Daniel was still hiding in the kitchen pretending to clean when there was a knock at the door. He peeked out the window and saw Teal'c's big black SUV parked at the curb.

"Hey, Teal'c," Daniel greeted overly enthusiastically when he opened the door.

"Hello Daniel Jackson," Teal'c greeted with a slight incline of the head. "I have come to enquire as to Vala's current state of health."

"Come on in."

Teal'c accepted the invitation. He was carrying a small gift bag, purple with pink tissue paper.

"Is that for Vala?" Daniel asked.

"I believe it is customary to bring a gift when visiting an ill friend," Teal'c explained.

"That's very kind of you. She's asleep right now, but you're welcome to hang around."

"I would like that very much, Daniel Jackson."

After making Teal'c a cup of tea and refilling his own coffee the men sat in the living room.

"You have no television, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c observed, eying the empty space on an old dresser against the wall.

"I moved it into the bedroom for Vala last night," Daniel explained, trying not to look as guilty as he felt. But, he could feel it written across his face in bold permanent letters. I SLEPT WITH VALA.

"Is there progress in your relationship with Vala?" Teal'c asked in the blunt, innocent manner the Jaffa had become known for.

Daniel choked on his coffee. "Progress? What progress? There is no progress. There is nothing to progress. Why would you ask about progress?"

"There is great speculation amongst myself, Colonel Michell and Colonel Carter as to the nature of your relationship with Vala."

Daniel's jaw dropped. "You guys talk about us?"

"In fact, the nature of your relationship with Vala is of great interest to many of the members of the SGC."

"What?"

"Is it not common for there to be great speculation as to the secrets kept by one's colleagues?"

"It's just gossip, Teal'c. Gossip by its very nature isn't true."

Teal'c nodded his understanding, but something about his agreement left Daniel with the haunting feeling that Teal'c had learned how to humor people. They sat in silence.

"Any news from the base?" Daniel asked.

"Would that not be gossip, Daniel Jackson?"

"Not if we stick with facts."

"Colonel Carter has made little progress on the machine found by SG-8 on P9Y-2R9. She is finding it quite difficult to decipher its purpose."

"Are my notes not helping?" Daniel asked, leaping at the change of topic.

"I am unsure. She has not specified the nature of her difficulties."

"Vala's fever is gone so Dr. Lam's going to check it over tomorrow. I'll see what I can do for Sam then."

"I am certain your assistance will be most appreciated."

There was an awkward pause in the conversation. "What are you and Mitchell up to?" Daniel tried to prod the conversation along.

"We have engaged in a simulated battle. Colonel Mitchell is quite upset that it appears he will not be victorious."

"What game are you guys playing?"

"It is called Risk."

"Oh," Daniel nodded. "He's used to playing against me. He slaughters my men every time."

"He is a formidable opponent."

There was another awkward pause. "Want to play Senet?" Daniel offered.

The ancient Egyptian board game was an easy fallback for the pair. They had bonded over the game when Teal'c had first come to Earth. Daniel had spent hours playing a version of the game with fellow Egyptologists, but he still hadn't gotten over the idea that he and Teal'c were the only people on Earth who played the game according to the proper rules. Even though the board and pieces had been found in tombs and ruins, the rules had been lost to Earth's history.

They were still playing when Vala interrupted them.

"Muscles!" she all but squealed. She padded across the room in bare feet, jumping into his lap. "You came to see me."

"Indeed."

"He came to see how you were feeling," Daniel said.

"Daniel has been taking very good care of me," Vala told Teal'c. "We've been reading and watching movies. He's made a fabulous tea and one of the best soups I have ever tasted. Which…" she turned her flirtiest eyes to their favorite target. "Is there any left?"

Daniel immediately blushed and looked at the Senet board. "Yeah, yeah I've got some more."

"What about the bread?"

"I got that, too." He hoped Teal'c would tell everyone that he'd been making fresh flat bread, in addition to Vala and Sam telling everyone about the tea and soup. There was dough in the refrigerator, all he had to do was fry it. He doubted anyone would believe that it was normal for him to make so much from scratch. Sam was already giving him a hard time about it and Mitchell didn't need any extra ammunition. "Teal'c do you want any?" Daniel asked trying to sound casual about it.

"I am not currently hungry, Daniel Jackson."

"Lunch for one, then." He stood up.

"I'll play your turn," Vala volunteered happily, eying the game.

"Do you know the rules of Senet, Vala?" Teal'c asked.

"No. But it can't be hard to learn," she shrugged settling into Daniel's spot on the couch.

Daniel shrugged. "Go ahead. I'm already losing."

Vala took his seat and when he returned, fresh bread and warmed soup on a tray, she had inexplicably turned the game around and was leading Teal'c by a slim margin. Daniel frowned and studied the board.

"How did you do that?"

"It was easy," she brushed it off.

"Vala is quite skilled at this game," Teal'c agreed.

"So everyone is better at board games than me," Daniel nodded.

"It would appear so."

"Good to know." He put the tray down and settled to watch Vala finish the game with Teal'c while she at lunch.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

The next afternoon while Vala went down for her appointment Daniel went down to Sam's lab to help her with the artifact. He was frowning over the markings, looking at the notes he left her.

"Yeah, see, right here." He stood and pushed at a symbol and a panel slid open, a light came on and it started humming.

"How did you do that?" Sam asked, incredulous.

"Here." He pointed out in the notes where he had scribbled the translation.

Sam came to stand beside him and squinted down at the paper. "There?"

"Yeah, see?"

"Okay, first off your handwriting is terrible," she pointed out. "And secondly I'm pretty sure you wrote that in Dutch."

"Did I?" he frowned at his notes. "Huh… I did. Sorry."

"So…" she bumped him with her hip. "How was it?"

"How was what?"

"You know…" she grinned suggestively, biting her lip.

"You know what," Daniel told her. "I'm a little tired of all these rumors and I'm starting to get the feeling that you're the one behind it all."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Come on… dish."

"I held her hair while she threw up," Daniel deadpanned. That one had shut Mitchell down immediately.

"Oh," Sam made a very un-Sam-like cooing noise.

"What?" he asked, almost panicked. How had he made Sam make that noise?

"The fact that you don't know makes it even sweeter," she told him. "You have it bad."

"I do not have anything… especially not it."

Sam rolled her eyes. Sometimes boys were impossible... and stuck in junior high. "When you're ready to admit it, come find me."

"I will never need to come find you," he told her, leaving for effect.

"You will," she called after him.

"Will not!" he yelled back.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Vala got the all clear from Dr. Lam and moved back home to her quarters in the SGC. It took Daniel a couple hours, but he got his house put back together to how it used to be. The sheets and towels were washed, the TV was back in the living room, and dinner was coming from to-go boxes.

Daniel sat on the couch, cross-legged, using a pillow on his lap as an impromptu table to eat his dumplings and lo mein noodles. He found a Star Trek rerun and settled in. Something felt off… his house, usually cozy and private, felt empty… and lonely. He tried to shake it, but his mind kept wandering. The voyages of the Starship Enterprise did nothing to hold his attention.

He picked up his phone and started to dial Vala- but snapped the phone shut before finishing. It was stupid. She was probably still a little tired. And more importantly, she was probably tired of him. But it was probably a good idea to check on her. If she were asleep, she'd probably just sleep through the call anyway.

He started to dial again and closed the phone five numbers in.

Danny, what is your problem? He groaned rubbing his hand through his hair. He took a deep breath and dialed again, convincing himself not to hang up as it started ringing.

"Hey," he caught himself smiling when Vala answered. "I was just calling to see how you were doing."

END