Being Found - Chapter 14: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

[milena_d]

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: Sorry for the length in advance!! I suggest you read half, take a nap and then come back for the last half ;)

Author's Note #2 (Outfits): http://milena-d.livejournal.com/12636.html

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Chapter 14: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Jack had sent Cam and Teal’c off to play pool in one of his less subtle ways about ten minutes ago and Daniel kept throwing him blank looks between checks to his watch…it was almost seven, where were they?

“Got somewhere to be?” Jack asked. Daniel frowned at him and turned his head away from bar’s entrance.

“I just thought they’d be here by now, Sam’s not usually late.” he replied.

“And she still isn’t, it’s not even seven yet, relax.” Jack said, raising his beer glass to his lips.

“I know.” Daniel said shortly “So why’d you send Mitchell and Teal’c away?” Jack shrugged.

“Just figured you wouldn’t want a newbie here for our heart-to-heart…” Jack frowned and so did Daniel “Our man-to-man, heart-to-heart…”

They mulled the term over but let it go.

“And why are we having a…man-to-man?” Daniel asked expectantly. Jack shrugged again.

“It seems appropriate, don’tcha think? Feels like the right time…the stars are aligned…Virgo is in Mars…”

Daniel threw him a patronizing look of disbelief. “Are you serious?”

“Not generally, but I can take a break, I’m due for one actually.” Jack replied, wiping the smirk from his face.

“Why?” Daniel posed, raising his glass to his lips. Alcohol would help this conversation, there was no doubt about that.

“Because,” Jack blew out a long breath “you’re getting back in the saddle, this is semi-big, fractionally momentous.”

Daniel frowned in confusion.

“You said those words yesterday before we went to sleep, you congratulated me…why are we having this conversation again?” he asked suspiciously.

“Because yesterday I had the impression you were more in a…puppy love…kind of stage?” Jack stated as delicately as he knew how and Daniel didn’t look impressed “And today it’s looking to be much more serious.”

“And?” Daniel asked, maybe just a tad defensively.

“What?” Jack asked quickly with raised eyebrows, leaning back in his seat.

“And what’s the problem with it being something more serious?” Daniel shot back. Jack looked back at him with cocked eyebrows.

“Really?” he said “Well I hadn’t…actually thought that far…I thought you’d have pled the 5th by now and we’d be playing pool with T and Mitchell.”

Daniel let out a breath that sounded like half a laugh and he relaxed before Jack continued.

“But, if you’re being cooperative, I guess I’m just…concerned” he started carefully as Daniel tensed up “that you’re getting in pretty deep with someone you barely know.”

They kept each other’s gaze for a long moment before Daniel slumped in his seat and nodded.

“Yeah, I’ve thought about that myself.” he admitted “And it’s caused some…tangles already and I’m sure it’ll cause more problems in the future but…I can’t see myself backing off.”

“I don’t blame you.” Jack said eventually, giving his silent support. Daniel eyed him and refrained from picking apart the sentence.

“We should toast this moment.” Jack continued.

“Let me guess, to new beginnings?” Daniel retorted sarcastically, raising his glass. Jack pretended to think about it and grinned.

“I like it.” he pronounced, Daniel rolled his eyes and moved to clink glasses but Jack pulled back.

“Mitchell should be here for this.” he stated, craning his neck to spot their missing friends at the pool tables.

“I’m not planning on seeing Mitchell, Jack.” he reminded the older man who rolled his eyes and beckoned the other two over.

“Stop hogging the toast, Daniel, ‘new beginnings’ is a very vague wish, Mitchell is just starting out his new career as leader of SG-1, that’s very toastable…” he glanced to Daniel who shook his head, no ‘toastable’ wasn’t a real word “Besides, I think he’s feeling neglected…wouldn’t want him calling child services on us now, would you?”

Cameron and Teal’c quickly made their way back to the booth when they saw Jack waving to them.

“What’s up, sir?” he asked eagerly and the other men hid their grins at his enthusiasm.

“Pour yourself a glass, Colonel, we’re toasting you.” the General ordered. Cameron’s eyes lit up and he reached for his glass, filling it back up and holding it in the center, Teal’c did the same.

“To new beginnings.” Jack said. They took a gulp from their glass and Cameron smiled wide.

“Thank you, sir.” he said.

“Think nothing of it, Colonel.” Jack waved him off but Cameron was distracted by a hush of the noise in the bar. He directed his gaze to the doors and let his jaw drop in astonishment as he beheld what the rest of the bar had already noticed: Sam and Vala.

“Holy mother of God.” he said before catching himself and clearing his throat. “Well, she’s certainly out to make a statement.”

The others looked over and couldn’t help but stare, completely entranced by the women they had last seen in jeans and sweatshirts. And how could they do otherwise? The girls had obviously put a lot of effort into getting noticed, it would be rude not to gawk at the skin-tight, midnight blue, long-sleeved shirt Sam wore or the flowing black skirt that didn’t quite reach her knees, never mind the open-toed, three inch sandals on her feet. But it would be beyond social considerations to let their eyes glaze over as they took in the sight that was Vala, especially with her new beau sitting right beside them. So they quickly averted their gaze and categorically removed the image of the sinfully red halter top whose v-neck plunged to Vala’s navel where an open hoop gathered the material and framed her bellybutton from their minds. Then they did the same with the image of her naked back they’d caught a glimpse of when she’d turned to hear something Sam had said. And they would never ever admit to having appreciated the way the black leather pants hugged every perfect curve nor how her three inch stilettos gave her a very delectable posture. Nope, they hadn’t seen it…and they weren’t shifting in their seats like half the bar’s patrons either…nope.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Five minutes ago

“We’re here.” Sam said as she parked in front of Clearwater Corners, with seconds to spare.

Vala grinned, her eyes alight with excitement. For the first time since she’d been brought to this backwater planet, Vala felt completely in possession of her being, completely in control of her environment and the surge energy racing through her veins made her jump out of the van with more than her usual flair. How she managed to move so quickly on three inch stilettos was a mystery Sam didn’t feel up to investigating.

Vala moved quickly for the front porch of the bar, waiting for Sam to lock to van at the steps. Together they walked out of the cold and into the building to join their friends.

Sam almost froze as dozens of eyes turned to watch them as they entered, especially when those eyes didn’t turn back around, they watched the two women like hawks but Vala was sashaying deeper into the crowds easily and Sam didn’t want to lose her. She looked around and spotted the guys in a booth far to their right, they were probably the only patrons that hadn’t taken notice of their entrance. Oh, no, she was wrong, Cameron had just spotted them and was gesturing for the others to look over as well.

“Vala, the guys are over there.” she told the raven haired woman when she seemed to plan on continuing to the bar. Vala stopped and glanced at the guys before taking stock of the smattering of men at the bar counter and smirked as an idea struck her.

“Tell Daniel I’m at the bar, would you?” she said distractedly. Sam frowned and shot a glance to their table.

“They’ve got two pitchers of beer and some food already.” Sam informed her but Vala shook her head without looking over.

“That’s not what I want.” she said with a tight grin before leaving her friend and sauntering away to the bar. She didn’t know why, but Sam got the distinct impression that Vala wasn’t looking for a different menu item at the bar.

She swallowed her apprehension and shimmied her way through the crowds to reach her friends who were doing their best not to stare, well Daniel was actually succeeding, his eyes were glued to the crowds, searching for Vala.

“Hey.” she said simply, taking the seat Daniel vacated as he stood up to look over the heads of patrons between himself and the woman he was looking for.

“Carter, nice…do.” Jack said finally, pointing to her styled hair. Her hand reached up quickly but she brought it down with a self-conscious grin.

“Vala insisted we go all out.” she replied, keeping her eyes wide open, hoping they wouldn’t notice the eye shadow.

“Yeah, about that,” Daniel said with slight accusation, finally turning his head back when he lost sight of Vala “what was she wearing!?”

Sam didn’t look repentant as he’d expected her to, instead she pointed a stern finger at him.

“Hey, I talked her out of a leather bustier for you.” Cameron sprayed a bit of beer and started choking on what had stayed in his mouth while Sam continued “You owe me.”

Daniel turned his attention back to Sam with a slight frown.

“Thanks…I think.” he said “Why didn’t she come with you?”

Sam tried to keep her face blank as she answered.

“I…don’t know actually…she said something about a drink.”

Daniel nodded absent-mindedly. “I’ll be right back.” he said as he stepped down from the raised platform and moving swiftly toward the bar where a wall of men stood between him and Vala.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Vala sat comfortably on one of the counter’s stool, facing away from it and leaning back with her elbows resting on the counter and her legs crossed, offering a very tantalizing view. She knew that because of the dozen men that had followed her to this location, only five had managed to speak and she fought back laughter every time the others tried. She loved the attention and the control she held over these small-town men but she was more than ready for Daniel to step in and whisk her away. One of the louts had screwed up the nerve to sit on the stool next to her and she didn’t want to make a scene but she’d knock him off it if he tried anything.

She made chit-chat about being an out-of-towner and asked their opinion on the best drinks this establishment offered. She resisted taking a peek over their heads to catch sight of Daniel and refrained from looking at her watch to see how long she’d been entertaining these hormone-driven degenerates. She really needed to start planning things like this more intelligently, this couldn’t be the only way to make Daniel realize how much he wanted her.

While one of the younger Minnesotans uttered his first shaky words, Vala was suddenly struck with the fact that her plan had been doomed from the start. Even if Daniel made some kind of display of jealousy, it didn’t mean a thing. In fact, if she wanted to be honest with herself, it was actually damning evidence against her case. If he showed feelings of possession, it would prove that he held a mental image of her and her association to him, it in no way negated the idea that that very image could be superimposed on that of his wife.

Just as she was stifling her third sigh as one of the brutes raked his eyes down her body without even making an attempt at subtlety, a familiar head of dark blonde weaved its way through the crowd with a purpose and the smile on her face grew exponentially. He may not be rescuing her in his mind but jealousy always had a way of making her feel special. Unfortunately, the pest on the stool had the misguided idea that her reaction was a response to whatever he’d just suggested and his large, sweaty hand brushed her naked back.

She turned to him and dimmed her grin significantly, turning it more into a warning glare and moving forward to avoid his touch but he followed like an imbecile.

“Excuse me but that skin’s been spoken for.” she told him candidly, trying to stay charming. The lout chuckled.

“Is that right? Well I don’t-” Whatever he’d been about to say was cut off by a firm hand clamping on his wrist and physically moving his offending appendage away from her naked skin.

“Hey! You mind?” the imbecile asked the bespectacled guy manhandling him.

“I do actually.” Daniel replied gravely, keeping the man’s eyes with a clenched jaw. The brute saw the quiet fury in the man’s eyes and felt the iron grip locked around his wrist and nodded in surrender. Daniel’s hand loosened around the guy’s wrist and moved to curl itself around Vala’s waist, under the thin fabric covering her sides. Throwing a dark look to the other men in the small crowd, he turned to Vala who was smiling at him with a strange look in her eyes.

“Are you planning on joining us?” he asked.

“Absolutely, darling.” she enthused quietly, uncrossing her legs and slipping off the stool. She would have liked to link her arm with his but he seemed to prefer keeping his hand around her waist as they navigated through the dissipating crowd and really, she couldn’t bring herself to mind. Her heart felt torn, most likely due to the rivaling forces pulling it in either direction: the joy of feeling wanted and the turbulent anxiety of wondering how accurate that joy was.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The evening was passing slowly for Daniel. He’d gotten Vala back to the booth and she’d welcomed his arm resting behind her shoulders on the back of the booth, she’d even leaned closer to him but he could feel her distance nonetheless. She was worked up over something and he doubted it had anything to do with the attention she’d received or his interference, his teeth still ground together when he thought of that stranger’s hand feeling her up. She’d smiled at him excitedly when she ordered a large plate of fries while the others stared on in incredulity - they were still stuffed from lunch - and then doubled the order and included a plate of chicken wings as per Teal’c’s request.

But then their waitress had finished her shift and a new girl brought their food over, that’s when Vala’s cheer fell again slightly. Daniel couldn’t understand what about this new waitress distressed her, she was dressed in the same uniform as the last, not conservative but tasteful, and she as flirting with them but not any more than the last had. The two girls even looked alike, as far as Daniel had noticed anyhow, the only real difference he could figure was in hair colour, the last girl had been a bottled blonde though he couldn’t remember the style, this one had curly black hair. As soon as the waitress left, Daniel noticed Vala watching him carefully from the corner of her eye but she turned away when he caught her. She munched on the fries with infinitely less enthusiasm than she’d possessed while waiting for them to arrive and she was startled when he moved his hand to brush her shoulder.

Vala straightened suddenly and announced that she had to visit the lady’s room. Reluctantly…very reluctantly…Daniel shuffled out of the booth and let her out. She didn’t even spare him a glance as she shot toward the hallway Jack had pointed out.

“Domestic dispute? Already?” Cameron asked Daniel who was watching Vala leave with a frown.

“I…don’t…know. She’s been acting weird since she got here.” Daniel started, looking over to Sam “What happened while you were shopping?”

Sam shifted in her seat and Daniel grew concerned.

“I’m sorry, I accidentally…told her about Sha’re.” she said with a strong wince that Jack and Cameron imitated.

“Oooh, that’s bad.” Cameron exclaimed with sympathy but Daniel shook his head.

“She already knew about Sha’re.” he said and every pair of eyes at the table swerved to him in disbelief.

“You told her about your wife not even two days into the relationship?” Jack asked slowly, his eyes clearly telling Daniel what he thought of him. Daniel sighed and rolled his eyes.

“It slipped out, but it doesn’t matter, it didn’t bother her.” he said, turning back to Sam “Did you tell her anything else?”

“Actually,” Sam nodded “she did seem fine when I mentioned Sha’re, she only started getting fidgety when I told her she had been a host.”

The table was quiet while they studied that thought.

“It would be hypocritical to take issue with your marriage to a host when she was once one herself.” Teal’c noted and Daniel nodded, he agreed there must be something else going on.

“Actually,” Cameron interjected and all eyes swung to him “I’m thinking that’s exactly the issue she’s having.”

Before anyone could object, he continued.

“I’m just saying, I see some similarities here…or is it just me?” he asked the clueless table, before raising both hands to simulate the women in question “I mean, Sha’re was an alien, Vala’s an alien. Sha’re had long black hair, Vala’s got that too. I saw the picture in your office.” he added when Daniel shot him a puzzled glance.

“Sha’re was a host, Vala was a host.” Sam said as she realized the problem.

“They both have names with two syllables…” Jack continued. Daniel shot him an exasperated glare.

“Okay, I get the picture.” Daniel said “There are…a lot of similarities between them. But the differences far outweigh the similarities, their personalities couldn’t be more opposite.”

The guys nodded eventually.

“But the host thing really seemed to jolt her.” Sam continued “When you think about it, it is kind of…rare…that someone would know two hosts personally.”

“Don’t forget Sarah Gardner.” Jack said, munching on a fry. Daniel sent him a sidelong glare while Cameron’s brow squeezed together in distress.

“That’s right, you were with three hosts that’s… pretty weird.” Cameron said, eyeing the archeologist who sighed and lowered his head to the table.

“Look, it’s not like I went out looking for hosts, I didn’t mail-order them from Snakes’R’Us! And, I was only with two of those hosts before they were taken! Vala is the first post-host…one…” he drifted off as he realized how ridiculous he sounded.

“I…should go…see her.” he said as he slid out of the booth. He shot a last frowning glance to the table before grabbing his leather jacket and heading for the last place he’d seen Vala.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Vala glared at her reflection, mentally berating herself for being so emotional, so wonko lately. Granted this was really the first time she’d ever been emotionally invested in something, someone, but she wasn’t being rational anymore and that annoyed her. She tore open her clutch purse and found her lip gloss, determined to actually pretend to have run off to the restrooms for a good reason.

“Having man troubles, sweetie?” said a gravely female voice to Vala’s right.

“I suppose I am.” Vala replied slowly, taking stock of the bathroom’s other occupant. She was a woman probably in her mid-thirties, maybe older, more makeup than Vala had yet seen on a person of this planet and an outfit possibly more indecent than her own.

“He being an ass?” the woman asked with a hard glint in her eyes. Vala sighed and returned to the mirror.

“No, not at all.” she said, reapplying her lip gloss “In fact he’s been perfect the entire since the day I met him and stole his…car.” she finished cautiously.

“Then what’s the problem?” the woman asked and Vala gave her a sad grin.

“The problem…is that I get the distinct feeling that I’m merely a representation of his deceased wife or some pitiful woman in need of rescuing, and neither option pleases me much.” Vala said with a glare at her reflection.

“Ah, I get it. Your man’s got a ‘damsel-in-distress’ complex, does he?” the blonde woman asked with a look of disgust.

“Damsel in distress complex?” Vala repeated.

“Yeah, he’s just gotta save you from every little thing in the world. I had a guy like that once, drove me nuts. As if I’m so incompetent that I can’t yell at my own damn neighbour when his cat tears up my newspaper! I can take care of myself! You know what I’m saying.” the strange woman said, creating an instant bond over male grievances. Vala moved closer to the irate woman curiously.

“And what did you do? How did you make him realize that you weren’t a - a distressed damsel?” Vala asked quickly, eager for a simple solution to her problem.

“Pfft. Didn’t.” the woman returned with a look of superiority and Vala’s heart sank “I dumped him on his behind, I didn’t have time to waste with that kind of overshadowing, clingy neanderthalic type.”

That wasn’t Vala’s problem though, Daniel wasn’t domineering or overbearing, she just didn’t want him to see someone else when he looked at her, she didn’t want him thinking of someone else when he kissed her. And this woman’s advice was useless, there was no way she was dumping Daniel on his behind, she’d rather be self-doubting with him than go back to her old life without him.

Vala turned to thank the woman but she’d already left the bathroom. She sighed and returned the gloss to her clutch before giving the mirror a wide smile to boost herself up. It didn’t work, she let the smile fall a bit and left the bathroom. She’d taken three steps when a hand wound itself gently around her arm and pulled her to the wall. Her eyes widened involuntarily as she almost fell off her stilettos and her fist came up to strike her offender, stopping only inches from Daniel’s nose.

“Daniel!” she scolded him “What are you doing?”

Daniel eyed her curled fingers in front of his face and brought his hand to gently guide them back down.

“We really have to work on your reflexes…they’re a little too sharp I think.” he joked but she didn’t laugh.

“What are you doing out here?” Vala asked, gesturing to the small hallway outside the restrooms.

“I was waiting for you.” Daniel replied simply and Vala smirked.

“Yes, I gathered that much. The question is why?” she posed and Daniel’s eyes fell to the hands he still held.

“Because…I get the feeling that there’s a lot not being said and that it would be best to say it before the silence gets misinterpreted.” he answered her, bringing his gaze back to hers and watched her eyes shift tellingly. Good, though they might not be on the same page quite yet, at least they were in the same book.

A drunken man came stumbling by, almost crashing into Vala but Daniel pulled her into him before he had a chance. Vala felt a twinge of irritation as the strange woman’s counsel returned to her. The drunkard disappeared into the men’s room and Vala pushed away from Daniel firmly but gently.

“I’m not a damsel in distress, Daniel.” she said earnestly. His blue eyes were puzzled behind his glasses.

“What?” he asked, bringing his hands back to her bare arms. Another drunk came by and Daniel rolled his eyes.

“How about we move this outside?” he suggested and she nodded, hesitating but accepting his hand before they moved away from the wall. They walked through the bar and Jack caught Daniel’s gaze but he just frowned in response and tightened his hold on Vala’s hand as they left the building. The guys sent each other worried glances but stayed put and tried to refrain from looking out the window.

The cool Minnesotan air assaulted Vala’s skin as soon as they stepped out of the warm bar. She let go of Daniel’s hand as they moved away from the door and wrapped her arms around herself as they walked slowly and aimlessly.

“Do you want to sit in the van? It’ll be warmer there.” Daniel asked as they walked through the small parking lot. Vala shook her head.

“I like it out here.” she said, momentarily forgetting her troubles as she caught a glimpse of the millions of stars above them. Daniel noticed where her attention was and smiled softly, shrugging his leather jacket off and placing it around her shoulders. The sudden weight and warmth of the jacket startled Vala out of her stellar observations and she turned to face Daniel with a grin.

“I suppose I should have taken the local climate into consideration when I chose my outfit for tonight.” she said ruefully, shrugging her arms into the sleeves of his coat. Daniel indulged himself for once, letting his eyes wander appreciatively down the perfect, bared skin of her torso. When his eyes came back up, Daniel caught Vala’s amused glance and realized he’d been caught. He smiled guiltily and reached for either side of his jacket, tugging her closer to zip the two halves together. The zipper was pinched between his middle finger and thumb, and his index had sneaked into the coat to guide the zipper. If his finger trailed a path along her skin on the way up…well that wasn’t his fault. Vala shivered but it wasn’t with cold and Daniel let his hands fall, taking one of hers as they started walking slowly again.

“Not that I’m complaining in the least,” he started with a grin “but why did you pick this outfit?”

Vala sighed, she was the one who started this conversation but the moment of peace they’d just shared left her less willing to continue it. Maybe she was making too big a deal out of this entire situation. So she shared some similarities with his wife…granted some pretty unique similarities but surely that wasn’t a rational reason to question his every motive and action. And besides, what if he did, what if he really saw his wife when he looked at her? What then? Would she give this all up, give these alien people up? The first real relationships she could remember having

Daniel noticed the anxious frown developing on Vala’s face and gave her hand a small tug.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked softly as they reached the sidewalk and stopped. Vala took a deep breath and smiled warmly at him.

“Nothing, actually.” she said honestly with a warm smile. Daniel raised an eyebrow skeptically.

“Then why the show in there, and the outfit?” he asked and it was her turn to raise an eyebrow but not in skepticism, hers was clearly unimpressed.

“Darling, this outfit is closer to the things I would normally wear than anything you’ve seen me in so far. There’s usually more leather but Sam advised against it, she said it might not be very appropriate for this setting.” she informed him candidly and smirked as his eyes strayed to a distant point to the right, as if picturing something in his mind. Daniel shook himself out of his silence and took in her smiling face.

“Oh, okay then.” he said simply, taking a breath before breaching the actual issue Vala had seemingly abandoned “But I…got the feeling you weren’t too happy with me since your shopping trip with Sam.” he spoke slowly and deliberately “And she thought it might have to do with the fact that she told you Sha’re was a host.”

Vala let out a small breath of self-annoyance and gave him a self-conscious smile.

“I wasn’t particularly pleased” she admitted and continued quickly when his concerned look turned slightly alarmed “but it wasn’t because of anything you did, I just had a…momentary bout of paranoia mixed in with a healthy dose of insanity.”

She gave a small laugh and smiled wide but he didn’t seem ready to brush things off like she was.

“Brought on by?” he pressed. Vala cursed herself internally for not having caught her erratic behaviour sooner, she could have avoided this whole conversation.

“I just…when Sam mentioned that…your wife was host to a Goa’uld…I just-” Vala stopped for a moment, congratulating herself for having spoken the words ‘your wife’ without stuttering “I just couldn’t help but notice the similarities...”

Daniel stepped closer and placed his hand under her chin to raise her head up. “And?”

Vala gave him incredulous eyes and shifted uncomfortably. “And…well you can’t tell me it’s not slightly odd that one Tau’ri man has been quite intimate with not one but two alien hosts? It’s not completely out of the realm of possibilities to assume that I might remind you of her, especially when you saved me but couldn’t-” she broke off abruptly. She backed up a bit and leaned against the low railing that framed the parking lot. Daniel noticed the guilt and worry in her eyes, even though she seemed to be having difficulty looking at him. He moved to stand before her again.

“But I couldn’t save her.” he finished and she winced.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…All this because I was worried I brought up her memory and here I am doing it anyway.” she rolled her eyes in self-chastisement and Daniel smothered a grin.

“Thinking about Sha’re isn’t going to cripple me, Vala, especially not now that I’ve recently started feeling so strong again.” he said, taking her hand again. She didn’t seem to pick up the message but maybe that was best for now. “Is that all that was worrying you? That I associated you with Sha’re because you were both hosts?”

Vala shrugged and nodded.

“Really, Daniel, knowing one host might happen to a handful of people in the galaxy, but knowing two? That’s a pretty big coincidence to ignore. I wouldn’t blame you for drawing parallels.” she said.

“Three actually.” Daniel said. Vala raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

“You know three hosts?” she asked with wide eyes. Daniel nodded but stopped short.

“Oh, no, sorry, four.” his eyes wandered away as he scoured his memories for more, Vala’s face was scrunched up in shock.

“And actually, I met Apophis’s host for a few minutes…does that count?” he asked with innocent eyes.

“Daniel!” Vala exclaimed in amazement “How is that even possible?”

Daniel grinned before turning solemn and stepping closer as he started to feel the chill of the night.

“Well, there was Sha’re, then her brother Skaa’ra was taken as host to Klorel but we got him back. Then my ex-girlfriend Sarah was taken as host by Osiris, we got her back last year. And now you.” he said the last words fondly but Vala’s eyes were still wide with disbelief.

“You’ve been romantically linked to three hosts?” she asked in shock.

“Okay, to be fair, I was involved with the other two before they became hosts, before I even knew about hosts actually.” he defended himself and Vala nodded slowly before giving a fraction of a grin.

“So, I suppose my having been a host isn’t that prominent in your thoughts of me.” she summarized ruefully and he chuckled.

“Definitely not in the broader spectrum of my thoughts of you.” he reassured her, recalling his most recent musings involving her and leather “I don’t mean to imply that I gloss over the fact that you were a host, I know how hard it must have been to regain your life after you were freed, Sarah’s been in a mental institution since we got her back and she hasn’t made much improvement. I just want to make sure you know that I’m not using you to replace anyone.” he said earnestly.

Vala smiled with relief as her lurking discomfort with him disintegrated. She pushed herself off the railing in a flash and let herself sink into him as his arms curled around her.

“Good,” she spoke into his chest with a teasing tone “because I would hate to have to break out my more aggressive tendencies like I did on your ship all those months ago.”

“Ugh, I could really do without more bruises, you almost broke my nose.” he accused her and she laughed against him.

“I did.” she said simply, without any sound of remorse “I did kiss it better though.”

Daniel snorted. “You missed by a couple of inches actually.”

Vala leaned back a little in his arms to look at him with a concerned expression.

“Oh, did I?” she asked with a worried frown and he nodded “Well, I should probably try again, you know, to make up for it.”

Daniel took in her mischievous eyes and licked his lips.

“Honestly, I think you owe it to me.” he agreed with a nod and she smiled before reaching up and softly pressing her mouth to his before leaning back again.

“Oops.” she said, licking her lips “I missed…I should try again.”

Instead of responding, Daniel placed his hand on her cheek and swooped down to steal his kisses from her. She had no objections to his thievery and generously pressed herself closer to him, granting him more access to her mouth and winding her arms around his shoulders. For an eternity they remained locked together until Vala’s hand moved to his neck and she discovered the coolness of the skin there. She broke away slowly with a last quick kiss and shot him a smile.

“We should get back to the bar, you’ll freeze to death out here.” she said with a rough voice, taking his hand and leading him back to the parking lot to reach Clearwater Corners. Daniel almost protested with the claim that he couldn’t feel the cold with her pressed against him but the skin on his arms was already goosebumped and they’d be back at the cabin soon anyway. He let Vala lead him back slowly as he went over the conversation they’d just had and his memories of their fight on the Prometheus.

“That’s what you meant when you said you weren’t a ‘damsel in distress’, wasn’t it? That you’re more than capable of rescuing yourself?” Daniel asked, he somewhat amused with the new lingo she’d picked up. He sobered a little when she nodded jerkily.

“I thought I made it clear this morning that it’s your strength, your courage, your determination, your resourcefulness that I admire?” he reminded her and she smiled slowly.

“I know, you did.” she said, finally looking him straight in the eyes “I suppose I’m just not used to believing that people actually mean what they say on your adorable little planet.”

“Well, I don’t know about the whole planet, but I’ll never lie to you.” he promised her “None of the others will either.” he added, motioning to the bar. Vala searched his eyes and graced him with a megawatt smile.

“I believe you.” she said honestly, she did believe him.

“Finally.” he teased her and she glared at him good-naturedly.

They stepped up the three stairs of the bar’s front porch and Daniel held the door open for Vala as they entered. She head for their booth and slipped out of the jacket before sitting down and moving closer to Sam to make room for Daniel on the end.

“Ooh, my fries!” Vala exclaimed reaching for the basket in the middle of the table. The others shared small glances and smiles before resuming their random conversations. Daniel took his jacket from behind Vala and hung it up before slipping into the booth beside her and placing his arm on the top of the cushion behind her. She shot him a smile which he couldn’t help but reciprocate and leaned into him as she nibbled on the fries and stole a sip from Sam’s coke.

Sam was at the wrong angle but Jack, Teal’c and Cameron had a perfect view of the new couple on the other side of the table and it was a mesmerizing sight in its duality. Vala, in her skimpy outfit, oozed a natural confidence and sensuality that had caused more than one man in the bar to stop and stare tonight. Daniel, in his sensible sweater, jeans and glasses, exuded modesty and reservation. But then, they’d catch each other’s gaze and her eyes would turn shy and bashful while his would turn emboldened and heated. It was probably something they had yet to notice for themselves but they contrasted in every way possible, and while it would most likely cause friction in the future, for now it was what they both needed. They brought each other back to life.

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Is it just me or would this be a GREAT place to end this fic? ^_~ I suppose a promise is a promise though…;)

Sorry I’m not better with angst ^.~ I just can’t seem to draw it out long enough *sigh*

Next - Chapter 15