Cameron called it "dreamrunning". He'd been doing it since he was a kid. As he'd jog, he would go into a sort of trance, and suddenly he wasn't running on the farm, out in some field. He was a hero, running after a bad guy. He was a hunter, chasing prey. He was a soldier on a battlefield, running into enemy territory.

He hadn’t needed to dreamrun in a long time. Being in the military -- and better, on SG-1 -- was plenty exciting. Now, though ... now dreamrunning was pretty much all he did, save for eating with the rest of his teammates or playing the odd bought of chess with Landry. As he ran, he could be anywhere besides their god-forsaken ship, in a god-forsaken time-dilation bubble. And there was nothing to slow him down, no people to dodge ....

Well, okay, save for Vala, who seemed to have an uncanny knack for knowing when he was going to pass by, and then stepping out in front of him at just the right moment. Case in point, as he rounded the corner, she was just stepping out of Jackson's room. She was waving goodbye to Jackson in a fashion that could only be described as flirtatiously, and had the oddest expression on her face ....

It was satisfaction, he realised, pausing for a moment.

Finally noticing him, Vala quickly composed herself, patting down her hair and trying to look nonchalant as she walked away. Cam continued on, shaking his head.

Daaaaaamn, Jackson! Cam couldn't decide if he was happy for the man, or worried that the archaeologist had lost his mind. Hell, part of him wasn't even sure he believed they had actually done anything, but he couldn’t explain away the look in Vala's eye, the disarray of her hair, the way she'd tugged her shirt down, or the simple fact that her belt looked to have been undone with any other explanation. And now that he thought on it, had he seen Daniel sprawled out on his bed as Vala had waggled her fingers in farewell? ...

He literally stumbled at the thought. In the end, he decided he had better things to occupy his brain with as he ran; imagining what Jackson and Vala might have been doing was not safe dreamrunning material ....

About halfway back to her room, exhaustion hit Vala, finally. She'd had no idea her "cunning linguist" (he'd made her promise not to use her new pet name for him in front of the others) had such stamina! They'd been up all night, practically, and, despite just a few scant hours of sleep, had both been ready for another go-round under the sheets when they'd woken up. And another. They might even have gone for a third, but their rumbling stomachs had reminded them that their bodies had other needs. And before they could satisfy that not-metaphorical hunger, for the sake of their shipmates, they both needed a shower.

It made Vala smile wide to remember how Daniel had pouted when she'd insisted she needed to go back to her own bathroom under the excuse that he didn’t have the kind of shampoo she liked. Always leave them wanting more, the Asgard database had wisely suggested. Thing was, though, she still wanted more herself. Maybe after breakfast ....

She found her second wind and hurried along.

Daniel was never a morning person, but Sam thought he seemed groggier than normal when he stumbled into the kitchen, hair dripping wet.

He was also grinning like an idiot.

Wordlessly, Sam grabbed the coffeepot out of his reach, lest he burn himself in his more-absentminded-than-usual state, and poured a cup for him. She guided him with a hand to his shoulder to sit in a chair, and placed the cup on the table.

"Spill," she demanded.

He blinked. "You want me to spill my coffee? Is this to illustrate some science thing? 'Cause I gotta tell ya, I don't think I'm even capable of answering 'What's two plus two?' at the moment ...."

Sam gave a snort. "I noticed. I mean spill what's got you all smiley and starry-eyed this mor--" Her eyes flew open wide. "Oh my god." She clamped a hand over her mouth, hiding a smile that could rival the one he came in with.

"Which god?" he quipped, then laughed far harder than the joke warranted.

She smacked his arm, then pulled over another chair; she really needed to sit down. "It's about friggin' time, Daniel!"

His face instantly grew guarded. "For what?"

"Don’t 'for what' me -- you know exactly what I'm talking about!"

Landry saved Daniel from having to respond by walking in just then. "So what's everyone feel like for breakfast?" he asked, opening the cabinets. "I could go for some French toast, myself; anyone want in?"

"I like French anything!" Vala announced, winking at Daniel as she came into the room. "Especially when ... taste is involved." She licked her lips suggestively at him.

Daniel choked on his coffee a little, then, to Sam's shock, laughed, rather than reprimanding the dark-haired vixen.

Sam saw Landry turn towards Daniel, looking confused. The general glanced at Vala, then back at Daniel. He wore a thoughtful look before shrugging and going back to searching for ingredients in the cabinets.

"Salutations," Teal'c said upon entering the kitchen. "May I be of assistance, GeneralLandry?" he asked, noting the man's grunt-accompanied activity.

"I can’t find the dadburn sugar! I know we had some left in the cannister; I don’t want to open a new one yet till that one's done ...."

Sam glanced at Vala, willing the girl not to do something stupid, like announce, "I've got your sugar right here!" and make kissy-faces or something. To her amazement, Vala didn’t even seem to have heard the general. Her eyes were glued to Daniel, with the softest, fondest expression Sam had seen since Maid Marian and Robin Hood had gazed into each other's eyes in the Disney adaptation. Only, Daniel's Maid Marian, and Vala's Robin Hood ....

Teal'c seemed equally surprised at Vala's lack of a suggestive remark -- though the only indication of such was how he raised his brow slightly as he glanced in the woman's direction. "I believe we left the sugar on our table in the commissary," Teal'c told the commanding officer. "SamanthaCarter, would you be so kind as to get it?" he asked before Landry could ask him to do it, obviously wishing to study Vala's odd behavior further.

"I'll do it," Cam volunteered as his eyes fell on the pair, immediately turning back through the door he'd just entered. To Sam, it seemed Cameron couldn’t get through the door fast enough. She made a mental note to pin the man down for an explanation later; clearly, he knew something ....

Though Sam was bursting with curiosity, she refrained from commenting on Daniel and Vala's ridiculously happy state as the team made breakfast together. Frankly, she was glad for the levity and distraction; working essentially alone on the hyperdrive, time dilation, and "eminent destruction" problems was going to make her lose her mind if she couldn’t solve it soon. Besides, if something really was happening between Daniel and Vala, it was likely still a fragile thing. She was glad now that she hadn't gotten the chance to question Daniel, lest she embarrass him right out of the relationship! Better to wait for the happy couple to announce their new status in their own sweet time.

Although ... judging by the way the couple made mooneyes at each other all through breakfast (and, she suspected from the way Cam jumped and yelped at one point, played footise under the table), Sam didn’t think they could keep it a "secret" much longer anyway.

"Daniel, darling," Vala began, eyeing the sink full of sudsy water with clear disdain, "when you told Landry we would do the dishes, I didn’t think we'd actually be doing dishes ...."

Daniel sighed, smiling ruefully. "I promised Landry that I would write up my latest finds in the Asgard database for Sam ASAP. This was the only way I could think of to legitimately get some alone-time with you before I had to go do that," he explained.

"I could stay with you while you work on the report!" she suggested.

He smiled a slow-eyed smile and kissed her deeply. "You did catch that I have to work, right?" he asked after reluctantly pulling away. "I mean, I'd never get anything done with you in the room. Besides, Landry did most of the work when we made breakfast, so it's only fair that we clean up." And he moved to stick a plate in the water.

Vala quickly swiped it from him and nudged him over to the side with her hip. "You dry; I don’t want your hands getting all rough."

Thinking of some of the things he'd done with his hands the night before, he blushed. Then he came to stand against her back, wrapping his arms around her as she washed, kissing her neck. He wanted to do more, but was too conscious of the fact that the kitchen door had no lock.

"Now who's a distraction?" Vala teased.

Vala growled in frustration. She'd gone through every room in the ship, and not a single one had any protection of any kind in anyone's personal effects! No condoms, no diaphrams, no brith control, no "morning after" pill, no spermicidal -- hell, not even a dirty magazine or three! What was with these Tau'ri? Were they a race of celibates or something?? She did have enough birth control of her own to last her three months or so at least -- and hopefully they wouldn’t be in the time-dilation long enough to run out! But if they did, well, she supposed she and Daniel could try a few non-pregnancy-inducing maneuvers. Or maybe Sam could make some condoms with the matter converter? Oh, wouldn’t that be an interesting conversation! For now, though, it seemed the best thing to do would be to help Sam find a solution to their physics dilemma -- and then condoms and birth control wouldn’t even be an issue!

Sam was sitting at a table when Vala got to the lab. Vala sat down in front of her and informed her that she wanted to help.

"Oh! .. Ah, sure! I was just gonna run to the washroom, though -- I'll be right back!" And off Sam went.

Vala came in and sat down at a console, trying to get a feel for what Sam was working on. She noted the hologram of Thor standing nearby.

"You know, I've been wondering. I mean, I know you Asgard can download your consciousnesses into computers ... so are you the real Thor? So to speak, I mean?"

"I am not," the hologram responded. "Thor was killed when the Asgard homeworld was destroyed; he did not get a chance to download his mind again."

"Oh," Vala said, suddenly feeling very sad. She hadn’t known Thor very well at all, true, and Kvasir only slightly better, but it still broke her heart to think those who had been such friends to the human race were gone. To think that some of Daniel's friends were gone. "I'm sorry for your loss," Vala told the hologram. Perhaps it was silly of her, but it was true: she was sorry.

The hologram was, of course, unbothered and unconcerned. "Is there something I may assist you with?" it asked.

Vala perked up at that. "Do you know anything about birth control?" she asked hopefully.

"I am not programmed with that information."

Of course not, Vala realised with a wince -- birth control wasn’t exactly an issue for a species that couldn’t reproduce sexually!

She sighed, trying to get back to the task at hand, her worries still distracting her. In fact, the protection issues were just a distraction from a deeper concern: working up the nerve to ask Daniel if it was all right to tell the others that they were together. She was too afraid of what his answer would be ....

Hank didn’t even look up from his book when he heard the knock at his door. "Come in."

Daniel bustled in like a dust-devil on a mission. "I have a copy of that report for you, sir," he began, handing a file to the general. "I'm on my way to the lab to give Sam her copy now." He turned to leave.

"Hold on a moment, son," Hank said.

"Sir?" Daniel asked, not even fully turning around, obviously impatient to be gone.

"Sit," Hank told him, gesturing at the chess board before him. "And don't try to make excuses; I know you don’t have anything more pressing to do at the moment."

For a man in a hurry, Daniel moved very cautiously to take a seat, as if he expected the chair to explode with one false move. At Hank's gesture, he made his opening gambit. They played in silence for a few minutes.

"Now, Dr. Jackson," Hank said, making another move, "I want you to understand that I have the utmost respect for you -- in fact, I've come to look at you and the rest of SG-1 as a sort of surrogate family. And it's as the father in this little family that I'm willing to impart some fatherly advice."

"Um ... okay ...." Daniel made a move.

"Vala's a lot more fragile than she seems. You break her heart and I’ll break your legs." Hank looked Daniel square in the eye with those last words, with his best stern gaze. Then he took one of Daniel's knights.

Daniel's jaw dropped. He was silent a moment, clearly trying to figure out what precisely to say. Finally, he managed, "You know?"

"Yes, I do -- and no, she didn’t tell me, so don’t you dare get angry with her over this. I'd have to be blind and deaf not to notice how you two were fawning over each other at breakfast."

Daniel looked pale. "D-do the others know?"

"We haven't discussed it, but last time I checked, none of them were blind or deaf either. Anyway, warning aside, I'm happy for you both. It sure as hell took you long enough."

Daniel blinked. "S-sorry?"

"You should be!"

"No, I mean 'Sorry, what do you mean by it took me long enough?'"

Hank shook his head. "Jackson, you have to be the only one who didn't see how she felt about you -- or how you felt about her, for that matter. Need I remind you of the whole 'It's not a date' thing? I think it's safe to say no one bought that for a minute."

Daniel ducked his head, silent a long while. "You're right, I didn’t see it. I mean ... I guess I kind of knew, but was too afraid to face it. Afraid to find out I was just some sort of ... game to her. I even said as much to her ... in fact, you probably should break my legs now, 'cause I know I hurt her last night. It's how I finally knew she did care about me. But that's not the only reason I've held her at arm's length for so long," he added, moving another piece. "What we do ... it's so dangerous. What if something happens to her?" he asked, looking at Hank with a mixture of fear and pleading. "I don’t know if I could go through that again ...."

"Son, whether you allow yourself to get close to her or not, that's always going to be a possibility; if you love her, it's gonna hurt like hell if you lose her no matter what kind of relationship you have. Don't you think it's better to start building memories while you still can, so you're not left with regrets later instead?"

Daniel nodded, sighing, as they went back to playing. "I guess I was just trying to convince myself I didn’t love her in the first place," he said after a while. "But to tell you the truth ..." He laughed, "It's the worst cliché ever, but I think I fell for her the moment I met her. And that made me mad! How could I fall for such a ... a criminal, you know? For someone who lied every time I turned around, who put my friends in danger ... I guess I got so used to fighting my feelings, I couldn’t let that fight go when she started to show that she really was someone who deserved to be loved .... And now we've lost so much time!"

"So stop dilly-dallying," Hank said with a wink, taking Daniel's queen, essentially ending the game.

"I don't suppose you have any advice on how to tactfully ask a boyfriend whether or not it's okay to tell your friends you're sleeping together?" Sam heard Vala ask the Thor hologram as she came back into the lab.

"I am not programmed with that information."

"I don’t claim to be an expert," Sam began, causing Vala to jump to her feet and spin around, "but I'd say don’t even try. Just let Daniel bring it up when he's ready. Besides, the cat's already sort-of out of the bag anyway."

Vala stared at Sam, eyes wide, her mouth working wordlessly before she finally managed to squeak, "Cat?"

Sam waved a hand. "Another Tau'ri saying -- it means to have a secret that's let out unintentionally."

Vala bit her lip, her eyes glittering. "Please don’t tell Daniel I said anything!"

"Don’t worry, I won't," Sam assured her, giving her a hug. When she pulled back, she held onto Vala's shoulders firmly. "You know you can talk to me about anything, though, right?"

Vala eyed her askance. "Even about Daniel? But you've been his friend a lot longer ...."

"And if Daniel wants to tell me something private, I still hold it in the strictest confidence -- but that doesn’t mean I can't do the same for you. You're my friend too, Vala."

Eyes flooding with gratitude, Vala threw her arms around Sam, nearly knocking her off her feet and possibly cracking a rib or two. Sam suddenly wondered if Vala had ever had a "best friend" before, or any real friends at all before coming to Cheyenne Mountain. She squeezed Vala back, equally hard.

"DanielJackson, may I have a word?"

Daniel paused and turned to face Teal'c, hoping his irritation was well-hidden. He wasn't angry with Teal'c, per se; he just wanted to find Vala already! "Sure, Teal'c, what's up?"

The Jaffa fell in step beside him. "I simply wish to inquire how you have been."

Daniel sighed and shook his head. "Yes, Vala and I are sleeping together. That's what you really want to know, right?"

The Jaffa flinched. "No, DanielJackson. I wanted to know if you had finally realised that you love one another. That you have slept together is painfully obvious."

Daniel let out a frustrated growl, throwing his hands into the air. "Why is everyone interested in my love life all of the sudden?"

"Because we care about you and ValaMalDoran, and wish for your happiness," Teal'c stated simply. "And because you have seemed very determined to deny yourself that happiness."

"... Oh ...." Daniel ran a hand through his hair. Trust Teal'c to lay it all out on the table. "I ... guess I have been an idiot about all this, haven't I?"

"Indeed." And with that, the Jaffa turned back the way he came.

A bit unsettled, Daniel started to go on, until Teal'c's deep voice halted him as it called his name again. Daniel turned to find the Jaffa standing with his back to him, hands clasped behind his back.

"I am glad you have finally decided that a date is a date after all," Teal'c informed him, reminding him of the night they'd brought Vala home after she'd been kidnapped by The Trust. He was shocked the Jaffa even remembered. "If you ever deny that it is such again," Teal'c continued, "or hurt ValaMalDoran by being a bakainei in some other way, I will have to break your legs."

Daniel's jaw dropped. Being a "bakainei" was much worse than an "idiot" .... And did Teal'c just threaten him?!

Teal'c laughed a rare laugh, then continued making a leisurely exit.

Mad. The whole ship had gone mad, including, Daniel thought, himself. "And why is it no one is worried about her hurting me?" Daniel muttered, shaking his head ruefully as he went on his way again.

He didn’t get far before running into Mitchell -- or rather, Mitchell ran into him. Papers went flying everywhere, and the two men spent half a minute or so picking the papers up.

"Jackson," Mitchell began as he handed Daniel the sheets he'd gathered.

"Yes, I'm sleeping with her, yes, I love her, and yes I know you'll break my legs if I hurt her," Daniel said as they stood.

Mitchell blinked. "I was just gonna ask if you wanted to go spar with me ... Um, congratulations?"

Daniel coughed. "Oh. Uh, thank-you. And I'll take a raincheck on the sparring. But I just saw Teal'c go that way," he added, pointing back the way he came.

Mitchell nodded his thanks and started to jog off.

"Oh, Mitchell," Daniel called out, stalling him. "If you find Teal'c, could you do me a favor? ..."

Sam and Vala were deep in a brainstorming session when Daniel walked in.

"Hey! Sam, I have that report Landry asked me to write up for you," he began, holding the file out to Sam, though his eyes were on Vala, a dopey smile on his lips. "I'm afraid there's not much there that seems useful, though..." he added distractedly.

"Thanks, Daniel. Every little bit of information helps," Sam said as she took the file, knowing full well she was wasting her breath: he wasn't listening.

"Hey," Daniel said, to Vala this time, stepping closer to her until they were just inches apart. Taking Vala's right hand in his left, he smiled and bit his lip. Sam half expected him to start shuffling his feet.

"Hey," Vala said back, ducking her head and biting her own lip bashfully.

Daniel reached out and gently lifted Vala's chin, then leaned in to kiss her. It started out chastely, but ended with Sam wondering if she needed to use the fire extinguisher on them.

Guess Vala didn’t need to worry ....

"That was to start making up for lost time," Daniel said breathlessly. "For now, I've got something I need to do yet. Pick you up from here in about forty-five minutes?"

Vala let out a little mew of disappointment, but nodded. "Sam and I weren't quite finished yet anyway."

Daniel nodded back, then kissed her again. "That one was to tide us over," he explained. He drew away and moved to leave, not letting go of Vala's hand until the last possible second.

Sam turned her attention to a monitor, hiding a grin.

"Where are we going, Daniel?" Vala asked when she realised they weren't headed for either his quarters or her own.

"You'll see," he said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. Before long, they came to a halt near the door of one of the officers' quarters. Daniel stood behind her and took hold of her shoulders. "Close your eyes," he whispered, "and don’t open them until I say so." She did as she was bade, and he led her through the whooshing door.

Soft music met her ears, and she almost opened her eyes in curiosity. Even with them closed, she could tell there was something strange about the light: it flickered dimly through her lids.

"Okay," he told her, his breath dancing across her neck. For a moment, she was almost ready to skip dinner and go straight to dessert! Then she opened her eyes.

A blanket was laid out on the floor, in front of a picture window that was twice the size of the ones in either of their rooms. On the blanket lie a plate of cheeses, a basket of rolls, a bowl of dried fruits, another bowl of fresh citrus, and a bottle of chocolate syrup. Dotted around the room were small candles, which she recognised as the kind Teal'c used to kel no'reem with. Doubtless they were borrowed from him; she didn’t think candles were a part of the regular ship supplies. She made a mental note to thank the Jaffa later as she gave Daniel a delighted smile. He kissed her in return, then guided her to the blanket.

Once they'd settled, Daniel took a dried apricot and dipped it in the chocolate. He held it out for her, but as she leaned forward to take a bite, he said, quietly, "Not yet." She looked at him quizzically. "First, you have to tell me something about yourself. Nothing major, necessarily!" he added quickly. "It's just ... we've been through a lot, and yet I feel like there's so much I don’t know about you. Like ... ah, what's your favourite colour?"

She gave him a small, mischievous grin. "If I answer wrong, are you going to throw me off the bridge?"

He blinked at her, puzzled for a moment, before he caught on and returned the grin. "Ah. Been watching Python, have we?"

"Yup," she replied, then snagged the treat from his fingers.

"Hey!"

"I answered a question!" she pointed out around the bite of fruit. "You asked if I'd been watching Monty Python, and I said I have!" she winked. "But to answer your other question, my favourite colour is pink. And purple. And blue! Oh, and black."

He gave her a wry smile. "Why don’t you just say 'paisley' at that rate?"

She bapped his arm, then began peeling an orange. "Your turn to reveal something."

He pondered a moment. "I've never figured out how to rollerblade. I just keep falling on my ass ...."

"Oh! I've seen people do that on TV -- I'd like to try it! Maybe we could learn together?"

He smiled. "I'd like that."

"And if you hurt your ass, maybe I can kiss it better," she added with a wink.

Blushing, he told her, "I'd like that too."

She grinned and held out an orange slice for him. He took a bite, juice dribbling down his chin and her fingers. She ate the other half, then cleaned her fingers with slow deliberateness. Then she leaned over and licked a spot off his chin. Before she could pull away again, he captured her lips.

"We're not going to learn much about each other at this rate," she pointed out when he finally let her go.

"Sure we are. I just learned that we both like ... oranges."

She dipped her finger in the chocolate, then held it up. "And do we both like chocolate-covered things?"

He took her hand and sucked her finger clean. When she kissed him, she could taste the chocolate on his lips.

No one saw Daniel or Vala again until dinner the next day.

When they arrived, they were walking stiffly; when they sat, they did so gingerly. Yet despite their apparent discomfort, they wore a serene air.

Watching them, Cam felt a little ill himself, like he'd suddenly had too many sweets. I really hope we get out of here soon, before life with those two becomes completely unlivable ....

"Thank you for finding me and asking for the candles on his behalf," Teal'c told Cameron quietly, while Daniel and Vala laughed at some private joke at the opposite end of the table. "I cannot remember the last time I have seen him so happy."

Cameron watched the pair and softened; it wasn't their fault that he was stuck light-years away from his girlfriend, after all. No, he really was happy for them. The Jaffa was right, it was good to see Jackson laugh without a trace of bitterness to the sound. "It was my pleasure," Cameron assured Teal'c. "Now, though, I think maybe you need to show them a few good stretching exercises and the meaning of moderation ...."

"Indeed."