Hey guys! So this is my first time writing Daniel, so please be kind. :P
Also, this is set sometime in season 9 - about six months after the events of 9x06 Beachhead, which has a scene that is the entire basis of this little one-shot.

As always, I own nothing you recognize, and be sure to let me know what you think!

Daniel Jackson entered his office and sat down with a sigh, placing his extra large mug of coffee in a tiny clear space between stacks of papers on his cluttered desk.

He felt exhausted.

But Daniel had to admit, while exhaustion wasn't an unusual feeling for him – he'd felt exhausted for most of the last nine years with the SGC – this was something different. It was the kind of exhaustion that left his brain fuzzy and slow and had him yawning every ten minutes.

As if on queue, Daniel yawned widely, then took his glasses off to rub at his eyes, hoping to clear the general feeling of sluggishness that had plagued him the last few weeks. He took a large gulp of coffee, holding onto the mug as if it was his only link to humanity.

Which it sort of was.

Smiling to himself, he took another drink before setting the mug back on the desk, forcing himself to focus on the text he'd left half finished the night before after he'd caught himself drifting off mid-sentence.

Squinting at the tiny text, he felt the world go fuzzy again, and Daniel sighed. Again. There was no way he could focus on work when he still felt so groggy. He looked up instead, deciding to do something, anything else to keep himself awake.

As he surveyed the room, he realized what a giant mess it was. He'd never been the neatest of people, but his office looked like a tornado had blown through it. Or Jack. Multiple times.

I guess cleaning is better than doing nothing, he thought. Another gulp of coffee got him to his feet, and he started putting things away. The movement got his blood flowing, and soon enough Daniel was feeling a little more awake. Plus, straightening things up made him feel a little better.

As he sorted through a rather large stack of papers and books, something large, black and heavy slid to the floor, taking most of the pile with it. Daniel cursed under his breath and bent down to pick the strange object up, quickly identifying it as a tac vest.

Making a mental note to return the vest to the armory, he went to place it on his chair when something white flashed out of the corner of his eye. A closer look revealed something poking out of one of the vest pockets.

Daniel frowned as he removed the object – a long piece of fabric that wasn't white, but beige, with tassels on either end – trying to place where he could have possibly gotten it.

Then it hit him like staff weapon blast to the gut.

Vala's scarf.

Immediately, the image of Vala Mal Doran standing on the ramp in front of the Gate flashed in his mind's eye; her eyes narrowed as she pointed at General Landry as she warned him about Nerus in an indignant tone before tossing one end of the scarf over her shoulder and spinning around, marching up the ramp with her chin in the air.

He almost laughed out loud at the memory, though at the time all he'd wanted to do was throw another pillow at her. Instead, he'd taken the earliest opportunity to confiscate the ridiculous scarf.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Vala, this is a military vessel," he'd said as he'd pulled the scarf from around her neck.

"I know, darling. I've stolen it before," she quipped.

Daniel resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Well, just try to be uh…"

"My charming self?" she said innocently, though she fixing him with a challenging stare.

"Just a little less talk; a little more shut-the-hell up," Daniel finished with a brisk nod, turning away to follow his teammates.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

Daniel leaned against the nearest bookshelf and sighed, remembering how much she'd infuriated him. How her "accessories" had irritated him. How her entire… demeanor irked him.

It didn't help that she'd jerked them around, especially Daniel – how could it not drive him nuts? She'd lied, cheated, stolen… he looked down at the scarf and groaned.

She'd probably stolen the scarf in the first place.

How had he not figured that out?

The all-too-familiar feeling of annoyance washed over him. A feeling he'd come to quickly associate with Vala. He almost wished she was around so he could yell at her.

His heart stopped cold. But she wasn't here. She was gone. Gone and probably dead.

And she'd sacrificed herself to save them. To save the galaxy.

And she'd died thinking that he didn't care.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Vala? Where the hell are you?" he asked over the radio, a feeling of dread pooling in his stomach. Whatever she was doing couldn't be good.

"Oh, you care now?" she said sarcastically.

Daniel had to admit that stung a little. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to help, Daniel. Someone had to do something, and you wouldn't listen."

0o0o0o0o0o0o

Daniel sunk into his seat, squeezing the scarf tightly in his fist, anger bubbling inside him again. Though this time it wasn't at Vala, but at himself.

He should've listened. He should've realized that something was different, that she had a stake in the fight against the Ori, and genuinely wanted to help. He should've seen through her front and realized that she'd changed after their visit to P8X-412, after they failed to stop the Prior from taking over the village.

Even then, on P8X-412, he hadn't cared much about what she was going through. He'd just seen it as an opportunity to try and beat the Prior, to prevent them from getting one more foothold in the galaxy.

Vala had gotten involved, even if she didn't have to, and all he'd done was ignore her and treat her like a nuisance… like a badly behaved puppy following him around. He let her think that he couldn't wait to get rid of her.

But it's true... you really didn't care, Daniel thought, and he hung his head in shame. When had he gotten so jaded; so cold? When had he stopped believing in people? When had he stopped believing in second chances?

He shook his head. No, he couldn't- wouldn't give up. He would see Vala again. Sam had said that there was a chance she was alive and in the Ori galaxy, and Daniel was going to believe in that chance, however small.

And next time, he'd give her a second chance.

Standing up, he hung the scarf over the neck of the lamp on his desk and smiled. Oh yes, she'd be back.

Besides, who knew what sort of mayhem Vala would unleash on the Ori galaxy.