Remembering the Past
By: dvshipper
CATEGORY: Drama
WARNINGS: None
AUTHOR’S NOTES: Thanks to taraleesg1 for being an awesome beta on this, as always. This idea came to me while listening to Nickleback’s “Photograph”.
AUTHOR’S WEBSITE:
http://dvshipper.livejournal.com/
Vala twisted the thin plastic around in her fingers, remembering where it had once been with a smile. She had been cleaning out the wardrobe in her quarters at the SGC and came across the small pack she’d brought with her when she first came to Earth. Going through the objects that remained in the bag made her laugh. An old Goa’uld weapon she used to carry, a picture of a former lover, a seriously rotten candy bar, and an almost transparent strip of plastic that was circular in shape. Each brought memories, both good and bad.
The Goa’uld weapon she’d stolen, of course, from a merchant in a marketplace she couldn’t quite remember. In a tight spot, she could always count on the ring size device to help her fire her way out. That was back in the days when people were chasing her because she’d conned or stolen something from them. Now Vala got shot at because she was fighting for a cause that wasn’t just self-preservation.
The lover whose image she found stood out faintly in her memory. After being freed from Qetesh and the Tok’ra had so graciously kicked her out, she’d teamed up with the man on a smuggling operation. Named John or James, she couldn’t quite recollect the name, he did his best to seduce her. Amazingly enough he had succeeded and she began to fall in love with him. In the end, their relationship turned hollow and they both went their separate ways. Now, Vala didn’t feel hollow anymore and she was sure she knew who had filled her heart.
The decrepit candy bar was a complete mystery. She didn’t know where it had come from, but most likely it had been sitting on the bottom of the leather bag for quite some time. That was one of the things Vala liked about staying in one place; she didn’t need to worry about where the next meal was coming from. No longer did she have to make sure she had food with her, just in case something unexpected happened. Stability was a much underrated quality in life.
After throwing away all but the piece of plastic, Vala sat on the side of her bed. Feeling the slick surface in her hand she remembered exactly where it had come from. After Daniel had escaped from his bonds where she had him on the Prometheus, Vala had become more and more attracted to him. When she kissed him, she knew in that instant that she wanted to get to know him much better. Later on, when Daniel hadn’t been looking, she’d taken one of the plastic ties from the floor and kept it with her. That was the start of her life, even if she hadn’t known it at the time.
Vala reached underneath her bed and pulled out the wooden box where she kept her memories. Looking over the silver and gold trinkets, mostly given to her by her father, Vala placed the plastic strip next to a bracelet her mother had left her. Closing the box and putting it in its place beneath the mattress, Vala realized something. She was not the result of her experiences; she was the product of her decisions. The decision to toss her old life in the trash and make Daniel the center of her new life was something Vala would remember for the rest of her life.
** The End **
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