"You know," said Daniel, staring around at the harried,
green-clad waitresses, "when you said you wanted to take me up
on that dinner rain check, I thought you'd pick someplace more…"
"Classy?" asked Vala.
"Date-like."
Vala grinned. "Maybe I'm just playing hard to get."
"For that to work, I'd have to be trying to get you."
Vala smirked at him. "So."
He opened his eyes. "So?"
"Just to clarify. Aren't there 'fraternization' regulations or
something in your military?"
Daniel blinked at her. "Well yes, but not for civilians." He
pulled off his glasses, rubbed his eyes, feeling a headache
coming on. "The regulations are for those who've joined the
military, not civilians attached to the military – like us."
"Oh. Good." She beamed at him. "Then in the interests of our
romantic relationship – "
"Vala," Daniel interrupted, "we don't have a romantic
relationship!"
"Val!" crowed a voice from behind them. "You're back!"
Daniel looked over Vala's shoulder. "You know him?"
Vala turned, smiled at Sal. "Yes."
"How?"
Sal pulled up a chair, straddling it backwards. He peered back
and forth between Vala and Daniel. "I'm losing my waitress,
then?"
"Waitress?" Daniel's eyebrows rose.
They ignored his outburst.
Sal studied Vala. "You okay?"
Vala fingered the new SG-1 patches nestled in her pocket.
"Perfect." Then she slid her fingers to the side and pulled out
the cash she'd snitched from Mitchell before they'd left the
base. She waved the money at Sal. "And I can pay!"
Sal chuckled at her happy smile and folded the money back into
her palm. "It's on the house."
Daniel remained silent while Vala tossed out an order for both
of them, then spoke up once Sal had moved away.
"What was that all about?"
Vala shrugged, staring down at the scarred tabletop. "Just
paying a debt."
"Debt? Vala –"
She shook her head suddenly, as though coming out of sleep, and
looked up, flashing a smile. "Just adding to the mystery."
"Mystery? What mystery?"
"Why mine, of course. Is it working?" She grinned at him.
Daniel closed his eyes and sighed. Sometimes he wished for a
Rosetta stone that would help him decode Vala, because God knew
he was starting to actually like her.