Work Text:
As soon as I see the new member of SG-7 in the commissary, I know that I am in trouble. She’s beautiful. I watch in horror as she tosses her dark curly hair over her shoulder and bats long eyelashes at some of the airman nearby. Her eyes are so dark that the irises almost look black, and her skin looks perfectly sun kissed; a look I could never pull off as my own pale skin just tends to burn.
Normally, I would not pay any attention to new SG team members. There have been so many over the years that I can’t be bothered to learn all of their names, but this one is different. Because this one bares an almost uncanny resemblance to the woman in the photo in Daniel’s office.
His dead wife. Sha’re.
I feel a sense of dread overtake me as I move to throw away the rest of my lunch. I can’t stomach food right now. For years I’ve dealt with the ghost of Daniel’s wife, always looking over him, dragging him away from moving on with his life. I’ve seen him stare longingly at the photo of her more than a few times, and I know that I can never hope to compete with her. I can only hope that one day he decides that it’s time to move on, and he will actually see me as an option for him. I want my Daniel’s love more than anything, and now there’s this lookalike wandering around, just waiting to scoop him up.
I shake myself out of my thoughts. This new lady could be married or engaged or a lesbian. Or maybe I’m the only one who can see the resemblance to Sha’re.
A girl can only hope.
I’m almost to the exit when Sam enters with Cameron. They are laughing about something, but stop short when they see me. “Vala? What’s wrong?”
I shake my head and try to move past them. I don’t want to talk right now. But I do listen outside of the doorway for a minute.
“You think she’s okay?”
“Yeah, probably just pissed off at Jackson.”
“Maybe, that—oh my god!”
I resist the urge to peek around the corner at Sam’s exclamation.
“What is it?”
“Is that the new scientist of SG-7? She’s the spitting image of Sha’re!”
Damn…I knew it! Now she’ll tell Daniel and he will go meet her and fall in love and I’ll be left on the dust.
I don’t wait around for Cameron’s response. It doesn't really matter. Instead, I head to Daniel’s office like I am scheduled to do after lunch. Sometimes he joins me during our lunch break, but he mostly works through it.
He’s still sitting at his workbench, carefully piecing together fragments of the broken artifact from our last mission. His brow is furrowed in concentration and he doesn’t even notice that I’m back at first.
“Daniel? I’m back from lunch.”
He finally looks up and I’m graced with a small smile. “Good. Want to help me out with this? Pull up that stool and come sit by me.”
I scoot the stool over next to him and take a seat. I lean over to see the artifact, hurrying to busy myself and keep my thoughts of the Sha’re lookalike from getting too out of control.
Daniel and I work in a comfortable silence for the next few hours. I’ve managed to slide closer to him at this point and am enjoying his nearness.
“I’m beat. Want to get some coffee with me?”
I smile at him. “Of course darling. Let’s go.”
We head to the commissary together in search of caffeine and a snack for Daniel.
He has just filled his mug with the hot brew when she walks in. He glances up and freezes. His mug falls from his hand and smashes to pieces on the floor beneath him. I jump away just in time to avoid a hot coffee bath, but Daniel doesn’t even seem to notice where the coffee has splashed onto his pants. “Sh…Sha’re?”
The woman comes over to help him and I shake myself out of my stupor and lean down to help clean up the mug fragments.
“Are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Of all the things she could’ve said…a ghost? Really?
I take the pieces of mug from her and try to brush her away. “He’s fine. Just caught off guard. Thanks though.”
She ignores me and stands before Daniel, hand outstretched. “I’m Theresa, the new scientist of SG-7. You’re Dr. Jackson, right?”
Daniel blinks at her for a moment before answering. “Yes, umm…please call me Daniel.”
He shakes her hand for a moment too long and gives her a wistful smile.
When he finally drops her hand I lean forward. “And I’m Vala. I work with Daniel.”
She reluctantly takes my hand for a brief shake. “Hi,” she says before turning towards Daniel again. She immediately begins talking to him animatedly and he responds enthusiastically.
I can’t take watching the two of them flirt with each other any longer so I leave.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few days later, I’m about to enter Daniel’s office when I hear him talking to Theresa. He’s laughing at something that she said. I love hearing him laugh, but it’s almost painful to hear now. I know it’s only a matter of time before they start dating and I will have to move on. I consider leaving Earth, but it has become my home, and SG-1 has become my family. No matter what happens, and how much emotional pain it puts me through, I want to stay.
I need to talk to someone about this before I go insane, so I go to find Samantha. She’s in her lab and I plop myself down on one of the stools near her.
“Hey Vala, what’s going on?”
I love talking to Sam. Her cheerful voice always makes me feel better and she listens to me when I need to vent. “It’s Daniel.”
Sam rolls her eyes. “What’s he done now?”
I stifle a laugh, she knows how frustrated I get with him, and she also knows that irrevocably in love with him. “That new girl Theresa is always around him. Their flirting makes me sick.”
My blonde friend nods in understanding. “Oh yes, the one that looks like Sha’re. Are you sure he’s flirting with her? Maybe he is just being friendly.”
I cross my arms in anger. “Well, she’s definitely flirting with him! She’s flirting with my Daniel!”
Sam sighs. “Look Vala, I know how you feel about Daniel, but have you ever told him? I’m guessing you are this upset over this because you’re afraid that you will lose him. You should tell him how you feel.”
I shake my head. “I can’t. I’ve worked so hard to earn his trust and respect.”
I feel a few tears slide down my cheek and Sam wraps her arms around me in a comforting embrace.
“Daniel is an idiot if he can’t see how much you’ve changed.”
“Thanks Samantha,” I choke out between tears. “You’re a good friend.”
I take a few minutes in the restroom to splash some cool water on my face and calm down before heading back to Daniel’s office. I can hear him still talking with Theresa in there as I get closer.
“I’m new to Colorado Springs and I really don’t know my way around yet. How about we go get some coffee together this weekend and maybe you could show me around. Give me a little tour?”
Fire ignites inside my veins as I peer around the corner. I immediately wish that I hadn’t. Theresa is lightly stroking Daniel’s arm and she is way too close to him. I want to barge right in there and demand that she give him some space, but I find myself oddly frozen in my spot. Unable to move or speak at all.
“Umm…yeah I guess we could do that.” Daniel sounds nervous. My heart drops at his agreement. He accepted her invitation.
I break out of my semi-catatonic state and walk over to them, trying to seem as unaffected as possible, like I didn’t just hear the love of my life accept a date with a woman who could be his dead wife’s twin. “Ready to work?”
Those beautiful blue eyes gaze down at me and he graces me with a smile. “Hey Vala, yeah let’s get to work.” He turns to Theresa. “Talk to you later.”
She runs her hand on his arm one last time as she goes to leave. “I’m looking forward to seeing you this weekend Daniel.” She winks at him and exits the room.
“Subtle much,” I mumble to myself when she is out of sight.
Daniel laughs. “You’re one to talk, or do you not remember all of those times you practically threw yourself at me?”
“Of course I do, but I’ve worked hard to earn your respect since then.”
He takes my hand and strokes it gently with his thumb. This small gesture has my heart fluttering in my chest. “I know. You’ve done so well. I really appreciate you. Nothing is going to come between our friendship, okay?”
I know he’s trying to make me feel better, but the word ‘friendship’ makes my heart sink. That’s all I’ll ever be to him.
I pull my hand away from his. Touching him is too painful now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After some sly eavesdropping on my part, I figure out that Daniel and Theresa are going to Springs Cafe for breakfast and coffee on Saturday at 9am. I’m tempted to ask Cameron to take me there at the same time so that I can spy on their date, but I quickly decide that Daniel wouldn’t take too kindly to that sort of thing.
Instead, when Saturday morning rolls around, I knock on the door to Cameron’s quarters, silently hoping that he is still on the base.
He opens the door, hair disheveled and wearing only sweatpants and a white t-shirt. He rubs at his eyes when he sees me. “Princess? What’s goin’ on?”
I walk past him before he can protest and sit at his small table off to the side of the room.
“Okay, just make yourself at home then. It’s fine. Not like I was sleepin’ or anything.”
I ignore his complaints. “Daniel’s on a date.”
Cameron comes around a sits across from me at the table. “Excuse me? I’m still half asleep and I thought you said that Jackson is on a date, but that can’t be right cause you’re sittin’ here talking to me.”
A small thrill races through me at Cameron’s assumption that Daniel being on a date had to mean that I was on the date with him, but sadly, that isn’t the case. “Not with me. With that Theresa girl who looks like his dead wife. You know, the one who he holds on such a high pedestal that no one else can dare to compare?”
He shakes his head and rubs his forehead. “Don’t make my head hurt. So he’s out with this chick, what makes you think that it’s a date?”
I scowl at him. I clearly came to the wrong person about this because he’s acting like he is dense. “They went for breakfast and then she asked him to take her for a tour of Colorado Springs. And I’ll bet the tour ends at his apartment in his bed too.”
Cam laughs at me, like literally laughs out loud. To be honest, I’m a little bit offended. “What’s so funny? Is my turmoil over the fact that this…this harlot has stolen my Daniel amusing to you?”
“No. No Vala. The thought that Daniel would take someone home after one date is why I’m laughing, especially because I’m not really sure that he considers it a date at all.”
I throw my hands in the air in frustration. “But she looks like Sha’re!”
Cam shuts his eyes for a moment and takes a deep breath. “But she isn’t her. Plus, I’m pretty sure he’s moved on.”
Moved on? No, I’m quite certain that Daniel may never truly move on from her, as much as I hate to admit it. “What do you mean?”
“Look, don’t tell him that I told you this, but we were talking a few weeks ago after a mission and when I mentioned how helpful you were with the locals, he got all smiley and happy and was singin’ your praises. I joked with him about it saying that he sounded like a boy with a crush, and I kid you not, the man blushed. So I straight out asked him if he had a thing for you and he told me that he was considering asking you out, to kinda test the waters.”
My mind is spinning a million miles an hour. I can’t seem to comprehend what Cam is telling me here. It almost sounds like he is saying that Daniel likes me or something. But that can’t be the case because then Theresa showed up and now he’s all about her. If he really liked me, that wouldn’t matter. “Hey, I appreciate what you are trying to do, but if he really had feelings for me, he wouldn’t be out with her right now.”
Cam sighs and shrugs. “Why don’t you tell him how you feel? Maybe if he knew that you have real feelings for him, things would change.”
I thank Cameron for his time and head back to my quarters.
I try to distract myself by reading magazines and taking a nap, but all that I can think about it where they are at right now and if he’s kissing her or taking her back to his place. I don’t care what Cameron thinks, Daniel is still a guy and he did take her out on a date so he must like her.
Im not sure how long I lie there in my room, wallowing in my misery, when I hear someone knock at the door. “Come in!”
Im certain it’s Cam coming to check up on me and I honestly don’t care if he sees the dried tear tracks on my face or my red, puffy eyes.
“Vala?”
Daniel’s voice makes me sit up quickly.
“Daniel? It’s only eleven, why aren’t you still on your date?”
He comes over and sits next to me on my bed, frowning when he sees my face up close. “Why are you crying?” His hand lifts to my face and wipes away the new tear that has fallen.
“It’s nothing. Now answer my question.”
He drops his hand. “It wasn’t a date. I was just trying to be friendly since Theresa is new to the area.”
I roll my eyes at him. As I recall, Daniel has no idea what a date is. “But she likes you and you like her, and…and she looks like your wife!”
Daniel sighs and takes both of my hands in his. “I see what this is. You’re jealous because you think that since Theresa looks like Sha’re that means I must have feelings for her.”
I look down at our joined hands, too afraid to look him in the eyes. “But don’t you? You were acting all nervous around her and flirting with her!”
“No, she was flirting with me, and I was only acting nervous because I couldn’t believe how much she looks like Sha’re. It’s all a little bit strange to me. I agreed to go out with her to help her out, but I need to tell you, that I couldn’t even concentrate on her or anything that she was telling me.”
I feel hope wriggling it’s way into my heart and I try to stamp it back down. “Why not?”
He smiles and my heart melts. “Cause all I could think about was getting back here to you,” he pauses and cups my cheek gently, “and doing this…”
He pulls me gently forward and kisses me. It takes me a moment to register that his lips are on mine, but then I kiss him back, feeling the spark that’s always been between us ignite into an inferno. His tongue presses eagerly against my lips and I quickly part them, wrestling his tongue with my own.
We sit on my bed kissing for so long that when we finally pull apart, we are desperate for air and our lips are dark red and swollen.
My eyes flicker up to his his and he smiles lazily at me, stroking my face gently. “It doesn’t matter how much Theresa looks like Sha’re because she isn’t her, and even if by some insane reason she was, it still wouldn’t matter, because she isn’t you. A part of me will always love her, but it’s time to move on. I’m ready to start something new, and I hope to start it with you.”
New tears form in my eyes and spill out onto my cheeks, helping to release the intense emotions that I am currently feeling. “Oh Daniel, you don’t know how long I’ve waited for this.”
He kisses away my tears. “Happy tears?”
I nod and press my lips to his. “Yes.”
“Let me make you dinner tonight at my place, I’ll pick up a bottle of wine and we can spend the evening together.”
My heart is filled with joy as I wrap my arms around my Daniel. “Can’t wait.”