It Happened One Night
By: valaMD (scifi_tv_addict)
CATEGORY: Drama, Humor
WARNINGS: None
AUTHOR’S WEBSITE:
http://scifi-tv-addict.livejournal.com/
CHAPTER 1: An (Un)Welcome Surprise
“So I double checked the work just to make sure, but you’re
definitely pregnant.”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“You’re pregnant.”
“And by pregnant you mean….”
“Um…” Carolyn paused, clearly confused by the other woman’s question, “You’re
going to have a baby.”
“Right,” Vala said, taking a moment to ponder over Dr. Lam’s statement. “Are
you sure? I mean two tests, how accurate can that really be?”
“Pretty accurate,” Carolyn said, matter-of-factly.
“Can’t you try it again, I mean, do another test?”
Carolyn was taken aback, and honestly a little testy. She had performed the
test twice just so that she could avoid these types of questions. “I can, but
honestly, you’ll get the same results.”
“This is impossible,” Vala said, concern and fear written all over her face.
“Impossible…do you mean like…um…before?”
“What? Oh, no…I mean, it is possible,
it’s just…well…a bit unplanned.”
“Oh, I see.” There was an awkward silence, one that lasted longer than both
women were comfortable with. Carolyn was a little curious as to who the
father of Vala’s baby was, but she wasn’t one to pry. Besides, she took the
fact that Vala wasn’t being her usually chatty self to mean that she wasn’t
comfortable discussing the subject with anyone just yet, let alone with a woman
she barely knew. Deciding to break the silence, she spoke up.
“You know, you’re going to have to inform General Landry of this as soon as
possible.”
“Right,” Vala said, nodding her head in seeming understanding. “Why is that
exactly?”
“Health issues. Pregnancy risks need to be addressed. If you’re going to remain
on active duty with the SGC, we’re going to have to keep a close eye on you
throughout the pregnancy.”
“Can’t we just pretend I’m not…you know…pregnant. I mean, what’s the harm in
letting everyone think I’ve just let myself go for a few months?”
Barely managing to stifle a laugh, Carolyn addressed the clearly shaken woman
before her, “Vala, this is serious.”
“Don’t I know it.”
“But it’s your decision. Whatever you decide, just tell him when you’re ready.”
“So, never then?” Unfortunately, Carolyn couldn’t tell whether or not Vala was
kidding.
“Right. Well, thanks for the news, Dr. Lam.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you what you wanted to hear. Be safe…and if you need
to talk to someone, you know where to find me.”
* *
Pregnant. Okay. It wasn’t so bad. It’s not like she hadn’t been through
this before. If she could carry the spawn of a bunch of ascended beings on a
power trip, this one should be no problem. At least she knew who the father was
this time. Yeah, it was going to be okay.
* *
Pulling her head out of the toilet, she realized how completely screwed she
was. For the past week, all she could do was relive the night that had led to
this little “miracle.” Each memory, each moment held a mixture of emotions that
she couldn’t adequately explain.
“Vala, are you in here?” she heard Sam call from the doorway, snapping her back
to reality.
The only response Sam got in return was a bang against the stall door and an
audible groan.
“Are you okay? Do you need me to get Dr. Lam?”
“No,” she said more passionately than the response required, immediately
tipping Sam off that something was wrong. She walked over to the stall Vala was
currently occupying and leaned against it.
“Vala, if there’s something wrong, we need to have you checked out.”
“I’m fine, Sam, really. Besides, I’ve already had a visit with the good
doctor.”
Sam couldn’t help but pick up the bitterness in the other woman’s voice. “What
did she say?” When Vala didn’t respond, Sam began to get nervous. “Vala, you
know you can tell me anything. I know that when it comes to some of the
more personal things, you usually talk to Daniel but…”
“It was talking to Daniel that got me into this trouble in the first place,”
Vala mumbled to herself.
“So, what has Daniel done this time?”
“Hopefully, nothing that a few stiff drinks won’t fix.”
Sam had no idea what she was talking about, but when she was about to ask how
Daniel could possibly be responsible for her illness, a thought suddenly popped
into her head. “Oh my God, you’re pregnant, aren’t you?! “ She was still in a
state of shock when a second thought occurred to her, “Wait, you had sex with
Daniel?!!”
Vala finally opened the door to face a shocked Sam, “Say it a little louder, I
don’t think Walter heard you in the control room!”
Her tone now more hushed, Sam asked “How did this happen?”
“Which one, the pregnancy or the sex? Because I’m pretty sure that one was the
direct result of the other.”
“The sex. Last time we talked about Daniel, you said there was nothing going on
there.”
“Yes, well clearly I was wrong. And technically, there is nothing going on. It
happened once, over a month ago. “
“Why only once?”
“Are you implying that I wasn’t good enough for a repeat performance, or that
he wasn’t?”
“Neither, I just know Daniel. He doesn’t have one-night stands.”
“Well…we both decided it was best not to pursue anything. That it was the best
way to maintain our friendship. I mean, Daniel and I would never have worked
out, we’re completely opposite and wrong for each other…”
Ignoring Vala‘s poor assessment of her relationship with Daniel, Sam looked at
the woman in front of her with concern. “So this was a mutual decision?”
“Yeah, of course. I‘m fine with it.” Vala looked down at her hands, a sudden
wave of regret she couldn’t explain washing over her.
“Vala…” the other woman said, clearly seeing the pain Vala was desperately
trying to conceal.
“I’m fine, Sam. Really,” she said with a reassuring smile that wouldn’t fool
anyone, least of all Sam.
“What are you going to do?”
Vala turned away from her teammate and walked over to the bathroom mirror. She
stared at her reflection for a moment before letting out a deep sigh. She had
never seriously considered her options before, always assuming that she would
keep the baby. How could she not? She had risked her life to bring Adria into
the world, even when she’d suspected the Ori‘s hand in her conception. How then
could she kill the child growing inside of her now? Daniel‘s child? It was
innocent, not the will of some divine being, but the result of a night between
two consenting adults. No, there was no other choice for her to make.
“I guess I‘m going to be a mother…again. I haven’t really figured out what I’m
going to do with it. After all, I didn’t really have to raise Adria, she just
kind of grew up on her own…literally.”
Sam walked up to where Vala was leaning against the sink and put a reassuring
hand on hers. “Well, if you need someone to help you through this, you know I’m
here, right?”
Vala nodded her head and smiled gratefully at her teammate. “Thank you. Of
course, if you really want to help, you could tell Daniel the good news.”
“Sorry, you’re on your own with that one.”
“I thought as much,” Vala said forlornly. She wasn’t looking forward to telling
anyone about this, least of all Daniel. Not that she thought he wouldn’t
support her and the baby, just that he probably wouldn’t be any more thrilled
about the news than she was. Besides, she hated confrontations. Maybe she’d
just send him an e-mail or text message about it. The problem being that once
he’d read it, he’d walk the 20 feet down the hall to her door and confront her
about it anyway. Either way, they were going to have to talk about it. If only
there was something that would soften Daniel up before their eventual
conversation…
She locked arms with Sam as they made their way towards the bathroom door, an
idea already forming in her head. “So, Sam, what kind of alcoholic beverage
does Daniel prefer?” Vala asked curiously.
Sam quickly saw where she was going with this, “Getting him drunk won’t solve
the problem, Vala.”
“I know it won’t, but it might just take the edge off…and if I’m lucky, he’ll
pass out and I won’t have to talk to him about it until his hang-over wears
off!”
Sam just gave her a look, indicating her bemused disapproval.
“You’re right, bad idea.” What was she thinking? Getting Daniel drunk
wouldn’t solve any of her problems; it certainly wouldn’t take back that night.
No, she would just go up to him and say, “Daniel, I’m pregnant,” and then take
it from there. What’s the worst that could happen?
She paused a moment, imagining Daniel’s reaction.
“So, does Daniel prefer red or white wine?”
CHAPTER 2: An (Un)Expected Reaction
It had been a little over a month and half since Vala had
told Sam about her pregnancy, and the woman had been true to her word. Not only
had she kept mum about the baby, but she had also supported Vala through her
morning sickness and bizarre cravings. Despite the welcomed support, Vala was
beginning to get nervous. Although Carolyn had said she wouldn’t tell General
Landry herself, she was pressuring Vala to come clean.
Vala wasn’t quite ready to face that demon just yet. Of course, the way Sam was
acting, she was surprised that the whole world didn’t already know. Every time
the team split up on a mission, Sam always made sure that she and Vala were
paired together, even when Mitchell protested. When Vala got injured, Sam made sure
to pay extra attention to her…something that made the men more than a little
jealous.
The one person who didn’t seem to mind the change in pairings was Daniel.
Vala’s strange and aloof behavior as of late was making him uncomfortable, and
he was glad to be away from the constant, worried looks she kept throwing his
way. But Vala wasn’t the only one acting strange, Sam and Dr. Lam were acting
odd as well. It was as if the three women were brewing some sort of conspiracy.
Whispering to each other, sharing worried looks, going quiet every time someone
approached. Daniel, Teal’c and Mitchell were beginning to think that the three
women were plotting some sort of coup. That was probably the reason why
Mitchell had all but forced Sam to pair-up with him on their latest off-world
mission. The poor man had been dying of curiosity for the past month and
Daniel had no doubt that he would take this opportunity to charm the truth out
of Sam.
The change in pairings, however, meant that Daniel was stuck with Vala for the
entire six hours. They were currently sitting at a table, going over some
artifacts that they had found in, what he assumed to be, the village’s
archives. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Vala fiddling nervously
with some sort of carving. He turned his attentions back to the artifact he was
currently studying. “These tablets are fascinating. This one must date back
almost 2,000 years.” He knew that she couldn’t have cared less about what he
was saying, but it was his only way of filling the awkward silence that had
developed between them.
Vala, on the other hand, had another way of filling the silence, “I’m
pregnant.”
Daniel slowly looked up from the tablet, “I’m sorry, what?”
“I’m pregnant.”
“And by pregnant, you mean…”
“I’m going to have your baby, Daniel.” When he continued to stare at her
dumbfounded, she elaborated, “You know, the thing that grows inside you, well me, for nine months and then bursts out
like that little creature did in ‘Alien.’ Honestly, Daniel, who asks such a
question?”
A million thoughts rushed into his head at once. How? Well, he already knew the answer to that one. Was she serious? After all, it wouldn’t
be the first time she’d claimed to be having his child. One look in her eyes,
however, convinced him of the sincerity of her statement. He had no idea what
he should say, how he should respond. There were so many questions swirling
around in his head…so many things he wanted to ask, but he ended up asking the
one question he hadn’t meant to, “Are you sure it’s mine?”
He regretted it immediately, and for more reasons than one, as Vala grabbed the
nearest metal object and smacked him with it. “Ow,” he said, “That hurt!”
“Oh?” she said questioningly. “More than being accused of being a tramp and a
liar by the father of your illegitimate lovechild?”
“I know, I’m…wait, did you just say ‘illegitimate lovechild’?”
“Yeah, I picked it up on an episode of ‘One Life to Live.’ Apparently Jessica
is pregnant with Nash’s baby even though she’s married to Antonio.”
He just looked at her. “Right. Anyway, I’m sorry. It’s just that I thought we
were safe…and it was nearly three months ago…”
“Apparently, not safe enough,” she replied, a hint of bitterness evident in her
voice.
“Wait, how long have you known you were…you know…”
“The word is ‘pregnant,’ Daniel. And about two months.”
“Two months?” he said, getting to his feet. “You’ve known about this for two
months and you didn’t think to, oh I don’t know, mention it to me?”
“I did think about it…but I knew you
wouldn’t take it well!”
“Well, gee Vala, I don’t see why I wouldn’t,” he said, voice dripping with
sarcasm. “After all, I’m just sitting here studying a 2,000-year-old artifact
when you blurt out that you’re pregnant, that you’ve known about it for two
months, and that you didn’t feel it necessary to inform me of the fact until
now! I don’t see why I would have any reason to be angry!”
“When you react like this, can you blame me? Besides, I’m the one who has to
deal with all of the physical, psychological, and emotional ramifications. All
you have to do is sit there and watch me get fat! Speaking of those
psychological ramifications, I hardly think it’s helpful for you to be yelling
at me considering I’m carrying your unborn child.”
“Vala, I don’t even…” he paused a moment, trying to collect his thoughts. When
his calmer, more rational side took over, he spoke up. “Have you told General
Landry about this?”
“What?” she replied, a little taken aback by the abrupt change in subject.
“What does General Landry have to do with this? I hardly think my uterus is any
of his concern.”
“Safety, Vala. You’ve been knowingly putting yourself at risk every time you
step through the gate!”
“Oh, don’t play that card with me, Daniel. We stare death in the face on
practically every mission we go on. The only difference now is that I’m
pregnant.”
“Exactly, you should have been more
careful!”
“Now hold on a minute, I am being
careful. Just because I’m not sitting in my quarters surrounded by pillows and
watching Oxygen doesn’t mean I’m not being safe!”
“Really, what about last week?”
“What about last week?”
He paused and looked at her pointedly, ignoring her feign at ignorance.
“Ok, now that wasn’t my fault,” she said defensively.
“You shot first!”
“Well, yes. But they wouldn’t have dealt with us otherwise. Those smugglers
respected strength, Daniel.”
“That’s not the point…”
“No, that is the point. I don’t know
what you think is going to happen, Daniel, but I’m not gonna just sit around
here knitting baby booties while you’re off on missions,” she replied.
“Primarily because I have no idea how to knit, but also because I would go
completely wonko being stuck on this base all the time. And for your
information, I’ve been seeing Carolyn every week for a check-up. I may not be
in confinement, but I am being safe.” She paused before adding, “Well, as safe
as I can be considering our job. Don’t forget what you do for a living too, Daniel. There’s a whole metaphor from your
planet about this which involves pots and cattles…or something. I can’t
remember it exactly, but it’s very applicable to this situation!”
She had him there. He knew he was being irrational. He’d never expect Vala to
stop working, she’d probably go insane if she tried. She was stubborn, but
Daniel found that to be one of the most frustrating and compelling things about
her. Right now though, her stubbornness in dealing with this child by herself
was pushing his frustration to a whole new level. He sighed, “Vala…I just, I
don’t know how to handle all of this.”
“Obviously. You know, this was the reason why I didn’t want to tell you. You’re
so overprotective sometimes. If it were up to you, I’d probably be locked up in
a padded cell somewhere.”
“Now there’s an idea,” Daniel replied forlornly.
“If it makes you feel any better, I had a whole scenario in my head of how this
was going to play out. I had even planned a nice dinner for us with some fine
wine at the base.”
There was a brief pause. “You were gonna try to get me drunk, weren’t you?”
“Well, I wouldn’t really have to try,
Daniel. It’s not like you’re a heavyweight.”
“Vala…”
“Okay, yes, I was going to get you a little intoxicated. You’re so much more
agreeable then, open to new ideas and such. Besides, I was kind of hoping you’d
just pass out after I told you and we could avoid the whole discussion part…and
then everything would be fine.”
“Except for the tiny matter of you being pregnant.”
“Well, yes…obviously except that.”
“Wait,” he said, as a thought suddenly occurred to him, “this is what you, Sam,
and Dr. Lam have been discussing all the time, isn’t it? They knew before I
did?” It was bad enough that she hadn’t told him in the two months since she’d
found out, but the fact that she’d been discussing it with other people behind
his back made it all the worse.
“Well, Carolyn is my doctor, so naturally she knew. And I needed Samantha for
emotional support. That, and she caught me puking all of the time and put two
and two together. Maybe if you had been paying as much attention to me as you
do to 2,000-year-old tablets, you might have noticed, too.”
“I did notice…that you were acting
weird, I mean, not that you were…And I might have spotted a couple of other…differences as well,” he said.
“Yes, well those ‘differences’ signal a major problem for us.”
“Trust me, I know.”
There was a moment of silence as they both tried to think of what to say next.
“I’m sorry,” Daniel said finally.
“For what?”
“For, you know, accusing you of not taking care of yourself…and for asking who
the father was. It wasn’t fair of me. These past few months must have been hard
for you…I just wish you could have trusted me enough to tell me. I would have
been there for you…well, as much I could have been without driving the both of
us insane,” he said with a small smile.
The softness in Daniel’s voice surprised her. She gave a slight nod and looked
down at her hands, a sudden wave of guilt washing over her. She’d never really
thought about Daniel’s feelings in all of this. She’d been too absorbed in her
own fear of telling him the truth, and the dread of the ensuing argument, to
really see the hurt she might cause by being quiet for so long.
“Listen, Vala, I know that we agreed to put that night behind us, but I think
that this baby changes things.”
A flash of fear hit her. This is exactly what she was afraid of, change. She
had liked things the way they were before the baby had come along…and now
things were going to change. “No, it doesn’t. Everything is fine. I’m just
going to be gaining a few pounds over the next few months, that’s all.”
“That’s all? Last time I checked, there was a little more to it than that…”
“Yeah, yeah, the whole giving-birth thing…which I can’t say I’m all too
thrilled about.”
Daniel had to laugh a little at that. “And after that? I think we need to
discuss…arrangements.”
“I’m not going to try to deny you access to your child, Daniel, if that’s what
you’re worried about,” she quickly reassured him.
“No, of course not,” he replied, slightly taken aback. “I never thought that. I
just meant that…well…living arrangements. We can’t exactly raise this baby on
the base.”
Confused, Vala asked, “What are you saying, Daniel?”
Unsure of what he himself was saying,
his voice and hands shook as he continued, “I’m thinking, maybe we should…live
together,” he quickly added, “for the sake of the baby.”
Vala was caught completely off guard. Of all the ways that she had envisioned
this conversation going, and she had imagined quite a few, this had never
crossed her mind. She was still expecting Daniel to be freaking out and furious
with her right now. Instead, he was being sweet. Even after two years, he still
managed to surprise her.
“I, um…Wow. Daniel…”
Sensing her hesitation, he jumped back in, “We don’t have to worry about it
right now, but it’s at least something to consider in the long run. I want to
give this child a good home…”
“I do too,” she interjected. “But are you sure that us living together would be
the best idea? You can barely stand me for more than a few hours at a time as
it is,” she said half-jokingly.
“That’s only because you insist on touching everything in my office, and
distracting me from my work.”
“Well, I can’t help it if I’m so beautiful that you can’t take your eyes off
me,” she replied teasingly.
Daniel just rolled his eyes. He would never let her know it, but that statement
held a lot more truth than she knew. “We don’t need to discuss it now, but
maybe just think about it over the next six months?”
“Okay…”
Vala was about to say something else when Mitchell appeared.
“Hey, you two, pack up, we’re heading out.”
Daniel tore his eyes away from Vala and looked towards a more somber than usual
Mitchell. Clearly, he hadn’t been charming enough to get the truth out of Sam.
For that, Daniel was extremely grateful.
“I found a couple of tablets here that I think would be interesting to take
back and study.”
“Alright, well pack ’em up as quick as ya can. Looks like a storm is headin’
this way and I wanna make it back before it starts pourin’,” he said,
then left to join Sam and Teal’c.
Daniel looked back at Vala, who was staring down at her hands again. He reached
over and grabbed one of them and held it in his.
“It’s going to be all right,” he said reassuringly.
She looked at him and gave a small smile, hoping that he was right. Although
things had gone far better than she had expected, all of her fears about this
pregnancy hadn’t been alleviated. She knew that it was going to be a
long, awkward six months before this baby was born.
Trying not to let him see her own insecurities, she quickly changed the
subject. “Just don’t expect me to sit in my quarters reading baby books. The
only kind of books I enjoy are ones with dragons and wizards. So, unless those
baby books tell the story of a magical baby who flies around on a dragon, I’m
not interested!”
“I’ll try to remember that,” he said with a smile as he gently placed a few of
the smaller tablet fragments into his bag. Once they had packed up, they made
their way to the door. Before they got through the small archway, Vala stopped
and turned to him.
“We’re…okay, right, Daniel?”
He could see the fear written all over her face, despite her attempts at hiding
it. It was strange, he thought. He expected to still be angry with her for
lying to him, or even disappointed about the prospects of an unwanted
pregnancy. But instead, all he felt was a strange sense of hope. Hope for what,
he wasn’t quite sure, but he felt more optimistic about the future than he had
in a long time.
“Yeah,” he replied with a smile that was completely sincere, “we’re okay.”
Pleased with his response, Vala moved aside and they both walked out the door
and back to the gate together.
CHAPTER 3: A Necessary Compromise
A month had passed since Vala had informed Daniel of their impending parenthood, and considering the circumstances surrounding the pregnancy, the last month or so had gone surprisingly well.
After having filled in the rest of the team and General Landry on the news, they felt as if perhaps the worst of it was over. While the General had been understandably taken aback at first, to his credit, he recovered quickly and offered his congratulations. He had even put Vala’s worrisome mind at ease by assuring her that she would be allowed to continue on with SG-1 for the next few months, but only on missions deemed no-risk. Daniel suspected that Landry had discarded typical protocol in order to give her that assurance, both because of his affection for her and because of his fear of what she might do if stuck permanently on base for the next five to six months. Although the General’s reaction was incredibly warm towards Vala, he made sure to issue a not-so-subtle threat to Daniel if he hurt Vala in any way. Daniel made it a point to avoid the General as much as possible these days.
Breaking the news to the rest of the team had been far less tense, but no less stressful. Mitchell and Teal’c had been told over a team dinner at a pub down the street from Daniel’s apartment. Mitchell had been justifiably confused, repeatedly asking “when?” and “how?” and to Daniel’s mortification, Vala had helpfully supplied the answer to the question of how, although the explanation had less to do with them and more to do with an elaborate metaphor about flowers. For his part, Teal’c took the news more calmly, offering his congratulations, a hint of a smile playing on his lips all night.
Since then, things had been going well…up until the false alarm that had sent Vala to the infirmary a week ago. After a seemingly endless stream of tests, Vala had been given a clean bill of health by Dr. Lam, but the experience had created tension in Daniel and Vala’s relationship, and the fighting that the couple had been legendary for in their early days had returned in full force.
“That’s idiotic.”
“Why? Because you don’t like it, or because I said it?”
“How about a little bit of both?”
“Vala, we have no idea what could be on that planet. It’s not safe.”
“It’s a planet of ancient ruins and some, from what I can tell, not-so-bright farmers. How could I possibly get into trouble?”
“Do you really want me to answer that?” Daniel asked bitingly. He knew better than anyone that if there was trouble to be had, Vala would inevitably find it. He had just spent some of the most agonizing hours of his life hovering over Vala’s hospital bed and he was not eager for a repeat performance.
The cramping that had caused Vala to double over in his office nearly a week ago had been nothing more than the baby’s continued growth, according to Dr. Lam, but Daniel wasn’t ready to breathe a sigh of relief just yet. He had sat by Vala’s bedside and held her hand through the worst of the pain, and had had to face the fear in her eyes as Dr. Lam performed the necessary tests. After that, he felt entitled to being more obsessive than usual about her health and safety.
“Point is,” Vala said, interrupting his thoughts, “Colonel Mitchell and General Landry think it’s safe, and that’s good enough for me.”
“Walter could tell you it’s safe and that would be good enough for you.”
“Hey, Walter happens to be quite well-informed of the goings on of the SGC,” Vala replied defensively.
“You’re not going. End of discussion.”
“A discussion implies two sides, Daniel. So far all I’ve seen is you being a stubborn donkey.”
“You mean ass,” he corrected her.
“Yeah, you’re being one of those too.”
The argument had been going on since the end of the briefing
some forty-five minutes ago. Uncomfortable watching the two fight yet again,
the rest of the team had headed to the cafeteria for some coffee nearly a half
an hour ago only to return to find the two still going at it. Standing below
the stairs in the control room,
“They still fighin’ over the same thing?”
“Yeah, although at one point they were fighting about Vala’s ankles.”
Sam’s eyes widened in confusion, and she looked over at Walter. “What? Why?”
“From what I gathered, Vala had said her ankles were getting fat the other day and Dr. Jackson had agreed with her,” Walter said with a smirk.
“Oh, about 10 minutes…then they started arguing about the mission again, which
is when I believe Vala called Dr. Jackson a donkey.”
Sam and Mitchell gave each other a look. “I guess the
honeymoon phase is over,”
“There was a honeymoon phase?”
“Well, ya know. They hadn’t argued for about a week or two last month.”
From above them they heard Vala say in annoyance, “You know what, Daniel? It doesn’t matter what you think because I’m going whether you like it or not!” Then they heard angry footsteps as she stormed out of the room.
Sam gave
* * * *
Yanking the door open, Vala flung herself into her quarters before slamming the door shut behind her. After a few minutes, she heard a knock.
“Go away!” she yelled angrily.
“It’s me, Vala. Can I come in?” she heard Sam ask from the other side of the door.
Debating with herself for a moment, she finally answered, “Fine.”
Sam opened the door and walked in to see Vala pacing by her bed.
“Can you believe him?”
“Vala…”
“I can’t even go on one boring mission to some backwater world without Daniel throwing a hissy fit!”
“Vala, I understand why you’re angry, but think of this from Daniel’s perspective.”
“What?” Vala asked with a mixture of annoyance and shock.
Sam moved further into the room and sat down on the bed. “Vala, it was only a week ago that you were in the infirmary.”
“Yes, but Carolyn said that there was nothing wrong with me.”
“I know, but you didn’t see how worried Daniel was when you were getting those tests done.”
“Yeah, well, he seems to really care about this baby,” she said before muttering softly to herself, “probably more than he does me.”
Sam’s soft voice took on a more pointed tone as she addressed Vala. “If you think that then you don’t know Daniel very well.”
Vala looked at the woman sitting in front of her in surprise. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Vala,” Sam sighed, “Daniel’s lost a lot of people he’s cared about over the years. Friends, family, a lot of the women who have been in his life. Seeing you in that bed…I can’t imagine what that must have been like for him. He may have gone about showing his concern in the wrong way, but he does have a right to be concerned. Why don’t you just take this week off? It’ll give you some time to relax and maybe it will ease Daniel’s worries a little bit. Besides, I’m sure you won’t be missing much.”
“You don’t understand, Sam, I’m going to go crazy if I stay on this base any longer! There’s nothing to do…and I’ve already run through the 18 seasons of ‘The Simpsons’ General O’Neill loaned me a few weeks ago.”
Sam smiled.
Vala gave her a little smile back before sighing and sitting down on the bed next to her. “How are Daniel and I going to survive the next five months? Between my hormones and boredom and his misguided attempts at ‘protecting’ me, I’m pretty sure we’ll both go insane and kill each other before this thing,” she said as she poked her swelling belly, “ever sees the light of day.”
“I’m sure you’ll manage,” Sam replied before delicately continuing, “But you know it would probably help if you went and talked to Daniel about it.”
She had had a feeling Sam would say that. Not relishing the prospect of facing Daniel again any time soon, Vala dropped her head in her hands and groaned.
* * * *
Daniel was not a fighter. He’d never had a taste for waging war, whether it was with weapons or with words. He only did so when he had to, when people’s lives depended on it. But somehow, Vala always managed to bring out the antagonistic side in him quicker than anyone else he knew. He hadn’t intended to cause an argument; he had merely suggested that given her recent health scare it would probably be best for Vala to remain on base. They didn’t know if the planet was 100% safe, and Daniel didn’t think the risk, no matter how small, was worth it. Of course, Vala being Vala, had acted as if the world would end if she didn’t go with them.
Trying to dissipate some of the anger from the fight, Daniel decided to catch up on the text he was supposed to be translating for SG-20. Although the familiar numbers and symbols before him offered a strange sort of comfort, he still couldn’t get Vala out of his head. As if on cue, he heard a person clearing their throat outside his door. He didn’t need to look up to see who it was.
He let out a sigh as he took off his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose. “I don’t want to fight anymore, Vala.”
“Good, because I don’t either.”
The softness of her tone surprised him. He looked up to see her standing in the doorway, her body language betraying her hesitancy and nervousness. “You can come in, if you want.”
Vala slowly abandoned her position by the door and tentatively made her way to the table Daniel was sitting at. Making sure to keep a good amount of distance between them, Vala fell silent as she tried to think of something to say.
Looking over, Daniel noticed Vala playing with a recently
acquired artifact from ancient
“Listen, Vala, I’m sorry for getting so upset earlier,” he paused as he tried to figure out the best way to continue. “I just- I think it’s too soon for you to go through the gate after what happened last week. I know I may have come across as a little-”
“Pig-headed?” she supplied.
“I was going to say protective…but I suppose pig-headed works too. I just don’t see any reason to needlessly put yourself in a potentially dangerous situation. We get into enough of those unintentionally.”
“Yes, well it would have been nice if you had asked me rather than demanded that I not go.”
“Would that have changed your answer?”
“No. But it would have been nice if you had asked. I suppose I should apologize too. I shouldn’t have called you an ass and a donkey, just one would have been enough,” she said, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
Daniel allowed himself a small smile in return.
“But if this is really going to bother you,” she said, clearly not happy with what she was about to say, “then I won’t go on this mission.” She added quickly, “But don’t think that that means I won’t go on anymore missions just because you’re paranoid!”
Daniel was a little taken aback by her concession to a compromise. This was definitely not the same Vala he had met nearly three years ago on his way to Atlantis. It seemed like so much had changed since their first meeting, yet Daniel was still unable to get past some of the early issues of trust that had plagued their relationship. He still didn’t trust her to take care of herself, and given her penchant for getting into trouble, it wasn’t unreasonable. Still, as the mother of his child, and as his friend, he owed it to her.
“No, Vala, you were right, it’s not my call to make, it’s yours.” He paused before continuing, “I’ll trust whatever decision you make.”
Now it was Vala’s turn to be surprised. Maybe Sam was right, maybe she didn’t know Daniel as well as she thought.
“Well,” she said, biting her lip. “It is just one mission after all. Besides, I’m sure there are plenty of things far more interesting to do on the base than watch you fawn over a 500 year old piece of rock like it were some sort of precious jewel. There will be other missions…at least for the next month or so before I’m taken off active duty.”
Daniel smiled. He was relieved that she had decided not to go, but he knew she wasn’t as content with staying behind as she pretended to be.
“Listen,” he said, “how about when I get back we go out somewhere to eat…maybe even see a movie?”
Daniel knew he’d made the right call when he saw Vala’s eyes light up like a Christmas tree. “Really? Ooh, I wonder if there are any good horror movies out…”
Daniel rolled his eyes, thinking that maybe a movie hadn’t been the best idea. Still, his suggestions seemed to satisfy Vala, and Daniel was glad that he had found a way to make her feel better about not going with them tomorrow.
Happy with how things had been resolved, he turned his attentions back to the book lying in front of him. “But right now,” he said, “I need to finish translating this text.”
“Don’t let me stop you,” Vala said, but made no effort to leave.
Daniel gave a small cough. “Um…that means I need some time alone.”
“Why?” she asked in confusion. “You know, I could probably help you translate it…whatever it is,” she said as she leaned over to get a closer look.
“Oh, you speak ancient Sumerian?”
She looked down, and played with the hem of her shirt. “No…but I can offer moral support!”
The fact that she wanted to watch him translate something, anything was a clear indication of how truly bored and desperate she was.
“Well,” he said, trying to think of something she could do, “I was going to work on this later,” he said as he grabbed for a chunk of stone from across the table, “but I need to translate this fragment from a temple on PX-2134 before I go. It’s written in Goa’uld.”
“Say no more,” Vala said. Plopping herself down on the chair next to him, she took the fragment out of his hands and began studying it with an enthusiasm usually only reserved for Johnny Depp films. They passed the next half hour in silence, each of them working hard on translating their texts. For once they weren’t fighting, bantering, or joking together. They were just together. Side-by-side, they worked on the translations for the rest of the night. But every once in a while, Daniel would steal a look at Vala and all he could do was smile.
To be continued…
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