MoL Chapter 7: Delusion

[milena_d]

Title: Misappropriation of Lives
Author: Milena D.
Rating: T+ for now
Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Action/Romance, etc. Daniel/Vala eventually
SPOILERS: Prometheus Unbound (8x12), Insiders (10x04), Threads (8x18) for Jacob, uhh Dominion (10x19) I guess but not really.
Disclaimer: Own my plot, that’s it!
Summary: The past will always find you, especially if you have something it wants.
Author’s Note #1: We approach the end, one chapter left and an epilogue…though I might combine the two if the next chapter isn’t long enough. Thanks to everyone who reviewed!!  Oh and sorry for the length, I actually shaved two pages off being posting if you can believe it, it was 14 pages before.  And for this chapter...well you'll either love it or you'll hate it...I really hope it's the former.  Enjoy ^_^

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5
Chapter 6


ooooooooooooooooooooo
Chapter 7: Delusion
ooooooooooooooooooooo

“Come on in.” Daniel told Vala as he unlocked the door and let it swing open.

She walked in slowly as if entering a forbidden cave, and curiously…as if she were entering a forbidden cave. She kicked off her shoes and threw her bag on the couch as she took in the sights of Daniel’s home.

“I like it, it’s very…you.” she declared, eyeing the various statues and books. Daniel picked up the mail from the floor and joined her.

“Thanks, I think.” he replied with an uncertain grin, she just smiled back.

“What’s this?” Vala asked, picking up a statue from the center of his coffee table.

“That…is a replica of a statue found in a dig of a Mayan temple.” he said with a wry grin as he studied the piece “I’d forgotten that I’d brought it home.”

“You forgot?” Vala asked dubiously, putting the statue back on the table and sitting down on the loveseat behind her “How did you forget what was in your own home?”

“Well, I haven’t really been here in a while.” he explained, instinctively following her down to the sofa.

“You prefer your quarters at the base?” she asked skeptically, crossing her legs under her.

“No,” he grinned “definitely not but … I was kind of preoccupied with getting you back as of late…I couldn’t really bring myself to leave the base.”

The smile on her face rivaled the one she’d blessed him with on their non-date in shyness and sincerity and he was pulled to her like a magnet. She seemed to anticipate his actions because she leveraged herself up on her knees and leaned over him, bracing herself on his shoulders.

“Well, I’m here now.” she said with dark eyes.

All at once, the aching emptiness that had consumed him when Vala was gone overwhelmed him and his whole body shook with desperation. His hands shot up and cupped her face to pull her lips to his for a frantic kiss. Vala went willingly and pushed Daniel back to mold herself to his body. He pushed his leg past her on the couch to cradle her body and one of his hands left her cheek to wrap itself around her lower back to pull her to him, earning him a moan in the process.

With lips and tongues they devoured each other until their lungs burned with lack of oxygen, only then did they separate. Vala moved to lean back but Daniel held her to him with a gentle yet unyielding grip.

“Daniel?” she asked, concerned about the faint tremor running through his body. She felt him take a shuddering breath and his lips descended on her neck for an instant before he answered her.

“I’m sorry…I just - I just…” he whispered before continuing in a mournful tone, feeling tears sting his eyes “I lost you.”

Vala moved against him again and an irrational fear shot through him but he let her go, already feeling like an idiot. Her legs nudged his until she was able to properly straddle him and then she shuffled her way closer to him.

“I’m right here, darling, back on Earth, in your house, with you.” she whispered, pressing herself closer. She laid her head back on his shoulder and he quickly brought his arms back up to hold her. “And I’ve no intention of leaving.”

Her words somehow calmed him down, not completely but enough to be humiliated by how he’d acted. They stayed together for a long time before Daniel spoke again.

“We should probably get settled in before the guys get here.” Daniel said reluctantly, causing Vala to moan her objections and slump against him.

“But I’m comfortable.” she whined, pressing a warm kiss to his collarbone.

Daniel grinned at her, catching her lips once more for a brief kiss before tapping her legs to get her to move off of him.

“Come on.” he encouraged, grinning even more when he caught sight of her exaggerated pout.

“Fine.” she said, drawing out the vowels and moving off of him. Daniel had to fist his hands to keep from reaching out and pulling her back down. Instead he grabbed her bag from the long sofa and motioned her up the stairs.

Daniel showed her the bathroom on the left, his bedroom on the right and continued down the hall to show her the guest bedroom. He saw a shadow pass over her face when they stopped at the second bedroom but was hit with his own stab of disappointment when she happily went inside without a comment.

“Well…I’ll just let you get settled in…I’ll be down the hall if you need me.” he said and with that abruptly turned around and marched resolutely back to his own room.

Vala sat down on her bed with a sigh when Daniel disappeared. She’d been slightly disappointed when he’d shown her to the guest room but the feeling had flown away easily when she remembered how hectic the nights could be after something painful happened to her. Vala could push down her fear and her memories, she could plaster a smile to her face all day but she couldn’t control her rampant dreams that often had her waking up on the floor beside the bed, sweating and in a complete panic. She didn’t need that to become public knowledge. She just needed a week or two for her subconscious to get with the program and let her return to her dreamless nights before she could move to the next level with Daniel…no matter how much she wanted to run down the hall and beg him to let her stay with him.

Vala sighed and started putting away her clothes. A few weeks and she’d be back to normal. A few weeks and she wouldn’t be blinking back tears when Daniel kissed her or hugged her like she’d been doing downstairs. Just a few weeks…

ooooooooooooooooooooo

Daniel sat on his bed with a sigh of self-loathing. He couldn’t believe how spastic he was around Vala now. He’d been fine at the SGC when he’d told her to pack in case she wanted to stay over, he’d been fine in the car ride over as she chatted about the sights on their route, but the moment she stepped into his house…For weeks he’d agonized over her absence, the fear of what she must be enduring had eaten away at him until he’d snapped at everyone around him in an unconscious effort to distract himself. Then to have her back, to have her freed from Qetesh, to have her wake up and smile at him, to have her walk through his house looking so natural there was too much. He felt foolish for how desperately he’d held on to her downstairs but her presence had overwhelmed him and he’d needed to believe she wouldn’t be whisked away again.

The question of sharing a bedroom had plagued him ever since he suggested she stay the night and as much as he wanted her in his sights and by his side at all times, he just couldn’t believe that it was the best idea, for either of them. Vala still hadn’t mentioned anything from her ordeal, hadn’t displayed any outwardly distress whatsoever and he didn’t want to be an accessory to her repression. He, on the other hand, needed the space to compose himself, something he imagined he’d be doing a lot for the next couple of days because the emotions of relief, worry and ecstasy had yet to settle.

Daniel lifted his head and took a look at the almost alien space that was his bedroom, he hadn’t been here for quite some time but he couldn’t see a speck of dust. He smiled as he thought of his friends, it was a long standing tradition among SG-1 to air out and clean the house of any teammate who’d been gone for a prolonged period, whether due to kidnapping, coma, or any other such conditions. Granted, Daniel hadn’t been ‘taken’ from his home but the guys must have noticed his perpetual presence on the base since he’d returned from Ba’al’s mothership. He knew they’d dusted Vala’s room on base while he sat with her but he hadn’t expected them to do this.

“Daniel?” Vala’s voice from the doorway startled him. She walked in and sat down on his bed beside him. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, I was just thinking I owe the guys for cleaning my place.” he said, running a finger over his dustless nightstand. “I thought that’s what I’d be doing for the next two hours.”

“How considerate of them,” she said as she slipped her hand in his “but now whatever will we ever do until they arrive?”

“Have any ideas?” he asked her with a knowing grin.

“One,” she replied mischievously, leaning in close “but it’s for tomorrow.”

ooooooooooooooooooooo

“She wants to do what?” Jack asked incredulously as he got another beer from the fridge. They’d shown up an hour ago, at the appointed time, with food, drinks and movies to last them through the week and then Jack had actually ordered pizza on top of it, something Vala had been happy about. They were now sprawled throughout his living room watching Vala’s selection of Ocean’s 11, apparently the combination of the dashing George Clooney and a very intelligent heist was too good to resist.

“She wants to go to the carnival.” Daniel repeated.

“There’s no carnival in Colorado.” Jack said, leaning against the counter.

“The fair, it’s in town.” he corrected himself and Jack nodded before frowning.

“Why does she want to go to the fair? How does she even know about it? She doesn’t strike me as the type to wake up from a three day coma and break out the community paper.” he asked. Daniel sighed and took out a box of Oreos the guys had brought over, Vala loved them.

“I told her about it before…before all this, before she was taken.” he said but paused as he remembered the teasing banter of the few minutes before they were ambushed “I told her - that if she was good, if she didn’t…cause any problems at the harvest feast…that I’d take her on the weekend.”

“Ah.” Jack said simply, stealing a look into the living room to see the other guys. “So…she wants to go to the fair. That’s…doable.”

“Yeah,” Daniel said, still troubled “it is.”

“But?” Jack asked with a raised brow.

“But I’m worried it’s just the first in a long line of activities that’ll let her just…forget what happened to her.” he confessed with dark eyes, busying his hands by opening the box of Oreos and removing the plastic around the tray.

“Right, because we usually pour over the awful things in our lives.” Jack drawled sarcastically. Daniel gave him an unimpressed glare.

“We don’t bottle things…not when it’s really important. Anyway that’s not the point, the point - the point is that to this day, no matter what she’s been through, she’s shrugged it off and skipped away without a word.” he said “Jesus, Jack, she was burnt alive and the first words out of her mouth were a joke, then everything with the Ori and Adria…she barely even blinked. I don’t want her to keep doing that, I don’t want her to think she can’t talk about it, I don’t want her to keep hurting in silence!”

He was quiet then, hazarding a glance to the living room to make sure no one had heard his outburst. Everyone was still glued to the television.

“So,” Jack said slowly “no to the fair?”

Daniel gave a pained sigh and just barely kept from smacking his forehead against the cupboards.

“I don’t know. She wants to go, and she’s never been to a fair yet so…taken out of the context of the past few weeks it would be a great thing for her. And she gets so excited talking about it…” he trailed off with a grin before seemingly resolving himself “I want her to be happy, the fair will definitely make her happy if only for a few hours. I’ll just have to make sure she knows she can actually take time to process what’s been done to her.”

“So, to sum up…?” Jack asked, grabbing another beer for Daniel as they moved to leave the kitchen.

“We all need therapy and we’re going to the fair.” Daniel grinned, rolling his eyes.

Daniel sat down beside Vala on the loveseat, handing her the box of Oreos and lifting the blanket to get under while Jack reclaimed the armchair. Cam, Teal’c and Sam were sharing the long couch. Daniel looped his arm around Vala’s shoulders and brought her close to him as she tore open the Oreos, magnanimously passing the tray around before digging in. George Clooney was having a drink with Julia Roberts on the screen but Daniel didn’t notice, he was too entranced by the feel of Vala’s body pressing against him as she snuggled closer under his arm.

Ocean’s 11 finished and the guys started Ocean’s 12 since none of them had seen it yet. The next two hours were passed mostly in silence, like the first two, as they all finally had a chance to unwind and relax from the stress and frustration of the last weeks. Conversation wasn’t necessary; they just needed to let their minds shut down like they always did after such periods of intensity. When the credits rolled after the movie, Sam reached for the rest of the movies and turned to Vala to ask which they should watch next but smiled at Daniel instead as she gestured him to look at the woman at his side.

Daniel knew what Sam wanted him to see, Vala’s chest had settled into a regular pattern against his own and her head felt heavier against his shoulder. He leaned forward carefully and pushed her bangs away and sure enough, Vala was sound asleep. He indulged in a smile as he watched her but when he looked to Jack, the older man was silently giving the rest of them their clean-up tasks. Daniel waved his protests, telling them to leave it but Jack countered him with his superior charade skills.

“You need help getting her upstairs?” Jack whispered.

“No, I’ll be fine.” Daniel replied very quietly, Jack nodded before swallowing the last of his beer.

“Fair tomorrow?” he asked.

“I guess so, it can’t be in town for much longer. You staying in town?” Daniel asked him, knowing that his friend would be needed back soon enough but Jack furrowed his brows scandalously.

“Daniel, have you ever know me to skip out on a fair?” he admonished the man and Daniel rolled his eyes. Jack smirked at him as the others reappeared from the clean-up.

“We’ll see you tomorrow.” Jack said, heading for the door.

“Yeah, we’ll see you.” Daniel said, watching his friends put their coats and boots on. “Thank you.” he said sincerely.

They all quietly exited the house, leaving Daniel with a slumbering woman in his arms. He glanced at the clock on the VCR and was surprised to see it approaching one o’clock in the morning. He turned his eyes back to Vala and contemplated the best way to get upstairs. He’d be fine getting her up the stairs, he just couldn’t get out of their tangle of arms without waking her.

“Vala,” he murmured “you have to wake up for a second.”

A tiny mewl escaped her but she didn’t seem to register anything but the cold, she locked onto his waist and brought her legs to the warmth of his lap. This new position allowed him to thread his arms under her and Daniel lifted her up carefully, walking across the living room slowly and then up the stairs.  He was so tempted to bring her into the first bedroom on his right but resolutely continued down the hall, nudging her door open and entering.

They made it to the bed without injury and he laid her down softly, laughing quietly when she refused to unwind her arms from his neck. He finally slipped his head under her arms and stepped back. He was glad Sam had convinced Vala that comfortable clothing were absolutely necessary during team night, he didn’t have to change her, not that it would be the first time. He shook himself out of his reverie and slowly slipped the sheets from under her to tuck her in. Everything was done, she was perfectly settled in, and now he had to leave….

His eyes slid to the empty space beside her and his heart longed for it but he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  It was better for both of them…he just wished he didn’t have to keep reminding himself. Dropping a kiss to her forehead, he left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

Daniel returned downstairs to close the lights and make sure the locks were all set before going to bed himself. He took off his pants, keeping only his boxers and shirt and getting into bed.

His sheets were too cold.

He closed his eyes with irritation.  This was ridiculous, he’d made a decision for all the right reasons, he wouldn’t go back on it just because his sheets were chilly or because his pillow didn’t smell like strawberry shampoo…which it didn’t. Daniel drew his sheets to his shoulders like he’d done for Vala and settled himself in for a long, long night.

ooooooooooooooooooooo

Vala shot out of sleep, her heart beating frantically in her chest, cold sweat covering her entire body. Her breath was coming out in pants as if she’d run a marathon, which actually wasn’t far from the truth. Ba’al had been hurting her and when she’d finally managed to get away, he chased after her until she’d run into a mirror image of herself with glowing eyes and a malicious smile.

She sat up in bed, trying to get her bearings. It took her a moment but she finally recognized her surroundings, she was in Daniel’s guest room. She pushed the moist sheets away and gasped as the cool night air met her damp skin. She darted to her dresser and quickly changed clothing, wiping the sweat away with her previous shirt. She was still shivering but she didn’t feel as disgusting as she had before. She turned back to the bed but the thought of returning to it churned her stomach and she backed away instead. When her back hit the door, she realized that she wasn’t alone in this house, Daniel was right down the hall. She immediately left her room and padded silently down the dark corridor but stopped abruptly as her hand reached for his doorknob.

He hadn’t wanted to share a room, a bed.

He hadn’t explained why and at the time she’d been more interested in him keeping that decision in case this very thing happened.  Now though, in the dark with her teeth chattering and her heart still pounding with the remnant fears of her dreams, now she just wanted him to be around her, keeping her warm and safe. She approached his door and very slowly turned the knob, pushing the door open soundlessly and letting herself in.

She tiptoed inside and shut the door behind her. When she turned to face the bed she was struck with apprehension. The last time she’d been in his bedroom uninvited he’d kicked her out without a thought…but that had been two years ago and their relationship had progressed quite a bit since then. She took a step towards the bed but the shadowy lump on the bed turned suddenly between the sheets and her heart seized violently. Daniel settled again and Vala let out a quiet breath of relief. This had too many unknowns, she didn’t want to risk whatever it was they now had just for a night of comfort.

Vala backed up to the door but instead of opening it again, she slid quietly to the floor and just rested her head on her knees. Being close wasn’t as good as being in his arms but it was infinitely better than going back to her room alone.

ooooooooooooooooooooo

Daniel was confused. He hadn’t slept a wink all night, despite his numerous attempts, and he’d clearly heard Vala leave her room and walk down the hall. Then, nothing. A few minutes later, his door had opened and she stepped inside but stopped again. He’d turned over to better see her but she backed away and sat on the floor without a word. He propped himself up on his elbow and could see her resting her head on her knees over the mattress.

“Vala.” he said quietly and winced when she jumped violently in surprise “Sorry.”

She didn’t answer. He sat up on the bed and threw off his comforter to get up and reach her.

“Vala, what’s wrong?” Daniel pressed, kneeling down and putting his hand on her arm, her skin was icy. “God, Vala, you’re freezing.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” she apologized and his brow furrowed in concern.

“You didn’t, I wasn’t sleeping.” he assured her but her head tilted in question. “I couldn’t fall asleep, I was too busy worrying about you.” he told her with a fleeting grin.

“Worrying about me?” she echoed skeptically “I’m not in danger anymore, I was just down the hall, what could have happened to me there?”

“Plenty.” he said gravely “But right now I’m more concerned with why you had to sneak into my room in the middle of the night.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, standing up and moving for the doorknob “I shouldn’t have, I know. I’ll just - ”

Her apology was cut short by Daniel’s large hand clamping onto hers on the doorknob, preventing her from turning it. He stepped closer to her, his warm chest was flush with her back and his left arm curled around her abdomen.

“No, I - I didn’t mean that like it sounded, I’m sorry.” he said quietly “I’m just…worried.”

“You keep saying that.” Vala answered, still not facing him “I don’t see what you have to be worried about.”

There was a dark laugh against her ear and Daniel rested his temple against her hair.

“I worry…that I’m insane.” he whispered.

“What?” Vala exclaimed softly, turning her head a fraction in his direction as his thumb stroked the hand that still lay on the doorknob.

“I worry that I’ve lost my mind.” he repeated with difficulty “I worry that I’ll wake up, walk down the hall and you won’t be there. I worry that you’re just a figment of my imagination and you’ll vanish before my eyes, leaving me alone again…like you did when you pushed me into the rings.”

Vala closed her eyes and tried to reabsorb the tears that were accumulating on the edge of her lid. Her hand convulsed involuntarily against the doorknob causing Daniel’s hand to tighten around hers.

“Please stay.” he murmured into her ear “I know I have no right to ask you to but…please, just stay here, with me…at least for tonight.”

Vala turned slowly, almost not believing her ears. He didn’t step away as she turned and his eyes were boring into hers just a few inches away. She swallowed with difficulty and licked her lips.

“You want me to stay?” she asked in wonder.

“Yes. Please, stay with me.” he repeated. Relief shone through her eyes and his concern for her returned in full force. She finally nodded when she realized she hadn’t answered him yet and he drew her close, feeling relieved himself.

“Thank you.” he said quietly, pressing a loving kiss to her forehead before taking her hand and leading her to his bed. She got in eagerly and immediately brought the still warm sheets up to her neck, her body shivering as it acclimatized itself to the new temperature.

Daniel got in quickly as well. He lay on his side, facing her, and looped both arms around her to draw her near. Their legs tangled naturally and she rested her head on his shoulder hoping his arm wouldn’t go numb. His hand started running patterns across her back and Vala finally felt most of her demons disappear into the night.

“I’m glad you did but…why did you come here?” Daniel spoke softly. Vala didn’t tense up but she didn’t look at him when she answered, he knew before she spoke that she’d be lying.

“I just - it was too cold in my room, I couldn’t sleep.” she said. He wouldn’t press, not now but he needed to make something clear.

“You know you can tell me anything, right?” he asked. She raised her head to better see him.

“What do you mean?” she asked casually.

“I mean…if there’s anything troubling you or - or if you just need something to be heard, you can tell me. I won’t ever think poorly of you.” he promised. She sent him a pointed look and he amended himself.

“Not anymore, I won’t ever think poorly of you anymore. I’ve decided to stop being so quick to judge, you can be my first test subject.” he said with a grin and she returned it with a tentative smile. “I just need you to know that.  I wanted you to understand that you could tell me anything, it’ll be safe with me.”

She lowered her head to its position on his shoulder again and nodded.

“Thank you.” she whispered.

He tightened his arm around her and relaxed as his eyelids grew heavier.

Vala was slipping further and further into the abyss of sleep herself when an unwelcome flash from her nightmare attacked her and paralyzed her with fear. There were no images, only the fear and panic, and the cold, the cold was always present. She tried to regulate her breathing and consciously unclench her body but she only got more worked up. She was too cold.  Vala shifted and pulled the comforter higher.

“You still cold?” Daniel mumbled sleepily. Vala sat up and looked at him, biting her bottom lip with anxiety, wondering if she had the courage to ask for what she needed. Another brief flash, this time of glowing eyes, infused her with the necessary courage.

“Take off your shirt.” she ordered him and Daniel forced his eyes wide open to see her.

“What?” he asked with a very furrowed brow, propping himself up on his elbows. “Why?”

Vala looked away and bit her lip again, hating how weak she knew she’d sound.

“I’m cold.” she said simply.

“So you want my shirt? I can get you a sweatshirt, that’d keep you warmer.” he said and watched in confusion as her eyes slammed shut with frustration.

“No, I - ” Vala pursed her lips and took a deep breath, laying a cold hand on the warm skin of his stomach. “I just need to feel warm.”

She cursed herself for the words and especially her pathetic tone and then she cursed herself doubly when Daniel’s eyes filled with worry.

“N-Nevermind.” she mumbled, sinking back down on the bed. Daniel sat up fully and Vala believed for a crushing moment that he was leaving. She was wrong, he grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled the item over his head, tossing it to the floor and lying back down on the bed with open arms. Vala watched him in amazement before gathering her wits.

Daniel waited for Vala to come back into his arms but she sat up instead. Her hands pulled up her long-sleeved shirt and he prayed to anyone who would listen that she was wearing a bra underneath. Thankfully, although she wasn’t wearing a bra, she was wearing a thin camisole. Vala bunched the bottom of the camisole under her breasts and then finally returned to the confines of Daniel’s arms, laying her head on his chest this time.

As soon as their bodies met, Vala’s chill was conquered. The steady beating of his heart under her cheek brought peace to her own and inhaling his natural scent quieted the runaway thoughts in her head. She turned her head to press a loving kiss to his chest and settled again as Daniel covered them with the comforter. She threw a leg over his and wrapped her arm around his stomach.

Daniel felt a knot form in his throat when she laid herself on top of him, finally feeling as if she was real and here with him. The rush of emotions this woman could stir up in him was awesome and terrifying, he ached to tell her but this was hardly the time. When Vala heard Daniel’s heart beat changed from a steady thumping to a wild rhythm, she lifted her head and brought her hand to his face. His eyes were closed but he couldn’t possibly be sleeping.

“Daniel? What’s wrong?” she asked quickly. His eyes opened but he seemed to be worlds away.

“I love you.” he whispered in awe before widening his eyes with terror as his brain caught up to his mouth. Vala was stiff above him, eyes most likely as wide as his.

“What?” she breathed out. Daniel licked his lips, there was no point in denying it, not when he wanted it to be out.

“I love you,” he repeated, fully in touch with all his faculties this time “I just…needed to say that…that I love you…because I - I do.” he let out a short laugh when his rambling finally stopped.

“I don’t - I don’t expect you to say anything, it’s okay.” he assured her quickly when she stayed silent. She didn’t speak, instead she shimmied herself up to him and kissed him sweetly. Daniel was somewhat disappointed but too overjoyed that she had kissed him instead of running away to really notice. He tangled his fingers in her thick hair and deepened the kiss.

Vala was the one to push away a few moments later. She pressed a kiss to his right cheekbone before doing the same on the other side. When he opened his eyes after the last kiss, she kept his gaze.

“I love you.” she said strongly, as if answering a question. His eyes widened and before she could say another word, Daniel had flipped them over, pushing her to her back and attacking her with his lips. He properly devoured her and she turned to jelly under his ministrations. When he finally relented, he brushed his lips against her neck while she caught her breath. Her hand came to rest in his hair and she hummed her contentment.

He was getting her very excited but the fatigue from the emotional turmoil of the night was catching up with her and her eyelids were drooping with sleep more than with pleasure. Daniel caught on quickly when her hand went slack in his hair and he pulled away with a loving smile.  He pulled Vala up to properly rest her head on the pillow, grinning when he saw her smiling up at him sleepily.

“We need to get some sleep.” he told her. She nodded slowly, watching him through barely open eyes as he fixed the comforter around them. Daniel reached down and pulled the hem of her camisole to bare her stomach again and laid himself down on his side beside her. He rested his head on the pillow, beside hers, tucking her shoulder under his chin. He then gathered her in his arms and trapped her with one leg, grinning when she used her other leg to trap him back.

“Goodnight, Vala.” he murmured. She only hummed her response as sleep overtook her and he wasted no time in joining her. His last thought was that his pillows would finally smell like strawberry shampoo.

ooooooooooooooooooooo
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Please review! Next up, the fair…and some badness.

Next: Chapter 8