Being Found - Chapter 10: Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion
Title: Being Found
Author: Milena D.
Rating: T+ for now
Genre: Romance/Action/Adventure, etc. Daniel/Vala all the way ;)
SPOILERS: Up to Prometheus Unbound which is the 12th episode of Season 8, I believe. And although I’m not using any parts of Seasons 9 or 10 yet, I am taking the creative liberty of bringing the team together to include Daniel, Teal’c, Sam, Cameron, Dr. Lam and General Landry. Jack will be making an appearance too! ^_~
Summary: What if Daniel and Vala had been reunited soon after Prometheus Unbound, before any of Season 9?
Author’s Note #1: Okay, I’ve been talked out of doing a total rewrite so here’s the original version of this chapter. It goes out to all the hardcore DV shippers.
Author’s Note #2: What you’ll notice about the cabin is that I’ve taken several hundred creative liberties. I have nothing against the SGC universe cabin, it just doesn’t look like it has enough space and my uncle’s cabin has two floors and he built it all by his onesies so I know my version is at least plausible! ^_^
Authors's Note #3: Oh, by the way, I know 'Dorothy' usually refers to Sam, especially in the earlier years but I'm stealing from the episode 200.
Chapters 1-9
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Chapter 10: Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion
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The next morning, the gang assembled their stuff together and met back at the van at precisely 8:30am. They were on vacation but their bodies were well accustomed to military hours.
“Good morning, happy campers!” Jack’s voice bellowed and Sam wondered briefly how many motel guests he had woken up with his enthusiasm.
“Good morning, Jack!” Vala answered perkily, bouncing out of their room with her bags. She was exhausted, she’d been up most of the night with nightmares, but there was no need to let them know that.
“Good morning, sir.” Cameron greeted promptly as he exited his and Teal’c’s room.
“Aaah!” Jack groused, waving his hands and shaking his head.
“Yes, sir, good morning.” Sam said with a grin, knowing exactly what was irking him.
“For cryin’ out loud, Carter, you’d better not start with me on this vacation too!” he warned sternly and Cameron was suddenly apprehensive.
“General?” he asked, confused about what he and Sam might have done to upset him. Sam snorted behind her hand and Jack just glared at him.
“Does the word ‘vacation’ mean anything to you people?” he griped, loading their bags into the van. “It’s about our separation from the daily grind to escape to a place of relaxation.”
They all looked at him strangely. Daniel and Teal’c both emerged from their respective rooms and the linguist chipped in his two cents knowing what Jack was complaining about.
“‘Vacation’ is the freedom or release of business or, in this case, duty.” he told them, giving Jack his own bags and turning to Cameron. “Don’t call him ‘sir’.”
Cameron looked excited but appalled at the same time. One did not call a Brigadier General, the Head of Homeworld Security by his first name. Sam could probably pull it off since she’d known the man for almost a decade but he hadn’t known him a year.
“You heard the man, Carter?” Jack asked her.
“Loud and clear, sir.” she answered back with an impish grin as she got into the middle seats of the vehicle. Jack glared at her through the van but eventually followed her in.
Teal’c placed the last of the bags in the trunk and turned to take his place behind the wheel but Cameron’s hand on his arm held him back.
“Is he serious?” he asked the Jaffa.
“It is always hard to tell with O’Neill.” he replied gravely, though Daniel could tell that the large man was amused by his team leader’s discomfort.
“Well what am I supposed to do?” Cam asked, shooting a quick glance to the van.
“Many of the truths that we cling to depend on our point of view, Col.Mitchell.” Teal’c intoned deeply and Cameron nodded at his wisdom before wondering what the hell that meant. While Teal’c tortured Cameron with obscure Star Wars quotes, Vala had moved forward to reach Daniel.
“Good morning.” she chippered and he smiled at her.
“Morning. Did you sleep well?” he asked. He thought he saw a flicker of darkness move swiftly behind her dark eyes but in a blink it was gone. She smiled wider and nodded.
“Very well, thank you.” she lied through her teeth. He wondered what she was hiding but let it go. They moved toward the van’s sliding door and something at her waist caught his attention.
“Is that my sweater?” he asked curiously and her eyes widened innocently.
“It is.” she nodded, quickly untying it from around her hips and handing it to him “You must have accidentally put it in my bag instead of yours.” He’d never been anywhere near her bags and he suspected she knew that but he was willing to play along.
“Right, silly me.” he said slowly. She flashed him a quick smile and he gave her his hand to help her into the back seats of the van.
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They waited for Teal’c to stop picking on Cameron and for the Lt. Col. to bring all of their keys back to the front desk, then they were back on the road. They stopped at another small diner about an hour later for brunch and Vala was introduced to the blissful wonders of pancakes, waffles and syrup. They didn’t take long to wolf down their meals before getting back on the road, their goal was to reach the cabin before evening.
With Teal’c back at the helm, the others were free to relax. Jack had already set up the screens to play his Simpsons Season 5 DVD and Daniel had found the book he’d left on the van’s floor yesterday. Both women were trying to fight the urge to sleep but only one was succeeding. Sam was used to all-nighters and Vala, although she had her fair share of experience with bouts of little sleep, still wasn’t in full health. She was the one drifting off.
“You look tired. I thought you said you slept well last night.” Daniel pressed quietly as her head nodded involuntarily with sleep. At his words, she forced her eyes wide open and looked at him questioningly, her mind still fuzzy.
“Hm?” she asked but her mind caught up to the conversation before he had a chance to repeat himself “Oh, no, I did. Slept like a tree.”
He grinned at her half-succeeded phrase.
“You mean you slept like a log.” he corrected and she rolled her eyes and waved her hand dismissively.
“Darling, does it really matter? I’ve never encountered foliage that varied between different states of consciousness anyway so your little Tau’ri saying is completely silly.” she remarked self-importantly and he was forced to concede.
“Okay, that’s true. But I can’t help but feel like you’re trying to cover something up.” he pushed lightly.
“I don’t try anything, darling, I always get what I want.” she winked at him and he frowned unimpressed.
“Okay now you’re avoiding the question.” he noted and she looked away tellingly. He sighed quietly and placed his hand on her arm to get her to look at him.
“Obviously there’s something you don’t want to tell me and that’s fine.” he started sincerely “I just thought you looked tired and that you might want to get some sleep.”
He reached behind him for the blue sweater she’d given him back that morning and bunched in into a ball on his lap. He gestured to it and quirked his eyebrows eliciting a wide grin from Vala.
“Well how can I resist an offer like that?” she said coquettishly and moved herself away from Daniel to be able to lie down. She held her hair with her hand and lowered herself but Daniel’s hand on her good shoulder stopped her. She looked up at him, worried he’d changed his mind but he was giving her a suspicious look.
“You’re not going to yell at me later for letting you sleep, are you?” he asked with mild trepidation. She let out a relieved laugh and looked out the window.
“Daniel, there are cars and cows outside, neither of which excites me very much. Sleeping on your lap however…” she trailed off sweetly and winked at him. Thankfully, she’d lowered herself to lie down before the red flush reached his face.
He opened his book to where he’d last stopped reading and tried to concentrate but her constant shifting was making it difficult. She finally settled on a position mostly on her back to still be able to watch the Simpsons which, to Daniel’s great discontent, was fast becoming a favourite of hers. The problem with this position was that Daniel was now at a loss as to what to do with his right arm. It hovered awkwardly along the seats before he resigned himself to looping it behind the head rests but as he lifted it, her hands rose up timidly and drew him back down to her. Filled with wonder, he let his arm cover her abdomen and let his fingers curl themselves naturally under her side. He could feel some tension in her body as they settled, but she relaxed when he did and within minutes her eyes closed and her breathing settled.
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Jack pulled onto the last dirt road leading to his cabin. Cameron had driven the first two hours after they’d taken a break at a rest stop but then he’d switched with the General who was much more familiar with the old country roads. The Simpsons had been turned off when they’d left the interstate and the gang just reveled in the beautiful greenery of Minnesota. Vala had been completely rejuvenated after her comfy nap and had been asking dozens of questions along the way.
What was that animal called? Why weren’t these roads paved? What’s this place called again? Was it a secret location? What was there to do at the cabin? Whose cabin was it again? Did Daniel have his own cabin and could they go there?
Daniel thought the constant stream of questioning should probably annoy him but the excited look on her face tapered down his frustrations. He wondered if she knew how expressive she was, it seemed like every emotion she felt was magnified in the brilliant canvas of her face. The only time he’d ever seen her inexpressive was when she was trying to hide something. He didn’t think she’d appreciate his insights so he kept quiet, content instead to use his acute awareness to watch her peer through her window and feel the warmth emanating from her body when he placed his hand on her back as she leaned across him to peer out of his.
“Welcome to Maison O’Neill, strangers.” Jack shouted back to Cameron and Vala as he parked in front of the two-storey log cabin.
“Daniel, it’s so quaint!” she exclaimed from her position leaning across his lap and he chuckled at her use of the old expression.
“You know you could see it up close right?” he teased her and jerked his head forward to show her the now empty van. Everyone had already exited the vehicle and were stretching their legs as they head for their luggage.
“Oh.” she said sheepishly before sending him a sly look in retaliation “Well…the cabin is charming but I’m sure it isn’t going anywhere, and I’m pretty comfortable here.”
She wriggled closer to him, throwing her other leg over to straddle his legs and he struggled to find words.
“We can be comfortable in the cabin too.” he choked out before he could process the words. She smiled wide and inched her body closer to his. She'd expected him to turn red with embarrassment again but this was just as good.
“Promise?” she asked sensually. The warmth of her body covering his was making his mind fuzzy and he became inexplicable fascinated with her lips. He should really be pushing her away but his body had other ideas. His tongue darted out quickly to wet his lips as her hands lightly roamed over his sculpted chest and continued over his shoulders to stroke the sensitive skin at the back of his neck. Without his consent, his fingers trailed a path up her thighs and squeezed her hips before moving on upwards. Daniel splayed his hands flat on her back and pressed her upper body to his. One hand continued higher and entangled itself in her dark locks to bring her head down to finally-
“Dannyboy!” Jack thumped loudly on the van’s exterior and made them jump apart in shock.
Vala was leaning against the back of the seats in front of them, her head was bent, her hand was over her heart and her shoulders shook with mirth. Daniel’s heart was thumping so hard he didn’t think it would ever calm down again and he wasn’t nearly as amused at Jack’s interruption as Vala seemed to be.
“What?” he yelled back out the window.
“What’s keeping you two? Come get your bags!” Jack replied, closing the trunk’s door. Daniel closed his eyes in exasperation, missing Sam’s reproaching look to their commanding officer and his responding innocent face.
“I think they mean for us to join them.” Vala said with laughter still present in her voice.
“Yep.” he sighed reluctantly, popping his ‘p’. Vala shuffled out of the back row of seats and out the open door, Daniel following sourly behind her.
There was a tension between them now but it was hard to tell what it was about. Desires and doubts waged a familiar war and he wasn’t looking forward to the anxiety that would soon follow. He hated being lost as to where they stood with each other. Was it an isolated event or should he try again when they had more privacy? Was she just teasing him or had she been as into it as she appeared? Whether empowered by their heated moment or simply yearning for clarity, Daniel decided to be proactive.
Vala rounded the van and was bending over to pick up her bag from the floor when Daniel’s hand closed around her arm and pulled her back up. He used her momentary astonishment to push her back against the closed rear door and press himself against her, holding her firmly in place. Her wide eyes bore into his and he could clearly see the surprise but she didn’t push him away. She felt tense against him but it was with excitement not fear.
“Daniel?” she asked softly, mesmerized by the growing pools of desire in his clear blue eyes. He didn’t answer her question, not verbally anyway.
His head bent down quickly and he captured her lips with his. Vala’s arms wrapped themselves instinctively around his neck and he pulled her away from the van just far enough to wrap his own arms around her. Her lips were soft against his and they parted easily when his tongue begged entry. Daniel plundered her mouth with an ease and pleasure he couldn’t remember possessing and the moan he drew from her made him shiver with delight.
Vala was on fire, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so alive. She could feel his hands roam her back unsettled as if itching to travel a larger expanse and she’d tell him to feel free to explore but that would mean releasing his mouth and that just wasn’t something she was willing to do at the moment. Their tongues dueled for what felt like a second and eternity at once before their lungs demanded attention and they were forced to break apart breathlessly. Their arms remained locked around one another and their eyes were closed as they caught their breath.
“Just so there’s no confusion between us.” Daniel finally responded and Vala laughed softly.
“Hmm,” she hummed “I’m afraid I’m still completely confused though, bewildered even. There’s not a thought in my head that makes sense.” she said coyly.
“Well, that just won’t do.” he replied grinning, leaning in to claim her lips again.
“Jackson!” Cameron voice bellowed across the lawn from his place on the porch, searching for them but finding only the van.
Daniel groaned, dropping his forehead to her shoulder and Vala couldn’t quite gather that feeling of merriment Jack’s interruption had evoked. Now she was just annoyed and so was Daniel apparently.
“Yeah, Cameron needs to be shot.” he murmured into her hair.
“Yes, yes he does. But it would be rather hard to explain.” she replied and he shook his head.
“Hunting accidents happen all the time.” he replied seriously and her ire decreased significantly at the sight of his bothered state.
“Jackson?” They both heard Cameron’s feet grinding against the gravel as he searched the grounds but they were still hidden by the van. Daniel very reluctantly unwound himself from her and gave a disgruntled sigh as the cool Minnesota air chilled his previously Vala-warmed body.
“We’d better go before they have the Prometheus track my subdermal locator.” he griped softly and she nodded.
He stepped towards their bags but Vala pulled him back for a last kiss. It was short but it sent shockwaves of desire through his entire body. When she pulled back, she answered his questioning eyes with a short sentence.
“You know, for the confusion.” Then she pushed herself away from the van and bounded past a surprised Cameron.
Daniel picked up their bags and quickly followed, making a mental note to look confused more often. Cameron followed them both knowing he’d missed something and from their swollen lips and sparkling eyes, he had a good idea what that something was.
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The cabin was built with three rooms and another had been added just before Jack’s grandfather died. The guys had graciously offered to let the women have their own rooms and they would bunk together in the other two rooms with two double beds each just as they had at the motel, Jack and Daniel in one room and Teal’c and Cameron in the other. They put their things away and rallied in the open kitchen to prepare supper with the groceries they’d picked up on the way.
Jack had been appointed to the duty of head chef and he’d sent the girls down to the cellar to pick out a wine from his collection to go with their pasta primavera. Both Sam and Daniel shot him a suspicious look but Jack ignored them and turned on the sound system. Daniel watched Sam and Vala disappear into the basement and turned to the guys.
“Okay, what?” he asked.
Jack wiped his hands on his apron and gave Daniel a questioning glance.
“What what?” Daniel rolled his eyes.
“What is this? Why’d you send the girls away?” he asked, crossing his arms.
“Daniel,” Jack said slowly as if speaking to a child “we need wine for supper.”
Daniel huffed but relented his questioning, reaching instead for a knife to cube the cheese.
“Although it seems you no longer need the liquid courage to loosen up.” Jack smirked and Daniel stabbed the knife back into the cutting board with a sigh.
“Alright, alright, let it out.” he said with exasperation. He had known this would happen, he was surprised it took this long actually. Granted, Vala was the only woman he’d shown interest in since Sha’re, discounting the times he was drugged, hallucinating and that one time with the Destroyer of Worlds… So he supposed this might seem like a momentous event but that didn’t mean he’d suddenly become a gossiper.
“My, my, aren’t we defensive?” Jack said glibly and Daniel leveled him with a bored glare.
“What do you wanna know, Jack?” he asked directly and his friend huffed.
“Not a thing, Dannyboy.” he replied, moving to clap Cameron on the shoulder “But Mitchell here is mighty curious as to what kept you two outside earlier.”
Cameron sputtered to claim his innocence but Daniel waved him off.
“Nothing you need to know about, Jack.” Daniel said serenely as he turned his back to them and reprised his task of cutting the cheese. He could practically feel Jack’s annoyance.
“It’s not a question of need, Daniel, it - ”
Whatever Jack was about to say was cut off by Sam and Vala’s return. He turned off the stove and served the plates as Teal’c left to join the girls in setting the table.
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Supper was over and the sun had set and for reasons unknown the approaching night was making Daniel nervous. He hadn’t had a chance to be near Vala since they’d kissed earlier and although they had addressed their confusion, he’d been itching to just grab her and confirm things. But it was not to be, Sam had stolen her during supper and Jack had taken her and Cameron on the official tour of the site. And now it was night, they were getting ready for bed and he wanted her back.
Daniel slowly folded a blanket as Sam went to her room, he righted one of the chairs at the table while Teal’c went to his and he checked the sound system, for the third time, to make sure it was turned off while Cam climbed up the stairs. He was stalling and they all knew it but when he looked around he room, his heart was happy to see Vala mimicking his procrastination by rearranging the books on the coffee table. Jack quirked his eyebrow at their antics and made his way up the stairs leaving the two alone.
Vala laid down the magazine she’d been holding and approached him slowly with a barely restrained grin on her face.
“Alone at last.” she said seductively.
His heart pounded in his chest and he was suddenly apprehensive of the whole situation. The moment she laid her hands on his chest however Daniel forgot his every reservation. He bent down to capture her lips again and she met him halfway, their mouths colliding with much more force than their earlier kisses but with no less the passion. Daniel thread his fingers through her hair and angled her head to the side to better take advantage of his height. She gave in easily and let the rest of the world fade as his tongue swept the cavern of her mouth. She was feeling lightheaded and her knees locked for a second. She had no idea how he could have felt the subtle movement but Daniel seemed to pick up on it because he steered her backwards to lean against the back of the sofa. She felt his hands on her waist as he picked her up to sit on the sofa’s back. Her legs opened quickly to steady herself on the furniture and he immediately moved forward to fill the space.
As before though, oxygen deprivation became an issue and they were forced to part but they refused to move their bodies an inch away from the other’s.
“We should be going to bed.” Daniel said, finally.
An enticing smile grace her lips. She hopped down from the sofa and took his hand in hers as she moved for the stairs.
“Brilliant idea, darling.” she said excitedly.
A pull on her hand made her stop and she turned around to take in his rueful expression.
“That’s-that’s not what I meant. I-I don’t think that’s such a great idea, Vala.” he managed to get out while her assumption wreaked havoc with his imagination.
“I don’t understand.” she answered, baffled by how quickly he’d apparently changed his mind. He noticed her frown and closed the distance between them.
“I just-I don’t-I mean, we haven’t…” he tried to start before taking a deep breath and plunging in. “Okay, there’s actually a long list of why…that…would be a bad idea.”
She raised an eyebrow and released his hand to cross her arms.
“A long list?” she asked skeptically and he nodded, raising a hand to tick the reasons off his fingers.
“One, Dr. Lam specifically forbade strenuous activity.” he began and a sly grin crossed her lips.
“We have the healing device in the event of any emergency, Daniel, just how strenuous were you thinking of being?” she teased him and loved watching the pink flush climb his neck again.
“Okay, two,” he continued with determination, desperately trying to remember why he was opposed to this in the first place “two, we haven’t known each other for a long time and we’ve only actually…been…together…for less than half a day.”
He was so hesitant in his wording that she just had to smile. She raised a hand to his now stubbly cheek and let her thumb stroke the skin just above it. She pushed herself up and kissed him briefly.
“But what a fantastic ‘less than half a day’ it’s been, darling.” she goaded him enthusiastically. He sighed and pushed her away gently.
“Look, truthfully, I’m surprise we even got to the whole…making o-kissing…and all.” he said, holding her dark eyes with his clear ones. “I’m usually very…reserved with these kinds of…personal…things.”
She nodded with exaggeration, not quite understanding what the problem was.
“I mean, I-” he sighed and wondered briefly if this wasn’t the reason he hadn’t attempted any other relationships lately “I am a very private person and I don’t-I haven’t …been…in a - in any kind of relationship, like this, in a very long time. Not since my wife died.”
At this, her patronizing look of indulgence evaporated and was replaced with utter shock.
“You were married?” she breathed into his chest before looking up at him. He was nodding.
“She died almost six years ago.” he said, regretting even bringing it up. He was trying to explain his reluctance, not incite a tense awkwardness. He wasn’t doing a very good job of it.
“I’m sorry.” she told him sincerely, stepping back a bit. He caught her elbows and pulled her back to him with a shake of his head.
“For a long time now I haven’t felt I could really…be in a relationship again…and now, now I kinda do.” he told her and watched with happiness as a shy smile blossomed on her face but she pursed her lips warily.
“But?” she asked with a melodramatic sigh. He swept the back of his fingers along her cheek and grinned at her theatrics.
“But, I’m not a rushing kind of person.” he concluded. Her lips twisted to one side and her brow was knit as she considered him.
“And this ‘scenic route’ personality, how long exactly does it take to get to where I’d like to go?” she asked and he laughed at her imagery.
“Not sure exactly, I never timed it.” She looked disappointed. “But you’ll be the first one to know when I’m ready to go.” She sighed dramatically again but looked satisfied.
“Well, I can settle for staying put at the moment, so long as you don’t plan on going into reverse.” she warned, tilting her head up.
He bent his own down and told her “Not a chance.” before closing the space between them and kissing her gently. He released her and she stepped away dutifully. He took her hand and they walked to the stairs, turning off the lights when they passed the switch on the wall before climbing up to the second floor. He walked her to the end of the hall and stopped at her door.
“You’re sure.” she said disbelievingly. She understood his reasons and respected them even but the fact was, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been rejected for sex and it puzzled her.
He delivered a last soft kiss to her mouth and smirked at her.
“Yes, Vala, I’m sure.”
Another sigh. She turned to her room and opened the door before turning with a playful look.
“You know, this unresolved tension I’m now left with could be called chronic stress, isn’t that what Dr. Lam wanted me to get rid of?” she asked, her wide, spirited eyes beckoning him.
He laughed softly and dropped a kiss to her forehead. Then he pushed her into her room and reached for her doorknob.
“G’night, Vala.” he said.
“Goodnight.” she pouted.
He closed her door and stood there for a moment, debating the merits of the reasons he’d given her. The sound of her bedspring creaking as she got into bed was possibly the most erotic sound he’d heard in a very long time and his body really wanted him to reopen the door and kiss her senseless. Fortunately…or not, his mind had much more control over him than his body did and he doggedly walked to his and Jack’s room near the stairs.
He opened door quietly to not wake the room’s other occupant but Jack had seemingly just gotten into bed, the light was still on. The look of surprise on his face upon seeing Daniel walk into their room made him want to turn around and run down the hall even more but he restrained himself.
“Not a word.” he warned his friend as he rifled through his bag for his blue sweater, he couldn’t find it.
“How about two?” Jack replied.
“Sure, as long as they’re ‘good’ and ‘night’.” he said smartly and Jack rolled his eyes.
“Look, honestly, I think she’s good for you.” Jack said sincerely.
Daniel shucked his pants, leaving him in boxers, and donned a simple t-shirt. He threw his friend a skeptical look as he got into his bed.
“Really? That’s it?” he asked curiously.
“Absolutely. Look , it's about time you got back in the saddle and she'll be good for you. I think it’s great.” he replied. Daniel nodded his acceptance and gave his friend a grin.
“Thank you, Jack.” he said.
His friend waved him off and reached over to the night table to turn off the lamp as Daniel settled himself under his covers.
“And a former host is infinitely better than the Destroyer of Worlds.” Jack couldn’t help but comment before plunging the room into darkness.
“I hate you.” Daniel retorted immaturely before closing his eyes and throwing the image of a much more pleasant person into his consciousness. The sight of dark hair and large blue-grey eyes accompanied him into sleep.
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Okay, so I apologize for probably not appealing to the larger masses but my muse started sending death threats to my loved ones when I considered rewriting…I thought posting was probably the safest bet. More action in the next chapter although it’ll mostly center on this night…please review, even if only to tell me how much you hated it!
Next - Chapter 11: Visions of Sugar-Plums
Author: Milena D.
Rating: T+ for now
Genre: Romance/Action/Adventure, etc. Daniel/Vala all the way ;)
SPOILERS: Up to Prometheus Unbound which is the 12th episode of Season 8, I believe. And although I’m not using any parts of Seasons 9 or 10 yet, I am taking the creative liberty of bringing the team together to include Daniel, Teal’c, Sam, Cameron, Dr. Lam and General Landry. Jack will be making an appearance too! ^_~
Summary: What if Daniel and Vala had been reunited soon after Prometheus Unbound, before any of Season 9?
Author’s Note #1: Okay, I’ve been talked out of doing a total rewrite so here’s the original version of this chapter. It goes out to all the hardcore DV shippers.
Author’s Note #2: What you’ll notice about the cabin is that I’ve taken several hundred creative liberties. I have nothing against the SGC universe cabin, it just doesn’t look like it has enough space and my uncle’s cabin has two floors and he built it all by his onesies so I know my version is at least plausible! ^_^
Authors's Note #3: Oh, by the way, I know 'Dorothy' usually refers to Sam, especially in the earlier years but I'm stealing from the episode 200.
Chapters 1-9
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Chapter 10: Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion
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The next morning, the gang assembled their stuff together and met back at the van at precisely 8:30am. They were on vacation but their bodies were well accustomed to military hours.
“Good morning, happy campers!” Jack’s voice bellowed and Sam wondered briefly how many motel guests he had woken up with his enthusiasm.
“Good morning, Jack!” Vala answered perkily, bouncing out of their room with her bags. She was exhausted, she’d been up most of the night with nightmares, but there was no need to let them know that.
“Good morning, sir.” Cameron greeted promptly as he exited his and Teal’c’s room.
“Aaah!” Jack groused, waving his hands and shaking his head.
“Yes, sir, good morning.” Sam said with a grin, knowing exactly what was irking him.
“For cryin’ out loud, Carter, you’d better not start with me on this vacation too!” he warned sternly and Cameron was suddenly apprehensive.
“General?” he asked, confused about what he and Sam might have done to upset him. Sam snorted behind her hand and Jack just glared at him.
“Does the word ‘vacation’ mean anything to you people?” he griped, loading their bags into the van. “It’s about our separation from the daily grind to escape to a place of relaxation.”
They all looked at him strangely. Daniel and Teal’c both emerged from their respective rooms and the linguist chipped in his two cents knowing what Jack was complaining about.
“‘Vacation’ is the freedom or release of business or, in this case, duty.” he told them, giving Jack his own bags and turning to Cameron. “Don’t call him ‘sir’.”
Cameron looked excited but appalled at the same time. One did not call a Brigadier General, the Head of Homeworld Security by his first name. Sam could probably pull it off since she’d known the man for almost a decade but he hadn’t known him a year.
“You heard the man, Carter?” Jack asked her.
“Loud and clear, sir.” she answered back with an impish grin as she got into the middle seats of the vehicle. Jack glared at her through the van but eventually followed her in.
Teal’c placed the last of the bags in the trunk and turned to take his place behind the wheel but Cameron’s hand on his arm held him back.
“Is he serious?” he asked the Jaffa.
“It is always hard to tell with O’Neill.” he replied gravely, though Daniel could tell that the large man was amused by his team leader’s discomfort.
“Well what am I supposed to do?” Cam asked, shooting a quick glance to the van.
“Many of the truths that we cling to depend on our point of view, Col.Mitchell.” Teal’c intoned deeply and Cameron nodded at his wisdom before wondering what the hell that meant. While Teal’c tortured Cameron with obscure Star Wars quotes, Vala had moved forward to reach Daniel.
“Good morning.” she chippered and he smiled at her.
“Morning. Did you sleep well?” he asked. He thought he saw a flicker of darkness move swiftly behind her dark eyes but in a blink it was gone. She smiled wider and nodded.
“Very well, thank you.” she lied through her teeth. He wondered what she was hiding but let it go. They moved toward the van’s sliding door and something at her waist caught his attention.
“Is that my sweater?” he asked curiously and her eyes widened innocently.
“It is.” she nodded, quickly untying it from around her hips and handing it to him “You must have accidentally put it in my bag instead of yours.” He’d never been anywhere near her bags and he suspected she knew that but he was willing to play along.
“Right, silly me.” he said slowly. She flashed him a quick smile and he gave her his hand to help her into the back seats of the van.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
They waited for Teal’c to stop picking on Cameron and for the Lt. Col. to bring all of their keys back to the front desk, then they were back on the road. They stopped at another small diner about an hour later for brunch and Vala was introduced to the blissful wonders of pancakes, waffles and syrup. They didn’t take long to wolf down their meals before getting back on the road, their goal was to reach the cabin before evening.
With Teal’c back at the helm, the others were free to relax. Jack had already set up the screens to play his Simpsons Season 5 DVD and Daniel had found the book he’d left on the van’s floor yesterday. Both women were trying to fight the urge to sleep but only one was succeeding. Sam was used to all-nighters and Vala, although she had her fair share of experience with bouts of little sleep, still wasn’t in full health. She was the one drifting off.
“You look tired. I thought you said you slept well last night.” Daniel pressed quietly as her head nodded involuntarily with sleep. At his words, she forced her eyes wide open and looked at him questioningly, her mind still fuzzy.
“Hm?” she asked but her mind caught up to the conversation before he had a chance to repeat himself “Oh, no, I did. Slept like a tree.”
He grinned at her half-succeeded phrase.
“You mean you slept like a log.” he corrected and she rolled her eyes and waved her hand dismissively.
“Darling, does it really matter? I’ve never encountered foliage that varied between different states of consciousness anyway so your little Tau’ri saying is completely silly.” she remarked self-importantly and he was forced to concede.
“Okay, that’s true. But I can’t help but feel like you’re trying to cover something up.” he pushed lightly.
“I don’t try anything, darling, I always get what I want.” she winked at him and he frowned unimpressed.
“Okay now you’re avoiding the question.” he noted and she looked away tellingly. He sighed quietly and placed his hand on her arm to get her to look at him.
“Obviously there’s something you don’t want to tell me and that’s fine.” he started sincerely “I just thought you looked tired and that you might want to get some sleep.”
He reached behind him for the blue sweater she’d given him back that morning and bunched in into a ball on his lap. He gestured to it and quirked his eyebrows eliciting a wide grin from Vala.
“Well how can I resist an offer like that?” she said coquettishly and moved herself away from Daniel to be able to lie down. She held her hair with her hand and lowered herself but Daniel’s hand on her good shoulder stopped her. She looked up at him, worried he’d changed his mind but he was giving her a suspicious look.
“You’re not going to yell at me later for letting you sleep, are you?” he asked with mild trepidation. She let out a relieved laugh and looked out the window.
“Daniel, there are cars and cows outside, neither of which excites me very much. Sleeping on your lap however…” she trailed off sweetly and winked at him. Thankfully, she’d lowered herself to lie down before the red flush reached his face.
He opened his book to where he’d last stopped reading and tried to concentrate but her constant shifting was making it difficult. She finally settled on a position mostly on her back to still be able to watch the Simpsons which, to Daniel’s great discontent, was fast becoming a favourite of hers. The problem with this position was that Daniel was now at a loss as to what to do with his right arm. It hovered awkwardly along the seats before he resigned himself to looping it behind the head rests but as he lifted it, her hands rose up timidly and drew him back down to her. Filled with wonder, he let his arm cover her abdomen and let his fingers curl themselves naturally under her side. He could feel some tension in her body as they settled, but she relaxed when he did and within minutes her eyes closed and her breathing settled.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Jack pulled onto the last dirt road leading to his cabin. Cameron had driven the first two hours after they’d taken a break at a rest stop but then he’d switched with the General who was much more familiar with the old country roads. The Simpsons had been turned off when they’d left the interstate and the gang just reveled in the beautiful greenery of Minnesota. Vala had been completely rejuvenated after her comfy nap and had been asking dozens of questions along the way.
What was that animal called? Why weren’t these roads paved? What’s this place called again? Was it a secret location? What was there to do at the cabin? Whose cabin was it again? Did Daniel have his own cabin and could they go there?
Daniel thought the constant stream of questioning should probably annoy him but the excited look on her face tapered down his frustrations. He wondered if she knew how expressive she was, it seemed like every emotion she felt was magnified in the brilliant canvas of her face. The only time he’d ever seen her inexpressive was when she was trying to hide something. He didn’t think she’d appreciate his insights so he kept quiet, content instead to use his acute awareness to watch her peer through her window and feel the warmth emanating from her body when he placed his hand on her back as she leaned across him to peer out of his.
“Welcome to Maison O’Neill, strangers.” Jack shouted back to Cameron and Vala as he parked in front of the two-storey log cabin.
“Daniel, it’s so quaint!” she exclaimed from her position leaning across his lap and he chuckled at her use of the old expression.
“You know you could see it up close right?” he teased her and jerked his head forward to show her the now empty van. Everyone had already exited the vehicle and were stretching their legs as they head for their luggage.
“Oh.” she said sheepishly before sending him a sly look in retaliation “Well…the cabin is charming but I’m sure it isn’t going anywhere, and I’m pretty comfortable here.”
She wriggled closer to him, throwing her other leg over to straddle his legs and he struggled to find words.
“We can be comfortable in the cabin too.” he choked out before he could process the words. She smiled wide and inched her body closer to his. She'd expected him to turn red with embarrassment again but this was just as good.
“Promise?” she asked sensually. The warmth of her body covering his was making his mind fuzzy and he became inexplicable fascinated with her lips. He should really be pushing her away but his body had other ideas. His tongue darted out quickly to wet his lips as her hands lightly roamed over his sculpted chest and continued over his shoulders to stroke the sensitive skin at the back of his neck. Without his consent, his fingers trailed a path up her thighs and squeezed her hips before moving on upwards. Daniel splayed his hands flat on her back and pressed her upper body to his. One hand continued higher and entangled itself in her dark locks to bring her head down to finally-
“Dannyboy!” Jack thumped loudly on the van’s exterior and made them jump apart in shock.
Vala was leaning against the back of the seats in front of them, her head was bent, her hand was over her heart and her shoulders shook with mirth. Daniel’s heart was thumping so hard he didn’t think it would ever calm down again and he wasn’t nearly as amused at Jack’s interruption as Vala seemed to be.
“What?” he yelled back out the window.
“What’s keeping you two? Come get your bags!” Jack replied, closing the trunk’s door. Daniel closed his eyes in exasperation, missing Sam’s reproaching look to their commanding officer and his responding innocent face.
“I think they mean for us to join them.” Vala said with laughter still present in her voice.
“Yep.” he sighed reluctantly, popping his ‘p’. Vala shuffled out of the back row of seats and out the open door, Daniel following sourly behind her.
There was a tension between them now but it was hard to tell what it was about. Desires and doubts waged a familiar war and he wasn’t looking forward to the anxiety that would soon follow. He hated being lost as to where they stood with each other. Was it an isolated event or should he try again when they had more privacy? Was she just teasing him or had she been as into it as she appeared? Whether empowered by their heated moment or simply yearning for clarity, Daniel decided to be proactive.
Vala rounded the van and was bending over to pick up her bag from the floor when Daniel’s hand closed around her arm and pulled her back up. He used her momentary astonishment to push her back against the closed rear door and press himself against her, holding her firmly in place. Her wide eyes bore into his and he could clearly see the surprise but she didn’t push him away. She felt tense against him but it was with excitement not fear.
“Daniel?” she asked softly, mesmerized by the growing pools of desire in his clear blue eyes. He didn’t answer her question, not verbally anyway.
His head bent down quickly and he captured her lips with his. Vala’s arms wrapped themselves instinctively around his neck and he pulled her away from the van just far enough to wrap his own arms around her. Her lips were soft against his and they parted easily when his tongue begged entry. Daniel plundered her mouth with an ease and pleasure he couldn’t remember possessing and the moan he drew from her made him shiver with delight.
Vala was on fire, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so alive. She could feel his hands roam her back unsettled as if itching to travel a larger expanse and she’d tell him to feel free to explore but that would mean releasing his mouth and that just wasn’t something she was willing to do at the moment. Their tongues dueled for what felt like a second and eternity at once before their lungs demanded attention and they were forced to break apart breathlessly. Their arms remained locked around one another and their eyes were closed as they caught their breath.
“Just so there’s no confusion between us.” Daniel finally responded and Vala laughed softly.
“Hmm,” she hummed “I’m afraid I’m still completely confused though, bewildered even. There’s not a thought in my head that makes sense.” she said coyly.
“Well, that just won’t do.” he replied grinning, leaning in to claim her lips again.
“Jackson!” Cameron voice bellowed across the lawn from his place on the porch, searching for them but finding only the van.
Daniel groaned, dropping his forehead to her shoulder and Vala couldn’t quite gather that feeling of merriment Jack’s interruption had evoked. Now she was just annoyed and so was Daniel apparently.
“Yeah, Cameron needs to be shot.” he murmured into her hair.
“Yes, yes he does. But it would be rather hard to explain.” she replied and he shook his head.
“Hunting accidents happen all the time.” he replied seriously and her ire decreased significantly at the sight of his bothered state.
“Jackson?” They both heard Cameron’s feet grinding against the gravel as he searched the grounds but they were still hidden by the van. Daniel very reluctantly unwound himself from her and gave a disgruntled sigh as the cool Minnesota air chilled his previously Vala-warmed body.
“We’d better go before they have the Prometheus track my subdermal locator.” he griped softly and she nodded.
He stepped towards their bags but Vala pulled him back for a last kiss. It was short but it sent shockwaves of desire through his entire body. When she pulled back, she answered his questioning eyes with a short sentence.
“You know, for the confusion.” Then she pushed herself away from the van and bounded past a surprised Cameron.
Daniel picked up their bags and quickly followed, making a mental note to look confused more often. Cameron followed them both knowing he’d missed something and from their swollen lips and sparkling eyes, he had a good idea what that something was.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
The cabin was built with three rooms and another had been added just before Jack’s grandfather died. The guys had graciously offered to let the women have their own rooms and they would bunk together in the other two rooms with two double beds each just as they had at the motel, Jack and Daniel in one room and Teal’c and Cameron in the other. They put their things away and rallied in the open kitchen to prepare supper with the groceries they’d picked up on the way.
Jack had been appointed to the duty of head chef and he’d sent the girls down to the cellar to pick out a wine from his collection to go with their pasta primavera. Both Sam and Daniel shot him a suspicious look but Jack ignored them and turned on the sound system. Daniel watched Sam and Vala disappear into the basement and turned to the guys.
“Okay, what?” he asked.
Jack wiped his hands on his apron and gave Daniel a questioning glance.
“What what?” Daniel rolled his eyes.
“What is this? Why’d you send the girls away?” he asked, crossing his arms.
“Daniel,” Jack said slowly as if speaking to a child “we need wine for supper.”
Daniel huffed but relented his questioning, reaching instead for a knife to cube the cheese.
“Although it seems you no longer need the liquid courage to loosen up.” Jack smirked and Daniel stabbed the knife back into the cutting board with a sigh.
“Alright, alright, let it out.” he said with exasperation. He had known this would happen, he was surprised it took this long actually. Granted, Vala was the only woman he’d shown interest in since Sha’re, discounting the times he was drugged, hallucinating and that one time with the Destroyer of Worlds… So he supposed this might seem like a momentous event but that didn’t mean he’d suddenly become a gossiper.
“My, my, aren’t we defensive?” Jack said glibly and Daniel leveled him with a bored glare.
“What do you wanna know, Jack?” he asked directly and his friend huffed.
“Not a thing, Dannyboy.” he replied, moving to clap Cameron on the shoulder “But Mitchell here is mighty curious as to what kept you two outside earlier.”
Cameron sputtered to claim his innocence but Daniel waved him off.
“Nothing you need to know about, Jack.” Daniel said serenely as he turned his back to them and reprised his task of cutting the cheese. He could practically feel Jack’s annoyance.
“It’s not a question of need, Daniel, it - ”
Whatever Jack was about to say was cut off by Sam and Vala’s return. He turned off the stove and served the plates as Teal’c left to join the girls in setting the table.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Supper was over and the sun had set and for reasons unknown the approaching night was making Daniel nervous. He hadn’t had a chance to be near Vala since they’d kissed earlier and although they had addressed their confusion, he’d been itching to just grab her and confirm things. But it was not to be, Sam had stolen her during supper and Jack had taken her and Cameron on the official tour of the site. And now it was night, they were getting ready for bed and he wanted her back.
Daniel slowly folded a blanket as Sam went to her room, he righted one of the chairs at the table while Teal’c went to his and he checked the sound system, for the third time, to make sure it was turned off while Cam climbed up the stairs. He was stalling and they all knew it but when he looked around he room, his heart was happy to see Vala mimicking his procrastination by rearranging the books on the coffee table. Jack quirked his eyebrow at their antics and made his way up the stairs leaving the two alone.
Vala laid down the magazine she’d been holding and approached him slowly with a barely restrained grin on her face.
“Alone at last.” she said seductively.
His heart pounded in his chest and he was suddenly apprehensive of the whole situation. The moment she laid her hands on his chest however Daniel forgot his every reservation. He bent down to capture her lips again and she met him halfway, their mouths colliding with much more force than their earlier kisses but with no less the passion. Daniel thread his fingers through her hair and angled her head to the side to better take advantage of his height. She gave in easily and let the rest of the world fade as his tongue swept the cavern of her mouth. She was feeling lightheaded and her knees locked for a second. She had no idea how he could have felt the subtle movement but Daniel seemed to pick up on it because he steered her backwards to lean against the back of the sofa. She felt his hands on her waist as he picked her up to sit on the sofa’s back. Her legs opened quickly to steady herself on the furniture and he immediately moved forward to fill the space.
As before though, oxygen deprivation became an issue and they were forced to part but they refused to move their bodies an inch away from the other’s.
“We should be going to bed.” Daniel said, finally.
An enticing smile grace her lips. She hopped down from the sofa and took his hand in hers as she moved for the stairs.
“Brilliant idea, darling.” she said excitedly.
A pull on her hand made her stop and she turned around to take in his rueful expression.
“That’s-that’s not what I meant. I-I don’t think that’s such a great idea, Vala.” he managed to get out while her assumption wreaked havoc with his imagination.
“I don’t understand.” she answered, baffled by how quickly he’d apparently changed his mind. He noticed her frown and closed the distance between them.
“I just-I don’t-I mean, we haven’t…” he tried to start before taking a deep breath and plunging in. “Okay, there’s actually a long list of why…that…would be a bad idea.”
She raised an eyebrow and released his hand to cross her arms.
“A long list?” she asked skeptically and he nodded, raising a hand to tick the reasons off his fingers.
“One, Dr. Lam specifically forbade strenuous activity.” he began and a sly grin crossed her lips.
“We have the healing device in the event of any emergency, Daniel, just how strenuous were you thinking of being?” she teased him and loved watching the pink flush climb his neck again.
“Okay, two,” he continued with determination, desperately trying to remember why he was opposed to this in the first place “two, we haven’t known each other for a long time and we’ve only actually…been…together…for less than half a day.”
He was so hesitant in his wording that she just had to smile. She raised a hand to his now stubbly cheek and let her thumb stroke the skin just above it. She pushed herself up and kissed him briefly.
“But what a fantastic ‘less than half a day’ it’s been, darling.” she goaded him enthusiastically. He sighed and pushed her away gently.
“Look, truthfully, I’m surprise we even got to the whole…making o-kissing…and all.” he said, holding her dark eyes with his clear ones. “I’m usually very…reserved with these kinds of…personal…things.”
She nodded with exaggeration, not quite understanding what the problem was.
“I mean, I-” he sighed and wondered briefly if this wasn’t the reason he hadn’t attempted any other relationships lately “I am a very private person and I don’t-I haven’t …been…in a - in any kind of relationship, like this, in a very long time. Not since my wife died.”
At this, her patronizing look of indulgence evaporated and was replaced with utter shock.
“You were married?” she breathed into his chest before looking up at him. He was nodding.
“She died almost six years ago.” he said, regretting even bringing it up. He was trying to explain his reluctance, not incite a tense awkwardness. He wasn’t doing a very good job of it.
“I’m sorry.” she told him sincerely, stepping back a bit. He caught her elbows and pulled her back to him with a shake of his head.
“For a long time now I haven’t felt I could really…be in a relationship again…and now, now I kinda do.” he told her and watched with happiness as a shy smile blossomed on her face but she pursed her lips warily.
“But?” she asked with a melodramatic sigh. He swept the back of his fingers along her cheek and grinned at her theatrics.
“But, I’m not a rushing kind of person.” he concluded. Her lips twisted to one side and her brow was knit as she considered him.
“And this ‘scenic route’ personality, how long exactly does it take to get to where I’d like to go?” she asked and he laughed at her imagery.
“Not sure exactly, I never timed it.” She looked disappointed. “But you’ll be the first one to know when I’m ready to go.” She sighed dramatically again but looked satisfied.
“Well, I can settle for staying put at the moment, so long as you don’t plan on going into reverse.” she warned, tilting her head up.
He bent his own down and told her “Not a chance.” before closing the space between them and kissing her gently. He released her and she stepped away dutifully. He took her hand and they walked to the stairs, turning off the lights when they passed the switch on the wall before climbing up to the second floor. He walked her to the end of the hall and stopped at her door.
“You’re sure.” she said disbelievingly. She understood his reasons and respected them even but the fact was, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been rejected for sex and it puzzled her.
He delivered a last soft kiss to her mouth and smirked at her.
“Yes, Vala, I’m sure.”
Another sigh. She turned to her room and opened the door before turning with a playful look.
“You know, this unresolved tension I’m now left with could be called chronic stress, isn’t that what Dr. Lam wanted me to get rid of?” she asked, her wide, spirited eyes beckoning him.
He laughed softly and dropped a kiss to her forehead. Then he pushed her into her room and reached for her doorknob.
“G’night, Vala.” he said.
“Goodnight.” she pouted.
He closed her door and stood there for a moment, debating the merits of the reasons he’d given her. The sound of her bedspring creaking as she got into bed was possibly the most erotic sound he’d heard in a very long time and his body really wanted him to reopen the door and kiss her senseless. Fortunately…or not, his mind had much more control over him than his body did and he doggedly walked to his and Jack’s room near the stairs.
He opened door quietly to not wake the room’s other occupant but Jack had seemingly just gotten into bed, the light was still on. The look of surprise on his face upon seeing Daniel walk into their room made him want to turn around and run down the hall even more but he restrained himself.
“Not a word.” he warned his friend as he rifled through his bag for his blue sweater, he couldn’t find it.
“How about two?” Jack replied.
“Sure, as long as they’re ‘good’ and ‘night’.” he said smartly and Jack rolled his eyes.
“Look, honestly, I think she’s good for you.” Jack said sincerely.
Daniel shucked his pants, leaving him in boxers, and donned a simple t-shirt. He threw his friend a skeptical look as he got into his bed.
“Really? That’s it?” he asked curiously.
“Absolutely. Look , it's about time you got back in the saddle and she'll be good for you. I think it’s great.” he replied. Daniel nodded his acceptance and gave his friend a grin.
“Thank you, Jack.” he said.
His friend waved him off and reached over to the night table to turn off the lamp as Daniel settled himself under his covers.
“And a former host is infinitely better than the Destroyer of Worlds.” Jack couldn’t help but comment before plunging the room into darkness.
“I hate you.” Daniel retorted immaturely before closing his eyes and throwing the image of a much more pleasant person into his consciousness. The sight of dark hair and large blue-grey eyes accompanied him into sleep.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Okay, so I apologize for probably not appealing to the larger masses but my muse started sending death threats to my loved ones when I considered rewriting…I thought posting was probably the safest bet. More action in the next chapter although it’ll mostly center on this night…please review, even if only to tell me how much you hated it!
Next - Chapter 11: Visions of Sugar-Plums