed, thumb stroking over the rim of the nearly empty mug. "I really tried to make it through that dinner without any trouble because I knew I was already walking on thin ice in terms of where I stood with them. But I was just so weak and my hands wouldn't stop shaking...I spilled hot tea in her lap, and she flipped."

"Jack tried to calm her down, but Sara was over it all. She told him she wanted a divorce." Daniel swallowed, his voice cracking as he continued. "He took her to their room, but she said it smelled like a 'fucking junkie's waste dump.' I was so scared because they both started yelling and shouting and I knew it was all my fault. I tried to go to my room and start packing my things, but I couldn't make it that far." His lips started to tremble. "I fell to the floor and listened to them argue and cried."

Vala squeezed his arm. "You don't have to go on, Daniel."

He shook his head, then nodded. "I do..." Tear-bright blue eyes turned on her desperately. "I want you to know this...you deserve to know this. You deserve to have a chance to back out now that you know..."

"I'm not backing out." She emphasized, kissing his lips lovingly.

Daniel closed his eyes, resting his forehead against hers.

She threaded her fingers through his hair. "So what happened after that?"

Sighing, Daniel settled back against his seat once more. "Uh, they stormed out not long after, Sara with a suitcase in her hand. They didn't even notice me as they went past, both of them yelling the whole time. It didn't take long for Jack to come storming back into the house. I think he had every intention of ripping me a new one and kicking me out."

"Did he?" Vala asked, taking the cup and placing it on the table in front of them.

He shook his head. "No..." His voice was barely a whisper. "I was terrified he would...I remember sobbing over and over about ruining his marriage and his life..." The tears returned, and this time spilled over onto his cheeks. "The divorce went through, and the custody battle started after Charlie was born, and I kept blaming myself."

"But he promised me every time that it wasn't my fault. That there wasn't anything I did..." Daniel cried quietly. "He promised me even when I thought I messed up. He continued to reaffirm the promise as I started to get my life back in line, as I fought through school and for my job. Either way, he promised me...and I'd finally begun to believe him...but now..."

Vala hugged him tightly. "It wasn't your fault." She stated firmly and simply. "Jack was just angry."

He held onto her with all he had. "Because I lied...he's right. I haven't done that since I was using. I don't want to mess up again...I don't think he'd give me a third chance, and I don't want to lose you." Daniel buried his face in her neck. "I can't lose you."

"You're not gonna mess up, Daniel." Vala reassured him, pulling back to look him in the eye. "I can see it in the way you look at my daughter. You look at her in a way no one ever has, not even her father. You see her and you don't want to lose her, and I don't want you to. And I won't let you." She smiled and laughed a little. "I'm not letting you go."

Daniel let out a strangled laugh and kissed her. It started off slightly heated, but quickly lost its force as the humor in the moment slipped away. He quietly pulled back and closed his eyes. He pulled in a slow, deep breath.

"I'm gonna go to bed." He murmured, rising.

She held onto his hand as he went. "I think that's a good idea..." Vala took the kiss he leaned down to give her. "I'll probably be a little while."

"Okay." Daniel placed another kiss to her forehead. "I love you."

Vala smiled softly at him. "Love you too." She watched him slowly head back inside, his shoulders drooped in extreme sadness. It made her heart ache even more now that she knew the basis behind the fight between him and Jack.

She spent the next hour or so finding things to do around the house that would keep her anger in the older man at bay. She'd only met him once, but Vala couldn't imagine how anyone could accuse his best friend of ruining his marriage. Each time she thought on it, she had to find something else to distract her. By the time she headed to the bedroom for some sleep, after checking on Hayden, it was close to two in the morning.

Quietly, Vala opened the door. Her eyes fell on the lump facing away from her beneath the covers. She smiled softly, taking in the fact that he was there, sleeping in her bed. She didn't care about the troubles in his past, but she very much cared about his future. He was her future, and Hayden's as well.

Stepping out of everything but the nightshirt that was actually his, Vala moved over to the bed and crawled under the sheets until she was firmly pressed against his back. Pushing herself up, she placed slow, passionate kisses to his neck.

Daniel stirred under her touch, turning a sleepy gaze on her. "I'm sorry."

"Why?" Vala asked, kissing his cheek.

He closed his eyes, lip trembling. "For being such a mess."

Shaking her head, Vala smiled. "Everybody's a mess in some way..." She stroked soft fingers against his forehead. "Go to sleep, Daniel."

"You'll still be here when I wake up?" His voice was soft and uncertain.

Vala settled down against him and snuggled into his chest. "I already told you, baby...I've got nowhere to be but here with you."

Reviews and comments are LVOE!

col, sg1 fic, hayden!fic, dv, jd smarm

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