Wanted

By: Pip

CATEGORY: Alternate Universe

WARNINGS: Adult Language, Excessive Alcohol and Tobacco Use, Graphic Images, Drug Use

AUTHOR’S WEBSITE:

http://brabbit-hole.livejournal.com/

Wanted

Rain beat down around her in rhythm with her boots as they clicked on the cobblestone street.

Her stride was strong, a determined power to her step. All she had received was one brief message from a mutual contact. That's all there ever was. Anything else would be too risky.

Her grey eyes scanned back and forth slowly. She knew she was being watched - she was always watched. Men had problems keeping their eyes off her. Eyes she didn't mind...Now hands, those were a problem. But she had been trained very well and could handle herself. It was just, when things got nasty like that, people talked. Talking was very bad. She hoped some idiot wouldn't try anything. Not tonight - not when she'd gotten that message.

She passed many different establishments as she walked - pubs, opium dens, dens for needs stronger than opium, brothels badly disguised as rundown hotels. All the types of places she'd "grown up" in. It took a weathered eye to see the comforts in such joints. She knew that none of them were truly safe, but that's what made them so welcoming.

Whistles and cat calls greeted her as she passed the open doors. Normally she would smile back at the crude gestures made, but now she walked on ahead, face unflinching. Something was off. She could feel eyes, very bad eyes, on her. Not those of the drunks and addicts hanging out of the doorways. She was being followed. Through the rain, she could hear the distinct sound of footsteps behind her. Whoever they were, they were very good at being covert. But there was the occasional slip, a splash in a puddle or material brushing along a wall, and it alerted her to their presence.

She pulled the hood of her jacket farther down over her eyes. Her hand casually came to rest by the weapon dangling from her hip, concealed within the lengths of the long coat.

The sound of a crash came from behind her - a brawl from one of the bars pouring into the street. She stopped and turned, hoping to catch a glimpse of her pursuers. She scanned the growing crowds for anyone out of the ordinary, but there were too many open doorways. There was no possible chance of spotting them.

A loud clap of thunder, and the almost immediate crack of lightning that followed, had most jumping and looking upwards. Vala watched on unphased, still trying to glimpse those who were following. Suddenly someone pulled her back into a dark alcove branching off from the street. She had no time to react, and felt herself pinned against a warm body, a strong arm holding her in place.

A hand swept back her hood roughly, and she felt the familiar sensation of a dagger being pressed to her throat. Her hand instinctively came to grasp the wrist attached to it.

"Bit dangerous for a pretty lady such as you to wander these streets alone." A rough voice whispered just above her ear, water sliding down her neck as his face came to rest alongside hers. "So defenseless." He breathed against her cheek.

Vala smiled and brought the sharp heel of her boot to rest gently in between the man's legs. "Very, very defenseless." She replied, a distinct bite to her tone. The man breathed out a puff of air against her face, before giving her an approved 'hmmm.' The sharp edge of the dagger turned up and moved away from her throat. It came to rest flat against her cheek, and he used it to turn her face towards his.

Her deep grey eyes stared into his bright blue for a quiet moment. Then he broke out in a dashing grin, and assaulted her mouth with a fiery kiss. His hand moved to the back of her head, the dagger pressed flat into her hair. She turned in his grasp so she was facing him, and brought her hand to squeeze his thigh just below his weapon. Their tongues collided, and it seemed the power of them could break the heavens. Like a sign, another crack of lightning flashed overhead.

"I've missed you." He breathed, licking his lips contentedly as they parted.

"Me too." Vala sighed, ghosting her hand along his jawline. "Two months without you, Daniel..."

"Actually, it's been three." Daniel smiled as he moved to return his dagger to its sheath behind his back, underneath his long coat. Vala placed her hand on his cheek, and it stopped his motion.

"I know." She whispered through a smile and kissed him again desperately.

Daniel was allowed to escape in the pleasure of it for only moments. Footsteps just before the entrance to their little hideaway, on the street, had him opening his eyes. Long shadows appeared just in front of the alcove. He kept his lips connected to Vala's, attacking her mouth with his, as he reached for her gun hanging at her hip. He felt her tense against him at the moment.

"Oh..." Vala said in a low voice as they parted, her hand coming to land on Daniel's own gun. She took a silent step back, creating a little space between them.

"Forget to mention something?" Daniel asked quietly, softly cocking the weapon. He looked at her pointedly.

She shook her head, examining his gun quickly. "Oh, just a little thing." She looked up at him. He gave small nod, and Vala cocked his weapon loudly. She heard the stalkers who had been tailing her scramble towards their dark hideout.

In one quick action, Daniel started firing and Vala spun around to a squat before him. She started shooting the moment her gun was even with the bad guys. Bullets ricocheted around them as a few of their assailants got off a couple of shots before falling dead.

The pair moved in perfect unison as they went to reload their weapons. Daniel handed down a clip to Vala as she passed one up to him. The rain of bullets became heavier around them while they moved to reload. It was good that they were bathed in near-darkness and their attackers were too stupid to aim properly.

"Why didn't you tell me you were being followed!?" Daniel yelled over the noise as he released the empty clip.

"You were too busy sucking my lips off!" Vala shouted in reply as she mimicked his action.

"Well, you would think a guy would be able to makeout properly with his girl without having the threat of being shot at!" Daniel barked towards the goons, who were beginning to need to reload their own weapons fast.

"One would think." Vala sighed, and they snapped their clips into their guns at exactly the same moment. Without hesitation, both began firing again. Daniel reached behind his back and grabbed his second gun. He cocked it with his thumb, and moved to the side so Vala could stand. He advanced forward, and together they took out the remaining baddies.

"You know there'll be more." Vala breathed as they quickly took up positions opposite each other on either side of the alcove entrance. She bent down, and retrieved one of the bigger guns from one of the dead men. She looked up at Daniel before she checked the weapon.

"Of course..." He growled. The distinct sound of approaching footsteps could be heard. He, too, bent down to examine his choice of weapons. "There's ALWAYS more!"

Vala hung the gun strap over her shoulder and crossed over to Daniel. They traded back guns quickly, and she leaned down to kiss him. They parted quickly as the footsteps got closer.

"We are wanted criminals, darling." She smiled as she moved back to her position opposite him.

Daniel stood back up, and leaned his shoulder against the wall. Vala watched him, mesmerized. The rain poured down him, soaking his hair to his face, and plastering his already tight clothes to his fit body. The comfortable way he held his guns pointed down towards the ground, waiting for use, barely showed how wonderfully skilled he was. Just the knowledge of the vast knowledge he possessed had Vala's heart beating faster. His blue eyes met hers, and she saw the adrenaline-rush within their depths. Daniel was having fun.

He laughed at her comment. "Anyone worth any effort is wanted these days."

Vala gave him an impish smile. "Are you saying I'm worth the effort?"

Daniel pushed off the wall and moved to stand at the center of the entryway. Vala quickly joined him, and they scanned the empty street quickly. The pounding of boots on the cobblestone was getting louder...any moment now more goons would show up.

Leaning over, Daniel kissed Vala again. "Absolutely, baby." He smiled against her lips, and she smiled too.

The moment was ruined the moment one of their soon to be attackers yelled their names in warning. Daniel rolled his eyes and growled again.

"CAN WE HAVE ONE FUCKING MINUTE, PLEASE!" He shouted. He pushed Vala back into the alcove, jumping backwards himself just as a bullet whizzed by. Daniel looked at Vala, and shook his head.

"They just never listen, do they?" He smiled, raising his guns.

Vala laughed. Being wanted with Daniel was definitely worth it.

Nicotine

Vala breathed in deeply, enjoying the sounds of the forest around her. She stared upwards at the thick branches that served as a roof to their current hideout. It was one that was well hidden and hard to access. It was one place where she felt truly at ease.

She turned her head to look at her partner in...everything. Daniel was seated on the other side of the enclosure, busying himself with cleaning their weapons. His hands worked at an experienced pace as he disassembled one of the guns. He was a true work of art when he got into something that let him focus his thoughts and think through past mishaps carefully.

Daniel looked up at her, giving her a cute little half smile. Vala felt she could melt at the sight of it. She smiled in return, and he returned his focus back to the work his hands were doing.

Vala sighed. She turned onto her side, paying no mind to the fact that her completely undone shirt would not be able to cover her as she laid that way. She reached out and began to root through Daniel's bag purposely.

Daniel watched her with a smile, knowing what she was looking for. She 'yes'-ed quietly as she connected with her target. Her hair cascaded around her face as she leaned in closer, her hands pulling a small pouch from his bag.

Vala smiled as she removed one brown cigarette from the pouch, along with his matches. She placed it to her mouth, pulled a match from the container, struck it against the log she was reclining on, and put the flame to the cigarette. And she did it all with an expert's air, fast and fluid.

Vala dropped the pouch and matches on top his bag and wrapped her fingers around the cigarette as she moved to lie on her back once more. Her eyes closed with pleasure as she took a long pull with her lips. She took it out of her mouth, and exhaled the smoke.

"Perfect." She sighed, watching the burning end.

Daniel stood slowly, leaving the weapons for a little later. He knew it was dangerous to leave them lying there, so close to the hideout's entrance, disassembled. But they weren't the only ones - they were just the only ones in the open. He moved around the enclosure, stoking the fire up a little, taking care of a few things. He finally made his way over to Vala on their makeshift bed.

On her back, she stared up at him with a dreamy smile. Her shirt was back in place, though it remained undone. The tan material barely covered the swell of her breasts, and Daniel's blue eyes trailed from her grey ones down the length of skin the open material showed. He skimmed them over her panties and down her legs to her knee high, dark brown boots. Vala was a symbol of pure sex when she was so relaxed.

She continued to smile as he pulled the cigarette from her mouth. He took a drag from it himself.

"These are mine." He growled playfully, smoke coming from his mouth with the words. Vala just smiled up at him, bringing her arms up to rest behind her head. Daniel's eyes flicked to her chest momentarily as the material there stretched farther, exposing a little more. "You need to get your own." He pointed at her, the cigarette between his fingers.

Vala pouted. "But yours are so much better."

Daniel turned and moved away, heading towards the area where they kept their rations. He was gonna let her pout for a little while.

Vala sat up with a huff. "You know how hard cigarettes are hard to come by. I think they're almost as outlawed as we are! Daniel, look at me."

Daniel placed the cigarette in his mouth, and looked at Vala over his shoulder.

"You have better contacts then me!" She sighed as she flopped back down. Daniel just looked at her a moment before he moved back to her, holding a bottle by the neck. He stared down at her, taking a sip from the bottle. The burn down the back of his throat was welcoming. He took another drag from the cigarette, blowing the smoke out as he leaned down and captured her mouth in a sensual kiss.

Vala brought her hands to cup his face. He pulled away too soon for her liking, and she blew out a raspberry in response.

Daniel sat down on the edge of the makeshift bed beside her. He smiled at her. "I'll get you some cigarettes." He brushed his fingers holding the cigarette along her jawline, before returning the butt to her mouth. The bottle tapped his lips again as he went to stand up.

Vala wrapped her arm around his waist. "I don't think so, bucko."

Daniel moved to straddle her body. He braced his arms on either side of her head, the bottle coming to rest beside her face. "I have weapons to clean, doll."

Vala grinned evilly, one hand snaking under his shirt hanging loosely off his shoulders. The other pushed against his crotch aggressively. Daniel moaned, closing his eyes. He dropped his head down against her neck as she continued to caress him.

Vala turned her head, nipping at his ear playfully.

"So do I." She growled in a low, dominating whisper. She took a pull from the cigarette as she moved her other hand to start undoing Daniel's belt. It gave him enough time to gain enough will power to pull his head up. He put his weight on one arm, and used his other hand to pluck the cigarette from her lips a second time. His lips pulled the final drag from the butt before he tossed it to the ground.

Daniel exhaled quickly, turning to take Vala's lips in another kiss. She finally undid his complicated buckle, and slid her hand into his pants.

Daniel groaned into her mouth. He managed a laugh as Vala's hand went to work

"I'm gonna...need...another cigarette..." He gasped loudly as she explored familiar territory down under. "By the time we're done."

Numb

His blue eyes skimmed the city below. His legs swung back and forth as they dangled over the ledge of the window. The cool wind that brushed across his bare chest only helped compliment his cold thoughts.

Daniel put the bottle to his lips, drinking slowly. The burn wasn't enough to kill the chill.

His ears perked at the sound of sheets rustling behind him as Vala awoke to his absence from their bed. Well, the bed of the moment. It was just another flimsy piece of padding in yet another rundown whore house.

At least they'd gotten a good view out of the deal. Daniel laughed at his thoughts, taking another swig of the strong substance. The view of a city falling apart at the seams. From such a height, he could see all the filth and destruction passing the streets. The types of people who made good business hard. It was getting harder for the 'good' crowd to make a decent living dishonestly, or even attempt to give back to the people who couldn't stand up for themselves. It barely registered in his slowly fogging mind that he was among that 'good' crowd, along with Vala.

It didn't take her long to get dressed enough to come to him. Her hands moved down his chest as she came to press against his back. Her hair fell around the sides of his face as she placed a gentle kiss in his hair.

"You okay?" She asked quietly, voice still rough from sleep.

Daniel's laugh in response had no mirth. He brought the opening to his lips again. "No." He muttered after taking a sip.

"Wanna talk about it?" Vala sighed as moved to sit, still pressed tightly to his back. Her legs soon came to dangle beside his own. The sensation of her body mashed against him helped thaw the chill a little.

Still, Daniel shook his head. "I'm not that drunk yet."

"Okay then." She pressed a kiss to his shoulder, resting her chin there after her lips were through. They stayed that way for a long time.

And Daniel drank while Vala waited.

In Shining Armor

The chains dug deeper into her wrists as she struggled against them. It opened the wounds trying to heal there, and tiny rivers of blood trickled bright red over the already brown trails on her arms.

"Now I wouldn't do that if I was you." A harsh voice said with mock sincerity from across the room. Vala flicked her red-rimmed grey eyes towards the owner of the voice. Her heart raced faster as he advanced her way, a small knife in his hand. She stilled her feeble attempts of struggle as he neared.

"Don't touch me, Jonas." Vala said in a low voice that sounded stronger than she felt.

She barely resisted the urge to flinch as a rough hand came to ghost along her side. She refused to give him the pleasure of seeing her break, even though she was very near to doing just that. She stared into his cold eyes. Jonas' sneer of dominance over her was disgusting.

Vala's eyes snapped shut as he snicked the knife through the fabric in between her legs. Cool air hit the exposed area, and she attempted to swallow. It was difficult when her throat was so dry. The rough hand on her hip began to travel southwards, and Vala bucked against it.

"Easy now, love." He laughed as the dagger came up against her throat. "Don't make this more difficult than it has to be."

Vala spat in his face. "Bastard."

The hand moving down suddenly was in her hair, yanking her head back violently. Jonas licked along her cheek, and Vala's stomach turned as the stench of him assaulted her nose.

"See..." He stared at her with hungry eyes. "The last time you called me that, your precious boy toy was there to protect you."

Vala's lips tightened as he kissed her violently. He pulled away quickly, and returned his hand back down to the cut in her pants. He ripped more of the fabric, and this time Vala did flinch.

"But where is Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome now?" Jonas laughed harshly. He leaned close to her ear, and whispered with glee. "I hear he died a very slow and agonizing death."

Vala refused to listen to his words. Jonas didn't wait for a reply anyway, his hand beginning to stroke up her thigh toward her crotch. She stared out straight ahead, tears streaming down her cheeks as his rough hands touched her intimately.

He had just about hit his mark when the door to their left burst open. Before it had a chance to slam against the wall with a loud crash, a single shot was fired off. Vala turned her head away just as the bullet passed straight through Jonas' wrist holding the knife to her throat. Blood splattered her cheek as he screamed in agonizing pain. The knife against her throat fell away. Another shot was fired and Jonas collapsed to the floor, his uninjured hand coming to his now bleeding stomach. He continued to scream.

"Just a word of advice." A familiar rough voice said with suppressed fury. Vala's head whipped around at the sound of it, and she felt her body begin to shake at the sight of him. His face was bruised badly, and there was a nasty bleeding gash on the side of his head, but he was there and that was enough at the moment.

Daniel walked deeper into the room, his gun trained on Jonas. "Next time you try to kill me, you stupid son of a bitch-" He came to stand between Vala and the writhing man on the floor. He pointed the gun straight at Jonas' head. "Get someone who can fucking aim!"

He fired off a shot just to the right of Jonas', causing the whimpering man to flinch. Daniel then turned to Vala, his face going from focused killer to caring lover. Her breathing hitched as he placed the barrel of the gun directly on one of the chains, and fired. Vala physically flinched as one strong arm wrapped around her waist. She shook her head violently at the touch.

"Hey, hey, it's okay." Daniel soothed into her ear as he pulled her close to him. "It's me. It's Daniel." He fired at the other chain, and Vala immediately collapsed against his chest. She couldn't hold it in any longer, and sobbed harshly into his neck as she wrapped her bloody arms around him. She began to move towards the ground.

Daniel stopped the action, hauling her back up. "No, no. Gotta stay up, baby. We've gotta get out of here." He said quietly while reloading his weapon around her. "Bad guys won't stay away for long."

"I'm so tired, Daniel." Vala mumbled through her tears. "I don't anyone to kiss me or beat me...or...touch me anymore." Daniel went rigid at her words. He had prayed with what little faith he had in the heavens above that she would be fine. Bruising and knife wounds were one thing...but touching?

"He touched you?" Daniel growled protectively. Vala nodded against him.

And like flipping a switch, the caring lover and focused killer merged into one. Daniel breathed in deeply, and turned around to face Jonas once more, Vala leaning against him. The little man was quietly reaching for the knife with his uninjured hand. Daniel raised his gun, and shot right through the opened palm at the right moment.

He squatted down, Vala holding herself up with one arm pushed down on his back. The sight of Jonas squirming in agony was strengthening. Daniel grabbed the knife lying next to Jonas' twitching, bleeding hand. He wrapped his hand around the hilt, examined it a moment, then thrust it into the wound he'd just made.

Over Jonas' howl of pain, Daniel shrugged. "That'll teach you not to touch things that don't belong to you." He stood and wrapped his arm around Vala once again. He looked into her eyes, and his deep blue ones softened for a moment.

"Let's go."

Give

Daniel screamed as white hot tendrils of pain impacted with his leg. He fell back to the ground hard and glanced down at the arrow protruding from his thigh. His face hardened into an infuriated scowl. He hated being shot. And, when he was put in a situation that he hated, things got dangerous for those not playing on his side.

"Daniel, you okay?" Vala shouted from the other end of the clearing, still firing off rounds at their ambushers.

Daniel laughed angrily. "JUST PEACHY!" He used the pain and anger as a focus and, with lightning reflexes, emptied the clip from his gun and reloaded another. On his back, he aimed up at the forest, eyes keen on any movement.

He popped off round after round into the bastards, not caring which of them had stuck him. The last of the assailants crumpled from his perch in the trees, and Daniel's adrenaline quickly ebbed back into the agony pouring out from his leg. He yelled irritably as he threw his weapon to the ground.

Vala skidded to his side seconds later, having taken out all the guys on her end. She dusted Daniel in a cloud of dirt as her boots dug into the ground, and dropped to her knees opposite his wound.

"Son of a bitch!" Daniel stamped the foot of his uninjured leg into the ground. Vala examined the area carefully, ignoring Daniel's dramatics. She moved to his other side so she could get a better look at how the arrow had impacted.

"Who uses arrows nowadays, huh?" Daniel screamed to the dead men. "I mean...come on!"

Vala leaned across Daniel, careful to avoid the shaft of the arrow. His breathing came out in rapid gasps across her neck, and he placed his hand on her back to steady her as she reached to grab his pack. She could feel him start to tremble with exertion, and he continued to fidget in place.

She grasped the bag, and moved to sit back up. She examined the area once more.

"How bad?" Daniel whined, tilting his head back a fraction as she ghosted her fingers near the impacted area. He winced sharply as she gently pushed down on his leg. She grasped the shaft of the arrow giving a firm push. Daniel screamed out loudly. He sent her a death glare once the immediate pain receded. "DAMMIT, DON'T DO THAT!"

Vala ripped at the blood soaked fabric, ignoring his look. "I'm sorry. Had to. The tip needed to be pushed through. It hit you at an angle. It's coming out the side now, and I can pull it out." She turned to rummage through his bag, pulling out the bandages and a familiar bottle. Her grey eyes looked up to his face for a moment, but he had his eyes closed, focusing on his breathing.

Uncorking the bottle, Vala placed it on the ground beside Daniel's leg. She tore more of the fabric around the wound, and quickly broke of the feathered end of the arrow. Daniel laughed out in agony when her hand pushed against him for leverage to perform the action. Vala picked the bottle back up and poured a liberal amount of its contents over his wound. Daniel flinched and hissed loudly.

He looked up to see what she was doing. "Shit, don't waste it there!" He snatched the bottle out of her hand, and took a sloppy sip from it. Some missed his mouth due to the bad angle and his shaking hand. He laughed again sadly, beginning to get delirious with the pain.

Vala looked up at him, then wrapped some of the bandages around her hand before she grasped the head of the arrow. Daniel took another drink from the bottle, and brought it to rest on the ground. Vala hesitated in pulling. "This is gonna hurt...a lot."

"Just...DO IT." Daniel growled, head falling back down to the ground as he closed his eyes.

Vala swallowed hard, then with one strong and swift yank, she pulled the arrow out of his leg. Daniel howled harshly in mind-bending pain. Vala tossed the bloody mess on the ground, and quickly moved to wrap the bandages around the bleeding wound. When she finished there, she moved up by his head.

Daniel's eyes were squeezed shut, tears trickling from the corners. He was breathing in rapidly through his nose, and he was shaking slightly. Vala brushed her bloody hands through his sweat-soaked hair. He opened his eyes slowly to look at her.

"Was it tipped?" He whispered. Vala looked back at the arrowhead, then returned her gaze to his glazed eyes.

She smiled and shook her head. "I don't think it was poisoned."

He nodded and closed his eyes again.

"We need to get under more cover." Vala said slowly. Daniel nodded again, and she moved quickly to gather all their things. She was soon back at his side. He had managed to pull himself up to a sitting position.

Vala pushed the bottle down as he tried to drink again. "Let's get you up."

Leaning against her heavily, Daniel tried as hard as he could to help. They finally settled into an awkward rhythm and soon vanished into the trees.

Receive

Vala pulled the near-empty bottle from Daniel's pliable fingers as it slipped from his grasp. She placed it at her side, out of his reach.

"Wasn't fin'shed." Daniel mumbled against her shoulder, feebly trying to reach across her body to find the bottle. Vala caught his hand in hers slowly. She brought it to her lips and kissed the back of it softly.

"You've had enough." She soothed, brushing her other hand through his hair, still soaking with sweat. He nodded against her, and snuggled in deeper. His injured leg was resting atop hers and he lifted it experimentally.

Daniel buried his face into the fabric of her shirt, and snorted. "Don't hurt no more."

Vala laughed quietly. "I'm not surprised." Inside she was relieved to hear it. Daniel had struggled to help her find somewhere safe. He was nearly blind with pain, and exhausted from the fever that had set in by the time they'd found shelter. With no medicine at hand, Vala figured the best way to flush the infection out was with the stuff in the bottle. The only problem was it made him careless, so she had been extra watchful, keeping both of his guns by her side just incase.

Daniel moved to rest his head just below her chin, and Vala kissed the top of it tenderly. She felt the tiny shivers still wracking his body and gently wrapped the blanket tighter around him. Despite saying he couldn't feel it, Daniel whimpered slightly as the material brushed his wound. Vala placed her hand on the side of his head comfortingly. She hated seeing him so vulnerable, and was thankful for the storms raging just outside the cave they were camped in. It would keep their pursurers away, and give Daniel enough time to heal.

"So lucky." He mumbled lovingly. "My one perfect thing..."

Vala couldn't resist asking. "What's that?" When she got no response, her hand rubbed along his arm. "Still with me?"

Daniel tried to shift deeper into her. "Always." She could tell by his voice he was fading fast.

"Daniel..."

"Hmm?" He replied sleepily.

"What's your one perfect thing?" Vala rested her cheek in his hair. She felt him laugh tiredly.

"You." Daniel sighed, drifting off to sleep on the word.

Vala smiled, feeling tears come to her eyes. She finally released his hand, grabbing for the bottle. She put the opening to her lip, and drained the contents. The warmth down the back of her throat complimented the feeling in her chest. She was far from the best he could have. She knew that, and Daniel did too.

But best wasn't perfect. She wouldn't trade perfect for anything.

Peace

He lay on his back, legs crossed at the ankles, staring up at the stars. A cigarette burned between his fingers, and he brought it to his mouth for a drag.

She lay on her stomach, head resting on one arm, staring down into the clear depths of the stream that flowed by. Her hand played in the cool water, while the tips of her raven hair swirled in the current.

The stars were his escape. So vast and unconquered - they brought to him a peace only found one other place.

The water was her escape. So carefree and untamable - it brought to her a peace only found one other place.

He loved how they sparkled in the darkness. Like all the pretty things he risked his life to steal and trade for the greater good of the people who cared nothing about him. These he couldn't steal - wouldn't steal - for anyone but one.

She loved how it shimmered as it raced past. Like all the pretty things she risked her life to steal and trade for the greater good of people who cared nothing about her. This she couldn't steal - wouldn't steal - for anyone but one.

He exhaled blue smoke and scratched absently just above his eye, continuing to take in the beauty of the power above him. Power that, he knew, could overwhelm him if he allowed it.

She sighed and rubbed her chilled nose against her arm, her other hand twisting its fingers around a stalk of seaweed gently, continuing to take in the beauty of the power below her. Power that, she knew, could overwhelm her if she allowed it.

Alone with the stars, he almost felt compelled to let them.

Alone with the stream, she almost felt compelled to let it.

It was so hard to remember what he was truly fighting for. He shifted slightly, taking another drag from the cigarette, and thought about the cause. A cause he wasn't sure he'd believe in if it wasn't for-

It was so hard to remember what she was truly fighting for. She shifted slightly, moving her hand to skim a tall stone jutting up from the mud, and thought about the cause. A cause she wasn't sure she'd believe in if it wasn't for-

He smiled sadly, closing his eyes a moment to get lost in the image in his mind.

She smiled sadly, closing her eyes a moment to get lost in the image in her mind.

Being without that peace he loved so much could break a stronger man. But he wouldn't allow himself to break. Not when he knew he would find that peace again soon. So soon he could almost feel it.

Being without that peace she loved so much could break a stronger woman. But she wouldn't allow herself to break. Not when she knew she would find that peace again soon. So soon she could almost feel it.

Her name came to his lips, and he whispered it to the stars.

His name came to her lips, and she whispered it to the stream.

Vala.

Daniel.

He sat up slowly, a smile coming to his lips. He'd heard her elegant voice like a whisper on the wind.

She sat up slowly, a smile coming to her lips. She'd heard his deep voice like a whisper on the wind.

He moved to stare down at the stream through the trees, flowing past several feet below his perch on the boulder. He breathed in deeply, a shiver passing through his body.

She moved to stare up at the stars through the trees, dominating on high hundreds of miles above her perch on the shore. She breathed deeply, a shiver passing through her body.

She was thinking of him.

He was thinking of her.

No Way Out

"What do you want from us?" The owner of the hotel asked in a shaky voice. It wasn't so much of the gun being point at him that was making him nervous, but the person who was pointing the gun and making the demands.

Vala smiled from across the table where she sat in Daniel's lap. She could see how uncomfortable the fat man was. Maybe it had something to do with how she was dressed. The calf high boots worn over stolen fishnets and a short pair of skin-tight dancer's shorts just a little too small didn't leave much to the imagination. She was lacking in a shirt, her long black hair being the only thing covering her breasts - barely. Or maybe it was the way Daniel was assaulting her neck with warm, wet kisses, one hand ghosting up her bare arm, the other running the barrel of his own gun playfully along the inside of her thigh.

"I don't want much of anything, actually." She shrugged, noticing how the fat man's breathing hitched as her hair shifted with the movement. She smiled some more.

Boots clicked on the wood floor beneath them as a woman came to stand next to the man. Her arms were crossed and she was scowling at the pair. Whether she was the fat man's wife or whore, Vala didn't know or care.

"And what does HE want?" She asked with venom in her voice, her head nodding towards Daniel. From the way she looked at them, Vala figured she knew who they were. It was hard not to - their faces were plastered on wanted signs everywhere in most cities and towns within a hundred miles.

Daniel paid no mind to the woman's question as he continued to kiss and explore Vala's body. It wasn't that he wasn't paying attention. Vala knew he was focused on the task at hand, but was just letting her take a hold of the reins this time. Which gave him an opportunity to thoroughly enjoy her outfit, or lack there of.

"Oh, don't worry about him." Vala flinched slightly as Daniel's teeth nipped at her shoulder. His lips began to move south. "This little deal is between us."

The woman snorted humorlessly. "Then what is he doing here? Not a strong enough woman to handle your jobs on your own?"

Vala laughed loudly. "Please! He's here because I want him to be, not because I need him here." She felt Daniel smile against her skin as he lifted up her right arm and began to nip and suck down her side. Vala looked pointedly towards the hotel owner again, casually shifting the barrel of her gun in the direction of the woman. "She is starting to ruin my calm."

The hotel owner placed a hand on his woman's back, and whispered something to her. She sighed and moved off a little bit. Vala smiled and moved the gun to point at him once more. "Now, back to what I want. I'm low on provisions and funds. I need everything you have available to give me, including some durable clothing."

"When you say funds, you mean..." The hotel owner placed his hands on the table, and Vala watched his movements carefully, making sure he didn't push any hidden buttons. The type of hotel they were in always had one somewhere.

"All the currency this place has." She stated.

* * * *
It didn't take long for the fat man to remove all the money from the safe. When he was finished, two full bags sat beside Vala on the floor.

"Now, about those supplies and clothes." She smiled as the hotel owner moved to sit back down in the chair opposite her. Daniel, who had stopped his exploration with his mouth to watch the fat man carefully as he got the cash, returned to his fun. His gaze flicked up as he began to suck just at the base of Vala's right breast. His blue eyes landed on the woman, who had backed up to the wall unnoticed. He brought his gun up just as her hand pushed a button concealed in the wood.

"Dammit!" Daniel growled as he pulled his lips away from Vala. He fired a warning shot just above her head, and she sank to the floor shrieking. Vala jumped up from his lap, gun trained on the owner, and he pushed up from the chair, walking over to the wall. He turned to look at Vala. "She set off the silent alarm."

Vala cursed loudly, and Daniel turned back to the alarm and shot at it.

"You're too late." The owner laughed. "This room is locked down, and the city guards will be here in a matter of minutes."

"You criminals won't get away this time." The woman stated from her spot on the floor.

Daniel ignored their comments, and moved back over to Vala. He took of his long coat and handed it to her. "Time to go." He watched the owner and woman while Vala put on his coat, and fastened it around her chest. When she finished, she moved to get the loot while Daniel tested the doors and window for escape. The bullets he fired at them were absorbed by a force shield.

"Don't you get it?" The fat man smiled. "This is the end of the line for you my friends. No way out."

Daniel looked at Vala and saw the uncertainty in her eyes. For half a second, he felt failure creeping up on them. Then his gaze flicked down, and he grinned. He crossed over to her, and pushed his chest tight against her back. He turned them back to face their dim-witted captors.

"Push as close to me as possible." Daniel said in a focused tone. Vala nodded and pressed against him tightly. She holstered her gun, and Daniel pulled out his second, cocking it quickly. The sound of boots coming from many floors down could be heard.

Daniel leaned in and kissed Vala's cheek quickly. "This might be painful." He whispered just before he started to fire his guns in a circle around them, moving the guns from around his back to the front and back again. The owner jumped up from his chair, and the woman came to stand.

"What are you doing?!" She shouted over the noise.

Daniel's guns went quiet as the floor beneath them cracked loudly. He immediately brought his arms around Vala's chest, and crushed her body against his as the wood buckled. Just as it was about to give out from under them, Vala blew a kiss to the shocked faces of the hotel owner and his whore. Then the floor snapped, and they were falling together.

The drop was a short one, but Daniel's knees still almost buckled as he tried to absorb most of the impact when their feet slammed into the next floor. They stumbled back a bit, but he managed to keep them standing. For a moment, it felt as if that floor would give out as well with the sudden impact, but the quivering in the wood stopped after a second.

Vala pulled out of his grasp, turning to kiss his smiling lips. "Brilliant!" She laughed.

Daniel nodded, then sobered as the sound of boots got louder. "Now it's really time to go!" He reloaded his guns quickly, then snatched one of the bags from her grasp.

Vala grabbed for her weapon. Before they burst from the room, guns blazing, she looked up at the still shocked faces of the idiots they'd just robbed. Vala smiled and laughed.

"So much for no way out!"

Celebrate

The sounds of celebration filtered in with the cool evening breeze. The city was alive as the New Year approached upon them, and everyone was partying. From the lowest wretch to the swankiest citizens, there wasn't a person who wasn't living it up.

Daniel and Vala were no exception.

They would lie in bed together, living it up in the company of each other. New Year's for them was a chance to have their own private party with no restrictions, no weapons, no worries, no...clothes. Just a few bottles, some cigarettes, them, and the bed.

Vala tapped the bottle to her lips, a cigarette burning between her fingers wrapped around the glass neck. She lay on her side, head propped up on her other hand, body entwined with the sheets, watching the city through the open window of their shabby second story hotel room. Over the rooftops she could see the high end part of town, where the parties were the most expensive and fabulous.

"Daniel?" She questioned lazily as she placed the cigarette back in her mouth. She rested the bottle against her stomach.

"Hmmm?" Daniel murmured in reply as his mouth traveled along her side with wet kisses. His hand massaged the inside of her thigh.

Vala placed her fingers around the cigarette, took a drag, and pulled it out. She placed the hand on the back of Daniel's head as he worked, rubbing through his hair lovingly.

"If you could be doing anything right now, what would it be?" She asked as she exhaled the smoke slowly.

Daniel's head came up, and he looked at her with hazy blue eyes, a combination of lust, love, and booze the cause. "Are you serious?" He laughed quietly. Vala nodded, and took another drag from the cigarette.

"This..." He sighed as he kissed her warm flesh, still looking at her. His hand ghosted over her crotch in a teasing manner before rubbing up her slender stomach. "Is what I want to be doing."

"Even if you could do anything else in the world?"

Daniel shifted up to her neck, and began to suck. "Why would I want to?" He murmured in between each sensual touch of his lips.

Vala turned her head, causing him to stop. She looked at him with curiosity. "You wouldn't want to be doing what all those powerful, rich people are doing?"

He tilted his head to the side, a curious look coming to his face. His hand brushed her hair out of her eyes, and then he traced her mouth with his finger. "Would you?" She nipped at its tip.

Vala shrugged and moved to lay on her back. Daniel remained propped up on his elbow, and caught the bottle as she shifted. He took a swig, and rested the bottle on the nightstand. Vala pulled from the cigarette as he leaned across her. She turned her head, and blew the smoke out against his chest as he settled back into place. "I think I would like to know what they do for fun." She placed the cigarette against Daniel's moist lips, and he took a drag, eyes watching her. "See what they have."

Daniel blew out the smoke away from her face, then leaned in and kissed her tenderly. His hand slid up her side, and he cupped her breast gently. He deepened the kiss, pushing his tongue into her mouth. She sighed into him, tossing the cigarette out the window, and he pulled away. He looked into her grey eyes with love.

"What do they have that's so great?" Daniel questioned, bringing his hand up to stroke her cheek. "How could they have anything better than this?"

Vala knew he wasn't expecting an answer. She brushed her hand along his jawline. Daniel bent down to kiss her again and moved to bring himself on top of her. Once more they became one as he pushed inside her.

Daniel moved his lips to her neck as Vala brought her fingers to twist in his short, messy hair. They moved against each other in a steady, familiar rhythm of love.

This was their celebration.

Class

Daniel looked into her eyes through the mirror. They held that edge of uncertainty that said she wasn't sure things would work out this time. He leaned in and kissed the back of her neck comfortingly.

"We're gonna be fine." He smiled at her reflection as he pulled back. His hands continued to pull the strings of her corset tight. His blue eyes were apologetic when she gasped slightly as he worked his way up.

Vala placed her hand to her constricted chest, and swallowed. "You'll be fine." She muttered. "I'm not so sure I can pull this off." She flinched and braced against the mirror with her other hand, as he pulled another string that tightened the corset around her.

"Sorry." Daniel said sincerely. "Almost done."

"Good." Vala sighed as best as she could. "Because I don't think I'll be able to breathe if you go any farther."

Daniel tied off the last set of string and sighed as well. "Done." He placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her around. "Now let me see."

She slowly turned for him, and Daniel felt the air leave him at the sight of her. She looked so stunning in the long, flowing green dress and gold-colored corset. Her black hairs were done up in a beautiful, and stolen, clip that allowed a few of her curls to hang loose.

"Perfect." Daniel breathed.

Vala looked down at herself, and shook her head. "I'll never be able to do this."

Daniel stepped up to her, and lifted her chin with his hand so he could look in her eyes. He bent down to kiss her gently, then pulled back up. "I'll be right there beside you. And it's going to be easy."

Vala laughed nervously. "That's easy for you to say."

* * * *
They strolled into the high end bank, looking like the pompous couple they were pretending to be. Vala had her arm linked through Daniel's. She looked at him as he took in the immediate area, calculating their plan.

The suit he wore was grey, and made his sleek body look even hotter. He wore a nice leather coat, in much better shape then his usual long coat, and a top hat sat at an angle a top his nicely done hair. He looked at her, and gave a dashing grin.

They moved deeper into the crowd of people. The other couples just looked at them, and nodded or smiled. There was the occasional hello as they strolled. Finally, Daniel brought them to a stop. He leaned in close to Vala, who was now grinning comfortably.

"Feeling better?" He whispered, then inclined his head to a passing gentlemen.

"Tons." She squeezed his arm. "Who knew we could be such wonderful actors?"

Daniel moved her closer to him, and Vala casually snaked her hand under his coat. A small sign of affection between the couple was all it looked like. "I told you. Perfect."

Vala smiled at a single young man who looked at her approvingly. "So you don't think they suspect anything?"

Daniel laughed, and leaned in to kiss her lips quickly. "Not a chance in hell." He pulled up and winked. She took that as her action cue, and pulled her gun from its concealed spot behind his back. Daniel moved just as fast, arms whipping out his own guns.

"EVERYBODY DOWN!"

Retribution

The match flared to life as he struck it against the wall. He leaned in, and put it to his cigarette.

He dropped the match onto the ground, making the people on the other end of the room flinch. The flame licked at the edge of the trail of gunpowder that led straight to where they were sitting strapped together with about ten pounds of explosives.

Sure, it was a bit overkill. But right then, he didn't really give a shit.

Finally the powder sparked, and the people on the other end of its death line started to scream and wail. He grinned at their distress, taking a drag from his cigarette. He placed his foot over the spark, and slowly stomped it out.

"Now that I've really got your attention." He said, his voice barely suppressing the fury within him. "I want you to tell me where she is."

The man he'd assumed was the ring-leader spoke up. "Sir, we don't know who you speak of."

"That's BULLSHIT!" He shouted in response, pointing his cigarette at the oversized lump of a man. "I know for a fact that she was in here just last week."

"Sir..." the man spoke up again. Oh, he was brave. "Your information must be mistaken because we have never seen this Vala you ask us about."

He laughed out to the ceiling. "See, you just FUCKED yourself right there!" He swiftly moved to squat down in front of the man. He pulled from the cigarette again, making sure to dangle it close to one of the sticks of dynamite as he pulled it away from his mouth. "I never told you her name."

The man paled. "N-no...I...You did."

He smiled at the man's screw up. "N-no..." He mocked. "I...I d-d-didn't." He stood back up, sweeping his arm over the explosives as he did, raining hot ashes all over. "God, they really can't seem to find themselves INTELLIGENT trustees, can they?" He shouted with glee. He walked back to the other side of the room, and turned back to the now sweaty man.

"See, unlike them..." He pulled a drag from the cigarette. "My contacts are smart, and VERY reliable." He exhaled blue smoke to the ceiling. "My most trusted source...you might know him...a little taller than me, wicked sense of humor, drinks a little too much and plays a little too loud, my teacher and mentor...best friend actually...goes by the name of Jack."

The pudgy little toad's eyes widened. "Mr. O'Neill? But he's not..."

His blue eyes brightened. God, he loved doing this. "Not what? A criminal? A rogue?" He laughed to the ceiling once more. "Damn, he's played you good! He told me this would be so much fun, and I honestly thought he was joking. Because how could anything be fun without the love of my life at my side? But no, he was right." He stepped closer to the group of people again. "He's the one who told me she was here, by the way. And he would NEVER lie to me about this." He put his hand to his chin, and considered what he just said. "In fact, he would never lie to me about ANYTHING."

He knelt down, and fingered the trail of gun powder. He brought the almost finished cigarette close to the black substance, looking up at the man. "Tell me where they took her."

"Sir...p-please..." the man stuttered, struggling in his restraints. "I'll tell you...Just...let the women go."

He'd had enough with this talk. It was clear the man was just running him in circles so those who had Vala could get farther away. He would lose the trail if he didn't get the info like five minutes ago.

"FUCK the women!" He shouted as he stood. His temper was gone. "THEY helped YOU drug her and beat her, and have her ra..." He stopped on the word, unable to say it. He took a calming deep breath, allowing the slow burn of fury to give him focus. "Now you're going to tell me." He drew his gun, and pointed it at the most overdressed woman tied in the group. "Or I'll shoot your slut before your very eyes...and then if you still don't tell me, I'll kill all your other whores, and leave you here to ROT in their stench."

One of the women cursed at him in another language, and he smiled. "Why thank you, princess." She looked at him wide-eyed. He winked at her, then turned back to the man. "Tick, tock, tick, tock." He cocked the gun, and went to squeeze the trigger, the cigarette slipping from his grasp.

"Wait!" The man shouted. He pulled up the gun, but still dropped the cigarette.

"Pressure, pressure." He shrugged.

"I overheard them say they were taking her through the forest to their hideout along the mountains, about twenty miles north." The pudgy man looked at the spark traveling his way. "Now please, put it out."

He nodded and stomped out the spark once more. He turned away from them, and moved to pick up his bag. Tossing the now dead cigarette butt to the ground, he started to exit the building.

"Wait, aren't you gonna untie us?!" The man shouted.

Daniel turned as he reached the doorway. He tilted his head as if considering the thought for a moment. Then he smiled.

"Nope." He stated simply, aiming his gun at the trail of powder. The man and women screamed as he fired, the spark of the bullet ricocheting off the floor setting off another spark along the black line.

With that, he walked out quickly. He pulled another cigarette out, and just as he lit it with a match, the building behind him exploded. His smile of retribution was bright, his stride never faltering as the ground beneath him shook.

"All for you, baby." Daniel stated to the open air as debris rained down around him.

Crash

From the shadows, Daniel could see every action in the vast room before him. Scantily clad women stumbling along in a drugged daze, barely acknowledging the pompous men chasing after them. This was a rich man's playground, and Daniel quietly spit out the nasty taste that came to his mouth at the thought. Vala was here, and from what he'd been told - she was the most sought after toy.

It made his stomach churn just considering how he'd find her. His finger itched to squeeze the trigger of his beloved gun, taking shots into every bastard that walked by his hidden position. But Daniel knew he had to wait...wait for his cue as his partner in this rescue had said.

The cue itself had never been discussed, but between them it never was. It never needed to be.

So the gun remained in his hand, dangling in wait by his side as he continued to watch the room.

Some of the "honored guests" moved out of his line of sight, and Daniel felt his temper flare as she came into view. Literally leashed to a greasy, skinny, arrogant man, Vala was too out of it to fight against his uncaring perusal of her body. Another woman, no doubt the man's main whore, was sticking a needle into Vala's already black and blue arm.

Daniel inhaled furiously as 'Mr. Slimeball' turned Vala to capture her mouth in a disgusting kiss. She came alive against him, obviously taken in by the effects of whatever they'd injected into her. She smiled lazily as she pulled away, saying something to the man that Daniel couldn't hear over the other commotion. It obviously didn't please the man, who backhanded her across the cheek hard.

Screw waiting - He couldn't watch this. Daniel moved to step out when a voice just off from his right stopped him.

"Easy, big fella." It was rough and familiar, but it was barely enough to halt Daniel in his actions. "Move now, and he'll kill her for sure."

"Jack, I can't stand here and watch them drug her, then molest her, then beat her." Daniel hissed.

"And they know that, Danny boy." Jack never looked at him. "You're the target, she's the bait."

Daniel growled quietly, coming to rest against the wall once more. "And you're my ace in the hole."

His gaze flicked to Vala for a moment, and he flinched as an unnatural giggle came past her lips. His hand around the gun shook with suppressed rage. "Now, I love you like a brother. But I love Vala more than anything in this fucked up world, and if you don't act soon, I won't be able to restrain myself much longer."

Finally Jack glanced at him quickly, a wicked smile coming to his face. "On with the show." He winked, and headed into the crowd. Daniel sighed gratefully for Jack's assistance. He knew his older friend was blowing the hard-earned network of cons he'd made to get to a 'high end status'...his cover as an 'upstanding gentleman' was going down the toilet. But Jack loved Vala because she loved Daniel like Daniel loved her, and he would do anything to get her back to him. Daniel knew that, and found himself respecting his friend even more.

He watched as Jack approached the man attached to Vala. From where he was hidden, he couldn't hear the conversation. But the moment Jack held up his hand in a gesture of good faith to his host before him, Daniel watched as one of the guards by the large doors turned on his own, a long shotgun coming up from beneath his standard issue coat.

At the sound of a 'YEEHAW!' coming from the masked man, Daniel smiled, knowing that was his cue. He pulled out from the shadows, and fired off rounds into every man he had seen holding a weapon, his path heading straight for Vala's 'keeper'. Jack pulled out his own weapons, and began to help the shot gun man take out the remaining guards.

As he approached the pair, Daniel watched as Vala was pulled close to her captor, a pistol placed to her head. He focused his rage, and pointed his gun straight at the man's head.

"The great Daniel Jackson." The man laughed in an accented voice. "They say you're the quickest shot around." He licked along Vala's neck, but Daniel wouldn't give him the pleasure of seeing him lose it. "Would you be willing to test it with your precious little whore's life on the line?"

Daniel flicked his blue eyes to Vala. She was staring at him, and though her eyes were hazy and unfocused, he could tell she was fighting the effects of the drugs. Her nostrils flared silently, and Daniel knew she was pissed.

And for half a microsecond, he felt pity for the man holding her captive.

The room went suddenly silent as his friends ceased firing. Jack came to stand by his side, gun raised in a similar position. The other came to stand behind Vala's captor, the shot gun barrel coming to rest right against his head.

"You might wanna drop the pistol and let the pretty lady go." His country drawl was muffled behind the mask.

The man turned his head to get a glimpse of the masked man. "And you must be-"

While the man's attention was averted momentarily, Vala slowly removed the needle she'd concealed up her sleeve. Before he had a chance to realize what happened, Vala yanked hard of the chain attaching him to her and turned to jab the needle in his neck. He gasped in utter shock, falling to the floor in a fit of convulsions.

"I am nobody's whore!" She gasped as she stumbled backwards. It had taken all her will power to fight back, and she quickly succumb to the drugs in her system once more. Her back quickly collided with something firm and warm, and she felt herself being lowered to the ground. She looked up in to welcoming blue eyes. Vala moved her hand to rest against his cheek, missing her target by a long shot. "My hero." She whispered as he took her hand in his.

"Not this time, baby." Daniel smiled, tears coming to his eyes. "You did it all by yourself."

Vala smiled, not really comprehending his words.

Daniel let out a shuddered breath as her eyes closed slowly. He looked up as two shadows came across them both.

"We need to get out of here..." Jack said, in complete 'down to business' mode. "Reinforcements will be here shortly."

Daniel nodded and moved to take Vala in his arms as he stood.

"You need a hand?"

Daniel looked up as the masked man removed said mask. "I need to do this." He smiled at the other man's nod of understanding. "But I'm damn glad you could join the party, Cam." He said with complete appreciation.

Cameron smiled. "Like I could miss out on this?" He laughed as they moved to leave. He checked his shot gun quickly, and pointed it out the doorway, checking the hall. "You guys always crash the best shindigs." He looked back at Daniel, who had his gun raised in his free hands as they entered the hall. He looked at Vala, her arms and legs wrapped around Daniel, his arm holding her tightly in place. "Plus that pretty lady is worth it."

Jack squeezed Daniel's shoulder from behind as he took up the rear. "Way worth it."

Daniel nodded, and placed a kiss on Vala's cheek.

He couldn't agree more.

Survive

She stirred slowly, the sounds of familiar arguing and laughter waking her from sleep. It was loud and rowdy, but somehow it felt right. Not like the sounds she had been hearing for what seemed like an eternity. No, the sounds she heard now fit.

Especially the sound of a voice booming just above her head. It shouted and laughed, and it reverberated through her body as she lay against its owner. The happiness in it soothed her, and she fought to open her tired eyes to glance up at who it belonged to.

Because no matter how hard she tried, her mind couldn't process any memories of who it was.

She was met with a beautiful blue-eyed gaze. And, without thought, his name came past her lips

"Daniel."

His smile was radiant and split his lips wide. "The one and only."

She smiled a moment, then the smile fell away. Like flood gates opening, the memories of the past few days came rushing back to her. She remembered anger, yelling, hatred, agony...

"LET ME GO!" She screamed.

"I can't do that!" He screamed right back.

"If you loved me...you would let me go." She pleaded.

"Why?! So you can go and run off to the first rundown, dirty drug den you can find and lose what's left of yourself in that shit? No, Vala. I can't let you go because I love you." His voice was shaky.

"I just need one...only one more. That's it." She promised

"No, it's not! You say one more, and then one leads to two, and two leads to five, and before you know it you'll be back in the hands of people who will use you to get me!" He argued.

"So this about you, huh? You don't LOVE me. It's all about you. I'm here, dying before your eyes, and all you can care about is yourself!" She hollered.

"It's not about me!" She flinched as he moved to come closer. He saw the action and stopped. "If you get caught again, and if I get caught, then they'll do to me what they've done to you...and everyone we've ever cared about will be fucked. Jack, Cameron, Sam, Teal'c...everyone."

She laughed, pulling against the restraints holding her to the bed. "Don't use them against me. I know you're lying!"

He clapped his hands together tightly. "Why would I do that? I love you. And I hate what this is doing to you - to us. I don't want to see you suffer, baby."

She thrashed out towards him. "Don't call me that! I'm not your baby! How could anyone want to be attached to anything as disgusting and horrible as you. You, who drinks too much and cares too much. The honest criminal. What a bunch of shit!"

She stopped as pains shot through her body. "I hate you." She whispered around a sob.

He looked at her, barely holding on to his emotions. "And I still love you, despite that."

The words spiked her temper once more, and she pulled hard against the binds around her wrists. "I wish you were dead!"

He nodded and grabbed his gun from the table nearby. She watched him, fear seizing her for a moment. He quickly undid the ties around her arms and legs, and placed the gun on the bed before her.

"If that's what you really want." He sighed, and she noticed a tear fall from his watery blue eye. He backed off a bit, and let his arms fall down at his sides. "I beg you to do it yourself before you leave. Put me out of my misery. Because I refuse to be around to watch you destroy everything that's so beautiful and wonderful in this world - I won't watch you kill yourself slowly."

She looked at the gun, and found she was having trouble speaking. "I...I..."

He rushed towards her, taking the gun and shoving it in her hand. "You want me dead? DO IT!" He wrapped his hand around hers, and made her push the barrel to his head. The tears now flowing freely down his cheeks hurt her more than the pain inside. "Kill me now, Vala! I would rather die here, now, then to have YOU die in my arms down the road. I can't live with the knowledge that if I let you go get that fix, I'll lose your soul now and then have to lose your life later. I just can't do that. If I'm not strong enough to help you right now, then there's no point in me fighting anymore. So if you really want to go, then pull this trigger."

She flinched as his hand squeezed tighter around hers.

"You said you wished I was dead!" He screamed. "Well, I am dead without you! Pull the trigger and rid me of the hell of facing this world without you by my side!"

Tears flowed from her eyes.

"PULL IT!" He cried out in anguish.

"Vala?" Daniel called to her, and it brought her from the memory. He ran his hand through her hair. "You okay?"

"I hurt you." She whispered, trying to sit up. Daniel placed his hand on her shoulder to halt her.

"No." His eyes were kind. "They tried to hurt US." He leaned down and kissed her forehead...and the rest of the memory came to Vala...

"I BEG YOU, PULL IT!" He sobbed out again. He broke down before her and she knew it was wrong. She was hurting him more than he was her. He wasn't really hurting her at all. He was saving her. As his fingers fell from around hers, she dropped the gun and wrapped her arms around his neck. She sobbed into him, guilt and shame overtaking her. His arms wrapped around her tightly, protectively.

"I don't want you to die at my hand." She cried out desperately. "And I don't want to die in your arms. But this hurts so much. I want that stuff so bad, and I hate it."

"I know, I know." He soothed as he brushed his hand over her sweat-soaked hair. "But you can fight it." His voice grew strong at the words.

She clung to him, and whispered with fear into his ear. "Don't leave me, Daniel."

"Wouldn't dream of it...We're gonna fight this together."

Daniel's voice once again brought her back. He was looking at her with pride and love.

"But we showed them, like always. We made it through. We survived like we always do." He brought her hand to his lips, and kissed is gently.

"Like we always will."

Life

Act Well. Be Polite. Play Nice. Never Indulge. Be Honest. Work Hard. Live Prosperous.

She had been sixteen, and that was all she had ever known. They had raised her and her sisters that way. Every child in their province had been raised that way. She had been kept young, as had many others she had grown with. They had the privilege of wealth to keep them sheltered to the horrors beyond their towns.

Never drink. Never smoke. Never steal. Never cheat. Never lie.

She followed those rules. Many of them didn't...they broke a few. But for the most part, everyone she had known was pure and innocent. Her father never did those things, her mother never did those things, none of her sisters faltered either. And she was proud to be among a group of people that were good and had pure hearts. She wanted to be like them.

Until two young men came blazing into their province, and stopped in her town. One was slightly older, and had said they were looking for work. He was eloquent and had a definite trusting air around him. But the other...the other was wild. Even as he had stood quiet while his older companion made a place for them in her town, she had seen the fire in his eyes.

And it had intrigued her. Curiosity had always been frowned upon as she'd grown, but she had never been able to tame it. And that's what had led her one night to the barn where the two had been staying.

Vala tried to remain quiet as she watched the two of them. They were so different from any of the other boys she had ever known. They talked dirty, got loud and rowdy, drank and smoked, and always were doing more wrong then they let on.

She leaned down, trying to hear the conversation they were having. Next thing she knew, she found herself on the floor, looking up into those fiery blue eyes once more.

"Were you spying on us, baby?" He said around the cigarette in his mouth. Vala felt she should be angry with the name he called her, but the smile of his lips was just as mesmerizing as his eyes. And the guilt she had come to have anytime she did anything wrong overwhelmed her.

"I'm sorry." Vala scrambled to sit up, but swayed slightly. She felt herself steadied against a strong chest, a warm hand coming to rest against her forehead, holding her to him.

"Easy, beautiful." She felt her breathing hitch at his choice of names this time. "You took quite a spill from the hayloft." He moved to help her stand. Vala wanted to run away, but the look in his eyes was so powerful.

"I'm Daniel." He smiled.

Vala swallowed, knowing this was wrong. He was already the talk of the town...a bad boy, a rebel. And yet, she couldn't bring herself to leave.

"Vala." She replied, a small smile gracing her face. It brought a twinge of pain just above her eye, and she placed her fingers to the tender spot. Daniel winced in sympathy.

"That's gonna be a nasty little bruise." He pulled the cigarette from his mouth, and held it out to her. She blinked, unsure what to do.

"I...I don't smoke." Vala finally said, crossing her arms over her chest, feeling insecure.

Daniel raised his eyebrows suggestively. "After a fall like that, anyone could use a drag."

Vala blinked again, this time in confusion. "What?"

"A drag." Daniel smiled, putting the cigarette to his lips and pulling from it in demonstration.

Vala lifted her head in understanding, and he moved to hand her the cigarette once again. She shook her head. "I'm not allowed to smoke."

This brought a laugh from Daniel. He stepped closer to her, and Vala wanted to flinch. She was surprised when she didn't.

"Vala, there have been a lot of things I've been told I wasn't allowed to do." Daniel blew smoke away from her face, then brought his lips close to hers. "You know what my answer to those people was?"

"What's that?" She breathed, both scared and excited by his closeness.

Daniel smiled mischievously, holding the cigarette close to her mouth. "Fuck 'em."

She knew she shouldn't smile at his comment, but Vala did anyway. This was wrong...so wrong, but she took the cigarette. She hesitated as she moved to bring it to her lips.

"Just suck..." Daniel's lips twitched at the word. "Hold it in until you get that buzzing feeling in your head..." Vala did as he instructed. "And blow it out."

She did that, but couldn't help the cough that followed. "That's...disgusting." She wheezed, and then laughed.

"Isn't it?" Daniel smiled, taking the cigarette back and pulling from it with his lips.

"Daniel..." Jack waltz back into the open space. "What are you doing to this poor girl?" Vala noticed how he weaved slightly as he sauntered over to them, an open bottle in his hand, and quite a few more gathered in his arms.

"I'm breaking her free..." Daniel snatched one of the bottles from Jack's arms greedily as the slightly taller man bumped into him. He quickly rid it of its top, and took a deep drink from the bottle, draining the contents to about half. Daniel wiped his mouth as he brought the bottle down. "Of her restraints."

Jack leaned in close to Daniel, and the younger man had to place a hand on his friend's chest to keep Jack from plowing into him. "She's gonna cause us trouble." He tried to whisper, but Vala heard it.

Daniel looked at her, and there was something in his eyes Vala couldn't understand. "Ya know, I think she's worth it."

Vala blushed, but reached for the cigarette in his hand. She took a pull from it and fought hard not to cough as she exhaled the smoke. She had no idea why she felt the need to do it.

Daniel smiled and gave a knowing glance to Jack. Jack, in turn, gave a small nod, and stumbled off towards the roaring fire in the middle of the barn. Daniel took the cigarette back from Vala, and took one final pull from it.

"Vala..." Daniel looked down at the cigarette as he ground it into the floor. His blue eyes came back up to meet hers. "You wanna join us?" He held out the bottle he was still holding to her.

Vala looked down at the bottle. "I want to..." She stuttered. "But I can't."

Daniel stepped closer to her once again. His free hand ran a smooth, warm trail down her back. And Vala liked it a lot more than she should. He leaned in and whispered in her ear.

"I don't care about what you can't do." Daniel placed a kiss to her cheek, and she felt the fire within him shoot through her body. "I care about what you wanna do."

Vala couldn't stop herself from taking the bottle. She took a tentative sip, and the burn that went down her throat matched the inferno in those blue eyes. And no matter how terribly wrong it felt, Vala found herself taking a deeper drink from the liquid fire.

Things had begun to change after that.

She stopped seeing her papa as the pure hero, and her mama was no longer the angel of innocence she had thought she was. Her sisters became nothing more than incessant annoyances in her slowly unraveling world. When she was at home, she began to feel like an imposter. When she was with Jack and Daniel, she began to feel perfection.

So she started spending more time with them. And quickly everything that had been important before became so...unbelievably stupid. She began to skip her daily lessons to go and get wrapped up in wonder with Daniel. Curfews were forgotten and inhibitions lost as Vala fell deeper into his world of too much booze and way more fun.

Soon home was more foreign to her then the barn. She found she slept later into the day, and stayed up later into the night. The dresses she had always loved lost their appeal, and quickly she found them too constricting. And unease crept into her body when she was left without a gun close at hand, especially after Daniel and Jack began to teach her how to shoot.

And her mama's words fast became poison compare to the whispered words of a young man she had quickly begun to realise she was falling hard for.

Act Well became Act like you damn well pleased.

Be Polite became Be pissed at anything that didn't go your way.

Play Nice became Play dirty, or you'll surely get fucked.

Never Indulge became Never waste an opportunity to get lit and have fun.

Be Honest became Be honestly dishonest to get the things you REALLY wanted.

Work Hard became Work it hard to get one step ahead of the competition.

Live Prosperous became Live like there was no tomorrow.

Never drink turned into drink too much, too often, and love it.

Never smoke turned into smoke as many as you could whenever you wanted to.

Never steal turned into Take what you can, give nothing back.

Never cheat turned into Cheat anyone you know will try and cheat you first.

Never Lie turned into Lie as often as needed to get you out of, or possibly into, any situation.

She had tried to hide how messed up she was every morning after leaving the barn. A part of her had still clung to the belief of protect your family's honor. She had tried to keep her walk even, and the insatiable need to scream, laugh, and dance like she could with 'her boys' buried deep within. But soon she began to grow sick of it.

"You know what, Daniel?" Vala breathed against him, enjoying the slur to her voice and the blurred edges of her vision. She smiled as Daniel leaned in to kiss her, truly loving this new sensation of his tongue invading her mouth.

"What babe?" He asked as he pulled away, falling back against the hay covered floor. Vala held up her finger, and drank from the bottle in her other hand. When she pulled it away, she tried to give him a serious look.

"Mama is really starting to piss me off." She frowned. "I mean, she knows I've changed, but she has no proof. And she's trying to work something out of me, and I don't like it..."

Daniel interrupted her for a moment. "You haven't changed. You've grown, but definitely haven't changed."

Vala leaned in and kissed him like he had been kissing her. "Anyways..." She moved to stand, and stepped back a bit as the world tilted as she came to her feet. "I'm sick of pretending to be that nothing I was when they all know I'm something now."

Daniel came to stand as well. He looked into her glazed grey eyes, and rubbed his thumb along her cheek. "You were never nothing to me." He stepped closer and his hands gripped the fabric of her dress. He pulled, and made a tear down the middle of the flowing material.

"Daniel?" Vala questioned, no fear in her voice.

"You're too big for this place, Vala." Daniel pulled out his dagger, and began to cut pieces of fabric away from her dress. "Jack and I have discussed it, and we both think you belong with us. Not just because you're brilliant, and great with a gun, and fun also..." Daniel smiled, and continued to modify her dress. Vala enjoyed the feel of his hands roaming over her body. He stopped after a moment, eyeing his work. "But also because I don't think I can leave here without you."

He turned her, and Vala gasped at her reflection in the mirror. She leaned back against Daniel, and the image reflected back at her of the two of them was so right. Daniel leaned in, and placed a kiss to her now exposed shoulder.

"You are perfection to me." He whispered to her.

That night she had given herself to Daniel. And no longer was the obligation to family a thought in her mind. They hadn't gotten much sleep that night, and the next morning both had gone stumbling into town together, still lit from their evening escapades. Wearing her new outfit, one of Daniel's guns hanging from her hip, Vala had walked straight - okay, not so straight - to her house, Daniel's hand in hers. And she had confronted the family who had kept her tied down for far too long.

They burst through the door together, and Vala was met with the unbelievable stares of her family at the breakfast table.

"Mornin' everyone." She giggled, and then hiccupped a little. Daniel's arms around her waist tightened, and he placed an amused kiss to her neck. "How's that breakfast of yours?"

She held onto a laugh at the look her mother and father shot her.

"It's fine, dear." Her mother looked at her with a false smile. "Would you like to sit and join us?"

Vala did laugh at that. "Nah..." She drawled out and took a few unsteady steps toward the table. Daniel remained standing in the doorway. "See, I've already had my breakfast, and that said, if I sat down right now, I don't think I could get back up."

"Maybe that's a good thing." Her daddy said, fixing her with a hard glare. "Maybe it'll keep you here, away from him..." he pointed at Daniel. "And stop you from disgracing this family."

Vala snorted at the statement. "You wanna see disgracing?" She stood, walked back to Daniel, and captured his mouth in a fiery kiss. She jumped into his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist. She looked at Daniel, and smiled.

"I'm done."

Daniel nodded and moved to carry her out into the street.

"Vala!" Her mother screamed after them "You're wasting your life away! Don't give yourself to him! He'll only bring you bad things!"

Vala made Daniel stop and jumped out of him arms. She stalked back over to her mother.

"Save myself?" She laughed. "I've already been saved. Saved from you, from this town, from the rules. I'm leaving, mama. And I have no intention of EVER coming back, so you can keep those threats of not having a home to return to quiet." Vala moved close to her mother, then turned and pointed at Daniel.

"See that man?" She asked, and didn't wait for an answer. "He has brought something to me that I never realised I was missing - freedom. Freedom to do what I want, say what I want, act like I wanna act-" She paused as a small burp escaped her lips. It smelled like what they'd been drinking not even an hour earlier. "Drink what I want. And every time I do that, I'll lose more of the YOU inside me. I'll gain more of myself..." Vala leaned in close to whisper in her mother's ear. "And soon I'll be the same woman I gave to Daniel last night...the woman he sees and you don't. Your little girl is dead."

And as Vala had walked away, a part of her had been sad. Childhood had been leaving her in those steps. Part of her still loved her mama, papa, and family. The same part that had wanted to remain the young girl looking in on the strange boys in the barn.

But, now, as she lays against Daniel in their bed of the moment, Vala is glad she never looked back that day. Because the feel of his warm skin has become the home she never knew she was missing. The kiss he softly places in her hair is the love she would never have gotten from anyone else. Daniel is her destroyer and creator...

He stole her innocence, but gave Vala her life.

Girls

Vala sat at the one table in the room, her feet propped up on the corner, a cigarette gripped between her fingers dangling down at her side. Her other hand was pulled out in front of her as Sam began to touch the edge of an ink-soaked brush onto her skin.

"Is this permanent?" Vala questioned curiously, taking a drag from the cigarette. The smoke she exhaled rose to join the thick cloud hovering around the room. She watched with fascination as Sam began to weave patterns with the dark brown ink.

Sam inched her chair closer and shook her head. "It'll last a couple of weeks...maybe a month." She continued to paint patterns of lines and dots along Vala's fingers and up her hand.

"A month?" Vala paused a moment as the guys on the other end of the room got a little louder than normal. She smiled as Daniel got right up in Jack's face playfully, both of them arguing over whether whoever's shot was legal or not in their messed up version of pool. "You would think..." She turned her grey eyes back to watch Sam work. "Something so intricate and time-consuming to do would last longer."

Sam looked up at her, and flashed a mischievous grin. "Just be glad I'm not making you pay." She blew across Vala's hand to help dry the ink. "I get paid..." She reached over and plucked the cigarette from Vala's lips. Taking a drag, she sat back. "A pretty penny for this type of work."

Vala laughed. "From good upstanding ladies like yourself." She tilted her head, then smiled. "Or like you've convinced everyone that you are."

"Hey!" Sam kicked a foot out at Vala's chair. "I make an honest living providing a service for people."

"Oh right. Smuggling in outlawed goods from foreign places and then selling it to the rich and brainless." Vala reached forward, grabbing the drink they were sharing. "That's a real honest living." She titled the cup towards Sam, then took a sip from it.

"At least I don't shoot people." Sam said in a teasing tone, once more resuming her work on Vala. "My deals don't end in gun fights and wanted posters. Everything is done under wraps."

Vala shifted in her chair, pulling the last drag from the cigarette Sam had handed back to her. "That's because you give those high-enders a product...which I in turn go out and take from them, and trade for things that can be useful for the lesser fortunate out there. It's easier to give then to take..."At Sam's look, Vala just shrugged. "Or maybe it's just quieter." She smiled impishly. "Plus I know how to handle a weapon."

"Look here, missy..." Sam came back up, and pointed her brush at Vala. "I'll have you know I am very good with swords and daggers."

Vala nodded. "Taught by those oh-so-trustworthy foreign teachers of yours."

Sam laughed, and swept her arm out towards the guys, still playing dirty despite being best friends. "And you were trained by much better?" She looked Vala up and down. "Can definitely tell you're a graduate of their teachings. What lady puts their stolen boots up on the table?"

Vala stuck out her tongue. "Never said anything about being a lady. In fact, I believe we already implied I wasn't." She gave her best friend a look of indignation. "And they're not stolen - Daniel bought them for me."

Sam just gave Vala a look.

"Well, he gave them to me..."

Sam laughed. "Then they're definitely stolen. But now there's a good explanation as to why you NEVER take them off." She eyed Vala, wearing those boots, Daniel's shirt, and a pair of panties. Any other articles of clothing were, not surprisingly, absent. "Even when you are half-naked."

Vala just shrugged innocently. "I like the way they look...and Daniel likes the way they look." Vala pointed her finger at Sam and pouted playfully. "And he doesn't steal EVERYTHING..."

Sam looked up, and smiled at the person who had come to stand behind Vala silently "He stole your heart."

Vala breathed in deeply as strong, familiar arms wrapped around her. "That's very true." She sighed as Daniel placed a tender kiss on her cheek. "He stole all of me."

Daniel smiled, then looked at Sam as he rested his chin on Vala's shoulder. "And that is the only everything worth stealing."

Vala patted his cheek with her free hand, the other still being painted by Sam. "You're such a sap."

Daniel laughed and squeezed her gently. "The guns hanging from my belt would attest to that."

He kissed her cheek again. "I just wanted to see what trouble you ladies were getting in to." He stood back up, and pointed at Sam's handy work. "I like that...very sexy."

Vala leaned her head back to look at him. "It's to attract handsome men."

"Guess it works." Daniel smiled impishly, and leaned down to kiss her again. "Now Iet this handsome man go win some more money off his best friend for a pretty girl."

Vala smiled as he turned to head back to the pool table. "You gonna buy said pretty girl a drink with that money?"

Daniel shrugged and turned to give her a wink. "I only buy drinks for girls I wanna get in bed."

Vala licked her lips at the look that twinkled in his bright blue eyes. "Well, I only go to bed with a guy to steal his money while he's sleeping."

"Just his money?" Daniel questioned with a raise of his eyebrow. "Cause it sure looks like you ran off with the last chump's shirt also..." Daniel shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back against the pool table. "Poor man...running around without his shirt. What would his girlfriend think?"

Vala flicked her gaze down a bit.

"That it's a shame she didn't get his pants too."

Thoughts

"You sure you're up to this?" Daniel asked gently, tightening his arm around Vala's waist. She was pressed close to his chest as they shared the saddle on a horse they'd stolen a few towns back. He leaned his hand down and kissed her temple. "We can always go around."

Vala shook her head. "We've been over this, Daniel. That would require going through miles of marshland." She leaned down a bit to rub her hand along the horse's neck. "This sweet boy wouldn't survive that."

Daniel smiled at Vala's action. She'd always had a fondness for animals.

She sat back up, looking at Daniel over her shoulder. "And Sam would surely kill me if we killed the thing she's paying us to get her."

"Then I'd have to kill Sam, and that would cause problems between me and Jack." Daniel tilted his head. "That just wouldn't be fun."

Vala smiled at Daniel's attempt to lighten her gloomy mood. She rubbed her hand along his arm across her waist. "No." She turned to look down the hill towards the town below them. Inhaling deeply, she rested her head back against Daniel's shoulder. "Guess it was a bit naive to tell her I'd never be back."

"Well, technically..." Daniel leaned in and kissed Vala's neck. "You told her you had no intention of ever returning."

Vala smiled and turned her head towards his. "You remember."

Daniel smiled and kissed her lips. "Of course. How could I forget the moment a beautiful woman gave up everything to take a chance on a reckless, trouble-bound eighteen year old boy lost to the world?"

"You're getting your facts confused." Vala laughed. "You were the man...I was just a stupid, love struck little girl who happened to get lucky."

Daniel rested his lips in her hair. "Stop it. Those are her words, not yours. You were, and still are, brilliant and destined for things greater than what they had planned for you. If anyone got lucky, it's me. Now get those unwarranted lies out of your head."

Vala shifted against him. "Sorry." She squeezed his hand holding the reins. "Guess being so close is channeling her thoughts to me."

Daniel's hand on her stomach moved to caress the inside of her thigh, playing pleasurably close to her crotch. "I'm closer to you in more ways than one." He murmured playfully. "Channel my thoughts instead."

Vala laughed enjoyably as Daniel pushed his hand against her. "I can do that..."

Daniel smiled and ghosted his lips up her neck. He flicked the reins and made a 'click click' sound with his mouth, and the horse moved back onto the path that led down to the town. His other hand continued to massage Vala's leg and...other places.

"Just do this the whole time we're down there," Vala grinned as Daniel pressed tighter against her. "And my mother won't be able to get anywhere near my thoughts."

For Love

By the time the hooves of their horse began to clop on the cobblestone streets of her hometown, Daniel had managed to put Vala in a very pleasurable mood.

They continued to ride until they reached the town square - the last place Vala had seen anyone from her real family.

Daniel felt her tense against him as the familiar house came into view. It was obvious word traveled fast of outsiders because already standing in the doorway were all the people Vala had chosen to leave behind to be with him. He would have told her to leave them even if there hadn't been love between the two of them.

He leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Don't let them see you sweat. You've taken on tougher people then this without me watching your back." He tightened his grip around her waist as Vala moved to get off the horse. He held her weight, and lowered her to the ground.

Vala turned and captured Daniel's lips in a desperate kiss before he had a chance to sit back up, her hands coming to his face. He moaned into her mouth, somehow managing to get off the horse himself without falling. He pulled her closer to him, but the tension never left her body. He felt Vala's hand move along his side to his gun. Senses heightened, he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. That had his hand moving to her gun, and they pulled apart.

Daniel whipped her gun around to whoever was approaching him from behind. Vala mirrored his action on the person creeping up on her. They stood side by side, Daniel's free arm around her back, his hand resting on her waist. Vala's legs straddle his left one, and her free hand was on the back of his neck.

"Don't move please." Vala smiled at the young guard aiming at her. She winked his way, and he swallowed nervously.

"Well, this is new." Daniel stated calmly, his gazed focused on the guard aiming a shotgun at him.

"New in general or new for here?" Vala questioned playfully. "Because if you're implying generally, then no...this is actually quite normal darling."

"Yes, babe...I knew that" Daniel bit back in the same playful tone. "I meant...the last time we were here, there wasn't any security." He turned to look at Vala, still keeping his gun raised. "But you knew that's what I meant."

Vala looked at him, and smiled. Nothing like the threat of being shot to ease the tension. Both of the guards saw this as an opportunity to advance, but Daniel and Vala returned their attention back to them faster than the two had intended.

"Did we SAY you could MOVE?!" Daniel yelled with annoyance.

Vala laughed. She could always count on Daniel to get a little upset when their 'captors' didn't do things his way. She thought he looked so cute when his temper was up...which was often. "Breathe, sweetheart. They don't know the rules of this game."

Daniel took a deep breath. "Well, they need to learn..." He moved his hand from Vala to grab the gun at his back. He pulled it out from under his long coat with lightning agility and turned to fire a shot at the third armed man approaching from the other side of the horse. The man fell to the ground, screaming as he clutched his shoulder. "That stupidity gets you killed."

All the onlookers screamed, and one of the women watching from the doorway rushed down the steps shrieking. Daniel trained his weapon on her, his other gun still aimed at the first guard. This brought more screaming and distinct shrieking from the same doorway.

"QUIET!" Vala shouted, pulling her second gun from where it was strapped against her boot. She fired a warning shot into the air. The air grew suddenly silent and she turned her gaze to the one onlooker who hadn't been screaming. Daniel's gaze also turned that direction.

"Call off your watchdogs, or I'll shoot her." He said, his tone serious.

"And I'll let him." Vala stated, and Daniel felt relief at her words. He would have felt terrible if he'd had to shoot Vala's sister without her permission. When the woman in the doorway said nothing, Vala moved past Daniel and held one gun to the trembling girl's head. Daniel brought his gun to aim at the guard Vala had left uncovered.

"Better yet, I'll shoot her myself." Vala glared at the woman in the doorway. "Call off the watchdogs NOW!"

"You would shoot your own flesh and blood?" The woman asked calmly, moving down one step. "To protect this wanted criminal?"

"Actually..." Daniel couldn't help the smile that came to his lips. "Beautiful Vala here has a longer list of crimes, bounties, and warrants for her arrest under her belt then I do." The look on her mother's face had him laughing. "Not proud?"

"How could I be, after seeing how you've corrupted her?" Vala's mother moved down another step. Vala aimed her second gun at her, and she stopped.

"Call. Off. Your. Men." Vala ordered slowly, anger in her voice.

"You might wanna do it." Daniel said. "I've seen her do some pretty gruesome things when she's angry."

"She wouldn't shoot family." Her mother advanced another step. "I know that about her."

"You know NOTHING about me!" Vala screamed, firing off a shot just past her mother's head. The bullet impacted with the leg of her other sister, and the girl went down screaming. The way her mother's face paled was satisfying. "What? You'd think I'd forgotten Areya was your favorite? That you let her beat me with all those pretty shoes you gave her, and that you promised her I would one day be traded off to some whore house owner to live out my life as a thing to be fucked? Just like you all fucked me of my freedom since the day I was born?"

"You've allowed that pathetic excuse of a human being..." Her mother pointed to Daniel, and Vala felt her temper rage. "To take you down a wretched path from whence you can't return."

"Wretched?!" Vala laughed. She looked quickly at Daniel, who flashed her a dashing grin. Her gaze returned to her mother, and she smiled. "If being wretched means I get to have someone who believes in ME - Not the potential buying price of my body, but ME as I am, then so be it. I'm glad I gave my love to someone who respects my thoughts, listens to what I say, fights for my life, and honors my existence. It's better than taking the beatings, both mentally and physically, disguised as love that you gave me the first sixteen years of my life."

Vala looked back at Daniel, and gave a nod. He shot the two guards, then quickly took out the rest who thought they were hiding from sight. He then mounted the horse and quickly trotted him over to Vala. She took the hand Daniel held down for her, and once more settled in before him. Her gaze returned to her mother.

"I didn't want anyone to die here." Vala said with total honesty. "But you had to insult the one person who would do anything for me, and that just pisses me off. And people die when I get pissed off." She smiled when Daniel nodded vehemently. "Now you can go ahead and call those high-end, powerful people, and tell them you've seen us. By the time they get here, we'll have disappeared into the night like the shadows we've become to this world."

"And you're happy to live as shadow with him?" Her mother asked angrily. "Be nothing more than a criminal and a killer like he's taught you to be?"

Vala nodded. "Yes...Goodbye Mother."

Daniel moved the horse, and they started galloping out of town. Just before they turned down the path that led away from the town, Vala made Daniel pull on the reins, turning them back to the watching crowd.

"Bernice..." She shouted to her sister, the youngest of them all, who had been next on the list of her mother's wrath. The sister now at the side of the first man Daniel had shot. "Do you love him?"

Through the tears in her eyes, Bernice shouted back. "Yes!"

Vala smiled. "Daniel's sorry he shot him, but more importantly get him, and yourself, out while you have a chance. Because she's not worth your unreturned affection. Even when everything outside her world seems too bad or too much to handle, it's all worth it..." Daniel squeezed her tightly. "For love."

Daniel flicked the reins again and without a look back, Vala left behind the world he'd saved her from...again.

One Day

Vala watched Daniel move slowly around the room, gathering his various pieces of clothing that had landed where they had cast them in their haste to become one. As much as she should be cherishing the sight of him, her heart ached at the focused frown on his face.

"I hate this." She murmured from where she stood against the wall. Daniel looked up at her, pulling the cigarette from his mouth.

"I know." He sighed as smoke poured out of his mouth, and Vala couldn't help but laugh sadly. He was always so cocky, and she loved it. The laugh quickly fell away, and she looked down at the floor as tears began to fill her eyes.

Daniel swallowed at seeing her sadness. He crossed the room to stand before her. Lifting her chin so her grey-eyed gaze met his, he smiled lovingly. His other hand brushed back her soft dark hair, the cigarette still clutched between his fingers.

Daniel searched her eyes. "You are so beautiful." He sighed.

"Stay here..." Vala placed her hand on his bare chest. She looked down at the warm skin beneath her fingers. "Stay with me," Her lips came to kiss his flesh softly. "Please."

Daniel closed his eyes and forced himself away from her. "I can't." He willed his voice to be strong. This was his doing, and he had to stay focused. He wouldn't change what he had done to get to this point, but he now had to accept the consequences of his actions. Turning away, he returned to gathering his things.

"Daniel." Vala pleaded to him softly.

Daniel gave her a stern glare. "I have to leave, Vala."

She shook her head vehemently. "No, you don't!"

"Yes I do!" Daniel growled back, failing at keeping the agitation from his voice. He pulled his shirt on and tucked it into his pants.

Vala looked up to the ceiling, crossing her arms over her chest. "Why?" She asked helplessly.

Daniel shook his head and waved his hand at her. "Don't...You are far from naive, so stop acting that way." He bent down to pick up his belt, then brought the cigarette to his mouth for a drag. He heard Vala sniff and he fought the urge to go to her. "I killed someone, Vala. Killed someone very, very important."

"You've killed plenty of people." Vala argued, and was rewarded with a nod from Daniel as he fastened his gun holster around his waist and latched the loop around his leg.

"But never anyone-" He walked to the bed to grab his long coat. "This high up." His blues eyes locked onto her with complete seriousness. "There is an unbelievably enormous sized bounty on my head right now, and I will not risk your life because of my actions."

Vala gave him a look of love. "But I'm willing to take whatever risks to just be with you, Daniel."

"I'm not." Daniel stated firmly.

Vala flushed an angry shade of red at his words. "You're not my keeper!"

Daniel closed his eyes and sighed. "No, I'm your lover. I'm your partner, and I'm also your protector." He slipped on his coat, taking the final drag from the cigarette. As he tossed it out the open window, he nodded as if finally convincing himself. "You'll be safe here."

Vala shook her head for what seemed like the millionth time. "I'm only safe when I'm with you."

"Vala!" Daniel snapped desperately, his emotions breaking loose. He watched her gaze fall to the floor, chastised. He sighed with guilt. "I don't want us to fight, baby." He said as he approached her. "Not now - not when I'm leaving. I don't want to remember this when I think of you."

Vala looked up as he came to stand before her. Daniel cupped her face with his hands. She sighed as his rough fingers caressed her skin gently.

"I want to remember beautiful steel eyes that will forever hold my gaze." He kissed her lips tenderly. "And pouting lips that are the only ones I want to kiss." His hand came to press against her chest. "And a heart that I hope is only given to me."

Vala turned her head to kiss his hand still against her cheek. "It will always be given only to you." She whispered as a tear fell. Daniel brushed it away and kissed her lips again. Vala knew it was the last time she would feel complete for a long time.

"Come back to me." She demanded against his lips, giving him a commanding look.

Daniel took it as his opportunity to push past her. If he didn't go now, he would never leave. "I'll send word." He snatched his bag from the table and slung it over his shoulder. "You know where to find it."

Vala nodded, licking her lips to try and curb her emotions. "There's no guarantee that I won't follow you."

Daniel turned back to her with a knowing grin. "I wasn't asking for one."

"Why do I have a feeling this is going to be too long?" She asked as she took a few steps to stand next to him, keeping her shoulder from brushing along his arm. He needed to focus, and so did she.

Daniel rummaged through the bag. "It already is." He found what he was searching for. Pulling the familiar pouch from the beat-up pack, he handed it to Vala. "Take 'em."

Vala reached out a shaky hand to the leather pouch. "You sure?"

"I smoke too much anyways." Daniel shrugged. He leaned in. "One day, baby. One day soon." He whispered, placing a kiss to her temple. Then, in a blink of an eye, he was out the door. Vala moved to the doorway to catch a final glimpse of him, but she knew it was futile.

Daniel had returned to the shadows, leaving her to hide in the daylight alone. Gently stroking the pouch in her hand, Vala knew it signified his promise to return.

One day.

Extraordinary

Vala backed out of the crappy little bar, pulling Daniel along by his coat down the steps purposely.

The world had an expected tilt to it as she continued to pull him across the street, through the crowds of people out and about doing whatever normal people did during midday. She smiled with amusement, and Daniel smiled at her in kind. They were standing out like black against white, but everything but each other was too blurred for them to really care.

Vala felt the wall she'd seen opposite the bar touch her back, and she let Daniel do the rest. He pushed her up tight against it, bringing his body flush to hers. As his lips sucked along her neck aggressively, Vala watched the hazy stares of people passing. She snorted. Hazy on her end, not theirs.

"What?" Daniel looked at her, his mouth taking a needy pull at her bottom lip.

She smiled at him. "This..." Her finger moved back and forth between them, indicating herself and him. "I don't think it's common here."

Daniel looked out at the passing people, shrugged, then turned back to look at Vala.

"Huh...Who would have thought two half-lit..."

Vala let out a small laugh at his choice of words.

Daniel smiled at the sound of it. "Completely toasted criminals making out across from a bar would be unusual."

At hearing him say 'making out', Vala rubbed her body against his. The feeling of him coming alive against her was pleasant. "Not normal I guess."

Daniel leaned in close, his lips hovering above hers. "Oh well."

Vala shrugged and then laughed lustily into Daniel's mouth as he kissed her. As Daniel titled his head to the side and plunged his tongue deep into her mouth, Vala opened her eyes to see a woman and her daughters watching them with shock. She wrapped one leg around one of Daniel's, up near his hip. With a hard push, it had Daniel thrusting against her. He tore his mouth away from hers and groaned distractedly, tilting his head back a fraction.

The mother gasped disgustedly, and began to usher her children away. The youngest of the girls pointed at them and asked what they were doing. Vala barely caught the word 'sinners' drift across the busy street. She laughed against Daniel's neck as he leaned in to place hot, biting kisses along her shoulder.

One of his hands began to undo the ties of her bodice. The moment he pulled enough of the string slack, his moist lips moved to just above her breasts, now more free. Vala ran her hand through his hair, and she closed her eyes at the soft kisses and licks Daniel was making. He was always so gentle, and yet rough at the same time. Because as his lips played nice, his hands didn't as his fingers twisted hard in her hair at the nape of her neck.

Just as Daniel was starting to really get into it, the very quiet sound of someone attempting to clear their throat halted his fun. He lifted his head up slowly, and turned annoyed blue eyes on a short, balding man standing a few feet away.

"Yes?!" Daniel hissed.

The man cleared his throat again and gave a frightened smile. "This is a...public place."

Daniel blinked. He coughed a little and shook his head. "AND?"

"Well, my wife and I..." He pointed to his wife standing just behind him. "We have a daughter, and would very much appreciate if you-"

"If we what?" Daniel laughed. "Don't want to expose your little princess to all the horrors of the real world?" At the man's nod, Daniel smirked. "Get over it!" He turned back to Vala, who had her eyes closed and was smiling pleasantly. He placed a supple kiss to her neck and she sighed.

"Better sooner rather than later." Daniel mumbled between kisses and Vala laughed at the double meaning to his words.

"Sir, if you don't quit this, I'm afraid I'll have to insist-" Before he had a chance to yelp, he found the barrel of a gun aimed directly at his head.

Daniel shook his head. "You aren't insistin' shit!" He tried to sound ticked, but Vala laughing quietly against his neck had him fighting a smile. "I've got a beautiful woman at my fingertips-"

"And other tips." Vala fought through her amusement.

Daniel ignored her innuendo. "I'm a bit tipsy right now, and you're killing both my pleasure and my buzz. And that is why my GUN is pointed at your head. Do we understand each other?" The man nodded quickly, swallowing hard.

Vala sigh as she regained enough of her composure. She placed a hand on Daniel's outstretched arm. "Darling..."

"Yes, sweetheart?" Daniel never took his gaze off the man.

Vala squeezed his arm tightly. "We can continue this a little down the road...I like it better in the woods anyway."

Daniel sighed and reluctantly dropped his arm. He had no intention of hurting the man - hell, the gun wasn't even cocked. But he was having fun messing with the poor guy. As the guy backed away quickly, taking his family with him as he retreated, Daniel turned to look at Vala. "Why are we always the ones to sacrifice?"

Vala smiled and kissed his lips softly. "Because we're not normal bad guys."

Daniel pushed off of her with a growl and started to swagger down the street. "That's because we're just a fucked up pair of a different type of good guy." He shouted back to her.

Vala watched him as she followed slowly. The sway to his walk was more pronounced, an alcohol-induced trait. His gun was still grasped in his hand, and he ignored the looks people shot him as it swung back and forth with his step. She knew he was being watchful, but just enjoying the pleasant fact that, for a little while, they weren't being hunted.

Vala smiled as he passed a group of girls who watched him dreamily. She still got that way when he stood close. A small laugh escaped when Daniel turned around as he walked and winked at the young women. They giggled like crazy and their boyfriends standing nearby grew an angry shade of purple.

Daniel noticed them and smiled cheekily in their direction. Then he turned the smile to Vala. "You coming, babe?" He shouted louder than was necessary, scaring half the people along the street.

Vala pushed off the wall. "Absolutely, gorgeous!" She grinned. As she passed them, the girls' looks turned to hate and their boyfriends got dreamy-eyed. She blew them a kiss, and Daniel laughed at the action. As she came to join him, he kissed her passionately. At the familiar sharp taste of alcohol on his tongue, Vala smiled.

A different kind of good guy, indeed.

Over the Edge

The forest world around her was just a blur as she sped through the trees. The thump of her boots on the ground beat in time with her pounding heart. She ignored the whip and sting of branches that lashed out at her face, neck, and arms. It barely registered in her mind that she had left her long coat behind in the haste to escape.

She wanted nothing more than to collapse right there. Her lungs were burning and it felt like her legs might give out from under her any moment. As she burst through the trees into a small clearing, she skidded to a halt. Her boots sent dirt and rock tumbling over the edge of a cliff just inches from where she'd stopped.

It was at times like this when she wondered why she'd chosen this life - what made all the hassle and torment worth it? The sounds of gun fire, various shouting, and one distinct wild laugh reached her ears over the roar of the waterfall just beyond. And there it was - that one reason.

Breathing heavily, she turned back towards the trees to see him come crashing into the clearing backwards, his guns raised and firing. He turned around just in time to come to a skidding halt flush against her heaving chest.

"Oh fuck!" Daniel shouted at the site of the rushing water and long drop before them.

Vala nodded and looked back at the site herself. "I guess this is the end of the line."

The shouting of men and the barking of dogs brought the couple's attention back towards the tree line. Daniel brought his arm around Vala's back, pushing her tight against him. Before she could even consider what he was doing, he turned his face back and crashed his lips to hers in a searing kiss. His mouth devoured hers hungrily, and Vala could do nothing but ride the wave that was Daniel on an adrenaline high.

He pulled away abruptly, and flashed her a handsome grin. "There's no such thing as the end of the line, sweetheart." Daniel turned his gun back towards the trees, shooting the first of the hunting party that came into the open area. He popped off two rounds in record time, felling both the man and his attack dog.

"Go!" Daniel shouted, turning back to her as he holstered his guns. Vala turned back to the waterfall, and without a second thought leapt over the edge. Daniel's excited shout came on the rushing wind as he followed in her actions. She had just enough time to smile before the water engulfed her.

Vala tried to focus all her energy on kicking to the surface, but found herself pulled by an unexpected current deeper into the water. Then suddenly, the battering of water stopped. Vala kicked to the surface, coughing harshly. Looking around, she realized she had been dragged into the caverns behind the waterfall.

Moments later, Daniel broke the surface with a loud gasp. He coughed a little, then turned towards Vala, who was still coughing herself.

"You alright, baby?" He asked with concern.

Vala nodded and swam towards the sandy shore near the walls of the cavern. As she slowly walked out of the water, a hand on her arm turned her around so fast that she lost balance. She was glad there was a strong chest to break her fall, as well as deliciously sweet lips to crash against hers. Daniel's mouth was warm and inviting compared to the cool water that they fell back into as Vala jumped into his arms.

"You are amazing." Daniel sighed as they lay on the sand together a little while later. He brushed back a strand of wet hair from her face, and softly began to place kisses to every scratch and scrape she'd gotten from the branches. "There's no one else I know that would have done that."

Vala kissed his lips and ran her hand down towards his still undone pants. "My lovely Daniel..." She murmured. Daniel groaned as her fingers explored. "You are the only one who could send me over the edge in every way possible."

Daniel let out a breathless laugh as Vala moved on top of him.

"I send YOU over the edge?"

Sliced

Her grunt of distress had Daniel whipping his head around instantly. Before he had a chance to see what was happening, he was rewarded with a strong punch to the jaw from the man he was fighting.

Daniel's free hand came to his cheek as he flexed his jaw. His attention returned to the man, blue eyes now burning with suppressed fury. A moment passed with just the two staring at each other, the man with his hands up in a useless defensive measure.

An angry laugh escaped past Daniel's lips as he looked down at the ground. Then, with amazing agility, he thrust the heel of his hand hard against his attacker's nose. There was a satisfying crunch and before the man had a chance to cry out in pain, Daniel rammed the end of the shot gun, which he'd lifted off one of the guards, against his head.

The man crumbled to the floor, unconscious. Daniel had no time to revel in his glory as Vala's pain-filled gasp filled the charged air. He turned on his heels, and felt his heart nearly stop. Vala was partially bent over, hands pressed hard against her stomach as blood seeped through her fingers. The man she had been fighting stood leering at her, a sharp curved sword held in his hand, dripping with fresh blood.

Daniel reached under his long coat, behind his back. He felt the hilt of the small dagger that the imcompetent guards had missed when they'd been searched. With deadly precision, he brought the dagger out from around him, and sent it flying straight into the throat of Vala's attacker. The burly man collapsed to the floor, hands going instintively to his profusely bleeding neck.

Rushing to Vala's side, Daniel fixed the man with a death glare. "You stick her, I stick you - asshole."

As the man fell back, still choking on his own blood, Daniel turned his attention to Vala. A thin layer of sweat had already begun to cover her body, and she was pulling in short, gasping breaths. His hand covered her bloody ones over the wound.

"Daniel..." Vala whispered, squeezing her eyes shut against the pain.

"Relax, baby." He soothed, bringing his other hand to the back of her head and propping her up. Daniel moved to take her into his arms, tears trying to break free when she gasped out as he went to stand. "I'm gonna get you out of here, and fix this."

Vala buried her head into his chest. "I d-don't think...you can..f-fix this..one."

"Ah..." Daniel fought around his emotions. He braced Vala against him with one arm and knelt down to pull his dagger from the now dead man's throat. "Don't say that." He shifted Vala, who moaned in pain as she tried to cling to him as best as she could. Daniel began to feel her blood soak into his shirt, and he pressed her tighter to him. She gasped.

"Sorry." He whispered, standing up. With his now free hand, he held the shot gun at the ready and moved towards the doorway that would take them out of the hell they'd once more gotten themselves into.

Stitched

Vala was almost dead weight in his arms by the time they made it to their hideaway in the woods. The only sure sign that she was still alive was her weak attempts to struggle out of his grasp, and her heartbreaking whimpers of pain.

Daniel carried her quickly to the area that served as their bed. He lowered her gently onto it, and began to pull away the strips of fabric he'd torn from his shirt and placed on the stab wound. They were all soaked in blood, as was most of the front of his shirt and his hands.

Vala shivered violently, then bucked against the hand he gently pressed to the wound.

"Hey, easy!" Daniel chastised, though his voice was caring. "It's just me, Vala."

Vala looked at him with barely open, pain-filled eyes. "Make…stop...Daniel." She mumbled around her tears, fighting against his attempts to stem the bleeding with the handful of rags he kept by the bed just in case. "Please."

Daniel bit down on his warring emotions, trying to stay focused on the task at hand. "I'm trying, Vala!" He hastily removed his long coat, tossing it haphazardly to the ground. He pushed down on the rags he'd put on her stomach, and she bucked again. "If you'd stop fighting me, dammit!"

"Burns..." Vala whimpered, shaking her head. "Dizzy, burns...tired."

Daniel's head shot up, and he brought his face close to hers, making sure he kept pressure on the wound. "It's burns?" He asked in a slightly panicked tone. Vala just stared at him, a smile coming to her lips slowly.

"My Daniel..." She mumbled, bringing a bloody hand to his cheek.

Grabbing her hand with his free one, Daniel tried to get her to focus. "Vala, stay with me here. I need you to focus, beautiful-"

Vala let out a little laugh. "Think...beautiful."

Daniel nodded. "Always have, but we can discuss that later. Right now, you need to tell me what's wrong."

"Been stabbed." Vala's laugh was delirious, and her head lolled a little to the side.

"I know you've been stabbed, Vala..." Daniel brought her face back up to face his. She blinked slowly. "No, no. Focus on me, baby. Vala, look at me." Vala eyes lethargically came to look into his. "You said it was burning, right?"

Vala smiled and shook her head a fraction. "Not anymore." With that, her eyes drifted closed and her head fell to the side.

Daniel growled, sitting back up. "Shit!" He ran a bloody hand through his hair, eyes staring at the cloth-covered wound, which had finally began to slow its bleeding. He swallowed, then nodded his head quickly. "Okay, let's fix this."

* * * *
The smell of something cooking on the fire brought Vala slowly awake. She opened her eyes to see the gentle glow of the fire illuminating a small area around her, a pot hanging just above the flames.

Slowly, she moved to sit up. A strangled yelp broke the almost silence of the area as pain shot out from her stomach. Seemingly out of nowhere, she felt a strong chest against her back supporting her.

"Easy, beautiful." A welcoming voice whispered in her ear, and Vala couldn't help from smiling as she remembered the first time he'd said just that to her, that night they'd met. Except, this time, it was followed by a warm, inviting kiss to her neck. "Don't want to ruin all the hard work we put in to making you better."

Vala rested her head against Daniel's shoulder. "I doubt I was much help. I don't even remember much of it."

Daniel brushed a hand through her hair. "Oh no, you did a lot. You fought through it all, even when I was sure you wouldn't make it. You're so strong, Vala."

"Only because you've made me that way." Vala smiled.

Daniel shook his head a little. "No, it's you who makes me stronger. Every single moment since the day I met you, your love for me has been unstoppable. You threw everything away to be with a lost cause destined to walk the path of the wicked. Gave up the possibility of a decent, normal life to become a wanted criminal just so you could walk that wicked path with me. I envy the strength it took you to do that, and I'll love you with every breath left within me. I always have. Your strength has always given me strength." He kissed her neck again.

Vala swallowed against the lump in her throat. "Daniel?" She whispered, totally taken back by Daniel's words. She'd always known that was how he felt, but to hear him put it to words was a total unexpected turn.

"I almost lost you, at my hand." Daniel nuzzled into her neck, and Vala inhaled as she felt wet tracks begin to run down her warm flesh. "And that is my biggest fear in this horrible world - That you'll die because I can't save you. Or because of something I did. It almost happened this time, and I don't want to go on another moment without letting you know what you mean to me."

"So this is coming from..." Vala trailed off, waiting for Daniel to fill in the gap.

Daniel pressed his lips to her temple. "From my heart." Gently, his hand turned her face towards his. He pressed his lips to hers in a tender kiss. "Which will always be yours, as tainted and dysfunctional as it may be." He whispered against her.

"A perfect companion to my blood-stained and hardened one." Vala whispered right back. "That belongs to only one man."

Daniel smiled impishly, though his eyes remained serious. "I'm hoping that one man is me."

Vala looked down a moment, then smiled herself. "But I already promised Jack..."

Daniel gasped playfully, before catching her lips in a more lust-filled kiss. "This is the thanks I get for nursing you back to health?"

"A good nurse is suppose to give their patient a spongebath..." Vala winked. "And I'm SURE I would have remembered that."

"Oh, I'll give you a bath." Daniel laughed in a husky tone, moving to lay her down again.

Vala lifted an eyebrow curiously. "What about my condition?" Daniel gave her a suggestive smirk in return. Vala laughed.

Things were definitely about to get tainted and dysfunctional.

Normalcy

A good size fire crackled in the hearth a few feet from where they sat together. Smushed in a tall, cushioned chair of fine quality, Daniel and Vala were simply enjoying each other and several bottles of the expensive liquor they had swiped on their way in. In the back room, lit only by the soft glow and flicker of the flame, they were getting a chance to unwind and talk.

Here, in the lavish comfort of Sam's most reclusive safe house, the couple actually felt content enough to just be.

Daniel's fingers brushed along the tops of the bottles sitting on the floor beside the chair. A few of the empties fell over in his search for a fresh bottle to indulge in. They knew Sam wasn't going to be happy when she found out they had snatched a small handful of her most sought after product, but by that point both were way beyond caring.

He examined the label a moment, then brought the edge to his lips for a sloppy drink. He smiled around the tangy, sweet liquid as he felt a warm tongue brush against his lips and chin. It quickly lapped up whatever hadn't made it into his mouth.

"What do you think this stuff is?" Daniel asked, once more examining the bottle.

Vala shrugged as she returned her head to his shoulder. Her eyes came to rest on the bottle as well as Daniel rested it on the arm of the chair by her bare leg, which was draped over the edge.

"Don't know..." She ran her hand along his resting on her stomach. She didn't fight the urge to place a hot kiss to his neck. "Why?"

Daniel let out a little laugh. "It's making me get all...philosophical and shit." He took another sip from the bottle.

"How so?" Vala asked, accepting the copious amount of liquid Daniel poured into her waiting mouth. She closed her eyes as she swallowed, and was rewarded with a deep kiss to her neck from Daniel.

"Well, I don't know if philosophical is the right word." He mumbled as he continued to kiss Vala's neck. "Having a problem with words at this exact moment..." He pulled his head back up. "Think. It's making me think."

Vala nuzzled into his neck. "About what?"

"Should we give this up?" Daniel asked quietly, and Vala could tell by his tone that he seriously wanted to know what she thought.

"This as in drinking, or as in..."

"As in all of it. Our dark and deadly lives." Daniel pulled her tighter against him. "Would you like it if I stopped killing, and cheating, and stealing, and running?" Vala waited for him to look at her, but his sharp blue eyes, clouded over from too much of the mystery drink, stared straight ahead. "Could settle down. Be normal."

Vala picked her head up, and stared at him curiously. "Darling, we aren't normal."

Daniel finally looked at her. There was something unreadable in his eyes. "But we could be, if you wanted to. I could finally get back into all that ancient history work that my parents started before they...died. Work for a museum, or..something."

"Daniel, why are we discussing this?" Vala placed a hand to his bare chest...bare because she was wearing his shirt.

His gaze dropped to his hand still on her stomach. "Things are changing, babe. It seems you're getting hurt more and more these days." She swallowed at the sign of tears in his eyes. "The bad guys are getting smarter, better at tracking us down. Maybe they really aren't the bad guys...maybe it's us."

Vala brought her hand to brush through his hair. "Sweetheart..."

"We could just run away for good. Disappear from the map. Try and be...normal."

She shook her head. "Even if we could, I'm not sure I'd want to. And I know that's not what you want."

Daniel looked at her again. "But it's safer, for you."

"Daniel..." Vala wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her forehead on his cheek. "I've told you so many times...the safest place for me is wherever you are, doing what you are doing. And no matter how hard you'd try, normal just wouldn't suit you." She lifted her head back up, and fixed him with an understanding stare. "You were always destined to walk the path less traveled, and no matter how hard you try to fight it, that path will always call you back."

Daniel stared at her, tears slowly sliding down his slightly flushed cheeks. Vala continued on, knowing this was what he needed to hear.

"You're a fighter, not a follower. It's just impossible for you to stay quiet about anything. And that's what they all believe normal is - Shut up and do what we, the rich, tell you. I've lived it, remember?" Vala brought her fingers to twist in his hair as he nodded.

"I'm just scared, baby." Daniel mumbled as he pulled her close once more. He placed a sweet kiss in her messy hair. "Scared of losing you, which seems to be the main goal of all those bad guys out there. I don't know what I would do, Vala. You are my oxygen, my heart, my soul, my love, my...everything." He sighed and nuzzled into her neck. "You are my life. You die and so do I...the body would remain, but the man would be gone forever."

There was a long moment of silence, then Daniel let out a quiet laugh.

"Fuck, I'm drunk." He whispered into Vala's ear, hugging her close. "That shit has made me all..."

Vala turned to rest her forehead against his cheek again. "Real."

Daniel loosened his grip a bit, and pulled back to look at her. "Exactly."

The soft click of the door to the room opening had Daniel drawing his gun immediately. The grip he had on Vala tightened instinctively. Her hand fingered the dagger at Daniel's back. They watched as a figure slowly walked around the door.

"Lower that damn thing, you ass." A familiar rough voice sighed. "It's me."

Daniel sighed and lowered his gun back to his lap. "Did you just call me an ass?"

Jack stalked over to the other chair across from them. He ignored Daniel's question, and his eyes fell on the bottles on the floor. "You know she's gonna be pissed."

"Did you call me an ass?" Daniel laughed out, taking a pull from the bottle he'd left sitting in his lap.

"Your ears ain't busted!" Jack fired back, leaning over enough to snag one of the full bottles.

Daniel slouched down in his chair a bit, letting Vala settle comfortably against him once more. "That's ours...we snatched it fair and square."

Jack snorted. "From the hallway down here."

"Not the point." Daniel muttered, his free hand ghosting up under the edges of the shirt Vala had on. She smiled, and leaned in to whisper in his ear, her hand running over his still on the gun.

"And you really thought you could give this up..." She sucked on the bottom of his ear playfully.

Daniel closed his eyes slowly and licked his lips as Vala continued to use her mouth against him.

"How could I EVER think that?" He mumbled distractedly, a content smile coming to his face.

THIS was THEIR normal.

In Pieces

He was silent. Way too quiet for her liking. Vala didn't think he'd said more than a handful of words since they'd found him. And Daniel not talking was never a good sign. He always talked, even when it was the worst time for it.

"You still with me?" Vala questioned to the back of his head. Her hands continued to clean the numerous lashes across his back as he sat immersed up to his stomach in the tub of warm water. She knew the simple task of cleaning the wounds was excruciating for him. Still, Daniel didn't flinch or show signs of discomfort.

Daniel nodded minutely to her inquiry, burying his face back in his arms resting on the porcelain's edge a moment later.

Maybe it was because he was close to breaking when they found him. Missing for near a year, Cam had gotten word of Daniel's location while staking out the lowest of the high enders. The fool had been drunkenly boasting of actually seeing the greatest wanted criminal shackled and tortured, nearing close to insanity. He'd made the mistake of mentioning getting a few good lashings in himself against the so-called 'freedom fighting fuck.' He'd managed to make it out the door before Cam had him pinned against the wall by his neck.

The life literally being choked from his chubby body, the idiot had been very forthcoming with information. The moment the last useful word had fallen from his cracked lips, Cam snapped his neck with the ease of someone who would never regret it.

"For those 'few good lashings against the so-called freedom fighting fuck'." He'd stated simply as he'd recalled how he'd come by his information. The others couldn't agree more. Actually, if Vala had gotten her hands on the man herself, she probably would have made him suffer a little first.

The rescue had taken longer than then they planned, and the reward and joy of finally pulling it off had been short lived. Because the sight that greeted them as they busted into Daniel's cell had been anything but rewarding. They had always considered him to be the strongest out of all of them. Having seen him huddled in the farthest corner, trembling in nothing but loose scraps of a shirt, had hit them all very hard. Vala most of all.

"Daniel, please say something." She pleaded as she squeezed warm water, now beginning to turn a faint shade of pink, out of a rag over his mangled back. Vala placed her other hand to the back of his head gently, and her heart wrenched as he flinched from the contact. "One word will do." She murmured, fingers lightly stroking in his hair. At least he wasn't pulling away from the contact. "Just let me know you're still in there, please."

There was a small sigh that came past his lips, and then- "I'm not sure I am anymore." Daniel answered on a broken whisper. The admission shook her to the core. Well, she'd wanted him to talk. Vala draped the rag over the edge of the tub and moved around so she could look right at him.

"I've lost myself." He mumbled, his gaze fixed on the worn wood floor at Vala's feet.

Vala placed a hand to the back of his neck. Daniel closed his eyes, almost grimacing at the touch. "I don't think you have."

"The instant your touch makes me uneasy, I know I've lost myself." Daniel whispered dejectedly. "When Jack's touch sickens me and Cam's loud, inviting voice unsettles rather than calms, I'm lost. When the click of Sam's boots echoes like their whip in my ears, and I cringed at the sound of laughter." He swallowed hard, and Vala did as well as the tears ran unchecked from her eyes. "It's all gone when I'm too ashamed to say I love you, to make 'baby' come past my lips because the words they spat about undeserving devotion and blind love is what I hear inside."

Daniel exhaled sadly. "I know they've broken me the moment I can't look into your gaze because-" He choked on whatever he was about to say. No, he wouldn't break down here. Not now, not before her.

Inching closer to the tub, Vala brought her head down to try and see into his eyes. He diverted them to the side, but she could see how close he was. She could see what was wrong. "It's okay to be afraid now, Daniel."

It was just the push to shatter him. He lurched forward just a fraction as a tortured sob broke free. Vala dropped to her knees before him, ignoring the puddle of water forming from the dripping tub. She cradled his head against her neck as Daniel cried into her embrace. His arms wrapped around her shoulders desperately, clinging to her with a fear that seemed to seep inside her own heart.

He was terrified. Terrified of being taken again, of not being strong enough to protect the secrets entrusted to him, of breaking to the point where she wouldn't be there to save him the next time. He was scared of the fact that he needed to be saved in the first place.

Daniel's loud, violent sobs echoed around the small wash room. Soon, the sounds of small talk and camaraderie outside the door stopped and Vala found herself staring into three concerned faces in the doorway. Before the eyes of everyone, Daniel broke into pieces, what little of himself that remained.

"They may have broken you, Daniel." Jack's voice was suddenly closer to him. "But they'll never take YOU. We all love you too much to allow them that."

"Love, I promise you, that they will never break." Vala whispered into his ear, placing a gentle kiss to his temple.

And there in her arms, in the presence of those who loved him, Daniel let his fear fade away with each wracking sob. They would be there to put him back together, and he would finally let them.

Naïve

Nights like this, when a flash of lightning could light up the entire town and a clap of thunder had the building nearly shaking off its foundation, rarely brought any customers in. The only souls brave enough to weather the nasty outside were the few regulars that just couldn't go one night without a drink.

Even then, she didn't understand why he kept the tavern open. Because, just as they could get the drink from here, they had stock piles of it at home. What was the harm in closing the place down for one night? It wasn't like they'd be losing any money.

Caught up in her own confusions, she practically jumped when the quiet of the tavern was disturbed by the front door bursting open and slamming hard against the wall. It made a few choice pictures and shelves rattle on the impact. Recovering from her initial surprise, her eyes fell on the hooded figure that had stepped just past the doorway.

"Lovely evening for a stroll, isn't it?" He asked amiably, glancing around at the sparse number of occupants in the room. When the few regulars just grunted or stared into their drinks, lost to the stupors of the alcohol, the man just shrugged.

Tossing back the hood of his rain-soaked long coat, she was finally able to see the face of the unexpected guest. "Friendly bunch." His smile matched the shine of his wild blue eyes, only adding to his enigmatic, rugged appearance. She swallowed instinctively as he moved towards her and the bar.

"Don't think I have much in common with these sort." The smile never fell from his handsome face. "Save for the fact that..." He stopped on the other end of the bar, and leaned his elbows down on the worn wooden surface. "It really is such a nice night for a drink."

All she could do was blink in response. He, in turn, laughed after only a minute of silence.

"Hello...miss." His hand waved in front of her face. "A drink?"

From his actions, she was wondering if he'd already had enough for the evening. Her thoughts were scattered to the wind the next moment, however. The stranger, with amazing grace, hopped over the bar. It finally made her able to find her voice.

"Sir, you can't be behind here."

His head came up as he searched through the stock of alcohol underneath the bar's surface. The smirk he gave was almost childlike. "Well, since you were so unwilling to provide me with a proper beverage, I figured I'd help myself."

She wasn't usually a very courageous person, but where her job was concerned she was tough as nails. "I will get you your drink, sir, but I must insist that you move around to the other end."

"Hunny, that's one word that I don't like to hear directed towards me." His voice had gone hard, and it sent a shiver of fear up her spine. The tensing of his muscles subsided almost as quickly as it had come as he pulled out a distinct bottle from the collection. He smiled at her again. "But I'll let it slide because I know you didn't know any better."

The moment he pulled the cork out of the bottle, she found her strength once more. "That is not for sale, sir." He shrugged, not caring, and took a giant sip. To her surprise, he showed no signs of discomfort. Never before had she seen anyone able to drink so much of the substance at once. Even her boss, on the rare occasion that she saw him drink, didn't drink it like that. "And I'm still insi-" She swallowed at the look of half amusement, half annoyance he shot her. "Please, move around the bar."

Much to her frustration, the man plopped down on the one stool that was behind the bar instead. He brought his muddy boots to rest on the bar top, legs crossed at the ankles. This flustered her to no end. Who did this man think he was, drinking her boss' drink and sitting in the seat saved only for her boss? Her agitation skyrocketed as he pulled out a brown cigarette.

"Smoking is-"

He cut her off, no longer amused by her naivety. "Illegal in this town. Believe me, I've known this fact for a long, long time, doll." He struck a match against the side of the bar, and tilted his head down to the cupped flame to light the cigarette. He puffed on it a few times, then took it from his mouth. "Now you must be new here...what's your name?"

She didn't like the way he pointed at her with the cigarette clasped between his fingers. "Shawna."

"Right, Shawna." He nodded, committing the name to memory. Pausing a moment before he continued, he took another giant sip from the bottle. "Well, Shawna, I don't know how much you know about me, if you do at all."

Shawna shook her head. "Nothing, sir."

His blue eyes widened in genuine surprise. "Nothing? Wow..." He laughed, pulling from his cigarette. "You must live a REALLY sheltered life. How the fuck," She flinched at his vulgar language. "Did you end up working HERE? Nevermind, we can worry about that later. Now, what I want you to do is go get your boss for me."

"No."

He was obviously once again surprised by her statement. "No?"

Shawna straightened her shoulders. "I know you're planning on robbing us, so no."

"Shawna..." He laughed again. "You really don't need to be playin the hero type, believe me. That kind of stuff gets you killed, or worse turns you into someone like me." He pulled back a side of his long coat to reveal the pistol at his hip. Shawna paled. "Now, I'll say again - get your boss for me. Are you going to tell me no again?" His understanding tone belied the heavy words.

She shook her head frantically. He smiled sweetly.

"Good..." He sipped from the bottle, then pulled another drag from the cigarette. Shawna took that as her cue and turned to head to find her boss. The man shouted after her. "Oh, and if he asks, tell him an upstanding gentleman has a business proposition for him."

* * * *
Daniel was just rubbing the end of his cigarette into the bar top when a voice filtered down the hallway that led to the back.

"And he said he was an upstanding gentleman?" A deep voice reached his ears, and he smiled.

"With a business proposition..." From the way that Shawna talked to her boss, there was an obvious casual nature to the relationship. Daniel smiled wider. Now he knew how Shawna came to work here.

The two stepped into the room and the familiar scowl on the man's face melted into a rare smile, one only reserved for a handful of people. "A business proposition, indeed!" He laughed and moved towards the 'gentleman' reclining at a dangerous angle on the stool. He gathered him in a hug and kept him from toppling backwards all at the same time.

"Daniel Jackson..." He sighed, almost in relief. Pulling back, he lowered Daniel to a proper sitting position. "It has been too long, my friend."

Daniel smiled warmly. "It definitely has, T."

Resting his hip against the bar, Teal'c glanced down at his friend with an assessing eye. "I see the world hasn't been as good to you as I had hoped."

"Yeah, well..." Daniel shrugged and once more reclined back on the stool, despite the chastising look Teal'c gave him. "I give as much fucking hell as I get in return." He sipped from the bottle, and once more recieved a disapproving look in return.

"Have you not yet grasped the philosophy that reckless living is not always the best of options?" Teal'c questioned, raising his eyebrow in a manner that Daniel knew all too well.

He shrugged. "Reckless is what I know, and you know that." Daniel grinned cheekily. "Not all of us are as old and wise as you, nor are we as capable of letting past injustices melt away in meditations and such. We live to fight, live to die free."

Teal'c nodded. "Perhaps if I was brought up in such a manner, I wouldn't be as..." He resisted the urge to place Daniel's stool back down on the floor correctly as the man rocked back and forth on the unsteady seat. "Reserved."

"Perhaps..." Daniel said impishly, his gaze flicking to Shawna. "But I see not all those 'well-mannered' traits of that nice high-end life you use to live have stuck about."

T's eyebrow rose once again. "Are you implying something about my bar maid." Daniel's gaze met his, both sharing a significant look. Then the younger man laughed.

"Just an observation, nothing implied." He dropped the stool back down and placed the bottle on the bar top. Standing, he shook off the hand Teal'c reached out to steady his slightly unbalanced form. "Because implications of any sort would have me fearing for my life, and not from the likes of you."

A smile spread across Teal'c's face. "Speaking of, where is that better half of yours? It is rare to see one of you without the other far behind."

Having adjusted to the buzz in his head, Daniel laughed again. "Oh, she opted to stay behind in the town over to do some..." He looked at Shawna once more, than gave his older friend another significant look. "Business of her own. From the half-assed plan she'd managed to tell me before going off to have her fun, I have a feeling she's gonna need a nice place to 'relax'," Daniel quoted with his fingers. "When she's finished."

"I use to know, but now I wonder who has more influence on who these days." Teal'c smirked.

"It's good to know that at least one person knew at one point." Daniel replied. He moved a little closer to Teal'c. "Now, back to talk of business propositions..."

Teal'c nodded and allowed his friend to fall in step with him as they head towards the hall to the back. "You are in need of some more products." Daniel nodded. "Anything in particular?"

"Whatever's off the foreign market..." Daniel said with the knowledge of an expert. "Or even those items too hot for anyone of sane mind..."

"Your fascination with such goods still astounds me at times." Teal'c laughed as he turned back to Shawna. "Keep watch of the front. Me and Daniel Jackson have dealings to care to in the back."

"But, there is no stock in the back." Shawna was feeling more confused than before. She looked at Daniel with uncertainty as he turned to smirk at her.

"You just keep thinkin that, and you'll never have to worry about ending up all hero like me."

Constant

"Ma'am, you can't go back there!"

Daniel looked up from his examination of the weapon in his lap at the sound of Shawna's agitated voice. A smile spread across his lips at the accompanying familiar click of boots on the wood floor. His smile broke out into a grin at the sultry voice that followed.

"The hell I can't!" The footsteps halted a moment, and Daniel could just picture her turning on the poor girl with a warning finger pointed her direction. "And don't ever call me Ma'am again." The clicking boots filled the air again, followed by the hurried footfall of Shawna.

"Miss-"

Daniel exchanged an amused look with Teal'c just before the two stepped into the room. Again, she turned on the bar maid, her drenched black hair sending water flying outwards.

"That's not any better." Vala said before noticing the shocked look on Shawna's face. The young girl was staring wide-eyed past her at the room to her back. Curious, Vala turned slowly. Before she had a chance to even consider what had the annoying little good girl in such a state of wonder, her grey eyes fell on him.

"Baby!"

He barely had a chance to set aside the gun in his lap and stand before she launched herself into his embrace. The combination of her legs wrapping around his waist, and her lips crashing against his, sent the pair crashing to the floor.

Pulling back, Daniel gave her a mock look of disdain. "You're all wet."

Vala grinned as she shook her hair over him, covering him in droplets. "Never stopped you before."

"Good point." He murmured mischievously in return before taking her mouth in another lengthy exchange. Daniel brought his fingers up to tangle in the soaking mass at the back of her neck. Not surprisingly, Vala's hand found it's way into his pants. He groaned and thrust against her, laughing lustily into her mouth.

"The job must have gone well." He mumbled against her lips.

She nodded as she continued to kiss and caress him. "It was fabulous, darling!" Vala boasted, finally breaking the kiss as she sat up. Grinning down into his clouding gaze, she reached her free hand into her bodice. Moments later, Vala removed the card she had concealed within its confines.

Daniel rubbed a hand up under the bottom of the bodice. "I could've helped you with that..." He accepted the card as she handed it to him proudly.

"It's a key card." Vala said at the curious frown creasing his brow. His blue eyes flicked to hers, and she smiled at how he was anticipating the reveal of what it opened. Leaning in, she began to make seductive, sucking kisses to his lips.

"And it opens..." She continued to kiss him between her words. "The bank vault..." Vala thrust against him and kissed again before pulling up. "In the fancy town near the mountains." She announced proudly.

Moving to sit up, Daniel pulled her flush against him. "You're fantastic!" He breathed against her neck, then assaulted her mouth yet again.

"I know." She quipped back breathlessly between the lip lock. Vala moaned and pulled Daniel even closer as his hands slid down her back to grip her ass. They continued their makeout, that was fast moving into other territory, until they realized a shadow had fallen across them. They stopped really kissing, though their mouths never separated. Looking up, they found amused brown eyes watching them.

Teal'c crossed his arms over his chest. "There are some things that will just not change."

Vala's grin returned and she pushed Daniel back impatiently as she scrambled to get up. He fell onto his back with an 'oomph' and a laugh as he watched her wrap her arms around their friend's neck.

"Teal'c!" She squealed into his chest. "It's been too long since a proper hug!"

He nodded. "Indeed it has."

As the two made their hellos, Daniel picked himself up off the floor and took a seat back in the chair he had occupied before.

Separating from the hug, Teal'c looked at Vala with a critical eye. His gaze softened at the genuine smile on her lips and the light in her eyes. "I see that Daniel Jackson has been good to you."

"To me and for me." Vala replied with a smile, turning a loving look on her man. He'd been humbled enough by the statement to blush just slightly, something she rarely ever saw him do. It made her smile grow a little more. She stepped over to him and sat down on his leg. Her arm wrapped around his shoulder. "This one knows how to care for a woman."

The only thing Daniel could do in return was wrap an arm around her waist and smile affectionately up into her grey eyes.

Teal'c inclined his head as he returned to his own seat. "The one thing he does not do recklessly-" He shared a look with the younger man. "For which we are all greatly thankful."

Vala laid a kiss in Daniel's hair. A moment of content silence passed between the friends as the words sunk in. Then Vala broke the silence.

"So..." She bounced on Daniel's knee. "What were ya'll in the middle of before all this beauty graced your presence?"

Laughing at her self-centered words, Daniel leaned over slightly to pick up the gun he had been examining before. "Something that's almost as beautiful as you, babe." He carefully handed her the weapon, having no doubt it would be safe in her hands. "Take a look and tell me what you think."

"Oh nice." Vala breathed as she eyed the piece.

Shaking his head, Teal'c fixed a look on Daniel. "It seems you are not the only one who examines a weapon like it is a lover who you are..." He quirked a suggestive eyebrow. "Worshipping."

"Nothing says love like a nice new toy..." Vala replied, focused on the gun, as Daniel opened his mouth to reply. He smiled at her and kissed her arm, then turned again to speak with Teal'c. And again, his reply was cut short.

"My god! You're an arms dealer!" The three turned their attention to the door and the forgotten fourth person in the room. Shawna was looking at them with bewilderment and fear of a sort. Her finger pointed to the couple. "And they're...they're wanted robbers."

Daniel smiled at the young woman. "We prefer...unofficial monetary liberators." Vala snorted off a laugh at the comment as Teal'c shot him a disapproving look before moving towards his bar maid.

She eyed him with apprehension, pressing herself against the doorframe. "You're doing illegal dealings with criminals. That would make you..." Shawna blinked slowly. "Oh my god - you're a criminal. I work for a criminal..."

Teal'c placed his hands on her shoulders. She tensed at the touch. "Shawna, I am not a criminal."

"You're selling weapons to wanted sex maniacs!" Shawna cried, ignoring the choked laughing that came from across the room. "How does that not make you a criminal?! And who else have you sold weapons like this too? Why didn't I know about this? Why would you bring me here, to make me a criminal like you? I thought after everything that you told me that-" Her rambling stopped as Teal'c placed a soft kiss to her lips.

The other end of the room burst into a variation of whistles and cat calls.

Shawna remained frozen in place, shocked for a second time that evening, as he pulled away.

"I understand how this all seems overwhelming for first impressions." Teal'c said. "If you will allow us, we will explain this entire ordeal to you." He smiled as she nodded minutely to his words. "Good...Will you assist me as I close up the front?"

Nodding again, Shawna finally looked into his gaze. "Okay."

As the two walked down the hall towards the front, Vala leaned over slightly and shouted. "You might wanna make sure that the front is pretty securely closed! Ya know, for security reasons!" Turning to look at Daniel, she tilted her head a little at the look he was giving her. "What?"

"How many new wanted lists are you on now?" He questioned with a combination of wariness and pride.

She twisted a damp strand of hair around her finger innocently. "One or two, maybe..." Vala offered, and batted her eyes at her lover as he rolled his. "I only used two or three sticks of dynamite."

Daniel shook his head, laughing a little, then leaned up to kiss her sweetly. "He was right - some things don't change."

Vala turned and straddled his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. "She was right too." At the tilt of his head in curiosity, she smiled down at the tempting pout of his full, luscious lips. "It'll take them at least fifteen minutes to get this place closed up, and I'm still all..." She licked her lips, then brought her grey eyes up to meet his. "Excited from my fun."

Settling more comfortably into his chair, Daniel brought his hands to the strings of her bodice. "Fan-tastic." He emphasized dramatically as he shook his head in an almost delirious delight before he moved to kiss her again.

To be continued…

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