Title: At The Seams
Author: slytherinrules85
Disclaimer: I don't own it.
Summary: Vala Mal Doran didn't do sentimental.
Spoilers: Anything and everything is game.
Author's Note: This is the companion fic to Without Leave, my SamJack fic. This is pretty undecided as to pairing – probably DanielVala, but maybe something else (which will be developed). Hope you enjoy it!
Vala Mal Doran didn't do sentimental.
She told herself as she walked towards the Stargate – behind what had to be the biggest Jaffa she'd ever seen, and she'd seen quite a few – that going to see that delectable Daniel Jackson on his planet was not sentimental.
Not at all.
"So, darling," she said to the Jaffa – oh, what was his name? Tor'c? Ty're? it was definitely something with a superfluous apostrophe – "is Daniel seeing anyone?"
"I believe DanielJackson sees many people," replied the big man. Teal'c! That was it. Ah, that made sense. Teal'c the shol'vah was known to be an ally of the Tau'ri. Though it didn't make sense that he was sent to fetch people, like a common messenger boy.
"Oh," she replied, feeling mildly deflated. If he was seeing people, why send for her?
Teal'c paused as he dialed the gate. "I believe I may have misunderstood your question, ValaMalDoran. DanielJackson is indeed not seeing anyone romantically."
"Oh!" she gave him a toothy grin. "So he's asking me to visit him for a holiday, then?"
"Indeed." Teal'c pressed the center button and the wormhole whooshed into life, but he didn't pay attention and instead pressed a number sequence into a device on his wrist (as a habit, Vala memorized it – 763092854).
"Lovely," she said, to fill the silence as they walked towards the event horizon. "It's getting so hard to find a vacation spot where I'm not wanted nowadays." The Jaffa turned back to raise an eyebrow. "Ah, nevermind." She gave him a tiny push. "Gentlemen first."
The eyebrow went up again, but he went through the event horizon first and she followed a second or two later.
When she saw Daniel, she couldn't control the grin that broke out over her face. Internally, she was scolding herself for being so, so… so giddy. But before that registered with her conscious brain she had slipped past Teal'c (who somehow had become 'Muscles' to her) and up the stairs into what must be their version of a Control Room – as an intergalactic thief and businesswoman extraordinaire, she learned to recognize such things quickly – to drape herself dramatically over a blinking panel and smile in her most charming manner at Daniel Jackson.
What passed after that was rather tedious – except for the part where she felt Daniel up and then got invited to Minnesota, wherever that was – and as she was escorted to the – what was it they called it? ah, yes – the infirmary, she asked Daniel a barrage of questions about this Minnesota. What sort of place was it? Were there stores? Did these stores have leather? What about treasure? Was there any? How much was there? Was it well-guarded? He grew very annoyed with these questions – she had no idea why, honestly, weren't they normal questions? – and eventually told her, very impolitely, to shut up.
She took offense at that. But by that time, she was in the infirmary, where a small imposing doctor-healer type made her sit on a rather uncomfortable white bed while she examined her.
It was really too much to bear sometimes.
A few mornings later – after she had gone over (quite cheerfully, she thought, for the manner in which she was spoken to and for her rather stark surroundings) some details with the Goa'uld's recent movements and suchlike – she found herself an ally in her newfound quest to see more of this world of the Tau'ri. A rather unexpected ally. One she would have never predicted, in fact.
She found an ally in Samantha Carter. The blond astrophysicist joined her in telling Daniel that, really, if Vala was going to accompany them to this 'Minnesota', she could not – simply not – wear the clothing she had brought with her. (Of course, Vala assured them all that leather was appropriate garb in all occasions, but neither one would listen to her.) So she waved Daniel's American Express at him, Sam smirked, and finally Daniel relented.
"Fine," he muttered. "But we're not getting you a ton of stuff! If you stay, you won't be leaving the base that often."
"Wonderful, darling," Vala crooned, tugging his shirt down a bit. He glowered at her a bit before realizing she was just adjusting it to look nicer. His eyebrows went up in surprise for a moment before he resumed the glower.
"And absolutely, positively no leather," he said firmly. Her mouth fell open. She was that shocked.
"Darling," she said, which was all she could eek out of her vocal chords.
"My one rule," he said in the same tone as before.
She cast about. "Not even… not even a jacket?" She gave him her best wide-eyed, damsel-in-distress look. It didn't work. Damn.
"Maybe. If Sam approves it." He glanced at his watch. "I really have to finish those translations. Sam, if you could…?"
"Oh no," Sam said, grinning at him. "You're coming with us. You have to help too. And besides, when was the last time you left the base?" Daniel muttered something that sounded like 'last Thursday'. "You see? Come on. It'll be fun. We can get ice cream!"
"Ooh, sounds like fun," he told her, not even trying to hide the sarcasm. Vala chose to ignore it.
"I bet it does, darling," she told him, looping her arm through his. "But what, exactly, is ice cream?"
He groaned and then launched into a full-scale explanation. As he went on about the history of this 'ice cream', Sam leaned over and whispered to Vala, "You're not actually listening to this, are you?"
Vala shook her head happily. "Why would I, darling? I just came to see Daniel and perhaps something a little more enjoyable than that-" she grinned toothily "-not listen to him go on and on about some dessert. Does he do this often?"
"Talk about ice cream? No."
"No, darling," Vala said, in a tone as close to exasperation as she ever had, "go on and on like this."
"Oh. Yes. Yes, he does," Sam replied, looking somewhat uneasy at saying this about her friend.
"Wonderful," Vala said, smiling. "I do so love it when he goes on and on like this – or I can tell that I will. I suppose he'll be happier when I tell him about a treasure I heard about, though."
"What treasure?" the other woman asked as the rounded the corner to the elevator.
"Oh, nothing," Vala replied airily. "You'll find out."
"Were you even listening?" Daniel said to her, annoyed written all over his face.
Vala gave him an 'I'm The Most Innocent Person You'll Ever Meet, Why Are You Being Such A Jerk?' look. "Of course, darling."
"Then what did I just say?" He gave her a smug look, knowing she wouldn't be able to repeat it. She was like the female version of Jack: show her something shiny and she'd be distracted for half an hour.
"Something about the mythology surrounding the invention of the waffle cone and the nineteen-twelve World's Fair," Vala told him as Sam swiped her I.D. through the elevator security. "Though I have no idea what either of those things are."
Now it was his turn to have his mouth fall open as Sam laughed at him while they got into the elevator.
"I think," Sam said, pressing a button on the elevator's wall, "that's the first time that's happened."
Vala grinned at Daniel, smugly. "I'm surprised," she said, her tone lofty, "I was sure your Jack had bested him at least once. He seems that sort of man."
"Jack?" Daniel snorted. "That's funny."
"You'd probably be surprised," Vala and Sam said – completely by accident – in unison.
When they arrived at Citadel Mall – the biggest mall in Colorado Springs – Vala goggled at all the people and all the stores.
"Is this heaven?" she said, looking around with a kid-in-a-candy-store look on her face Daniel couldn't not grin at.
"No," Sam said with a sigh that surprised Daniel. He always supposed her above the female tendency to love shopping. Apparently he was wrong. "But it's close."
Vala was quiet for a while, allowing Sam to take her into Express – where she spurned most of the choices, except for a few black tops and a bright blue patterned pencil skirt that Vala was sure she saw Daniel gape at her when she tried it on – but then she saw Victoria's Secret.
And her mouth dropped open.
And then it closed.
And then she grinned.
"Undergarments," she breathed, tracing her fingers on the glass that separated her from the lacy bustiers and panties. "Sam, we must go in. We simply must." She pointed to a red lace outfit that was absolutely gorgeous. "I have to have that." It was, in fact, the first piece of undergarments-that-women-wear-that-are-really-for-men that she had liked that wasn't leather.
Okay, so she liked leather. It was multi-purpose and it didn't get bloodstains, which was useful for someone in her line of work.
She saw Daniel's reflection in the storefront's glass stagger back, eyes wide. "Oh no," he said. "I can't- You can't-" He coughed. "I, uh, don't think it would really help anyone work if you, uh, went around with that on." He looked panicked for a second. "Even under your clothes."
She gave him a cheeky grin. "Then it's a good thing I swiped your-" she pulled out a rectangle of plastic from her top and read the text "-MasterCard while you were looking for that book in Borders."
He goggled at her. It was nice to have that twice in one day. "I knew you were feeling me up!" he half-screeched, until he remembered where they were. Passing shoppers were giving him weird looks. "Give that back!" he hissed.
"No," she replied calmly, entering the store. "Now, Sam," she continued, ignoring the archaeologist who followed them under duress, "what was it you called this store?"
"Lingerie store," Sam said, flashing Daniel a quick amused smile over her shoulder. "It's a French word for undergarments."
"Well, you-" Vala paused, remembering the long, long lecture on 'security' and 'classified materials' that she'd gotten before being allowed to leave the base. "You Americans surely do fancy undergarments extraordinarily well." She fingered a hot pink thong and then held it in front of her. "Daniel. What do you think?"
He choked and his eyes bugged out momentarily. "Put. That. Down!" he hissed, grabbing her wrist.
"Now, Daniel, I do think you're overreacting," she said, trying to pry his hand off her arm. "Do stop that right this- Ow, Daniel! That hurts!" She glared at him.
"You alright there, ma'am?" asked a voice from behind her. She turned. He was around Daniel's age and height, but with a haircut rather more like those charming young SFs at the base had. What were they called? Oh yes – buzz cuts. How silly. He gave Daniel a stony look.
"Quite alright, thank you so much," she replied, still prying at Daniel's fingers. His grip was still tight. It really did hurt.
The man wasn't leaving. In fact, he set his bags down on the floor, muttered "Here, let me," to Vala and then grabbed Daniel's wrist with one hand and squeezed, causing Daniel to grunt and let go.
"Thank you," Vala said, surprised. "That was very kind." The first kind thing anyone had ever done for her, out of the blue, without knowing who she was. Without her tricking them into it.
"No problem," the man said. He gave Daniel that impenetrable look again and then looked back at Vala to give her a somewhat shy smile. "Have a nice day." With that, he picked up his bags, nodded at them all, and left the store.
"Sorry," Daniel said to Vala. "I was wrong. I shouldn't have done that."
"That's all right, Daniel," she said stiffly and she tried to pretend that she didn't see his face fall a bit. She put the underwear back and strode quickly past Sam, trying not to rub her wrist or look at the red skin that promised soreness in the morning if she didn't heal herself.
She found herself thinking about the mystery man. He was very sweet to her, very chivalrous – she heard the new doctor use that word when remarking on her date the previous night with some new Air Force "jock" as she put it – and, also, quite attractive.
She found herself wishing to see him again.
But Vala Mal Doran was not sentimental.
And she wouldn't start now.