Man Hunt

spacegypsy1

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Chapter Six

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A/N: This chapter is short and to the point - an Epilog/Ending to Vala's Man Hunt.

The shuffle of settling in, click of seat belts, engine starting, were the only sounds. Vala grinned, Daniel drove. The radio played softly in the otherwise quiet car. Light traffic accompanied the couple towards their destination.

When a commercial began louder on the radio, Daniel switch it off. "It's lunch time, where do you wanna go?" He kept his gaze on the road, hands gripping the wheel.

"The hopping place is fine. I'd love some pancakes. You know, Daniel, they really don't look like cake, or taste like cake, though they are quite yummy. Or, if you like, lunch would be fine." Vala leaned forward, turned the radio back on, and began to rapidly punch buttons, searching.

"We could...pick up something and...and go to my place."

She stopped punching buttons, head tilting towards him. "Oh." She said, and stared.

"I mean if you want to." He added, braking for the traffic light.

The click of her seat belt as she unbuckled it sounded like a freight train barreling down on him. She shifted, scooting closer. Her hand touched the opposite side of his cheek, gently forcing his face towards her.

His smile spread slowly and Daniel kissed her. It seemed like hours, but only a moment passed before someone behind them started honking. "Seat belt." He whispered against her lips before taking his eyes back to the road and driving on.

Finding the middle belt, Vala snapped it into place, leaning against his side, hand on his thigh. "Yes." She sighed, head resting on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"Why?"

"For making you go through this. I should have told you right away...that I was the one. How I felt about you. I should have stopped fighting this a year ago...or two."

"Well...all's well that ends up...well. Well, isn't it?" Buzzing his shoulder with a kiss, Vala snuggled deeper into him. "How long?"

"Hmm?"

"How long before we get home?"

He liked the sound of that...home. "Depends on where you want to go to pick up lunch."

"I'm not hungry. Well, not for food."

He gripped the steering wheel so tight, his knuckles went white. "My place...okay. Sure, it's better for talking anyway, right?"

"Yes. Much better. Let's pick up some wine and some snackie thingies. Fruit and cheese and maybe popcorn...oh! And some of those new yummy coconut M & M's."

"Coconut M & M's?"

"Um hum...for eating...while we talk."

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Juggling his keys, a bottle of wine, and the sack of food, Daniel tried to open the door.

"Darling, here, let me." Vala took the keys, slipping between Daniel and the door, and made quick work of opening it. "There." She wandered in leaving Daniel to struggle with the packages.

He surprised even himself by smiling and saying kindly, "thanks."

They entered the kitchen, Vala rummaging around for a platter and preparing the snacks, while Daniel searched for the wine opener and washed the dusty wine glasses. They worked in companionable silence.

Once the wine was uncorked, Daniel filled the glasses and turned, holding one out and smiling happily. Vala had disappeared. "Vala?" He got no answer. "Vala?" Wandering out of the kitchen his eyes darted around.

With a quirky smile and shrug of his shoulders he peeked down the hall and spotted her heels casually discarded about half way down. He followed the trail. "Vala?"

"Hmm?" The response seemed to come from far off.

Daniel continued down the hall, stepping over the cast-off shoes, a wine glass in each hand. "Vala?"

"Yes, darling?" She cooed from his bedroom.

Peeking in, he stopped in his tracks, wine nearly spilling over from the sudden halt. Vala sat in his bed, hair arranged just so, sheet tucked under her bare arms and tight across the rise of her obviously bare...chest.

"Ah...er...uh...I...I thought we...we were going to...talk...first." A little wine sloshed out onto his hand as he couldn't quite stop the need to gesture.

"Really, Daniel?" Vala fluffed her hair, picked up a strawberry from the tray beside the bed and popped it into her mouth, mumbling. "Talk first?" She licked at the juice on her lips and set her sultry gaze on her Daniel.

Setting the glasses on a nearest surface, Daniel grinned. "Nope."

~END