Vulnerable

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A post-Origin tag
by mermaid2bseeker

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Daniel let out a big yawn. The Ori problem would just have to wait until tomorrow, or later today, he corrected himself when he saw his watch. He continued down the hall to his on-base quarters. Opening the door, he thought for a fleeting moment that he was in the wrong room. However, a glance behind him confirmed Vala's guard at the other end of the hall.

Normally, he wouldn't have been thrown by seeing Vala in his quarters. Normally, she would try to seduce him and he would yell at her until she left. But this time, Vala was asleep, fully clothed in her BDUs, and curled up protectively on top of his sheets.

It was odd, she looked so harmless. Of all the people he'd net over the years, Vala never ceased to confuse him. Sighing inwardly, Daniel unfolded the blanket and covered her with it. He turned to leave but a hand around his wrist stopped him.

"Please don't leave." Her voice was so small, he almost didn't recognize it. Vala looked up at him with bloodshot eyes, a sure sign she had been crying. "Please. I don't want to be alone."

Despite all their previous hostility, Daniel sat on the edge of the bed. "Come here," he told her.

She sat up and leaned into his arms. "I can still feel the fire," she said softly. "Every time I close my eyes, I see the priors."

"Oh, Vala."

She sat up and looked at him. "It's all my fault they know about us." Tears started rolling down her face. "If I hadn't been so obsessed about the treasure, we wouldn't have discovered that device and we wouldn't have gotten stuck in those people and the Ori wouldn't have found out about our galaxy."

"No, no. Don't think that." He wrapped him arms around her again. "It's not your fault." That wasn't a complete lie. It was partially his fault, as well, for being so upset about the Daedalus that he acted recklessly, hoping for a big discovery. "The Ori would have found out about us eventually. At least now we know they're coming and we can prepare."

As though reading his thoughts, she added. "It is my fault you missed your spaceship."

Daniel smiled at her honesty. "Yes, but it'll be back in a month or two. Besides, I'm kind of glad I missed it. The bad guys over there are even worse than the Ori."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

A pause, a sniffle, then, "This is nice, you know. Just sitting here. I like it."

"Yeah, Me too."

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A/N:
Please review. I know Vala was OOC but I wanted to expose her vulnerability, hence the title.