Generation 4, Chapter 9: Lie to someone, and you'll eventually get burned

I had my doubts whether or not I would survive the night.

Though Vala barely had any knowledge of Bridgeport (that I knew of), she sure knew exactly which club to pick. She never mentioned a name, but the lights at the entrance told me this was a place where only the highest celebrities would get in - a requirement we definitely did not meet, in money and poise.

Yet, her smooth tongue and good looks were enough to get the bouncer to grudgingly allow us to sneak into the club. On one condition: That I change into a outfit that screamed a little more "party!" instead "overly gentleman". At least, that's as much as I could make out of Vala's rambling on about my lack of fashion sense.

Finally dressed in a way that would satisfy Vala, but also incredibly uncomfortable for me, I led the way to the bar, quickly becoming acquainted with the menu. I had a feeling that it would come in handy.

"I'd like a Simolean Sunrise, please," I requested to the bartender, who seemed to have little experience at her job. The only reason I could fathom that they would hire her, was for her looks and, like many others would refer to, "over proportional assets".

"Really, Daniel?" Vala droned next to me, raising an eyebrow as she observed the way the drink was mixed. "You could go for something a little more original, and might I add, something a LOT stronger than that."

"How do know what drink is strong or not?"

She smirked. "It's all in the name, doofus!"

A minute later, the bartender approached us with the sparkling purple drink, seemingly oblivious to our quarreling.  "Can I get anything for your girlfriend, sir?"

Both of our heads turned to each other. I felt shocked that such an assumption could be made, while Vala...well, she couldn't stop smiling. "We're...uh hum...we're not dating. She's a...a..."

"An acquaintance?" Vala interjected, winking at me.

"No, not that...," I answered, lost in thought. The perfect excuse formed itself in my mind, something that would even explain the bruises on her face without complicating me in her problems. "I'm her...psychologist. She has a lot of issues, and 'm taking her out tonight, you know, just to let her feel normal again, and to have some fun."

"Oh...right...," Vala seemed taken by surprise, but quickly expanded on the lie. "Yeah, I've had a rough relationship in the past. My boyfriend was abusive and all that...but doctor Jackson here, he's been a great help to me."

"You're preaching to the choir, sister," the bartender sighed. "I had the same experience a couple months ago. Boyfriend's in jail, luckily."

Vala put her acting skills to good use, nearly bursting into tears. "Mine got away with it... He's probably out there somewhere, beating up another girl like he did me..."

"That's enough talking about bad past experiences...," I signaled the girl to discontinue speaking to Vala. The fake act had to come to an end sometime.

"You're so good to me, Daniel," she sniffed, eyeing the worker, and spoke only when she knew that the girl was away at a safe distance. "I didn't know you could think on your feet like that," she whispered.

"Well, now you know one more thing about me. It's a lot more than I know about you. I know absolutely nothing about your real past or why you ended up being a slave to some kind of crime family," I nearly growled, signaling the bartender to bring another drink. This time, a little bit stronger than the last one.

Instead of providing me with a much needed answer, she merely rolled her eyes. "You're no fun when you're grumpy. Come on, join me on the dance floor! Or don't you know how to dance?"

My answer was a simple stare in her direction. She knew just how to irritate the crap out of me.

The dance floor was heating up because of Vala, and she had the eyes of the entire club's residents on her. At that moment, I hoped that no one would associate her acts with me. To cover up the embarrassment flaming inside of me, I ordered another drink. It slowly started to follow a consistent pattern, until the alcohol smothered all feelings of shame and contempt.

And slowly, I could feel myself losing control over who I really was.

The primal part of me that had remained buried for many years finally had the guts to surface, acting on the last words Vala had said to me. I would show her, and the entire club, just how good I could dance.

"Uh, dude, what are you doing?" the bartender kept an eye on me as I took a seat on the counter.

"Whaaat do you think?" my words were slightly slurred, and I coughed to try and clear it out. "It's time to daaaaaance."

"Ugh," she shook her head, but allowed me to clamber onto the counter. "Another one of those again. When will they learn not to come to clubs..."

It was a miracle that my feet stayed on the counter. In fact, it was a miracle that I could form coherent sentences, even while intoxicated.

But the thing it definitely had a major influence on were my emotions.

While shaking my hips the only way I knew how, I spotted Vala across the club, whispering seductively into the ear of another club attendee. Was that all she used me for? Someone to show up with at a club so she wouldn't be alone, then drop me as soon as she found someone else?

I couldn't understand why, but that small fact infuriated me.

Hopping down from the counter, I trudged all the way over the dance floor, bumping into a couple of drunk compatriots. They all seemed so...happy. The opposite of what I was experiencing.

The pianist looked like a nice person, and with a crooked smile, I approached her, only to see the face of Sam that seemed to be contorting into two. Or that could just have been the way my head was swaying. "Saaaam, isthatyou?" the words were spoken so quickly and incoherently it sounded like one. It was at that moment that a earthquake struck my mind. Everything was spinning. My eyes were of no use, and my ears were blocked, offering no way for me to receive confirmation from the girl. I could feel my legs buck under me, and my eyes slowly closing...

 ~*~

It was surely an eventful evening, that provided shocking consequences. Daniel was out for the count, who would suffer from a severe hangover when he woke up. For once, Vala looked to be quite nervous when she looked at him. Darcy, on the other hand, was enjoying every moment of it.

"I have to admit," she chuckled after poking her brother in the arm, "this is quite a funny predicament you find yourself in."

"I fail to see the humor you find in this situation...," Vala muttered, biting at her fingernails.

"Well, look at it this way... Usually, you're always the one that doesn't give a damn about other's feelings, laughing and stuff, and someone else does the worrying... Now it's reversed. I'm here, giggling my butt of. It's truly a special sight, seeing my brother passed out because he had way too much to drink at a club."

"You have an awful sense of humor," Vala rolled her eyes, moving closer to check on Daniel's breathing. "I think he's awake..."

And sure enough, he was, and ready for vengeance.

"Holy shit...," he uttered, cradling his head in his hands as he came upright. "Never again..."

"Someone seems to be in a very good mood!" Darcy winked at him, though she doubt he saw it. At that moment, he didn't care about anyone other than himself. That, and a need to yell at the person who caused it all.

"Daniel...," Vala started, casting her gaze to the ground. "I didn't think things would end up so...wrecked, to put it lightly. I'm s-"

"-your sorry?" he nearly fumed, leaning against the wall for a moment to gather support for his legs. "Vala, you made me embarrass myself in front of an entire crowd. Didn't you think there would be a really good reason why I don't go to clubs? But no, you just had to..."

"I didn't mean to, really... I just...want to move on, you know. Lead a normal life."

Daniel sighed, but did not abandon his angered demeanor. "That's great and all, honestly. You want to have a nice life. But you know what? You can have that without me. I don't want to be a part of your schemes anymore. So please, get the hell out of my house...and if you'll excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom to throw up."

Quickly rushing out of the room, Vala was left close to tears, and Darcy could only stand there, looking wide-eyed. "Daniel was the only one that really wanted to help you, Vala...," Darcy said quietly. "You kinda ruined that now."

The reality of that was too much to bear, and she stormed out of the building, finally bursting into tears just outside the building, away from the public's scornful eye.

Daniel had been quick to judge Vala's actions, but if he only knew the truth behind it all, he would have turned a blind eye to the unfortunate hangover he had experienced...

While Daniel had danced his problems away on the counter tops of the bar, Vala had not been socializing with a guy. She was negotiating with a former "colleague" of sorts, Eric, who had been her partner in crime for the past year.

"Vala...you finally appeared. Come stand here, you totally need to see the crazy guy over there," he chuckled.

"Later, maybe," she had nodded," but first, there's some urgent business to be discussed."

Realizing the urgency in her voice, Eric led Vala to the men's bathroom, expecting some sort of hook up. She had instantly been repelled by that assumption.

"Eric!" she had yelled. "What the hell is wrong with you? We're nothing anymore. I told you that's in the past."

"One can hope that you lied," he had shrugged.

"No, no chance of that. I'm not returning to that life anytime soon, not even when things look grim. I'd rather live on the streets than go back to a life of crime."

"Then why contact me? What do you want this time?" he had grumbled, turning away from her with a disgruntled face.

"It's time you pay me back. I saved your hide many times, remember that."

He planted a fist against the bathroom's wall. "Vala, I hardly have any money as it is."

"Not cash, no," she shook her head firmly. "I need a favor."

"What kind?" he asked suspiciously.

"Well, you're good with the technical aspects of the organization, right?" When he nodded, she continued. "There's a name on the hit list...it's pretty low down, nobody would miss it, to be honest. Do you think you could make that name disappear?"

"Sure...," he agreed slowly. "But Vala... This'll be the last thing I can ever do for you. After this expedition to Bridgeport, I'm heading overseas. What's the name of this person?"

"Daniel Jackson," she said simply.

"Huh... Never heard of him before. What's so special about him that you're the one saving his butt?"

"Let's just say I dragged him into some of my problems, and he doesn't deserve to be punished alongside me."

She was a strong individual, but seeing the way Daniel had cared for her, even after what she had done to him, made her crack, and see the error of her ways.

The question was, had she been too late to realize all of this?

~♥~

Well... To be honest, this wasn't the best post of mine. I've been in a weird mood for a while, so I think there'll be a two week's delay till the next post. In that time, I'm gonna use my rather depressed mood to write the introduction of Chasing The Dark, which will be my supernatural themed story.

Just wanted to give you a heads up, and thank you so much for reading.