(no subject)
This is the next in what apparently is becoming a series of fic's that happen in between episodes. Or in this case, during "The ties that bind" General Landry sends our fearsome foursome off to Washington. Of course, Jack would be there. But Daniel and Vala are still connected. The final part is NC-17
Daniel woke slowly; breath-by-breath he emerged from the depths of sleep. When he reached a useful level of awareness he realized his cell phone was vibrating on the nightstand. He groped blindly for it.
‘ello.”
“Danny?”
“mmm”
The voice was louder this time, “Daniel!”
Ahhh… “Jack.”
“What ya doin?”
“Sleeping.”
“It’s 4:30 in the afternoon for cryin’ out loud, why are you sleeping.”
“Recovering.” He mumbled.
The concern in Jack’s voice was immediate and touching, “what happened? Should I fly down?”
“Over.”
“What?”
“Colorado is over, not down.” Ooooh, almost a complete sentence, he rubbed at his eyes. “I’m fine.” There. Subject. Verb. Qualifier.
“What happened!?”
“Vala and I are still connected, I’m sleeping off the latest attempt at separation.”
A strange noise came from very nearby.
“Mmmm? Daniel? Whom are you talking to?”
“Who was that Daniel?” Jack heard her. Damn.
“Vala. I guess she’s in bed with me.”
“You guess? You didn’t know?”
“I told you Jack, we tried to be further apart than before. I came back to my house. I started to feel light headed and called Cam, before I dropped.”
“Doesn’t explain her in your bed.”
“He brought Vala, who was also unconscious.” Three quarters of a continent away and he was still explaining himself to Jack. “Jealous?”
“Damn straight.”
“Who’s jealous, Daniel?” Vala whispered in his ear as she curled herself against his back.
He covered the phone with his hand, “No one, go back to sleep.”
“NO ONE?” Jack bellowed.
“Do you want her to hear you, you idiot?” He dropped his own voice back to calm tones, “We recover faster when in close proximity.”
“Apparently you’ve done this before.” Jack’s voice was calm and very very cold.
“It’s necessary,” he replied, equally cool.
Vala did hear though, “he sounds very jealous.” Her hand danced down his side. “You surprise me, Daniel. But it’s giving me very delicious ideas.”
Oh. God. To Jack he said, “Can I call you back?”
“Danny I know I said you could do anything you wanted but, Vala?”
“This isn’t by choice, Jack.” He mentally slapped himself. He shouldn’t have said Jack’s name. “I’ll talk to you later.” He punched the end button.
Vala snuggled closer, “tell me about Jack.”
“Vala, go to sleep.”
“Are you mates?”
Daniel wondered that himself these days. “It isn’t acceptable in our military, Vala.”
“I didn’t ask that Daniel. I asked if you were together.”
“Yes, no… I don’t know anymore.” Maybe this would stop her advances. The thought made him a bit sad, he was really beginning to like her. She drove him crazy, but then, so did Jack. “An emotional masochist,” he muttered aloud with a mental head-slap.
“I don’t know that word.” She pulled at his shoulder until they lay like lovers in his bed. “I won’t tell, if that’s what your worried about.”
It was exactly what he was worried about. Vala had zero tact. Of course, Jack didn’t have a lot of tact either. He really did slap his forehead this time. He HAD to stop comparing Vala and Jack. It was just twisted.
“Vala, it would be extremely bad for Jack if we were public.” He felt her nod against his shoulder. “I know you don’t understand…”
“I understand the need for hidden desires, Daniel. The Goa’uld that I was host to was basically male. I had many female lovers and in some of the places I ruled that wasn’t acceptable. ‘He’ had the sense to hide it.”
Well that was new information, he thought. “That must have been uncomfortable for you.” Daniel rubbed her shoulder and pulled her a little closer.
“At first, but when I realized that it was a silly taboo, I got over it. I don’t care if it’s sex or love, why should it matter who one is with?”
He sighed, “It doesn’t.” God, it felt good to hold her like this. There was no substitute for holding someone and being held. He’d rather have Jack in his bed, but that wasn’t possible now and maybe never again with any sort of regularity. A very sad thought. “Vala, can we go back to sleep?”
“One more question,” she rolled up to look him in the eye. “Is your Jack that handsome General was here a week or so ago?”
She was nothing if not quick, “Yep, that’s him.” Here for a quick dinner in the commissary then off to take Mitchell for a joy ride. Jack didn’t even stay the night. Not that it mattered, he supposed, he and Vala still had the bracelets on at the time. “Sleep. Now.”
“Yes, Daniel.” Her lips brushed his jaw, “sleep well.”
Vala lay awake for a while after Daniel drifted back to sleep. He was in love, she mused, yet he didn’t have the happiness that usually accompanied the emotion. They may think her shameless and a little wild, but she understood people. She was nothing if not observant; thanks to the profession she fell into upon escaping her old village. From the brief conversation she just overheard, she understood that Daniel and Jack had history. Jack’s flair of concern then jealousy, followed by Daniel’s need to protect Jack’s reputation spoke volumes to their relationship. The man had called Daniel, Danny, a private endearment she was sure.
What she didn’t understand was what had happened to put the doubt in Daniel’s voice when she’d asked if they were mates. She was glad she couldn’t see his eyes when he responded. The sorrow and confusion she imagined in his star-shot blue eyes was enough to crack even her jaded heart.
She curled closer, stroking his strong chest, “I won’t betray you, my love.”
For the next few weeks Daniel had little time to think about his cooling relationship with Jack. The damned Ori were popping up in the Milky Way, almost killing the people of a planet before using their considerable power as proof of their god hood. He sincerely didn’t know how they were going to combat this new enemy. Every attempt at reasoning with them resulted in Daniel talking himself into near exhaustion. And still the Prior looked at him like he was only a wayward child that would come around eventually. It both infuriated him and terrified him. Their power was absolute. They are evil, pure and focused. Vala had burned to death before his eyes and come back to life in his arms. He’d never felt this helpless or ineffective fighting the Goa’uld. THEY were human. THEY could be shot. Sarc or not, they could die. Never in his life had he wished for a weapon that would kill, until he met the Ori.
To make a bad situation worse, he and Vala sans bracelets were still psychically/physically connected. It was wearing off, but much too slowly for either of their tastes. Now, Vala had them bouncing all over the damn galaxy in effort to find out how to break their connection once and for all.
But when General Landry said the word “Washington”, all of his longing and confusion for Jack came rushing back, right there in the briefing room. They were going to D.C. to argue for more funding. He could see Jack. Of course, with Teal’c, Col. Mitchell, Gen. Landry and (who could forget?) Vala, there was zero chance for them to be alone. But he could see Jack. That would have to be enough this time.
The next evening found the five of them plus Jack at dinner at a very nice hotel in Washington. Vala intentionally sat between Daniel and Jack, just to make them sweat a bit. Cam was explaining the nuances of something called football to Teal’c, with Landry throwing in the occasional comment. Daniel didn’t say much all through dinner but kept looking at Jack when he thought no one would notice. It was a wonder to her that no one had noticed Jack and Daniels affection for each other. . For his part, Jack seemed calm but a little distracted. Vala knew the reason - Daniel.
“So, Vala,” Jack began, “how far can you and Daniel be apart?”
Daniel looked up, apparently shocked that Jack would be so blunt. No one seemed to notice. No one except Vala, that is. Then she saw Teal’c raise a subtle eyebrow and the corners of his mouth twitched - albeit briefly - and she realized that at least one other knew of their hidden relationship.
“Farther and farther every day, General darling.” She said laying her hand on Daniel’s bicep then adding a light stroke. “But I do like being near him. He’s so sexy.” She reached up and trailed a finger down Daniel’s bearded cheek.
“Vala.” Daniel growled. “Behave,” he added in a harsh whisper.
She winked at him, “Tell me, General O’Neill-
“Jack.” He corrected her.
She nodded to him smiling, “Alright then, Jack, tell me about Danny here.” She slid her hand down Daniels arm and it into the crook of his elbow. “He tells me he doesn’t have a girl on every planet, but I don’t believe him. How could he not? Have you seen his arms?” She did a theatrical swoon.
Daniel rolled his eyes.
“Daniel,” Jack ground out with a hint of menace and a pointed look to Daniel, “will tell you what he feels he should.” My doesn’t the general look handsome when he’s angry, Vala mused, all that testosterone bubbling right into his hot brown eyes. It was a good thing she knew about he and Daniel, or she’d be rubbing Jack’s arm instead.
She leaned in toward Jack and whispered, “Danny and I are connected now, Jack. I know how he feels…” she waited a purposeful beat “about the rules.”
“Oh, I don’t think you know half what you think you know, Vala.” Jack said not looking at her, being much too busy glaring daggers at Daniel. Daniel squirmed in his chair. I guess that hard-ass-general look from Jack got Daniel hot too. Time to push another one of those buttons, she thought.
She reached up and toyed with the hair just behind Daniel’s ear, looked Jack dead in the eye and said, “I know how he likes-“
“Vala! That’s enough.” Daniel cut her off, darn him. She was just getting into the groove.
Cam broke in, cutting off Jack’s retort, with a question about the Chicago Bear’s current season. Much to Vala’s dismay, it diffused the charged air completely. Daniel visibly relaxed and sat back. Soon, Cameron had Jack laughing and smiling about something, and it made Daniel squirm again. She wondered if Jack as uncomfortable as Daniel. But those dark eyes were as unreadable as an Ancient tablet.
A few coffees later, General Landry excused himself to his room. They all made plans to meet for breakfast and Landry left.
Jack’s eyes swept the table, “So drinks in Daniel’s room?”
Much to Vala’s delight and surprise, Teal’c declined for himself and Cam. “Colonel Mitchell has informed me that Washington D.C. has. What did you call it?”
“Prime huntin’ grounds, Teal’c.” Cam grinned and thumped Teal’c on the shoulder. To General O’Neill he deferred, “I thought I’d take Teal’c out on the town a bit, Sir.”
“Of course, go play.” Jack stood and clasped forearms with Teal’c. “It’s good to see you, Teal’c.” They exchanged a curious look that evidently meant something, but she hadn’t the foggiest.
“You as well O’Neill.” He nodded in his solemn way and followed Cam out the restaurant.
Vala, Jack and Daniel stared at each other. Vala reached out to both men and took their hands. “So, just the three of us.” She smiled suggestively at Jack.
Daniel smiled in a way he hadn’t all evening. “Wanna come up for a drink, Jack?”
“Ummm…” Jack looked leery, as if he actually thought Daniel was considering a threesome with Vala. Daniel laughed even harder.
“She’s not serious, Jack.”
“I’m not?” she smiled.
“No you’re not.” He grinned.
“Oh shoot.” She yawned loudly. “I was just thinking…”
“Vala?
“Yes, Danny?
“Shut up.”
They both laughed, but Vala notice a wonderful flair of jealousy as she continued to use the endearment. It pleased her immensely.
Daniel was too pleased to have a little semi-private time with Jack to be annoyed with Vala. He knew she was just having some fun at Jack’s expense. As soon as he let Jack in on that little fact, Jack would get over the fit he was quietly having.
The all paused out side the hotel room door as Daniel fished out the key card.
“Daniel has a key to your room, Vala?”
“Daniel has both keys to OUR room.” She pouted.
“What?”
Daniel rolled his eyes and let them all into the suite. Walter was kind enough to book him and Vala in a suite with two bedrooms and a shared bath and common space. “Jack, we have separate beds. Stop being an ass.”
“Oh. Well. Umm. Yeah whatever.” Which was Jack-speak for ‘hey sorry, didn’t know.”
Daniel went to the mini bar to play host. “Beer Jack?”
“Yeah.”
“Vala?”
“Nothing for me, Danny dear, I’m going to take a shower then go to bed.” She looked meaningfully at Jack then looked back at Daniel. “A very long shower.”
“Oh.” Daniel didn’t know what to say, it was the nicest thing Vala had ever done. He walked over to her and hugged her, “thank you.”
She kissed his cheek and proclaimed to the room, “Don’t be up late, boys, I can only stay in there so long.” Then she sauntered off without a backward glance.
Jack looked like someone had given him a case of his favorite scotch. “Just us?”
Daniel wasted no time and moved into Jack’s willing embrace. “For a little while at least.”
“Then let’s not waste it.” His lips were on Daniel’s before the last word left them.
Vala paused in just inside the doorway, out of sight, and sighed. It was her turn to be jealous.