Title: Basic Colors

Author: Spacegyspy1

Rating: K+
Category: General
Season: None
Featured Character(s): Vala, Daniel, Mitchell, Sam, Teal'c, Jack
Pairings: D/V

Warnings: none

A/N: Ok, I did promise Purple was the last, but this one just begged to resolve the credit card fiasco. I'm now completely out of Jell-O.

Synopsis: Vala gathers her courage to face Daniel about the lost/found credit card. And the team, along with Jack, comes to the rescue. Sequel to Eating Purple Jell-O.

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She managed to avoid him for twenty four hours. The clock was counting down the hours in her mind, just like that television show '24' she'd watched last night. Time was running out. Vala swallowed nervously. Her body language, as she walked down the hall towards Daniel's office, spoke volumes. Like a death row prisoner's walk to the gas chamber. The electric chair. The hanging tree.

Her stomach did little flips. Siler walked past her, face turned away in avoidance. Everyone knew.

She stopped, swallowing the lump in her throat. She wasn't ready. Spinning around she headed to the mess hall. Her sanctuary.

A line of Jell-O cups stood like little guards standing sentry in front of her. Studying them, chin resting on the palm of one hand, Vala straightened them to even spaces with her other hand, then rearranged the colors to Blue. Green. Orange. Purple. Red. She would start at the beginning, work her way to the end, then, fortified, she could face him.

Since the desertion of her team, en masse, yesterday, she hadn't seen or heard from any of them.

O'Neill found her sitting there staring at the line of cups. "You gonna eat those?" He asked sitting across from her.

Without looking up, she barked out, "Don't touch them!"

He threw his hands up in surrender. "Not a problem." Getting up he went to the line and returned with a matching set. Arranging the cups in the same order, Jack watched her. "On your mark, get ready, get set, go!" He dug into the blue.

Vala rushed to begin, spooning a mouthful of the blue.

He finished it before her. "You gotta do better than that." He started on the green. "Yew, pistachio, I thought it was lime." Grimacing he swallowed and continued.

She liked pistachio. She was into the orange before him. Neither of them noticed Teal'c standing at the end of the table, "O'Neill."

"Wha?" He mumbled around the bite into the orange, trying to catch up.

"ValaMalDoran," Teal'c turned to Vala, "DanielJackson has asked that I inform you – he is waiting in his office."

The last lump of orange sat like a stone in her mouth. She looked at Teal'c then Jack. O'Neill held the spoon before his mouth and looked at Vala sympathetically. "I'll go with you." He offered, taking the bite.

"As will I," Teal'c bowed his head, hands locked behind his back.

Vala put her spoon down and stared at the two remaining full cups. "Thanks, guys." She sighed in resignation.

Jack was already done with the purple when Mitchell and Sam arrived.

"Did I miss the memo?" Mitchell sat beside Vala and reached for the red.

"Don't touch that!" Vala shrieked.

Sam settled next to Jack. He shook his head sadly, without stopping he shoved a purple cube into his mouth. Teal'c had taken the chair at the end of the table after gathering the set of colored Jell-O. It was disappearing quickly.

Mitchell looked at Sam. She shrugged her shoulders and the two got up and retrieved their own set.

Vala was slow on the purple, forcing each bite down. Jack was done with it, but sat back to wait for T, who was already into the orange, to catch up.

"This little scenario remind you of anything?" Jack was slowly eating the red. Raspberry, yuk.

"Urgo." Both Teal'c and Sam answered.

Mitchell wasn't doing so well with the pistachio, and from Sam's odd look she wasn't too crazy about the orange.

Vala was quiet, staring bleary eyed at the red. Her eyes lifted, scanning the group, one by one.

Jack sat back, threw his hands up and said, "Done!"

With an uncertain smile Vala waited.

Teal'c finished next.

"Excellent T," Jack reached over and patted the Jaffa on the back. Teal'c nodded in thanks.

"Oh, boy. I'm not really sure I can finish all this." Sam looked at Vala compassionately.

"I'll wait." The red still sat uneaten in front of Vala.

Mitchell had gone into automatic mode and wolfed down the last of the red. Sitting back he rubbed at this full tummy and groaned. "Come on, you're not the back up singer anymore, you're part of the band. I'll be standing right beside you."

They all looked at Sam. Then Teal'c took her cup of red and Jack took the purple.

The table was littered with empty dishes expect for Vala's red Jell-O.

"It's okay, take your time. I'll be there for you, Vala." Sam's soothing voice brought tears to Vala's eyes.

With a deep breath, Vala pulled the red close in front of her.

"You can do it, princess." Mitchell prompted.

"We're all here; we'll help you through this." Jack's dark brown eyes held a world of kindness.

"I would be honored to assist you, ValaMalDoran." Teal'c gave her the slightest smile.

"No. I need to do this myself." One deep breath. The spoon lifted. She swallowed the first bite. Then the next. And on to the last.

Sitting back against the chair, once again she looked at each one of them. "You know, I'm in love with Daniel."

"Really?" Jack deadpanned.

"Nooo?" Was the sarcastic southern drawl from Cam.

"Indeed." Teal'c bowed his head.

"We know." Sam reached across and patted Vala's hand.

Vala stood, straightening her uniform jacket. One by one the others stood and followed in line behind her, towards her doom.

Not far from Daniel's office Vala suddenly stopped. Like a domino effect, the others bumped into each other. Separating, they fanned out behind her not saying a word.

Vala's spine leveled up. She took each pigtail and tightened the band around them. She flattened her collar. Brushed imaginary lint from her shoulders. Pulled her jacket down.

Looking back at her entourage she placed a whacky grin on her face, and marched determinedly into his office.

He never expected this. Daniel scowled at the support group, looking past Vala. "Get out."

They stood their ground.

Daniel's desk had been cleared, except for one piece of paper, a pair of scissors, a small box and the pieces of a cut up credit card. He stood, walked around Vala and faced the guard troupe. "This is between me and Vala."

"Oh, I don't think so Danny-boy." Jack took a step forward. The others moved in line with him.

Daniel changed tactics. "Come on guys, this is private. I don't need an audience. Please give us a minute. You can wait outside."

Teal'c moved to stand slightly to the left and behind Daniel.

Daniel turned, dumbfounded by the implied threat.

"Oh…kay…fine." He went back to the desk, handed Vala the piece of paper and told her, "You owe me three thousand, eight hundred fifty-nine dollars and forty-nine cents."

Vala, heart thumping erratically, studied the typed list of charges.

"And I expect cash." Daniel, palm out, continued, "Hand over the other two."

She dug into her right jacket pocket and produced two credit cards. Daniel picked up the scissors and cut them in tiny little pieces. Jack relaxed his stance a little, Teal'c took a step back, Mitchell unfolded his arms and Sam studied the little box on the desk.

Daniel looked at Vala for a second, then into the eyes of each of the others. "Now can I have a moment alone?"

Vala laced her fingers and brought her prayful hands to her chest. She turned to the others, silently pleading for them to stay.

"Not gonna happen." Mitchell took a command posture. Each of the others nodded in agreement.

"I see." Daniel once again returned to the desk and picked up the little box. He took a nervous breath, once again looked past Vala at the others and then back to Vala and handed the box her.

Sam's eyes went round as saucers, but the others were too dumb to get it.

Vala took the box. Opened it. Gasped in awe. Eyes filled with fat tears. Head tilted. Face relaxed into a sweet and loving smile.

"Daniel?"

Okay, how do I say this with a room full of people. Not just people. His people. His family. His friends. This is not the way he had anticipated this moment to go.

Daniel cleared his throat.

Confused, Teal'c, Mitchell and Jack peeped around Vala to see what the box held.

"Vala?" He stopped, unsure of how to continue. Daniel looked at Sam who smiled supportively. "Vala, will you…" he pursed his lips together, nervously shuffled his feet, "…will you marry me?"

Lift off! Vala launched herself into his waiting arms.

"Okay, campers, everybody out." Jack practically ran from the room, the rest of the band right behind him.

"Oh, Daniel. I do love you so." She kissed him, open mouthed, tongue and teeth and warm loving lips.

When the kiss ended he placed the ring on her finger and smiled happily. "I love you too. I think you're nuts. But I love you. And no more credit cards." He kissed her hot lovely mouth, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her flush into him.

"Just one tiny credit card?" She asked out of breath.

"Maybe."

END (REALLY) OF THE JELL-O SERIES – COMMENTS AND REVIEWS ARE WELCOMED.