Daniel scanned the stone again, curing the fact that Sam wasn't able to send it to his lab. Instead, here he was, in a barely visited section of the Museum of Natural History, trying to compare notes in a file folder to scribbles behind plexiglass.
"This is bullshit," he spat, turning to leave and try to get her to call one more time, see if Jack could get the damn thing moved when he stumbled, slamming into something...
"Ow, sorry, sir are you alright?" a Southern accented voice asked, hands gripping his shoulders and setting him upright. He felt like an idiot, his nose stuck into a folder yet again, but the woman didn't seem to be worried about herself, as her pale face scanned him to see if there was anything wrong.
"You ok?" she continued, "we're supposed to be closing up soon and I was coming down to let any guests know..." she back up, dark beguiling eyes looking him up and down again, slightly nervous. She must have thought he was on something, that happened here sometimes he knew, and he shook his head, closing the folder but waving it to indicate that he had indeed been working and was not trying to find a private place to drop acid.
"Yeah, sorry, got a little caught up and wasn't looking where I was going..."
Oh no you weren't Daniel, otherwise you would have seen her...
"It's alright, just wanted to let anyone here know that we are closing down in about twenty minutes and we need all guests to start making their way back to the rotunda," she said, Daniel finally catching a glimpse of an ID badge on her chest.
Dr. Adrienne Rowan
Department of Near Eastern Archaeology
Museum of Natural History
Not a guard, he thought, nodding nonetheless at her indication that he needed to begin to move on.
"Thank you, I don't think I can do anything more anyway," he admitted, waving the folder a second time, "So I'll be out of your way."
He started to walk away when he her a shuffle behind him and a throat clear, a that accented voice, Southern but more, speaking yet again.
"Is there something you needed help with sir?" she asked politely, "we're a little short staffed on docents but I can try to help."
Smiling, he shook his head and turned, flashing the front of the folder.
Classified
She chuckled, recognizing the stamp.
"So does the Department of Homeland Security now think that Ra is going to unless his forces on us? Or is it Zeus they're afraid of?"
If only you knew...
"It's just some items recovered in the Middle East," he lied deftly, "we're trying to run a comparison and didm''t want to cause a stir."
"Joking aside," she answered in seriousness, "please tell me that those terrorists are not trying to copy mythology?"
"No," he assured her, a part of him screaming in a way that he didn't understand, "nothing like that, just comparing notes is all."
She smiled at him, a sparkle emanating from those dark eyes of hers, making him lost his own thoughts for just a brief moment.
"Well, if you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask," she said, reaching into the pocket of her dress slack and passing over a card, "It's nice to leave the lab once in a while."
And with that she was gone, her low heels tapping the tiles of the exhibit until she disappeared around the corner.
Feeling it was a dead end, Daniel shoved the card into the pocket of his jeans, making his way for the exit.
*****
"Hey handsome," he heard behind him, peering back to see Vala striding into his lab. He breathed in deeply out of habit, it was still awkward no matter how much he tried to play that it wasn't, and her choice of vocabulary didn't help much in the matter.
"Hey," he answered, noncommittally, returning back to the folder, that had plagued him for days.
"I called you last night," she set in, "you didn't answer."
"I was tired," he replied this time, in haste, "and I thought we talked about that."
"Not working out and not giving a shit are two entirely different things..."
Daniel shrugged.
"Sam said you won't let her hire you an assistant," Vala continued, Daniel pinching his nose under his glasses.
"Can't find anyone qualified."
"I said I would help," she added, Daniel frowning in her direction.
"And you think that's a good idea..."
This time she shrugged.
"Fine, let's just forget we were ever friends," she spat back, starting to leave when he reached out, grabbing her arm.
"Look, I'm sorry. This is just awkward for me, still. It's not as if things ended particularly well..."
"No," she cringed at the memory, pulling away, "they didn't. But did you ever stop to think why? After everything Teal'c told us, why?"
"Yeah," he nodded, "I have."
"And?"
"And, like so many things here, so many versions of life that I, that we, have experienced, I just don't think it was meant to be here."
Vala frowned at his answer.
"It's the best I've got," he added quickly.
"Guess it doesn't involve screaming, so I should be grateful," she responded, leaning back on his desk, "but I am willing to help. For real this time, no more, well trying."
"Thanks," he was quiet, his finger tapping the folder.
"What's that?" she asked as he pushed it away, standing from his desk.
"That is the reason I have drank a cup of coffee in a day," he rubbing his face, "and the reason I am going to take a lap around base before continuing."
"Want company?" she asked carefully.
"Not yet," he replied, "still too soon."
"After six months?" she tried, getting a frown as her reply, "ok, shutting up now."
"I'll see you later," he said with a wave, walking out of the lab, shoving his hands into his pockets when he felt a stab at his fingernail.
"Dammit!" he swore, pulling back his throbbing hand and shaking it, noting a hard piece of paper sticking out of his jeans' pocket.
It was a business card, the name half covered by his pants pocket but visible nonetheless.
Dr. Adrienne R
"Rowan," he whispered, shaking off the pain to remove the card, "Dr. Adrienne Rowan."
Twirling the paper in-between his fingers, Daniel changed direction, headed for Jack's office.
*****
Jack get piece sent there, use the Daniel met Addy excuse
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