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so_out_of_ideas) wrote2006-12-30 02:24 pm
so_out_of_ideas) wrote2006-12-30 02:24 pm
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Okay, I haven't gotten to SG-Claus yet. I'm sorry AGAIN guys. I could have worked on it yesterday but ended up posting tutorials instead. Since ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
stargatefangurl set up her gmail calendar to remind her to post the ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
scifi_five challenge on Monday, perhaps I'll have proper motivation to finish it next week?
I do have two stories, written a couple of months apart. The first was something I wrote as a part of my NaNoWrimo project. Nilla, one of the story's main characters, is a dhampir, who just happens to ship Daniel/Janet because I needed something to develop her character into more than just the smart-aleck tough girl. So, this has been sitting on my hard drive since like the first week in November. Not quite two months, but almost.
Anyway. We all know that Daniel/Vala is my OTP, but I do miss Janet, and the ship had such potential. Daniel being caught in his quest to rescue Sha're for the first three seasons, and then, I suspect, his guilt over her death, made it really difficult for them to ever move past the silent attraction stage, though.
3x21, The Crystal Skull has always been one of my favorite episodes. There are so many subtle things there. Team friendship, shippy moments, character development. Most of all, I love Nick. He makes me think how lucky I am to have a real grandpa. My grandparents have always been a huge influence in my life. They gave me stability in my formative years, acceptance later, and always showed me the love of Christ rather than rambling about useless church doctrines that would have gone over my head anyway. If not for that, I don't think I ever would have found genuine faith in anything despite all the "exploring" I've done. So, of course I love that Daniel and Nick have a reconciliation moment at the end. I've always wished Nick could come back on the show, but I think I've explored that quite a bit in Rediscovered Hearts. The Daniel/Janet idea actually came to me when I remembered this icon:
which was done for my claim on the episode over atsg_100.
The Daniel/Vala fic is a post-ep fic for Company of Thieves, completely unrelated to either of my AUs. It was a completely random idea I came up with and decided to use it for the current prompt onsg_xhallenges which is "Tears".
Thanks go toteddibear rants_by_james and literarylitany for beta and plot help stuff.
Title: Risk
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: AU His mouth had gone dry, his heart started hammering, and then she'd restricted the whole team to Earth for three days because she could find no medical reason to explain his sweaty palms, spiking blood pressure or sudden rapid respiration.
Rating: PG
Length: Around 1500 words
Category: Humor/Romance
Pairings/Charaters:Daniel/Janet; also Daniel/Teal'c friendship
A/N: The story is cannon to the end of 3x21, goes AU from there.
Risk
He set down the pencil with a hard clack and pushed back the chair. Then, nodding to himself, Daniel shoved himself to his feet and started for his office door. Not quite reaching it, he turned around again, and walked back to the desk, where he sat down and picked up his notes. A minute later, he had set them back onto the cluttered surface.
"This is ridiculous," he told himself, resting his forehead on the palm of his hand. SG-1 had returned from their second trip to P7X-377 almost a week ago. As usual, of course, they'd gone straight to the infirmary, where Janet had given them their post mission health check, and cleared them for duty. His head had still been full of all the things he'd promised himself that he was going to tell her--things he'd only even had the courage to start admitting when he was under the effects of the Skull, out of phase, and thought he'd never have the chance.
Somehow, though, he'd never managed to say any of those things. His mouth had gone dry, his heart started hammering, and then she'd restricted the whole team to Earth for three days because she could find no medical reason to explain his sweaty palms, spiking blood pressure or sudden rapid respiration. Try as he might to offer the real explanation, his tongue had suddenly felt three sizes too big for his mouth, and his command of the English language was reduced to monosyllabic grunts, headshakes and shrugs, while his mind refused to move past the confused expressions of his perfectly healthy teammates nearby.
There had been coffee the following afternoon in the commissary, and he tried again. It should have been simple. He'd rehearsed it enough times while he sat invisible on the counter in the infirmary or lingered in her office doorway. He'd gotten as far as the part about regrets and "--a lot of things I should've said--". Then he noticed her looking up at him--quietly, her face open and attentive, completely at ease as she stirred her coffee. His breath caught in his throat, and he stared down at the dark brown liquid in his own cup, then back up at her.
"To Nick?" she asked with a little smile of encouragement.
"Uh…yeah," he heard himself reply. "I guess--I guess--you just--don't think about all those things until…something happens like this."
"Well, at least it looks like you and Nick will get another chance," she reminded him. "A lot of people never have that."
"No…" Daniel swallowed, looking away again as his throat began to tighten. "No, they don't."
"Oh," Janet's tone became instantly contrite. "Daniel, I'm sorry. I didn't mean…"
"It's okay, Janet," he replied, smiling as she reached to touch the back of his hand. "Listen, I--I--I really should get back to work…"
Now he let out a frustrated sigh at his own cowardice. Tossing the notebook back onto the desk, he sprang to his feet and strode out of the office, gritting his teeth in determination. He passed Sam and Jack in the hall. The pair was dressed in street clothes and headed for the elevator, but he slid past them without stopping. Part of him wondered what his friends were up to, and their eyes on his back told him he'd have an interrogation of his own to deal with later, but he only quickened his pace toward the infirmary, knowing that if he stopped to talk now, he'd lose his nerve again.
She was catching up on paperwork, and looked up with a start as he burst into her office. He froze, immediately feeling his pulse begin to pound again. His mouth worked for a moment without producing sound, and Janet's brow furrowed in concern.
"Daniel?" she asked.
"Uh, hi…" he replied, clutching the doorframe.
"Everything okay?" she continued.
"Yeah--well, no--Janet, I wanted to apologize…"
"For what?" her frown deepened.
"Oh, y'know…the--the other day. In the commissary. I just--sometimes it still hits me pretty hard. I miss her."
"I know," Janet nodded. "Sha're was your wife..."
He ducked his head, letting out a heavy sigh, but finally nodded. "I think part of the problem is…" he began, looking up again. The words trembled on the tip of his tongue, though, and he couldn't force them past his suddenly dry lips.
…how I feel about you…I think part of the problem is how I feel about you! Just say it! he growled at himself silently.
"Just give yourself time, Daniel," Janet smiled, turning back to the writing on her desk.
"Yeah," he sighed, turning to leave again. He halted in the main infirmary, leaning against the wall for several minutes, but couldn't force his legs back in the direction of her office. When the medical staff started eyeing him questioningly, he left. He found himself trudging in the general direction of Teal'c's quarters, although he hadn't had a conscious intention of going there.
Once he was directly outside the Jaffa's door and let out a sigh. It was either go in or walk back to the infirmary and make an even bigger fool of himself, though, so he finally sucked up his courage and knocked.
"Enter," rumbled Teal'c from the other side of the door.
Daniel edged his head inside, his eyes widening at the sight of his friend not only watching television, but watching something that was unmistakably a music video of Fat by Weird Al Yankovich. Teal'c picked up the remote control and snapped off the TV. Daniel squeezed through the door without fully opening it, then leaned back to push it shut.
"You, um, like Weird Al?" he asked.
"I find the concept of musical parodies intriguing," Teal'c replied.
"Ah, right," Daniel nodded. "I was…uh…wondering if you knew where Jack and Sam took off to."
"It would seem that O'Neill lost a recent wager with MajorCarter and now must accompany her to a performance of the musical Annie at the local repertoire theater," Teal'c explained.
"Annie?" Daniel's eyebrows rose.
"Indeed," nodded Teal'c distastefully.
"I wouldn't have thought that to be Sam's first choice," Daniel observed.
"O'Neill believed that she chose this particular production chiefly for the sake of his lack of enjoyment," Teal'c agreed.
"Now, that I'd believe," Daniel nodded. He fell silent again, biting his lip, and Teal'c's eyebrow rose.
"Is something troubling you, DanielJackson?" the Jaffa asked.
"I…um…" Daniel began with a sigh. "Well. When I was…y'know, invisible, I started to realize that there were some things I wanted to say--no. Things I needed to say to Janet. Of course, I couldn't--or, I could, but she couldn't hear me anyway, so it doesn't really matter…"
"You have not spoken of these things to DoctorFraiser since our return from the world of the Crystal Skull," Teal'c said, not really a question.
"No," Daniel shook his head. "I keep…well, that's the thing. I don't know what I keep doing, Teal'c."
The Jaffa nodded. "There are many things which I would have liked to say to Drey'auc when SG-1 last visited Chulak. Under the circumstances, there was no opportunity. I must trust that my wife is aware of those things I did not say."
"But, since I have the chance, I really ought to just…quit chickening out, huh?" Daniel finished the thought.
"Indeed," Teal'c agreed. "I will accompany you."
"Huh?"
"To the infirmary," Teal'c said, rising smoothly from the bed.
"Right now?" Daniel squeaked, swallowing hard.
"Indeed," said Teal'c flatly.
"Okay," sighed Daniel as he reluctantly turned to open the door again.
The two friends trekked back up the hall that Daniel had just come down. Teal'c, however, paused at the door, gesturing the archaeologist back inside. Daniel sucked in a long breath and marched back to Janet's office.
She looked up again, eyes widening. "Hi…" she said, frowning.
"Janet--never mind," Daniel shook his head, whirling around. He scurried back toward the door, feeling his face and neck redden as he was aware of her following him out.
"Daniel…?" she called questioningly.
Teal'c appeared in the doorway and Daniel froze again. The Jaffa raised an eyebrow, and Daniel hung his head, turning around again. Slowly raising his eyes, he trudged back to stand in front of her.
"Are you feeling all right?" Janet asked.
"Not really, no," he confessed, shaking his head.
"Okay," Janet said carefully. "Why don't we go--hey!"
Daniel's hands shot out before he even knew what he was doing. Grabbing her by the shoulders, he yanked her hard against him. She struggled for a moment, but as his lips covered hers, he felt her tense frame soften and her arms slid around his neck. Janet twined her fingers in his hair, holding him there until they were both breathless and shaking from the sudden liplock. Finally, reluctantly, he slid his mouth away, and her fingers trailed downward, lingering on his cheeks.
"Much better," Daniel whispered as Teal'c turned and walked back to his quarters, a small smile touching his lips as he went.
Title: Hidden
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: AU "You owe her an apology, Daniel. And you're acting like a scared little boy.
Rating: G
Length: Around 1000 words
Category: Gen
Pairings/Charaters: Vala/Sam friendship; Daniel/Sam friendship; Daniel/Vala implied
A/N: The story is cannon to the end of 10x09, Company of Thieves, goes AU by the end. Written forsg_challenges Challenge #36 (Tears)
Hidden
There were tears in her eyes, and he knew he put them there. He hadn't expected it, couldn't quite believe it, but he'd seen it before she turned away. He hated himself for it, but she didn't cry, and he didn't offer the apology that, truthfully, he knew she deserved. He followed the rest of the team silently to the infirmary, where the usual post-mission chatter was hollow to his ears. Mitchell ribbed him about his short-lived stint in the captain's chair, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything about the CO's unplanned impersonation of Lutan.
Afterward, he escaped back to his office, breathing a sigh of relief when, for once, she didn't follow. Then he grabbed the first book he could lay his hand on--it doesn't mater what it is, he thought--and tried to bury himself in it. A few minutes later, he dropped it, jumping slightly in his seat as Sam came barreling through the door. Daniel didn't bother picking it up again. He hadn't understood a word of it anyway.
"What were you doing?" she demanded.
"Um…reading…?"
"No, Daniel. What were you doing on the ship? You know, you really hurt her," Sam said. "And you're acting like a scared little boy."
He didn't have to ask what she meant, but he wondered vaguely why she was taking Vala's part. Her own emotions were still running high over Emmerson. Maybe that's what had sparked the newfound empathy. He knew he should have been glad. Vala needed real friendship more than anything else--and right now, he thought, Sam could use a friend as well. His hackles were up, though.
"What about all the stuff she's done--" he broke off. Sam was right. He knew it, and he knew he should quit hiding in here and find Vala. Part of him wanted to, but another, bigger part, was still reeling inside. Reeling from the memory of his revelation to Vala about Sha're. Reeling from Vala's recent disappearance and his own panic. The need to find her--find her alive--still made his mouth go dry and his palms sweaty when he thought of it. It was terrifying, in its own way. As terrifying as the realization that his wife had been taken--kidnapped and violated, made host to Ammaunet.
"Vala's part of the team. You owe her an apology, Daniel," Sam expectantly.
Daniel bit his lip, but said nothing. Everything she'd said was true--Vala had spent years learning to depend on no one and nothing but herself. She was finally starting to understand what it meant to be part of a team. Now thanks to him, even the members of that team weren't safe.
Sam stood waiting another minute, her arms folded across her chest. He let his eyes flick down to the book he'd dropped and tried to speak again. No sound came out. Swallowing hard, he looked up at her, but Sam only shook her head and stalked back out the door.
***
She was wiping the tears away when she heard Sam come in. She jumped off the bench and made a show of straightening her pigtails in the locker room mirror. Vala didn't cry in public, and she certainly didn't cry around other women. She wondered again what had gotten into her. She wondered how and why Daniel Jackson has the power to bring tears to her eyes--wondered why she wasn't over it already.
"Hey," Sam said quietly. Vala heard the Tau'ri woman slip onto the bench behind her and slowly turned to face her.
"Are you okay?" Sam asked, and Vala resisted the urge to bite her lip as she realized that the Lt. Colonel's sharp eyes must have caught some lingering trace of tears on her cheeks.
She nodded automatically, but Sam raised an eyebrow, and Vala inexplicably felt her eyes beginning to burn again. She forced her gaze away as Sam rose from the bench, but when she felt a hand close on her shoulder, the last of her defenses finally crumbled.
"I’m sorry--" she started to say. Her voice cracked on the words, and Sam shook her head dismissively. She pulled Vala into a hug, which the dark haired woman resisted for a moment; then she gave a hesitant squeeze in return. As they drew apart again, Vala sniffed vehemently, "Men suck!"
"Yes they do," Sam smiled. "Where'd you learn that expression?"
"Television," Vala responded, walking over to slam her locker door in frustration.
"If it helps any, I just gave him a nasty chewing out," Sam offered.
"Oh?" Vala's ears perked up.
"Yeah, see what he was doing was essentially pulling on your pigtails."
"I wasn't wearing pigtails," Vala said with a blank expression. "I had my hair up in that bun thingy."
"No, it's an Earth expression. It means to tease someone mercilessly because you're afraid of showing your feelings for them. Grade school boys are famous for doing it to the girls they like. Then the girls punch the boys."
Vala scrunched up her nose. "I think I see what you mean. You Tau'ri have some very odd expressions. You know…what bothers me is that lately he really has seemed to treat me differently. And everyone said was quite worried after the kidnapping. Now suddenly it's as if nothing's changed from when I first came here. Granted, I was a bit of thorn in his side then, but I've changed a lot. I thought he'd realized that…he did seem to…"
She trailed off, slumping back against the lockers. Her eyes hopefully sought Sam's, and she felt her throat tighten as she found confirmation in the other woman's gaze. Her vision blurred, and she let out a long breath, trying to force back the unwelcome emotion.
"You have changed a lot," Sam nodded, coming over to slide her arm back around Vala's shoulders. "I didn't know you back then, but from what I was told and read in reports, you're very different from how you were last year. A lot has happened to you. And I think Daniel's-- just scared of losing you. He's lost a lot of people he cared about. He even lost himself for a while. He's not really sure how to cope when he's in love with someone."
"In love?" Vala's eyes widened. "You really think he's in love with me?"
"Hey," Sam grinned. "Pulling pigtails, remember?"
Title: What To Do When Pulling Pigtails Backfires
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: AU She tasted of candy-apple lip gloss now, but her lips were as warm and full as he remembered...
Rating: PG
Length: Around 1000 words
Category: Humor/Romance
Pairings/Charaters: Daniel/Vala; Implied Vala/Sam friendship
A/N: The story is cannon to the end of 10x09, Company of Thieves, goes AU by the end.
What To Do When Pulling Pigtails Backfires
Daniel really didn't expect her to open the door. She had every reason not to. If she did open it, he wouldn't be surprised if she only stood there long enough to punch him in the face. Pacing in front of Vala's door, he admitted he wouldn't blame her. As the door moved back, he drew in a breath, bracing himself for the familiar crunch of her knuckles against his nose. She stood there, though, eyes wide with surprise, and only moved awkwardly aside, gesturing for him to come in.
He swallowed reflexively, feeling suddenly cold. All the determination he'd worked up on the trek from his office to her quarters suddenly deserted him, and he stood bewildered, unsure of anything but the racing of his pulse. Vala's forehead creased into a frown, and she uncomfortably cleared her throat.
"Did you want to come in?" she asked.
He half nodded, barreling into the room before he could talk himself out of it. Coming to a halt with his hands against the back of the secondhand loveseat that Sam had given her, he dug his fingers into the soft fabric and struggled in vain to even form a sentence. He could feel her eyes on his back, heard the door slide softly shut, and then heard her footsteps approach.
Whirling around, Daniel took a step toward her, and Vala froze. Their eyes met for a long moment, but finally he forced his gaze away. Drawing a quick breath, he said finally, "Vala, I--I wanna apologize. For how I treated you--on the ship. And--and before that, the things I said to you in the briefing room--about your past. I--don't know where that was coming from."
"There's no need, Daniel," she said, and his head jerked back up in time to see her give a stiff shrug.
"Yes, there is," he said hurriedly, determined to finish what he'd come here to say. "You're a member of the team. And that means we back each other up, not--not pick fights and tear each other down."
"Oh," she said, forcing her tone to remain casual, though he clearly read the disappointment she was trying not to show.
"And--" he began, but felt his breath catch and the sudden damp chill of perspiration on his palms and the back of his neck. He clenched his fists without thinking, then quickly released them and took another breath.
Her brow furrowed again, this time with a mix of concern and trepidation. Daniel took another step and saw her tense. He wondered for half a second if she was going to back away, but instead she took a cautious step in his direction.
"And?" she prompted, arching an eyebrow.
"Vala, I'm in love you," he said, forcing the words out before his brain could get in the way again. "I've--I've been in love with you--I don't know how long---but then you were gone--and then you came back, and you were married to Tomin and I--"
"Daniel, I know," she cut him off.
"What do you mean, you know?!" he cried. "How do you know?!"
"A girl knows when someone's in love with her," she shrugged. "And, honestly, you don't hide your feelings very well."
"Wha--you--you mean you've known all this time, and--and you let me just keep--" he broke off, slapping his arms against his sides in frustration.
"Well, Daniel, what was I supposed to do?" she shot back.
He opened his mouth to reply, but shook his head and shut it again. "Kiss me," he heard himself say finally, then gulped at the realization that the words had actually come out of his mouth.
"Daniel, if I had kissed you, you would have been furious," Vala said sharply.
"Huh? No!" he exclaimed. "I mean--kiss me now."
Vala's mouth dropped open in surprise, and she stared for a moment. "Oh," she said slowly, stepping forward to close the remaining distance between them. Her hands slid over his taut shoulders, and he lowered his head to meet her lips.
She tasted of candy-apple lip gloss now, but her lips were as warm and full as he remembered. One arm wound around her, pulling her tighter against his chest, while the other reached up to cup the back of her head. He felt heat and cold race along his nerves, felt her heart pounding and her breath coming every bit as fast as his. Then there was only her mouth, slick and firm against his--
"You're an ass, you know that don't you?" Vala declared, ripping her mouth away.
"What…?" Daniel asked thickly.
Vala pushed him back against the loveseat and turned away, stalking to the other side of it, where she flung herself down and crossed her arms tightly over her chest. "You know, what you were doing was, essentially, pulling my pigtails."
Daniel opened his mouth to reply and paused, frowning. "What? Wait. Where did you pick up that metaphor?"
"Sam taught it to me," Vala replied coolly. "While assuring me that you didn't mean any harm; you were just being a typical male. In love."
"Oh," Daniel bit his lip.
"So. You treat me as if I have no feelings at all. Then you come in here and think you can just apologize, tell me you love me and that makes it all right?"
"No," Daniel shook his head, hurrying around to the other side of the loveseat. "Vala, that's--that's not what I meant to do."
"Well, what then?" she demanded.
"I--" he began, then broke off, raking his fingers through his hair. "I dunno. I don't know what I'm doing! You--you just make me so crazy!"
Before she could say anything, he had flopped down on the cushion beside her. He felt his cheeks redden, and stared sullenly at the wall, keeping his eyes firmly away from her. Then he heard a soft but unmistakable snort of laughter. An answering chuckle started to form, and he bit the inside of his cheek to resist it. Finally, though, he turned to look at her, the corners of his mouth turning up in a wry grin.
"This is pretty ridiculous, isn't it?" he asked.
"Mmm-hmm," she agreed, edging closer and coiling an arm around him.
Daniel frowned and started to speak again, his tone shifting to become serious. "It's just that--when you disappeared--everything shut down. I guess I--" he broke off, wetting his lips with his tongue. Warm tears began to well in his eyes, but he let them come. "I lost Sha're. I don't know if I can do that again. Forgive me?" he finished, his voice cracking on the phrase.
Vala nodded, leaning forward to brush his damp cheek with her lips. "I won't disappear, Daniel," she promised.
stargatefangurl set up her gmail calendar to remind her to post the scifi_five challenge on Monday, perhaps I'll have proper motivation to finish it next week?I do have two stories, written a couple of months apart. The first was something I wrote as a part of my NaNoWrimo project. Nilla, one of the story's main characters, is a dhampir, who just happens to ship Daniel/Janet because I needed something to develop her character into more than just the smart-aleck tough girl. So, this has been sitting on my hard drive since like the first week in November. Not quite two months, but almost.
Anyway. We all know that Daniel/Vala is my OTP, but I do miss Janet, and the ship had such potential. Daniel being caught in his quest to rescue Sha're for the first three seasons, and then, I suspect, his guilt over her death, made it really difficult for them to ever move past the silent attraction stage, though.
3x21, The Crystal Skull has always been one of my favorite episodes. There are so many subtle things there. Team friendship, shippy moments, character development. Most of all, I love Nick. He makes me think how lucky I am to have a real grandpa. My grandparents have always been a huge influence in my life. They gave me stability in my formative years, acceptance later, and always showed me the love of Christ rather than rambling about useless church doctrines that would have gone over my head anyway. If not for that, I don't think I ever would have found genuine faith in anything despite all the "exploring" I've done. So, of course I love that Daniel and Nick have a reconciliation moment at the end. I've always wished Nick could come back on the show, but I think I've explored that quite a bit in Rediscovered Hearts. The Daniel/Janet idea actually came to me when I remembered this icon:
which was done for my claim on the episode over at
sg_100. The Daniel/Vala fic is a post-ep fic for Company of Thieves, completely unrelated to either of my AUs. It was a completely random idea I came up with and decided to use it for the current prompt on
sg_xhallenges which is "Tears".Thanks go to
teddibear rants_by_james and literarylitany for beta and plot help stuff.Title: Risk
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: AU His mouth had gone dry, his heart started hammering, and then she'd restricted the whole team to Earth for three days because she could find no medical reason to explain his sweaty palms, spiking blood pressure or sudden rapid respiration.
Rating: PG
Length: Around 1500 words
Category: Humor/Romance
Pairings/Charaters:Daniel/Janet; also Daniel/Teal'c friendship
A/N: The story is cannon to the end of 3x21, goes AU from there.
He set down the pencil with a hard clack and pushed back the chair. Then, nodding to himself, Daniel shoved himself to his feet and started for his office door. Not quite reaching it, he turned around again, and walked back to the desk, where he sat down and picked up his notes. A minute later, he had set them back onto the cluttered surface.
"This is ridiculous," he told himself, resting his forehead on the palm of his hand. SG-1 had returned from their second trip to P7X-377 almost a week ago. As usual, of course, they'd gone straight to the infirmary, where Janet had given them their post mission health check, and cleared them for duty. His head had still been full of all the things he'd promised himself that he was going to tell her--things he'd only even had the courage to start admitting when he was under the effects of the Skull, out of phase, and thought he'd never have the chance.
Somehow, though, he'd never managed to say any of those things. His mouth had gone dry, his heart started hammering, and then she'd restricted the whole team to Earth for three days because she could find no medical reason to explain his sweaty palms, spiking blood pressure or sudden rapid respiration. Try as he might to offer the real explanation, his tongue had suddenly felt three sizes too big for his mouth, and his command of the English language was reduced to monosyllabic grunts, headshakes and shrugs, while his mind refused to move past the confused expressions of his perfectly healthy teammates nearby.
There had been coffee the following afternoon in the commissary, and he tried again. It should have been simple. He'd rehearsed it enough times while he sat invisible on the counter in the infirmary or lingered in her office doorway. He'd gotten as far as the part about regrets and "--a lot of things I should've said--". Then he noticed her looking up at him--quietly, her face open and attentive, completely at ease as she stirred her coffee. His breath caught in his throat, and he stared down at the dark brown liquid in his own cup, then back up at her.
"To Nick?" she asked with a little smile of encouragement.
"Uh…yeah," he heard himself reply. "I guess--I guess--you just--don't think about all those things until…something happens like this."
"Well, at least it looks like you and Nick will get another chance," she reminded him. "A lot of people never have that."
"No…" Daniel swallowed, looking away again as his throat began to tighten. "No, they don't."
"Oh," Janet's tone became instantly contrite. "Daniel, I'm sorry. I didn't mean…"
"It's okay, Janet," he replied, smiling as she reached to touch the back of his hand. "Listen, I--I--I really should get back to work…"
Now he let out a frustrated sigh at his own cowardice. Tossing the notebook back onto the desk, he sprang to his feet and strode out of the office, gritting his teeth in determination. He passed Sam and Jack in the hall. The pair was dressed in street clothes and headed for the elevator, but he slid past them without stopping. Part of him wondered what his friends were up to, and their eyes on his back told him he'd have an interrogation of his own to deal with later, but he only quickened his pace toward the infirmary, knowing that if he stopped to talk now, he'd lose his nerve again.
She was catching up on paperwork, and looked up with a start as he burst into her office. He froze, immediately feeling his pulse begin to pound again. His mouth worked for a moment without producing sound, and Janet's brow furrowed in concern.
"Daniel?" she asked.
"Uh, hi…" he replied, clutching the doorframe.
"Everything okay?" she continued.
"Yeah--well, no--Janet, I wanted to apologize…"
"For what?" her frown deepened.
"Oh, y'know…the--the other day. In the commissary. I just--sometimes it still hits me pretty hard. I miss her."
"I know," Janet nodded. "Sha're was your wife..."
He ducked his head, letting out a heavy sigh, but finally nodded. "I think part of the problem is…" he began, looking up again. The words trembled on the tip of his tongue, though, and he couldn't force them past his suddenly dry lips.
…how I feel about you…I think part of the problem is how I feel about you! Just say it! he growled at himself silently.
"Just give yourself time, Daniel," Janet smiled, turning back to the writing on her desk.
"Yeah," he sighed, turning to leave again. He halted in the main infirmary, leaning against the wall for several minutes, but couldn't force his legs back in the direction of her office. When the medical staff started eyeing him questioningly, he left. He found himself trudging in the general direction of Teal'c's quarters, although he hadn't had a conscious intention of going there.
Once he was directly outside the Jaffa's door and let out a sigh. It was either go in or walk back to the infirmary and make an even bigger fool of himself, though, so he finally sucked up his courage and knocked.
"Enter," rumbled Teal'c from the other side of the door.
Daniel edged his head inside, his eyes widening at the sight of his friend not only watching television, but watching something that was unmistakably a music video of Fat by Weird Al Yankovich. Teal'c picked up the remote control and snapped off the TV. Daniel squeezed through the door without fully opening it, then leaned back to push it shut.
"You, um, like Weird Al?" he asked.
"I find the concept of musical parodies intriguing," Teal'c replied.
"Ah, right," Daniel nodded. "I was…uh…wondering if you knew where Jack and Sam took off to."
"It would seem that O'Neill lost a recent wager with MajorCarter and now must accompany her to a performance of the musical Annie at the local repertoire theater," Teal'c explained.
"Annie?" Daniel's eyebrows rose.
"Indeed," nodded Teal'c distastefully.
"I wouldn't have thought that to be Sam's first choice," Daniel observed.
"O'Neill believed that she chose this particular production chiefly for the sake of his lack of enjoyment," Teal'c agreed.
"Now, that I'd believe," Daniel nodded. He fell silent again, biting his lip, and Teal'c's eyebrow rose.
"Is something troubling you, DanielJackson?" the Jaffa asked.
"I…um…" Daniel began with a sigh. "Well. When I was…y'know, invisible, I started to realize that there were some things I wanted to say--no. Things I needed to say to Janet. Of course, I couldn't--or, I could, but she couldn't hear me anyway, so it doesn't really matter…"
"You have not spoken of these things to DoctorFraiser since our return from the world of the Crystal Skull," Teal'c said, not really a question.
"No," Daniel shook his head. "I keep…well, that's the thing. I don't know what I keep doing, Teal'c."
The Jaffa nodded. "There are many things which I would have liked to say to Drey'auc when SG-1 last visited Chulak. Under the circumstances, there was no opportunity. I must trust that my wife is aware of those things I did not say."
"But, since I have the chance, I really ought to just…quit chickening out, huh?" Daniel finished the thought.
"Indeed," Teal'c agreed. "I will accompany you."
"Huh?"
"To the infirmary," Teal'c said, rising smoothly from the bed.
"Right now?" Daniel squeaked, swallowing hard.
"Indeed," said Teal'c flatly.
"Okay," sighed Daniel as he reluctantly turned to open the door again.
The two friends trekked back up the hall that Daniel had just come down. Teal'c, however, paused at the door, gesturing the archaeologist back inside. Daniel sucked in a long breath and marched back to Janet's office.
She looked up again, eyes widening. "Hi…" she said, frowning.
"Janet--never mind," Daniel shook his head, whirling around. He scurried back toward the door, feeling his face and neck redden as he was aware of her following him out.
"Daniel…?" she called questioningly.
Teal'c appeared in the doorway and Daniel froze again. The Jaffa raised an eyebrow, and Daniel hung his head, turning around again. Slowly raising his eyes, he trudged back to stand in front of her.
"Are you feeling all right?" Janet asked.
"Not really, no," he confessed, shaking his head.
"Okay," Janet said carefully. "Why don't we go--hey!"
Daniel's hands shot out before he even knew what he was doing. Grabbing her by the shoulders, he yanked her hard against him. She struggled for a moment, but as his lips covered hers, he felt her tense frame soften and her arms slid around his neck. Janet twined her fingers in his hair, holding him there until they were both breathless and shaking from the sudden liplock. Finally, reluctantly, he slid his mouth away, and her fingers trailed downward, lingering on his cheeks.
"Much better," Daniel whispered as Teal'c turned and walked back to his quarters, a small smile touching his lips as he went.
Title: Hidden
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: AU "You owe her an apology, Daniel. And you're acting like a scared little boy.
Rating: G
Length: Around 1000 words
Category: Gen
Pairings/Charaters: Vala/Sam friendship; Daniel/Sam friendship; Daniel/Vala implied
A/N: The story is cannon to the end of 10x09, Company of Thieves, goes AU by the end. Written for
sg_challenges Challenge #36 (Tears)There were tears in her eyes, and he knew he put them there. He hadn't expected it, couldn't quite believe it, but he'd seen it before she turned away. He hated himself for it, but she didn't cry, and he didn't offer the apology that, truthfully, he knew she deserved. He followed the rest of the team silently to the infirmary, where the usual post-mission chatter was hollow to his ears. Mitchell ribbed him about his short-lived stint in the captain's chair, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything about the CO's unplanned impersonation of Lutan.
Afterward, he escaped back to his office, breathing a sigh of relief when, for once, she didn't follow. Then he grabbed the first book he could lay his hand on--it doesn't mater what it is, he thought--and tried to bury himself in it. A few minutes later, he dropped it, jumping slightly in his seat as Sam came barreling through the door. Daniel didn't bother picking it up again. He hadn't understood a word of it anyway.
"What were you doing?" she demanded.
"Um…reading…?"
"No, Daniel. What were you doing on the ship? You know, you really hurt her," Sam said. "And you're acting like a scared little boy."
He didn't have to ask what she meant, but he wondered vaguely why she was taking Vala's part. Her own emotions were still running high over Emmerson. Maybe that's what had sparked the newfound empathy. He knew he should have been glad. Vala needed real friendship more than anything else--and right now, he thought, Sam could use a friend as well. His hackles were up, though.
"What about all the stuff she's done--" he broke off. Sam was right. He knew it, and he knew he should quit hiding in here and find Vala. Part of him wanted to, but another, bigger part, was still reeling inside. Reeling from the memory of his revelation to Vala about Sha're. Reeling from Vala's recent disappearance and his own panic. The need to find her--find her alive--still made his mouth go dry and his palms sweaty when he thought of it. It was terrifying, in its own way. As terrifying as the realization that his wife had been taken--kidnapped and violated, made host to Ammaunet.
"Vala's part of the team. You owe her an apology, Daniel," Sam expectantly.
Daniel bit his lip, but said nothing. Everything she'd said was true--Vala had spent years learning to depend on no one and nothing but herself. She was finally starting to understand what it meant to be part of a team. Now thanks to him, even the members of that team weren't safe.
Sam stood waiting another minute, her arms folded across her chest. He let his eyes flick down to the book he'd dropped and tried to speak again. No sound came out. Swallowing hard, he looked up at her, but Sam only shook her head and stalked back out the door.
***
She was wiping the tears away when she heard Sam come in. She jumped off the bench and made a show of straightening her pigtails in the locker room mirror. Vala didn't cry in public, and she certainly didn't cry around other women. She wondered again what had gotten into her. She wondered how and why Daniel Jackson has the power to bring tears to her eyes--wondered why she wasn't over it already.
"Hey," Sam said quietly. Vala heard the Tau'ri woman slip onto the bench behind her and slowly turned to face her.
"Are you okay?" Sam asked, and Vala resisted the urge to bite her lip as she realized that the Lt. Colonel's sharp eyes must have caught some lingering trace of tears on her cheeks.
She nodded automatically, but Sam raised an eyebrow, and Vala inexplicably felt her eyes beginning to burn again. She forced her gaze away as Sam rose from the bench, but when she felt a hand close on her shoulder, the last of her defenses finally crumbled.
"I’m sorry--" she started to say. Her voice cracked on the words, and Sam shook her head dismissively. She pulled Vala into a hug, which the dark haired woman resisted for a moment; then she gave a hesitant squeeze in return. As they drew apart again, Vala sniffed vehemently, "Men suck!"
"Yes they do," Sam smiled. "Where'd you learn that expression?"
"Television," Vala responded, walking over to slam her locker door in frustration.
"If it helps any, I just gave him a nasty chewing out," Sam offered.
"Oh?" Vala's ears perked up.
"Yeah, see what he was doing was essentially pulling on your pigtails."
"I wasn't wearing pigtails," Vala said with a blank expression. "I had my hair up in that bun thingy."
"No, it's an Earth expression. It means to tease someone mercilessly because you're afraid of showing your feelings for them. Grade school boys are famous for doing it to the girls they like. Then the girls punch the boys."
Vala scrunched up her nose. "I think I see what you mean. You Tau'ri have some very odd expressions. You know…what bothers me is that lately he really has seemed to treat me differently. And everyone said was quite worried after the kidnapping. Now suddenly it's as if nothing's changed from when I first came here. Granted, I was a bit of thorn in his side then, but I've changed a lot. I thought he'd realized that…he did seem to…"
She trailed off, slumping back against the lockers. Her eyes hopefully sought Sam's, and she felt her throat tighten as she found confirmation in the other woman's gaze. Her vision blurred, and she let out a long breath, trying to force back the unwelcome emotion.
"You have changed a lot," Sam nodded, coming over to slide her arm back around Vala's shoulders. "I didn't know you back then, but from what I was told and read in reports, you're very different from how you were last year. A lot has happened to you. And I think Daniel's-- just scared of losing you. He's lost a lot of people he cared about. He even lost himself for a while. He's not really sure how to cope when he's in love with someone."
"In love?" Vala's eyes widened. "You really think he's in love with me?"
"Hey," Sam grinned. "Pulling pigtails, remember?"
Title: What To Do When Pulling Pigtails Backfires
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: AU She tasted of candy-apple lip gloss now, but her lips were as warm and full as he remembered...
Rating: PG
Length: Around 1000 words
Category: Humor/Romance
Pairings/Charaters: Daniel/Vala; Implied Vala/Sam friendship
A/N: The story is cannon to the end of 10x09, Company of Thieves, goes AU by the end.
Daniel really didn't expect her to open the door. She had every reason not to. If she did open it, he wouldn't be surprised if she only stood there long enough to punch him in the face. Pacing in front of Vala's door, he admitted he wouldn't blame her. As the door moved back, he drew in a breath, bracing himself for the familiar crunch of her knuckles against his nose. She stood there, though, eyes wide with surprise, and only moved awkwardly aside, gesturing for him to come in.
He swallowed reflexively, feeling suddenly cold. All the determination he'd worked up on the trek from his office to her quarters suddenly deserted him, and he stood bewildered, unsure of anything but the racing of his pulse. Vala's forehead creased into a frown, and she uncomfortably cleared her throat.
"Did you want to come in?" she asked.
He half nodded, barreling into the room before he could talk himself out of it. Coming to a halt with his hands against the back of the secondhand loveseat that Sam had given her, he dug his fingers into the soft fabric and struggled in vain to even form a sentence. He could feel her eyes on his back, heard the door slide softly shut, and then heard her footsteps approach.
Whirling around, Daniel took a step toward her, and Vala froze. Their eyes met for a long moment, but finally he forced his gaze away. Drawing a quick breath, he said finally, "Vala, I--I wanna apologize. For how I treated you--on the ship. And--and before that, the things I said to you in the briefing room--about your past. I--don't know where that was coming from."
"There's no need, Daniel," she said, and his head jerked back up in time to see her give a stiff shrug.
"Yes, there is," he said hurriedly, determined to finish what he'd come here to say. "You're a member of the team. And that means we back each other up, not--not pick fights and tear each other down."
"Oh," she said, forcing her tone to remain casual, though he clearly read the disappointment she was trying not to show.
"And--" he began, but felt his breath catch and the sudden damp chill of perspiration on his palms and the back of his neck. He clenched his fists without thinking, then quickly released them and took another breath.
Her brow furrowed again, this time with a mix of concern and trepidation. Daniel took another step and saw her tense. He wondered for half a second if she was going to back away, but instead she took a cautious step in his direction.
"And?" she prompted, arching an eyebrow.
"Vala, I'm in love you," he said, forcing the words out before his brain could get in the way again. "I've--I've been in love with you--I don't know how long---but then you were gone--and then you came back, and you were married to Tomin and I--"
"Daniel, I know," she cut him off.
"What do you mean, you know?!" he cried. "How do you know?!"
"A girl knows when someone's in love with her," she shrugged. "And, honestly, you don't hide your feelings very well."
"Wha--you--you mean you've known all this time, and--and you let me just keep--" he broke off, slapping his arms against his sides in frustration.
"Well, Daniel, what was I supposed to do?" she shot back.
He opened his mouth to reply, but shook his head and shut it again. "Kiss me," he heard himself say finally, then gulped at the realization that the words had actually come out of his mouth.
"Daniel, if I had kissed you, you would have been furious," Vala said sharply.
"Huh? No!" he exclaimed. "I mean--kiss me now."
Vala's mouth dropped open in surprise, and she stared for a moment. "Oh," she said slowly, stepping forward to close the remaining distance between them. Her hands slid over his taut shoulders, and he lowered his head to meet her lips.
She tasted of candy-apple lip gloss now, but her lips were as warm and full as he remembered. One arm wound around her, pulling her tighter against his chest, while the other reached up to cup the back of her head. He felt heat and cold race along his nerves, felt her heart pounding and her breath coming every bit as fast as his. Then there was only her mouth, slick and firm against his--
"You're an ass, you know that don't you?" Vala declared, ripping her mouth away.
"What…?" Daniel asked thickly.
Vala pushed him back against the loveseat and turned away, stalking to the other side of it, where she flung herself down and crossed her arms tightly over her chest. "You know, what you were doing was, essentially, pulling my pigtails."
Daniel opened his mouth to reply and paused, frowning. "What? Wait. Where did you pick up that metaphor?"
"Sam taught it to me," Vala replied coolly. "While assuring me that you didn't mean any harm; you were just being a typical male. In love."
"Oh," Daniel bit his lip.
"So. You treat me as if I have no feelings at all. Then you come in here and think you can just apologize, tell me you love me and that makes it all right?"
"No," Daniel shook his head, hurrying around to the other side of the loveseat. "Vala, that's--that's not what I meant to do."
"Well, what then?" she demanded.
"I--" he began, then broke off, raking his fingers through his hair. "I dunno. I don't know what I'm doing! You--you just make me so crazy!"
Before she could say anything, he had flopped down on the cushion beside her. He felt his cheeks redden, and stared sullenly at the wall, keeping his eyes firmly away from her. Then he heard a soft but unmistakable snort of laughter. An answering chuckle started to form, and he bit the inside of his cheek to resist it. Finally, though, he turned to look at her, the corners of his mouth turning up in a wry grin.
"This is pretty ridiculous, isn't it?" he asked.
"Mmm-hmm," she agreed, edging closer and coiling an arm around him.
Daniel frowned and started to speak again, his tone shifting to become serious. "It's just that--when you disappeared--everything shut down. I guess I--" he broke off, wetting his lips with his tongue. Warm tears began to well in his eyes, but he let them come. "I lost Sha're. I don't know if I can do that again. Forgive me?" he finished, his voice cracking on the phrase.
Vala nodded, leaning forward to brush his damp cheek with her lips. "I won't disappear, Daniel," she promised.
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*sniffle*
Awwwww!
*giggle*
So sweet! :) And I love that it's Sam that tells Vala he's figuratively pulling on her pigtails :) Wheee! :)
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And hee, that whole pulling pigtails line was my idea *beams* :)
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*pokes around*
where'd ya hide it?
don't mind me...pmsing birdie
it was wonderful if a bit tear inducing...which today I need like a hole in the head
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They would totally be awesome friends though.
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First fic has an error I missed-Once he was directly outside the Jaffa's door and let out a sigh. the AND should be HE :)
And hee, I love the title of the second one *g* I think you need to write that convo between Sam and Vala. :) And you know, this could slot into the Believe AU. I don't remember, did he actually express his love for her in Taking the Long Way? Also I think we need a fic where Sam reams Daniel out for his treatment of Vala in Company of Thieves and that's what prompts this confession of Daniel's. Cuz while he's smart enuf to realize how much of an ass he was on his own, I think it's more poignant if Sam points it out to him showing him others noticed his ill-conceived behavior as well. Or maybe Cam. Sam can console Vala and Cam can kick Daniel's butt. :)
Just some more ideas which you really don't need *snerk* *smooch*
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*Headdesk* No. Darn. Sequels! I've already gotta write Beyond Breaking, then the whole AU crossover thing with the girls. I know I'm an insomniac, but geez. The Dan/Jan fic already has sequels in the work, though. Will that appease you?
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