Penelope Waited
By: sorrel_rowan
CATEGORY: Humor, Romance
WARNINGS: None
AUTHOR’S NOTES: This is another short Daniel/Vala scene for the ‘shippers, based on spoilers for the last episode, Unending. Of course I’m going to view it in a ‘shippy way, it’s me.
As always I’m messing with the physics etc. but just go with it for the sake of the fluff. :D
AUTHOR’S WEBSITE:
http://www.fanfiction.net/~sorrelrowan
The Odyssey
Vala walked out of the bridge, disoriented and stinging from a blow no-one had dealt and she couldn’t quite place. Her feet took her not – as expected and intended – to her quarters but to the hyperdrive engine room. Vala stood at the door, baffled as to why she’d end up in a room that looked the least like an engine room she’d ever seen. More like a badly decorated storage hull. And since you could rewire an entire engine or command interface from rooms such as these to oh, say stop, stall or turn around a ship, she’d seen plenty of them.
I can be useful while I’m here, she thought quickly, since I’m not likely to sleep anyway.
It also allowed her to ignore how much the display had gotten to her. If that’s my possible future-
She stopped the thought abruptly. Diagnostics on the hyperdrive. Get on with it.
“Oh, Vala,” A voice said distractedly from the doorway about an hour later. “Didn’t expect you to be here.”
Vala turned to Sam, stopping the chair in mid-spin and sitting up, attempting to be covert about the whole thing and clearly failing miserably. Coughing and looking at the screen intently, she said, “Hmm, oh sorry. Must have been concentrating. What you up to?” Her eyes brightened. “Progress?”
Sam smiled and shook her head, coming to look at the screen beside her. “Actually, I came here to do what you’re doing – hyperdrive diagnostics, not chair spinning. I suppose you can do both, though.”
Vala laughed and nodded, “I’ve got this if you want to get some rest.”
“I don’t think any of us will be sleeping until we’re out of here,” Sam said, putting a quick hand on her shoulder in thanks and making to leave. Turning at the door, she asked, “You’re sure you’ll know what to look for?”
“If something that isn’t part of normal operations comes up, I’ll know,” Vala replied with a grin. “I got used to flying big ships on my own when I stole them.”
“Just do me a favour if you find anything,” Sam remarked, “And call me before you hit it? I know it normally fixes things, but can we try my way first?”
Vala grinned and nodded.
* * * *
Five hours later
The hyperdrive diagnostic was approaching seventy percent on its third cycle. It’s not a washing machine, Vala told herself, I’m not going to find anything new or different because it’s been through a few times. She didn’t stop staring at the screen, however.
She didn’t have time to ponder the ease with which Earth metaphors came to her lips or thoughts as Daniel knocked on the arch, holding a tray.
“What’s this, room service?” Vala asked with a smile. “Things have improved since my first visit.”
“Well, this time you made a reservation and didn’t gatecrash,” Daniel replied, pulling another chair over to the counter and sitting beside her. “And I can’t exactly help with the technology, so I suppose that relegates me to food supply. I thought you’d be hungry by now.”
“Yes,” Vala answered, taking a gulp of the darker of the two coffees. “And requiring some of this caffeine.”
“Actually,” Daniel said thoughtfully, “I thought you’d be bored by now. Even Sam gets bored of diagnostics after five hours.”
Vala had a sudden sinking feeling in her stomach. He knew her and she knew that tone. It was Daniel’s I-have-something-insightful-and-important-to-say tone and the first step in a familiar dance. She took the usual next by making an intentionally inappropriate remark. It sometimes made him sigh and back off.
“How could I be bored, darling?” She gestured to the screen and the engine room with an overly bright grin. “Shiny things and romantic memories of kicking your ass. Everything a girl needs.”
Daniel raised an eyebrow with a soft smile.
It sometimes made him back off. Not today.
“You don’t always have to do that,” Daniel remarked, his voice both quiet and insistent.
This was new and different.
“What?” Vala replied the only way she could think of at short notice. “Steal things or kick your ass? I honestly don’t have a preference for fun, you know.”
He let out a frustrated sigh and stood up, bracing his hands on the counter, his coffee forgotten. “You’re insufferable-”
“Well, then,” Vala broke in quickly, also standing. “I’ll just go to my quarters and then when Sam gets us out of this I’ll be on-”
“That’s your answer for everything,” Daniel said over her, “Running. Is that why the display got to you?”
Vala turned and looked away, then attempted to stalk past him. He put an arm out to stop her.
“You’ve been down here six hours, staring at this damn screen from the minute you saw it,” Daniel said quietly, his hand on her wrist and his tone firm. “Tell me it didn’t get to you.”
“I’m trying to get us out of here. Being useful,” Vala snapped back, not meeting his eyes and rising to the bait despite herself. “And that makes no sense. Why would it get to me?”
“But it does,” He replied, hand still on her arm. She fought the urge to yank her wrist away and walk on. “You can’t explain why, but it doesn’t change the fact that it does.”
“I volunteered,” She snapped back, thinking of the modified memory device screen Sam had set up. “It’s my own fault and it’s stupid.”
A memory tugged at her. “Use me. What can it show? Me stealing from someone or running from multiple someones? Let’s face it, it’s not going to show anything else.”
“And in one possible future out of millions, twenty years from now,” Daniel said softly, “You’re still at the SGC and still doing good work. You’re maybe even happy. And that gets to you.”
Brushing aside the compliment, she heard in his tone that he clearly knew the answer to his implied question – or thought he did – but was asking anyway.
“You’ve been pretending, haven’t you?” Daniel asked, meeting her eyes. “Even until now, at some level you were convinced this was temporary and you’d just leave if things got rough. But now you don’t want to, and you’re just realising it.”
This time she did yank her arm away and turn, but not to the door.
It wasn’t an accusation, she knew that. That’s not how he meant it. But as excuses not to answer went, she’d take it.
“I don’t appreciate you talking to me like I’m an artefact you’ve just learned how to read, Daniel,” she snapped again.
“Why?” Daniel asked angrily, voice rising in yet another question. “Because you don’t like to be reminded that you leave people no choice but to treat you that way, or you don’t like the fact that I don’t fall for the tricks everyone else does?”
Vala had the sinking feeling an inappropriate remark wasn’t going to fend him off this time. Lashing out against the way his words had of cutting a little too close, she played her last card.
“I was an open book once, Daniel,” Vala bit back defensively. “It got me a snake in my head and beatings. Tell me why I should try that again.”
“No, that’s what bad luck and being born pretty got you,” A ghost of a smile flickered on his lips as he snapped angrily, “What now? You’ve tried being funny, being angry and being hurt. If you want, you could try honest now.”
“I don’t need to listen to this,” Vala hissed, swallowing. She made to leave, swearing to punch him if he tried to stop her. Damn, the setting even made it semi-nostalgic.
He didn’t try to stop her. He tugged her arm and kissed her.
She surprised herself by not punching him.
Daniel lowered his head and put a hand on her arm again. He didn’t wrap his hand around his wrist this time but placed it on top of her arm gently. “I’m sorry,” he said slowly, “I was out of line.”
She met his eyes, feeling her throat burn more than it should. Then she realised why. The little voice in the back of her head that had always interrupted at this point to say, ‘It’s okay, you can leave in the morning,’ was silent and would have been cold comfort in any case. He hesitantly cupped her cheek with a hand as she spoke.
“Tell me why I shouldn’t punch you. Even if it’s for confusing me. I don’t like to be confused. Had you noticed that?”
Daniel nodded, eyes on hers and forehead against hers. “I noticed that, yes. Old times’ sake?” He asked dryly, with a small peace offering of a smile.
“That’s more like a reason to hit you,” Vala replied with a small laugh. Sitting back at the counter, she opened the tub of blue jello he’d brought. “Your coffee will be cold by now,” she remarked, trying to keep her voice relaxed.
In the silence, Vala hesitantly put a hand on his, letting out a breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding when he wrapped his hand around hers. She quietly said, “I still feel young, Daniel. Silly and rootless. They took me before I had a chance to grow up.”
He smiled and narrowed his eyes a little at her. “It’s not a bad thing,” He said thoughtfully, “To grow up, I mean. Doesn’t hurt as much as you think it will.”
“It’s very strange … to have a home and something near a family,” Vala continued. “But I guess I can cope with it. Especially if they bribe me to stay with jello and coffee. You can’t get that just anywhere in the universe. Especially not stale Columbian lighter fluid coffee.”
“You can get it in Atlantis. I’m pretty sure that’s what they ship there, either that or McKay’s getting spoiled,” Daniel grinned and looked at the screen. After a moment, he asked, “So what does this tell us?”
A few days later
They’d designated this particular set of hours ‘night’ and dimmed the ship’s lights accordingly. Vala stared up at the ceiling and smiled slowly. She put a hand to her lips and ran a fingertip across her mouth as if her smile were a new t-shirt she was trying on to see if it fit.
Widening her smile a little, she tugged the blanket up a little higher and turned over, feeling an arm slip around her shoulder and waist as she put her head on Daniel’s chest.
“Well if we’re going to fight over covers,” She remarked sleepily with a yawn, without opening her eyes.
“Then we may as well just need the same particular square metre of them and get a few hours sleep?” Daniel replied, a smile in his voice.
Vala nodded, her nose rubbing his bare skin. She felt his arm tighten around her. “That tickles?” She asked, trying not to grin and filing that information away for future use, even on the edge of sleep as she was.
Daniel’s only reply was a muttered, “We should really get some sleep.”
* * * *
Earth, Date Unknown
Vala woke up as the warmth of the first rays of sunlight came through the apartment window. Opening her eyes, she saw Daniel lying on his side facing her, his hand in hers between them.
“We should get up soon,” Daniel said sleepily, “Things to do, places to go.”
Moving closer to him, Vala nodded, her nose tickling his chin. He smiled and put a hand under her chin. “I haven’t shaved yet, you know.”
“It’s not a full scale beard,” Vala objected softly. “Not like that one you had when we got stuck tog-”
He silenced her with a kiss. “Thought we weren’t going to mention work on our day off? Besides, you’re the one that stuck us together.”
“And look where we ended up,” She said smugly. “Not one of my stupider mistakes, if I do say so myself.”
Daniel shook his head and opened his eyes. “Breakfast? If we’re really going to the zoo-”
“Which we are,” Vala interrupted, nodding and smiling.
“And then roller-skating-” Daniel continued, sitting up on the edge of the bed and putting a finger on the tip of her nose.
“Which we are,” Vala broke in again, grinning and wrapping her arms around his waist.
“We should have something to eat,” Daniel finished, voice amused.
“You know, Daniel,” Vala said, walking to the backpack sitting by the drawers. “You go to all these other planets but you never really get out on your own.”
Daniel looked over at her and took a breath. “Vala,” He said slowly, “Open the bottom two drawers.”
She did. “What’re you looking for? They’re empty.”
“The backpack is getting silly,” Daniel said, running a hand through his hair. “You should keep some stuff here.”
He didn’t know how she would react, this being new territory for them. Vala ducked her head and smiled very slowly, sitting on the bed next to him and putting a hand in his.
“You’re sure about this?” She asked, looking at their hands rather than his eyes.
He cupped her cheek with his hand and made her meet his eyes. “Yes, I am,” Daniel said seriously, before smiling and lowering his hand. “Besides, you already have half the bathroom and fridge.”
“But that I stole,” Vala said, drawing the word out and teasing. “This I’m being given. This I might read something like significance into.”
“That would be the point,” Daniel replied, amused. As he was about to kiss her, he heard his phone ring and reached for the cordless.
Standing, he felt her squeeze his hand before letting go. “Thought this was a day off?”
“What if the galaxy’s about to end?” He smiled.
“We’ll fix it tomorrow. Tell them to leave a post-it or something for when we come in. All it needs to say is ‘fix universe.’ We’ll manage,” She answered with a grin. For all her flippancy, she stood and waved her hand, telling him to tell her if it was urgent and reaching for her bag. They were still on the front line and the reminder brought a tension and awareness to her eyes that Daniel recognised in them all.
“Hello? … Speaking,” He said, picking up. After a moment he covered the mouthpiece and looked at her. “Not urgent or galaxy-threatening. Trust me, this one you want me to take. And we’re still going to the zoo.”
Daniel walked into the kitchen as Vala poured out coffee for them both, hers black and his with cream and sugar. “It’s your lucky day,” He said slowly. “Landry’s convinced the IOC you deserve a bathroom of your own.”
“Thought I already had one?” Vala asked, thinking of her quarters at the SGC.
“Ah, but this one has a house or apartment of your own attached,” He said, enjoying the shocked look on her face. “If you want it, that is.”
Vala sat down on a stool, hard. “Guess I’m not packing up and leaving anytime soon, after all.” Daniel watched her grin slowly. “They thought I’d have gotten bored and left already if I intended to steal anything, didn’t they?”
“Something like that,” Daniel said with a shrug. “They’re idiots and it’s been six years since you joined the team. Even they have to see sense sometime. And you passed your driving test so you can get to the mountain if you’re needed.”
Vala nodded and looked at him shyly. “Care to help me shop for a house? I know we get paid a fair amount by Earth standards but I’m not sure how to go about it. I’ve never needed an actual house before.”
Daniel nodded, smiling. “We get paid quite a lot, actually. They call it ‘hazard pay.’ It’s what we get paid for nearly dying on a regular basis.”
“Or actually dying in your case, which I hope you’ve stopped. And it’s more than I can spend on clothes and things in a month even with my taste,” Vala said with a smile.
“Well, that says everything,” Daniel said softly with a small smile, laughing when he felt something hit his arm sharply.
It took Daniel a trip to the zoo, dinner and the rest of the day to work up to asking Vala if she’d move in with him, but he got around to it eventually. He justified it in a long and rambling speech with all sorts of reasons – we work in the same place, we can car-share (which they couldn’t), cheaper payments (which they could already easily afford separately), you’ve already got stuff here (true), this place needs redecorating (more like Daniel needed to be nagged to get round to it), there was a spare bed in the spare room (which they were never going to use) and she really didn’t have that much stuff (an outright lie) – reasons that Vala forgot to listen to as she said yes.
* * * *
The Odyssey
Vala woke up with a start, jerking a sleepy Daniel into wakefulness. As she realised what had happened – another glimpse of a possible future – she smiled.
“Nightmare?” He asked, sleepy.
“Not really,” Vala answered slowly.
“What’re you grinning at? That particular grin always makes me nervous for some reason,” Daniel asked suspiciously as she lay back down.
“Nothing,” Vala replied innocently, closing her eyes. “Daniel?”
“Yes?”
“When was the last time you went to the zoo?”
** The End **
Feedback to: sorrel_rowan@yahoo.co.uk
Stories by Rating and Category
Copyright©2004-2011
Midnightstorms.net
All Rights Reserved.