Rating: PG-13
Genres: Angst, Romance (Daniel/Vala, Sam/Jack), Hurt/Comfort, Humor, Friendship (SG-1 with each other).
Summary: Daniel and Vala finally "complete" their "date" -- at Disney World, and with the rest of SG-1 in tow ... In this part, they go to Epcot.
Spoilers: up to "Memento Mori", as well as for assorted attractions at Epcot.
Length: 3 chapters, about 10,700 words -- about 23 pages
Notes: Sequel to "Ribs", "Date with a Pirate Princess", and "Date with a Martian Stuntwoman", prequel to "Date with a Wild Child", "Allies", and "Homecomings and Happy Endings". Why Disney World? Because it's a place I know very well, and I thought they all deserved a break. ;) Note that The Seas with Nemo and Friends is currently open to the public, but it wasn't when I strated writing this series. Also, there will be at least one more installment to this series.... Point of trivia: Michael Shanks is an avid hockey fan and player. Since the show is filmed in Vancouver, I thought it would be fun to have Daniel turn out to be a Canucks fan.... Oh, and yes, I do own the new Pirate Princess items mentioned in this one....
Feedback: You may post feedback to this fic at LiveJournal, or .

DISCLAIMER: Disney World, Epcot, the Magic Kingdom, Cinderella's Castle, Spaceship Earth, The Seas with Nemo and Friends, The Land, Soarin', The Fountanview Café, The Universe of Energy, Mission Space, Test Track, El Rio del Tiempo, The Maelstrom, The Pirates of the Caribbean, Pluto, Goofy, Chip and Dale, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, and anything else Walt Disney World-related ©, R, and TM the Walt Disney Company. This work is not intended as an ad for Disney -- it's just where I chose to set the story. Howl's Moving Castle © Diane Wynne-Jones/Studio Ghibli. Mitsukoshi © Mitsukoshi LTD. Matsuriza, The British Invasion, and Off Kilter © themselves. (See my Off Kilter fan-shrine here.)

As soon as Vala was done getting ready early the next morning, she toted her scrapbooking kit across the hall. Daniel was up and dressed as well, and since there were still a few people who needed to take showers, they had time to kill. As Cameron was one of those people, he refused to let Vala into the "boys' room", kicking Daniel -- literally -- out into the hall.

Daniel and Vala decided to camp out at the cushy seating area by the elevator and the vending machines. Daniel watched Vala carefully write out the details of the previous day, and prodded her memory now and then. Despite all there was to relate, they still managed to finish the task before their roommates were ready.

"I bet it's Peri holding us up," Vala muttered. Her stomach gurgled, and Daniel caught her looking longingly at the vending machine.

Daniel agreed with her assessment, just as his stomach sympathised with hers. And then he noticed something specific in the machine. He jumped to his feet and hurried over, Vala just a step behind him.

"Oh my god ..." he breathed in awe.

"What?" Vala asked, wondering if she should be worried.

"It's Calypso chips!!" Daniel crowed, then rifled through his pockets, looking for his wallet. It took him several frustrated moments, but eventually he got the vending machine to accept a dollar bill. He hit the buttons hard enough that Vala was afraid he'd break the machine. That possibility seemed even more likely as the flap-door closed on the bag as he tried to get it out. He let out a whoop as it finally pulled free. "Mine, at last!" He swore as he tried to open the bag, but couldn’t seem to manage it.

"I don’t believe it!" came a voice from behind him. He whirled, and found Sam leaning against the wall, arms crossed, and shaking her head. "You? A Calypso junkie??"

"I lived on these things in college," he admitted, "but I haven't had one in a long time. I thought they didn’t make them anymore." He turned his focus back to the bag, stroking the plastic fondly.

"Yeah, I know, I saw plenty of people go nuts for those things in my grad school days," Sam told him, taking the bag out of his hand.

Vala was shocked at how agitated he became, trying to grab it back, but Sam was only opening it for him. He hurriedly crammed a handful into his mouth, and seemed to go into paroxysms of ecstasy.

"Should I be jealous of a potato chip?" Vala whispered to Sam.

Sam thought about it for a moment, then nodded.

Vala sighed. "Daniel?" she asked tentatively. "May I try one?"

For a moment, she honestly thought he was going to tell her to get her own bag. But in getting a taste of his beloved snack food -- getting a "fix" -- he'd calmed down and come back to his senses. He held the bag out to her with a sheepish smile. Before reaching into the bag, she brushed the crumbs from his five-o'clock shadow. Then she extricated one of his precious fried potato bits and popped it in her mouth.

Her eyes flew open wide, and she stared at the bag in awe. She reached her hand in for another; he whimpered, but didn’t protest. "Have you ever had one?" Vala asked Sam.

"I've been too afraid to try them," Sam told her wryly. "I've seen how insane people get over them ...." she added, eyeing Daniel pointedly.

"And with good reason," Vala assured her, filching another chip under Daniel's watchful, pouting eye.

Daniel made a silent vow to come back and clean the machine out later.

Daniel felt the usual sadness as he stared at the ugly monoliths that now made up the entry courtyard of Epcot, silently cursing whoever came up with the decidedly-not-bright idea in the first place. Some of the granite slabs had tiny high-contrast portraits on them, paid for by guests who wanted to immortalize themselves at the park. The option had been available for several years now, and yet there were barely any images, proving, he thought, that he wasn't the only person appalled by the stone monstrosities. (As an archaeologist, he appreciated the desire to want to erect monuments for prosperity, but that didn’t forgive the creation of such eyesores!) Worse, someone had d taken down the beautiful crystal prism, which had been a model of sorts of a building design of Walt's, that had once stood proudly in the middle of the fountain in front of Spaceship Earth. And now Spaceship Earth itself, the awe-inspiring great silver globe, had a ridiculous Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey arm leaning against it, holding a wand, and the word "Epcot" resting across the top, a remnant of a past celebration that had been left up indefinitely. At least they didn’t keep Cinderella's Castle looking like a stupid pink birthday cake, he mused, remembering another silly thing that had been done for another one of the resort's anniversaries.

"What's an Epcot?" Vala asked, shaking him from his cranky musings.

"It's an anagram, really. It stands for 'Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow'," Daniel explained, adding through clenched teeth, "but no one in the company seems to remember that anymore, or the entire word would still be fully-capitalised...."

Peri laughed. "Yeah, to the Cast Members these days it just means "Every Paycheck Comes On Thursday", and to the guests, it's 'Every Person Comes Out Tired.'" For once, the members of SG-1 actually found Peri's "information" amusing.

After hurriedly getting a Fastpass to Soarin', the crew met once again with Peri's family. They went on to the newest attraction, The Seas with Nemo and Friends, which had replaced The Living Seas; technically the attraction wasn't open yet, but Peri's family got them inside. This time, Daniel was pleased with the changes he found, finding the new ride, though obviously aimed more at preschoolers, much more enjoyable than the previous string of hurtles it took to get to the building's fish and manatee tanks. It also cleverly integrated high-definition television screens into the scenery, rather than just making statues or animatronics of all the characters. The highlight, to his mind, was the end, where the Imagineers had made it look as though Nemo and his friends were in the diving tanks with live fish. Close second was a scene with an angler fish, a frightening creature with a glowing light hanging in front of its scary maw, an ingenious product of evolution that would lure deepwater fish straight into the angler's waiting jaws. Of course, it wasn't really the angler that made him like that part, so much as how Vala squealed and buried her face in his shoulder at the sight of it.

After the ride, they oohed and ahhed over the inhabitants of the tanks, Vala telling Daniel that they didn’t have such large sea-animals on her homeworld. Next, they saw an interactive show with the turtle Crush (Daniel found it interesting that, with all the technology he'd come in contact with, something like that could still impress him). Then they chased each other around a shark-themed kiddie-maze. When Vala caught Daniel at one point, she drew him in for a kiss as her prize; Teal'c took of picture of them form outside the maze, the mouth of a shark framing the scene. ("How appropriate," Cameron remarked.) Daniel was happy to find Vala reading all the signs that told about the lives of the great fish, eager to learn all she could about her new homeworld. It helped that the presentation of the information was much more engaging than one of his old, dusty tomes.

Her education continued as they moved on to the pavilion known as The Land: the building housed, among other things, a film on ecology featuring Simba, Pumbaa, and Timon, of The Lion King, and a boat ride through the world of agriculture. Cameron and Jack slept through both, and Vala found herself nodding off now and then on the boat ride. Soarin', however, a simulated flight over California, served to wake everyone up.

"Daniel," Vala whispered uncertainly, "Is this some sort of 'Gate technology? I mean, are we really traveling over these places?"

He was equally confused by her question. "No, it's just a movie," he assured her, gesturing towards the curved screen.

"But ... the smells? And the wind?"

Fans blew breezes and, alternately, the scents of pine trees and oranges, a simple trick. Still, he realised, Vala's people, having never had an entertainment mecca like Disney World, had also doubtless never had a reason for such illusions. He had to admit, while he was enjoying the experience, the description sounded odd. What prompted someone to think, Oh, you know what be neat? A realistic flight over California, complete with smells and wind!, he wondered. Vala was intelligent, but in this instance, like so many others on this little vacation, she had all the wonder and inexperience of a child -- and he loved her all the more for it. Long after the ride was over, he felt like he was still flying.

"Finally!" Jack groused as they sat down for a light breakfast on the terrace at the Fountain View Café, after getting a Fastpass for Mission: Space.

Hungry as she was, Vala found herself entranced by the music and moving-water show that gave the café its name. Daniel gave her a soft kiss, tasting the strawberry jam that dotted the corner of her mouth. He loved how messily absent-minded she could get if she was distracted while eating.

After breakfast, they kipped next door to Club Cool, a place that sold Coke memorabilia and offered free samples of drinks sold around the world. The building had, sadly, been remodeled a bit since Daniel's last visit, when the store was called Station Cool: it no longer offered a walk through a snowy tunnel to cool guests off, instead having a more direct entry to the store. But Daniel still had fun watching his friends sample the various beverages. Japan's Vegibeta, a vegetable drink, sounded scary but was actually was pretty tasty. He also was rather fond of China's Smart Watermelon soda. Otherwise, he avoided the other flavours, particularly Italy's bitter aperitif, Beverly, which caused hysterical face-scrunching reactions in everyone he'd ever watched try it. Happily, Teal'c got several pictures of the others tasting it; Jack and Mitchell's reactions were exceptionally priceless. Vala plotted to make a page featuring them in her scrapbook.....

Their thirsts quenched, more or less, they headed over to Spaceship Earth. The attraction had lost its appeal for Daniel since Walter Cronkite's narration had been replaced. The ride's constant incline, hard and angular seats, and bumpy track did nothing to help; he spent most of the ride thinking about how uncomfortable he was. Still, it had some educational value for Vala, as it illustrated the history of Tau'ri communication. Every now and then, Vala would ask a question, and, in doing so, would take Daniel's mind off of his pain. So did the vast "night sky" covering the inside of the giant globular building's upper dome, at the top of the ride: it still made him dizzy, even after all the wonders he'd seen in his life. Judging by Vala's wide-eyed expression, she was enjoying it as much as he was, if not more; he found that well-worth the discomfort.

Next, they went to Universe of Energy. There, Vala learned about human energy resources, thanks to a wacky dream comedian Ellen DeGeneres had involving Jamie Lee Curtis, Bill Nye the Science Guy, and the game show Jeopardy. Daniel liked the ride just fine -- this version was much better than the original -- but having been on it a few dozen times over the years, Daniel felt free to let himself daydream that he was the one on Jeopardy (although it arguably became a nightmare when he dreamed that, going up against Sam and Peri, he lost to both women).

On Mission: Space, Jack, Sam, and Cameron relived training days, and Daniel realised it was probably best that he'd pursued archaeology rather than becoming an astronaut. He really missed the former attraction that had occupied that spot, the far-more-low-key Horizons, an attraction that had conjectured about what life in the future might be like, on land, under the ocean, and in space.

He wasn't all that excited about Test Track either, having been far more intrigued by it's own predecessor, The World of Motion. Well, Vala seemed interested enough in the current ride for the both of them. And though Test Track didn’t offer the history lessons that The World of Motion once had, Vala's Tau'ri still education continued, with Jack, Cameron, Sam, and even Teal'c talking about cars and car parts. Even so, the way Daniel saw it, one was supposed to ride in a car after the tests, not during. At least, while they had stood in the single-rider line, fate had allowed him and Vala to ride together. Even so, he was very happy to finally leave the attraction, after waiting around for the rest of the party to coo over the cars on display after the ride. He'd been getting so bored he'd almost considered chatting with Peri!

It was noon by the time they started making their way through the World Showcase, starting on the left side of the lagoon, with Mexico. The archaeologist in him appreciated the ziggurat temple-design of the building, and everyone in the party appreciated the air-conditioning. The ride inside, El Rio del Tiempo (or "The River of Time") was relaxed and appealing to the eye. It also prompted Daniel to muse about his grandfather, Nicholas Ballard, who had decided to stay with the Giant Alien Quetzalcoatl in another dimension to exchange information but had never returned. He wondered how Nick and Vala would get along....

Towards the very end of the ride, Vala amused everyone by talking back to the film footage of a man and woman who trying to hawk their wares to the passengers. "If SGC ever goes under, she could always get a job as a stand-up comedian," Mitchell whispered in Daniel's ear, earning a grin in response. Daniel did wonder if Vala understood that it was just a film, though, and not some sort of communication device....

On their way out, Vala remarked how pretty the view was, referring to the candle-lit restaurant seating that over-looked the entrance of the ride. Daniel was just starting to convince himself to dine with her there sometime, despite not caring at all for the menu, when she blurted out that she wished the menu were different. He barked a laugh, causing a few nearby tourists to jump and nearly drop the trinkets they held.

He put an arm around her shoulder and let her lead him from one gift stand to another. They didn’t buy anything until they were back on the upper level, though, on their way out. A lone table displayed pricey, fanciful, brightly-painted wood carvings of various animals and "Calaveras", Mexican skeletal art. Thinking of the crystal skull that had sent him to another dimension once, and Nick twice, Daniel bought one of the grinning skeletons, as well as a colourful rabbit for Vala -- behind her back, of course, given that she had made him promise not to buy anything more. Vala had gazed fondly on the little figure, though, remarking on how much it reminded her of Elahrairah, the rabbit prince from Watership Down; Sam had lent her the movie. He decided he'd give her the wood statue with a copy of the book when they got back home.

Next on their route was Norway. Daniel couldn’t get anywhere near the gift shops, as one of them was now a perfumery, and its scents now pervaded the string of stores, aggravating his allergies. He asked Sam to see if there were any Norsic god figures within, but sadly, when they regrouped, she reported in the negative. It was really too bad -- when the pavilion had first opened, his favourite thing about it had been the items they offered dedicated to Norse mythology. He wanted to get something of Thor for Thor of the Asgard, as a bit of a gag-gift. There were still trolls and some Viking items in the shop, but nothing like what they'd once had. Vala had apparently forgotten her admonishment to Daniel the night before: she'd bought herself a little plushie of Pluto dressed as a Viking -- or rather, Sam had bought it, with Vala's promise to pay her back. Daniel had a feeling Sam wouldn't accept payment when the time came.

"Why is it that Goofy can talk but Pluto can't?" Vala asked. "Aren't they both dogs? And how is it that Mickey is so large in comparison?" She didn’t stop to wait for answers. "Come to think of it, I've noticed that here in the parks, Chip and Dale are actually even larger than Mickey and Donald -- yet in the cartoons, they're much, much smaller!"

She prattled on like that as they waited in line for the Maelstrom, a short boat ride that mixed Viking history and folklore. Not long ago, such chatter would have annoyed the tar out of Daniel, but now he found it endearing. Well, moderately, anyway; it was still a relief when their boat arrived, and she finally quieted. Daniel watched a slightly-scared Vala with a grin as a giant troll sent their boat backwards down a small waterfall.

When they got off the ride, they found themselves in a room made up to look like they were outside, in a quaint Norwegian town. Daniel led Vala straight to a set of doors, and gestured for everyone else to gather close. "It's going to be a few minutes, but when the doors open, get ready to make a break for it," he warned his friends under his breath. "Don’t stop, don’t sit, just head straight for the door on the other side!" The minutes ticked by insanely slowly; for once, Daniel fidgeted more than Vala! When the doors finally swung open, she struggled to keep up as he dragged her by the hand, past the seats of a theatre.

"What was that all about?" Vala asked him when everyone was clear of the doors on the other end of the room.

"Not yet," he whispered, dragging her outside. When they were well past the perfume shop, halfway to the next country, even, he finally explained, "After that ride, if you're not quick enough, they make you sit through the most god-awful tourism advertisement ever created!"

"I always feel bad about not sitting through it," Sam added, "but that doesn’t keep me from bolting through the doors either!"

"So that was why that chick at the info desk outside the door was grinning at us as we went by!" Mitchell noted. "They must get people doin' that a lot...."

Quite the opposite of the situation in Norway, Daniel was rather looking forward to the tourism show in China. There was no ride involved, no, but the film was housed in a replica of the beautiful Temple of Heaven, and the movie itself was filmed in Circle 360, a technique that combined the footage of nine cameras in a panoramic view. The vistas displayed were stunning -- having been to countless other worlds, Daniel felt he could honestly say, with some authority, that they were some of the most beautiful sights in the galaxy.

Then they had lunch at the counter-service restaurant in China. Vala had fun teasing Mitchell, who couldn't seem to get the knack of using chopsticks. To the pilot's misery, Sam joined in the taunting, and Teal'c took a picture of Cameron holding the sticks awkwardly while the food dropped just shy of his mouth. Then Vala was distracted by dessert. She'd gotten ginger ice cream while Sam had gotten red bean, and the two women decided to share both.

While he was a little disappointed that Vala wasn't sharing with him, Daniel was very glad to see his girlfriend (girlfriend!) get so chummy with Sam; she needed another female to confide in, he felt. And there was a plus to this arrangement: while he didn’t expect Sam to blab all of Vala's secrets to him, he did trust his friend to let him know if he was, to Vala's mind, being a jerk, or if there was something really important going on that his tough-as-nails pirate princess couldn't bring herself to tell him. And even whem Sam wouldn’t tell him something, there was still a chance she would tell Jack, whom Daniel was even more confident he could wrangle sensitive information out of....

They spent a goodly while in the shop after lunch, Vala convincing Sam to pick out a robe for herself, singing the praises of having a silken garment in one's wardrobe. Cassandra and her friends got into the act, and it wasn't long before the boys were treated to a little fashion show. At first the men had balked at the notion of hanging about in a shop, but they quickly changed their tunes when they saw the ladies garbed in the exotic clothes.

Noting Daniel's reaction to a fetching blue dress with silver embroidered dragons, Sam bought it for the dark-haired woman secretly when Vala was otherwise occupied -- although she'd be hard-pressed to say whether the present was really for Vala or for Daniel. Sam was tempted herself by a wine-coloured gown with gold flowers, but decided she'd never have the guts to wear it anywhere, and put it back on the rack. Jack immediately and wordlessly took it off the rack again and headed straight for the checkout. Sam came to stand waiting beside him and asked where exactly he expected her to wear something like that.

"Oh, even if I'm the only one who ever sees you in it, it'll be well worth every penny," he told her wistfully. She blushed and ducked her head, afraid her cheeks might be matching the gown at that point. "But since you ask, how's about at our reception?"

Sam gasped and smacked his arm, scandalised. The rest of SG-1 snapped to attention, shocked and delighted. Cassandra didn’t seem the slightest bit surprised, though.

"You sly old dog, you!" Cameron told Jack, punching his shoulder.

"When?" Vala squealed.

"When did he ask or when will it happen?" Sam asked in return, sounding rueful.

"Both!" Daniel insisted, a little hurt that Jack hadn’t confided that he was planning to pop the question, though he understood why Jack would be reluctant to talk about it.

"Yeah, well," Jack started, "I never actually asked, so ..."

Daniel and Cameron exchanged confused glances.

"You do remember that Jack and I are both in the military?" Sam elaborated.

"Oh, right!" Cameron said, grimacing and nodding sympathetically.

Vala grunted in frustration (why couldn't these Tau'ri ever speak plainly??). Daniel led her onward to an open-air market area just outside the shop. He looked about, making sure Cassandra's friends weren't listening in.

"People in the military aren't allowed to date one another, much less marry," he explained, "so when we get back to base, you have to pretend you know nothing about how those two feel about each other, okay?"

Vala stopped and grabbed his arm. "Not allowed to date?!" she hissed. "You mean we--"

"Are civilians," he pointed out. "Actually, you're not even a citizen of this planet, so I doubt the rules and regulations would apply to you at all. Although with our luck, I suppose some bureaucrat will hold a committee to decide on laws of sexual conduct between Tau'ri and aliens one of these days ...."

Vala whimpered in alarm.

"Er, no, I'm sure that'll never happen," he reassured her, then quickly shoved the subject out of his head. He wasn't quite ready to contemplate the notion of consummating their relationship, forbidden or otherwise.

Her mind put at ease, Vala quickly became engrossed in the many items depicting the Chinese Zodiac.

"I wonder which year I would be," she wondered wistfully. "Maybe a Tiger?" she asked with a purr.

"Well, maybe Sam could help you figure it out sometime," Daniel suggested. "You'd just need to find your homeworld, then compare the length of a year there with a year here--"

"I'd need to know how old I am, though, wouldn’t I? I'm not sure how long I was a host for Qetesh," she told him. The warmth had all gone out of her, reminding him of how she'd been after Adria had destroyed Chulak. She seemed to brighten as their party regrouped, but her hand in his was cold.

They stopped at the Outpost, a small place that seemed an amalgam of Australia and Africa, to cool off, playing under a canopy with mock vehicles, coolers, and crates that all sprayed water, and getting drinks from a stand. Then they listened to an African storyteller, Daniel reveling in the representation of the oral tradition.

They moved on to Italy, bypassing one shop because of perfume again, but greatly enjoying the playful masks they found in another. Daniel bought one for himself and another for Vala, using the excuse that the purchase was work-related: they might be useful if they ever found themselves on a medieval world in the middle of a masquerade. Actually, he could think of three places they were on good terms with that they might actually be invited to such a thing! The romantic in him found the notion very appealing, and kept picturing Vala in a lovely gown, festooned with ribbons and mask in hand....

They moved on to the American Pavilion, which housed an audio-animatronic show on the history of the United States. Jack and Cameron groaned when they were ushered inside, but Daniel thought the show was okay, and would be another good educational experience for Vala. It also helped that it was so cold inside the theatre that his lady-love spent much of the show snuggling up to him, trying to keep warm. Vala was so amazed at the realism of the robotics, though, that he wondered how much she actually paid attention to the information imparted by the show.

After a quick pit-stop, next up was Japan. They watched the candy-maker sculpting outside the department store, Mitsukoshi, for a bit, before venturing inside. Daniel wasn’t trying to show off, but he enjoyed speaking in Japanese to the clerks; he didn’t get to use the lovely language very often. He enjoyed it all the more when he realised how impressed Vala seemed.

"And you don’t even watch any anime!" she remarked. Then she hurried over to a statuette in a glass case, crying in a girlish voice, "Maa kirei desu ne!" How beautiful! Then she noticed a clerk nearby. Bowing, she said "Konnichiwa! O'genki desu ka?" Good afternoon! How are you?

Pleasantly surprised, the clerk bowed back, saying "Genki desu! Doumo arigato! Daijoubu desu ka?" Fine, thank you! Are you doing all right?

"Daijoubu!" she replied cheerfully with a wave. I'm good! She stopped suddenly. "Ano -- 'Hauru no Ugoku Shiro' ga arimasu ka?" Wait -- do you have anything of Howl's Moving Castle?

"Iie! Gomen nasai!" No, sorry!

"Hai, sou desu ne! Daijoubu! Arigato!" Vala told the clerk, waving her hand again. Oh, really? That's okay, thanks anyway!

Daniel grinned; she'd certainly put the hours he'd been too busy to spend with her to good use! Vala hadn’t been on the planet that long -- if she could pick a language up that quickly just from watching subtitled films, then their relationship suddenly got a whole lot more interesting! He pointed to a toy and asked her, in Japanese, who it was. She answered, and pointed out others as well, though she did it in English. She knew enough to say a few things here and there, but not so much beyond what she had already used with the clerk. They made a deal to spend fifteen minutes each day with the intent of having him broaden her vocabulary.

In the food section of Mitsukoshi, Daniel bought some of his favourite snack foods: grape and orange Kusagai gummies and chocolate Yan-Yan, cookie sticks that you dipped in chocolate frosting. When Vala tried to admonish him for buying them, he said they'd simply eat the lot if they had no room in the suitcases. Then he noticed there was now a grape variety of Pocky! The chocolate-coated cookie sticks weren't quite as good as Yan-Yan, in his opinion, but it looked like this new kind was drizzled in grape frosting! His friends would blanch at the idea of chocolate and grape together, but Daniel loved drinking grape juice whenever he ate chocolate himself. The others' disgust would just mean the Pocky was safe from them -- particularly the thieving chocolate-fiend known as Vala!

Done with the shop but reluctant to enter the heat right away, they went through a small tin toy exhibit. A few minutes later, Cam suddenly realised Teal'c was missing, and asked where the man had gone. No one knew.

They found the Jaffa outside, entranced by the drumming of a group called Matsuriza. "It's beautiful," Teal'c told them, tears in his eyes. "I did not realise ..." he couldn’t finish the rest, thanks to the young women accompanying Cassandra, but his teammates guessed what he meant: that he had never guessed the Tau'ri had anything like it. Daniel wondered if it was similar to Jaffa music. At Vala's whispered behest, Daniel snuck off with her in search of Matsuriza CDs; happily, they found and bought two for their friend. By the time they returned, the music was ending, the party ready to move on.

When they reached Morocco, Vala noticed Daniel's sudden and fast decent into depression. She asked what was wrong, but of course Daniel put on a brave smile and insisted there wasn't anything wrong.

Jack drew her aside, on the pretense of getting her opinion on a trinket for Sam. Daniel raised a suspicious brow when Jack told him to keep Sam occupied. When Daniel was out of earshot, Jack explained, "This place is too much like Abydos. Take him on over to France, and we'll meet you there quick as we can. 'Kay?"

Vala nodded her understanding; truth be told, this country didn’t interest her much, and she'd been wanting to see France. Granted, it wasn't the real France, but it would do for now, especially if it meant getting Daniel alone for a bit. She found her beloved and whined of boredom; he easily agreed to go onward and wait for their party in the next country. He pretended nonchalance, but she could see the relief in his eyes, and, to her, that was plenty of reason to miss whatever Morocco had to offer.

"So what's here?" she asked him, smiling as she soaked in the lovely Parisian surroundings.

"Food," he answered promptly, and she realised he was quite right. There was a crepe stand, a lovely restaurant, a wine and cheese shop that also offered preserves, and, hidden in the back, a café. Pointedly ignoring yet another "parfumarie", she led him into the café. He was going to protest, as they were scheduled to eat dinner at seven thirty and it was already four-thirty, but the hungry growl of his stomach silenced him, and he realised what a mistake it had been to have Chinese for lunch. Besides, he'd never seen anyone who could pack it away like Vala; she'd be hungry enough come dinnertime. They ordered a handful of pastries and a baguette-pizza, and took their goods outside, settling at a shady table on the street. Vala let him have most of the pizza, and he let her have most of everything else, except the chocolate cheese-cake, which they split evenly. He sincerely hoped he wasn't going to regret the combination later.

The rest of the group finally moseyed on over and, seeing the remnants of Daniel and Vala's snack, decided to sample the café's offerings as well. While they did, Daniel led Vala to the other side of the country, where they spent a few minutes quietly admiring the gardens, which were empty of people. The sound of nearby water was soothing. Then alas, Belle and the Beast came out, and suddenly the garden was full of delighted -- and noisy -- children. Daniel and Vala retreated back to the café, and found that their friends were finished with their repast. Together, they went to see France's own Circle 360 film, which Vala declared was good but not as good as China's, and Daniel said was still loads better than Norway's. Vala added to Daniel that she fully expected him to take her there someday.

"To Norway?" he asked with false innocence.

"To France," she insisted, swatting him playfully. "They say it makes a wonderful honeymoon destination," she added, just to watch him sweat.

When they reached the crossroads of the streets of the United Kingdom, a crowd was beginning to gather around a cart full of props and actors dressed in medieval garb. The group joined the audience, but Daniel was wary: this was a troupe of the World Showcase Players, and their show had a high level of audience-participation. After what had happened to Vala the day before, at the Indian Jones Stunt Spectacular, he was reluctant to have her in any situation where she might be somehow be humiliated like that again. To be on the safe side, he whispered to her that this show, which was supposedly about King Arthur, was vastly different from what they'd come to learn about the legend through the Ancients, and that it would be safest for all of them if she did her best to meld with the crowd....

He needn't have worried.

Or rather, he was worrying about the wrong person.

Teal'c was chosen to "play" King Arthur. He didn’t question the actors and their version of the story, thankfully, but the players quickly grew frustrated with their choice: Teal'c was unflappable! He was too quiet! Half the fun was supposed to be in how those chosen from the audience to play various parts would laugh and get embarrassed as the players teased and tricked and confused them in regards to stage direction. But nothing they did to Teal'c phased him! Worse, the man lent a certain decorum to his role -- and decorum was the last thing one wanted in comedy! The only "problem" they'd had with him was in that he wouldn’t remove his hat to put the crown on (lest her reveal the gold Serpent tattoo beneath); the look he'd given the player who tried to get him to do so had the poor fellow quailing in fear before the warrior. He simply lay the crown atop the hat, rather than cajole him into acquiescence as would have been done to any other tourist.

And of course there was the fact that Teal'c was being photographed by the tourists -- which was always a possibility when he was out in public, of course, and it wasn't like anyone could show it to the world and make everyone believe he was an alien, but it still made Daniel nervous. Did The Trust have any sort of programs that could search images as they were uploaded to the internet? Could that picture that fellow over there with the camera-phone send up a red flag to the enemy and bring them rushing over? Was he maybe even an operative himself? Daniel let out shout of joy when a bird fortuitously crapped on the man's phone. Thankfully, the laughter and cheers of the crowd at the show covered his happy outburst at the man's ill luck.

After the show, they browsed through the shops, again avoiding a perfume shop (why were there so damn many of the things??) and lingering in the toy shop, where Daniel insisted on buying Vala Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for her to read on the plane ride home. (It wasn't that he didn’t enjoy her company, but that he did better on a long plane ride if he could sleep through most of it.)

When they finished going through the shops, at Cameron's insistence they stopped at the Rose and Crown for a drink. Daniel was delighted to discover they had Woodpecker Sweet Cider, which he introduced Vala to. She was immediately enamoured of the refreshing beverage, and pouted when he insisted she couldn’t have a second one. She was somewhat mollified when he confessed he'd really like a second one himself, but didn’t really have a head for alcohol. It occurred to him, though, when he saw the wicked gleam in her eye, that he probably shouldn’t have told her that.

Their drinks downed, they circled around to the "back" of one string of shops, where there was a lovely tea garden. They followed a path to a hedge maze where the hedges were only about two-and-a-half feet high.

"I really wish they could let this grow," Daniel lamented. "What kind of a maze is it really if you can see where you're going?"

"I suppose they don’t actually want anyone to get lost," Vala mused. Then, when Daniel looked away for a moment, he found when he looked back that she'd disappeared! For three awful seconds, the thought he would have a heart attack.

"Well, it's a little painful, but at least now I have no idea where I am," Vala said.

"Vala? Were did you go?" Daniel asked, agitated, not able to tell more than a general direction by her voice -- which wasn't coming from where he's last seen her!

She popped up over another section of hedge -- which also wasn't where the sound of her voice had last indicated. "Silly boy, didn’t I just say I didn’t know where I was? Now you've spoiled it!" Apparently she'd been traveling the path through the foliage on her hands and knees.

"Worse than a Cheshire Cat, never where you expect her to be," Cameron muttered.

Grasping her hand firmly, Daniel told her that another show was about to start, and led her to a patch of ground outside the hedges, near a gazebo that held a few microphones and speakers, with a drumkit sitting in the back and British flags hanging about. Sure enough, a short while later, four men dressed in identical blue-and-black suits climbed up the gazebo steps, three of them toting guitars while the fourth sat behind the drums.

"Now that's what I'm talkin' about," Jack said, grinning. The band, known as The British Invasion, did covers of the Beatles, as well as a song from The Dave Clark Five and another from The Searchers. Of course, Vala had no idea who any of the bands they were paying tribute to were -- not even the Beatles, really -- but she enjoyed the music all the same.

When the show was over, the party made a pit-stop at the restroom. While washing her hands, Vala spoke quietly to Sam, who stood at the sink next to hers.

"Sam ... if Daniel is able to be an archaeologist and linguist for SG-1 without having joined the Air Force ... and you're a scientist like him ... why can't you quit the Air Force and still--" she looked about, suddenly aware of Cassandra's friends, "--er, work with the, ah, team? Then you and Jack could get married...."

Sam granted her a small smile. "I wish it were that simple."

"I-I'm sorry, I shouldn’t have asked--"

"No, no, it's okay. I would like to talk to someone about it, really -- can I take a rain check?"

Vala looked at her blankly.

"Er, it means I want to continue this chat at a more convenient time," Sam explained.

Vala smiled and gave Sam's hand a squeeze. "Absolutely!" What is it with the Tau'ri and their odd expressions? she wondered.

They didn’t go very far before sitting down again, this time on the ground next to some benches, in front of a larger stage just before Canada. There was another drumkit there, some keyboards, an assortment of microphones, and several speakers. After a short while, five men walked on: two carried guitars, one sat at the drumkit, another stood behind the keyboards, and one carried a strange contraption. Vala didn’t really notice any of this at first, though.

"Are they wearing skirts?" she asked Daniel quietly, while Cameron said mournfully, "Not bagpipes!" and Jack let out a moan.

"Those are kilts, not skirts," Daniel explained, then turned to Jack and Cameron and said, "That's no ordinary piper! Just wait!"

"You know Off Kilter?" Peri asked brightly. "I love them!"

"Oh yeah!" Daniel replied. "I've got all their albums!" Maybe Peri wasn't so bad....

Vala scowled at the girl, slipping her arm through Daniel's possessively. She had a vague smile in place when he turned back to her, grinning, telling her, "You're gonna love Off Kilter, they're fantastic!" She was surprised to see him so enthusiastic over something that wasn't in a book. Her smile broadened, genuine now, happy to see him so happy. She kissed his cheek and lay her head on his shoulder. He rest his head against hers, waiting for the music to start.

He was right: she did love the music. And Jack and Cameron did too, despite themselves; she knew because she saw Cameron drumming his fingers against his leg and Jack nodding in time to the music. The thing they had called bagpipes had a strange sound, but it blended pleasantly to the music. To her delight, Daniel sang along to the songs, his mouth close enough to her ear for her to hear him despite the volume of the band. Jack and Cameron probably couldn't hear him, but they noticed his lips were moving, and exchanged a look that told her this was a side of the archaeologist that they never would have guessed existed. She felt like she'd stumbled unexpectedly on a treasure, and felt greedy -- she wanted more. She wanted an endless string of happy surprises for the rest of their hope-fully long lives. Surely if they could get past the threat of the Ori, they deserved as much? Or at least he did -- she'd settle for joy-by-proxy....

When the music was over, they made their way up some stairs to the shops. In the first one, Daniel bought a Canucks jersey, with the excuse that it might get cold in the evening. Of course, Vala insisted he wouldn’t need it with her around. Happily, Cameron walked up just then, saving Daniel from having to respond to Vala.

"Jackson, what are you doin'??" Cameron exclaimed, "Where's your team loyalty?"

Vala shot Daniel an alarmed look. Was Daniel committing some sort of treason against SGC?

"He's supposed to be an Avalanche fan," Cameron told her. "Hell, I'd even take the Eagles! At least they're still a Colorado team!"

"It's not like either of us were born in Colorado," Daniel retorted as they exited the shop, hurrying past yet another perfume shop to get in line for Canada's Circle 360 show.

"Yeah, well, that's where we live now, and you never lived in Vancouver! Besides, I still root for the Stars," Mitchell pointed out.

"My third foster father was a Canuck fan, and he introduced me to the game, okay?" Daniel informed him, frowning.

"Oh...." Cameron said, looking like he'd swallowed his foot whole.

Daniel laughed and slapped Cameron's shoulder companionably. "It's okay, other than that, he and I didn’t get along so hot anyway."

Relieved that all was forgiven, Cameron still felt bad for his words, as well as felt a twinge of pity for Daniel, having apparently been shunted from home to home.

Sam seemed to read his mind. She took his arm and smiled, speaking lowly. "You know, I never thanked you for bringing the team back together, and I should have." She glanced at the back of Daniel's head, gesturing with her head as she said, "Daniel found a family at SGC, Cam -- and it's because of you that he still has it."

Cameron grew thoughtful, then chuckled. "The day I first met her, Vala saw Jackson and I standing together, and made a comment about our world having a rather limited gene pool."

"See?" Sam patted him on the back. "Even aliens think you two are brothers!"

Vala declared Canada's film almost as good as China's, and the stone and waterfall-laden queue even more beautiful than the Temple of Heaven. The gardens outside the exit also earned her approval. Daniel had to admit there was something about the place that he found soothing; he was almost reluctant to enter the restaurant where they had their reservations. His stomach seemed happy to retreat into Le Cellier's aromatic atmosphere, though, despite having eaten just scant hours ago. Vala, too, was apparently famished, and as Daniel wasn't terribly fond of the pretzel-bread, he let her have his share. She also managed to snag the last piece, though Mitchell and Teal'c both reached for it. She also finished her bowl of bacon-cheddar soup before Daniel did, so he let her have the rest of his own share of that as well; he always felt it was a bit too brine-y anyway. But the prime rib he refused to share -- he'd been looking forward to it too much! She pouted until he reminded her that there was always dessert.

"Are you on the menu?" she purred suggestively in his ear.

It was all he could do not to roll his eyes in pleasure as her warm breath caressed his neck. He struggled to keep visions of Vala's lips and whipped cream from his mind -- a nearly impossible task, given that she chose a hot fudge sundae as her dessert. He contemplated "accidentally" spilling his ice water into his lap.

"Jackson?" Cameron asked.

"Yeah?" Daniel responded with a bit of a squeak to his voice.

"Picture Nerus with a lollipop."

And of course, an image of the fat Goa'uld sucking noisily on a Dum-Dum immediately sprang, wholly unwanted, into Daniel's mind. He looked thoroughly disgusted; it was a very good thing he hadn’t ordered a dessert himself, because there was no way he could eat now! Still, he had to admit, Mitchell's suggestion was certainly effective.

Vala opened a wet nap packet and gleefully wiped her hands and face. "I love these things!"

"I think I need a wet nap for my brain, now," Daniel muttered to Mitchell.

The walk to the Imagination! Pavilion was a pleasant one, the path for part of the way lined with a myriad of roses on either side. Teal'c was happy to get a shot of Vala leaning against Daniel as they appreciated an especially lovely bush, the fading sunlight bathing the scene with gold. A bloom inexplicably fell from its branch, Daniel deftly catching it and attaching it to Vala's hair clip. The rest of the group politely averted their attention as she granted him a thank-you kiss. Jack took the opportunity to steal a kiss from Sam, who willingly gave him another.

They reached their destination just in time to get in for the next show of Honey I Shrunk the Audience. Despite being "shrunk" and carried around in a box, buffeted with illusory mice, and "sneezed on" by a dog, a good time was had by all. After playing with the "Dancing Water" outside the theatre (and got a good laugh in at Teal'c, who was hit quite squarely in the head by a jet of water), they moved on to the pavilion's ride, Journey Into Imagination. While Daniel considered himself a fan of comedian Eric Idle, who was the ride's guide, he really missed the original version of the attraction (and the original interior of the building!). It was yet another wonderful thing ruined by some "forward-thinking" Imagineer. At least Disney had put Figment, the purple dragon mascot from the original ride, back in, but the current attraction showed far less imagination than the said original. Still, Vala seemed to enjoy it well enough, especially Figment. After they played with the photo effects stations in Image Works, he cajoled her into letting him buy her a small plushie of the dragon on their way out.

They made their hurried way back towards the World Showcase, to find seats at the start of the circle, in front of the World Showcase Lagoon. Once they claimed their territory, Daniel asked Sam, surreptitiously, to keep Vala occupied, then told his girl he was off to find a restroom. In reality, he was going into one of the nearby "tower" shops, on a whim.

Making sure Jack was well-occupied in a conversation with Cameron and Teal'c, and that Cassandra's friends and the strangers all around them were out of earshot, Sam spoke lowly to Vala, "So, uh, you asked me why I don't just quit the military.... It's funny, apparently in another dimension I never joined the Air Force at all, but I still got involved in SGC as an astrophysicist. That me did marry Jack -- and then lost him. And that me was appalled at the life I’d chosen here. But you know what? I was just as appalled by her decision not to be in the military. I worked hard to get where I am, and I'm proud of that. I'm ... I'm not ready to give it up yet. I guess in that, Jack and I are a lot alike -- he could retire, but he doesn't want to."

"Yes, but if he did retire, what would he have?" Vala pointed out. "You’d still have a connection to the SGC without the military. And you'd still have gotten as far as you have -- no one can take your past away from you. But do you need the title to be the person you would be with that title? Would you see Jack as any less of a man if he hadn’t been promoted to Brigadier General?"

"No, of course not!"

"Well then I don’t see as you’d be giving anything up if you quit the military, especially if it's standing between you and the man you love. You’d still be saving lives with SGC, yes? 'Lieutenant Colonel'? In the end, that's just a pair of words to describe what you've become. You make the title, the title doesn’t make you. And hey, you still respect Teal'c, even though he has no place or title within your military, right?" She touched the flower in her hair. "What was it you Tau'ri say? 'A rose by any other name would smell as sweet'?"

Sam glanced at the back of Jack's head, thoughtful. Was she limiting her possibilities by cleaving to ... words? If there was one thing life in SGC had taught her, it was that life's possibilities were indeed truly infinite....

Daniel came back, grinning from ear to ear, and sat beside his girl.

Sam and Vala exchanged suspicious glances. "My, you're awfully happy for having only come back from the restroom," Vala remarked.

Cameron barked a laugh. "Ohhhh, I'd believe it. Wound up tight as Jackson is, it's gotta be a huge relief to let loose!"

Sam swatted him, saying, "Don’t be crass!"

Daniel, however, laughed. "Yeah, but in your case, Mitchell, it's not a relief to anyone walking in after you!" Jack raised his hand, and Daniel high-fived him. Cameron grinned, nodding appreciatively at the retort.

"Men," Sam sighed.

A short while later, a voice announced that there would be a fireworks display called IllumiNations that night, and warned that during the show, the lights would be dimmed.

While they waited, Daniel asked tentatively, "Vala ... what were courtship rituals like where you're from?"

Vala pursed her lips, looking skyward as she thought about it, trying to hide how nervous she suddenly was. Why was he asking? "Well, people would meet at social functions to start with, parties mostly, and if a guy and a girl seemed to hit it off, they'd make an effort to meet at other social gatherings, like a picnic, or another party. And after a few such rendezvous, if they still seemed attracted to each other, he'd ask her father if he'd be allowed to court her, then ask her if she wanted to be courted. If she said yes, he'd give her a token, usually a ribbon with the colours of his family to wear in her hair, and she'd turn her ring to show that -- at least for the moment -- she was spoken for."

"Turn her ring?" he asked intensely, before she could go on.

"Oh! Yes, it was customary among my people for girls of a marriageable age to wear a ring with a heart on it. If the heart was worn so that it pointed away from her, it meant she was available. If it pointed towards her, she wasn't."

"We have rings like that," he said. "Usually the heart has a crown over it, and two hands clasping it -- we call it a Clannadh ring. Not many use them anymore, though. Instead, when a guy wants to date a girl exclusively, he asks her to go steady with him, and if she says yes, he gives her something that identifies with him, like his letterman's jacket or his class ring."

"Class ring?"

"Americans sometimes buy rings bearing their birthstone, with their high school's initials and their graduation year carved in it. I never got one myself," he added.

"Oh," she remarked, hoping her disappointment didn't show. Then the lights dimmed and the show started, and she didn’t even have a chance to think of it again.

To start, a globe in the middle of the lagoon that showed pictures in light. As the program progressed, her senses were bombarded from all directions, lights blinking in tandem at each country, lasers shooting out over the lagoon, and fireworks dancing in the water and the sky, all in time with music. There was too much to take in; she was getting dizzy! Thankfully she had Daniel to hold her steady as she leaned against his chest, his muscular arms wrapped around her.

At a pause in the program, while the audience clapped, Daniel slipped out from behind her; she squeaked in protest. He knelt before her, sitting on her outstretched legs, just above her knees. He had a strange box in his hands, which she recognised as a miniature Davy Jones' chest, from the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie -- she might not have seen the movie itself, but she'd seen enough in the previews to know what it was. She cocked her head at him curiously.

"Vala, I ... I think ... no, I know ... I love you." The fireworks resumed their glorious cacophony at that moment, as if to emphasis his revelation; conversely, their friends sitting around them were struck dumb. "I think a part of me has since that kiss aboard the Prometheus. Will you go steady with me?" he asked, opening the box and revealing a ring within.

More fireworks exploded as she squealed a yes and threw her arms around him, but he couldn’t hear the noise over the hammering in his chest. "I love you, too," she confessed finally as she looked into his eyes. The pyrotechnics seemed to be cheering for them as he kissed her, burning the moment in his mind so he could savour it again whenever they found themselves separated.

When they finally came up for air, he took the ring out of the box and slipped it on the ring finger of her left hand. "It's not a Clannadh ring exactly, but it's close," he said. It was heavy and silver in colour, though she suspected it was only enameled pewter. She didn't care, nor did she notice when Jack, who was looking over her shoulder at it, remarked that it was a little morbid (and earned an elbow in the gut from Sam for his trouble). A skull looked back at her from the slender digit, wearing a crown bearing three tiny pink rhinestones, with a heart to either side of it. "Look on the other side of the band," Daniel told her. She did as he bade her, turning her hand palm-up, and found the words "Pirate Princess" carved into the band. It was a perfect match for the other such items he'd given her. He took her hand in one of his, turning it palm-downward again and kissing her fingers lovingly. She grinned, then replaced her fingers with her lips, no longer at all interested in the show that was now ending behind him.

Their friends, too -- and a number of strangers -- were far more engrossed by the fireworks happening between Daniel and Vala than those in the sky -- though the happy couple never noticed their audience.

The party made their slow way along to the exit, following the crowd until they reached the large gift shop known as Mouse Gears and ducked inside. Though the store had a vast selection, Vala seemed determined that they start sticking to her declaration not to buy anything more. She even exhibited amazing restraint in the snack and candy area of the store.

Daniel saw something he just had to get for her, though -- a Pirate Princess keychain. He had plans for the bauble -- big plans -- but with the long lines for the cashier, he didn’t think he could get away with having someone distract Vala while he paid for it -- waiting that long for him, she'd know he'd bought something. The immediate solution would be to have someone else buy it -- except that no one was close enough for him to ask! Sam was currently occupying Vala's attention about ten feet off, but since Carter didn’t know about Daniel's plan, she didn’t know to keep Vala away. Worse, they could see him, and night re-join him at any moment!

"Hey, did you see that Pirate Princess keychain?" Peri asked him lowly; he found her standing behind him. "You’re getting Vala all that stuff, right? You want I should pick it up for you, sneak it to Cam to give to you later, and have him pay me back for you? I mean, she's never gonna ask me what I've bought...."

Daniel was struck dumb; Dopey might have had better luck replying than the linguist at that moment. When Daniel finally found his voice, he told her yes and thank-you absently, his mind still wondering how she'd known so thoroughly his dilemma in the first place. He decided she was simply very good at deduction, though the whole encounter made him shiver with its eeriness.

"You look like someone's slipped another Kor Mak bracelet on your wrist!" Vala told him a moment later, sliding her arms around him. "What did Peri say to you?" There was a note of something in her tone, though he wasn't sure if it was jealousy or suspicion or some mix of the two.

"Wha--oh, I dunno," he shrugged. "I wasn't really paying attention -- I wanted to be looking at you," he added, and that seemed to mollify her.

He led her outside, to a bench, not needing to feign tiredness as an excuse to wait there for the rest of their group. Sam and Jack joined them a short while later, then Cameron, all of them empty-handed. Cassandra and her friends got a good laugh at the scene of the "old fogies" half asleep on the bench, while Teal'c got another candid shot: SG-1 brought down not by the Ori, but by an amusement park.

And so they made their weary exit, with tiny sparkling lights in the pavement, like pixie dust, offering them a final bit of magic to see them on their way.

Tired as they were, they didn’t go to sleep right away. Daniel remembered his Calypso Chips vow on their way back to the room, and cleaned out the machine (which amounted to two bags). Then an amused Jack made the mistake of pointing out that there were probably other such machines in the hotel. Despite Vala's pointedly reminding her boyfriend (boyfriend!) of the lack of room in the suitcases, Daniel was determined to hunt down ever possible bag in the place, particularly after Teal'c offered up space in his own luggage. While Cassandra and her friends retreated back to their suite, Daniel's friends decided to tag along on the archaeologist's hunt, which only gained him one more bag.

Not wanting to end the night on a down-note, Jack suggested they celebrate Daniel and Vala's going steady with a round at the hotel bar, with the drinks on him. Vala happily ordered another cider. When she would have ordered another, Daniel made sure her lips were too well-occupied to do so -- first with a kiss, and then (when Cameron teasingly threatened to call the cops on them), by sacrificing one of his precious bags of Calypso Chips. As they made their way back to the room a short while later, the lot of them stumbled and swayed, giggling like fools, though they were more drunk on joy than drink.

If anything, it was harder for Daniel and Vala to say goodnight this night than it had been the night prior (though with Daniel's plan, it would get a whole lot easier very soon). Sam and Jack, too, were reluctant, knowing that the flight home Monday evening would bring them back to an all-too-painful reality -- one of a separation that involved more than distance.

"Oh, Jackson, do you know why I just paid that Peri chick ten bucks for this?" Cameron asked, holding up the keychain Peri had slipped him.

Daniel dug out his wallet and traded Cameron a ten-note. "Never mind," he told his friend, blushing.

Cameron's eyes widened. "Please tell me you’re not giving her a car."

Daniel pursed his lips thoughtfully. "No, but now that you mention it...." He left Cameron to exchange concerned glances with the Jaffa as he opened his door to the room he shared with Jack.

As Sam waited for Vala to finish in the bathroom they shared, her cell rang. Vala entered the room just in time to hear Sam answer it.

"Sure, we'll wait for you in the lobby," Sam told whoever was on the other end, smiling. "Get back into your dayclothes," she said to Vala, who had just changed into a nightshirt.

Ten minutes later, they greeted someone in the lobby; late as it was, though, the three of them decided to wait until morning to announce the arrival to the boys of SG-1.

"You know, Jack ..." Daniel began tentatively as he closed the door behind him, "... If you want ... well, a little alone time with Sam ..." He coughed uncomfortably, blushing. "Well, I could always, ah, sleep on the couch out there...."

Both men turned a matching shade of pink.

"Yeah, well, I, ah, appreciate the offer there, Danny-boy, but ... somehow I think that would just make things worse, ya know?" He sat on his bed, and his age showed in the motion.

The joy of recent events in Daniel's own life were suddenly dimmed immensely, albeit entirely unintentionally, by his friend's depression. "It's not fair," Daniel said. "You spend most of your day at work, you get close to the people you work with, the ideal situation for developing a relationship with someone, and yet ... and yet they tell you that you can’t fall in love."

Jack smiled bitterly. "See their side of it, Daniel. Would you trust someone to put the fate of the world before the person they love most?"

"Telling people that they can’t love each other doesn't stop it from happening. It just makes them have to hide it."

Jack nodded. "And telling yourself you don’t love them doesn't work either."

Daniel smiled sadly; he knew that from firsthand experience. Wasn't there even the slightest chance things could turn out for Jack and Sam the way they was starting to for him and Vala?

Then again, if the Ori had their way, things wouldn’t turn out well for anyone. As he lie awake that night, all Daniel could think of was how he couldn’t bear the thought of being cheated of a future with Vala -- especially after taking so long to see that such a possibility existed in the first place....

~ FINIS ~