Vala was reminded of every marketplace on every planet she'd ever been to. Earth certainly had a leg up when it came to quality, but there was more to life than clothes. Sam led her through the maze of racks, not letting her stop to examine even the unrevealing outfits. "We can come back," she promised as she prodded Vala forward. They ended up at a staircase, but...

"Oh, well this is interesting," Vala said. She leaned forward and rested her hand on the banister. It was rolling, following the path of the automatic stairs towards a second level. "What's up there?"

"Come on and find out." Sam stepped onto the bottom step and quickly began to rise away from the floor.

Vala hesitated, put one foot on the next stair to appear and her legs began to pull apart. She reached out for balance and Sam grabbed her forearm, pulling Vala up onto the step next to her. Vala grabbed Sam's waist and looked down, heart pounding as she stared at the metal steps beneath her. "Is this something you..." she lowered her voice and peered around, "...stole from the Asgard?"

"No, this one is all ours," Sam said, making no move to pull away from Vala's embrace. Her brow furrowed and she added, "At least, I think it's ours... It's called an escalator."

"How does it work?" Vala asked.

"It's a set of metal steps that run in a continuous loop on tracks," Sam explained. They reached the top and Sam said, "Keep walking or you'll fall. And take a look at this."

Vala watched her feet to make sure she got off the metal track and then looked up. The shopping mall was precisely as Sam had described it; a modern-day, Earth-based marketplace. Rows of shops ran along each side of the corridor with their wares advertised in brightly-lit display windows. Books, clothes, jewelry, music, children's toys, something for every taste.

"Wow," Vala said. Sam guided her to the railing in the median of the walkway. Vala put her hands out and peered down at the bottom level. There were even more stores there, and multitudes of people moving from one to the next with dozens of bags hanging from their fingers. "This is your marketplace?"

"We call it a shopping mall," Sam said. "But yeah. Same basic premise. Just don't try to barter with anyone. The marked price is the price you pay. Got it?"

"Right," Vala muttered. She looked around and then turned back the way they'd come. More people were rising on the escalator. She suddenly realized that the stairs seemed to only go one way. "How do we get down?"

"The down escalator," Sam said. "I'll show you when it's time. For now, where do you want to start?"

Vala exhaled and turned in a slow circle. "I don't know where to begin! Where do you suggest?"

Sam gestured at a shop to their left. "How about here? Bed Bath & Beyond."

"What's a bed bath?"

Sam laughed out loud, a sound so rarely heard that it made Vala jump. "It's bed, bath and beyond. They just left out the comma."

"Well... I have a bed and the SGC provides bathing facilities. What does the 'beyond' denote?"

Sam grinned. "Oh, you'll like it. Trust me."

~

Twenty minutes later, Vala had found a sinfully soft silk robe. They paid for it on Sam's charge card and headed for Bath & Body Works. "Another bathing store?"

"Start from the skin and work your way out," Sam said.

Vala shrugged and followed Sam into the store. She had to admit, this store smelled much better than the first one. Sam found a bottle on the shelf and said, "Okay, here. Smell this." She sprayed the air in front of Vala and used her hand to waft the cloud towards her.

Vala inhaled and her eyes nearly rolled back in her head. "Good Lord. What is that?"

Sam smiled and turned the bottle so she could read the label. "Body Splash, Coco Cabana." She looked up. "Do you like it?"

"Very much," Vala said. She scanned the store and saw thousands of bottles just like the one Sam was holding. "But let's not marry ourselves to one fragrance just yet..."

Sam's smile widened. "I'll make a shopper of you yet."

They split up and began to search the shelves. Vala found another bottle, this one marked Seaspray. She sprayed the air, sniffed, but didn't get a real sense of it. Sam was standing a few feet away, so Vala walked up and spritzed the back of her neck. "Hey!" Sam said. Vala grabbed Sam's shoulders to hold her still, leaned in and inhaled deeply.

"Mm. Wow. I like it. But I think it's better on you than me." She put the bottle in Sam's hand and said, "I'll keep looking."

Sam looked at the bottle in her hand, blushed slightly and lifted her shoulder to try and wipe the sticky spray from her skin. "Okay, just... next time, don't spray directly onto the skin, all right? A mist is preferred."

"Right. Sorry."

"No worries."

They returned to their treasure hunt. Vala found some repairing hand cream - "with honey & shea" - and flipped the cap open. There was a small hole in the center of the cap and some yellow goop dried around the edge. She pursed her lips and said, "Sam, how do you test this?"

Sam looked over and took the container from Vala. She squirted a little dab onto her fingertips and handed the container back. She rubbed her hands together, working the lotion in, and then took one of Vala's hands and massaged the knuckles gently. "A pea-sized dab should work. How do you like it?"

"It's good," Vala said, watching Sam's hands work over hers. She suddenly realized Sam meant the lotion and not the massage and bent down to inhale. "Oh. Yeah, it's good. It's nice."

"Want it?" Sam asked.

"Yes, I believe so. Of course... 'repairing.' You have calluses on your hands. Maybe you should take it."

Sam shrugged. "I'm not very girly," she said. "I like the occasional day of dress-up, but for the most part I'm jeans and a t-shirt. And no lotion."

Vala quirked her lips and looked Sam over. She was, as she'd said, in jeans and a button-down blue blouse. Not the sexiest attire on the planet, that was for damn sure. She made a mental note to definitely stop at the clothing market downstairs before they left.

They bought a few more bottles of lotion and abandoned that store for the next. Vala started into the next store in the row, but Sam tugged on her elbow. "Um... maybe we should skip that one."

"What?" Vala said. She looked up at the marquee over the door and frowned. "Who is Victoria? And how is this store a secret? It's not even out of the way." She eyed the mannequin in the window and her eyebrows reached for her scalp. "And there is no way that woman is keeping any secrets wearing that." She moved towards the door again and turned to Sam. "Well? You said from the skin out, right?"

Sam groaned and followed Vala into the store. The store wasn't trashy in any way; it was discrete, with dark, wood-paneled walls and the styles displayed in glass cases on the walls. Still, Sam kept her eyes on the carpet and tried to focus on the cases of beauty products at the front of the store. Vala, of course, went straight to the wall and began to examine the different styles and colors.

"Can I help you ladies find anything?" a chipper young saleswoman said.

Vala pointed at a low-cut slip with thin shoulder straps. The sides were split all the way up to reveal the curve of the wearer's hip, the front and the back held together with strings that would be oh, so easy to undo. "Do you have this in pink?"

The girl stepped back, looked Vala up and down and smiled. "I think I have something that will work. Just a minute." She walked across the store with a quick, efficient shuffle-step that took her through the door to the back.

Vala sidled up to Sam and whispered, "Bold little thing, wasn't she?"

"What?"

"She checked me out!"

Sam blushed. "She was getting your measurements, Vala."

"Potato, potatoe," Vala muttered. "Girls get jobs here for the same reason boys would."

"Just keep your voice down," Sam said. She smiled at another saleswoman who had made her way over. "Hi."

The girl smiled. She could've been a twin of the first one. "Hi! Have you been helped?"

Sam was about to answer when Vala said, "I have. She hasn't." She pushed Sam forward, chum to the sharks.

"Great! What are you looking for today?"

Sam was finally forced to look at the walls. She scanned bleakly past the teddies and babydolls and spotted something she actually would feel comfortable wearing. "That," she said. She pointed at the tank top and boxer set, slate gray with a pale pink trim. "I'd like to see that."

The girl looked at it and ran her eyes down Sam's body. Sam grimaced; damn it if Vala hadn't gotten in her head. "Really?" the salesgirl said. "With a body like yours, you could pull off anything in this store."

"Or get someone to pull it off for you," Vala said.

The salesgirl gasped and laughed. Sam glared at her shopping companion.

"Okay," the salesgirl chirped. "The tank and boxer combo? Gray and pink, right?"

"Yes. Please."

The girl disappeared. Vala moved closer to Sam and said, "What are you so uptight about? You have to buy underwear, right?"

"Right," Sam said uncomfortably. "But I usually don't buy mine here."

"You don't buy them at that dreadful store Daniel took me to, do you? That... department store?"

"Could we change the subject?"

"Plain, boring panties that come three to a pack? Oh, Sam, say it isn't so."

The salesgirl returned with Vala's slip. "Would you like to try it on?"

Sam put a hand in the middle of Vala's back and shoved her forward. "Yes. She would." The girl led Vala to the dressing room, giving Sam a momentary reprieve. She pushed her hair out of her face and groaned when she saw her salesgirl returning with the tank and shorts combo.

After sending the girls into the back a few more times, Vala settled on the first slip, plus a shorter, silk number with black lace on the bodice and around the hem. Since Sam shunned away from the idea of modeling for each other, Vala held the slip up against her chest. "What do you think? Do you think Daniel will appreciate it?"

"Daniel," Sam said. "Uh, yeah. Daniel will like it, I'm sure."

"You should've seen the lingerie in the store he took me to."

"Which store was that?"

"Kuh-mart."

Sam laughed. "K-Mart."

"Whatever. Whoever this Martha Stewart is, she knows nothing about eroticism."

Sam's smile widened. "Yeah, well... that's not really her claim to fame."

They bought the slips - Sam sticking to the fairly modest boxer combo while Vala bought three or four of the flimsiest slips she could find. She slipped the bag over her wrist as they walked out of the store. She glanced at the Bath & Body Works bag in Sam's hand and said, "I hope this doesn't break your bank."

"Break the bank? Did you get that from Daniel?" Vala nodded with a smile. "Well, don't worry about it. As far as aliens using my credit card, you've still got a long way to go before you even approach the record."

"Really?" Vala said. She was barely paying attention; she was too busy scanning the nearby shops to find their next battlefront.

Sam, still reeling from the attack of the lingerie salesgirls, grabbed Vala's elbow and said, "The food court for mochaccino."

"What is that?" Vala asked.

"Orgasms in a cup."

Vala's eyes sparkled. "Lead the way."

~

They took their mochaccinos to a beauty parlor, where Sam treated them both to pedicures. Vala sipped her drink and watched as a tiny Asian woman polished her toenails. She looked at Sam with heavy-lidded eyes and said, "You're holed up in your lab all day and all night when you know you could be doing this?"

Sam laughed and sipped her coffee. "Trust me, this isn't an everyday sort of activity. It's nice to treat yourself every once in a while, but you'd get sick of it eventually."

"I'd like to find that out for myself, actually."

Sam smiled and leaned back in her chair.

Suitably pampered, they wandered through a few more stores. Sam got Vala to give the bookstore a try, but she was hardly interested in anything beyond the magazine rack. Sam was about to pull her away, at the very least make her look at a Harry Potter book, when she spotted the latest issue of Scientific American magazine. "Ooh," she said. She grabbed it off the shelf and flipped through until she saw what she was looking for.

Vala looked over her shoulder and said, "Isn't that the conference you and Dr. Lee attended not long ago?"

"Yeah," Sam said. She read from the article, "'Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter of the United States Air Force again wowed convention-goers with a demonstration of holographic technology that is straight out of the latest Star Trek movie.'" She grunted. "Why do they always go for the Trek angle? There are other sci-fi shows in the world, you know..." She shook her head and scanned the rest of the article.

Vala nudged Sam's arm with her shoulder. "Look at that! You're famous!"

"I'm famous in scientific circles. It's different."

"How?"

"It means I'm not famous," Sam said. She closed the magazine and tucked it under her arm. It would be a nice clipping to put in the care package to Mark and his kids. Vala chose a handful of entertainment magazines and carried them to the counter with Sam. "You sure you don't want any novels? Danielle Steele, Michael Crichton... if you can get past some of the pseudo-science..."

"What's Danielle Steele?"

Sam looked at Vala and had a sudden flash of unleashing Vala into the world of Thads and Chips. Daniel would never forgive her. "Um. No one. Never mind."

After a few more shops and a few more colorful bags added to their arsenal, Vala led Sam into a shoe store. Sam immediately homed in on a pair of high-heeled black leather boots. Vala came up behind her and admired them. "Very nice. You should buy them."

"Are you kidding? They're probably torture on your feet. You wouldn't be able to walk from your car to the front door."

"Despite what one of your Earth songs claims, some boots are not made for walking, Samantha." She nudged Sam with her elbow and said, "They're screaming your name. And they'll make other people scream it, as well."

Sam blushed and chewed her bottom lip. It had been a long time since she bought shoes. And a long time since she'd bought anything that was this frivolous. She checked the price tag and nearly dropped the boots on the floor. "Good God."

Vala looked and shrugged. "I've seen worse."

"Yeah. On cars," Sam said.

Vala scanned the store. "Where's a salesperson when you need one?"

"They don't pounce on you here," Sam said. "They know the boots are already talking loud enough." She sighed and said, "All right, but if I buy these boots, the shopping spree is effectively over."

"Good enough," Vala said.

Sam groaned. She'd been hoping that would dissuade Vala. She looked at the boots again and checked the size. Goes to figure, they were perfect for her. She carried the boots to a stool and sat down, slipping off her sandal. Her newly-polished toenails glittered in the light of the store and she dipped them into the darkness of the new boot.

It was heaven. Soft, supple leather slid around her ankle and calf, a blissfully comfortable sole cradling her foot. It was as if it had been designed for the precise shape and arch of her foot. Her eyelids drifted closed and she put her foot down. "Okay. I have got to own these boots..."

She tried the other one on, walked a few paces just to make sure the heavenly feeling didn't fade and reluctantly found a saleswoman. Ignoring the screams her credit card made as it was run through the scanner, Sam said she'd wear the boots out of the store. She put her sandals into one of the bags and followed Vala from the store.

Vala was walking backwards, eyes on Sam's feet. "You've got to... work it. Right? Work it. Swing the hips." She demonstrated.

"Maybe some other time," Sam said. She turned Vala around and hooked an arm around her elbow. She walked them both towards the escalator. "But, like I said, I'm testing the fine people at MasterCard as it is. The shopping trip is hereby complete."

"Right," Vala said. "Just one more stop."

"Vala..."

"No, no, the people at MasterCard won't even know about it. I want to treat you to something."

Sam blinked. "Oh. Well, that's... very nice of you, Vala. Um, no offense, but do you have any money?"

"Daniel loaned me some."

"Does he know?"

Vala grinned. "Of course, my dear Colonel. Now, come on. Let's go."

Sam reluctantly followed Vala to the escalators. This time, Vala spotted the down escalator and walked directly towards it. Her confident stride wavered only at the threshold where the steps began to unfold. She hesitated and turned to face Sam. "Um... I don't... I mean, I'm sure it's silly to someone like you, but..."

Sam smiled and took Vala's hand. She stepped onto the escalator step and pulled Vala on next to her. Vala wrapped her arms around Sam's waist and held on all the way down. Sam patted the small of Vala's back with her hand as they stepped off in the clothing department of J.C. Penney's.

A woman walking by covered her smirk with her hand, but not quickly enough to keep Vala from seeing it. Vala smoothed her blouse and called after the woman, "Yes, I'm sure it's very amusing. I'm sure when I get to your age, I'll be used to it, too!"

"Easy, Vala," Sam said softly.

Vala huffed and scanned the store. She brightened when she saw the rows and rows of colorful dresses. "Right!" she said. She grabbed Sam's hand and walked to the nearest rack. "Something blue or something yellow. To bring out your eyes or your hair. You wear so much blue already, with that horrid jumpsuit thing. Best not to bring that to mind, yes? So! Yellow it is."

"Vala, I appreciate this, but..."

"Posh," Vala said. She pulled out a yellow blouse and held it up against Sam. She wrinkled her nose. "Too flashy." She returned it to the rack.

A saleswoman approached and said, "Ladies."

Vala looked at the woman and then at Sam. "It's amazing," she said, "how they manage to find you so quickly."

"Yeah," Sam muttered. "Amazing. We're just looking," she said to the woman.

"Don't be so hasty," Vala said. "We're looking for something for my friend. Casual. A dress. Something... breezy. And yellow."

The woman smiled and said, "Come right this way."

"And we want it to accentuate her boobs," Vala said. Sam shoved her shoulder and Vala nearly fell. She nudged the saleswoman when she regained her footing and, smiling evilly over her shoulder at Sam, added, "The sluttier, the better."

The saleswoman turned and walked backwards. She smiled and said, "I think we could find something."

Sam decided Vala would need a new color: yellow to match her hair, blue to match her eyes or beet red to match her face.

~

Sam took an armful of dresses - all in shades of light blue or yellow - into the dressing room. There was a mirror wide and tall enough to examine her entire outfit at a glance, a small stool to sit and a rack to the left to hang outfits. She unloaded her arms and picked a dress at random. She undressed down to her underwear and lowered the dress to the floor so she could step into it.

The first dress was a thin-strapped blue sundress. It left her shoulders nearly naked, cut low on her chest and seemed transparent enough that a flashlight could silhouette her perfectly. She passed immediately and stripped out of it. The next dress was made of thicker material but her breasts wanted to explode from the bodice. Nope, no thanks. She got enough stares as it was.

There was a knock on the door as she slipped the fourth dress up her legs. "Just a second," she said.

The door opened and Vala stepped inside. "Vala!"

"Nothing I haven't seen before," Vala said. She had another dress in her hands and looked at the one Sam was currently half-wearing. "No, that one's not you. This one... is perfect." She held it up.

Sam blinked. "That's the front?"

"Yes..."

"A little low-cut, isn't it?" She fingered the circle where the two halves of the dress came together, just under where her cleavage would end. So not only exposing her breasts, but a little bit extra as a bonus. "And what the hell is this thing?"

"Ventilation?" Vala suggested. "Titillation?"

"No pun intended," Sam muttered. She had brought one arm up across her chest in a show of modesty. Sure, Vala had seen her breasts in the locker room, but this was something else entirely. To be half-naked while the person with you was fully-dressed felt... far too intimate.

"Come on, try it on. I think it'll look great on you."

Sam sighed and examined the dress more closely. It had a nice flowered pattern. It had sleeves, which was a huge bonus; going bare-armed on a Colorado Springs night was not her idea of a fun time. "All right," she said. She took the dress from Vala and waited. Vala waited as well. "Well," she said, gesturing at the door.

"Come on, Sam," Vala said. "No need to be prudish."

Sam rolled her eyes and let the dress she'd been pulling up fall. She stepped out of it and Vala bent down, her hair brushing Sam's thighs. Sam stifled a gasp. Vala straightened, fluffed out the dress and replaced it on the hanger. Sam slid her arms into the dress Vala had brought her, worked her hands into the sleeves and pulled the hem over her head. She felt Vala's hands on the material, guiding it down, smoothing the material against Sam's body as it fell.

When it was in place, Vala stepped back and straightened the décolletage so Sam's cleavage was centered. She pursed her lips, cupped Sam's breasts and pushed them up.

"Vala!" Sam snapped.

"What?" Vala said, tilting her head to get a critical look at the fall of the dress.

Sam shook her head and hoped the saleswoman wasn't eavesdropping outside. She also hoped Vala didn't notice that the "readjustment" had made her nipple hard. She turned away and looked in the mirror. To her surprise, the dress actually did look good on her. She turned slightly and smoothed her hands over her hips. "Wow."

"See? When it comes to fashion, trust a Mal Doran."

"Is your family in fashion?"

"Among other things..." Vala said. She nodded and said, "Yeah. I think this will do nicely. But panty lines are a problem."

Sam had a sudden fear that Vala would tell her to drop her panties right then and there. But instead she said, "You have slips, right?"

"Um. Yeah. At home."

"They'll go well with this," Vala said. She put her hands on Sam's shoulders and said, "You know what we should do? Stop by your house on the way back to the base, let you change into the right underwear, and then, you wear this to the base."

"Vala, we have to be off-world in..." she checked her watch, "...two hours."

"More than enough time!" Vala said. She patted Sam on the ass and stepped back. "Now, get out of that thing so I can buy it for you." She pulled a credit card from the pocket of her jacket and held it up. "The reactions of the men on the base? Priceless." She winked and left the dressing room.

~

Vala, thankfully, stayed in the living room while Sam changed into a slip. She left the lights off in her bedroom and stood in front of the mirror, wearing only her new boots. The shopping spree had been a way to get to know Vala, to get comfortable with her. It had worked a little too well. By the time Vala mentioned Daniel in the lingerie shop, Sam had almost completely forgotten everything else.

She was falling for Vala.

Which was ridiculous, of course. She wasn't gay. She and Janet had been a fluke, a one-time thing, loving the person beyond the gender. To be falling for another woman was ludicrous. But when Vala had slipped into the dressing room with her, why hadn't she kicked her out? She'd even felt a little excited at the prospect. And when Vala had grabbed her chest, why hadn't she told her to keep her hands to herself?

Maybe because it had been so long since someone had made her wet just from a simple, innocent touch.

She went to the bathroom and tore off a piece of toilet paper. She touched herself between her legs, ignoring the shockwave the touch sent through her, and made sure she was dry before she pulled on a pair of panties. She found a clean slip in her dresser drawer, put it on and then cut the price tags off her brand-new flowered dress.

She finished dressing and looked at herself in the mirror. She would have to start taking Vala along every time she went clothes shopping, if this was the result. She made sure the material wasn't bunched in the back before she returned to the living room. Vala was in the den, scanning the videotapes on the shelf.

Sam felt her heart skip a beat and wondered if she'd taken down the tape labeled "Janet Dances." She cleared her throat and Vala looked away from the tapes. She smiled and said, "Very nice!"

"Thanks," Sam said. She cleared her throat and gestured to the door. "Shall we?"

"The boys won't know what hit them."

~

Cameron and Siler looked like they'd hit an invisible wall. Cameron eyed them and casually said, "There's something you don't see every day..."

"Uh, yes, sir," Siler said. He turned to walk in the other direction... and slammed solidly into a door.

Cameron, Sam and Vala watched as he picked himself up, covering his face with both hands. An airman helped Siler around the corner, most likely heading for the infirmary. Cameron smirked at Sam and said, "It's a nice outfit."

Sam smiled at Vala, who nudged her with her shoulder. Vala's smirk said, Told you so as clearly as if she'd said it out loud.

Cameron said, "It's very, um..."

"Civilian?" Sam offered.

"That's one way of putting it. Heh..." He finally noticed the bags they were holding, full of Vala's purchases at the shopping mall. "So what is this, girl's day out?"

Vala nodded. "Well, yes, if I'm going to integrate into Earth society, we thought it was very important that I immerse myself in the local cultural offerings."

"And by cultural offerings, you mean..."

Sam decided to leave out the dressing room misadventure and said, "Pedicures, mochaccinos and Victoria's Secret."

"Mm-hmm!" Vala said.

Cameron's eyes lit up at the words 'Victoria' and 'Secret' in the same sentence and he chuckled. "Heh... well, we're scheduled to go off-world in about an hour and, although you both look... fantastic... I suggest you might want to lose the heels."

Sam started to nod and was cut off by a sudden klaxon sounding. "Unauthorized off-world activation!"

Cameron stepped to one side and swept an arm out. "Ladies first."

~

And just like that, the fun and frivolity of their shopping trip was over. As soon as Vala saw who had contacted them, her spirits fell lower than Sam had ever seen them. She was actually moping. She cornered Vala a few weeks after Jasek arrived on Earth and said, "Hold on. Come here." She took Vala to one side of the hallway and lowered her voice. "How are you?"

"Everyone keeps asking me that. I'm fine. I feel nothing for the man."

Sam crossed her arms over her chest and waited.

"What?"

"You're not being you. You're not even trying, Vala. I know you're hurting."

Vala leaned against the wall and said, "How was your relationship with your father?"

"Until the last few years, it was awful. Barely civil. We spoke, but... things changed when he became a host for Selmak. He was kinder and easier to talk to. He was more fun to be around. It was like bringing him into this life put us on equal footing. It gave us a fresh start."

"And you think this is the same?"

"No," Sam said. "I think this... little Pepito scam is a sign that it's not the same. Or maybe your father is just having a harder time adjusting than you did. Maybe he's not as strong as you were."

Vala finally smiled. The move caused a tear to slip free and Sam had to fight herself not to brush it away. "Appealing to my vanity. Samantha Carter, you have my number."

Sam smiled. "So you'll talk to him?"

"If it will get all of you off my back... yes. I will go see him."

"Good. Let me know how it works out."

Vala nodded and headed off. Sam watched her go and realized that she cared a lot more for Vala than she'd let herself believe. There was evidence Jasek was still dabbling in the fine art of con games, but she was angrier at him for the way he made Vala feel. It was a wake-up call she hadn't been expecting. She made a point to explore it fully once this whole mess was over.

~

She knocked, an awkward endeavor with a wine bottle in one hand and a pair of wineglasses in the other. "Just a minute!" Vala called. There was a quiet rustling noise and then, "Come in!"

Sam opened the door - even harder than knocking - and peered inside. "Hi!" she said.

Vala was taking "Hi. What's this?"

"Girls night in," Sam said, hoisting up the bottle and glasses.

"Nice!" Vala said.

Vala settled on the bed as Sam put the wine glasses down on the footboard. Sam uncorked the bottle and glanced at Vala. "So, how are you doing?"

Vala shrugged and watched Sam pour the wine. "Great," she said without emotion. "Yeah, wonderful. Everything went... according to plan. We led Jasek to the decoy ship while you secured the real one. He scammed us, but we scammed him better." Sam handed her a glass and Vala clinked it against Sam's. "Cheers." She took a drink and said, "So where are the boys tonight?"

Subtle change of subject, Sam thought, but she answered, "Cameron has a date, Daniel is exhausted and Teal'c got tickets to some show."

"So it's really just us girls!"

Sam smiled. "Yeah. Is that all right?"

"Very much so," Vala said. She took another sip of wine and said, "I've been meaning to thank you for our little shopping trip."

"Oh!" Sam said. "Have you been enjoying the fruits of our spree?"

Vala sat up and reached towards the pillows. She pulled a set of magazines out from underneath them and said, "I've read them all, cover to cover. Ask me about Brangelina."

"That's okay," Sam said. "I'm glad you're enjoying them."

"Your credit card bill wasn't too outrageous, was it?"

Sam shrugged. "Hey, what's all that hazard pay for if not splurging on your friends? I don't mind, really."

"How about you? Are you enjoying the dress?"

"You know, I wouldn't have thought so at first. But... yeah. The dress is wonderful. Thank you for buying it for me, Vala."

"What are friends for, right? And, uh..." She scooted forward and lowered her voice. "What about the other thing we bought for you?"

Sam sipped her wine. "The boots?"

"The undergarments! Have you had a chance to, you know... show them off?"

Sam blushed slightly. "Actually... uh, no."

"What were you about to say?" Vala asked. "Come on, Sam, you can tell me."

"I don't know." She looked over her shoulder and gestured at the door. "That locks, right?"

"Of course."

Sam downed the rest of her wine and put the glass down. She walked to the door and turned the lock. "Okay, this never leaves this room."

Vala was too intrigued to do anything but agree. She shifted on the bed and curled her legs underneath her, bracing her hands on her knees. "Well? What? Is it juicy?"

"No. I just want your opinion on something."

"Okay."

Sam reached for the catch of her pants and, after another brief hesitation, snapped it open. Vala's eyes widened, but she didn't turn away or tell Sam to stop. Sam untucked her black t-shirt and lifted it up. Vala saw the pale pink elastic waistband of the boxers Sam had bought two months earlier. "Nothing you haven't seen before right?" Sam said. Her voice was shaking and her hands trembled where she was holding her pants open.

"Right," Vala managed.

Sam let her pants fall to the floor, pooling around her combat boots. She shifted, suddenly cold, and kept her jacket and shirt bunched in her left hand. Her belly and thighs were bared so Vala could see at how the underwear looked on her. "Is it ridiculous? It looks ridiculous, right?"

"No. Not at all," Vala assured her. She had yet to raise her eyes.

Sam shuffled forward and reached out. A strand of Vala's hair had caught on her shirt collar and had been hanging around her neck like a noose. Sam used the back of her fingers to brush the hair free and smooth it down. Vala finally looked up and met Sam's eyes. Before Sam could say anything to stop her, Vala was up and kissing her.

Sam kept her eyes open, too shocked to do anything else. Vala's lips were soft, pliant and parted and Sam felt the brush of Vala's tongue against her closed lips. Vala wasn't demanding, didn't expect more from the kiss other than a simple pressing of mouth-to-mouth. Vala put her hands on Sam's hips, just above the hem of her BDU jacket. Sam realized that Vala was stretched at an almost dangerous angle and shifted to one side, sitting again on the footboard of the bed.

She brought her hands up and lightly cupped the sides of Vala's face. She was very aware that her pants were around her ankles, that the only thing between her ass and the wood was a thin, nearly sheer piece of fabric. The thought made her press her lips harder to Vala's, made her open her mouth in a gasp of pleasure and inadvertently grant Vala's tongue access.

Vala moved her hands down from Sam's shirt, letting them rest on Sam's thighs. Sam's eyelids fluttered and finally closed. Vala pulled back at that moment, ran her tongue across Sam's bottom lip again and turned her head to brush her cheek against Sam's hand. "Mm," she breathed. She kissed the heel of Sam's hand.

Sam whispered, "Vala, I didn't... mean for that to happen."

"Are you sorry that it did?"

"No," Sam said without thinking.

Vala lifted the hem of her own shirt and revealed the pink material of the chemise she'd bought at Victoria's Secret. She wrapped her fingers around Sam's wrist and lowered her hand until Sam was touching the cool silk. "Good," Vala said quietly. She leaned in and kissed both corners of Sam's mouth before pushing her down onto the mattress.

"Sam," Vala gasped between kisses, "is this, ah... another part of the local customs you told me about?"

Sam's laugh turned into a groan as Vala's fingers explored. "Uh... uh, depends on which bars you go to..."

"Where could we--"

"Vala," Sam growled.

"Yes, Sam?"

"Stop... talking..."

Vala snickered and proceeded to put her lips to better use.