Daniel & Adrienne #38 - With You I Can

For everyone out there who found the one person who can make it all matter and for those of you who are still looking....

“Look, Sam said the Tok’ra are gonna to be here; we need to wait,” Cam repeated, for at least the fourth time, over his shoulder at Vala as she threw herself onto the ground like a spoiled child. Bewilderment in her eyes, Teyla leaned back, carefully to Adrienne, tilting her head to whisper in her ear.

“Is she always like this?” she asked, this only being the second or third mission she had been on with Vala, that is, even if one could call this a mission. Three days ago, out of the blue, a strange signal came in from P3X-888, one that had Daniel in a near panic for  Chaka and his friends. Opening the Iris, equally as concerned, Sam raced to the gate only to received a message, in code, code she and Daniel barely understood indicating that the Tok’ra were aware of Anubis’ escape and to meet at these coordinates in 72 hours, coordinates they had been waiting at for at least six. 

“More or less,” Adrienne grinned, having grown used to Vala’s behavior. It was like having a little sister that was really older and taller and crazier, one that provided her with endless sources of personal amusement. 

“And to think I make fun of Sheppard when he whines,” she joked in return, returning to her watchful stance.  

Adrienne just smiled and looked back at the caves down the hill from whence she had just come, sent to see if the Tok’ra had arrived. There was no time clock for their arrival beyond the three days; the message pretty much said they would be here today and that was all, so here they were, playing the waiting game.  Teyla, a bit antsy for a lack of things to do around the SGC, had volunteered to come, leaving her son Torrin in John Sheppard’s care. Adrienne felt bad, there was really nothing to do here either but sit and wait and listen to Vala whine and Cam fuss, but she was assuming that Teyla was just enjoying not having to answer to someone under the age of 18. She guessed Teyla could come with she and Daniel, but to be honest, that wasn’t all that exciting either and Adrienne was somewhat enjoying their quiet time together. Shrugging, she turned again to face Teyla, sympathy on her face. 

“Well, I was just coming to check if you guys had heard anything, but if not it’s back to listen to my own big whiner,” she quipped, eager to return back to Daniel but also not wanting to show it outwardly. She’d been enjoying this little excursion, the two of them, alone in the caves, there was something about it that was just nice even if they were working. Teyla laughed lightly, relaxing finally, tucking the gun under her arm instead of using it to guide her scan of the horizon. As the one mom in the group, she took no chances with her life or the lives of her friends, so despite the planet’s friendly appearance, she had refused to relinquish her P90 for a moment.  

“What’s he doing anyway?” she asked, having noted Daniel’s absence from the group for hours and Adrienne rolled her eyes, shaking her head at her boss’s endless geekiness. 

“Apparently, they’ve been here before, I guess that’s why the Tok’ra chose it. When they last explored this planet they found writing in the caves, some dialect that he’s picked up.  It’s not anything I know, so I’m not quite sure why he dragged me along,” she answered, even though she knew why and it was nice to be wanted, even if he was just enjoying her company. 

“With those IOA folks it seems to be all about numbers, and five seems to be the magic number lately...” Teyla smiled, one that Adrienne didn’t quite trust, a look like she knew something and she just shrugged, jogging back in the direction of her boss, her best friend, the one person she loved more than anyone else in the universe, her boyfriend. That had taken her an entire week of saying it in her head to get the courage to say it to his face, but she had and he didn’t say anything unkind or smart, just held her and kissed her and told her he loved her. This could work, she thought as she ran, breathing in the fresh air around her, regretting that once they met up with the Tok’ra that they would have to go home to a cold and wet early winter in Washington D.C. Here, the grass was so green that it seemed to shimmer in the light of the two suns which shone ahead like two parents lovingly overlooking their children. It was like the whole planet was either some wonderful dream or a movie set in New Zealand, even the cave had a romantic quality to it, the thought making her smile to herself as she stuck her head in and clicked on her flashlight, heading back for Daniel, for her Daniel.  

“Hey Indy, find anything cool?” she shouted.  

“Short Round, you’re back,” he looked over his shoulder and smiled, his eyes sparkling in the beam of her flashlight. Shaking her head, she laughed, truly touched when he did things like that. 

“Excellent my young padawan, taught you well I have,” she joked and knelt behind him putting her chin on his shoulder and bringing her cheek right beside his, stealing a kiss. Turning his head he pecked her lips gently, cutting his eyes back, hoping that no one saw, that no one else was here and reached his fingers forward again, letting them trace the characters on the wall.  

“No, not really.  Just a few lines about how they grew crops and some notes on hunting expeditions but nothing really valuable.  Glad to know I obsessed over this for three years for nothing,” he shrugged, rubbing her back lightly. Lifting her eyebrows in a sort of silent apology, Adrienne sat back onto to cold cave floor and sighed. He had been so excited this morning and the days leading up to the mission that she felt bad he had found nothing so she remained silent, at a loss as to what else she could say. 

“No Tok’ra yet, huh?” Daniel asked her, breaking the awkward silence.  

“Not yet, and Vala’s throwing an tantrum,”  Adrienne answered, glad to change the subject. 

“So what else is new?” Daniel replied. Laughing, Adrienne reached into her pack, since there were no notes to take, pulling out a novel and crawled closer to the light Daniel had set up, the replacement light she had purchased after Vala had broken her fancy LED light.  Accidentally, Vala had broken the light accidentally, but she was still a little annoyed by the entire thing.    

“Zombies?” Daniel asked, looking at her curiously, glancing over his glasses to see what she was reading.  Turning to face the cover to him, Adrienne shook her head.  

“No, back to vampires, still waiting on the next zombie issue to come out,” she answered, recalling the last page she was on and turning to it.   

“Any good?” he kept questioning while he jotted things into his journal. 

“Well, Sookie dumped that stupid weretiger, so I’m not quitting the series just yet,” she answered, not looking up as she scanned the page.   

“Has she figured out she loves Eric?” he asked like it was the most normal conversation in the world, Adrienne looking at him strangely. 

“What?” he looked back at her, noticing her pause. 

“I never thought you listened to me about my stupid books,” she said.  

“Well, I do.  Mostly because it fascinates me how a woman so intelligent can read that type of ..... literature,” he raised his eyebrows, “and because I try to impress you with my knowledge of pop culture.” 

“No, she’s still lying to herself, trying to rationalize his actions,”  Adrienne answered, blushing, flattered again by his sweetness. How could she ever think this man would hurt her?   

“Sounds like someone else I know,” he joked, hoping she wouldn’t throw that back at him and continuing, “Well, I guess I’ll know when they finally do hook up,” he stated and Adrienne cocked her head, puzzled.

“And how is that?” Adrienne was intrigued.  

“Because it’ll be the one moment that I’m trying to do something, like this, that you can’t help with, and I’l be concentrating on the key word in the passage when you’ll start screaming like a fool,” he looked back at her, laughing. 

“You don’t love me,” she teased, sticking her tongue out at him, kicking him with her extended leg, laughing and returning to her book.

A short time later, neither of them sure how long as Adrienne had been trapped in the world of vampire politics and Daniel in his rock wall reading, Vala came running into the cave, out of breath but seemingly delighted. 

“THEY’RE HERE!! FINALLY!! LET”S GO, I’M SO BORED......” she shouted as if Daniel and Adrienne were across a football field instead of sitting right in front of her. They both glanced up at her and saw Teyla sticking her head in behind Vala.  

“Our allies have arrived,” Teyla said, “Cameron is briefing them now and we will be leaving soon.”  Adrienne sat up and began to pack her things while Daniel still stared away at the wall, his body language indicating that he had no intention of leaving at the present moment. 

“Who came?” Daniel not making eye contact, wondering if it was anyone he knew.  

“Another one of your women,” she stated, annoyed, flopping herself on the floor beside Adrienne, “Did Sookie dump that hot guy for stupid Eric?” 

“Anise?” he followed up, jotting something else down in his book. Adrienne had been about to answer Vala’s question since she knew Vala was a few volume’s behind her, but she couldn’t help but feel a tinge of jealousy at Vala’a comment coupled with Daniel’s answer, a tinge that Vala saw. 

“Yes,” Vala answered, “she’s a bitch. No worries Addy, I can tell by the look on her face that he must have tossed her aside too. Glasses is all yours.” Adrienne flushed at her response and Vala busted out laughing. 

“You two are pathetic. I’m going to wait out side, it’s too damn cold in here,” Vala said, standing, pushing past a waiting Teyla, whom Adrienne had forgotten was still standing at the entrance to the inner chamber. 

“It is both Anise and Sina. They are both speaking with Cameron now, but there does not appear to be a rush. I will be at the top of the hill waiting. Take your time,” she smiled and left.  

“I like her,” Adrienne told Daniel as she continued to put away their gear, “I think I’ll be sad once Rodney figures out how to recharge the ZPM’s.  Other than him, the rest of them have kind of grown on me,” Adrienne lamented. She meant it, and even though things were a bit awkward after the date she and Ronon had a few months back, she would miss him too, but Daniel didn’t look up. 

“So when did you tell Vala?” he asked instead, as he continued to write.  

“Tell Vala what?” Adrienne countered, confused, thinking more about what information the Tok’ra could have that was going to turn their entire world upside down and exactly how pretty was this other alien woman.

“About us,” he answered, tucking the pen into the journal to finally peer back at her. 

“I didn’t, she just obnoxious and possibly psychic,” Adrienne replied laughing but Daniel was already making a face at her. 

“Ok, I mean, it’s not that I don’t, Ad, it’s just that,” Daniel tried to explain, feeling already like he was going to hurt her feelings, this was all so fragile anyway, but Adrienne was crawling forward, turning him to face her, running her palm down his cheek.

“It’s that she has the biggest mouth on the planet, possibly in the galaxy and you don’t want me shipped to a basement of some research facility in the Arctic,” Adrienne ventured, turning her head. 

“That’s about right,” he argued, tossing his journal aside as Adrienne brought him into a deep long kiss, wrapping his arms around her, running his hands down her back. She’d been a bit more tactile lately, more intimate, and no longer shrugged away when she had gotten him to a point of excitement like she had before. Granted, they still hadn’t taken it much beyond very heavy kissing but it wasn’t the physical that made him so happy, it was that she finally trusted him enough to open herself up in ways she hadn’t in a very long time. He let them kiss softly for a few moments, pulling her into his lap and sliding his hand into her uniform shirt to rub her waist, wanting to feel her flesh and broke away reluctantly, letting his lips brush hers one more time before lightly guiding her from his legs, returning to his task. Curious as to what he was doing and still desiring his touch, Adrienne pushed the gear bag aside and reached for his shoulders, a smile from their contact still lingering in her face. 

“I thought you said it was nothing important,”  she asked, peering to see what he was looking at. 

“It isn’t, but I feel like I owe it to myself to keep going until we have absolutely to leave,” he replied.  

“Ok, well, it looks like we’re all packed up except for what you are working on right now, so if it’s ok I would love to enjoy the sunshine before I lose it....” she asked, not wanting to leave him alone but started to feel withered in the cold, wet cave.  If she could lay there in his arms, maybe she would want to stay, but he had work to do and they’d pushed their luck for the day as it was, after all, she could just kiss him tonight. 

“Go ahead, I’ll yell if I need you,”  he answered, resuming his translation.  Permission granted, Adrienne threw her bag over her shoulder and headed out into the inviting sunlight, relishing in the brilliant rays the moment she emerged from the mouth of the cave.  Tossing her pack onto the grass, laying down and leaning against, she was able to get a few more chapters in when she heard Cam over the radio, now working since she wasn’t in the cave. 

“Ok, everyone let’s regroup.  Addy, are you hearing me? Please respond so I don’t have to send our big baby to fetch you guys....” Cam’s voice said into her shoulder.  She laughed, almost wanting to not answer just to make Vala have to walk back down to the caves again, but she decided to play nice.  

“Yeah, I can hear you.  I’ll go fetch him and we’ll be up in a moment,” Adrienne answered, clicking off her radio and leaning back to yell into the cave.  

“Indy, we’re being summoned!”  she shouted.  

“Ok, I’ll be right there!” he yelled back.  

“Well, you’d better hurry. I think Cam has hit his Vala toleration quota for the day,”  Adrienne warned and thought she heard laughing from inside. Minutes later he appeared from the cave, quickly shielding his eyes from the sun as the beams lit up his face.

“I was in there WAY too long,” he said as he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, trying to adjust to the brightness.    

“I should start calling you Eric,” she teased. 

“So does that make you Pam?” he asked, waiting to see if she’d catch on. 

“Only because Sookie is a big wuss” she responded, pulling on his jacket to kiss him again. He returned the gesture, shoving her away quickly, laughing. 

“You want us to get caught,” he accused, as Adrienne started walking slowly up the hill, leaving him behind as she laughed. 

Cam was dialing home when they arrived at the top of the hill, the team waiting patiently for their way home to take shape.

“Boy, you aren’t gonna believe the shit they told us,” Cam said, mostly to Daniel, as the pair of archaeologists reached the precipice of the slope. Frowning in concern, Daniel reached into his messenger bag to slide a journal into it, one he had read the entire way up the hill, almost walking into Adrienne at least five times, glancing back up at the colonel. 

“Go ahead, because what I’ve got is about ten years worth of hunting yields,” Daniel replied, adjusting his pack. Cam was leaning on the DHD where he had started to dial and stopped, intending to explain to Daniel first. 

“No,no,no,no” Vala leapt up from where she had been lying on the ground, whining, grabbing Cam’s hand to return it the machine, “talk and dial Mitchell, talk and dial.” Frowning he shooed her away, returning his attention to Daniel. 

“So apparently we were correct, our good buddy has been traipsing all over the damn galaxy collecting whatever rag tags he can. He started with any homeless Ori soldiers he could find, whoever chose to not go with Tomin...”

“My husband,” Vala interrupted, making Adrienne roll her eyes. She only acknowledged the man as her husband when it was convenient, which bothered Adrienne on a wide variety of levels. 

“Whatever, anyway, he collected those that he could, plus a few marauders and traders that the Lucians have no use for, and, get this, some Jaffa, ones that are rebelling against the council,” the colonel explained, Daniel expression growing more grim. 

“He’s essentially collecting everyone in the galaxy that could hold a grudge against us and uniting them. But why? For what cause?” Daniel asked, more to himself than anyone else. 

“Great, can we talk about this at home?” Vala pushed her way between the two men proceeding to dial Earth once more. Letting out a breath of annoyance, Daniel moved her aside beginning to dial when he stop, remembering something. 

“Ad, did you see the red journal? The new one?” Daniel asked, digging around in his bag again, looking up at her and in back into the bag. 

“Are you kidding me, you lost something??” Vala demanded, trudging over to rip Daniel’s bag from his shoulder, spilling the contents onto the ground at the base of the stone ramp. 

“What’s wrong shug?” Adrienne stepped forward asking as Daniel glared at Vala, daring her to touch the mess now at his feet. 

“I left a journal.  The one with my language notes on - “ he started, but Adrienne interrupted, shaking her hand in front of her face.  

“I’ll run back,” Adrienne volunteered.  

“No, it’s alright, you’re not my servant, I’ll go,” Daniel argued. 

“I’m not your servant, but in a few minutes I’ll be back in DC, cold and wet and in a briefing about Mr. Scary Jackal Head. I really don’t mind running in the sunshine for a bit longer,”  she assured him, missing the rays of heat against her face already, making her miss the Bayou against her better judgement. 

“Yes, let Addy go, Daniel is slow,” Vala moaned and Daniel rolled his eyes.  

“Fine, go Addy but hurry up, please, Sam’s expecting us back pronto, and she’s gonna wanna hear this,” Cameron pleaded, directing his eyes over to Vala.  She knew his insistence had nothing to do with Sam and everything to do with not taping Vala’s mouth shut, which, given a roll of duct tape, Cam just might do. Trying not to laugh, Adrienne darted down the green hill once more, racing back to the caves.  

“Wait up!” Teyla shouted, startling Adrienne at first as she came to a dead stop and ducked thinking something was wrong, that she missed some surprise attack from their apparently growing list of enemies. She relaxed, breathing out once she realized that it was just Teyla. 

“I’m not gonna get shot between here and there Teyla, but I appreciate the gesture,” Adrienne told her. 

“I know, it is safe here but I cannot listen to that woman a moment longer,” Teyla answered and this time, Adrienne laughed, signaling that her Atlantian friend join her in her dash down the soft grassy hill. 

 When they arrived, Adrienne quickly crossed the threshold of the cave and clicked on her flashlight, making her way over to where Daniel had been working.  She got onto her hands and knees and searched, running the beam along the crevasse where the rock wall and floor met, knocking a few rocks out of her way with her hands, but found nothing.  

“Find it?” Teyla asked, standing behind the archaeologist, scanning the ground herself. 

“No, gah damn saleau, I have no idea what he did with it.  He’s a spreader; I’m never sure how he finds anything,” Adrienne replied, annoyed with herself as well that she chose to sunbathe and read instead of help him stay organized; she might be taking this girlfriend thing a little too far and forgetting the assistant part. She made a mental note not to do that again in the future. There was a click behind her, a second beam joining her own and Teyla got down herself, intending to help as well.  Pointing to Teyla to research the area in front of her, Adrienne turned, crawling even deeper into the cave, thinking that maybe he had accidentally kicked it aside when she heard what sounded like a large explosion from behind them.  

And then the world shook. 

*****

Daniel and Cameron were sitting on the steps leading to the gate waiting, chatting about the small electronic device that contained information from the Tok’ra spies, Vala now slumped over the DHD still complaining. Daniel just ignored her, more interested in the little bit of verbal information Cam had to offer since they would need Sam to activate the memory stick, but the colonel had had just about enough of her nonsense. 

“Jesus Vala,” Cameron said, “You’re bored on-world, you’re bored off-world, is there a time when you are not bored.”  Sticking out her tongue, she leaned up and smiled, raising her eyebrows at Daniel, who scowled at the non-verbal suggestion.  

“Forget I asked,” Cam replied, Daniel thinking to himself that if that was going to happen with anyone, it was going with Adrienne, feeling guilty immediately for the thought. Don’t push her Daniel, even mentally, he scolded. 

“Back home there’s TV.  Here there is just grass, grass and more grass,” she answered, sweeping the beautiful landscape with her hand, the landscape Adrienne had been in awe of when they arrived. 

“You could bring a book.  Adrienne always has something to read just in case,” Daniel offered, remembering that at some point Vala was reading those silly vampire novels of Adrienne’s, wondering why she didn’t have one with her now. 

“Adrienne always has something to read just in case,” Vala mimicked his voice, adding an unnecessary whiney nasal, when they heard an explosion, rising to their feet, looking around them for an attacker. The skies were clear, the gate was still standing there, dormant, when another explosion went off and the ground began to shake under their feet.  

“Take cover,” Cam yelled, and they braced themselves on the nearest structure, Daniel and Cam holding onto the stone platform leading to the gate while Vala clung to the DHD. The shaking went on for a good 30 seconds before stopping as suddenly as it started, as if nothing had happened. 

“Everyone ok?” Cam asked.

“Good,” Vala responded. 

“Fine,” Daniel answered and reached for his shoulder, “Ad, you almost back? Are you ok?” he said into the radio, hoping that she wasn’t sprawled out in the grass, taken off guard by the tremor and lying helpless with a sprained ankle. 

“Adrienne? Come in,” Daniel repeated, fear rising in his voice. Why wasn’t she answering? She should have been back already, or at the very least half way there. 

“Just chill Jackson, there isn't signal in the caves,” Cameron said, knowing where this was going; he had seen Daniel like this before, seen him panic over losing sight and contact with his assistant. Shooting a glance back at Cam,  Daniel didn’t respond, throwing his bag to the ground, running full speed back down the hill.

*****

“Adrienne, are you alright?” Teyla called out into the darkness as Daniel’s fearless assistant was dusting herself off trying to reach the flashlight from the crevice into which it had fallen.  

“Yeah, just trying...to... got it!” she exclaimed, “and....” she looked at Teyla shining the flashlight in her face like she was going to tell a campfire ghost story, “I found the journal.” 

“Of course,” Teyla replied, Adrienne muttering cajun swears under her breathe, the words Daniel and cooyon being the ones Teyla recognized.   

“What do you believe was the cause of that?” the Athosian continued, shining the light all around the small stone room, searching for a cause of the shaking. 

“I have no idea, but the last time the earth moved under my feet, it was because of Anubis and not my heart beatin’ cuz viking vampires were calling my name,” Adrienne answered, now humming the song under her breath. 

“I’m sorry,?” Teyla questioned, noting Adrienne was not searching around any longer for a cause, simply pointing the flashlight back from the direction they came. 

“Nothing, bad attempt at a joke, let’s go on the off chance that someone that we don’t want to find us has,” Adrienne replied, women headed back around the corner in search of the mouth of the cave, stepping carefully through the pitch black using the guiding beam of Adrienne’s small flashlight. They had gone a only short distance when Adrienne felt a gentle grab at her wrist and a tug from behind. 

“Adrienne?” Teyla stopped their advance, asking curiously, “How far were you all working in the cave?”  

“Not too far,” Adrienne answered, “Why?” 

“Did we get turned around?” she continued. 

“No, why?” the archaeologist asked herself, turning her flashlight to her friend to see if she had missing something. There was a light click in the darkness and a flash, Teyla bringing her own lamp to life, shining it at Adrienne’s feet and scanning upward slowly,  revealing a wall of stone.  

“Because if not, I think we are trapped,” she stated as Adrienne brought her hand to her face. 

“Why would I ever think anything we do is easy,” Adrienne sighed, and started to scan the wall for an opening.  

******

When Daniel saw the cave his fears were confirmed; the entire entrance had collapsed leaving in its place a large pile of rubble.  

“Adrienne!!!” Daniel screamed and began to pull at the rocks in the entrance, rock by rock, screaming her name looking for any sign that she was alive.  She had to be alive, she just had to be alright, he thought, I can’t lose her now that I have her. There were footsteps, running foot steps behind him, Cameron and Vala running to join him and hearing them, Daniel looked behind himself frantic. 

“Come help me, they’re trapped in there!!!” he shouted, pulling at rocks.  No questions asked or needed, his teammates rushed over to help, pulling rocks one by one tossing them aside on the ground behind them, but just as they cleared one area entirely, more rocks just kept crashing down to replace the ones that they had removed.  

“Adrienne, answer me!!” Daniel screamed into the stone, hoping to get a response, his face distressed and his breath shallow. Frantic, Daniel dropped to his knees, searching for an opening at the bottom as Vala reached to the top to do the same, pulling a large rock positioned right over Cameron’s head, a rock larger than she expected, but she was unable to hold onto it and it came down on top of him, hitting him square in the temple. 

“Shit, Vala, be careful!” he yelled, grabbing his head, the group stopping their attack on the rubble to make sure he was alright. 

“Cam, you’re bleeding,” Vala noted, reaching into her vest for some first aid supplies, stepping back to dig around in her pockets.  

“I AM WELL AWARE OF THAT VALA!!” Cam screamed at her and she apologized, nastily Daniel noted, thinking a lot more must have gone on back at the DHD than he knew about since Cam seemed much angrier than he normally would have been. Grunting, Vala grabbed him by his arm, pulling him aside, sitting him down on the ground to mend the wound.  Daniel probably should have helped, he was the trained medic, but he couldn’t focus, he could only focus on one thing, that the love of his life was on the other side of the debris, trapped and it was his fault.

“You stay put,” he heard Vala order from behind him, seeing her joining him in pulling the rocks again, Daniel having moved back to the upper layer where Vala had been working before. She reached for another large rock, wedged next to the space formerly housing Cam’s stone attacker, when her hand slipped from the sides, the large piece almost dropping on herself. Assuming her hands were sweaty, and hoping the Cam hadn’t noticed to start swearing at her again for being careless, Vala wiped the moisture from her palms and onto her BDU’s before reaching up to get a better grasp, slipping again, staggering backward. Catching herself, Vala looked down at her hands, knowing that she wasn’t sweating that bad, thinking maybe there was mud on them, perhaps some of the rocks were wet, the result of inner cave rocks coming cascading down on top of them, but they weren’t. Her hands were stained with a dark, thick red ooze: blood. Her hands were stained with blood. Shaking her head, Vala glanced back between herself and Cam quickly, distinctly remembering washing her hands off after tending to Cameron. She had no idea where the blood was coming from, her hands were clean, Cam’s wound fixed, there were no cuts on her palms or between her fingers, when it hit her. Realizing what was going on Vala looked over at Daniel as he tossed another rocked behind him, grabbing his hands in her own before he could take down another. His palms were covered in blood, the top layer of skin stripped, his hands raw. 

“Stop,” she whispered gently, but he jerked his hands from hers, glaring at her angrily, and kept pulling rocks out one at a time, wincing at each pull in pain, a wincing that she had not noticed before. She stood there, not saying a word, watching him pull a few more, each and every one slipping from his hand and to the ground, covered in brown and red streaks.  Wiping his hands onto his pants quickly, he reached up again to grab another.  

“Daniel, stop,” she now ordered, placing her hand on his shoulder.  Heeding her request, he turned around to face her with a look of sadness on his face and what appeared to be tears in his eyes.  She reached out for him, but he just stood there, looking lost and desperate. 

“I know honey, I know,” she squeezed his his bicep, rubbing his arm, “I’m sure she’s fine, but we need to get some help,” Vala whispered softly, not wanting to embarrass Daniel, she knew what was going on. She had been right, she had been right all along and this just confirmed it: Daniel was in love with Adrienne. Gripping his arm one final time, Vala turned to Cam to try and figure out a plan.   

*****

“Daniel!!! Daniel!!!” Adrienne shouted at the pile of stones yet again, stopping only to clear her sore throat and start shouting once more 

“I think if they could hear us we would know,” Teyla interjected as Adrienne was resting her throat for a third time.  

“I know, this just makes me feel better, especially since I left my damn staff weapon back at the lab. You know like in the movies when they keep moving the rocks and the light peers through, and they shout comforting thoughts through to one another while they await rescue,” Adrienne babbled, sitting down on the ground leaning back onto the rubble.  

“You watch a lot of movies,” Teyla remarked, taking a seat beside her and clicking off the light, plunging both women into darkness.   

“Watched. Past tense. Used to have a lot more free time on my hands,”  Adrienne replied and Teyla laughed.  

“It’s strange, I spent my whole life never knowing what television or movies were and now Torrin will never know a life without it,”  she said.  

“But what if you guys can make it back?” Adrienne asked, wishing she had used a word other than if but Teyla didn’t seem to notice. 

“I am certain that this time John will bring much video entertainment,” she responded, making Adrienne laugh. She was fairly certain that Teyla was correct, if John Sheppard had anything to do with it, there would be an entire video facility built to accommodate John, Ronon and Rodney’s video game and film hobby.

“I was telling Daniel today that I will miss y’all when you go.  Kinda like Torrin and TV, I’ve never known a life at the SGC without you,” Adrienne admitted.  

“That is kind of you Adrienne. We have grown quite fond of you as well,”  Teyla answered, making Adrienne smile in the dark.  

“Do you miss it?” she asked, unable to imagine what it was like be stranded so far from home. The Bayou was far, not that she missed much about it, but when she did, she could just pick up the phone and listen to Rae talk about her horses or the new goat babies. Teyla, on the other hand, didn’t have that option. 

“Some. The base, yes, it became home.  The planet, no, it was not my first home. THAT  I miss and I miss Kanaan,” the last words were the quietest and broke Adrienne’s heart. That she couldn’t imagine either, being separated from someone as special as Kanaan was to Teyla, someone as special as Daniel was to her now. Choking up at the realization, that not only did she love him, but that he had become such an important part of her life, she reached over into the darkness for Teyla, grabbing her knee and squeezed. 

“Did you leave someone behind?” Teyla asked, sensing her sadness, “To come work for the SGC?” 

“Yes and no.  My father died a few months before I was contacted by Sam and I have an interesting relationship with the rest of my family,” Adrienne answered honestly, silently breathing in to compose herself.  

“No one else?” Teyla pried and Adrienne realized that she was trying to have ‘girl talk.’ It was sweet; Teyla was such a kind woman. Vala had proven to be a good friend in so many ways, but sitting here, talking to Teyla, Adrienne felt as if she could say anything and there would be no judgments and no insane suggestions. The Athosian wasn’t much older than Adrienne she guessed, maybe six or seven years at best, but there was something about Teyla that just made her seem so much wiser.

“No one.  There was a boyfriend for a few years, but he just didn’t understand me. Wanted a more proper woman, so that didn’t work out,” Adrienne explained.  

“I find it interesting what Earth defines as a proper woman. On Athos a women needed to be able to do everything a man could do and the reverse.  Here, even for as advanced as you are, it seems that a woman still is expected to remain a lesser being,” Teyla observed.  

“I agree, completely, or at the very least give up every dream that they ever had the moment they’re in a committed relationship,” Adrienne continued, feeling sad once more that some day Teyla would leave the base, sooner than later if Rodney had his way.  Adrienne could really relate to Teyla, in a way she wished she could with Sam, if Sam was ever able to have a true free moment.  

“I do not think all men are like that. I think that once one finds their other that things can be different,” Teyla added. Maybe, Adrienne thought, Daniel didn’t seem to want for one moment that Adrienne stop anything, in fact, the whole reason they hadn’t told anyone about their relationship was for fear of Adrienne losing her position at the SGC. She smiled, realizing that maybe Daniel was her one, the only one, something she hadn’t really thought about before. 

“You seem calmer now,” Teyla said, interrupting her thoughts and revealing her original intention. 

“I am, thanks. We just need to hang in there,” Adrienne said, keeping the other lingering ponderings to herself. 

“They will not leave us. It is not their way. Daniel will not leave you,” Teyla added the last part carefully.  

“No, he won’t,” Adrienne replied, not much more than a whisper, knowing in her heart that Teyla was right. 

*****

“I’m not going,” Daniel argued with Cameron and Vala. 

“Jackson, listen, it’s getting dark and this place seems safe but with Anubis snooping around and the damn Lucians, you have no idea what could come out at you. We’re just hoping that this was an earthquake and not a surprise from your old friend,” Cameron tried to reason with him.  

“I don’t care.  What if they are working from the other side? What if just a few more stones and we can hear them and at least have a better idea if someone is hurt,” Daniel retorted, his eyes cutting back continuing at the wall behind him as if he were expecting just that you happen. 

“Dammit, Daniel, why can’t you be reasonable?! We have no idea if they are even -” Cameron caught himself, not really thinking that anything had happened to his friends, just trying to consider all scenarios, but it was too late, the words had escaped his mouth and his co-leader was already storming up to his face, pointing his finger and shouting. 

“Don’t you even say it, don’t even consider it!!” he shouted, “I know she is on the other side just waiting for me to get to her!!!” 

“She?! Daniel, we’re assuming it is Adrienne AND Teyla in there. What the hell is your problem man?” Cam shoved him back, knowing full well what the problem was, a problem that as co-leader Daniel could not have. Fine, they could be together and Cam would keep his mouth shut, but Jackson could not stand here, losing his mind every time Adrienne might be hurt or in danger.  Refusing to back down from Daniel, not wanting it to come to blows but also feeling the need to inform him, if not verbally, that this was not how the team was going to run, Cam stood his ground as Vala walked over to him, reaching out for his arm.  

“Let Daniel stay,” Vala said carefully, “He has a radio, and I’ll leave him my gun so he has two, just in case.” 

“You agree with him!?!?” Cam now directed his anger at her, “Do you realize how stupid you both sound right now?” 

“Let him stay,” Vala urged a second time, Cam shaking his head in disbelief. Apparently he wasn’t the only team member privy to this information, and Vala seemed to be taking their side. Glancing back quickly at his friend, his palms finally beginning to clot from his earlier bad decision, Cam remembered Adrienne’s words to him, the look in her face when she had to admit everything. Sighing, he opened a pouch on his vest, grabbing a small canister inside and tossing it over to Daniel.  

“It’s a gas bomb.  It won’t kill anyone, but can buy you sometime,” Cam explained, giving in, deciding to leave him behind. 

“Thanks,” Daniel said as he caught the canister, slipping it into his own vest.  

“I still think this is a bad idea,” Cameron stated once more, wanting his opinion to be clear. 

“I’m still staying,” Daniel responded.  

“Suit yourself,” Cam replied and started up the hill toward the gate.  Vala looked back at Daniel quickly and smiled, turning to follow Cam.  

“What in the hell has gotten into him?” Cameron asked rhetorically, hearing Vala giggle from behind him. 

*****

“It’s getting dark out,” Adrienne stated some time later, having given up on digging out or shouting for Daniel. Frustrated, she had pulled off her tac vest, balling it into a tight ball of fabric to create a make shift pillow, laying down on the cold cave floor. Daniel wouldn't let them down, Adrienne knew, she was just going to be patient and have to wait. 

“How do you know?” Teyla asked, having not counted the time herself. 

“I remember from the file, it gets dark here around 7 p.m. Earth time year round and my watch says it 6:55 our time,” Adrienne answered, looking down at the manual watch she had gotten used to wearing, finally learning that her gadgets didn’t always work when she needed them. 

“Will it get colder?” Teyla asked another question, sounding worried. 

“It might, but not much.  This planet is pretty much a climatic paradise,” Adrienne assured her trying to will away the coldness of the floor with the memory of the warmth of the sun on her cheeks. 

“Did you look that up too?” Teyla teased. 

“Of course.  I’ve made the mistake of taking Daniel’s word for it before,” Adrienne giggled, knowing that important things like planet temperature were not items to be discussed with Daniel, who thought that sixty degrees was getting a little toasty. 

“He is quite lucky to have you,” Teyla stated, her tone changing.

“Who? Daniel?” Adrienne clarified, “Pretty much. I’m not sure how that man managed for as long as he did on his own.” 

“Yes,” Teyla answered simply, “and you make him very happy.” Adrienne froze. What did she mean by making him happy? By doing her work? Keeping him organized? Or did she know.... Well, if she knows, Adrienne thought, it won’t be my fault. I’m not in any mood to get caught or become an IOA secretary. 

“I’d like to think so,” Adrienne replied, trying to hide the longing in her voice, her desire for him to come rushing in here, rescue her, take her into his arms and take her out of this stone prison. 

“It is true. When you came back from your home your cousin’s ceremony, Daniel was overjoyed to have you back with him. I’m sure your joining was most celebratory as well,” the alien joked and Adrienne’s heart skipped a beat. Their joining? Did she mean? 

“I remember when we would go on a longer mission and I could not return to the village for many days and to join again with Kanaan was almost magical,” Teyla continued. Yep, Adrienne thought, that meant exactly what I thought it meant. 

“I hope I did not offend you,” Teyla spoke again, noting Adrienne’s silence, “I have forgotten that in your culture you do not speak openly of such things.” 

“No, you didn’t,” Adrienne answered, “things like that don’t offend me.” Surprise me yes, she continued inside, but not offend me. Unlike some other people, Teyla was talking about love making in the sweetest most perfect way possible and wishing well upon her and Daniel, not anything dirty or malicious. 

“Then you do not feel the same? Has Daniel done something more to upset you?” Teyla started to question again.  Adrienne felt so stuck.  Why? Why did she care so much? Her words were so certain, not as if she was guessing that they were together, but certain that they were. Nerves built up in her stomach, and for the first time Adrienne wanted to tell someone, she wanted to stand up and scream it from the rooftops that she had found the love of her life and she never wanted to be with anyone but him. Yet, she didn’t. Sighing, Adrienne laid her head back against the tac vest again and Teyla didn’t question her silence.  

They were certainly colder now, but it wasn’t unbearable.  She could hear water dripping in the distance and closed her eyes imagining the slow process of water forming stalagmites like some old filmstrip from when she was in elementary school.  It was a soothing image and she started to feel herself drift off to sleep slightly, but not totally since she was still aware of being in the cave.  Despite being trapped in relative darkness she wasn’t scared; instead she sat there completely confident that Daniel would come sweeping in to save her. In her partially asleep state she played out the rescue in her head, a light peering through the wall, his voice on the other side, his hands pulling away the rocks.  She imagined him bursting through the wall and running up to her, pulling her into his strong arms, looking her deep in the eyes and bringing his lips to her own. She wanted to imagine more, had imagined more, even in the bed with him kissing her neck, touching him lightly through his clothes, feeling his strong grasp at her backside, moving slowly and cautiously for her. 

“I can’t,” Adrienne said finally, “I can’t make love to him.” She didn’t believe her own words until they came from her mouth, echoing on the wet stone surrounding them.  

“Why not?” Teyla questioned and Adrienne dropped to silence once more.  

*****

Daniel watched the sun go down and peeked at his watch noting that it was 7:00 p.m. Earth time, just like Adrienne had said. He remembered her telling him that the sun going down was the only thing about the planet that she didn’t like and he remembered telling her she would get more time with Eric Northman.  That had earned him a punch in the arm, her flushed smile and a stolen kiss in the lab. A long stolen kiss, one that he could almost feel against his own lips as he sat at what would be the mouth of the cave, waiting. 

Vala and Cameron had been gone about 45 minutes.  The walk to the gate was less than five minutes, but he was sure that Sam was trying to find a way to get the Adrienne and Teyla out of the cave without having to blow anything up, the general not being a huge fan of explosions.  He was also certain that they would be bringing the medical team too, just in case and he could see Adrienne’s reaction now as she walked out of the cave to be greeted by Dr. Lam whom Adrienne would later swear had blamed the entire cave in on her. Dr. Grumpypants she called her, even though he had never thought of Carolyn as anything but nice, Adrienne claimed she had the beside manner of an ice pop.  He laughed to himself, thinking that if he had to patch up Adrienne as much as Carolyn had, he just might be a little grumpy too. 

He also knew Adrienne was alright; he couldn’t handle thinking anything else. She was his world now, his first thought in the morning and his last before bed, even if she wan’t in his arms for those thoughts. Now he finally had her, had finally told her, and they were trying so hard to overcome their pasts together, to be together despite it all. If he lost her he just couldn’t....

Daniel breathed in and tried not to think about it, glancing back in the direction of the gate.  

****

“Have you told him?” Teyla asked her again after stressing the importance of being completely open with someone you love. What started out as a friendly conversation had turned into a complete analysis of Adrienne’s psyche and she wasn’t quite sure how to handle it. 

“Yes,” Adrienne answered quietly, hoping that Teyla didn’t ask for specifics since her pervious statement of having some terrible happen to her was hard enough to admit to yet another person. 

“Daniel is a good man. I know he understands,” Teyla defended, misunderstanding Adrienne. 

“No, he does, he has been nothing but wonderful,” Adrienne sat up, not wanting Teyla to think for a moment that Daniel was pushing her into anything, “And I want to, but I just can’t. I get to the point and I just can’t.” 

“Why not?” Teyla pushed, sitting forward toward her, “He would never hurt you.” 

He almost did, Adrienne thought, he was so very close and her heart sank. He was right, he was right in every one of his concerns, holding her close one night in his arms as she had laid so intimately intertwined with him, afraid to go on. It was that, it was that one insane moment, fueled by poison that was holding her back, but he hadn’t hurt her, in fact, as sick as he was he was still coherent enough to be Daniel and here they were, in the most perfect relationship that she could ever imagine and she had become what she hated, whiney, needy, weak and it wasn’t even his fault. 

“You’re right. He wouldn’t. He would never hurt me,” Adrienne agreed easily, confidently, a wave of relief rushing over her. This was right, this could fix everything, he could fix everything. The only thing in her life that made her feel powerless Daniel Jackson could wash away.

“I thought as much,” Teyla declared, “I know I would give anything just touch Kanaan one more time.” 

Adrienne was speechless and heartbroken, pushing away her own selfish thoughts. She couldn’t imagine being light years away from the person you loved most in this world, the father of your child, all with the knowledge that you very well may never see him again, ever.  Adrienne felt a tear roll down her cheek. 

“I do not mean to intrude into your life Adrienne, I was just making an observation,” Teyla said, thinking Adrienne had shed the tear for herself, reaching over to clasp her hand.  

*****

The watch said 8:05 and Daniel couldn’t wait any longer, looking at how Vala had bandaged his hands and glancing back at the wall.  Digging into his bag he pulled out his travel trowel and the K-Bar he never used for defense, but rather used to pick dirt out of carvings and stood, pulling, hitting and chipping away at rocks once more.  He removed one, two, three, four rocks working quickly with determination.  A large pile formed behind him and he felt a surge of pain in his hand, scanning his palms to discover that the bandages were soaked through again, red, brown and wet. Daniel just squeezed his hands into a fist and kept working, determination in his blue eyes as the glistened in the moonlight. 

*****

Cameron paced impatiently in the gate room, his gaze alternating between the left entry doors and the clock, his mind running through every possible scenario of what he could be walking back into. Vala’s intelligence from the planet insisted it was secure, but Cam couldn’t help but wonder every time something went wrong that Anubis was somehow responsible and waiting in the wings, ready to show them what he was up to, finally. He’d given Sam the memory stick from the Tok’ra and she had sent it straight to Zalenka for analysis, promising him that she would join him as soon as she knew had sent a team to rescue Adrienne and Teyla. 

“What in the hell is taking Rodney so damn long!?!” he swore, “Does he not realize we’ve got three people back there?” 

“Cameron, it’s ACID,” Vala answered, for once the patient one, “Personally, I feel better knowing that he’s securing it in something before we blast through that thing,”  she pointed at the Stargate. 

“Well, he could still hurry,” Cameron said as the medical team arrived, Dr. Lam in SG gear and her red crossed tack vest, flanked by two large orderlies. 

“She’s as bad as he is,” Carolyn spat as she was doing the clasp on the front of her vest, obviously having gotten dressed in a hurry and Vala laughed, thinking how many times she had told her friend the exact same thing. 

“I’m serious.  How in the world Sam found that man someone who is as much trouble as he is I will never know.  She must come in once a week having done something stupid to herself, and I know for a fact she’s got Dex and Teal’c patching her up in between visits to me,” Dr. Lam continued, adjusting her uniform and signaling to Walter that her team was complete. 

‘Technically,” Cam defended his buddy, “it was an earthquake.” 

“And technically it was smuggler, the Ori, Adria, parasites...” Dr. Lam listed. 

“Ok, ok, she’s like mini-Jackson, we get the point,” Cameron agreed as Vala just stood there smiling. 

“What?” Cameron asked her, wondering to himself if maybe Adrienne had told her as well. 

“Nothing,” Vala replied, noting confusion in Cam’s face. Did he know something that she didn’t?  

“Ready, let’s go!” Rodney was yelling as he walked briskly around the corner with a large white canister that looked suspiciously like a paint sprayer. Deciding not to ask, although a part of him was worried about this acid in something as simple as a paint sprayer, Cam gave the signal and the gate began dialing. 

*****

Renewed confidence, Adrienne leapt from her seat on the floor, turning to face the rock wall once more. She was gonna get out of here, not sit around like some damn damsel awaiting rescue; she was gonna get out of here, march out of this cave, grab her boyfriend by the front of his shirt and drag him back to her quarters. 

“What are you doing?” Teyla asked, confused. 

“I’m gonna get us out of here,” Adrienne answered plainly.

“Then I will help you,” Teyla stood and turned to face the wall as well. 

“I know that Daniel’ll come, but I’m not gonna just sit here like a gah damn capon waiting for some damn man,” Adrienne defended, both her actions and her love. And I need to talk to him, she thought, now. 

“I understand. I was getting a bit anxious myself,” Teyla said and together the two women began moving the rocks, quickly making a new stack behind them. 

******

Daniel dropped another large rock onto the ground and looked back at the wall. It seemed smaller and it didn’t appear as if more rocks had fallen to replace the old ones.  He felt he was making progress and turned to pull himself upright seeing stars in his vision. He shook his head, squeezed his bare, raw hands into fists and kept working.  One rock, two, three.  

*****

As Cameron crossed through the gate, he waited only long enough to see that the medical team and Rodney had made it through and then sprinted down the hill, Vala following close behind him.  The cave wasn’t far, a large gray obstruction in the blue green grass that glimmered in the starlight, but that wasn’t what made Cam hold up his hand to halt the group, everyone behind him stopping and pulling their guns; it was the body slumped over a large pile of rocks, a body in a black t-shirt and black pants. With a wave of his hand, Cam ordered the group approach slowly, but Vala shoved past him, running straight to their fallen comrade. 

“Daniel,” Vala leaned over him, shaking him gently to rouse him, paying no attention to the possibility of attack from a foe. Following her lead, Dr. Lam rushed over, falling to her knees, checking for a pulse.

“He’s alive,” she said and started to examine him for wounds, running her hands across him, searching for any type of bullet wound or other indicator. Looking him over carefully, she stopped at his hands, holding them in her own as she gazed back to Cameron. 

“There doesn’t appear to be anything wrong other than his hands.  It looks like he literally passed out trying to take down this wall,” she said.  

“He has completely lost his mind!” Cameron exclaimed, resisting the urge to storm down to Daniel himself, wake the idiot up and rip him a new one.  

“No, he hasn’t,” Vala said, still kneeling beside him, smoothing his hair down. Not commenting, Dr. Lam stood to go retrieve some supplies so Cameron knelt down beside Vala and the unconscious Daniel. 

“Vala, do you know what is going on with him?” Cameron asked, wondering how much Vala knew. 

“I do,” she answered confidently. 

“What? If he’s sick or something else, I need to know to make sure he is not a danger to the team,” Cameron led, not wanting to give anything away himself, playing the fool to see how much Vala really understood was going on. 

“He’s not,” Vala responded quickly, adjusting him in her lap and removing his glasses, setting them gently aside. Odd, if she knows that he’s with Adrienne would she really be so touchy with him? the colonel couldn’t help but wonder. 

“Then what in the hell is going on?” Cameron hissed, almost blurting out the question that was really floating around in his head. 

“He’s in love,” Vala replied.  

“What?” Cam tried to play stupid, knowing full well that acting was not his forte, but hoping he would do just well enough to convince Vala, “With Addy?” Vala frowned at him. 

“Of course Addy you dolt, no he’s in love with me. Madly, they both are, but for some idiotic reason they just keep lying to themselves, acting like they don’t. Addy’s always mumbling some nonsense about getting transferred if she says anything and that he thinks she’s his little sister, but it’s just an excuse to whine to me,” she explained as Daniel began to stir in her grasp. 

“Huh,” Cam lied one last time, relieved. So, only he knew. Alright, this wasn’t all bad, he thought, I might be able to salvage this without having my team ripped apart. 

*****

“Feet pue tan!” Adrienne shouted and went to stick her cut finger into her mouth of out of instinct, deciding against it just in time once she remembered what they had been doing, her hands covered in dirt and debris from moving the rocks from the wall to the pile behind them.

“Are you alright?” Teyla asked. 

“Yea, just cut myself on a sharper one, but I’ll live,” Adrienne replied, shaking the wound out instead to banish the pain.   

“We should take a rest for a while. I expect that they will come soon,” Teyla responded. 

Adrienne slunk back down to the floor of the cave and looked at her watch, knowing she had the very least needed to let her finger clot, maybe wrap it in a bandage from her tac vest before continuing. It was 9:10 p.m., her stomach rumbling the moment her brain registered how late it was and she burst into laughter.  

“What’s so funny?” Teyla inquired. 

“I’m hungry.  If Daniel were here he would be trying to convince me that a Powerbar counts as food,” Adrienne explained, imagining what it would be if the two of them were trapped in here. That might have been nice, her thoughts wandered, a smile creeping across her face, a smile that she felt so appreciative to have again. 

*****

“Ok everyone, STAND BACK,” Rodney ordered and Vala didn’t argue.  Weapons, fighting she had never been afraid of but science gave her the creeps.  She’d leave those kinds of things up to her teammates.  Vala would have walked back over to where she had been trying to thin out rocks so they would have less to burn through, but for now she went over to where Dr. Lam was making Daniel sit and wait and sat down right beside him.  

“Just a bit longer,” she told him. 

“Yeah and I bet they both are tired and hungry,” he answered, a noncommittal answer, as if he was trying to make up for his extreme behavior earlier.  Vala reached around and put her arm around his waist and he shrugged her away, like he always did, glaring at her angrily.

“Jesus Vala, not now,” he told her and she laughed, but didn’t say a word, just folded her arms back into her lap. 

“Vala, can I talk to Daniel for a sec?” Cam appeared in front of them, glancing down at his friend and the man that was supposed to help him lead this team. Confused, she looked back and forth between them before standing, shrugging and walking over to where the doctor was setting up a station just in case Teyla and Adrienne were injured. 

“Layer one!” Rodney shouted, “We will wait five minutes and move on to the next layer.” 

Daniel shook his head and sighed as Cam took a seat beside him, pointing the tip of his P-90 toward the rock structure. 

“When they get through that you can’t go racing down there like some god damn love sick puppy Daniel, are you hearing me?” Cam asked, cutting his eyes over at his teammate, shock spreading across the archaeologist’s face. Setting down the gun Cam continued, knowing he only had a very short time before he would be needed below. 

“What the two of you do behind closed doors is your business, but what you two do on this team, how you two carry on on this team is my business. I understand how you feel about her, I do, but the way you acted today could have gotten yourself killed, kidnapped by Anubis, anything. I’m happy that you have found something with Addy, I am, but you need to step back and realize that we also have a job to do here,” Cam advised, carefully, trying not to scold someone who could probably technically be considered his superior, but Daniel didn’t say a word, just looked down at his bandaged hands. 

“Alright, shouldn’t be much longer now. I’m sure she’s fine and I am happy for you guys, truly,” Cam added, tossing his arms over his knees looking ahead as Rodney directed SG-7 and his small science team through the next step in the burn. 

*****

“Do you hear that?” Teyla looked over at Adrienne. 

“Hear what?” she answered, not stopping, too intent on getting out of their prison. Her eyes scanning their surrounding as her ears heard the sounds again, Teyla reached over to grabbed her hand so she would stop.  

“Listen,”  Teyla whispered, setting Adrienne’s hand to her side.  Holding her breath, the cajun stood in silence, listening carefully when she heard a low hissing sound coming from right in front of this. 

“Sounds like a snake,” Adrienne stated not particularly frightened but beginning to look around her feet hoping she wouldn’t get bitten; she didn’t want another reason to go to the infirmary.

“It’s coming from the other side,”  Teyla insisted, and Adrienne finally realizing that a snake in a cave was probably not very likely, stopped once more, to listen again, recognizing the sound, a sound she had heard in Rodney’s labs on one of her numerous errands.    

“We need to back up,” she said and just as she pushed Teyla back, the noise intensified.  Pressing themselves far against a side wall, the women watched the rubble as it began to smoke, the gray plumes slowly hissing toward them.  The rocks crumbled away, dissolving into piles of fine sand allowing a light to shine suddenly in their faces. 

“Dr. Rowan? Teyla? Are you alright?” the voice was Dr. Rodey McKay.  Adrienne was both disappointed and elated but Teyla laughed lightly.  

“Yes Rodney, we are fine.  We are hungry but we are fine,” Teyla answered.  

“Ok great, come on then and be careful,” Rodney said, very kindly Adrienne thought and that probably had something to do with Teyla.  Leading the way, Teyla held on to the remaining portion of the wall, stepping slowly, and Adrienne followed, carefully tiptoeing over smoking rubble.  The light grew brighter and Adrienne could see where the rescue team had set up a series of lights to illuminate the entire cave area, lights so bright that she was unable to make out faces, just bodies. She was looking all around her for ....

“Looking for me?” Daniel spoke from behind her.  

“Don’t you wish,” Adrienne teased, “I’m looking for something to eat,” she tried to cover the excitement she knew was on her face, because what she wanted to do was throw her arms around him and plant her lips onto his. Turning to face him, she saw that his hands were heavily bandaged, her eyes widening in panic. 

“What happened?” Adrienne grabbed his hands, turning them in her own, trying to examine them but he pulled his hand away, shaking his head. 

“Nothing,  I was trying to get the rocks moved and, well, you know, I’m accident prone,” he tried to joke.  Adrienne cut her eyes, not believing him, knowing exactly what he had done to himself trying to get her out. You’ve just turned my world upside down, haven’t you Daniel, she thought to herself, leaning forward to whisper in his ear. 

“Dr. Rowan,” Dr. Lam came up behind her before Adrienne could say anything, “Let’s see what you’ve managed to do to yourself this time,” she pointed in the direction of a small portable she had set up on a flat part of the meadow.  Adrienne looked back at Daniel and sighed as Dr. Lam walked away toward her med station.   

“Go see what Dr. Grumpypants wants,” he joked and Adrienne laughed.  

“It is hysterical to hear even you call her that now,”  she answered and walked over to the doctor, reluctantly, smiling back over her shoulder at Daniel who was being led over to another table by Vala, a scolding looking of her own in her face and a small purple gadget in her hands. Teyla was being checked out by Jennifer Keller when Adrienne arrived, that pleasant smile still entrenched across her face. 

“Teyla, you’re lucky, not a scratch.  I think you can go!” Jennifer said enthusiastically as Dr. Lam looked Adrienne over, but Teyla didn’t leave, she just stood and waited for the doctor to conclude.   

“Just the cut on your finger, but you’re fine.  It’s a miracle,” Dr. Lam reported to Adrienne, sarcasm dripping from her voice. Thankful to have avoided another lecture, even thought this clearly wasn’t her fault, Adrienne shrugged and stood, thanking her politely. This time, Teyla seemed ready to leave. 

“We are alright.  Everyone is alright.  Thank the gods,” Teyla said.  

“I know, usually someone is taken away on a stretcher, so I think we lucked out,” Adrienne responded, looking ahead for Daniel.

“Yes, we were lucky this time.  But next time, or the next.  We never know.  That is why you must cherish what you have as long as you have it,” Teyla advised, one final suggestion, placing her hand on Adrienne’s shoulder before walking away. 

“What was that all about?” and again Daniel was behind her.  

“Seriously, we are changing your nickname.  No more Indy. It is officially Eric,” she turned around to face him. 

“Why?” he laughed, “Does he have to get Pam out of trouble? Because I seem to get you out of a lot of trouble.” 

“No,” she laughed, “but he’s always popping up behind Sookie and scaring the bejeezus out of her.” 

“Sookie huh?” he teased, looking behind them to see if they had any unwelcome visitors.

“Yes Sookie. She got pretty badass at the end of Season 3 and into 4,” Adrienne played, noticing that his hands were no longer bandaged, “What happened to your little accident?” 

“I guess that makes Vala Pam, getting Eric out of trouble and driving Sookie crazy. Snatched up Carolyn’s hand device and used some left over Quetesh to patch me up,” he explained, holding up his palms and waving them. Pleased, Adrienne smiled, reaching for his hands, taking them in her own and disregarding the crowd around them. 

“Indy, can we go back? I’m hungry and we need to talk,” Adrienne requested quietly, suddenly nervous by her words.   

“You hungry? So what else is new?” Daniel joked and swept his hands in front of himself dramatically in the direction of the gate, peering over his shoulder behind them. 

“Is everything alright?” he whispered, worried that something was wrong and she stopped, gazing up into his breathtaking eyes. 

“Everything is wonderful. Listen, I need to run to my quarters, I’ll meet you at your room in an hour ok. Trust me, everything is just perfect,” she stressed the last word, reaching for his fingers and squeezing them lightly. Nodding, and trusting her, let her step through first, pausing to look back at the caves before turning and slipping through the wormhole. 

*****

He sat in his room thinking, about what Cam had said, about what he had done. The colonel had a point, he had acted rashly, but he wasn’t quite sure if that would change one way or the other, whether or not he and Adrienne were together. Maybe this wasn't for the best, if Cam knew maybe he and Adrienne should cool it, maybe he should stop trying to push them a bit further. Sitting there quietly on his bed, Daniel thumbed through the written memory of the only time in his life he had ever felt like this before, thinking about his future with a woman he never thought he’d have. 

She felt so silly doing it, but Adrienne had dashed to her room and showered, changing clothes when she got out at least seven times before deciding to keep it simple, a black skirt and tights with a silky navy blue tank top, not even bothering with perfume or too much make-up, just putting on enough to hide a few blemishes. Daniel loved her for who she was, and had seen her at her highest and her lowest, still insisting she was beautiful, but she still wanted to look pretty for him; she wanted him to know that in her eyes he was worth every effort. Taking a deep breath as she looked at herself one more time in the mirror, Adrienne smiled. 

“You deserve happy. Daniel makes you happy,” she told herself, grabbing her backpack and slipping out into the hall. 

“It’s open,” she heard him shout moments after knocking. Taking a breath, she turned the knob and pushed the door open, peering slowly and cautiously inside and there was Daniel, sitting on the edge of his bed with a small leather book in his hand, a leather book she knew well. She closed the door behind her and stood there, not approaching him, afraid of the look on his face and instantly forgetting her entire rehearsed speech. 

“I haven’t pulled this one out to read in a long time.” he said to her without looking up, opening the book slowly and thumbing through the pages listlessly.  Adrienne’s heart was racing inside her chest, making her knees grow weak, the look on his face making her unsure as if this was the right thing to do. 

“Why is that?” she asked, a question that she had never asked him, fearing it crossed the line between best friends, even between two people that loved one another, fearing what he had written inside that book. She wasn’t jealous, how could she be jealous of someone who was no longer there, someone she actually looked up to the more she learned about her, but it still tore her up inside. That journal made a small part of her feel that she would never live up to Shar’e, that she would never be good enough for him.    

“Because it reminds me of a different life, one that I lost”  he answered quietly, still turning the pages and not reading them, having yet to make eye contact with her. 

“Daniel, I’m - “ she started, but he put up his hand, silently halting her words. 

“You see, I’m not supposed to be happy. That time ended for me,”  he continued, closing the book in his hands and setting it onto his nightstand.  

“I’m not following,”  Adrienne answered, confused. Was he trying to tell her to leave? Should she go? She knew he loved her, but maybe he was having second thoughts, but love or not maybe this wasn’t meant to be. 

“And then you.  You show up and just throw a kink into everything.  Don’t you understand, this wasn’t supposed to happen?”  he looked up, smiling, no sadness, no tears, nothing but sheer joy in his face.  

“Sorry,” she answered, smiling back, biting her lip slightly as she did when she saw him rise from the bed.  Without a word, Daniel walked over to her and placed his hand on her cheek, running his fingers down her jawline tenderly. So what if Cam knew? Yes, he probably needed to be a little more rational with it came to Adrienne, but never in his life had he ever felt like this before, never had he been so happy, so at peace, and he wasn’t about to let her slip away. When he reached her chin, he grabbed it lightly, turning her face upward toward his own and he didn’t say another word, just leaned in carefully and brought his lips to hers.  He kissed her slowly and gently and then broke away, looking down at her, asking her with his eyes if she was ready. He knew, he must have known and for what seemed like an eternity they stood in the dim light of his room facing each other without saying a word.  Finally, taking it as a signal that she had been wrong, that some things really were meant to be, no matter how hard you fight them, no matter what looks like it can come between, Adrienne leaned up to kiss him again, with more passion that she had ever kissed him before, hoping that he could read in her kiss that it was alright.  Reaching behind her head, Daniel pushed the door closed, engaging the lock and turned out the light.

Consequences be damned. 

They didn’t need words any longer, their kisses were enough; Adrienne reached behind his head and pulled his lips more forcefully to hers, sliding her tongue out and into his mouth, kissing him more frantically then she had ever kissed him before. She could taste coffee on his lips, able to tell he had used some of her hazelnut creamer rather than his own,when his tongue met hers and she continued to explore his mouth, running her hands down his back.  They broke apart once more and looked at each other, breathless in the dim light of the room, Daniel taken aback by her behavior, but she nodded her head slowly. 

“I’m ready,” she whispered quietly, taking his face into her hands. Lovingly, he gazed down at her in the dim light of his bedside lamp one final time making sure it was alright, making sure that her gorgeous brown eyes understood that he was going to take her to his bed and show her how he had felt about her for all of these heart wrenching months. Standing on her toes, Adrienne wrapped her arms around his shoulders, kissing him lightly on the mouth, the cheek, his ear and neck, lingering there for a moment, pecking lightly up and down his throat and he turned his head, letting her lips caress his skin, before jerking back suddenly.  Adrienne was startled for a moment until she felt him lift her into his arms, like he had done so many times before, sometimes playing with her and other times to save her, but this time he was lifting her for a different reason, one she wanted now more than she had ever wanted anything else in her entire life.  

He carried her over to the bed and laid her there gently, pausing as if he were uncertain what to do next and a part of him didn’t know, frozen in time still unable to believe this was happening. Smiling, Adrienne sat forward, reaching out for his waist, lifting his shirt from the bottom, starting to undress him ever so slowly. Breathing in, he stepped closer, letting her pull it over his head and toss the black fabric aside as he crawled on his knees into the bed with her. Now it was her turn to freeze, not that the sight, Adrienne had seen him without a shirt more times than she could count, but at the feeling, because never before had she been filled with such desire. She reached out for his hips and pulled him forward, scooting herself back onto the bed so that he would have to climb on and straddle her, which he did, throwing his knees on either side of her thighs as she sat up to meet him. Once he had moved himself close enough, she began to kiss his chest and work her way down to his stomach, feeling him shiver with tension as she moved lower and lower, but when she got her lips to the waist of his pants, she felt his hand gently touch her cheek and bring her back up to face him.  Shaking his head he scolded for a moment and didn’t allow her to respond, kissing her lightly again and laying her onto her back.  

He brought his face close to hers again but didn’t say a word, simply turned his hand and ran his fingers lightly down her cheek, her jawline and her neck.  She shivered herself now at the soft touch of his long fingers against the softness of her skin, and he just smiled, bringing his lips back to hers. This time he led the kissing, licking her lips softly and then moving in to explore himself.  As his tongue ventured in her mouth she could feel his hand on her waist, then the hem of her tank top and he gently slid his hand underneath the thin blue fabric to reach behind to her back and sensing what he was trying to do, she brought her body up a bit, allowing him arrive at his destination. He fumbled with the clasp for a moment, swearing in french under his breath, but was finally able to undo the hook, letting go, sliding his hands gently back to her stomach.    

“Can I take this off?” he asked as he was sitting up from her, his gentle hands waiting at the base of the her shirt, wanting to go slowly with her, to make sure it was ok, to make sure that she knew that she was here with him and no one else and that he wasn’t going to do anything that she didn’t want him to do. 

“Yes,” she whispered, sitting up to allow him to pull the top over her head and toss it to the floor.  Unfastened, her bra hung lightly at her shoulders, but he left that in place for the moment, returning his lips to her neck and kissing it slowly, Daniel moved his way to her collarbone, then back over to her shoulder, the skin of his mouth so very soft against her own. When he reached her very loose strap, he guided it away gently with his palm, kissing each patch of skin it passed over and she began to tremble once more, a combination of nerves and being ticklish, and he laughed lightly at her shoulder, knowing what was wrong, but just kept kissing her softly, torturing her playfully. He was going to kiss every inch of her tonight to make up for every second he wanted to take her into his arms and sweep her away but never had the courage to do so, until now, until he no longer cared about what would happen, what anyone would say, until she understood that she was safe with him. He loved her, he wanted her, he needed her and he was going to make her his.  

The strap now down her shoulder and past her bicep, he sat up on his knees once more, sliding both hands under the thin strips of black fabric, pulling the garment towards him. Gathering it up into his hands, Daniel tossed it to the floor, looking back at the beautiful woman that he fell in love with, that he was going to make love to now. He leaned over, pecking lightly at her collarbone, tracing it with his tongue, all the way to the base of her throat, when he changed direction slowly, kissing vertically down, past  the gold chain she was wearing and in between her breasts.  He slid a hand gently to cup one of them while he kissed his way over to the other, ever so slowly, making his way to the nipple when he hesitated, realizing this was the most intimate they had ever been and began to back away. 

“What’s wrong?” she sat up, taking her palm and laying it on his cheek as he sat up gazing into her eyes. 

“There’s no going back from this Ad. No pretending that we didn’t, no undoing this,” he said, the nerves clear in his perfect voice.  

“I know shug,” she answered, running her fingers down his jaw, “I’m alright with that if you are.” 

He took a deep breath, terrified, she could tell, so as tenderly as she could, she slipped his glasses from his face, placing them gently onto his nightstand before guiding him back to her lips, kissing him deeply.  She could feel his body relax again so she reached in between then and began to unbutton his pants, lightly, one BDU button at a time, pausing at each one to make sure it was alright.  He didn’t fight or tense at her touch; he let her slowly undress him while he returned his lips to her chest, running his tongue lightly around the hardness he found there. Trying to retain focus but unable to, she shoved him away, giggling, arriving at the last button and reaching for his hips so she could pull his trousers from his waist. He let her pull downward and crawled off of her for just a moment, kicking them out of the way and creeping back onto the bed with her, where he saw she was smiling, shaking her head, giggling, as she brought her hands to his hips again, letting them run down his backside, pulling him onto her as she laid down. 

“What?” he asked, stopping his advance toward her neck. 

“I was just thinking these are a sexy choice,” she whispered to him, running her fingers inside the waistband of his black boxer briefs and pausing just under his stomach, teasing there lightly for a moment.  Laughing himself, because only he and Adrienne would have a conversation during something like this, he brought his lips to her ear. 

“I’m glad you approve,” he whispered and returned his lips to where he left off, kissing her neck and then collarbone, running his tongue around her nipple lightly as he made it back to her breasts, making her gasp and remove her fingers from his boxers. He gave it a few more quick flicks with his tongue and then began to kiss downward slowly, exaggerated, down her stomach, making her quiver with anticipation. When he reached the top of her skirt he stopped kissing just long enough to reach down to her thigh and slide his hand up the side of her leg and into her skirt. Hissing in, Adrienne arched her back, feelings of arousal completely taking over her body, her soul, every part of her accepting that this was happening, a fact confirmed by his hardness pressed against her shin as he knelt at her waist. 

“These are going to get in my way,” he said, tugging at her tights lightly.

“Then take them off,” she smiled back, forcing herself not to beg, to plea for him to rip them from her body.  Reaching higher into her skirt and to her hips, Daniel grabbed the waist of her tights pulling them downward, feeling bare flesh exposed against his knuckles as he moved them to the ground, noticing as the removed the fabric from her feet that Adrienne was giggling again, much to his complete bewilderment. 

“Did I do something wrong?” he asked, worried, gazing up at her. It had been a while for him, much longer than he cared to admit and he would hate to think he was messing any of this up, especially with her, especially after everything she had been through. 

“I think you took off more than you intended,” she replied, pointing to the floor and in the dim light he could see her panties stuck inside the tights, quickly realizing that the thin black skirt and his underwear were the only thing separating the two of them from total nudity.  He smiled again at her, the smile he only gave her, and laughed a bit.  

“I meant to do that,” he lied, having made other plans for those black Victoria Secret panties she liked to wear, the ones that he pretended not to notice on missions when they had to share quarters, ones he had pretended not to notice every time he saw her less than fully dressed.

“Sure Indy,” she laughed and pulled him toward her, wanting his lips again pressed to hers. He kissed her with intent and with love, in a way he could only do with her, that he only ever wanted to do with her.  Kissing her deeply, he slid his hand back to her leg, which she had brought up and wrapped around his waist to grind herself against him.  His heart racing, he ran his hands up to her bare hip and around her butt, tight and firm from running and squeezed, feeling himself begin to lose control a bit as he reached down to the top of her thigh and let himself slip his hand between her legs.  She arched her back, breathing in, murmuring some french of her own, allowing him slide his fingers inside of her. He did this slowly as well, wanting to tease her, to touch her, to enjoy her reaction as he made her grow wetter and she moaning softly as he continued to run his gentle touch all around inside her skirt, teasing her lightly on the outside and then slipping into her once more.  Her breathing became more labored and she sat up slightly, reaching behind her back frantically, desperate to remove their last impediments, so he shoved her hands aside to do it himself, undoing the hook at the top of the waist and unzipping the zipper.  She scooted back onto the bed further, tossing the skirt to the floor as she moved and he froze for a moment, realizing that there she was, the woman he had only dreamed could exist, laying there naked on his bed.  She smiled knowing why he was pausing, the feeling was causing her own heart to race as well, but she was ready, ready for this to happen, ready to give herself to him. 

“Shug, are you plannin’ on participating in this,” she joked, pointing at his boxers, his erection pushing them forward, revealing his body’s intent even if his mind hadn’t caught up to it.  Smiling in embarrassment, he reached down for the waistband to remove them, but she pushed his hands aside, intent on doing this herself, pulling downward slowly, carefully around the swell, and he quickly kicked them to the floor.  When he looked back at her, she was reaching forward to touch him, so he crawled closer on the bed to allow her, wanting to feel her hands on his body. Taking him gently into her palms, she clasped him lightly, working him and an upward and downward motion and then lightly squeezing him at the tip.  He let out a groan and started to push down onto her shoulders, trying to get her to lay into her back, finished with teasing, with waiting and heeding his request, she let go, reaching up for his face to bring him into a kiss before bringing him into her body.  He kissed her long and hard and positioned himself in between her legs where he needed to be, checking once more with his fingers to see if she was ready and she hissed again, arching her pelvis toward, begging him with her hips. 

“Adrienne, I want you to be sure,” he whispered softly, stopping his exploring for a moment and running the outside blade of his hand down her cheek, visions of that night coming into his head, the night where she cried in his arms thinking that she was broken, damaged, and wanting her to know that he loved her and wanted to show her and not to hurt her. Rubbing her nose lightly against his, she pecked his lips, bringing her lips to his ear. 

“I love you. I’m sure Daniel, it’s you. I’m ready,” she murmured in response and unable to wait any longer, he reached under waist, pulling her closer and slowly, carefully, lovingly, pushed his way into her, making her throw back her head and gasp out.

“Oh god Daniel,” she panted, bending her back to allow him to drive in deeper.  She wanted to scream, she wanted him to thrust harder, the feeling was so amazing, like she had never experienced before, the feeling of ultimate closeness with someone you love, the way it was supposed to be, the way it was supposed to feel. Despite her writhing underneath of him, he tried hard to pace himself, knowing it had been a long time since he had been intimate with a woman and fearing inside he would lose control too soon, but she was so warm, so inviting, and every time he pushed into her sensations ran through his body that he had never felt before.  It was all so perfect, this was perfect, she was perfect, so, in contradiction to what his body was telling him to do, he made love to her slowly, never wanting it to end. 

In total ecstasy, Adrienne reached for his shoulders, to bring him closer to her body, wanting him as close as possible if he was going to make love to her this slowly, desiring his touch on every inch of her skin, and he came to meet her, their bodies now moving slowly as one, each of them gasping for air and moaning one another’s names as if they needed to constantly remind themselves that this was happening; that they were making love to their best friend, who was really so much more.  He tried to hold onto her as he moved his way in and out of her while she clenched him so tightly inside, but she slipped from his grasp, laying back down on the bed, his bed, dear God she was in his bed with him, making love to him, and he pushed in harder and faster, holding onto her hips as he pumped into her. 

She watched him as he made love to her, his bright blue eyes sparkling in the dim light of the lamp and she ran her hands lovingly down his cut jaw and over to his lips, where he would lightly kiss her fingers before she pulled them away and even occasionally would open his mouth to suck one finger lightly and then release before she could start to giggle.  Daniel was so relaxed here with her, so open and playful, watching her smile as he kissed her fingertips or gasp as he pushed in further. Adjusting his position, the urge to kiss her taking over once more, Daniel moved his torso further into hers bringing his lips to her neck where he kissed and nibbled in contrast to his thrusting, causing her to once more giggle in pleasure and gasp in ecstasy. 

Suddenly, as if they were completely in sync with one another, both of their paces quickened, Adrienne bucking her hips and squeezing him so tightly inside of her and Daniel’s thrusts became more forceful, pushing into her, pushing her backward onto the bed, no longer as clear an in and out motion. There was a tingle deep inside of his stomach, an amazing climbing feeling and he knew he couldn’t contain himself much longer.  Sensing the same sensation inside of herself that she knew he was feeling, the expression on his face giving him away, she pulled him closer and further into her body, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his shoulders, beginning to rock into him.  He threw back his head for a moment to breathe, driving himself harder before gazing back into her eyes.  He loved her, more than he had loved anyone else before, anyone, ever and he had never imagined that love like this was even possible, but here she was, right here, with him, in the closest way two people could be together. He let himself go and she screamed out underneath of him, grabbing hard at his shoulders, holding on as she panted his name rhythmically. He almost laughed, of course Adrienne would be a screamer, but he was so caught up in his own ecstasy that he just gasped out and pushed harder, muttering things in Egyptian that he couldn’t even comprehend himself. He felt her relax before he did, but she didn’t try to back away, just continued to clench him and rock until she was certain he was finished, kissing his neck and whispering his name. Breathing out heavily once more, the build came to a crashing end, a wonderful crashing end, and he leaned forward onto his arms, holding himself over her, not wanting to hurt her in anyway and he smiled again, laughing, as she shook her head. 

“Come here,” she fussed, pulling his full weight onto her and wrapping her arms around him but not satisfied with the inability to hold her as well, he grabbed the best he could and rolled them to their sides, cradling her carefully in his arms on the tiny bunk.  She laughed again at the gesture, so he leaned in to kiss her softly, pulling back, his face mere breaths from hers. 

“Adrienne, I - “ he made a face like he was going to apologize or say something otherwise to kill the moment so she just put her finger to his lips and he smiled, kissing it, letting her quiet him.  

“I’m gonna to go to the bathroom for just a moment, but can I stay with you tonight?” she whispered. 

“Of course,” he answered without hesitation.  

She stood and he watched her beautiful body slip into his bathroom, like it was some magical dream he was going to wake up from any second. Taking a breath, he stood himself, looking for a towel when she came back out of the bathroom, still naked, gliding back over to him. Forgetting about clothes, Daniel pulled back the blanket, reaching out for her, clasping her fingers and pulling her to him, into a close embrace and passionate kiss. Remembering how she liked to sleep away from the door, he lifted the blankets for her, waiting for her to crawl in and over to the wall so he could slip in behind her, wrap his arms around her, but she paused, shaking her head.   

“I’m safe with you Daniel,” she told him, the feeling in her words overwhelming him, that after everything she had been through, for as tough as she was, it was him that made her feel safe. Containing his emotion, not wanting to appear weak to her as she was making him feel so strong, he got into bed and scooted over to the wall, reaching out for her and she slid herself into the safety and comfort of his arms. Moving as close as possible toward him, she let him hold her, as he had so many times before, drifting off into sleep closer to him, closer to anyone both physically and emotionally than she had ever been.  

He had reached over and shut off the lamp as she was getting comfortable the lights flickering down to nothing as she pulled herself so close to him that any closer and he would be inside of her once more.  He smiled at the thought, not of the pleasure of that action alone, but that she trusted him enough, loved him enough to be with him in that way, to let him make up for what had been done to her. Overwhelmed by everything, he leaned forward, tenderly brushing her hair from her cheek, kissing the exposed skin lightly.

“Ad?” he whispered, but she was asleep.  Laughing at the absurdity of it all, that he had just made love to her for the very first time, and here she was asleep in his arms before he even was able to tell her why, that this wasn’t just sex, that this was so much more than he ever expected, that she was the surprise he never expected. Laying back on the pillow, he held her closely, kissing her head.  

“I love you too Adrienne, my besherta, and we’re going to make this work. I can’t live without you,” and he lay there in the darkness, his soulmate in his arms, until he followed her to sleep.