Stargate SG-1 fic: Close Encounters of the Vala Kind

Close Encounters of the Vala Kind
by jennickels (aka Jen Connelly)
Stargate SG-1
Daniel/Vala
1445 words
rating: PG-13
WARNINGS:

After a (mostly) successful mission, SG-1 are stuck on a cargo ship searching for the nearest Stargate to get home. Sam estimates it will take approximately six weeks. That's six weeks stuck with each other and bored out of their minds.

don't own... wish I did, but I don't. No infringement intended.

---

Daniel's surroundings hadn't changed in a week. Seven days. 172 hours. 10,343 minutes. 619-thousand-something seconds. He let his head fall into his hands. That's how long they'd been trapped on this cargo ship searching for a planet with a Stargate. He was going to lose his mind if they didn't find one soon.

"No. I said no and it's final. No, no, no. Non, niet... nie... Jackson help me out here."

Daniel glanced up at Mitchell as he walked into the cargo hold, Vala on his tail. "Nej," he said after a moment. Mitchell gave him a funny look. "It's Swedish."

"But Cameron," Vala whined.



Mitchell looked ready to snap. "Vala," he warned. Not that it deterred her in the least. She slid a hand along his shoulder, fingers tickling his neck then down his chest all the way to his waist. Daniel's eyebrow hit his hairline. Vala didn't stop there. But Daniel had stopped watching.

Across the cargo hold, Sam hid her smile behind some crystals she was working on. She hadn't stopped tinkering with the ship since they left P8X-237. She'd increased the speed and efficiency of the engines by twenty-three percent or something. Daniel had started to tune her out when she started up with the technobabble.

Mitchell yelped. "Vala, stop it right now or so help me I'll tie you up."

"Ooh, is that a threat or a promise?" Vala smiled slyly. Sam snickered. Mitchell groaned.

He pushed Vala away by the shoulders. "Knock it off." Vala slumped, lower lip out in a childish pout. She even twirled a strand of hair between her fingers. Mitchell just shook his head then retreated to the control room.

Vala shrugged her shoulders rather dramatically then turned her eyes on Daniel. He tensed. He was bored and going insane but that didn't mean he wanted all of Vala's attention directed at him.

"No," he said before she even opened her mouth. The pout was back. So was Sam's laughing. Daniel shot her a look that had her going back to work. He could see her still trying to bite back a smile, though.

"But Daniel, I'm so bored," she drawled.

Daniel rolled his eyes. "We're all bored."

"That's exactly my point. I'm bored, you're bored..." She waggled her eyebrows.

Daniel got to his feet. "Let me get this straight: you're bored and your solution is to seduce the rest of us?" She gave him an innocent look. "And I'm supposed to go along with this why?"

"Because it will be fun, Daniel." He could almost hear the, "duh," at the end.

"But I wasn't your first choice." He watched a blush work up Vala's neck and onto her cheeks. She seemed genuinely embarrassed. Daniel sighed. "Vala-"

"Fine, be that way. I'll find some fun somewhere else." She turned towards Sam who suddenly wasn't smiling.

"Sorry, guys, I have to go do..." She trailed off as she hurried out of the cargo hold, her arms full of crystals and a laptop. Coward, Daniel thought.

Vala frowned, her arms now crossed over her chest. "I'm going to lose my mind stuck on this ship with all of you and nothing to do."

"Join the club," muttered Daniel. To Vala he said, "I know you're bored but this isn't the way to get attention. You're just making everyone... uncomfortable."

With a sigh, Vala slid down the wall. After a second, Daniel joined her on the floor. They were sitting close together, shoulders rubbing. Daniel found he didn't really mind. But then Vala's hand slid along his thigh—down to his knee then back up—eliciting a yelp of surprise from Daniel. He pushed her hand away. Vala was not deterred.

She poked him in the side; Daniel scooted away. "Vala-" Her hand slipped under his shirt and up his back sending shivers down his spine. He tried to get to his feet but her fingers twisted in his t-shirt, pulling him back down and before he knew what was going on she flipped a leg over him, straddling him. Within seconds her hands were all over him, one finding it's way into his waistband.

Daniel gasped and sputtered. He grabbed at her arms but he wasn't fast enough. Vala's fingers found their target nearly causing Daniel to jump out of his skin. "Vala!" His voice cracked; he sounded a little on the hysterical side.

"You can't say you don't want to," she said, batting those long lashes, an evil gleam in her eyes. Daniel finally got a grip on her wrist, pulling her hand free. He couldn't hide the grimace as soft fingers slid one last time against sensitive skin. Or the flash of desire in his eyes. Vala gave him a smug look.

Daniel licked his lips, finding them suddenly dry. "No," he said softly. "I don't want this."

Vala's triumphant smirk faltered then faded. She was still straddling his legs, seemed to realize that at the same time the rejection hit her, and moved to get up. Daniel didn't let her. He held her arms gently but firmly, keeping her in his lap, their bodies close.

He could feel the heat coming off of her—off of both of them. The hurt look on her face nearly broke his heart. It was gone so fast he wondered if maybe he'd imagined it. A grim smile replaced it, driving another stake of pain into his chest. He didn't want to hurt her. She looked away, her lower lip caught between her teeth.

Daniel swallowed hard, his heart suddenly in his throat. "Vala." His voice sounded shaky. "Vala, look at me." He risked letting go of one of her arms to place a hand softly on her cheek. She trembled at his touch. For his part, Daniel was having trouble breathing, each breath forced with great effort in and out. Finally she met his eyes.

"I don't want this," he whispered. Vala tried to pull away but Daniel continued quickly. "I don't want this, not like this. Not because we're bored. Not because Cam turned you down first. Not in the cold cargo hold with our friends just on the other side of the door." Vala was staring at him now with wide, astonished eyes. She leaned slightly into his touch and Daniel found it extremely difficult to keep his thumb still—it wanted badly to brush against her lips. "Not here, not now," he finished. "I'm not that kind of guy. I... I..."

Daniel realized suddenly exactly what he was trying to say and it hit him like a ton of bricks. His heart hammered painfully in his chest, so loud he was sure Vala could hear it. His thoughts raced but one single one kept pushing to the front, needing to be acknowledged.

"I..." he tried again then took a deep, unsteady breath before rushing forward with the rest. "I care too much about you-" He meant to say more but the surprised look on Vala's face undid him. His other hand shot up to cup her cheek and he kissed her. Their lips mashed together, tongues twisting, breath mingling. It was everything and more than Daniel had ever imagined. And he could admit to himself that he'd imagined this often.

Vala shivered, the electric shock working through their mouths and traveling down Daniel's spine to curl his toes in his boots. He couldn't remember feeling this alive in a long time. He missed it, didn't want it to end. But he'd meant what he said: he didn't want it like this.

When they pulled apart he leaned his forehead against hers and licked his lips—they still tasted like Vala's strawberry lip gloss. Vala was having trouble catching her breath and her fingers were wound so tightly in his shirt the fabric bunched up around his chest leaving his stomach exposed and cold.

After a moment the shocked look slowly slid from her face. Her eyes sparkled as she examined Daniel. He wondered what she was looking for, what she saw. She grinned. "So you admit you want this."

Daniel rolled his eyes, biting back a laugh. "Maybe." Vala rubbed her nose against his; he liked it. She was still breathing heavily, nearly vibrating in his arms. "Just, maybe next time, don't go to Mitchell first."

Vala leaned into him, nodding. Daniel tightened his grip. Someday, he thought. Just not this way, not today. He wondered if his convictions would hold out the entire estimated five more weeks they were going to be stuck on this ship. Five weeks. Thirty-five days. 840 hours. 50,400 minutes. That was a whole lot of seconds.

Original fic: (The Story) Monkey Bar Memories

Monkey Bar Memories
by jennickels (aka Jen Connelly)
"The Story"
Sarah/Tucker
783 words
rating: PG
WARNINGS:

Sarah Logan has wandered back into Tucker's life after fifteen years. He has lots of regrets and lots to make up for and he plans to do.

---

Tucker was twelve years old again, holding the chain-link up so Sarah Logan could slip under. He was sitting at the top of the monkey bars in the Speed Street Drive-In playground. He had kissed Sarah that night, the screen blazing behind them. He hadn't planned it. He just looked over and the way the movie danced in her eyes, her cheeks red from the cold, the stars a fitting backdrop for her celestial presence had been too much.



Well, maybe he hadn't been that poetic at twelve but he remembered it that way. Sarah had just been perfect and her lips had been soft. She'd kissed him back. And then they'd grown up and grown apart.

Tucker glanced over at the woman walking beside him. The crisp fall air pinked up her cheeks and caused her to pull her knit cap over her ears. They walked under a massive oak all resplendent with changing colors. The leaves framed her face, sparkling in her eyes, accenting her easy smile. Sarah Logan never looked more beautiful. Tucker still couldn't believe she was here.

They came to the book store as the last rays of the Autumn sun tickled the horizon. Around the back, Sarah unlocked the gate, letting them into the small garden behind the building.

"I had a good night," Sarah told him as she leaned against the railing on the porch. She pushed a loose strand of hair over her ear then pulled her cap back down. Tucker tracked the movement, his pulse quickening. Fifteen years and she still had that effect on him. "We should do this more often."

Tucker grinned. "Sounds great." He was having a hard time breathing, a hard time thinking. She still tied his insides into knots and sent his head spinning. Tucker stared up at her on the porch. The moon played peek-a-boo with the clouds and the waning light cast a warm glow to her head. She had this wistful kind of look on her face that caused his heart to skip a beat.

Without considering the ramifications he covered the distance between them. He cupped her face in his hands—she was a lot warmer than she looked—and their eyes met. A spark of unimaginable heat seared Tucker from the inside out. Beneath his hands, Sarah trembled and she bit her lip to keep her jaw from quaking. He could feel her fighting to keep her breathing even.

And then he kissed her.

Just like that time at the drive-in. And just like before she kissed him back. Every nerve fired, tingling his limbs, his skin. His heart hammered in his chest and for a moment he forget where he was—totally lost in the feel of her lips, the taste of her tongue.

He wasn't sure how long they stayed like that—it felt like an eternity. It ended too soon. Tucker pulled away, fighting for control. Sarah seemed to be having similar problems. She swallowed hard as her hands slowly unclenched from his shirt. When did she grab him? He entire face was flushed. Tucker let his hands fall to his side. Sarah ducked her head, hiding a smile.

Tucker took a step back, down the stairs, and gave her a sheepish grin. She giggled. God, he loved that sound. He'd spend so many years making her cry he'd forgotten how good it felt when she laughed. That thought sobered him some. This was happening too fast, too soon. She'd only been back in town—back in his life—for sixteen months. He had six years of being a jerk to make up for. He realized that kiss at twelve had been the last time they'd done something as friends. A week later he'd screwed everything up. Sarah was the best thing that ever happened to him. He had known that at twelve but had been to immature to understand the significance.

And now... Now he was getting a second chance and it was way too soon to tell her that he was still in love with her.

Instead he murmured something that sounded like, "I'll come by tomorrow," then nearly tripped over his own feet as he backed out of the gate. He leaned his forehead against the fence and breathed. Just breathed. In and out until his heart stopped racing. Sarah went inside after a moment.

He didn't know why she was giving him another chance. He knew he didn't deserve it. But he wasn't too stupid to not take it. He'd make things up to her and maybe someday he'd actually have the courage to tell her the thing that escaped him on top of the monkey bars.