Work Text:
I"m Gonna Get You Back
Their entire relationship was practically built on fighting.
It could be their love languages at times but at other times, it could cut them to the core. In a way, they enjoyed it – some of the time – but there was always the exception to the rule. There was always a line they played dangerously close to.
And then one day, Daniel crossed it.
Fighting lost all its appeal and zeal. Vala couldn"t forgive so easily this time. Boundaries were in place for a reason, and he callously ignored it in favor of getting in the winning shot. She refused to allow him to get off so easily – an apology simply wouldn"t work this time.
She"d been hurt by his words in the past, but it was nothing like this.
Vala couldn"t even remember how it started but somehow it veered towards him telling her they were a joke – too opposite to work. Emotional, unstable wrecks. How she was the last person he saw being in a lasting relationship with. What was the worst of it was him accusing her that her feelings weren"t strong or real.
The only thing in life she was certain of were her feelings for Daniel. They were true and honest. Her love for him was nothing she’d experienced in her life. His dismissal hurt more than she ever imagined it would.
As hurt and offended as she was, she was even more furious with him. She wasn"t sure if this was something they could get past. If he could believe her feelings weren’t genuine, how could a relationship even work long term? Even worse, did he even have serious feelings for her? Could he ever?
“Vala!”
Speak of the devil. “Go away, Daniel.” She picked up her step as she weaved through the SGC’s hallways.
“Vala, please!”
Despite what he believed, she did know him pretty well and that"s how she knew he wouldn"t let it go. Going at it in the middle of the halls at work wasn"t ideal but he brought it upon himself. She whirled around abruptly. “What?” she snared.
Daniel was taken off guard and backtracked a few steps. “Can we talk?” he asked hesitantly.
“About what?” she crossed her arms. “You, apparently, know everything, so what"s there to talk about?”
He grimaced. “I"m so sorry.”
There lies the problem. “You"re always sorry,” she shook her, upset with herself, “and I always forgive you…but I can"t so easily this time.”
He gave her those puppy dog eyes that she found so damn irresistible. “Vala, please let me explain.”
She scoffed. “Explain what?” she took a step forward. “I told you I loved you, and you proceeded to tell me I wasn"t capable of feeling that deeply! Pretty self explanatory to me.”
Daniel glanced around them, finally noticing the crowd they were drawing in. “Can we go somewhere more private?” he pleaded.
Vala huffed. Of course that would be his main concern. “No,” she denied. It was always about him, but not this time. “Who are you to tell me what I feel or how to feel?”
Regret was displayed over his expression. “It was a mistake,” his face pleaded with her to believe him. “One I deeply regret. I want to fix it – tell me how to fix it.”
Her anger melded into deep sadness. “That"s just it, Daniel…I don"t know if you can.”
He flinched. “Don"t give up on me, please.”
There lies her problem. She was conflicted, two parts of her fighting for dominance. “It"s not that simple,” she told him wryly. “I don"t know whether I"m going to smash all your precious artifacts or pull you into a closet and have my way with you.”
A flicker of hope crossed his face at that last bit.
“Despite what you believe, I do care for you, Daniel, and I can"t just turn it off.” It was the sad reality. “You"re just going to have to give me time to sort it out.”
Because either way, she was going to get him back.
o0o
It had been over a week since the incident in the hallway and she was no closer to making a decision on whether to break Daniel"s favorite valuables or to simply bring him back to her quarters.
She"d successfully avoided him for the most part. It helped that he was actually giving her space. She wasn"t lying when she said she couldn"t turn her feelings off – she missed him. Missed working with him. One could only take so much of Bill Lee before they went wonko.
Thankfully a distraction presented itself. She heard through the grapevine that Jack was on base for a visit. She needed something to take her mind off of this mess, and her and Jack always seemed to mesh well. Plus, he knew Daniel better than anyone, so maybe he had some insight. Her quest to find the General led her to Daniel"s lab, but before she could make her presence known, she heard them arguing. So, of course, she listened.
“Why would you say something like that?!” Jack exclaimed rather loudly. “What the hell is wrong with you!”
“I don"t know! You know how I am!” Daniel retorted in exasperation. “When things get too real, I self-sabotage. I"ve lost every woman I"ve ever cared about, and Vala – she"s the most important of them all. I panicked and ended up hurting her beyond recourse.” She could feel the pain in his voice, and it made her heart clench. “Tell me how to fix it, Jack.”
“Maybe start by telling her that,” Jack said after a long moment. “Be honest with her.”
Daniel chuckled sadly. “I can"t even get her to talk to me,” she heard the longing in his voice. “Even if I could, I don"t even know if she"d believe me.”
She heard Jack sigh. “So, that"s it?” he asked incredulously. “You"re just going to give up on the one person who"s perfect for you? The only one who can put up with your bullshit, who understands you in a way no other woman has?”
“What do you suggest I do?” he asked in frustration.
“Don"t give up, for starters,” Jack immediately responded. “No matter how long it takes, don"t give up on her – on your relationship.”
Daniel was quiet for a minute and she wished she could see his face. “I miss her, Jack,” he finally whispered. “In the lab, on missions, at night. I constantly miss her.”
I miss you, too. She felt a pressure behind her eyes and decided to leave. She had a decision to make, and she didn"t want emotions to sway her decision. It would be something she"d have to live with for the rest of her life.
Damn him for making it even harder.
o0o
Days later, she retired to her quarters only to find several familiar objects – Daniel"s prized possessions, including pieces from Abydos.
A note sat on top of the pile, and after reading it, she huffed in disbelief.
Whatever it takes. Smash away. Feel free to grab anything from my lab if nothing here tickles your fancy – D
It took her less than a second to grab one at random and hurt it at the wall. The sound of it breaking into pieces and raining down on the floor didn"t provide the level of satisfaction she was hoping for. She almost tried again but as she was about to release the object, she found that she couldn"t.
She was petty, but was she that petty? Though she didn"t want to, she knew the significance of the artifacts and how much they meant to him. Could she really destroy them?
She sighed heavily and reluctantly gathered them. When her eye caught a particular one – a piece that tied him to Sha’re – and she let her jealousy get the better of her, and projected it against the wall as hard as she could. When the broken pieces settled on the floor, she felt immensely guilty.
Yeah, she wanted to hurt him like he had her, but not that way – too far. She gathered the surviving relics, needing them out of her life and safe from her own temptation.
She barged into Daniel"s lab and firmly ignored his surprise. “Did you do this to test me?”
His brow furrowed. “What?”
“Is this some test?” she reiterated. “To see if I"d do the right thing?” He opened his mouth to reply, but she cut him off. “Because I am tired of doing the right thing!”
His face fell. “No, it wasn"t,” he assured her. “I meant it – whatever it takes, even if that means destroying my entire collection.”
She didn"t understand him. He wasn"t making sense. “But you love them,” she pressed. “They"re important to you.”
Daniel stepped closer. “You"re more important to me.” To prove his point, he grabbed one of them and chucked it into the hallway. The shattering sound echoed throughout the halls.
He"d gone wonko. That or he believed she was incapable of destroying the rest. We"ll see about that. She abruptly dropped her load and smirked at the loud crash it produced and his wince. “Well, thank you then. It"s been very cathartic.”
Judging by his expression, he didn"t think she"d actually break them – at least not all of them.
“I"m still not speaking to you,” she tossed over her shoulder as she exited.
o0o
In the end, emotions did end up making the decision for her, but she was proud of herself for holding out for an entire month.
But the second she saw Daniel holding Jack and Samantha’s newly adopted daughter, it was all over. She’d never seen him with a baby or even a child before, and after watching him cradle the infant, she thought her ovaries were going to explode.
She never thought she’d want children after everything with Adria, but just seeing him with a baby made her realize she did and only with Daniel. There wasn"t another soul in the universe she could picture herself having a child with because there wasn"t anyone else she could ever love the way she loved him.
There would be ground rules, of course. She would have to be stronger when it came to him – she couldn"t allow him to get away with things like she used to, all because she was afraid she’d lose him if she did. She now knew he was in it for the long haul, and he would actually stay, but they needed to be better at communicating if this was going to work.
Vala ignored his surprised expression as she sat next to him on the couch. “My turn,” she demanded as she reached for the baby. Once the weight of the child settled in her arms, she knew she’d made the right decision.
“Are you talking to me now?” he asked cautiously.
Her finger traced the delicate features of the baby. “I’m still furious with you,” she mumbled. “I suspect I will be for a while.”
He sighed. “I deserve that,” he muttered. “Vala, I’ll never be able to fully express how sorry I am.”
She bit her lip. “I have my limits, Daniel,” she told him. “You can’t say whatever you want and expect me to forgive you.”
He shifted closer. “I know, and I swear I’ll do better,” he vowed. “I will never put you in this position again.”
Vala huffed humorlessly. “Somehow, I doubt that.”
Daniel moved until their thighs were pressing against each other. “No, never again,” he stated with confidence, “because I know why I responded like that, and I’ve accepted it. I’m not going to fight it anymore.”
She had a pretty good idea on what he was talking about based on the conversation she heard but she had to know for certain. “Fight what?”
His hand tilted her chin so tell her to her face. “My feelings for you,” he breathed out. “I know what I feel – how deeply I feel for you – and I’ll do whatever it takes to earn your trust back.”
Vala had envisioned the moment of Daniel confessing his feelings for her and it had not included anything remotely like this, but then again, they were very untraditional, and she didn"t mind it as much as she thought she would. They did things their own way. They took their time in certain steps while skipping others entirely. They’d been through more together than most people could ever dream of, and it only served to strengthen their relationship.
She broke away from his gaze and settled it on the baby. “I want one,” she declared, “and you"re going to give it to me.”
She felt him stiffen next to her. “What?” he asked, sounding absolutely confused.
Vala gently brushed her hand over the child’s head. “I want a baby – yours specifically, as sad as that is.” She finally looked at him. “You"re going to give me one. A ring and a ceremony down the line would be nice too.”
Daniel gaped at her for a long moment before it melded into astonishment. “You want to have babies with me?” he asked. “You’d marry me if I asked?”
“Yes,” she responded plainly. “There’d be rules, of course. You can’t keep attacking me because you’re scared or don"t know how to deal with your feelings…but yes.”
Guilt flooded his face. “I know,” he whispered in remorse. “I want to be better…for you and even myself.”
For the first time in a month, she felt herself smile and the weight pressing on her chest receded. “Good.” Her attention went back to the baby.
And an awkward silence fell.
Eventually, Daniel got the courage to put his arm around her shoulder, and when she didn"t react violently, he pulled her closer and nuzzled her neck. “I love you,” he whispered into her ear.
Vala relaxed into his side. “I love you too.”
It was impossible not to love him, no matter how big of an idiot he was most of the time or how mad she could be at him.
“So…” he said slowly, “you would say yes if I asked now?”
Vala smirked. “Only one way to find out,” she teased.
Like she said, they did things out of order, and it worked for them. It definitely landed them in hot water at times, but they could always navigate their way out.
Because they were Daniel and Vala – together, they could do anything.
The End.