Safe and Sound
By: Maeve Bran
CATEGORY: Friendship
WARNINGS: Language
SEASON/SPOILERS: Season 10 post “Flesh and Blood”
AUTHOR’S WEBSITE:
http://www.fanfiction.net/~maevebran
"Leave me. Grab her." Vala
pleaded.
"Yeah. Like that's going to happen." Daniel replied as they were
beamed out.
Vala was in the Odyssey’s infirmary. Daniel was
sitting beside her. The rest of SG1 had just left.
They sat in silence for awhile. Each just enjoying the fact
that the other was there and alive. Given their past history, that was
some what of an occasion.
"So what happened while I was gone?" Vala
asked.
"Oh the priors came through the gate and tried to convert the galaxy. They
spread a nasty plague which we then found the cure for but not before it
reached Earth." Daniel said. "I saw the video of your little visit so
I know what happened to you."
"Oh. I had wondered how you knew I had been pregnant." Vala said listlessly.
"Yeah, they told me about the trip to the men's locker room. " Daniel teased.
"How much trouble am I in?" she asked.
"I think I'll be able to think of a way for you to repay me." Daniel
continued teasing her. He knew he really shouldn't tease her but it was just so
damn good to have her back in the Milky Way.
"Oooh darling, I never thought I'd hear you
suggest that." Vala returned half heartedly,
trying to sound like her normal teasing self but failing.
"You aren't the only one who changed." Daniel returned.
"I doubt you have changed that much." Vala
retorted.
"You are probably right. I just meant that you will have be my research assistant for a while." Daniel said in
all seriousness.
"I think I could handle that." Vala said
with a half smile. They lapsed into silence for awhile.
"Daniel, why didn't you grab Adria
when you had the chance?" Vala asked braking the silence.
Daniel thought for a bit, obviously trying to figure out how exactly explain
his actions to her. "After missing you for so long, I wasn't about to
leave you."
"You missed me?" Vala asked in a quiet and
surprised voice. She was slightly awed that the man who had acted as if her
presence was a major pain in the mikta had missed
her.
"Try not to let it go to your head, but yes, I did miss you." Daniel
admitted. "I had gotten used to you. The SGC seemed relatively quiet
without you. I mean apart from the usual killer bugs, trouble with the Lucien
Alliance and Priors running around the galaxy."
"The usual you say." Vala chuckled. "I
missed you, too darling." Vala drifted off to
sleep.
Daniel sat there next to her for a while before heading off to his quarters to
sleep. It had been a rather long day or so. He had started out on Camelot
researching in Merlin's library, Then was beamed
aboard the Coralev and just as that ship was
destroyed, he ringed over to the Ori ship. There he
had found Vala and together they had tried to grab Adria. All in all a rather full day.
Daniel knew he'd sleep better that night knowing Vala
was safe.
A few hours later, there was a knock on Daniel's door. Daniel got up out of bed
and opened it to find Vala standing there. He wasn't
really surprised. He had figured that she would seek him out as soon as the
doctors had given her the ok and, as there wasn't anything more they could do
than bandage her wound, he had figured that would be soon. Fortunately he had
gotten a few hours sleep and there was still enough adrenaline in his system
that he could deal with Vala tonight. She appeared
lost and in need of understanding.
"Come on in." Daniel said softly as he stepped out of her way. His
quarters aboard the Odyssey weren't much but at least he didn't have to share.
He motioned for her to make herself comfortable on the bed as he took the
straight back chair at the small desk, the only other place to sit. They sat in
silence for a while.
Finally Daniel couldn't stand the silence. "Vala,
I want to thank you for not doing anything too outrageous when you had control
of my body." He said teasingly to break the ice. "I had to endure a
bit of teasing for the way you had me walk into the locker room but that was
about it."
Vala smiled at the image of the locker room and
Cameron's face when Vala, as Daniel, smiled in the
mirror at him. "Really, darling, I didn't have much time. I had to get the
news to you all so you could do something about it."
"I'm just glad that you managed to get the warning to us and nothing
happened to you." Daniel tried to be positive.
Vala flashed a faint smile at Daniel. He was growing
concerned. He hadn't seen Vala this subdued since the
second time she almost burned to death.
"Vala, want to tell me the reason you're
here?" Daniel tried to pry.
"I'm here because you grabbed for me when you were being beamed off the Ori ship." Vala answered.
"Have you forgotten?"
"No I haven't forgotten." He returned with a shake of his head.
"I meant why you are here in my quarters instead of sharing with Sam or in
the infirmary. You have to have a reason."
"Oh. I didn't want to be alone and you are the only one on this vessel
that likes me." Vala answered tonelessly.
"I figured you might understand. I had heard rumors that you have had
loved ones on the opposing team before. I just wanted to be around someone who
understands. My husband and daughter are with the army of the Ori and I'm here." She almost started crying.
Daniel got up and moved to the other side of the bed, away from her injured
side. He put an arm around her and pulled her closer and settled her head on
his shoulder. "What have you heard?"
"Just whispers on the base about your ex-girlfriend having been Osiris and that you helped free her. Speculation went on
about the possibility of you two getting back together afterward. I figured
that you might understand if someone you cared about had been a host." Vala murmured.
Daniel shook his head at the thought of being gossiped about but he couldn't
deny the substance. "It's true. Sarah and I did renew our relationship for
a while after she was freed but eventually I became too big a reminder of the
three years she spent as host and servant of Anubis."
Daniel looked down at her and tilted her face up to his. "I understand
better than you know."
"Really?" Vala
asked with barely disguised hope in her voice. Hope that the man holding her
could give her hope to go on.
"Sarah was not my first loved one to be taken host." Daniel stalled.
"She wasn't?" Vala inquired. "Daniel, who was?"
"My wife and her brother. It's why I'm a part of SG1." Daniel whispered, voice raw with emotion.
"Tell me about her." Vala said in wonder.
"Sha're was the light and joy of my life for over a year. I met her
on
Vala placed a hand on his chest. "Did you ever
see her again?"
"We went to Chulak because one of Jack's
soldiers saw the address. Sha're had already become Amaunet. Skaara was in the prison
where we were thrown. Goa'uld came to choose hosts
for their children and Skaara was taken. Jack
persuaded Teal'c, then Apophis's
First Prime, to help free us. He did and came back to Earth and joined
SG1." Daniel paused to reach for a glass of water from the nightstand on
his side of the bed. He took a drink and set the glass back down. "An Abydonian year later, Teal'c and
I went back to
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to drag up painful memories." Vala soothed.
"It's all right. It was eight years ago. Teal'c
helped me take the child to Sha're's father to hide
it." Daniel said as he moved out of Vala's arms
and sat up on his own. "A year latter we ran into Amaunet
again. She had me in the grip of the Goa'uld ribbon
device as Teal'c entered the tent. He saw what was
going on and shot her to save my life. Sha're sent a
message through the device to me about where the child was. A few months latter
we found the child in the care of Oma Desala. She had ascended the boy and was better able to
take care of him so I left him with her." Daniel finished. "The boy
wasn't mine but sometimes I wish he could have been. Or at least that I could
have taken him in."
Vala was stunned. Daniel understood better than she
could have guessed. He might not know the specific pain she now felt but he had
a similar level of pain. She was amazed that this gentle man had gone through
all of that and still retained an air of innocent belief in the goodness of
people. She wanted to say something but all that came out was a yawn.
"So can I stay?" she asked
"As long as you understand we're just friends. "Daniel gave her a
serious look. "That means you keep your hands to
yourself."
"I promise. " Vala
said as she snuggled under the covers.
Daniel turned off the lights and lay down on top of the covers beside her,
rolling up in the top blanket. She pillowed her head on his shoulder. He
smiled. Vala was safe and sound and that made the
last twenty-four hours a good day.
**
The End **
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