Chapter 6 – Someday

A/N: Again, all would have been lost without shari: well I think we both lost our minds trying to FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY finish this but you wouldn't have what you have without her help. She is the macaroni to my cheese and the ham to my burger. ((huggles)) you rock sweetie.

and many many many many thanks to aerynb for being such an awwwesome beta. cause she's awesome.

…So many answers we don't know,

Someday we'll understand,

Someday…

--

"I can't find Vala."

Mitchell looked up from where he was seated on the floor of his quarters and commented idly, "Way to knock, Jackson."

Daniel cocked his head to the side in order to fully take in the picture, momentarily distracted from his purpose. He drew in a breath as he tried to get his thoughts in order and then expelled it in a considering, "Huh."

Mitchell frowned suspiciously. "What?"

"Are you…is that a GameBoy?"

"Yes. Sometimes I like to play to unwind. It's relaxing…and fun."

"Huh," Daniel said again after a brief pause in which Cameron stared at him defensively. He tried to figure out if the USAF Colonel was blushing or if it was just the light, then he just shrugged. "Well, fair enough."

Mitchell's face broke into a smile. He set the game down and stood, asking, "So Vala's missing?"

As Daniel explained, his stomach returned to the twisted state it had been in ever since he had realized Vala wasn't in her quarters.

"I've looked everywhere I could think of. But I thought maybe – well, she's not…I haven't seen a lot of her lately." Daniel tripped clumsily over the words, something within him resistant to the idea of admitting that he thought she'd been avoiding him. Or, maybe the problem was that he didn't trust himself not to reveal how much it bothered him at the same time.

"Ah…yeah," Mitchell said in a careful tone that made Daniel's heart thud painfully in his chest. "She's been kinda off. I didn't know you'd noticed." He reached up to rub at the back of his neck awkwardly.

Daniel was torn between blurting out the defensive, "Of course I noticed!" that so badly wanted to roll off his tongue and staring in horrified bewilderment because he really hadn't. Sure, he'd realized Vala was unwilling to get within 100 yards of him, but that didn't account for the way Mitchell looked suddenly wearier, or how his last words had somehow dripped with the faintest hints of…something. Exasperation? Resentment? Clearly, something else was going on.

"I -," Daniel began, then cut himself short. He stared dumbly, instead.

"You…didn't realize, did you." It was a statement, not a question. Mitchell drew back his head a little and looked at him as if he were a particularly perplexing puzzle. "Really, Jackson? She's been moping around here for weeks. I wasn't playing all that b-ball with her for fun, you know." He pointed at his head, becoming a bit more animated in his disbelief. "She pulls hair!"

"Alright!" Daniel finally managed to get out, moving his hands to convey the universal gesture of 'simmer down'. "I'm sorry that she pulled your hair and beat you at one-on-one – "

"She didn't beat me," Mitchell muttered. "It just hurt. That's all."

"– but that's really not the point!" Daniel finished, speaking over Mitchell's interruption. "Do you have any idea where she might be? Somewhere I wouldn't know to think of? This is important."

"You could try Teal'c's. I think she's been meditating with him…maybe you just missed her."

Daniel said a rushed thank you and turned to leave.

"Hey, Jackson?"

He pivoted on his heels and raised his eyebrows in acknowledgment.

Mitchell said haltingly, looking all the while as if he wished the floor would swallow him up, "Look, I don't know what's been going on but…when you find her, go easy, okay? Sometimes you can get a bit – harsh – with her. And hell, I know she's a piece of work, but she's been in rough shape, I don't know how you missed it. So – just try and cut her a break."

Daniel nodded once and then ducked out of the room. He tried hard not feel the sharp sting of Mitchell's words as he made his way to Teal'c's quarters, but they bit into him just the same.

Teal'c was in the hallway outside his door – alone – when Daniel arrived at his destination, one hand in the process of turning the doorknob, the other grasping the bag he used when offworld visiting the Jaffa. He must have gone straight to the infirmary when he heard the news about Sam, only now taking the time to return his personal effects to his quarters and unpack.

"May I help you, DanielJackson?"

"I was looking for Vala," Daniel said, unable to keep disappointment from seeping into his voice. "I can't find her, and Mitchell thought she might be with you. But, obviously, she's not. So…"

"I see." Teal'c studied him, and Daniel felt himself shrink a little under the gaze. A strange feeling, because despite the Jaffa's size, Daniel had never actually felt small in his presence before. "It is most disappointing we cannot share the good news of Colonel Carter's recovery with her."

Maybe it was the knowing expression on Teal'c's face, the one that said he knew there was more to the story. Or, maybe it was the spark of shame that it provoked. But, whatever the reason, suddenly the guilt Daniel had been trying to hold at bay ever since he realized Vala was missing – or possibly ever since that argument in the corridor earlier today – burst from the box he had carefully placed it in. "We argued," Daniel said shortly. Then, compelled to go on, he added, "I said some things. And she just gave me this…she was acting all hurt and I didn't believe it. I mean, it's Vala! She's… she's Vala!"

He glanced at Teal'c in appeal, begging him to nod his agreement, to show he understood. To confirm that no, Vala probably wasn't actually upset by the things he had said. But that absolution didn't come. Teal'c just watched him, his face a mild mask giving away nothing, and Daniel found words continuing to pour out of his mouth in the vacuum of silence. "But she's not here. And Mitchell said she's been upset lately, and I didn't even realize it, which is just…awful of me, because I'm supposed to be…and…she said she wasn't acting but I didn't believe it. I was frustrated, and upset about Sam, and I told her to stop messing with me…"

Daniel wasn't sure any longer if he was talking to Teal'c or to himself, but he did know that it was possibly the most ineloquently he had ever spoken. He clamped his lips shut, shoved his hands into his pockets, and stared at the light fixture just behind Teal'c's left ear.

At length Teal'c said, "I believe you would not be feeling such conflict if you did not yourself think you had truly hurt her."

And that was the crux of the matter, wasn't it? Poison swirled in his gut every time he considered the possibility. But – "Do you think I hurt her?" he asked, still unable to meet Teal'c's eyes not sure he wanted to hear the answer.

Teal'c opened his mouth to respond but paused at the sound of hurried footsteps coming down the hallway towards them. Daniel glanced over his shoulder to see a nervous young airman approaching.

"Dr. Jackson, I'm glad I found you. General O'Neill suggested I look for you here." The young man spoke quickly, shifting his weight from foot to foot with uncertainty. "I had to tell you, uh, Vala Maldoran…she left the base several hours ago, Dr. Jackson. I would have informed you sooner, but I… I just woke up." The airman looked mildly embarrassed as he said this, clearing his throat and colouring faintly.

"What?" Daniel demanded, squinting at the informant in annoyed confusion. "Why didn't you try and stop her?" Then he took in the slightly puffy state of the young man's right eye and the red tinge of the swollen skin around it. Finally comprehending, he said, "I'm sorry, sergeant, clearly you did try."

"If you're going after her, Dr. Jackson," the airman started, valiantly saying nothing about his slowly blooming black eye, "you'll need a jacket. There's quite a storm brewing outside."

Daniel sighed and moved toward the elevators at the end of the hall. He wondered vaguely when a question such as that – whether or not he would go after Vala – became worth asking.

--

The slow swish-chug sound of the windshield wipers was Daniel's only companion as he drove down the deserted road leading away from the Cheyenne Mountain Complex. He sat hunched over the steering wheel, squinting through the rain-clouded windshield at the darkened road before him. Rain pelted against the windshield mercilessly, the windshield wipers of Daniel's car unable to keep up. He drove slowly along the dark road hardly able to see more than a few feet in front of the car. Occasionally, lightning flashed, illuminating his path and the surrounding forest for brief moments. Each time this occurred a wild surge of hope rushed through him – as if the light would reveal that Vala had been walking alongside his slowly creeping car the entire time. She never appeared though, and he began to fear quite illogically that she never would.

She couldn't have gotten too far in this weather, he told himself repeatedly, as thunder, following on the heels of the forking electricity, rolled heavily overhead and momentarily drowned out the futile but steady rhythm of his wipers. It's only a matter of time before I catch up. The words didn't offer much comfort though, so he tried to focus most of his energy on cursing Vala's beyond stupid flight response and berating himself for triggering it.

--

Vala's left hand had long ago gone numb from its exposure to the icy downpour, and she kind of missed the throbbing pain. While it was unfortunate that the young man had not only gotten in her way, but in the way of her fist as well, for a time the sting that had raced up and down her fingers offered a welcome distraction from her more depressing thoughts. Now, though, she was left struggling to find something else upon which to place her attention as she resolutely plodded on. She tried to focus on the resentment she felt burning in her chest, a seething and bubbling anger at the betrayal, at Daniel, and at herself. But sometimes the hurt became too loud to ignore. An image of Daniel would swim up before her eyes, and his words from earlier – cruel and cutting – would play over in her mind. When this happened, when she couldn't fight it anymore, she would remember how she felt: to have left herself so open and vulnerable only to have him grab a knife and plunge it into her, twisting for all it was worth. Daniel, the first person she had fully trusted in years, and the person she had thought she could always count on.

In these moments, it was so very hard to breathe, so very difficult to fight the flow of tears that she couldn't quite convince herself were merely raindrops.

How could this Daniel be the same man she remembered and dreamt of? Or even the same friend she had known for these last two years, let alone those lost fifty? She barely recognized him sometimes. Daniel – her Daniel – would never have wanted to hurt her this way. When had that changed? Her breath hitched suddenly at the sensation of Daniel's arms surrounding her, his lips covering her face with soft butterfly kisses to soothe away her tears. "Enough," she scolded herself. She threw up her arms as if to break the embrace and push him away only to realize once again that he wasn't really there at all. "It's gone," she said aloud, trying to convince her stubborn heart to believe it. "That Daniel is gone, that life is gone."

As she walked she became more resolved, and finally the path that now lay before her solidified in her mind. She had lost someone else, or maybe she had never really had him, and that was that. But the thought of going on with that lost someone right in front of her hurt too much.

She would leave. It was the only option.

"No more," she confirmed aloud to no one in particular, ignoring how lost she felt at the prospect and determinedly moving her squelch-squelching military boots forward. When she was ready, when her habitual mask was back in place, she would go back…and then she would be on her way.

The road around her seemed to illuminate and she braced herself for the crack of thunder that was sure to follow. She frowned when it never came, glancing up at the silent swirls of black clouds above her in puzzlement, then back over her shoulder when she realized the brightness had yet to fade.

Behind her, a set of headlights cast yellow beacons through the torrents of rain.

--

Daniel finally caught sight of a familiar figure on the road ahead as another bolt of lightning cut across the sky. Speeding up slightly he drove until she was within the glow of his headlights. Even as the car approached she didn't break her pace, continuing to walk steadily down the centre line, away from him. He followed her for a few minutes before letting out a frustrated sigh and pulling the car over to the side of the road.

Daniel hit the brake and ripped open his door. He spent a moment groping futilely at his coat for a hood before giving up, yanking it over his head, and stepping into the downpour. "Vala, what are you doing?" he yelled over the low rumble of the still-running car and the sound of water pounding on the pavement. When she didn't respond, didn't even pause, he broke into a jog.

"Vala!" he tried again once he was within arm's length of her. "What are you doing out in this weather? Are you actually insane? You have to come back to the base." Dropping his jacket down onto his shoulders, he grabbed her elbow and spun her around to face him, stopping her constant march in the opposite direction. He recoiled a little at the open hostility written across her features, but forced himself to recover and plunged onwards with the one thing he knew would give her pause: "Sam is awake, she wants to see you."

The glare faltered a little. "She's going to be all right?"

"Yes. She's going to be fine," Daniel said. Vala closed her eyes and took a deep breath, relief now showing clearly on her face. Taking that as a good sign, he started to tug her towards the vehicle. "Now let's get back to the mountain so you can see for yourself."

She pulled against his hand, trying to pry his fingers off her wet BDU jacket. "No Daniel, I'll come back when I'm ready, just long enough to collect my things."

He paused but didn't relinquish his hold on her arm as he stared at her, brow furrowed. "What are you talking about, Vala? Where are you going?"

She continued to struggle against his grip, and when he wouldn't release her she slipped out of her jacket with practiced ease, leaving her in the black tank top she had been wearing underneath. Her arms automatically wrapped around her shivering frame while her face showed no consideration for the cold and instead focused on him. "That's none of your concern, now if you'd be so kind as to just let me go – "

"Not going to happen," he said, balling up the drenched fabric in his hands. He set his jaw and fixed her with a glare of his own.

"Daniel," she said, probably aiming for a light tone but just sounding disturbingly apathetic. "You know your life will be much more pleasant without me in it. And I wish to leave, so there you go."

"That's the stupidest thing I have ever heard you say," he responded, hard-pressed to hold back the desperation creeping into his voice. "And you've had some real gems. Now please, just get in the car." She shook her head once, and took a step backward. A fear, a new and wholly different animal than the one he'd been wrestling these past few days over Sam, started to take hold of him. What if he couldn't make her stay? He had brokered countless negotiations, mediated scores of first contact missions, but never had he met anyone with whom his ability to convince and reason counted for so little as it did with her. Helplessly, he threw out a scramble of half-formed thoughts, anything to keep her from taking another step back. "What, do you need to hear the words? Vala, my life is fine with you in it – great even! You're…well, I don't know what you are, but you're you. And yes, sometimes that means you drive me absolutely nuts, but even so, of course I want you in my life, you have to know that."

"But you don't want me in your life the way I want you to want me in your life, now do you?" she demanded, eyes a little too bright in the warm glow of the headlights.

Daniel blinked water out of his eyes and tried in vain to understand what had just been said. "What? Vala, it's a little too miserable out for you to be talking in riddles." I don't have time for you right now. He swallowed against the sudden burning in his throat and said, "Please, just tell me what you mean."

"I mean I can't do it anymore, Daniel!" Vala yelled, voice harsh and tearing through the pattering of the rain. She continued lower, shaky and tight with barely constrained emotion, "I can't see you every day, knowing what we had and knowing that in this time and place you don't see me that way, and in all likelihood never will. I can't be around you and have it be like this, because it is killing me. I never needed anyone, Daniel, but then you come along and you make me…you make me feel things that I never wanted to feel and I just can't do it. So I'm leaving, like I should have done a long time ago."

She looked at him then, so brokenly that he thought he felt something within him crack. "Vala," he said, the words escaping in little more than a whisper, as if the wind had been knocked out of him. He felt as though it had. "What exactly are you saying?"

Her face twisted, and she gulped in several shuddering breaths of the chilly air. He had time to begin and then abort a movement toward her before she managed, "I'm saying, Daniel, that I'm remembering things I was never meant to remember. That time on the Odyssey…" she stopped to swipe roughly at her cheeks, and only then did he realize she was crying, "Did you know we had a child? Or we would have had, if …"

"Teal'c told you that?" he asked, his mind rebelling against what she was so clearly struggling to tell him. Because that…that was impossible.

She let out a huff of laughter that choked off at the end into something that sounded horrifyingly like a sob. "Daniel, don't play dumb, it doesn't become you. Teal'c didn't have to say a thing."

He swallowed hard. Oh, god. "You're saying you remember? Everything that happened on the Odyssey, you remember it?"

"I know you probably don't believe me," Vala said, mistaking his appalled look for disbelief. She stared resolutely at the ground and continued, "It sounds crazy. For a while there, even I thought I was losing it. I kept having these dreams, these images of another lifetime that just felt too real but that I knew had never happened. And then I talked to Teal'c, and guess what I find out? They are real. Surprise!"

Daniel wanted to say something to stop her, not wanting to hear anymore, but he couldn't find the words.

"And the worst part, Daniel?" She paused and finally looked back up at him. He wanted her to be smiling playfully. He wanted her to be messing with him, to wink at him and say, 'just kidding, darling.' But rain and tears had washed every inch of her devil-may-care attitude and flirtatious façade away, and all he saw was truth. He saw her. "The Vala on that ship had everything I told myself I wouldn't ever be able to have. And now every time I try to sleep, there are her memories, mocking me. Do you know how hard it is to forget you love someone when the second you close your eyes, it's as if he's right there, loving you back?"

"Vala…"

"I don't want your pity, Daniel, so save it. It's not as though I'm actually capable of real emotion, after all – it would be a waste." Just like that, the walls went back up.

He flinched as his own sentiments were thrown back at him, sounding even uglier than when he himself had tossed them so carelessly in her direction. "Hey," he said sharply. She narrowed her eyes at him, and he adjusted his tone. "I didn't mean that. I was upset. And certainly I don't mean it now. You – what you've had to deal with… I don't find it hard to believe you feel something."

"Right. Something. You can't even say it, can you? Does the thought of you and I really disturb you that much?" There was no anger in her voice, only a calculated nonchalance. When he didn't answer, she nodded, muttered a "right, then," and turned to walk away.

"No – I –VALA! Would you just stop running and listen for once in your life!"

She whirled on him, eyes spitting fire, body rigid. "What could you possibly have to say that could make this better?"

He hesitated, then said, "I don't remember what it was like, on the ship. But I've wondered – I still do – about you and I. I told you that I don't, but I do." Some of the tension drained out of her, but she continued to watch him, her expression guarded. "The thing is, I'm finally in a place where I can move on with my life, maybe… maybe fall in love again. But never in a million years would I have chosen to feel that way about you."

"If that's your version of making this better," Vala interrupted bitingly, "your conflict resolution skills need work."

"God, would you please just listen?" Daniel punched out, frustrated. "This is hard enough for me as it is without you jumping in!"

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry. Go on, please, continue telling me how I'm the last person on earth you would ever want to be with."

Exasperation melted away at that, giving way to amusement at how very off track she was. The corners of his lips tugged upwards, even though there was nothing funny about the look of hurt on her face. "That's not it at all."

He moved tentatively closer, until he could hook a finger under her chin and force her gaze to meet his. "You terrify me," he said softly, hoping his words didn't get lost in the storm still whirling around them, "because I could love you more than I ever thought I'd feel safe loving again. And I was sure you'd break my heart."

"Daniel, I…" Vala stuttered to a stop, unable to do anything but regard him wordlessly, eyes wide and wondering. A wash of warm fondness swept over him at the sight, and he found himself leaning closer, tracing his thumb along the line of her jaw, with magnetic intent.

He murmured, "You'd better not be messing with me, otherwise I could seriously regret this," then he closed the remaining gap between them, bringing his lips down to meet hers. For one endless, frozen moment Vala didn't respond. Then all at once, she was melting into him, snaking her arms around his waist and returning the kiss with a fervour that had him stumbling forward and grabbing her shoulders to steady himself. Everything – the rain, the cold, the howling of the wind – faded away.

Until she broke away and slapped him.

The sting of her palm against his cheek sent Daniel's head snapping to the side. "What was that for?!" he demanded, jerking back to face her in bewilderment.

"Do you have ANY idea how AWFUL you have been acting these past few weeks? Do you honestly just expect to kiss me and all will be forgiven?"

"No, of course not, but – " he had barely opened his mouth to reply when she reached up and assaulted his cheek with her hand once again

"Vala! STOP THAT!" Daniel grabbed her wrist midair to prevent another attack.

"It's just that I'm still quite annoyed with you and I thought it would make me feel better," she said with a huff.

He continued to hold her arm immobile while bringing his other hand up to rub his jaw. "And DID it?" Daniel asked bitterly, more than a little annoyed himself.

Vala licked her lips slowly and Daniel could practically see the spark of mischief lighting in her eyes as, with a flick of her wrist, she used the hand he held prisoner to pull him closer. She paused just before their lips met to breathe one word.

"Yes."

--

Daniel's grip on her arm loosened as their lips made contact, and she took the opportunity to break free and move her fingers to his face, dragging him in further, closer, needing more. It was the only way to be sure this was really happening, that he really was right there, kissing her. She could tell her desperation was showing, in the way she held on to him tightly, and didn't protest as he spun her around and pushed her backwards in a clumsy trajectory toward the car. But for once she couldn't bring herself to care how much of herself she was giving away.

The backs of her thighs bumped up against the front of the car, and then he was pressing her back against the hard metal, hands tangling in her sopping wet hair, pulling it back from her face as they kissed hungrily. Vala pushed her freezing hands underneath Daniel's jacket, her icy fingers eliciting a small shudder and sound of complaint that quickly died off when her mouth found its way to a spot just there below his ear that she somehow knew would make him groan. He drew her back for another kiss, a muscled thigh snaking between hers.

She paused, pulling away to catch his eye.

"Daniel, as much as I might otherwise enjoy your total loss of control…there are quite possibly more comfortable, less rainy venues for this sort of activity," she said with a small smile, nodding at the interior of the car.

He answered by kissing her quickly on the nose and pulling her off the car hood and towards the side of the vehicle. He quickly opened the back door and they slid in, Daniel shutting the door behind him with a heavy thump. He reached up with one hand to turn the heat up higher, the sound of the fan adding to the pounding of the rain on the roof and the now distant claps of thunder. For a beat, they just stared at each other, the rush of the last few minutes fading away.

"So," Daniel said.

"So," Vala agreed.

"We're really doing this?"

"I should hope so after all that lead up."

He raised a disdainful eyebrow. "You know what I meant."

"I know what you meant."

Just like that, the urgency was back. She shoved the jacket off his shoulders, and he shrugged it off the rest of the way, tossing it into the front seat as he gathered her legs in his lap, pressing one hand possessively to her waist. He raised his hand then and traced a finger down her neck, along her clavicles, over her shoulder, a wondering look on his face that made her heart speed up. It wasn't long before his mouth followed the same path.

Vala ran her fingers through his hair as he kissed and nibbled at the pulse point in her neck, then ran them down his back to the hemline of his shirt. He was forced to break contact as she pulled it over his head, but immediately swooped back down to return to her neck, kissing across her collarbone and stopping as he reached the strap of her tank top.

"You're soaked," she heard him mutter.

It was her turn to raise an eyebrow, and he chuckled. "I meant your clothes. From the rain."

She grinned at him, helping him remove her tank top, then shivered slightly when she caught a good look at his face, her levity evaporating in a blink. Despite the warm air coming from the vents she was suddenly cold again, seeing a familiar yet ghostly shine of adoration in his eyes. She pushed herself into action, trying to distract herself from the memories that now churned in her head, forcing him backwards to sit upright and moving to straddle his lap. She began leaving kisses all over his face, his forehead, down his cheek, hands wandering freely down his sides and across his stomach.

"Vala," he gasped again as she began to head lower. "Vala, please, I just need to say something." She let out a sigh but she complied, working to catch her breath. She rested her head on his shoulder, afraid if she looked up at him he would see written on her face the myriads of thoughts she was trying to hold at bay.

"Vala, I'm still not sure I completely understand. I'm not sure I even can. But…I do believe you." His hands moved from where they had been resting on her hips to cup her still hidden face. "And I want to…to be here for you."

Vala slowly raised her eyes to meet his, watching the concern, tenderness, and uncertainty flickering over his features. She knew her walls had been crumbling for a long time but now, so were his – the carefully constructed fortress that was Daniel Jackson had begun to crack and fall away as well. She felt tears begin to pool in her eyes as his thumbs softly stroked her cheeks.

"I want you to tell me everything. When you're ready. Please." It wasn't an order, but a plea. Vala moved quickly to cover his lips with her own once more, as tears that had been threatening to fall began to trickle down her cheeks. She could taste the salt from the hot tears as they kissed, on her lips, on his. It was all too much. Too real. She stopped and rested her head on Daniel's chest, listening to the rapid beating of his heart as she drew in a shuddering breath. He wrapped his arms around her, one hand cradling her head as the other moved in circles over the soft skin of her back. "Vala?" he murmured, uncertain once more.

She whispered, afraid that any louder and her voice would break into a sob, "I'm waiting to wake up cold and alone again."

He tightened his hold on her as if to anchor her down, said, "I'm here," and kissed her, once, twice, and on and on, repeating the words with every breath until she felt she could almost believe it. It felt as though he was trying to put her shattered self back together, one kiss, one piece, at a time. Vala began to shift in his lap causing Daniel to groan. He moved quickly, laying her down on the seat, continuing to press kisses to her lips, her neck, her chest, leaving a trail of goosebumps as he went. She was so distracted by his touch, down her thighs as he removed her pants, on her feet as he removed her shoes, that she barely noticed that somewhere along the way he had lost the rest of his clothes as well.

He moved back up to her lips once more, leaning back to stroke a hand over her brow, watching her as she moved her own hands up his arms, down over his back. She shivered at the sensations – skin on skin – so new and yet so familiar at the same time. As he lay above her, Vala's mind began to flash through all the memories she had of their lovemaking on the Odyssey; the first time so desperate and quick, the slow, sweet second time later that same night…on and on images assaulted her senses. Daniel must have seen the look in her eyes – distant, overwhelmed. He paused, finding his voice. "Vala, look at me."

Her eyes remained unfocused off to the side and then she shut them, clutching his arms. "Just…give me a minute."

Daniel ghosted a finger over her eyelids, moving to rest a hand on the side of her face. "Be with me, Vala, here, now. I want to make our own memories." He moved to place a chaste kiss on her forehead, waiting for her. Finally, she opened her eyes and mirrored his caress, placing her own hand against his cheek. She nodded slightly and brought his face down to hers. As he entered her, a final wisp of a memory pushed its way to the forefront of her mind…

"I wasn't with you all these years because we were trapped on this god awful ship. I was with you because – "

"I love you." She heard Daniel gasp quietly into her ear.

She was barely able to choke out her response before everything exploded in a brilliant flash.

--

Vala barely recalled the trip back to the base, or how they ended up curled together in her bed. She remembered smirking at Mitchell as they passed him in the hallway, sending him a wink and pretending to straighten her tank top in order to elicit a tortured, "Aw, hell," from the man – but that was about it. Everything else seemed a sort of blur, having passed by quicker than any dream. Yet, lying in Daniel's arms and listening to him breathe steadily in and out, she knew beyond a doubt that this was real.

For the first time in what seemed like forever, when she reached over him to turn off the light, she didn't dread sleep. The past had no hold on her now. Uncertain and unclear though it was, they would have their own future – together.

--

Turn out the light

And let me love you

one more night

hold me tight

oh baby tell me everything

is gonna be all right

--

END. that's it. done. finally. and y'all got the happy ending you wanted - I think...I hope... My inner angst monster was screaming and crying and having a temper tantrum but I gave it (or tried to give it) to you anyway. hope you enjoyed the series please leave a note to let me know what you thought!