Licensed to Thrill (1/1)
Licensed to Thrill
All Ages
Genre: Het (Daniel/Vala), Established Relationship, Fluff, Humor
Warnings: None
Synopsis: Vala gets her driver's license and takes Daniel for a drive
Notes: Written for milena_d for the dv_exchange; she provided the prompts "teamy goodness", "fluff/humor", and "Sal from Sol's diner".
Licensed to Thrill
White teeth flashing, cheeks spread wide in glee, few such portraits had ever expressed so much joy in a single frame. As a result, Daniel's picture, taken almost immediately afterward, was not his usual expression of boredom or impatience, but one of amused indulgence. And yet, despite Vala's exuberance and Daniel's good humor, it was just another day for the ladies at the El Paso County Clerk's Motor Vehicles office.
Needing to renew his own driver's license, Daniel had been more than happy to bring Vala along to try for her own driver's exam, and he couldn't be any more proud of her for passing on the first try. IDs in hand, they took care of another quick errand, then bickered good-naturedly about who they should tell first until they were back at Vala's brand new MINI.
"Where to?" she asked, sliding into the driver's seat and flexing her fingers on the steering wheel excitedly.
"Tell you what," Daniel began, scooting his seat back to allow for more leg room, "you pick."
After a few moments of contemplation, the engine was started, then the compact car was easing its way out of the parking lot and onto the streets of downtown Colorado Springs. Their general direction of travel was toward one of Vala's favorite shopping centers, but she drove past the turn-off without slowing. Although Daniel's curiosity was piqued, he didn't ask where they were going; clearly, Vala had something in mind, and the fact that she hadn't already shared her intentions suggested she wanted to keep it secret.
Twenty minutes later, they were in an industrial part of town that Daniel rarely visited, but knew all-too well.
"I thought we agreed it would be too awkward."
"No, no... General Landry thought it best if I stayed away, but really, it's not like I have to explain anything I don't want to. And besides, it's better if I don't go alone." She flashed her cat-got-the-canary grin again. "More importantly, I want you to be there with me."
"Oh?" A second later his confusion turned into realization. "Oh!" He grinned. "Very smart."
"I thought so, yes."
Even though she'd never driven there before, Vala guided the car with a purpose that suggested she'd looked up driving directions more than once. Precisely one hour after getting her brand new driver's license printed, she was parallel-parking like a pro a dozen feet away from a worn-down diner.
The front door chimed cheerfully as Daniel opened it for Vala, then stepped in behind her just as a twangy voice, called out, "Val!"
"Bobbie!"
Vala was practically engulfed by a middle-aged woman in a mint-green uniform with dark red curls poking out from beneath her yellow polka-dotted headband, and Daniel was nearly overwhelmed by a sudden wash of perfume and fry grease. "Jeff Ryan told us you'd been kidnapped and then picked up by the Army or somethin'... Where you been all this time?"
"Home, work, that sort of thing," Vala replied nonchalantly. "My friends helped me get my memory back, and we've been so busy-tracking down the people who abducted me, among other things-that I haven't had time to come back for a visit."
Daniel let the door bang shut behind him, then shoved his hands in his pocket. He was content to let Vala have her little reunion without his input, but she wriggled free of Bobbie's embrace and nudged Daniel's shoulder. "Daniel Jackson, this is Bobbie Sinclair... Bobbie, Daniel Jackson."
"Nice to meet you," he offered politely, holding out his hand. "Vala's told me a lot about you."
"And... absolutely nothing about you," Bobbie answered, shaking his hand and eyeing him up and down. Glancing at Vala, she winked. "Honey, you were holding out on me."
"And me," chimed in another voice. "No call, no show, after all this time... Val, you're fired."
Vala laughed. "Nice to see you, too, Sal!" Bouncing across the brown-checked tile floor, she practically flung herself at the greasy-shirted man who'd just emerged from the kitchen. "How's Ramona and the kids? And Louie?"
"They're all great, except Louie... stupid bastard got out of the house two months ago and got himself hit by a car. Now the boys have adopted a Saint Bernard puppy that's trying to eat us out of house and home." He held Vala out at arms' length and gave her narrow-eyed look. "Those Air Force guys been treating my girl right? Am I gonna have to drive over to Peterson and whack 'em?" He looked over his shoulder and shouted back into the kitchen. "Hey, Tommy, leave those dishes alone and come out here for a minute!"
"Oh, they've been treating me very well," Vala assured him. "My memory's all back, and as I was telling Bobbie, we went after the people who kidnapped me in the first place, so that's all been sorted out."
"So much for my theory she was abducted by aliens," joked one of the only two patrons of the restaurant, both seated at the counter.
"But my Bourne Identity theory's still holding up," answered the busboy-slash-dishwasher, emerging from the back of the restaurant. "Remember the way she took down those two robbers? 'Val Bourne', I kept calling her."
"Yeah, yeah," the first guy agreed. "Forgive me for sayin', but neither of you looks the military type."
"We're not," Daniel answered, speaking up for the first time. "Vala and I are linguistic consultants for the Air Force... Middle Eastern languages, specifically."
"We first met working on a hijacking mission," Vala added, conspiratorially.
"No kidding? Like those Somali pirates? Damn, what a job."
Daniel shot Vala a bemused look. "Something like that."
"She could tell you, but then she'd have to kill you," the second patron added in a stage whisper, sparking laughter from the two men and the restaurant's workers.
Daniel and Vala, of course, only smiled.
"So what brings you all the way out here... Val-uh?" Sal asked, shoving his hands into his jeans pockets.
"VAHL-uh," she corrected, grabbing a chair and settling herself down. "Daniel can never pronounce my name correctly... I think it's sweet."
"My father was Canadian," Daniel apologized, taking a chair himself. "VAHL-uh tells me the blue-plate special here is delicious..."
Sal grinned. "You kids gonna pay this time?"
An hour later, Daniel had to agree that the food was good but the coffee was better, and made sure to give Bobbie a generous tip for her attentive service. Sal was forced to temporarily retreat to the kitchen to make a large to-go order for the car dealership down the road, so they hung around until he was free again to see them off.
"Don't be a stranger this time," Sal warned, giving Vala another friendly hug. "It better not be whole 'nother year before I see you 'round here again."
"Actually, I was going to invite you to come visit me for a change." Digging in her purse, she pulled out a folded piece of paper-the fruits of their extra stop at the County Clerk's office-and presented it for the short-order cook's inspection.
Sal's eyes went misty. "You just tell me when and where," he promised.
They bid their farewells and departed. Once they were back inside Vala's sporty little car, they withdrew their cell phones and pulled up numbers on speed dial. Just as they'd hoped, Vala's call was answered at nearly the same time as Daniel's.
"We're getting married!" they exclaimed into their mutual receivers.
After the obligatory congratulations, Jack and Sam each asked the same question. "Am I the first person you told?"
Daniel and Vala grinned at one another. "Nope."
All Ages
Genre: Het (Daniel/Vala), Established Relationship, Fluff, Humor
Warnings: None
Synopsis: Vala gets her driver's license and takes Daniel for a drive
Notes: Written for milena_d for the dv_exchange; she provided the prompts "teamy goodness", "fluff/humor", and "Sal from Sol's diner".
Licensed to Thrill
White teeth flashing, cheeks spread wide in glee, few such portraits had ever expressed so much joy in a single frame. As a result, Daniel's picture, taken almost immediately afterward, was not his usual expression of boredom or impatience, but one of amused indulgence. And yet, despite Vala's exuberance and Daniel's good humor, it was just another day for the ladies at the El Paso County Clerk's Motor Vehicles office.
Needing to renew his own driver's license, Daniel had been more than happy to bring Vala along to try for her own driver's exam, and he couldn't be any more proud of her for passing on the first try. IDs in hand, they took care of another quick errand, then bickered good-naturedly about who they should tell first until they were back at Vala's brand new MINI.
"Where to?" she asked, sliding into the driver's seat and flexing her fingers on the steering wheel excitedly.
"Tell you what," Daniel began, scooting his seat back to allow for more leg room, "you pick."
After a few moments of contemplation, the engine was started, then the compact car was easing its way out of the parking lot and onto the streets of downtown Colorado Springs. Their general direction of travel was toward one of Vala's favorite shopping centers, but she drove past the turn-off without slowing. Although Daniel's curiosity was piqued, he didn't ask where they were going; clearly, Vala had something in mind, and the fact that she hadn't already shared her intentions suggested she wanted to keep it secret.
Twenty minutes later, they were in an industrial part of town that Daniel rarely visited, but knew all-too well.
"I thought we agreed it would be too awkward."
"No, no... General Landry thought it best if I stayed away, but really, it's not like I have to explain anything I don't want to. And besides, it's better if I don't go alone." She flashed her cat-got-the-canary grin again. "More importantly, I want you to be there with me."
"Oh?" A second later his confusion turned into realization. "Oh!" He grinned. "Very smart."
"I thought so, yes."
Even though she'd never driven there before, Vala guided the car with a purpose that suggested she'd looked up driving directions more than once. Precisely one hour after getting her brand new driver's license printed, she was parallel-parking like a pro a dozen feet away from a worn-down diner.
The front door chimed cheerfully as Daniel opened it for Vala, then stepped in behind her just as a twangy voice, called out, "Val!"
"Bobbie!"
Vala was practically engulfed by a middle-aged woman in a mint-green uniform with dark red curls poking out from beneath her yellow polka-dotted headband, and Daniel was nearly overwhelmed by a sudden wash of perfume and fry grease. "Jeff Ryan told us you'd been kidnapped and then picked up by the Army or somethin'... Where you been all this time?"
"Home, work, that sort of thing," Vala replied nonchalantly. "My friends helped me get my memory back, and we've been so busy-tracking down the people who abducted me, among other things-that I haven't had time to come back for a visit."
Daniel let the door bang shut behind him, then shoved his hands in his pocket. He was content to let Vala have her little reunion without his input, but she wriggled free of Bobbie's embrace and nudged Daniel's shoulder. "Daniel Jackson, this is Bobbie Sinclair... Bobbie, Daniel Jackson."
"Nice to meet you," he offered politely, holding out his hand. "Vala's told me a lot about you."
"And... absolutely nothing about you," Bobbie answered, shaking his hand and eyeing him up and down. Glancing at Vala, she winked. "Honey, you were holding out on me."
"And me," chimed in another voice. "No call, no show, after all this time... Val, you're fired."
Vala laughed. "Nice to see you, too, Sal!" Bouncing across the brown-checked tile floor, she practically flung herself at the greasy-shirted man who'd just emerged from the kitchen. "How's Ramona and the kids? And Louie?"
"They're all great, except Louie... stupid bastard got out of the house two months ago and got himself hit by a car. Now the boys have adopted a Saint Bernard puppy that's trying to eat us out of house and home." He held Vala out at arms' length and gave her narrow-eyed look. "Those Air Force guys been treating my girl right? Am I gonna have to drive over to Peterson and whack 'em?" He looked over his shoulder and shouted back into the kitchen. "Hey, Tommy, leave those dishes alone and come out here for a minute!"
"Oh, they've been treating me very well," Vala assured him. "My memory's all back, and as I was telling Bobbie, we went after the people who kidnapped me in the first place, so that's all been sorted out."
"So much for my theory she was abducted by aliens," joked one of the only two patrons of the restaurant, both seated at the counter.
"But my Bourne Identity theory's still holding up," answered the busboy-slash-dishwasher, emerging from the back of the restaurant. "Remember the way she took down those two robbers? 'Val Bourne', I kept calling her."
"Yeah, yeah," the first guy agreed. "Forgive me for sayin', but neither of you looks the military type."
"We're not," Daniel answered, speaking up for the first time. "Vala and I are linguistic consultants for the Air Force... Middle Eastern languages, specifically."
"We first met working on a hijacking mission," Vala added, conspiratorially.
"No kidding? Like those Somali pirates? Damn, what a job."
Daniel shot Vala a bemused look. "Something like that."
"She could tell you, but then she'd have to kill you," the second patron added in a stage whisper, sparking laughter from the two men and the restaurant's workers.
Daniel and Vala, of course, only smiled.
"So what brings you all the way out here... Val-uh?" Sal asked, shoving his hands into his jeans pockets.
"VAHL-uh," she corrected, grabbing a chair and settling herself down. "Daniel can never pronounce my name correctly... I think it's sweet."
"My father was Canadian," Daniel apologized, taking a chair himself. "VAHL-uh tells me the blue-plate special here is delicious..."
Sal grinned. "You kids gonna pay this time?"
An hour later, Daniel had to agree that the food was good but the coffee was better, and made sure to give Bobbie a generous tip for her attentive service. Sal was forced to temporarily retreat to the kitchen to make a large to-go order for the car dealership down the road, so they hung around until he was free again to see them off.
"Don't be a stranger this time," Sal warned, giving Vala another friendly hug. "It better not be whole 'nother year before I see you 'round here again."
"Actually, I was going to invite you to come visit me for a change." Digging in her purse, she pulled out a folded piece of paper-the fruits of their extra stop at the County Clerk's office-and presented it for the short-order cook's inspection.
Sal's eyes went misty. "You just tell me when and where," he promised.
They bid their farewells and departed. Once they were back inside Vala's sporty little car, they withdrew their cell phones and pulled up numbers on speed dial. Just as they'd hoped, Vala's call was answered at nearly the same time as Daniel's.
"We're getting married!" they exclaimed into their mutual receivers.
After the obligatory congratulations, Jack and Sam each asked the same question. "Am I the first person you told?"
Daniel and Vala grinned at one another. "Nope."