Slight crossover between SG-1 and Atlantis. Another of the many takes on the cliché plot 'drunken Jackson sleeps with Vala who gets pregnant'. SG-1 is post Arc while Atlantis is in an alternative reality where Weir is gone but not yet replaced and the IOC isn't involved at all.

In Atlantis

Sam was sitting at the head of the table in a small conference room next to what everyone at Atlantis still called "Elizabeth's office". Vala sat on her right, next around the table were Teyla, Rodney, and John ending up with Keller on Sam's left.

"This is an informal staff meeting and completely off the record. I want everyone to feel free to speak their minds. I'll be finishing my report to the President by the end of the week and return to SGC meeting with him the following next week. When the President asked me to come to Atlantis, assess the situation and make recommendations regarding the future administration of the Expedition I felt honored. Losing Elizabeth was horrendous and I hope that no one felt my assignment implied a lack of sensitivity to your situation. But the reality is ..."

John interrupted her. "Sam, we knew Earth was going to send someone. We were all thrilled when we heard it was going to be you. We knew we could trust you; trust your motives, your commitment, and your abilities. We know that we'll get Elizabeth back, but we don't expect the rest of the world to leave the leadership of Atlantis empty until that happens."

Tayla, Rodney & Keller had nodded in agreement while John spoke.

"Thank you, all of you."

Smiling at a group she now thought of as friends Sam continued. "When I finish my final draft I'll distribute it to all of you. Once you read it I'd like to meet with each of you individually. I want to go over your concerns, your criticisms, your recommendations, etc. I don't promise to change anything but I do promise to listen. It's been a great three weeks and I have one more issue to discuss before we end this meeting. As you all know Vala came along to give me a hand with this project and also to take a break from her duties at SGC. Vala is reassessing her position within the Stargate Program. Before this trip she spent a few weeks at Area 51 working with the scientists there. The goal was to determine if she had anything to offer them in their work and also see if she'd be interested in working with them. I have to be honest with you. It was very difficult to get her back to accompany me. I had to have General O'Neill intercede. They didn't want to let her go! But I felt it might be a better fit for Vala herself to be here in Atlantis."

Vala spoke up. "I loved all of them dearly but I couldn't tell them that their work was a little dull after the crisis mode life at SGC. Though I would have been allowed to spend more time outside of the complex it was only because there is absolutely nothing in Roswell, New Mexico. I couldn't get in trouble no matter how hard I tried!" She flipped her pigtails back and with a broad grin assured them "And believe you me, I would have tried!"

"Okay guys. Back on point. Vala has expressed an interest in remaining so I'd like to discuss possible …"

They all jumped when Rodney slammed both of his hands down flat on the table and said. "I want her."

He crossed his arms pulling them tight against his chest and with a stubborn pout he continued. "You don't understand! I need her!" Glaring at his friends. "I deserve her!"

Sam spoke in a calm quiet tone. "Could you perhaps be a little more specific Rodney? Would you care to explain your criteria for your request for additional personnel?"

As he gathered his thoughts preparing to justify his demands he flashed back to the exact moment he knew Vala was special. It was the typical Atlantis life threatening crisis du jour. Rodney was working like a maniac to find a solution. The rest of his team were yelling at him to work more quickly while he attempted to explain the problem and defend his position that they were all going to die. Vala had looked back and forth between Rodney and the team. Taking a deep breath she grabbed John's arm saying. "All of you. Stop it with the 'Save us, oh save us, but please do it with no help or cooperation from us and do it much more quickly.'" Then before the self-righteous smirk had finished crossing his face Vala grabbed his arm. "And you! A little less 'we're all going to die; we're all going to die' and a little more saving our asses." The whole team looked at her in shock. She gave them her huge patented Vala grin and leaning in quickly kissed Rodney on the mouth saying. "Get on it sweetheart. I'm waiting." Rodney returned her grin and within seconds had finished the code and rewritten the Wraith virus once again. He wasn't sure if it'd been the smile, the kiss or the sarcasm but he'd certainly been motivated. Shaking off the memory Rodney raised his right hand and held up the first finger saying.

"Okay. Number one, she is very, very smart."

He continued to raise a finger for each point.

"Number two, she always thinks outside of the box. Actually often outside of an entirely different box all together."

"Number three, she doesn't care if I like her or not. I don't have to be polite and pay attention to not 'hurting her feelings'." Rodney had used air quotes to draw attention to the phrase.

"Number four, her tolerance for annoying and socially inept behavior is phenomenal."

Opening his hand showing all four fingers and his thumb he added "Lastly, she inspires me. She is the most amazing person I've ever met." With an angry glance at John he added softly. "And for once I deserve to get the hot alien babe!"

Crossing his arms again Rodney smiled at Vala saying. "And the baby, too."

Vala and John were both smiling. Dr. Keller looked uncomfortable while Teyla just looked puzzled.

Sam looked serious but Rodney swore he could hear a giggle escape her lips.

"Rodney, I'm not sure if your justifications are just unreasonable, illegal or simply wrong. Staff are not assigned according to physical appearance. Beauty is …"

Rodney broke in "I didn't say she was beautiful!" Turning towards her he explained "Not that I don't think you are Vala, but ..."

Vala smiled saying. "That's fine sweetheart. No insult intended or taken."

"Vala's amazing, incredibly strong; she came out of ten years as a host with her mind intact for God's sake!"

"I was kidding about the hot alien babe." Catching John's smirk he added. "Sort of kidding, Captain Kirk."

Vala broke in. "You forgot to mention that I'm also kind to animals."

Teyla looked even more confused while Dr. Keller had relaxed the more Rodney explained himself.

Sam took back control of the meeting saying. "You realize that she won't be going off world for too much longer, right?"

Rodney waved her comment off. "She'll be popping out little baby Jackson any day now. I'll have her back in no time."

"Rodney you're assuming that Vala is going to stay on in Atlantis."

"Well, Duh! We're here." He gestured at the people sitting around the table. "Even Chuck's signed up for baby sitting duty."

Sam couldn't stop a snort as Rodney continued.

"Enough of this. Can I keep her or not?"

"Yes Rodney. Vala already accepted the position as your personal keeper. I just wanted to hear what you were going to say."

Rodney looked ready to explode as he bounced up and down with smug satisfaction. He looked at Vala smiling like an idiot.

"Don't worry, Vala. We'll find you a nice man."

Snort was too delicate a word to describe the noise that came out of Sam's nose. She couldn't stop herself from giggling when Teyla spoke.

"I am not sure what is happening. Rodney, do you not want to be with Vala yourself? You said …"

Rodney reared back in horror. "Oh my God. No. Not at all. Why would you think that? No. No. No."

Vala was laughing so hard she had trouble speaking. "Dear Teyla. I do understand why you might be confused. But Rodney's passion for his work is all that's behind his desire for me. And talking about passion, in the spirit of publicly speaking the name of my poor bastard child's father …."

Rodney quickly spoke up in his defense. "Everybody in this room knows. I would never mention it to anyone else on Atlantis. In fact I have resolved to never mention that frelling a-hole Jackson's name again."

Vala started to protest but Rodney stopped her. "Yes, I know. He doesn't know about the baby. He's perfect, he walks on water, he's the greatest thing since sliced bread, blah, blah, blah."

Vala mouthed the words sliced bread to Sam.

"I'll explain later. What were you saying about Rodney's passions?"

"Well, his being in love with Cadman would get in the way of our happy union."

Rodney laid his head down on the table and started to bang it slowly against the smooth polished surface.

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About seven months earlier

SGC had received orders that all teams were to participate in formal psychological trust building exercises. While Jack worked on convincing the Powers That Be of the ridiculousness of the order Landry decided to force SG-1 to take part in the program as a sign of good faith. This wasn't the first time their cover identities as members of NORAD staff had unforeseen consequences. However it could take the unraveling of a lot of bureaucratic red tape before they were officially declared exempt. And it would draw less attention to the situation if they just went along at the start.

Landry made arrangements for Sg-1 to attend a team building session at an intimate remote luxury resort in the Colorado Mountains. He considered it a reward, a mini-vacation for the team. Everyone was excited, not just Vala. Jack had decided to assert his General authority and signed up to accompany SG-1. Then just two days before they were scheduled to leave it all fell apart. Mitchell had to return home for a family crisis. Teal'c's latest grandchild had arrived early and he had left SGC within the hour. Sam, Jack, Vala and Daniel were still excitedly making plans when the other shoe dropped. Sam was called to Area 51 for an emergency consult on a highly dangerous project. Minutes later Jack called to cancel. He didn't even bother to make an excuse. When the remaining tow team members met with Landry Vala tried to hold her breath while he explained the situation. She knew there was no way the trip would take place but the smallest germ of hope was still alive somewhere in her heart. She and Daniel had been getting along really well the past few weeks, they had worked together making substantial progress on their latest assignment, and they'd even gone out to eat both with the team and just the two of them. Vala hadn't mentioned the word date and almost unbelievably no one on the team had even teased Daniel about it.

Landry knew he was going to shock both of them and if Jackson seemed at all reluctant he was prepared to back down. But everyone had noticed the relaxed rapport that existed between Vala and Daniel. And they had been working extremely hard the past few weeks.

"I'd like to suggest that the two of you go ahead and take the trip. The sessions have been canceled but the room deposit was nonrefundable. However it will cover the cost for two rooms for the weekend. There's lots of stuff to do there, you'll be in the middle of nowhere, no one will notice you, you don't even have to see each other if you don't want to. What do you think Jackson?"

He didn't have to say that the decision was up to him. Both Daniel and Vala knew it. Daniel was surprised by how tempted he was. A weekend off held a lot of appeal. They were both tired and his mind felt stale. If he was going to take a few days off it might as well be at a nice place. And recently he and Vala had been working closely together with no problems, at least no obvious problems. He still had serious problems keeping himself from touching her. He found himself having to fold his hands together to prevent using one hand to brush her bangs to the side. Lastly he couldn't resist seeing the look on her face when he agreed.

"Sure. Why not. Don't want to waste the Air Force's money, do we?"

Vala's eyes were so widely open Daniel though he was going to lose himself in them when she leaned close and whispered. "I promise I'll behave Daniel. No funny business. I swear." She crossed her heart and Daniel tried to convince himself that no funny business was what he really wanted.

The hotel was beautiful; it was an old timber and stone lodge set back in the woods. Their rooms were furnished with what looked like antiques. Daniel's room had a sleigh bed and Vala's a four poster bed with brocade hangings. Each spacious room had a sitting area and access to the balcony that wrapped around the second floor of the building.

Daniel was taking a shower before he got dressed to meet Vala in the lobby for dinner. They'd taken a walk on a path that lead from the hotel to a small pond and continued around the water then circling back to the hotel. The air was clear and silent. They didn't speak until they returned to the hotel. It had been a comfortable silence and Daniel felt amazingly relaxed. They made plans to meet for dinner and went to their rooms. As he dressed Daniel thought about dinner. He knew that Vala was looking forward to the award winning restaurant. When she'd read through the brochure Mitchell had explained how and why restaurants had stars. But Daniel didn't feel like sitting in a formal restaurant he wanted to continue to relax. He didn't want to disappoint Vala and felt inspired when he came up with an alternative plan. He finished dressing and walked across the hall. Knocking on her door he softly spoke. "Vala. It's me. Can we talk?"

He had no idea of the panic and fear he had sparked in Vala's mind. She'd seen enough movies to be leery of the phrase "Can we talk?" Vala hoped that all he wanted to do was cancel dinner. Daniel had looked so peaceful when they returned from their walk she wouldn't have been surprised if he decided to stay in his room and relax. Taking a deep breath, just like in the movies, she reached for the doorknob. Vala had spent hours picking out clothes to pack, asking Sam and Caro for advice. She'd settled for jeans and sweaters for the days but the photos of the restaurant showed customers in dresses, not formal but definitely not jeans. Sam had helped her pick out a classic little black dress. A dress Sam and the salesgirl insisted was both elegant and drop dead sexy. The neckline was on the high side but there was almost no back to the dress. Vala had bought it in black and at the last minute she'd added the same dress in a deep sapphire blue. Two pairs of shoes completed the outfits. Vala already had the underwear from a previous trip to Victoria's Secret.

Vala had raced through her shower and been dressed for at least fifteen minutes. She had been sitting waiting for the time to pass until she was supposed to meet Daniel. Vala'd decided to go with the blue dress and silver heels. Sam had lent her a plain silver chain to wear around her neck. She wore no jewelry and no eye makeup. Sam and Caro had convinced her that understated would be the best "look" in her quest for Dr. Daniel Jackson. Vala had begun to realize that overtly sexual sex kitten wasn't working for her and was willing to change her approach.

Vala opened the door and looked directly into the blue eyes that she blamed for her downfall, her descent to the humiliation that was falling in love with Daniel.

"Daniel, are you okay?"

"I know you're looking forward to eating downstairs, but ..."

Vala interrupted him with a megawatt smile. "That's fine. I'm sure you're tired. We can do it tomorrow. Maybe we could meet for breakfast." Vala moved quickly to close the door, not wanting Daniel to see how disappointed she felt.

Daniel put his hand on the door. "Wait. I thought that we could meet in the middle."

Vala thought 'the middle of what or where'?

"That means we compromise. I though we could go get a drink in the lounge and look at the menu. We can order dinner and they'll deliver it to the room when we're ready."

Vala's eyes lit up. "Room service! Fantastic! It always looks so romantic in the movies." She regretted using the word romantic the moment she said it, but it was too late. Daniel didn't appear to react to her word but pulled the door open motioning her to come out into the hall. As they walked together towards the open staircase to the lobby Daniel put his right arm around her waist. As his hand slid across her naked back he had to force himself to keep it lightly pressed against the small of her back. She always looked beautiful to him and he had tried to train himself to not look at her when she could see his expression. He was sure that she could see how she affected him, how like now he could barely breathe when he looked at her.

"Your dress is … eh … pretty." He cursed to himself, he knew pretty was not really the right word. But he was too confused by his feelings and emotions. Vala looked pleased at the less than exuberant compliment.

Vala felt great. Pretty was a true compliment from Daniel. He meant it and that was worth more than any 200 word. Plus unless she had completely lost her mind he was distracted by her appearance, which could only be a good thing.

They sat in the lounge reading the menus. Daniel was drinking old standard gin martinis. Vala decided to follow his lead. The drinks she'd read about in magazines and seen on TV looked overly frilly to her. In her world there wasn't much fashion involved in drinking. Most places had their beer or wine equivalents and their 'hard liquor' as Mitchell called it. They had been having a quiet conversation talking about the hotel building, how nice the path to the pond was, whether they should try horseback riding or maybe, out of respect to Jack, something in the brochure called fly fishing.

"I think you should order Daniel. The names of the dishes here are different from McNally's and I don't want to embarrass myself. I trust you. And it isn't like I've ever run into anything that I couldn't choke down. When you get a chance at a hot meal it's no time to be picky."

Daniel realized that though she spoke as if she was kidding Vala was dead serious about taking advantage of chances to eat.

"Sure. I'll get extra. You may want a snack later tonight."

Daniel walked over to the waiter with the menus. It looked to Vala as if the waiter was writing down a really long list. She wasn't sure if that was good or bad. But the fact that Daniel was choosing what she'd be eating felt nice. She suspected that the martinis would make everything feel nice. Vala just hoped it worked the same way with Daniel. She's heard stories of Daniel's inability to 'hold his liquor' and that he was a 'cheap drunk' but isn't sure if that would work to her advantage. Lowering his inhibitions might just result in an exciting evening.

Daniel stopped at the bar and returned to their table with two martinis.

"Why don't we head upstairs? The waiter's going to follow with a bottle of champagne." The two martinis he'd already had were making Daniel feel very relaxed, maybe a little too relaxed. But he decided to ignore any fuzziness and guided Vala towards the staircase with his hand on the small of her back. Daniel was struck by the fact that it felt entirely natural to be touching her bare skin as they walked side by side. It made him smile. It was that smile that Vala saw from the corner of her eye, the smile that made her grin. The gin had nothing to do with how happy she felt. As they reached the landing at the top of the stairs the waiter appeared with an ice bucket in his hands. The bucket was covered with a white linen cloth.

"Will you and the lady be dining in your room, sir?"

Vala looked at Daniel for the answer. "Sure. That way you won't have a mess in your room, Vala."

"Perhaps the lady would like to freshen up while I set up your room for dinner." The waiter smiled pleasantly waiting for their answer.

"Sounds good. I'll be over in a few minutes." Vala went in her room and leaned her back against the closed door. She took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm down. She went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face grateful that she hadn't put on any makeup. She wondered for a moment if the heavy feeling in her stomach was hunger or love.

The waiter followed Daniel into his room and set the ice bucket on a tray on the credenza next to a small table large enough to seat two for a meal. The table looked out the sliding glass doors to the balcony. Under the ice bucket the man had carried a table cloth and two napkins wrapped around two settings of silverware. He spread the cloth over the table and put out the napkins and silver. He took two champagne glasses from the tray and sat them on the table. The waiter took a quick look around the room as if checking to see if anything was missing. He was unsure about this couple, they weren't sharing a room and it was unclear if they were "together". He would be willing to bet that they were in love with each other but not that they were aware of it. Daniel put the two martinis on the coffee table that sat in front of a love seat in an alcove next to the bed. The waiter made a quick decision. Better safe than sorry he figured.

Walking into the bathroom he spoke to the young man who seemed a little flustered. "Sir, have you seen all of the toiletries provided by the Inn?"

Daniel wasn't sure what the guy was talking about, but he seemed to want to show him something. So he entered the room and looked into the open drawer. Daniel almost choked when he saw a large box of condoms next to the usual shampoo, conditioner and hand cream. He felt himself blushing but was honest enough to sincerely thank the waiter.

"Yes, sir. Someone will bring up your food in about thirty minutes. I told them to bring along another bottle or two. That way you won't have to call down again. Also the cart will be outside the lady's room tomorrow morning. As you requested there will be a pitcher of Mimosas and a large dish of strawberries. Everything will be on ice ready for her whenever she awakes. Have an excellent evening."

When the man opened the door Vala was standing outside with her hands raised to knock.

"Come in. The food will be here soon. We can sit here and finish our drinks."

Daniel was smiling but he seemed tense, the relaxed comfortable Daniel was gone. Vala gave him a tentative smile and joined him on the love seat. They quickly finished the drinks as if they were avoiding speaking. They put down the glasses and looked in each others eyes. Seconds passed and there was a knock on the door. Daniel realized that they must have sat there for at least twenty minutes not seconds. He jumped up at the sound and rushed to answer the door. A different waiter came in pushing a cart which he emptied in just a few minutes. Suddenly there was a vase of yellow roses in the center of the table, two covered serving dishes and two china plates next to the napkins and silver ware. Four more covered dishes were on the credenza. The waiter opened the bottle of champagne and filled both glasses which he placed on the table next to each place setting. The bottle was wrapped in a white linen cloth and left on the table. Two more bottles of champagne were put in the ice bucket. The man turned and pulled out one of the chairs he'd placed around the table. They had been tucked away in a large closet next to the bathroom.

Daniel took Vala by the hand and led her to the chair. Sitting on the other chair facing her Daniel fought down a feeling of dread and panic. He felt as if he was about to fall over a very high cliff with no idea of what lay below.

With a flourish the waiter removed the silver domes lids. Explaining the contents one by one.

"Fresh mozzarella, tomato slices, basil and balsamic vinaigrette. Mushroom ravioli primavera." Nodding towards the other dishes on the credenza "Followed by herb crusted leg of lamb and traditional American roasted chicken. Ending with crème Brule and white chocolate cheesecake with fresh raspberry sauce."

Reaching under the cart he pulled out a large insulated carafe, a sugar bowl and pitcher of cream. He put in on the credenza and before he could speak Daniel said the word. "Coffee." The guy smiled and backed out of the room.

"Have a pleasant meal and please call if you need anything, anything at all."

Vala's eyes were open wide and she was staring at the plates on the table.

"Which one's mine Daniel? They both look delicious."

"I thought we could share."

"Awesome!" Vala reached out her hand and lifted up the plate of pasta bringing it to her empty plate she carefully spooned half of the little pasta pillows onto her plate before handing it to Daniel.

He was going to ask her about the 'awesome'. Then he remembered hearing Mitchell use the word during their last team movie night.

They ate and drank for over two hours, laughing, sharing childhood stories, gossiping about Sam and Jack, etc. Daniel loved watching Vala eat, she approached food as she did everything; employing all of her senses, eager for new life experiences, excited by what might be just around the corner. Vala didn't feel the need to overanalyze every emotion and feeling. Some days Daniel was almost jealous of her ability to face life without flinching. He decided that he would have to add that to his growing list of "things he loved about Vala". This was a list that he usually kept hidden in his subconscious, but tonight it insisted on being let loose.

"Vala. Let's take a break before dessert." Daniel took the glasses of champagne and put them on the coffee table. Vala brought over the open bottle of champagne and they sat side by side on the love seat.

"This is nice! Do you mind if I take off my shoes? I don't spend much time in heels."

"No problem. I'll take mine off, too." Daniel had removed his shoes and socks and was watching Vala struggle with the tiny buckles on the straps of her silver shoes. He reached over and grabbed her ankles swinging her feet onto his laps. Daniel held her right foot in both of his hands and leaning close he easily undid the strap. He dropped the shoe on the floor and took hold of her other foot. After he removed the second shoe he kept her foot in his hands. Vala had leaned back and was lying with her feet in his lap and her head on the arm of the love seat. He started to massage her feet and she closed her eyes and moaned softly.

"That's perfect, darling. Don't stop." That was all the encouragement a slightly drunken Daniel needed. With no bashful nervousness or awkwardness he pulled her towards him and kissed her. In a sudden flurry of activity Vala's clothes were off and Daniel was lowering her body onto his bed. He stopped kissing her long enough for a trip to the bathroom. Vala heard a drawer open and for a moment she tried to think what he was doing but then he was back and she was in his arms. When he reached for her lips she pulled back.

"Are you sure you want to do this, my Daniel?"

"That's supposed to be my line."

Daniel was asleep but Vala's eyes were wide open and her mind racing. He held her against his chest with both of his arms and when she moved slightly he only tightened his hold. Vala was fighting back tears and cursing Daniel. It was a bad as she'd feared. Sex with a man you loved was horrible; you were exposed and vulnerable and knew that life as you had known it was over. Surprisingly knowing that he didn't return your love didn't add that much more pain and agony. Vala made a conscious decision to ignore that pain and settle for whatever Daniel was willing to give her. If he needed to be drunk to allow him to form a connection with her then she'd accept it. There would be no thinking about tomorrow just taking what comfort she could from the here and now.

Daniel began to stir and soon they were eating dessert and drinking champagne. Daniel had tried and failed to explain white chocolate before they ended up back in bed.

They were sitting on the balcony watching the sun rise and drinking more champagne. Vala sat wearing one of the hotel's fluffy white robes with her knees drawn up to her chest. They'd just finished a shared shower and she'd found out what was in the drawer. Vala wasn't surprised to see the box had a hotel label, she'd never thought that Daniel had planned a seduction or night of drunken abandonment. Though when the condoms appeared, she did wonder. She'd seen in movies that some men carried them in their wallets at all times. But Vala'd been through Daniel's wallet many times and had never come across any form of birth control, at least not any that she recognized.

A chilly breeze forced them back to a warm bed and some well deserved sleep. About four hours later Vala woke and realized that Daniel was no longer in the bed. She didn't see him in the bathroom or out on the balcony. Vala opened the bureau and pulled out a tee shirt and pair of Daniel's pajama pants. Quickly slipping into his clothes she walked towards the door which opened before she got there. Daniel came in pushing a small room service cart.

"What's that?"

He lifted the cloth up exposing a large bowl of strawberries, a carafe of coffee and another ice bucket with a bottle of champagne. "I ordered it last night and had them leave it outside of your room this morning." He had such a cute smile on his face and he looked so proud of his idea that Vala didn't feel right asking him about the wine. She had no problem "holding her liquor" but it seemed they were drinking an awful lot of champagne.

Daniel was wearing his own fluffy robe and looked askance at her outfit.

"I wasn't sure where you were and I figured if I left the room I'd want to be wearing more than a robe."

"Come on, let's try these strawberries." Daniel motioned her to the bed. They sat up with their backs against the headboard with linen napkins across their laps feeding each other strawberries from a silver bowl. They each held a glass of champagne and the open bottle was on the bedside table.

"Daniel?"

"Yes, Vala."

"I think this is perfect."

Daniel was almost too frightened to answer. He wasn't sure what she meant by "this". He didn't want to make any assumptions that would upset her.

"I agree. What could be better, lots of champagne, fewer inhibitions, a beautiful hotel where no one knows us, a fairy tale that we can enjoy before we return to the cold harsh reality of Cheyenne Mountain."

Vala closed her eyes and concentrated on keeping tears from forming. It hurt, even though it was a confirmation of what she already knew. If he wasn't drunk Daniel wouldn't be with her now and he didn't want anyone else to know about what had happened between them. She had to say goodbye while she still had the strength. She couldn't settle for "what ever he was willing to give her". Vala knew her heart couldn't take sneaking around behind their friends at SGC for drunken assignations with Daniel. She also knew if she didn't leave now that's where they would end up and eventually he would hate her for what she'd made him do.

Daniel had initiated their first time, the second and third had been mutual, this one last time she was going to control everything. It was going to be slow and tender and would break her heart.

Daniel was dead to the world but she still had trouble rolling out of his arms. Eventually she freed herself and quietly sat up. She picked the robe up off of the floor and wore it to the bathroom. Vala stood at the foot of the bed unable to take her eyes off Daniel. He was so beautiful and she felt so guilty that she'd taken advantage of him. What kind of a bitch got some poor geeky scientist drunk just so she could screw him! Well, she'd leave him alone from now on. She picked up her shoes, dress and panties in one hand and his tee shirt and pajama bottoms in the other. She guessed the time to be around 10:00 in the morning and walked out onto the balcony. Vala let the robe fall to the floor and pulled on Daniel's shirt and pants. Looking over the railing she saw the coast was clear. She though that it wouldn't be the first time she'd had to sneak out of a hotel room and with a practiced move she was over the railing hanging on to the bottom of the balcony with her hands. She quickly moved towards the back of the building letting go once she was over a dumpster that was hidden behind a tall wooden fence. Once down on the ground she disappeared into the woods after picking up the bundle of clothes she'd thrown off Daniel's balcony.

Later that afternoon Daniel woke to find Vala gone. The sliding glass door to the balcony was open and when he walked out he saw the white robe on the floor and one silver shoe caught on the railing. He knew she was gone and in one way he thought it might be better that it was sooner than later. The longer she strung him along the harder it would be to keep going. It had taken a long time to recover from losing Sha're but in his heart he knew this would be worse. Daniel walked to the door holding her shoe in his hand. His tee shirt and pajama pants were in a neat folded pile on the floor with a short note from Vala. All it said was D. See you back at SGC. V