By:
Lionchilde
CATEGORY: Humor, Romance
WARNINGS: None
AUTHOR’S NOTES: This one goes back in time some from my last couple of fics. Same universe and everything, but the story is set only a few weeks after Glimpses, the diary fic.
AUTHOR’S WEBSITE:
http://so-out-of-ideas.livejournal.com/
Daniel hunched over the tablet on his worktable, brow furrowed in concentration as he studied the delicate artifact. He hadn’t moved, or even made a sound, in ten minutes. Vala peered thoughtfully over his shoulder, her finger reaching to nudge one of the pieces.
“This looks like it could fit over there…?” she suggested.
His hand flashed out, intercepting the finger before it could disturb anything, and he turned his head, looking at her with raised eyebrows. “Do you mind? This is important.”
“Is it?”
“Yes.”
“How important?” she asked, frowning back.
“Whaddaya—whaddaya mean how important? It’s…it’s important, that’s all!” he exclaimed, then let his eyes slide closed and shook his head in annoyance.
“Well, that tells me a lot,” Vala retorted with a pointed look. “And, you know, I should think you’d be a little nicer to me now.”
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Daniel sighed tiredly. “Look, I’m sorry. I guess—I guess I’ve just been at this too long. And I’m not having much luck.”
“Relax,” she smiled, tapping his cheek lightly with her fingers. “You’ll get it. You always to.”
“Yeah,” Daniel sighed, turning back to the table as he muttered, “Well, it might be easier without help from someone who has no clue what she’s looking at…”
“Oh…grumpy, are we?” Vala remarked casually, moving away from the table to peruse the artifacts SG-17 had brought back with them. Most were rather…dull. Pottery shards. Broken tablets like the one Daniel was attempting to piece together now. But the smooth silver glint of the hand mirror caught her eye and she paused, looking down at her reflection admiringly.
“Hands off,” Daniel said without turning. “And I’m…”
“…Not grumpy…” Vala finished with him, then spun to face him as he turned himself. With her hands on her hips, she cocked her head in a mockery of his own gesture to bark back in unison with him, “Stop that! Vala!”
Daniel raised his eyes to the ceiling in exasperation, shook his head and turned around again. Finally setting his elbows on the table, he hunched over the artifact again. “I think the heat’s getting to you,” Vala said, walking back to the table. She pursed her lips, gently blowing a cool stream of air along the sensitive skin at the nape of his neck. With a sharp intake of breath, Daniel felt himself stiffen. Vala leaned over his shoulder again, and unwillingly, his lips flickered upward in a momentary smile.
“Oops. There it was,” she pointed. “I caught a smile.”
Daniel scowled again. “I’ll tell you what’s getting to me…”
Vala laughed softly, and her arms slipped around his waist. “What’s that?” she asked close to his ear.
“Nothing,” Daniel replied, still staring down at the tablet.
“I see…” Vala smirked.
His office had been stifling for days. With the air conditioning throughout the mountain mysteriously cutting out, priority had been given to keeping the labs and the control room cool for the sake of the electronic equipment. Nonessential areas, however…
“This is it, folks,” Vala intoned dramatically, cutting off Daniel’s thoughts. “Can he do it? Can Dr. Daniel Jackson keep that smile from coming out? The fate of the universe may hang in the balance…”
“Vala, I really gotta get this done…” Daniel said, running his fingers through his hair in thought.
“Or, at the very least,” Vala continued, her hand darting into Daniel’s jacket pocket, “The fate—of this—”
“Gimme my phone!” Daniel cried, making an unsuccessful swipe for it. Vala jerked her arm back and the phone flipped open, revealing the shape now familiar to her from her time spent on Earth before the link between herself and Daniel had finally been severed.
“—Cell phone!” she intoned, picking up where she’d left off.
Finally giving up, Daniel sighed again, leaning on his elbow. He bent and rested the side of his head in his palm to watch. Vala held up the phone, declaring, “Yes, folks…it does indeed work. Observe…” Holding the phone to her ear, she cleared her throat and began, “Hellooo? Yes, hello. I’m Dr. Daniel Jackson. I’m very important!”
“Wouldja cut it out…” Daniel attempted without much hope, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. A few weeks ago, he realized, he would have found this little exhibition impossibly aggravating. Vala knew better than anyone what buttons to push…but since taking her out for coffee that night, he’d been discovering that she also seemed to know exactly how to bring a smile to his lips, even when he decidedly didn’t want one there.
She ignored him now, continuing into the phone, “What do I do? I translate…things. No! I don’t know what they are. I haven’t translated them yet. That’s why I’m translating them…because…they’re very important.”
Daniel shook his head and said nothing, but Vala reached up and plucked his glasses off of his forehead. “Oh, excuse me. Need my glasses. Glasses are very important when translating…things,” she rambled into the phone as she walked away with them. “No, you don’t wear them,” she said, spinning around to face Daniel again. “You hold them—like this—and you tap your chin…and feel…important!”
There was the sound of a throat being cleared behind her, and Vala turned, her face going white at the sight of Colonel Mitchell in the doorway. “Well, this looks productive,” he commented.
“Mitchell…” she smiled, tilting her head teasingly. As she did so, she quickly shoved Daniel’s glasses back into his hands. “Here, Daniel, you might need these.”
“Yeah, might be important,” he shot back.
Vala gave him a facetious grin and leaned casually on the worktable, waiting to find out what Cameron wanted. Which was, it turned out, some rather boring business having to do with the Russian and Chinese governments. Again.
She gave a bored sigh and slid back over to shelf and the glittering silver mirror, moving with an absent gait, carefully assumed to mask her intent. It probably wasn’t worth much anyway, she tried to tell herself, but she found her hand stretching toward it just the same.
“Hey,” Cameron said as her fingertips brushed the cool handle, and she spun to look at him, grinning innocently. “I thought you were going shopping with Teal’c.”
“Oh…” replied Vala slowly. “I am. As soon as he’s done that…kel’no’reem—thing.”
“Shopping!” Daniel exclaimed. “Vala, didn’t I just take you shopping…”
“Yes, darling,” she smiled back seductively. “But you can’t exactly be with me for this trip.”
“Oh? And why’s that?” he wanted to know, rolling his eyes.
She leaned back against the shelf behind her, giving him a coy look. Daniel felt his face redden, and he quickly looked down at the floor, trying to ignore Mitchell’s smirk. Vala slipped the hand mirror into the back of her shirt, winked, and slid back to him, coiling her arms around his neck. “You’ll see…” she said with a teasing kiss before she darted off.
Daniel stared after her, dumbfounded, then raced to the door, jabbing his head out into the hall. Already, all he could see was her disappearing back. “Wait a minute! Why does Teal’c get to go? Vala!”
* * * *
“Are you certain this is wise?” asked Teal’c as he carried the brown paper grocery bags into the kitchen.
“Wise?” Vala repeated, the heels of her boots clicking briskly on the hardwood floor. She walked over to the wall and reached to take down Daniel’s apron. “You told me that it’s customary for cake to be served, didn’t you…?” she asked, glancing down at herself as she tied the apron.
“Indeed I did,” Teal’c replied.
“Kiss the cook,” Vala read, turning to look at him. “How apt.”
Teal’c arched his eyebrow.
“Why does he have this anyway?” Vala asked. “I’ve never seen him wear it.”
“DanielJackson wore that garment several years ago when preparing a Thanksgiving meal for the members of SG-1,” Teal’c replied.
“Thanksgiving,” Vala repeated. “That’s the thing with the…turkey?”
“And yams,” nodded Teal’c.
“Uh-huh,” Vala gave a short nod and walked over to the table, beginning to unpack the bags. “Well…I definitely owe you a favor this time, Teal’c,” she said, tossing a grin and a wind over her shoulder.
“Perhaps I should remain…” the Jaffa offered.
“What!” Vala exclaimed, feigning insult. “Now, as if I couldn’t bake a cake by myself. I stole the Prometheus didn’t I? Flew it all by myself with no help whatsoever…”
“You did not,” Teal’c reminded her.
“Well,” Vala smiled. “I would have if Daniel hadn’t been so irresistible…”
“I do not believe so,” Teal’c declared smoothly, his eyebrows arching again.
Vala sighed playfully and walked back over to him, patting his cheek. “Now, Teal’c. I promise I won’t burn the building down. You have to go and keep Daniel busy, remember?”
“Very well,” Teal’c said in a tone that clearly indicated his displeasure. He took a step back, bowed, and walked to the door. With his hand on the knob, he half-turned again looking sternly at her. “Be certain that you properly adhere to the baking instructions.”
* * * *
Half an hour later, Vala stretched languorously on the bed, admiring her reflection in the sculpted silver mirror she’d discovered in Daniel’s office. “Be certain that you properly adhere to the baking instructions,” she mimicked. “Well, I showed him, didn’t I?”
“You should listen to Teal’c,” replied her reflection in a voice that was distinctly not her own.
Mouth dropping open, she slapped the mirror down on her chest in disbelief. “All right,” she said. “I didn’t hear that.”
“You should also not leave a cake baking alone,” came the voice again, now muffled, as if from the mirror’s being held against her body.
“Oh,” she whipped the mirror back up again, “What are you, my domestic—”
She broke off, eyes bulging with shock at the site of a face now also not her own. The Abydonian peasant girl was not entirely unfamiliar. Daniel still kept a photo that one of the original exploration team members had taken. “All right…” Vala said slowly. “I’m just going to put this mirror down now.”
Laying it on the pillows, she swung her legs to the floor and sat up. She pressed her hands to her face, muttering, “Okay, Daniel…this is some sort of revenge isn’t it? You knew I took that mirror, so you…”
“Daniel would not do something like that,” Sha’re spoke up from the pillow behind her.
“Well,” Vala laughed ruefully, “Maybe not to you. Our relationship is a little—how shall I put it? Impossibly screwed up?”
“He also knows nothing about the mirror,” Sha’re said with a laugh of her own.
“Oh, really?” Vala turned, picking the offending bauble up again. “And why exactly do I get that pleasure?”
Sha’re opened her mouth to answer, but her eyes suddenly widened. “Do you smell smoke?”
“What?”
“Smoke!” Sha’re repeated urgently.
“Oh, no!” Vala cried, shoving herself off the bed to race back down the hall into the now smoke-filled kitchen…
* * * *
Fortunately, she did manage to have the smoke cleared by the time Cameron arrived an hour later. The young CO’s eyebrows shot up as he walked inside, looking around in confusion. “Okay, where’s the cake?” he wanted to know.
“Well, I had a bit of a problem…” Vala admitted.
“A problem,” he repeated.
“I…sort of…forgot to turn the oven off,” she smiled.
“You what?”
“Hey, it could happen to anyone!” Vala insisted.
“Right,” Cam sighed. “So now what do we do? The plan was supposed to be for me to bring the cake back to my place tonight and hide it from Jackson.”
“Well, I’ll just have to try again…” Vala said determinedly.
Cam winced. “Listen, are you sure you don’t just want Sam to…”
“No,” Vala interrupted, eyes flashing.
Cam shook his head, sighing softly. “Well you’re not gonna have time tonight. Teal’c said he’s itchin’ to get home. Somethin’ bout a mirror.”
“Ah,” Vala nodded once. “Well, in that case, hadn’t you better be going? We wouldn’t want to have to explain why you’re here…”
* * * *
She had just closed the dresser door when Daniel’s head poked around the doorframe into the bedroom. With the mirror safely hidden, Vala let out a small, silent sigh of relief and turned to smile at him. “Get the translation done?”
“Getting there,” he nodded, leaning his shoulder on the door. “Mind telling me why all the windows are open?”
“Windows?” Vala paused, needing a second to regroup. She’d been so focused on convincing him she’d had nothing to do with the mirror’s disappearance that she’d completely forgotten to come up with and explanation for the open windows.
“Windows,” Daniel nodded. “Every window in the house is open.”
“Oh. Well, I just thought some fresh air would be nice in here….so stuffy, you know?”
“Stuffy,” Daniel repeated dubiously.
“Well, you probably didn’t notice,” Vala smiled teasingly. She slowly crossed the room and slid her body against his, her fingers trailing teasingly over the sides of his face.
“Mmm, and why would that be?” Daniel smiled, his arms loosely encircling her waist.
“Well, you know,” Vala teased, her fingertips now softly tapping his lips as she spoke. “You’re so stuffy already…”
“I knew that was coming,” Daniel sighed, gently kissing the teasing fingertips. “You wouldn’t be up to something would you?”
“Up to…” Vala feigned shock, pulling her hand away. “Me?”
“You,” Daniel nodded again, smiling.
Vala took a step back and grabbed his hands, pulling him with her toward the bed. He didn’t resist, and she smiled seductively. “Now, Daniel, what could I possibly be up to…?”
“Hmm,” he murmured, halting suddenly. “Well, there is the mirror that disappeared from my office. But I don’t suppose you know anything about that. Vala. Baby.”
“I’m going to forget you said that,” Vala told him, giving his shoulders a gentle shove. Daniel fell back onto the bed and she followed him down, fingers twining in his hair as her lips latched onto his neck.
Daniel sighed, his arms tightening around her, and reached up, forcing her head back to meet his lips. He felt the warmth of her hands slip up under his shirt and quickly shifted his weight, guiding her onto her back. She dove for his mouth again, but he abruptly pulled back.
“So. Mirror?” he asked with a smirk.
Her hands froze in their exploration of his chest, and she stared up at him for a moment in disbelief. Then, angrily, she shoved him away and wriggled off the bed. “You know, you’d think you might start trusting me, Daniel!” she said hotly.
He rolled his eyes, watching her storm over to the open window and stare out, her hand gripping the side of the window frame. “C’mon…” he sighed. “That mirror was there before you left.”
“I was with Teal’c all afternoon,” she reminded him huskily. “Wouldn’t he have seen me with something as conspicuous as a mirror?”
“I—” Daniel paused, his mouth hanging open. “Are you crying?”
“No,” Vala insisted shakily. Daniel winced and hurriedly got to his feet, crossing the room to her. He wet his lips thoughtfully and reached with hesitant hands to grip the sides of her arms.
“I’m sorry,” he entreated as she stiffened under his touch. “Vala, I—I want us to trust each other…”
“Well,” she sniffed. “It would help if you didn’t automatically assume I was to blame whenever some trinket went missing from your office.”
Daniel bowed his head. “You’re right. I’m a jerk, okay?”
“Yes, you are,” she agreed with a small laugh, finally allowing him to pull her back against his chest.
“Forgive me?” he asked, resting his chin on the crown of her head.
She nodded once, pulling his arms tight around her, and for a second, wondered if she actually heard a snicker coming from the dresser drawer.
* * * *
“Are you sure you’re all right?” Daniel asked the following morning. Fumbling with the button on the cuff of his sleeve, he walked back into the bedroom, where Vala lay with an icepack over her face, and paused, looking up with a half-startled expression when his knee butted the bed frame.
“Just a migraine, Daniel, I’ll be fine,” she assured him, wincing a little at the jarring his knee gave the bed. Another time, he might have commented on how convenient it seemed to him that she would develop a migraine on the day the SGC was scheduled to host a delegation of offworld diplomats, but after having just promised to start trusting her the night before, he held his tongue.
“Do you need anything before I go?” he asked now, his tone full of apology for having to leave at all.
“Mmm-mmm,” she shook her head, resisting the urge to smile as he bent over her to leave a tender kiss on her lips. “I am sorry I’ve spoiled your birthday, though…” she added contritely.
Daniel smiled, any lingering doubt he felt dissipating with the apology. “I love you. I’ll call between sessions and make sure you’re okay,” he promised, then started for the door.
“Oh, Daniel…” she called, and he paused, turning questioningly. “Don’t worry if I don’t pick up. I think I’m going to try and go back to sleep a while.”
“Ok, babe,” he murmured, his tone clearly already worried. She heard him turn to leave and bit her lip guiltily, listening to his footsteps trudge reluctantly to the apartment door, which slowly opened, and then closed so carefully that it hardly made a sound.
As soon as she was sure he’d gone, she yanked off the icepack, scrubbing her face and shivering. A few minutes later, his car came to life outside, and she sat up, moving hurriedly to the dresser, where she pulled open the drawer and found Sha’re staring back at her.
“Are you going to tell him the truth?” she asked.
“Are you insane?” Vala asked, pulling the mirror out by the handle. “After that show I put on last night? He’d never trust me again!”
“Well, what are you going to do?” Sha’re asked.
“I have to take you back, that’s what. Put you right back where I found you. No. I’ll put you somewhere else. Behind the shelf or something. Then you can just say you fell…”
“But…”
“Oh, come on! Please! He’ll never know the difference. What’s the big deal anyway…”
“I was going to say that I can help you make your cake,” Sha’re interrupted.
“The…” Vala froze. “Mitchell! Mitchell’s supposed to be here in twenty minutes to drive me back to the supermarket!”
“Wait!” Sha’re cried as Vala tossed the mirror onto the bed and ran for the shower. There was no answer except the slamming of the bathroom door and she sighed to herself as the image faded from the mirror. Well, this is going well…”
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