Some Things Change, Some Things Remain the Same: Chapter 20
TITLE: Some Things Change, Some Things Remain the Same (Chapter 20)
AUTHOR: aeryn_b
RATING: PG-13 for this chapter
WARNING: none
CATEGORY: Alternate Universe, Romance, Adventure, Hurt/Comfort
PAIRINGS: Daniel/Vala
CHARACTERS: Daniel Jackson, Vala Mal Doran, Samantha Carter, Cameron Mitchell, Teal'c, Hank Landry
SPOILERS/TIMELINE: "Beachhead" through Season 9 to "Flesh and Blood"
SUMMARY/PREMISE: What happens if both Vala AND Daniel are transported to the Ori galaxy at the end of "Beachhead"? How will they survive and how will they get back?
Chapter 1 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/7859.html
Chapter 2 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/8109.html
Chapter 3 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/8411.html
Chapter 4 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/8464.html
Chapter 5 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/8747.html
Chapter 6 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/9042.html
Chapter 7 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/9319.html
Chapter 8 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/9507.html
Chapter 9 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/9873.html
Chapter 10 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/10219.html
Chapter 11 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/10404.html
Chapter 12 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/10712.html
Chapter 13 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/10881.html
Chapter 14 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/11201.html
Chapter 15 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/11379.html
Chapter 16 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/11560.html
Chapter 17 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/11961.html
Chapter 18 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/12196.html
Chapter 19 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/12296.html
Click here to read on FFN
Click here to read at alldanielfic.com
Chapter 20
Daniel began his day by meeting with General Landry and the rest of SG-1. He felt that finding Merlin's weapon was a crucial next step in the Ori fight. As the meeting broke up, Teal'c placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Congratulations, Daniel Jackson," he said, inclining his head towards Daniel's left hand.
"Oh. Thanks, Teal'c." Daniel blushed a little and twisted his dad's ring on his finger.
"You two got hitched?" Mitchell commented as they all exited the conference room and headed toward the elevators.
"More like 'made each other vows.'"
Mitchell winked. "Sounds like getting hitched to me. So where's the bride?"
"I saw her at breakfast," Sam said. "She had an early appointment with Carolyn. She said she'd stop by my lab after to work with our communication prototype again."
"Is she still anxious to hear something from the Ori resistance?" Teal'c asked.
"Very," Daniel replied. "The people we stayed with are like family to her."
When they arrived in Sam's lab, Vala rushed the few steps into Daniel's arms. "Oh, Daniel, thank goodness you're here." Her arms went around him and she kissed him frantically.
"Newlyweds," Mitchell teased.
Daniel peeled the woman off his body. "Denya, what happened? Why are you here?"
"I'm sorry…I…"
"It's okay, just tell me what's wrong."
Denya was about to speak, but Sam held up a hand and stopped her. "Wait. We should get the video cameras, if it concerns the Ori armies, that is."
Denya nodded. "It does. There is much to tell."
As Teal'c and Sam led the way to an interrogation room set up with the proper equipment, Mitchell hung back a little behind Denya-Vala and whispered to Daniel. "How'd you know, Jackson?"
Daniel shrugged. "A man knows when he's kissing his wife and when he's kissing a woman in his wife's body."
*o^-*o^-*
Vala woke up with her hand on a communication stone set in an Alterran communication device. Well, Samantha did say this is how it was designed to work. She looked down at herself and recognized one of Denya's dresses. She pulled at her hair and saw that it was indeed blonde. Well, Denya, she thought, looking at the ladder leading out of the cellar, I hope you didn't do this by yourself.
She moved toward the ladder and slowly started to climb. If she hadn't been so worried about who might be upstairs, she might have laughed at herself for slightly waddling in Denya's un-pregnant body. But the thought merely flitted through her brain as she peered into the main room of the safe house. She blew out the breath she was holding when she saw Panos at the window keeping watch.
"Panos." Denya's brother turned to face her. "It's me, Vala. What happened?"
"Too much," he replied, "and all of it bad."
"Kira? Ber? Their family?"
*o^-*o^-*
"All fine," Denya told Daniel who sat next to her at the long interrogation table. Sam and Teal'c sat across from them, and Mitchell turned on the video camera in the corner of the room. Denya continued, "Everyone is well enough, but our sabotage plan has failed." She took a deep breath. "Where to start… Well, after you left, the priors and army commanders were in a frenzy. The foot soldiers came to the tavern at the end of each day complaining of all the extra work that had to be done."
*o^-*o^-*
"It's a good thing you killed the prior who came for you because I'm sure I would have been found out and cleansed otherwise," Panos thanked Vala.
"I am sorry for shooting you. I was trying to keep you from being suspected of collaborating with us."
"It worked, too. I was put back on weapons and shields after that. I think many believed I was a hero for attempting to stop you." Panos paused. "But soon the priors realized that whole systems needed to be modified because of what the two of you stole. The men were ordered to work longer hours, day and night."
*o^-*o^-*
"Seevis thought that with all this extra activity, maybe our spies could do more to disrupt the eventual launch," Denya continued her story. "He and Panos decided to install explosives near the main power generators. During the grand celebration being planned, each prior would activate a ship in a show of the Ori's power. All the ships would have been lost-"
"As well as the crowds," Daniel finished for her, shocked. "I can't believe Ber and Kira went along with this."
*o^-*o^-*
"They weren't told the particulars of the sabotage," Panos informed Vala, "neither was Denya until the day before, to prevent her from warning them. Seevis has grown almost as fanatical as the most devout Ori followers. I don't know if it was right to do," he admitted, "but we are fighting for our very freedom."
"It's ok, I understand, a little. So, the plan failed and the ships launched." Vala paused to think. "We might still be all right. Our people found a way to dial out on our supergate, therefore keeping the Ori from dialing in."
*o^-*o^-*
"Oh, sorry. I went out of order," Denya apologized to Sam who had mentioned the supergate. "After Daniel and Vala escaped, Panos told us that there were regular missions to the skygate to make certain everything was in working order. At one point the mission failed. The scout ship could no longer dial out."
"So they constructed another supergate," Teal'c guessed.
"Yes," Denya confirmed.
"And another one here in the Milky Way," Mitchell followed along.
"Yes," she nodded to Mitchell, "but they waited until the final week before creating them. We would have contacted you days ago but Seevis refused to allow it."
"He gambled on his sabotage plan," Daniel surmised.
*o^-*o^-*
"Yes." Panos nodded to Vala. "Even if Seevis had let us communicate with you, I don't even know the coordinates of your skygate. The prior himself took a scout ship to determine its viability."
"It's okay, we appreciate you telling us now." She glanced at the window. "Did you hear that?"
Both Panos and Vala went to the window. Seevis was at the edge of the clearing before the house. They could clearly see his look of shock and pain as he was shot in the back. Tomin, dressed in an Ori soldier's uniform, stood over the body, then raised his head and looked toward the safe house.
Panos practically shoved Vala down into the cellar, closed the trapdoor, and pushed the bed over it quickly in a matter of seconds. She heard the back door open and shut just as the front door opened. She plastered herself on the fifth rung of the ladder and held her breath, trying to hear movement in the house over the sound of her heartbeat pounding in her ears.
When she thought the footsteps were far enough away, she descended the ladder slowly, one rung every thirty seconds. When her feet hit the floor, she crept to the communication device. Just before removing the stone, she grabbed a notebook and pencil and scribbled a note.
Seevis shot. Ori soldier in house. Panos went outside, possibly to lure soldier away. Be careful.
-Vala
Just as she finished the note, she heard heavy footfalls and a scraping sound above her.
*o^-*o^-*
"Even though the ships have launched," Denya told them, "we still think you have a few days to prepare. Our new skygate is elsewhere in our galaxy and the ships that have launched are traveling to many other planets to pick up more troops."
"A few days isn't a lot," Sam observed, "but we deeply appreciate the risk you took in warning us."
Denya waved aside Sam's thanks, saying that the risk was necessary. Daniel caught sight of his ring on Denya's-Vala's-hand.
"Maybe we should stop now…"
Denya seemed to black out for a second next to him and then she was throwing her arms around his neck once again. At once he realized it was Vala and hugged her back.
After a few moments, Vala seemed to regain her composure. She looked around the room and gave everyone a relieved smile. "Well, my dear Samantha, I can confirm that your device works perfectly well. As soon as Denya connected her stone to their device, we essentially switched bodies." She spent the next few minutes telling her tale and confirming everything Denya had already told them.
"You have a go, SG-1," Landry ordered. "Find Merlin's weapon."
Vala had accompanied the rest of them to the conference room to inform General Landry of their communication with the resistance members. Now they were all dismissed in order to prepare for the mission. Vala was heading towards her quarters and Daniel followed.
"So, how'd your check-up go this morning?"
"Carolyn says it could be any day now."
"I shouldn't be more than a couple of days. I'll be back in plenty of time, okay?"
Vala nodded. When they got to her suite, she started biting her lip nervously. "I think…I think I know where I want to go to have the baby." Daniel sat down on the bed and let her continue. "I've checked the SGC's database. There's been no report of priors there."
To his credit, Daniel stayed calm. "Running water?" he teased lightly, showing her that he trusted her.
"Yes, and not a desert," Vala kidded back. She paused and became serious. "Will you take me?"
"Of course. We can leave now if you want. I'll drop you off and make sure you're settled then come back in a few days after the mission." He stood up and took the duffle bag they'd been preparing for the last few weeks out of the closet. "We'll have to tell General Landry. He may have to cover for you with the IOA. It's not so easy to sneak off through the gate."
"I think I may have a way to save them some trouble." She went into the bathroom and brought out some towels she got from the infirmary. "Did you know today is my dead grandmother's birthday?" She winked, placing the towels in a plastic bag, then packing them in the duffle. "I'm sure your IOA would let me go home to visit her grave."
An hour later, they were all packed and informing Landry of their plan to let Vala give birth elsewhere. Walter still had to log the gate activity but they all agreed it was a good enough reason to let Vala leave.
As they stepped through the gate, Daniel saw a colorful planet, the trees full of red, gold, and light yellow leaves. "It feels like a cool October day in New England," he commented.
Vala nodded. "Many of the farming families will be harvesting soon. This might work in our favor," she said as she walked past the DHD to a stone platform.
"What are you doing?"
"Checking the time," she said standing before a sundial.
"Wow," Daniel stood there amazed. "What a clever way of helping newcomers."
Vala looked at the various symbols then closed her eyes. "I think, yes," she nodded, "it's about 6 hours until sunset."
Daniel looked at the sundial, trying to decipher it. "Hours like 60 minute intervals, or hours…"
"I did the conversion for you. Six Earth-like hours." Daniel stared back at her in blatant wonder. "What?" she asked.
Daniel shook the surprise from his mind and smiled. "You amaze me."
Vala smiled back and led him down the path toward the village. The land was flat around them and he could see houses and fields in the distance. The village itself was full of stone and wood houses lining the main streets. There were open air markets and various shops focusing on clothing and household necessities. He noticed a lumber mill in the distance, and a blacksmith's forge near it. He heard cattle also and turned his head to see a butcher's shop next door to a café. The village tavern was just a little further along.
"Quite a nice place you have here. Is this your home planet? Where you grew up?"
"Yes." They made it to Vala's destination and she stopped and knocked on the door. "Hopefully we can stay at my old house."
A middle-aged woman with warm eyes and light brown hair braided down her back opened the door. She immediately recognized Vala and pulled her into the house as well as into her arms. "Vala, girl! You're back!"
Vala smiled brightly and returned the embrace. "Careful, Reni, I'm about to pop," she laughed.
"Come in, come in. Sit down both of you." She motioned to chairs in front of her fireplace.
"Daniel, this is Reni Pelk, the village midwife and healer, and a friend of my mother. Reni, this is Daniel Jackson of the Tau'ri and…" She tripped over the rest of the introduction.
Daniel held out his hand to Reni and rescued Vala. "Her husband."
Reni grasped his hand and shook it. "A pleasure to meet you, Daniel. And a pleasure to see Vala with a good man." She sat back in her chair and asked Vala, "So how long are you staying?" Her face turned worried then. "Are you in trouble?"
Vala waved it aside. "No more trouble than I'm usually in."
"That bad, huh?" Reni smirked.
Vala rolled her eyes. "You know me." She paused. "Is Jacek here?"
"Nope," Reni shook her head. "He flew in and out of here a month ago, and I don't expect him back for quite a few months yet."
Vala nodded. "The harvests will keep him away. He won't want to fend off families who need a helping hand on their farms."
"Jacek?" Daniel asked.
Vala sighed heavily. "My father."
"You don't get along with him?"
Vala shrugged her response. "The man would have to be around for me to get along with him or not. But Reni's right, we probably won't run into him for a few months, not until winter sets in. And he usually only comes back to this planet if he needs a place to hide out."
"Wait a second, I thought you said the people of your village stoned you when you returned after Qetesh was removed."
"Yes. Sooo?" she asked.
"You can't be safe here then."
"Well, I didn't say they stoned me to death, Daniel. Reni stopped them actually," Vala smiled at the older woman. "She's one of the more intelligent members of the village."
"Vala's mother was my best friend," Reni explained. "She died when Vala was young, seven maybe?" Vala nodded and Reni continued, "So I watched out for her while her con-man father came and went. It was awful when she was taken as a host," she shook her head as if shaking away the bad memories, "but I could tell when she was finally free, even if the others couldn't. I stopped the crowds and brought her home with me."
"The others are still wary of me, part of it because of my time as a host, but also partly because of Jacek," Vala continued the tale. "When I was fourteen he started including me in some of his cons. It didn't always go well for the villagers here when we had to crawl back in hiding. Anyway, I don't visit very often," she turned to look at her friend, "and I really regret that, Ren."
The older woman just took her hand and squeezed warmly. "No harm done, darling."
Daniel didn't quite understand all of it, but Vala seemed much more relieved than before so he figured not meeting her father was a good thing. And knowing Reni was here lifted some worry from Daniel's shoulders as well. Reni and Vala continued to catch up while Daniel thought to himself.
As much as Dr. Lam had protested their leaving the SGC and having the baby elsewhere, Daniel felt confident he'd be able to help Vala deliver it. He'd learned a great deal while helping Sha're through her birth, and Dr. Lam had given him a crash course in her OB/GYN studies. Vala's pregnancy was proceeding as normally as possible, if there was such a thing as normal when it came to pregnancies. From what he'd read, each and every pregnancy was different, from woman to woman, and from baby to baby.
But it was a natural process as well, and he had faith that he and Vala would be able to get through it. Having Reni around could only make things easier.
A little later all three of them stood up and made their way to Vala's childhood home. It had been occupied a month ago, so the kitchen and main bedroom were relatively dust-free, if a little untidy. The three of them decided that her old room should be the birthing room for when the time came. The bed was narrower and that way they could keep the main bed clean for them to sleep in afterwards.
They stripped the bed and began sterilizing all the sheets and linens in soap and boiling water. Daniel and Vala decided to leave all their other supplies in the duffle bag, since they were already washed and stored in clean plastic bags. She did unpack some of her clothes, underwear and nightshirts, placing them all in a drawer of the dresser in the main bedroom.
Reni went back to the kitchen to check on their food supplies and make a list of what they should get in the market before the end of the day. Daniel took a few rags and wiped down all the surfaces in the bedrooms, kitchen and living room area. Vala laughed from her old room as she heard him sneezing elsewhere in the house. She was unpacking some of the baby things; a stack of diapers to get them through the first couple of days; cute, tiny onesies for their little one to wear; the small, baby-sized quilt that she'd finished a couple weeks ago; hats, booties, and a pacifier-things Carolyn and Sam had helped her pick out.
Fingering the baby blanket, she stopped for a moment and sat on the bed to think. As much as she didn't want Daniel to go, she knew it was important for them to find Merlin's weapon. And she knew Reni would be able to help her while Daniel was gone. She was anxious about the birth, thinking that it really would happen any day now, but Kira had talked with her a great deal, and she'd helped Reni with a few births before Jacek had taken her and Adria from their home on one of his cons in her early teens. She quickly brushed Jacek and Adria from her mind, no need to think about those two. The point was with everything she'd learned over the months, Vala felt pretty sure she knew what to expect. Everything would work out fine.
********
Chapter 21: http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/12978.html
AUTHOR: aeryn_b
RATING: PG-13 for this chapter
WARNING: none
CATEGORY: Alternate Universe, Romance, Adventure, Hurt/Comfort
PAIRINGS: Daniel/Vala
CHARACTERS: Daniel Jackson, Vala Mal Doran, Samantha Carter, Cameron Mitchell, Teal'c, Hank Landry
SPOILERS/TIMELINE: "Beachhead" through Season 9 to "Flesh and Blood"
SUMMARY/PREMISE: What happens if both Vala AND Daniel are transported to the Ori galaxy at the end of "Beachhead"? How will they survive and how will they get back?
Chapter 1 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/7859.html
Chapter 2 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/8109.html
Chapter 3 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/8411.html
Chapter 4 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/8464.html
Chapter 5 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/8747.html
Chapter 6 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/9042.html
Chapter 7 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/9319.html
Chapter 8 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/9507.html
Chapter 9 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/9873.html
Chapter 10 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/10219.html
Chapter 11 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/10404.html
Chapter 12 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/10712.html
Chapter 13 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/10881.html
Chapter 14 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/11201.html
Chapter 15 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/11379.html
Chapter 16 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/11560.html
Chapter 17 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/11961.html
Chapter 18 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/12196.html
Chapter 19 http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/12296.html
Click here to read on FFN
Click here to read at alldanielfic.com
Chapter 20
Daniel began his day by meeting with General Landry and the rest of SG-1. He felt that finding Merlin's weapon was a crucial next step in the Ori fight. As the meeting broke up, Teal'c placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Congratulations, Daniel Jackson," he said, inclining his head towards Daniel's left hand.
"Oh. Thanks, Teal'c." Daniel blushed a little and twisted his dad's ring on his finger.
"You two got hitched?" Mitchell commented as they all exited the conference room and headed toward the elevators.
"More like 'made each other vows.'"
Mitchell winked. "Sounds like getting hitched to me. So where's the bride?"
"I saw her at breakfast," Sam said. "She had an early appointment with Carolyn. She said she'd stop by my lab after to work with our communication prototype again."
"Is she still anxious to hear something from the Ori resistance?" Teal'c asked.
"Very," Daniel replied. "The people we stayed with are like family to her."
When they arrived in Sam's lab, Vala rushed the few steps into Daniel's arms. "Oh, Daniel, thank goodness you're here." Her arms went around him and she kissed him frantically.
"Newlyweds," Mitchell teased.
Daniel peeled the woman off his body. "Denya, what happened? Why are you here?"
"I'm sorry…I…"
"It's okay, just tell me what's wrong."
Denya was about to speak, but Sam held up a hand and stopped her. "Wait. We should get the video cameras, if it concerns the Ori armies, that is."
Denya nodded. "It does. There is much to tell."
As Teal'c and Sam led the way to an interrogation room set up with the proper equipment, Mitchell hung back a little behind Denya-Vala and whispered to Daniel. "How'd you know, Jackson?"
Daniel shrugged. "A man knows when he's kissing his wife and when he's kissing a woman in his wife's body."
*o^-*o^-*
Vala woke up with her hand on a communication stone set in an Alterran communication device. Well, Samantha did say this is how it was designed to work. She looked down at herself and recognized one of Denya's dresses. She pulled at her hair and saw that it was indeed blonde. Well, Denya, she thought, looking at the ladder leading out of the cellar, I hope you didn't do this by yourself.
She moved toward the ladder and slowly started to climb. If she hadn't been so worried about who might be upstairs, she might have laughed at herself for slightly waddling in Denya's un-pregnant body. But the thought merely flitted through her brain as she peered into the main room of the safe house. She blew out the breath she was holding when she saw Panos at the window keeping watch.
"Panos." Denya's brother turned to face her. "It's me, Vala. What happened?"
"Too much," he replied, "and all of it bad."
"Kira? Ber? Their family?"
*o^-*o^-*
"All fine," Denya told Daniel who sat next to her at the long interrogation table. Sam and Teal'c sat across from them, and Mitchell turned on the video camera in the corner of the room. Denya continued, "Everyone is well enough, but our sabotage plan has failed." She took a deep breath. "Where to start… Well, after you left, the priors and army commanders were in a frenzy. The foot soldiers came to the tavern at the end of each day complaining of all the extra work that had to be done."
*o^-*o^-*
"It's a good thing you killed the prior who came for you because I'm sure I would have been found out and cleansed otherwise," Panos thanked Vala.
"I am sorry for shooting you. I was trying to keep you from being suspected of collaborating with us."
"It worked, too. I was put back on weapons and shields after that. I think many believed I was a hero for attempting to stop you." Panos paused. "But soon the priors realized that whole systems needed to be modified because of what the two of you stole. The men were ordered to work longer hours, day and night."
*o^-*o^-*
"Seevis thought that with all this extra activity, maybe our spies could do more to disrupt the eventual launch," Denya continued her story. "He and Panos decided to install explosives near the main power generators. During the grand celebration being planned, each prior would activate a ship in a show of the Ori's power. All the ships would have been lost-"
"As well as the crowds," Daniel finished for her, shocked. "I can't believe Ber and Kira went along with this."
*o^-*o^-*
"They weren't told the particulars of the sabotage," Panos informed Vala, "neither was Denya until the day before, to prevent her from warning them. Seevis has grown almost as fanatical as the most devout Ori followers. I don't know if it was right to do," he admitted, "but we are fighting for our very freedom."
"It's ok, I understand, a little. So, the plan failed and the ships launched." Vala paused to think. "We might still be all right. Our people found a way to dial out on our supergate, therefore keeping the Ori from dialing in."
*o^-*o^-*
"Oh, sorry. I went out of order," Denya apologized to Sam who had mentioned the supergate. "After Daniel and Vala escaped, Panos told us that there were regular missions to the skygate to make certain everything was in working order. At one point the mission failed. The scout ship could no longer dial out."
"So they constructed another supergate," Teal'c guessed.
"Yes," Denya confirmed.
"And another one here in the Milky Way," Mitchell followed along.
"Yes," she nodded to Mitchell, "but they waited until the final week before creating them. We would have contacted you days ago but Seevis refused to allow it."
"He gambled on his sabotage plan," Daniel surmised.
*o^-*o^-*
"Yes." Panos nodded to Vala. "Even if Seevis had let us communicate with you, I don't even know the coordinates of your skygate. The prior himself took a scout ship to determine its viability."
"It's okay, we appreciate you telling us now." She glanced at the window. "Did you hear that?"
Both Panos and Vala went to the window. Seevis was at the edge of the clearing before the house. They could clearly see his look of shock and pain as he was shot in the back. Tomin, dressed in an Ori soldier's uniform, stood over the body, then raised his head and looked toward the safe house.
Panos practically shoved Vala down into the cellar, closed the trapdoor, and pushed the bed over it quickly in a matter of seconds. She heard the back door open and shut just as the front door opened. She plastered herself on the fifth rung of the ladder and held her breath, trying to hear movement in the house over the sound of her heartbeat pounding in her ears.
When she thought the footsteps were far enough away, she descended the ladder slowly, one rung every thirty seconds. When her feet hit the floor, she crept to the communication device. Just before removing the stone, she grabbed a notebook and pencil and scribbled a note.
Seevis shot. Ori soldier in house. Panos went outside, possibly to lure soldier away. Be careful.
-Vala
Just as she finished the note, she heard heavy footfalls and a scraping sound above her.
*o^-*o^-*
"Even though the ships have launched," Denya told them, "we still think you have a few days to prepare. Our new skygate is elsewhere in our galaxy and the ships that have launched are traveling to many other planets to pick up more troops."
"A few days isn't a lot," Sam observed, "but we deeply appreciate the risk you took in warning us."
Denya waved aside Sam's thanks, saying that the risk was necessary. Daniel caught sight of his ring on Denya's-Vala's-hand.
"Maybe we should stop now…"
Denya seemed to black out for a second next to him and then she was throwing her arms around his neck once again. At once he realized it was Vala and hugged her back.
After a few moments, Vala seemed to regain her composure. She looked around the room and gave everyone a relieved smile. "Well, my dear Samantha, I can confirm that your device works perfectly well. As soon as Denya connected her stone to their device, we essentially switched bodies." She spent the next few minutes telling her tale and confirming everything Denya had already told them.
"You have a go, SG-1," Landry ordered. "Find Merlin's weapon."
Vala had accompanied the rest of them to the conference room to inform General Landry of their communication with the resistance members. Now they were all dismissed in order to prepare for the mission. Vala was heading towards her quarters and Daniel followed.
"So, how'd your check-up go this morning?"
"Carolyn says it could be any day now."
"I shouldn't be more than a couple of days. I'll be back in plenty of time, okay?"
Vala nodded. When they got to her suite, she started biting her lip nervously. "I think…I think I know where I want to go to have the baby." Daniel sat down on the bed and let her continue. "I've checked the SGC's database. There's been no report of priors there."
To his credit, Daniel stayed calm. "Running water?" he teased lightly, showing her that he trusted her.
"Yes, and not a desert," Vala kidded back. She paused and became serious. "Will you take me?"
"Of course. We can leave now if you want. I'll drop you off and make sure you're settled then come back in a few days after the mission." He stood up and took the duffle bag they'd been preparing for the last few weeks out of the closet. "We'll have to tell General Landry. He may have to cover for you with the IOA. It's not so easy to sneak off through the gate."
"I think I may have a way to save them some trouble." She went into the bathroom and brought out some towels she got from the infirmary. "Did you know today is my dead grandmother's birthday?" She winked, placing the towels in a plastic bag, then packing them in the duffle. "I'm sure your IOA would let me go home to visit her grave."
An hour later, they were all packed and informing Landry of their plan to let Vala give birth elsewhere. Walter still had to log the gate activity but they all agreed it was a good enough reason to let Vala leave.
As they stepped through the gate, Daniel saw a colorful planet, the trees full of red, gold, and light yellow leaves. "It feels like a cool October day in New England," he commented.
Vala nodded. "Many of the farming families will be harvesting soon. This might work in our favor," she said as she walked past the DHD to a stone platform.
"What are you doing?"
"Checking the time," she said standing before a sundial.
"Wow," Daniel stood there amazed. "What a clever way of helping newcomers."
Vala looked at the various symbols then closed her eyes. "I think, yes," she nodded, "it's about 6 hours until sunset."
Daniel looked at the sundial, trying to decipher it. "Hours like 60 minute intervals, or hours…"
"I did the conversion for you. Six Earth-like hours." Daniel stared back at her in blatant wonder. "What?" she asked.
Daniel shook the surprise from his mind and smiled. "You amaze me."
Vala smiled back and led him down the path toward the village. The land was flat around them and he could see houses and fields in the distance. The village itself was full of stone and wood houses lining the main streets. There were open air markets and various shops focusing on clothing and household necessities. He noticed a lumber mill in the distance, and a blacksmith's forge near it. He heard cattle also and turned his head to see a butcher's shop next door to a café. The village tavern was just a little further along.
"Quite a nice place you have here. Is this your home planet? Where you grew up?"
"Yes." They made it to Vala's destination and she stopped and knocked on the door. "Hopefully we can stay at my old house."
A middle-aged woman with warm eyes and light brown hair braided down her back opened the door. She immediately recognized Vala and pulled her into the house as well as into her arms. "Vala, girl! You're back!"
Vala smiled brightly and returned the embrace. "Careful, Reni, I'm about to pop," she laughed.
"Come in, come in. Sit down both of you." She motioned to chairs in front of her fireplace.
"Daniel, this is Reni Pelk, the village midwife and healer, and a friend of my mother. Reni, this is Daniel Jackson of the Tau'ri and…" She tripped over the rest of the introduction.
Daniel held out his hand to Reni and rescued Vala. "Her husband."
Reni grasped his hand and shook it. "A pleasure to meet you, Daniel. And a pleasure to see Vala with a good man." She sat back in her chair and asked Vala, "So how long are you staying?" Her face turned worried then. "Are you in trouble?"
Vala waved it aside. "No more trouble than I'm usually in."
"That bad, huh?" Reni smirked.
Vala rolled her eyes. "You know me." She paused. "Is Jacek here?"
"Nope," Reni shook her head. "He flew in and out of here a month ago, and I don't expect him back for quite a few months yet."
Vala nodded. "The harvests will keep him away. He won't want to fend off families who need a helping hand on their farms."
"Jacek?" Daniel asked.
Vala sighed heavily. "My father."
"You don't get along with him?"
Vala shrugged her response. "The man would have to be around for me to get along with him or not. But Reni's right, we probably won't run into him for a few months, not until winter sets in. And he usually only comes back to this planet if he needs a place to hide out."
"Wait a second, I thought you said the people of your village stoned you when you returned after Qetesh was removed."
"Yes. Sooo?" she asked.
"You can't be safe here then."
"Well, I didn't say they stoned me to death, Daniel. Reni stopped them actually," Vala smiled at the older woman. "She's one of the more intelligent members of the village."
"Vala's mother was my best friend," Reni explained. "She died when Vala was young, seven maybe?" Vala nodded and Reni continued, "So I watched out for her while her con-man father came and went. It was awful when she was taken as a host," she shook her head as if shaking away the bad memories, "but I could tell when she was finally free, even if the others couldn't. I stopped the crowds and brought her home with me."
"The others are still wary of me, part of it because of my time as a host, but also partly because of Jacek," Vala continued the tale. "When I was fourteen he started including me in some of his cons. It didn't always go well for the villagers here when we had to crawl back in hiding. Anyway, I don't visit very often," she turned to look at her friend, "and I really regret that, Ren."
The older woman just took her hand and squeezed warmly. "No harm done, darling."
Daniel didn't quite understand all of it, but Vala seemed much more relieved than before so he figured not meeting her father was a good thing. And knowing Reni was here lifted some worry from Daniel's shoulders as well. Reni and Vala continued to catch up while Daniel thought to himself.
As much as Dr. Lam had protested their leaving the SGC and having the baby elsewhere, Daniel felt confident he'd be able to help Vala deliver it. He'd learned a great deal while helping Sha're through her birth, and Dr. Lam had given him a crash course in her OB/GYN studies. Vala's pregnancy was proceeding as normally as possible, if there was such a thing as normal when it came to pregnancies. From what he'd read, each and every pregnancy was different, from woman to woman, and from baby to baby.
But it was a natural process as well, and he had faith that he and Vala would be able to get through it. Having Reni around could only make things easier.
A little later all three of them stood up and made their way to Vala's childhood home. It had been occupied a month ago, so the kitchen and main bedroom were relatively dust-free, if a little untidy. The three of them decided that her old room should be the birthing room for when the time came. The bed was narrower and that way they could keep the main bed clean for them to sleep in afterwards.
They stripped the bed and began sterilizing all the sheets and linens in soap and boiling water. Daniel and Vala decided to leave all their other supplies in the duffle bag, since they were already washed and stored in clean plastic bags. She did unpack some of her clothes, underwear and nightshirts, placing them all in a drawer of the dresser in the main bedroom.
Reni went back to the kitchen to check on their food supplies and make a list of what they should get in the market before the end of the day. Daniel took a few rags and wiped down all the surfaces in the bedrooms, kitchen and living room area. Vala laughed from her old room as she heard him sneezing elsewhere in the house. She was unpacking some of the baby things; a stack of diapers to get them through the first couple of days; cute, tiny onesies for their little one to wear; the small, baby-sized quilt that she'd finished a couple weeks ago; hats, booties, and a pacifier-things Carolyn and Sam had helped her pick out.
Fingering the baby blanket, she stopped for a moment and sat on the bed to think. As much as she didn't want Daniel to go, she knew it was important for them to find Merlin's weapon. And she knew Reni would be able to help her while Daniel was gone. She was anxious about the birth, thinking that it really would happen any day now, but Kira had talked with her a great deal, and she'd helped Reni with a few births before Jacek had taken her and Adria from their home on one of his cons in her early teens. She quickly brushed Jacek and Adria from her mind, no need to think about those two. The point was with everything she'd learned over the months, Vala felt pretty sure she knew what to expect. Everything would work out fine.
********
Chapter 21: http://aeryn-b.livejournal.com/12978.html