fan fiction: finding home chapter 8
If you missed Chapter 7, you can find it here.
Chapter Eight--The Stuff Dreams Are Made of
Daniel stumbled to his office the next morning, bleary-eyed and feeling a strange sense of deja vu. How many times had he spent his nights comforting Vala (as much as she’d let him anyway) following one of her nightmares? He’d long since lost count
It had even been the impetus for their relationship all those years ago.
2009
Over the years, Daniel had grown accustomed to Vala scampering into his office late at night (or the wee hours of the morning). He’d never really thought too much about it, although her askew sleep mask and tousled hair amused him and her sometimes random outbursts annoyed him. But it had taken him far too long to realize why she kept showing up in his office at all sorts of crazy hours.
But shortly after they returned from Baal’s extraction, Daniel learned the reason.
He’d shot up from the desk that night, breathing hard. His eyes darted around.
Nope, just a dream. He was still in his office. He'd fallen asleep slumped over his desk...again. He leaned back in his chair in relief.
As if the fact that Vala never gave him a moment's peace during his waking hours wasn't bad enough, now she had to go and invade his dreams as well.
He didn't figure he'd be able to get any more work done tonight, so Daniel straightened up his books and notes and headed for the door.
He met up with Vala in the hallway. Embarrassment over the rather intimate subject matter of his recent dream made him snappish. “What're you doing here at this hour?”
Her eyebrows rose. “Have you forgotten that I live here, darling?”
Oh. Right. Technically she probably had more business being here than he did given how late it was.
“You finally done for the night?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. My brain's done anyway. Thought I'd grab some sleep. You headed to bed?”
An odd look flickered in her eyes. “No, actually, I'm headed to Muscles's room.”
Daniel blinked in surprise. He certainly hadn't been expecting that answer. “Huh. Why's that?”
“Movie night.”
“You're starting a movie night at this hour?”
The strange expression skittered across her face again. “Yes.”
“Why?”
“Why not?”
“Don't start, Vala. Seriously, why?”
“Why shouldn't we? We're both here on base. We have movie nights a lot.”
“I know that, but I didn't think you started them at 2 a.m.!”
Her eyes flickered again. “Well, sometimes we do. Now excuse me. I need to get the snacks and get to Muscles's room.”
Daniel's eyes narrowed. Something was still off here. “Does he actually know you're coming?”
She hesitated only a fraction of a second too long. “Yes, of course.”
No one else would ever have noticed that infinitesimal pause, but Daniel did. “He doesn't, does he? Vala. Why are you waking the poor man up at this ungodly hour to watch some dumb movie?”
“He doesn't mind,” Vala said. “He told me I could.”
“When was this exactly?”
Her gaze dropped to the floor. “After Athena.”
It was the last thing he'd ever expected to hear. “Athena? What, when you were kidnapped? But that was a couple of years ago!”
She shrugged. “I know. But once my memories returned, I started having nightmares. I mean, I've always had them occasionally, but these were really bad. That stupid machine they hooked me up to dredged up all sorts of crap. And I didn't want to see your Dr. Hutchinson about them. Muscles is here, he found out about them, and he told me to wake him up any time. We usually end up watching movies, so I've started bringing snacks.”
For more than two years she'd struggled with horrible nightmares and he hadn't known? Daniel felt like he'd been slugged in the gut. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Why would I?”
“Vala! I’m your friend. I care about you! You should let me help you.”
“You do help. All those times I’ve come in your office at weird hours. Even when we argued, it was a distraction and it was better than going back to bed.”
He had argued with her a lot on those occasions, he thought guiltily. She’d come bounding in, hair sticking up every which way and smile fixed in place, distracting him from the work he was trying to do...distracting him in other ways too. And in his irritation he’d never once stopped to consider why she barged in on him.
Damn, he could be a self-absorbed ass at times.
“Look, let’s just let Teal’c sleep tonight, okay?” He wrapped an arm around her, steering her in the opposite direction. “I’ll hang out with you however long you need.”
“Daniel, you don’t have to--”
“Hush. I know I don’t have to. I want to. Now come on. What’s your favorite movie?” He couldn’t resist a sly grin. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”
Vala made a growl in the back of throat, and Daniel thought it might just be the sexiest thing he’d ever heard. But he made a show of rolling his eyes as he led her through the corridors of the SGC.
And from that point on, Vala rarely needed to wake up Teal’c when her nightmares struck.
###
Present day
Vala scowled at her reflection in the mirror. Her roots were starting to show. If she wanted to remain a blonde, she’d need to touch them up and soon.
Or she could just return to her natural color. A box of black hair dye probably wouldn’t be hard to come by.
Daniel’s Vala had black hair, usually worn in pigtails. She loved being Daniel’s Vala.
But she hadn’t really been her for a long time now, and going back to that was a hell of a lot more complicated than her hair color.
Bryce’s Val had blond hair, usually clipped back from her face. And though she'd never fully been the person he’d thought her to be, there was still some Val in her. Parts of that persona rang very true.
And there was no denying that those years away had shaped her, changed her. She wasn’t the same person she’d been way back on Matthias’ ship. And going back to black hair wouldn’t make her so.
Deciding that it was too early in the morning to be deciding such things, Vala called Bryce instead.
“Val!” It boosted her ego how happy he always was to hear from her. She wondered if the next time they had leave she could convince the team to visit New York. It would be a blast having them there. And she could see Bryce. She did miss him.
Bryce filled her in on the various goings-on in the city, and Vala gave him a highly censored update on her work with military security systems. They discussed her upcoming move and Cameron’s rather grandiose plans for her housewarming party.
“You will be here for that?” Vala asked.
“You know I wouldn’t miss it. Got the flights and my hotel room already booked.”
She frowned. “Hotel room? Whatever for? You know you can stay with me.”
He chuckled dryly. “Yes, I know, but I don’t think your Daniel would care too much for that, do you?”
Okay, so that was fair. Bryce was definitely a sore spot for Daniel. But still...“That doesn’t matter. I don’t care what he thinks.”
“Oh, come off it, Val. You know you do. I know you do. And I won’t be the one getting between you two. That was our deal.”
Vala blew out a frustrated breath. “But I want you there.”
“I know.” Bryce’s voice softened. “And if you really end up needing me, you know I’ll come. But from all you’ve told me, I think you guys still have a chance to work things out. I don’t want to be the reason you don’t. And I certainly don’t want to be your excuse.”
Damn the man. Vala made a face at the phone, knowing he couldn’t see her. “I hate you sometimes.”
At that, he laughed outright. “I know, dear. Love you too.”
###
Cameron Mitchell knew how to plan a housewarming party.
They’d gotten all of her belongings into the apartment earlier in the week. Vala had gotten a bed and a couch delivered, but her CO had forbidden to purchase anything else. “That’s what a housewarming is for, Vala. We’re going to buy you all sorts of stuff. So don’t get anything else until you see what you actually need after we’re done, okay?”
It was a little overwhelming, really.
And somehow he’d managed to get everyone important to her to come. Bryce had flown in, as had Jack O’Neill. Cameron’s parents were there. Even Samantha had worked it out to come. Plus loads of the SGC personnel. Vala wasn’t honestly sure how everyone would fit; she loved her apartment, but it wasn’t that big. But Cameron waved a dismissive hand and assured her they’d figure it out somehow.
She supposed it was easier since she didn’t have much furniture yet.
The evening would have been perfect if Cute Ginger hadn’t shown up. Who the hell had invited her? Certainly Cameron wouldn’t have. How could Daniel?
To add insult to injury, Cute Ginger (whose name was Lauren, apparently) had excellent taste and was generous to boot. She’d brought several nice gifts, all of them things Vala would have picked out herself. Vala glared at a dinnerware set, wishing she could accept Lauren’s offer of a gift receipt and exchange them for something else. But there wouldn’t be anything else in the whole damn store Vala loved as much as these particular dishes.
It was terribly annoying.
But Bryce stayed right next to her, a steady, comforting presence. She might have been more soothed by the gesture if Cute Ginger (fine, Lauren) didn’t remain just as glued to Daniel’s side.
Later, after most of the party guests had wished her well and left, Vala’s closest friends were still there, helping to sort and put away. There was a lot to sort and put away. But eventually it got too late even for the smaller group.
The Mitchells left first, with the very pregnant Carolyn claiming exhaustion.
“Hey, listen.” Bryce nudged her. “I’m gonna go, okay? I think you’ve got things well under control here.”
“Oh, why are you leaving? There are still people here!”
Bryce jerked his chin toward the corner, where Daniel and Jack were ostensibly putting together a bookshelf. However, they seemed deep in a conversation that had nothing to do with shelf construction at all. “Because he’s lost his buffer, so I think you should probably lose yours too. Might help the two of you enormously.”
“Jack is just as capable of being a buffer as Cute Ginge--as Lauren,” Vala said.
“Sure he is. But I daresay he and Sam will be leaving soon. They have a kid and a babysitter to get back to. You don’t really think that shelf’s going up tonight, do you?”
Vala looked at the two again. “No. Not really.”
“You see? Best I make myself scarce.”
“Daniel will probably leave when the others do.”
“You might be right. But I don’t think you are. I think you two need to hash things out, and I think he’s ready. So I’m clearing out and giving you a chance.”
“I really do hate you.”
Bryce laughed and kissed the top of her head. “I know. I’ve learned to live with it.”
He left, and sure enough Samantha and Jack decided to go shortly after, taking Teal’c with them. Only Daniel remained.
Their eyes met, and Daniel flashed her an almost bashful smile, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. “Great party, huh? For a Kansas boy, Mitchell sure has that southern hospitality stuff down pat.”
“Are we sure he’s actually from Kansas?” Okay, so it was a weak attempt at a joke, but suddenly Vala was nervous. The air was charged with something and she wasn’t sure what. Or even if she was ready for whatever it was.
Daniel gave a faint smile, but he seemed nervous too, and somehow that made her feel better. Maybe they could do this. Might as well try. “Listen, I know there’s a coffeemaker and some coffee in the kitchen somewhere, and I’m pretty sure Wendy left pie. You want some?”
He brightened. “Yeah, that’d be great. Then maybe you and I can get this shelf up since Jack and Sam had to go.”
“Okay, deal.” Vala headed for the kitchen.
It took some rummaging, but she finally located coffee supplies. The pie was much easier to find and looked as good as she’d figured on Cute Ginger’s plates. Vala headed back into the living room with plates and mugs. Her breath caught.
Daniel was crouched on the floor in front of the toolbox Jack had left, studying the bookshelf assembly instructions...and giving her a perfect view of his rather delectable backside. Her mouth went dry.
Oh, she was in so much trouble.
Continue on to Chapter 9.
Chapter Eight--The Stuff Dreams Are Made of
Daniel stumbled to his office the next morning, bleary-eyed and feeling a strange sense of deja vu. How many times had he spent his nights comforting Vala (as much as she’d let him anyway) following one of her nightmares? He’d long since lost count
It had even been the impetus for their relationship all those years ago.
2009
Over the years, Daniel had grown accustomed to Vala scampering into his office late at night (or the wee hours of the morning). He’d never really thought too much about it, although her askew sleep mask and tousled hair amused him and her sometimes random outbursts annoyed him. But it had taken him far too long to realize why she kept showing up in his office at all sorts of crazy hours.
But shortly after they returned from Baal’s extraction, Daniel learned the reason.
He’d shot up from the desk that night, breathing hard. His eyes darted around.
Nope, just a dream. He was still in his office. He'd fallen asleep slumped over his desk...again. He leaned back in his chair in relief.
As if the fact that Vala never gave him a moment's peace during his waking hours wasn't bad enough, now she had to go and invade his dreams as well.
He didn't figure he'd be able to get any more work done tonight, so Daniel straightened up his books and notes and headed for the door.
He met up with Vala in the hallway. Embarrassment over the rather intimate subject matter of his recent dream made him snappish. “What're you doing here at this hour?”
Her eyebrows rose. “Have you forgotten that I live here, darling?”
Oh. Right. Technically she probably had more business being here than he did given how late it was.
“You finally done for the night?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. My brain's done anyway. Thought I'd grab some sleep. You headed to bed?”
An odd look flickered in her eyes. “No, actually, I'm headed to Muscles's room.”
Daniel blinked in surprise. He certainly hadn't been expecting that answer. “Huh. Why's that?”
“Movie night.”
“You're starting a movie night at this hour?”
The strange expression skittered across her face again. “Yes.”
“Why?”
“Why not?”
“Don't start, Vala. Seriously, why?”
“Why shouldn't we? We're both here on base. We have movie nights a lot.”
“I know that, but I didn't think you started them at 2 a.m.!”
Her eyes flickered again. “Well, sometimes we do. Now excuse me. I need to get the snacks and get to Muscles's room.”
Daniel's eyes narrowed. Something was still off here. “Does he actually know you're coming?”
She hesitated only a fraction of a second too long. “Yes, of course.”
No one else would ever have noticed that infinitesimal pause, but Daniel did. “He doesn't, does he? Vala. Why are you waking the poor man up at this ungodly hour to watch some dumb movie?”
“He doesn't mind,” Vala said. “He told me I could.”
“When was this exactly?”
Her gaze dropped to the floor. “After Athena.”
It was the last thing he'd ever expected to hear. “Athena? What, when you were kidnapped? But that was a couple of years ago!”
She shrugged. “I know. But once my memories returned, I started having nightmares. I mean, I've always had them occasionally, but these were really bad. That stupid machine they hooked me up to dredged up all sorts of crap. And I didn't want to see your Dr. Hutchinson about them. Muscles is here, he found out about them, and he told me to wake him up any time. We usually end up watching movies, so I've started bringing snacks.”
For more than two years she'd struggled with horrible nightmares and he hadn't known? Daniel felt like he'd been slugged in the gut. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Why would I?”
“Vala! I’m your friend. I care about you! You should let me help you.”
“You do help. All those times I’ve come in your office at weird hours. Even when we argued, it was a distraction and it was better than going back to bed.”
He had argued with her a lot on those occasions, he thought guiltily. She’d come bounding in, hair sticking up every which way and smile fixed in place, distracting him from the work he was trying to do...distracting him in other ways too. And in his irritation he’d never once stopped to consider why she barged in on him.
Damn, he could be a self-absorbed ass at times.
“Look, let’s just let Teal’c sleep tonight, okay?” He wrapped an arm around her, steering her in the opposite direction. “I’ll hang out with you however long you need.”
“Daniel, you don’t have to--”
“Hush. I know I don’t have to. I want to. Now come on. What’s your favorite movie?” He couldn’t resist a sly grin. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”
Vala made a growl in the back of throat, and Daniel thought it might just be the sexiest thing he’d ever heard. But he made a show of rolling his eyes as he led her through the corridors of the SGC.
And from that point on, Vala rarely needed to wake up Teal’c when her nightmares struck.
###
Present day
Vala scowled at her reflection in the mirror. Her roots were starting to show. If she wanted to remain a blonde, she’d need to touch them up and soon.
Or she could just return to her natural color. A box of black hair dye probably wouldn’t be hard to come by.
Daniel’s Vala had black hair, usually worn in pigtails. She loved being Daniel’s Vala.
But she hadn’t really been her for a long time now, and going back to that was a hell of a lot more complicated than her hair color.
Bryce’s Val had blond hair, usually clipped back from her face. And though she'd never fully been the person he’d thought her to be, there was still some Val in her. Parts of that persona rang very true.
And there was no denying that those years away had shaped her, changed her. She wasn’t the same person she’d been way back on Matthias’ ship. And going back to black hair wouldn’t make her so.
Deciding that it was too early in the morning to be deciding such things, Vala called Bryce instead.
“Val!” It boosted her ego how happy he always was to hear from her. She wondered if the next time they had leave she could convince the team to visit New York. It would be a blast having them there. And she could see Bryce. She did miss him.
Bryce filled her in on the various goings-on in the city, and Vala gave him a highly censored update on her work with military security systems. They discussed her upcoming move and Cameron’s rather grandiose plans for her housewarming party.
“You will be here for that?” Vala asked.
“You know I wouldn’t miss it. Got the flights and my hotel room already booked.”
She frowned. “Hotel room? Whatever for? You know you can stay with me.”
He chuckled dryly. “Yes, I know, but I don’t think your Daniel would care too much for that, do you?”
Okay, so that was fair. Bryce was definitely a sore spot for Daniel. But still...“That doesn’t matter. I don’t care what he thinks.”
“Oh, come off it, Val. You know you do. I know you do. And I won’t be the one getting between you two. That was our deal.”
Vala blew out a frustrated breath. “But I want you there.”
“I know.” Bryce’s voice softened. “And if you really end up needing me, you know I’ll come. But from all you’ve told me, I think you guys still have a chance to work things out. I don’t want to be the reason you don’t. And I certainly don’t want to be your excuse.”
Damn the man. Vala made a face at the phone, knowing he couldn’t see her. “I hate you sometimes.”
At that, he laughed outright. “I know, dear. Love you too.”
###
Cameron Mitchell knew how to plan a housewarming party.
They’d gotten all of her belongings into the apartment earlier in the week. Vala had gotten a bed and a couch delivered, but her CO had forbidden to purchase anything else. “That’s what a housewarming is for, Vala. We’re going to buy you all sorts of stuff. So don’t get anything else until you see what you actually need after we’re done, okay?”
It was a little overwhelming, really.
And somehow he’d managed to get everyone important to her to come. Bryce had flown in, as had Jack O’Neill. Cameron’s parents were there. Even Samantha had worked it out to come. Plus loads of the SGC personnel. Vala wasn’t honestly sure how everyone would fit; she loved her apartment, but it wasn’t that big. But Cameron waved a dismissive hand and assured her they’d figure it out somehow.
She supposed it was easier since she didn’t have much furniture yet.
The evening would have been perfect if Cute Ginger hadn’t shown up. Who the hell had invited her? Certainly Cameron wouldn’t have. How could Daniel?
To add insult to injury, Cute Ginger (whose name was Lauren, apparently) had excellent taste and was generous to boot. She’d brought several nice gifts, all of them things Vala would have picked out herself. Vala glared at a dinnerware set, wishing she could accept Lauren’s offer of a gift receipt and exchange them for something else. But there wouldn’t be anything else in the whole damn store Vala loved as much as these particular dishes.
It was terribly annoying.
But Bryce stayed right next to her, a steady, comforting presence. She might have been more soothed by the gesture if Cute Ginger (fine, Lauren) didn’t remain just as glued to Daniel’s side.
Later, after most of the party guests had wished her well and left, Vala’s closest friends were still there, helping to sort and put away. There was a lot to sort and put away. But eventually it got too late even for the smaller group.
The Mitchells left first, with the very pregnant Carolyn claiming exhaustion.
“Hey, listen.” Bryce nudged her. “I’m gonna go, okay? I think you’ve got things well under control here.”
“Oh, why are you leaving? There are still people here!”
Bryce jerked his chin toward the corner, where Daniel and Jack were ostensibly putting together a bookshelf. However, they seemed deep in a conversation that had nothing to do with shelf construction at all. “Because he’s lost his buffer, so I think you should probably lose yours too. Might help the two of you enormously.”
“Jack is just as capable of being a buffer as Cute Ginge--as Lauren,” Vala said.
“Sure he is. But I daresay he and Sam will be leaving soon. They have a kid and a babysitter to get back to. You don’t really think that shelf’s going up tonight, do you?”
Vala looked at the two again. “No. Not really.”
“You see? Best I make myself scarce.”
“Daniel will probably leave when the others do.”
“You might be right. But I don’t think you are. I think you two need to hash things out, and I think he’s ready. So I’m clearing out and giving you a chance.”
“I really do hate you.”
Bryce laughed and kissed the top of her head. “I know. I’ve learned to live with it.”
He left, and sure enough Samantha and Jack decided to go shortly after, taking Teal’c with them. Only Daniel remained.
Their eyes met, and Daniel flashed her an almost bashful smile, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. “Great party, huh? For a Kansas boy, Mitchell sure has that southern hospitality stuff down pat.”
“Are we sure he’s actually from Kansas?” Okay, so it was a weak attempt at a joke, but suddenly Vala was nervous. The air was charged with something and she wasn’t sure what. Or even if she was ready for whatever it was.
Daniel gave a faint smile, but he seemed nervous too, and somehow that made her feel better. Maybe they could do this. Might as well try. “Listen, I know there’s a coffeemaker and some coffee in the kitchen somewhere, and I’m pretty sure Wendy left pie. You want some?”
He brightened. “Yeah, that’d be great. Then maybe you and I can get this shelf up since Jack and Sam had to go.”
“Okay, deal.” Vala headed for the kitchen.
It took some rummaging, but she finally located coffee supplies. The pie was much easier to find and looked as good as she’d figured on Cute Ginger’s plates. Vala headed back into the living room with plates and mugs. Her breath caught.
Daniel was crouched on the floor in front of the toolbox Jack had left, studying the bookshelf assembly instructions...and giving her a perfect view of his rather delectable backside. Her mouth went dry.
Oh, she was in so much trouble.
Continue on to Chapter 9.