Hey everybody! This story isn't dead!! Sorry this chapter has taken so long, but hopefully I'll be able to continue working on it more often than I have been. Enjoy and review!!

Title: Cabin Fever

Author: dvshipper

Rating: PG

Warnings/Spoilers: Daniel/Vala and Sam/Cam

Summary: SG-1 takes a road trip to Jack's cabin for some down time. Everything ensues.

A/N: Thanks to taraleesg1 for being an awesome beta on this one! This story is a companion piece for my story Just Another Day in Paradise, but can be read on it's own. Set in late season 10.

Chapter 6: Of Striding and Scratching

Their excursion began with stretching and warming up on the porch, or rather Sam watching Cam stretch. How could a man make grungy, gray sweats look so good? It was almost as if he knew she was watching; stretching his calves at just the right angle. Sam tried to be inconspicuous by moving her arms around like she was readying the muscles for exercise, but she might as well have just sat and stared. Cameron gave her that classic hero grin and they were off.

Cameron started off at a reasonable pace; slower than his normal rate but still at a pretty good clip. After all, this wasn't so much about getting a good workout as it was spending time with Sam. Right beside him, she wasn't holding back, however she wasn't showing off either. That's what he liked about her; physically his equal but academically his superior. Though Cameron prided himself on doing pretty well in school, he knew Sam was much smarter. When it came to wit and common sense though, one was not quicker or sharper than the other. They were equal in every aspect except Sam could explain how the gate worked and Cam could only tell you there were crystals and it spins.

The day could not have been better for being outside. Not overpoweringly warm, a light breeze and not a cloud in the sky. The dark green of the tall pines were a stark contrast against the brilliant blue overhead. The air smelled of the dry heat of summer with the smallest hint of smoke from a neighbor's barbecue. Nothing compared with the comforts of a person's home planet.

Daniel and Vala found themselves in a small clearing surrounded by old trees and a carpeting of bright clover. Looking all around her and inhaling the fresh scent of nature, Vala set the backpack down. Motioning for Daniel to join her, she sat next to her pack on the ground. "You didn't bring a blanket or something?" Daniel questioned, innocently trying to sneak a peak into the backpack.

"Afraid of some plants, Daniel?" Vala asked teasingly, swatting him away from what was concealed in the bag she had been carrying.

"Yes, in fact, I am. Their pollen gets in my nose causing some nasty allergies and I was bitten by one once," Daniel said as he sat on the ground near Vala.

"You got bitten by a plant, Daniel? I find that hard to believe," Vala told him with a chuckle. His face brightened when she pulled out three disposable Tupperware containers of food from the backpack along with two bottles of water.

"Believe me, if you can find it off world, I've been bitten by it," Daniel said off handedly before curiosity found him again. "What'd you bring?"

"Here, it's a surprise," Vala handed Daniel one of the containers. Opening the lid, Daniel recognized the granola-like contents.

"Is this the stuff from-" Daniel started but was cut off by Vala.

"Yep. I brought some back and yes, I got it cleared," Vala informed Daniel. There were some good things about their last mission and one of them was the food. One of the side dishes that was actually quite filling was a trail mix, granola type dish that tasted like almonds and pineapple. Daniel had taken a liking to it and Vala figured it would be best to bring some home. Getting it cleared wasn't actually too difficult. If it wasn't kasa or plague carrying, it got through the scientific team that worked with all manner of alien food and agriculture.

A comfortable silence settled between the two, time marked by crunching and swallowing. Birds made their calls and all manner of small wild animals scurried about. As Vala sat there, she got to thinking. Though she'd suggested the hike, she didn't have a clue as to where they should go. "Daniel?"

"Yeah?" Daniel replied, mouth half full of alien mix.

"Where should we actually go? I mean trees are very nice and all but isn't there a hill or mountain around here somewhere?" Vala asked, looking around at the scenery.

"Funny you should ask. I'd love to tell you, but it's a surprise," Daniel told Vala with a smirk and a very uncharacteristic wink. Maybe she was rubbing off on him after all.

Teal'c and Jack were lounging (as much as Teal'c can lounge) on the worn in couch and staring at the screen. From the beginning of the first movie Teal'c had been reciting lines under his breath. That was another thing. Instead of in the order that they were made, Teal'c insisted they start with Episode One. While Ewan McGregor was very entertaining, O'Neill missed Harrison Ford. All of this Jack would have been able to tune out or ignore, but the one thing that got to him was the insane, random comments Teal'c was making. Something about tacos, a janitor that cleaned up dead bodies and the spirit of Jar Jar Binks keeping Darth Vader awake at night. Finally, Jack just had to know. "T, what's with all the weird comments?"

"It is from the Robot Chicken parody of Star Wars. Have you seen Robot Chicken, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked, perfectly prepared to share his favorite sketch with him.

"Maybe once or twice, but I didn't know they'd done Star Wars," Jack was a little more interested. Anything that skewered the mainstream like Robot Chicken must make great Star Wars stuff.

"They did indeed. George Lucas even voiced his own likeness," Teal'c informed his partner in marathon. O'Neill waited just a tad too long to respond and Teal'c took this as encouragement. He launched into a very detailed and acted out description of the part where President Hayes uses the force. This then culminated with Teal'c's favorite line: "Bring me a taco."

"Now that's great comedy!" Jack told Teal'c, a big smile on his face. Turning his attention back to the screen, Natalie Portman caught his eye. "Maybe I should just date her. What do you think, Teal'c?"

"People Magazine reported that she is in fact single," Teal'c informed his friend, amusement lacing his deep voice.

"People ya say? Then it must be true!" Jack told his buddy with graceful sarcasm. All the response he got was an "Indeed" because Teal'c was fully immersed in the CG battle again.

Sam and Cameron were quite a distance from the cabin when each was starting to really work. Neither wanted to tell the other that the grassy area next to the road was looking mighty inviting. Huffing and puffing, each glanced at each other every once in awhile. Cameron caught the look on Sam's face, which was red and a little shimmery with sweat. "You wanna stop for a minute?" he asked slowing his pace a bit.

"That would probably be a good idea," Sam replied stopping to put her hands on her knees and catch her breath. It was a little odd considering a quarter of her time off world was running away from angry natives or enemy soldiers. But considering there was no major adrenaline rush coursing through her and her life didn't depend on it she was whipped. "This is fun for you?"

"Yeah," Cam chuckled, shifting from one foot to the other right next to Sam. "Don't you just love the feeling that you get from it?"

"Oh you mean like collapsing? Oh yes, great feeling," Sam's sarcasm came through as she moved to lie in the grass at the side of the gravel road. Looking up at the blue sky, she was a little mesmerized by it. Faint wisps of white clouds appeared like they were a trail left behind by a larger cloud. Sam was brought from her thoughts however when there was a thud next to her.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Cam asked, lying right next to Sam.

"Yeah, it is," Sam replied quietly. Cam brought his hands behind his head, his elbow brushing her arm just slightly. About that no adrenaline thing, well there was definitely a little more after that. It was amazing how just the slightest touch could electrify her whole body.

"You don't realize how amazing this planet really is till you spend time off it. Workin' underground and off world, you kinda forget about your own sky," Cam commented, laying his right arm out straight just above Sam's head. It was an invitation, but one he wasn't sure she'd accept.

"Exactly. It's a shame too, cause it's perfect," Sam said as she scooted up a little to rest her head on Cam's sleeve covered arm. The arm tensed a little, which made Sam a tad amused. After a second, Cam relaxed and continued to gaze at the sky even though he had the serious urge to gaze at Sam.

Daniel was following Vala, who was noticeably upset, back toward the cabin. To Daniel, being a guy, he didn't completely understand why she was mad. Clearly it had been an accident and in no way his fault, but that was something Vala couldn't accept. Running a little to catch up with her, Daniel placed a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, Vala. Don't be mad. I couldn't have had any idea that would happen. I just wanted to show you the view."

"No, you just led me up the steepest hill in the surrounding area and watched me take a tumble," Vala refused to look at Daniel or stop. Her resolve was set and all she wanted to do was get back to the cabin. Looking down at her hands, she realized they were bleeding and she picked up her pace.

By the time they got to the cabin, Daniel knew Vala couldn't be completely mad at him because he'd caught her with a grin pulling the corners of her mouth once or twice. Knowing what he had to do, he immediately got the first aid kit from the bathroom. Vala reluctantly followed him onto the porch and sat down in one of the chairs. "Hands," Daniel had the antiseptic spray and a washcloth ready to clean the dirt from her 'wounds.' With an 'hmph' Vala held out her hands.

After a few seconds and stings, Vala felt her anger weakening. Daniel kneeling in front of her, fixing her up was so kind and sweet, Vala just couldn't resist. "I guess it wasn't your fault," Vala sighed with a loving expression.

"Good," Daniel replied and kissed her palms lightly. The moment was perfect…until Jack appeared at the door.

"Well if it isn't Han and Leia, back from their hike."

It was not long before Cameron and Sam returned, sweaty and Jack informed them they were stinkin' the place up. Sam told him the smell of burnt grilled cheese wasn't much better. What they all loved about hanging out as a team was just that: the banter. Everyone was sarcastic and everyone loved a joke.

Vala, however, lost her sense of humor, when at dinner she began to itch. By the look on Daniel's face she figured it probably wasn't a good thing that she was itching. "Poison oak."

"What's poison oak?" Vala asked Daniel whose face yelled 'uh oh.'

"You must have fallen through some when we were on our hike. It's a plant that gives you an itchy rash when you come in contact with it," Daniel informed her.

"Ah man!" Vala exclaimed while vigorously scratching her elbow as if it would make the rash disappear.

After sticking all her clothes in a bag, Daniel helped wash the affected areas with vodka (leave it to Jack to not have rubbing alcohol) and put anti-itch cream over the red blotchy rash. Vala crawled into bed, feeling the comfort of pajamas and the cream taking effect. What surprised her though was when just as she was about to succumb to sleep, Daniel snuggled up behind her. While the warmth was very much welcomed, it confused her a little. "Daniel, Jack said this stuff is contagious."

"Jack doesn't know what he's talking about," Daniel replied into her hair, wrapping his arm protectively across her waist.

"Don't you want to sleep somewhere else, just in case?" Vala asked, half asleep.

"Nope, Teal'c snores." Vala giggled. "And a little poison oak isn't going to keep me away from you." Daniel laid a kiss on her hair and a few on her shoulder.

Vala let out a happy sigh and her back melted into Daniel's bare chest. Knowing he was always there was a definite comfort. Vala let herself drift to dreaming, held by the warmth of the man she cared for most. Oddly enough though, she dreamt of Patrick Dempsey and George Clooney. While neither compared to Daniel, it was still a very enjoyable dream.