A Long Winters Nap -- Month of Love!
Title: A Long Winter’s Nap or How Groundhog’s Day Came Again.
Author: BkWurm1
Challenge: Daniel and Vala, Month of Love 2011
Characters/Pairing: Daniel Jackson and Vala Mal Doran - established relationship.
Rating: Fairly PG
Disclaimer: Since MGM is broke, maybe we can make a deal? Stupid lawyers. Fine, nope, their not mine.
Other disclaimer: Wrote this way quicker than normal which means it is arriving perhaps less polished than I would have liked. (Translation, I was still coming up with an ending for it five minutes before I posted this.) Feedback very welcome.
Summary: Waking up from a much needed nap. Not much plot. Lots of cuddling. Some banter. A little talk of love and Chinese food.
Part one
(sorry for the repost, was trying to fix a formating issue, didn't have any luck as far as I can tell.)
“Happy Groundhog’s Day, darling,” Vala purred against the back of Daniel’s neck. Under the comforter, she snuggled closer and glided her toes up and down his calf. His deep, even breathing changed but he didn’t awake. She hugged him from behind, snaking her arm around his middle and enjoying the feel of his muscled abdomen almost as much as she enjoyed the heated sensation of his smooth bare skin pressing against hers. She took a deep breath. Beneath the lingering fragrance of the pomegranate bodywash they’d shared earlier in the shower was Daniel’s own intoxicating scent. It brought to her mind a dark hint of spices like the kind sold in the marketplaces on the planets Apophis once ruled. She sniffed again. Mixed with the spices was the tang of aged paparus and ink. The heady mixture made her heart flutter.
Vala nuzzled a tender spot below his ear, first tasting the patch of skin and then lightly nipping him with her teeth. He grunted and she cheerfully repeated her earlier greeting. “Happy Groundhog’s Day.”
In February, Valentine’s Day was the traditional time for hearts, flowers and declarations of adoration, and while she still expected long stemmed red roses on the fourteenth, secretly she preferred the traditions she and Daniel created. Somewhere along the way, Groundhog’s Day became another sort of anniversary, one just as deserving of commemoration as when they first met or the first time they accidentally got married.
Teal’c passed on his affection for the movie Groundhog’s Day and from the film Vala picked up on the advantage of doing something over and over until it was just right (though naturally she had no intention of letting Daniel know that he had done it just right the first time). Even the holiday’s traditional definition held great appeal. Yes, poking your head out and deciding to stay in bed usually worked very well for her purposes. A part of her wished she could do that now.
Vala seduced Daniel in the shower just before noon, gently preventing that stubborn man from driving on to Denver when the roads remained a slippery mess and he the most current spokesmodel for sleep depravation. Her plan had almost unraveled when Daniel finished up in the shower before she’d even had the chance to find her purple loofah. Thankfully, Groundhog’s Day came with rules and privileges and she was able to demand a redo and lure him back under the warm spray. She skillfully led one thing to another until she’d tapped out his last reserve of energy.
Vala stretched, still feeling warm and a little sleepy after their post coital nap. If Daniel hadn’t gone to the trouble of surprising her (after very little prompting) with reservations for the rest of the week at Denver’s Brown Palace Hotel and Spa (a fabulous four-star getaway) she would have happily followed the groundhog’s sensible example and burrowed back in for the night. Two things kept her from doing so. Skipping Denver and staying at their much-neglected apartment would mean never knowing what delights could go on in a Couples’ VIP Spa Suite. Her stomach growled and reminded her of the other reason. She was famished and their cupboards were bare.
She was contemplating waking Daniel up with a far bolder love bite when he finally surfaced on his own. He lifted his head from the pillow, groaned, and let it fall back. He glanced around the darkened room. The moment he fell asleep she pulled the blinds, which by her calculations happened about two minutes after he stretched out on the bed and about one minute after he claimed he wasn’t really tired. She repeated her greeting for a third time. “Happy Groundhog’s Day.”
He repeated the well wishes back to her, but a jaw-popping yawn made the last half of what he said unintelligible. He sighed. “I fell asleep, didn’t I?”
She rubbed her cheek against his shoulder and murmured, “Mmmhmm.” He’d been so certain he could stay awake long enough to get them to their hotel. His intentions were very sweet, but really, he never had a chance.
Daniel twisted around to face her and narrowed his eyes. “You did that on purpose,” he accused without much heat. “You did it on purpose and completely ignored the fact we were only supposed to stop at the apartment for twenty minutes to shower and grab the suitcases.”
She widened her eyes and delivered her most outlandish innocent look. “On purpose? Whatever could you mean?”
He raised his arm and waved it vaguely about. “In the shower, you know what I mean. You knew afterward I’d fall asleep.”
She lifted her hand to her heart and gasped. “Are you accusing me of deliberately using sex to manipulate you into doing things my way?”
“Yes,” he hissed.
An unrepentant smile tugged the corner of her mouth. “Well naturally darling, but never worry,” she reassured him. “I had purely lustful designs on your body as well.
He cocked his head and then lifted his hand to trace a pink crease on her cheek. “You fell asleep too,” he said smugly.
She jerked back and swatted at his hand. “No,” she denied until he raised an eyebrow forcing her to admit, “fine, yes, I fell asleep too.” Before his self-satisfied grin got too big, she waved her finger in his face. “Ahh, but I woke up first, so that doesn’t count.”
He pulled her back to him. “You were exhausted. It’s good you slept.”
“Me?” She scoffed as she resettled the length of her body comfortably against his. “You were the one who sat hunched over a desk translating the obelisk thingy for forty-eight hours straight before gating in and convincing that backward mob on P29whatever that having the secret writings of their god would be more satisfying than cutting off SG-3’s arms, legs and other appendages as some creepy offering to their salamander deity.” She tugged on the comforter, trying to reclaim her share. Daniel obligingly shifted so she could pull it into place and then she rested her cheek against his chest. “Not that I think the villagers really wanted to kill SG-3.”
He scowled, “How was intending to cut off their limbs one by one not intent on killing them?”
“I meant killing them on purpose, not just as a by product of their actions. You saw the statues and altars built around the Stargate. We saw the same sort of things in their temple. I’m convinced that since SG-3 came through their god’s portal they sincerely expected SG-3 to be capable of regenerating the odd arm or leg like that peculiar lizard thing they revered. Now as for certain other appendages, well the priests were all eunuchs so I’m not quite so certain if they thought everything would grow back.”
He laughed softly into her hair and ran his fingers through the tangled curls at the back of her head. He slid his hand along the sensitive nape of her neck and pressed his lips to her forehead. “You are trying to evade the issue. You were working the whole time too,” he reminded her. You must have been just as tired as I was.”
“You can’t know that for certain. Besides, well, over time they say healthy living delivers added stamina.” He snorted and she amended her claim. “Though in this case, I’m sure I napped during the especially boring bits. You should remember; you were there.”
He lazily stroked a path up and down her spine. “I remember you making me drink coffee as thick as sludge but I don’t remember you getting any more rest than I did.”
His touch made her shiver and burrow closer. “Well, perhaps my work in this one case simply wasn’t as taxing to me. I spent more time rewriting your notes, fetching reference books, and arguing with you - which always puts a zing in my step - than delving so deeply into my knowledge of obscure Goa’uld dialects as to prove exhausting.”
“That’s spring in my step, not zing,” he automatically corrected.
She nudged him with her body and began tracing circles on one of the flat brown nipples on his chest. “You spring, I zing.” He hissed and flattened her teasing hand by covering it with his own. She smiled and shrugged, “Either way, clearly you were the one more in need of sleep.” She shrugged again. “I simply chose to keep you company.”
Daniel abandoned trying to get a serious answer and concentrated on brushing back a few wayward strands of her inky black hair off her temple. “What ever the reason, I’m glad you did, not just today but all the time.” He drew his eyebrows together, forming a crease between his eyes. “I couldn’t have done the translation without you,” he confessed.
“Pfft, there’s a bold lie from one who claims to value truth and honesty so much,” she groused.
He placed a finger beneath her chin, tilting her head back enough so he could catch her eye. “No lie.” He curled his hand lying over hers and laced their fingers together. “Your knowledge of obscure Goa’uld dialects and their written syntax was actually very important but that wasn’t what I meant.”
“Oh?” She prompted.
“There was a time I couldn’t imagine saying this, but you just being there was very important to me. I don’t know if I can define what it is that you bring to my work, maybe it’s that I can bounce any ideas off of you, or that you are there to recheck my facts or even just there to help me work off the tension when facing an impossible deadline,” he frowned and shook his head before continuing.
“We didn’t have enough time but we made it. I wouldn’t have finished in time to save SG-3 without your help and it’s not the first time you being you made all the difference.” His thumb slid alongside hers in a simple caress before he lifted their linked hand and kissed her knuckles. “I don’t tell you often enough.”
Vala’s eyes glistened. For a moment, she said nothing, and then she cleared her throat loudly. “Darling, that may have been the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me, but need I remind you, you already have me naked and in bed. What more could you want?” She asked with a cheeky grin. She patted his cheek. “You should save that silver tongued sweet talk of yours for times when you really need it.”
“Oh really?” A gleam in his blue eyes signaled he was up to something a heartbeat before he wrapped his arms around her and rolled them both over. Vala lay trapped beneath the weight of his body. “Would this be a better time for sweet talk?” He asked.
Vala arched her back, molding her dangerous curves against his hard terrain. He groaned. She looked up through her dark lashes. “Why? Are you under the impression you’re in trouble now?”
He dropped his head to her shoulder in good-natured defeat and confessed, “I’ve been in trouble since the moment you climbed in my lap and shot me.”
“Actually I shot you first, but oh, my sweet, darling, Daniel,” she crooned as she grasped his shoulders and pushed him once more onto his back, “didn’t I make it all better?” She then swiftly straddled him and ran her hands up his abdomen and over his chest.
He sat up in a rush: wrapping an arm around her waist, anchoring his other hand in her hair and kissing her hard. He broke off the kiss almost as quickly as it started and leaned his forehead against hers. “Yes, yes you did and believe me when I say you are still doing it.”
“Doing what?” She asked breathlessly.
His cupped her face and used his thumb to trace the outline of her lips. “Making my life better,” he told her and smiled wryly. “Hell, every day you convince me to risk really living again.” Emotions flashed on Vala’s face. She started to speak but Daniel shook his head and cut her off her flip reply.
“No jokes this time. I’m invoking Groundhog’s Day privileges and calling for a redo. No evasions. Life is too short and I need to know you understand.”
I tried to link to part two but the $*@! thing just won't let me. Go to my journal to get the second part.