The Games People Play Chapter 30--Of Men and Mutts
Title: Of Men and Mutts
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: AU It was too dark to see more than a squirming shadow as Carolyn shifted the puppy into Daniel's arms, but a frenzy of excited nuzzling and licking followed, assuring him that the dog at least felt that he was in the right place. He gave a small, half involuntary laugh and pulled back to avoid having a wet tongue in his nostril, then scratched the pup's floppy ears affectionately.
Rating: G
Length: Around 1000 words
Category: Humor
Pairings/Characters: Daniel/Vala, Sam/Jack, team friendship
A/N: Part 30 of The Games People Play. The series follows current cannon to the end of 10x09, Company of Thieves. Takes place on Christmas Eve. Written for fic101.
Of Men and Mutts
Sneaking the dog into cabin on Christmas Eve almost worked. Sam kept Vala in one of the bedrooms, where they were wrapping last minute gifts and watching Gone With The Wind. The movie seemed to be Vala's latest obsession. Daniel complained with complete honesty that he didn't feel like sitting through that on Christmas Eve. The boys were given leave to stay downstairs watching A Christmas Story, which Mitchell apparently thought was the greatest movie ever made. For the first hour or so, Vala crept back out to the living room every five minutes, convinced that Daniel was up to something. She became steadily more irritated by the fact that, no matter how often she appeared, he hadn't so much as moved off the couch.
Finally, she gave him a long, nasty glare and huffed off, stomping back to the bedroom. He almost broke into a grin when he caught the running string of commentary on how even Rhett would never have been this sneaky and underhanded. They waited another hour to be sure that, if she hadn't given up, she had at least become so absorbed in the movie that she wouldn't hear them leave.
As soon as they had started dating, Daniel had known that the socks he'd planned to give Vala for Christmas--as rather pointed and obvious reminder that they were not, in fact, a couple, were going to be problematic. He hadn't been quite sure what to do about that until Carolyn mentioned that her neighbor's beagle was about to have puppies. Had it been a simple whim--give a girl a cute, furry companion--he wouldn't have even entertained the notion. He knew that his chances of being able to convince Landry to let Vala keep a dog on the base were slim to none--but it was a beagle.
Despite his reputation for being both sensitive and intelligent, Daniel's track record with women had never been much to brag about. Although women found him attractive, he tended to be oblivious when it came to romantic involvement, and he knew it. He'd made more than his share of blunders in his relationship with Vala already. That said, though, he honestly would have had to be blind and deaf in order to miss an opportunity like this. Given the odd significance that Snoopy had come to have in their lives, he immediately realized that there couldn't have been a better present.
"I gotta give you props, Jackson," Cam remarked. "I didn't think you'd be able to pull it off."
"I haven't pulled it off yet," Daniel said, biting his lip worriedly.
"You ain't told Landry, have you?" Mitchell asked with a sigh.
"I thought it might be easier to convince him if there was a cute little beagle in the room," replied Daniel.
"You might be right," admitted Mitchell, pushing himself to his feet. "Okay, I'm gonna go get Doc an' the doggy."
Carolyn had picked up the dog from her neighbor a few days ago, and they had arranged for Cam to drive back to her apartment to bring both of them out here after Vala was safely asleep. Daniel peered nervously in the direction that Vala had gone. Then he glanced at the clock and reluctantly nodded. Sam was supposed to come out and let them know that Vala had fallen asleep, but it was getting late, and Carolyn was waiting.
"Okay. Just--just wait outside or something until I come out and tell you the coast is clear," Daniel said.
"Got it," agreed Mitchell.
Daniel spent the entire time he was gone looking nervously over his shoulder toward the window. After admonishing him once that all was going according to plan, Teal'c didn't comment. Normally, Jack would have made some wisecrack, but he was too busy pacing back and forth between the couch and the tree.
"C'mon, Teal'c," he urged finally. "I gotta practice it. You be Carter."
Daniel turned away from the window, gaping at his friends in surprise. Teal'c's eyebrow shot up in astonishment. Jack stared back at them, looking blankly from one to the other.
"What?"
"I don't think Teal'c is going to make a good Sam substitute," Daniel said thoughtfully.
"Okay, then you do it," Jack said.
"Me," Daniel replied skeptically.
Jack looked around slowly. "I don't see anyone else in the room…"
"Jack, I am not going to let you propose to me," Daniel told him.
"C'mon, Daniel! I'd do it for you!" Jack said.
"You would not," Daniel replied.
"Okay, maybe I wouldn't. But you're nicer than I am," Jack attempted.
"I'm not that nice," countered Daniel.
"Sure y'are," Jack said.
"No, Jack. I'm really not," Daniel insisted.
Fortunately for Daniel, they were still debating the matter when Cam and Carolyn pulled up outside. Cam's headlights flashed through the living room window, and Daniel waved frantically for him to cut the lights. They clicked off almost immediately, and the archaeologist let out a sigh of relief. A few tense minutes went by, and then Sam tiptoed into the room to whisper that Vala was asleep.
Grabbing his coat from the closet, Daniel flung it hurriedly over his shoulders and hurried outside. Sam, Jack, and Teal'c followed him out a few seconds later, and the group met Cam and Carolyn as they climbed out of Cam's truck.
It was too dark to see more than a squirming shadow as Carolyn shifted the puppy into Daniel's arms, but a frenzy of excited nuzzling and licking followed, assuring him that the dog at least felt that he was in the right place. He gave a small, half involuntary laugh and pulled back to avoid having a wet tongue in his nostril, then scratched the pup's floppy ears affectionately.
"Hey, little guy…" he started to say, breaking off at the sudden sound of a window being shoved open behind them. He turned in time to see Vala shove her head out and jab a finger at him in triumph.
"Aha!"
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: AU It was too dark to see more than a squirming shadow as Carolyn shifted the puppy into Daniel's arms, but a frenzy of excited nuzzling and licking followed, assuring him that the dog at least felt that he was in the right place. He gave a small, half involuntary laugh and pulled back to avoid having a wet tongue in his nostril, then scratched the pup's floppy ears affectionately.
Rating: G
Length: Around 1000 words
Category: Humor
Pairings/Characters: Daniel/Vala, Sam/Jack, team friendship
A/N: Part 30 of The Games People Play. The series follows current cannon to the end of 10x09, Company of Thieves. Takes place on Christmas Eve. Written for fic101.
Of Men and Mutts
Sneaking the dog into cabin on Christmas Eve almost worked. Sam kept Vala in one of the bedrooms, where they were wrapping last minute gifts and watching Gone With The Wind. The movie seemed to be Vala's latest obsession. Daniel complained with complete honesty that he didn't feel like sitting through that on Christmas Eve. The boys were given leave to stay downstairs watching A Christmas Story, which Mitchell apparently thought was the greatest movie ever made. For the first hour or so, Vala crept back out to the living room every five minutes, convinced that Daniel was up to something. She became steadily more irritated by the fact that, no matter how often she appeared, he hadn't so much as moved off the couch.
Finally, she gave him a long, nasty glare and huffed off, stomping back to the bedroom. He almost broke into a grin when he caught the running string of commentary on how even Rhett would never have been this sneaky and underhanded. They waited another hour to be sure that, if she hadn't given up, she had at least become so absorbed in the movie that she wouldn't hear them leave.
As soon as they had started dating, Daniel had known that the socks he'd planned to give Vala for Christmas--as rather pointed and obvious reminder that they were not, in fact, a couple, were going to be problematic. He hadn't been quite sure what to do about that until Carolyn mentioned that her neighbor's beagle was about to have puppies. Had it been a simple whim--give a girl a cute, furry companion--he wouldn't have even entertained the notion. He knew that his chances of being able to convince Landry to let Vala keep a dog on the base were slim to none--but it was a beagle.
Despite his reputation for being both sensitive and intelligent, Daniel's track record with women had never been much to brag about. Although women found him attractive, he tended to be oblivious when it came to romantic involvement, and he knew it. He'd made more than his share of blunders in his relationship with Vala already. That said, though, he honestly would have had to be blind and deaf in order to miss an opportunity like this. Given the odd significance that Snoopy had come to have in their lives, he immediately realized that there couldn't have been a better present.
"I gotta give you props, Jackson," Cam remarked. "I didn't think you'd be able to pull it off."
"I haven't pulled it off yet," Daniel said, biting his lip worriedly.
"You ain't told Landry, have you?" Mitchell asked with a sigh.
"I thought it might be easier to convince him if there was a cute little beagle in the room," replied Daniel.
"You might be right," admitted Mitchell, pushing himself to his feet. "Okay, I'm gonna go get Doc an' the doggy."
Carolyn had picked up the dog from her neighbor a few days ago, and they had arranged for Cam to drive back to her apartment to bring both of them out here after Vala was safely asleep. Daniel peered nervously in the direction that Vala had gone. Then he glanced at the clock and reluctantly nodded. Sam was supposed to come out and let them know that Vala had fallen asleep, but it was getting late, and Carolyn was waiting.
"Okay. Just--just wait outside or something until I come out and tell you the coast is clear," Daniel said.
"Got it," agreed Mitchell.
Daniel spent the entire time he was gone looking nervously over his shoulder toward the window. After admonishing him once that all was going according to plan, Teal'c didn't comment. Normally, Jack would have made some wisecrack, but he was too busy pacing back and forth between the couch and the tree.
"C'mon, Teal'c," he urged finally. "I gotta practice it. You be Carter."
Daniel turned away from the window, gaping at his friends in surprise. Teal'c's eyebrow shot up in astonishment. Jack stared back at them, looking blankly from one to the other.
"What?"
"I don't think Teal'c is going to make a good Sam substitute," Daniel said thoughtfully.
"Okay, then you do it," Jack said.
"Me," Daniel replied skeptically.
Jack looked around slowly. "I don't see anyone else in the room…"
"Jack, I am not going to let you propose to me," Daniel told him.
"C'mon, Daniel! I'd do it for you!" Jack said.
"You would not," Daniel replied.
"Okay, maybe I wouldn't. But you're nicer than I am," Jack attempted.
"I'm not that nice," countered Daniel.
"Sure y'are," Jack said.
"No, Jack. I'm really not," Daniel insisted.
Fortunately for Daniel, they were still debating the matter when Cam and Carolyn pulled up outside. Cam's headlights flashed through the living room window, and Daniel waved frantically for him to cut the lights. They clicked off almost immediately, and the archaeologist let out a sigh of relief. A few tense minutes went by, and then Sam tiptoed into the room to whisper that Vala was asleep.
Grabbing his coat from the closet, Daniel flung it hurriedly over his shoulders and hurried outside. Sam, Jack, and Teal'c followed him out a few seconds later, and the group met Cam and Carolyn as they climbed out of Cam's truck.
It was too dark to see more than a squirming shadow as Carolyn shifted the puppy into Daniel's arms, but a frenzy of excited nuzzling and licking followed, assuring him that the dog at least felt that he was in the right place. He gave a small, half involuntary laugh and pulled back to avoid having a wet tongue in his nostril, then scratched the pup's floppy ears affectionately.
"Hey, little guy…" he started to say, breaking off at the sudden sound of a window being shoved open behind them. He turned in time to see Vala shove her head out and jab a finger at him in triumph.
"Aha!"