post-ep fic for "Camelot"
Category: Daniel/Vala angst
Spoilers: Camelot
Rating: PG
Summary: Vala returns to the SGC with her baby due any day.
Thanks to: Anne for the beta and praise.
"Desperate Measures" (1/1)
by Lisa Michelle
Vala walked through the Gate accompanied by three members
of SG-7. She touched her stomach to reassure herself the baby
was still there now that she had finally arrived at her intended
destination.
It was. In fact, it felt like the baby was kicking her. Hard.
No, it was much more than that. Vala clutched her stomach as
pain sliced through her. Two of the men came to her aide and
asked if she was okay.
No, she wasn't okay. "I . . . Daniel," she managed to eke
out as she felt more pain.
"Dr. Jackson is-" one of the soldiers began.
Dr. Jackson? She didn't know a Dr. Jackson. She only knew
Daniel and needed him now. Another pain. It was too much for
her. The baby was coming! She had timed this just right. "Help
me," she said to anyone that would listen.
"Vala, I'm here."
It was Daniel! She looked up into his eyes. He looked great.
They must have survived the battle. She had worried for nothing.
She grabbed her stomach. "The baby-"
Daniel picked her up in his arms carefully and hurried down the
ramp and out of the Gate Room, heading towards the infirmary.
Vala wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on
his shoulder. She closed her eyes just as the pain subsided again.
She buried her face in the crook of his neck, inhaling his scent.
It was something she couldn't identify. Not cologne. It was hard
to imagine Daniel putting on cologne. Perhaps it was specific
to his planet or to him. She wanted to believe the latter.
When they reached the infirmary, Daniel set her down on one
of the beds. If not for a medical emergency, it could have looked
like the beginning of a romantic evening for two lovers. However,
all thoughts of romance quickly dissipated as the pain returned.
Within seconds, people in white uniforms surrounded her, asking
her questions as she tried to think despite the pain. Vala didn't
have any answers for them. She just wanted the pain to go away.
Was the baby coming now? Was this how it felt?
"It's going to be okay," Daniel said, appearing at her side and
taking her hand into his.
Vala wanted to believe him, but he had no idea if that was the
truth. She remembered all those months ago when she had first
met him on board the Prometheus. He had said that sometimes
he lied. However, this time Vala chose to believe him. Another
pain shot through her and Daniel squeezed her hand tightly.
Daniel knelt down beside the bed. She had to turn her head
in order to look at him. He seemed calm, but then again he wasn't
the one having a baby.
The pain subsided again and she finally took a breath.
It was hard to ignore the medical team all around her. They
fired questions at her and touched her with their instruments.
Vala was able to answers some of the questions now that the
pain had tapered off.
Vala turned her head and looked at Daniel. "I'm pregnant,
by the way."
"I noticed," he replied, still holding her hand.
"I'm sorry about borrowing your body," she said. "I just-"
"No, you're not."
"All right. I'm not, but I didn't do anything sordid with it.
Really, I didn't," she said.
Daniel raised his eyebrows. "Really?"
"You don't believe me?"
"No."
"Well, I didn't," she assured him. "If I had had more time in
your body. I probably would have-"
"Spare me the details, please."
She attempted a smile, but just wasn't in the mood for banter with
him, given her present circumstances. "I guess the baby isn't
coming," she said.
"Is the pain still gone?" Daniel asked.
"Yes," she replied. "And I hope it stays that way."
He squeezed her hand again. "I'm here, don't worry."
His reassurances helped, but she was still scared and worried
what would happen when the baby actually made its appearance.
Vala didn't doubt Daniel would help her. He was right by her side
as if they were a young couple awaiting the birth of their first
child.
Vala heard one of the nurses say that she needed to do an
exam.
"Okay, I'll leave." Daniel let go of her hand and stood up.
"Wait, Daniel-" She reached out for him.
"It's okay," he said, as if that explained everything. "I'll
come back and check on you later."
Vala watched him as he walked out of the room. She blinked
back tears, but didn't know if it was because of the impending
exam or the fact that Daniel had left the room.
****
An hour later, Vala sat up in bed in a private room. The pain
never returned and Doctor Lam had told her it was false labor,
but she used some other fancy word for it that Vala couldn't
remember now. She still had to stay in the infirmary overnight,
but that was fine. At least the baby wasn't coming yet. She had
to tell Daniel the truth first.
She left Tomin. She left the Ori ship. Vala vowed her baby
would not be born on a planet full of Ori worshippers. She
couldn't do that to an innocent child.
She had members of the resistance sneak her and others who
wanted passage off the Ori Homeworld on a ship far away from
the Ori for good. Most were families, but some were just women
and children, sent away by their husbands for a better life. A better
life. Vala liked that phrase. That's what she was seeking. But she
was ahead of the game. She already knew the man that could make
that possible for her and her child.
Tomin had to know the truth by now. She was sure he had read
the letter once, if not multiple times by now. He wouldn't hate
her. That wasn't in his nature. He would worry about her, but
eventually get on with his life. He deserved a woman who loved
him back. Vala didn't.
She wrote in the letter that the baby was Daniel's and she had
to go back to Daniel to tell him this and try to salvage their
relationship. Of course it was a lie, but she was so used to
telling them now, that it shouldn't matter anymore.
Well, one thing mattered. Daniel. She had to tell him what she
did in order to get back to his world. He'd probably be upset
with her, but she was used to that.
She wanted to be here with Daniel. Perhaps they could even
be a family. Daniel would make a great father. Just the three of
them. Vala could try to be a wife and mother. She'd never
wanted to be tied to one man until she met Daniel. It could be
incredible.
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. "Come in,"
she said.
It was Daniel. He wasn't dressed in his Stargating uniform,
but a suit. She had seen him in one before all those months
ago. It seemed like a lifetime now. He looked so good it made
her ache.
Daniel walked over to her bedside. "How are you feeling?"
he asked.
"Better," she replied. "The baby wasn't coming. It was false
labor."
"Good," he replied.
"Are you going to Washington?" Vala asked.
Daniel looked confused. "No. Why?"
"You're wearing a suit."
He smiled and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "No. The
president is coming here for a meeting and there's a reception
afterwards."
"Oh," she replied. "So you don't wear that often?"
"No, not really," he said.
"You should. It's so much better than those ugly uniforms
everyone has to wear."
"Perhaps you'd like to change the dress code of the SGC?"
he said.
"Oh, I'm sure I could," she replied confidently.
A few seconds passed and neither one of them said anything.
Vala shifted nervously in bed.
"Vala, where's your husband?" Daniel asked.
Was he jealous? She wanted to believe that he was and he
was asking her for that reason and that reason only. "It's a long
story, Daniel."
"I'm sure it is," he replied.
"I. . .I'll tell you, but not now." She couldn't do it. She was
scared of what Daniel would say. "You go off to your meeting
with the president. I'm not going anywhere. I'll tell you tomorrow,"
she promised.
"Okay, but I'm going to hold you to that." He turned to go,
but stopped at the door. "I'm glad you're okay."
The next day, Vala was given quarters and she was told to
stay there, preferably in bed due to the fact that the baby could
come at any time.
She was nervous. Daniel hadn't come by to see her yet. Perhaps
he was busy with Stargating things. Or he was reading. Again.
Why did she like such a boring man?
She'd just tell the truth. What could they do? Throw her off
the base? Not in her condition.
This was ridiculous. Waiting around for a man.
Vala decided to lie down and take a nap. She dreamt of the
baby. A boy. A boy who looked like Daniel and even wore glasses.
The three of them were very happy together. The boy was about
ten years old and they were all together in a room. Daniel was
reading to him. Vala was sitting on a couch with her legs tucked
underneath her, watching them and smiling. Everything was
wonderful until a Prior came and stole the child. Vala woke up
screaming.
Daniel was in her room asking her if she was okay. How did
he get in her room? It took her a moment to remember where she
was. "I think so. It was just a nightmare," she replied, embarrassed
at the way she was reacting to a silly dream. She saw two soldiers
in the doorway.
Daniel turned and nodded to them. One of them closed the
door, leaving them alone.
"I heard you screaming," he said, sitting down on the bed
next to her. "I was worried it might be the baby coming."
Vala looked down and shifted her dress around; it had gotten
tangled while she slept. She hated the dress, but was too big to
fit anything else right now. Tomin had given it to her and she
knew it had come from the Ori. It almost looked like something
a queen would wear, as if she was giving birth to an heir. The Ori
probably felt that was the case. She only wore it out of necessity,
not to appease her husband.
"What's wrong?" Daniel asked.
"Nothing. I was just thinking about how much I hate this
dress," she said.
"I wish I could help you out, but we really don't have maternity
outfits here," he replied. "I could see if I could find-"
"No, that's okay." She smiled, happy he was trying to
help her.
"I guess now is a good time to tell you how I got here." She shifted
in bed and piled the pillows higher behind her head. Daniel was
about to help her, but she waved him away.
Vala told him of her plan and the letter to Tomin as well as
how they smuggled her off the Ori ship.
"Is Tomin going to come here looking for you?" Daniel asked
after she finished her story.
"No, I don't think so." She was so sure she broke his heart and
he'd probably never want to see her again.
"He's still your husband," Daniel pointed out.
"But I don't love him like a wife should love her husband,"
she replied.
After that comment, silence hung in the air for a couple of
minutes. "Well, now you know," Vala said, breaking the silence
and shifting in the bed.
"Vala, I-" Daniel began.
"No, Daniel, don't say it. I know I lied, but I didn't have a
choice. Please don't be angry with me," she said.
Daniel got up from the bed without saying anything to her.
He must be tired of all her lies. Perhaps she shouldn't have come
back, but she had nowhere else to go. "Daniel?" Vala said tearfully.
He turned around.
"I'm scared."
Daniel walked back to the bed and sat down next to her. He
put his arm around her. "We'll figure something out."
Vala closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest.
She liked that he used the word we.
****
END (1/1)
Spoilers: Camelot
Rating: PG
Summary: Vala returns to the SGC with her baby due any day.
Thanks to: Anne for the beta and praise.
"Desperate Measures" (1/1)
by Lisa Michelle
Vala walked through the Gate accompanied by three members
of SG-7. She touched her stomach to reassure herself the baby
was still there now that she had finally arrived at her intended
destination.
It was. In fact, it felt like the baby was kicking her. Hard.
No, it was much more than that. Vala clutched her stomach as
pain sliced through her. Two of the men came to her aide and
asked if she was okay.
No, she wasn't okay. "I . . . Daniel," she managed to eke
out as she felt more pain.
"Dr. Jackson is-" one of the soldiers began.
Dr. Jackson? She didn't know a Dr. Jackson. She only knew
Daniel and needed him now. Another pain. It was too much for
her. The baby was coming! She had timed this just right. "Help
me," she said to anyone that would listen.
"Vala, I'm here."
It was Daniel! She looked up into his eyes. He looked great.
They must have survived the battle. She had worried for nothing.
She grabbed her stomach. "The baby-"
Daniel picked her up in his arms carefully and hurried down the
ramp and out of the Gate Room, heading towards the infirmary.
Vala wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on
his shoulder. She closed her eyes just as the pain subsided again.
She buried her face in the crook of his neck, inhaling his scent.
It was something she couldn't identify. Not cologne. It was hard
to imagine Daniel putting on cologne. Perhaps it was specific
to his planet or to him. She wanted to believe the latter.
When they reached the infirmary, Daniel set her down on one
of the beds. If not for a medical emergency, it could have looked
like the beginning of a romantic evening for two lovers. However,
all thoughts of romance quickly dissipated as the pain returned.
Within seconds, people in white uniforms surrounded her, asking
her questions as she tried to think despite the pain. Vala didn't
have any answers for them. She just wanted the pain to go away.
Was the baby coming now? Was this how it felt?
"It's going to be okay," Daniel said, appearing at her side and
taking her hand into his.
Vala wanted to believe him, but he had no idea if that was the
truth. She remembered all those months ago when she had first
met him on board the Prometheus. He had said that sometimes
he lied. However, this time Vala chose to believe him. Another
pain shot through her and Daniel squeezed her hand tightly.
Daniel knelt down beside the bed. She had to turn her head
in order to look at him. He seemed calm, but then again he wasn't
the one having a baby.
The pain subsided again and she finally took a breath.
It was hard to ignore the medical team all around her. They
fired questions at her and touched her with their instruments.
Vala was able to answers some of the questions now that the
pain had tapered off.
Vala turned her head and looked at Daniel. "I'm pregnant,
by the way."
"I noticed," he replied, still holding her hand.
"I'm sorry about borrowing your body," she said. "I just-"
"No, you're not."
"All right. I'm not, but I didn't do anything sordid with it.
Really, I didn't," she said.
Daniel raised his eyebrows. "Really?"
"You don't believe me?"
"No."
"Well, I didn't," she assured him. "If I had had more time in
your body. I probably would have-"
"Spare me the details, please."
She attempted a smile, but just wasn't in the mood for banter with
him, given her present circumstances. "I guess the baby isn't
coming," she said.
"Is the pain still gone?" Daniel asked.
"Yes," she replied. "And I hope it stays that way."
He squeezed her hand again. "I'm here, don't worry."
His reassurances helped, but she was still scared and worried
what would happen when the baby actually made its appearance.
Vala didn't doubt Daniel would help her. He was right by her side
as if they were a young couple awaiting the birth of their first
child.
Vala heard one of the nurses say that she needed to do an
exam.
"Okay, I'll leave." Daniel let go of her hand and stood up.
"Wait, Daniel-" She reached out for him.
"It's okay," he said, as if that explained everything. "I'll
come back and check on you later."
Vala watched him as he walked out of the room. She blinked
back tears, but didn't know if it was because of the impending
exam or the fact that Daniel had left the room.
****
An hour later, Vala sat up in bed in a private room. The pain
never returned and Doctor Lam had told her it was false labor,
but she used some other fancy word for it that Vala couldn't
remember now. She still had to stay in the infirmary overnight,
but that was fine. At least the baby wasn't coming yet. She had
to tell Daniel the truth first.
She left Tomin. She left the Ori ship. Vala vowed her baby
would not be born on a planet full of Ori worshippers. She
couldn't do that to an innocent child.
She had members of the resistance sneak her and others who
wanted passage off the Ori Homeworld on a ship far away from
the Ori for good. Most were families, but some were just women
and children, sent away by their husbands for a better life. A better
life. Vala liked that phrase. That's what she was seeking. But she
was ahead of the game. She already knew the man that could make
that possible for her and her child.
Tomin had to know the truth by now. She was sure he had read
the letter once, if not multiple times by now. He wouldn't hate
her. That wasn't in his nature. He would worry about her, but
eventually get on with his life. He deserved a woman who loved
him back. Vala didn't.
She wrote in the letter that the baby was Daniel's and she had
to go back to Daniel to tell him this and try to salvage their
relationship. Of course it was a lie, but she was so used to
telling them now, that it shouldn't matter anymore.
Well, one thing mattered. Daniel. She had to tell him what she
did in order to get back to his world. He'd probably be upset
with her, but she was used to that.
She wanted to be here with Daniel. Perhaps they could even
be a family. Daniel would make a great father. Just the three of
them. Vala could try to be a wife and mother. She'd never
wanted to be tied to one man until she met Daniel. It could be
incredible.
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. "Come in,"
she said.
It was Daniel. He wasn't dressed in his Stargating uniform,
but a suit. She had seen him in one before all those months
ago. It seemed like a lifetime now. He looked so good it made
her ache.
Daniel walked over to her bedside. "How are you feeling?"
he asked.
"Better," she replied. "The baby wasn't coming. It was false
labor."
"Good," he replied.
"Are you going to Washington?" Vala asked.
Daniel looked confused. "No. Why?"
"You're wearing a suit."
He smiled and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "No. The
president is coming here for a meeting and there's a reception
afterwards."
"Oh," she replied. "So you don't wear that often?"
"No, not really," he said.
"You should. It's so much better than those ugly uniforms
everyone has to wear."
"Perhaps you'd like to change the dress code of the SGC?"
he said.
"Oh, I'm sure I could," she replied confidently.
A few seconds passed and neither one of them said anything.
Vala shifted nervously in bed.
"Vala, where's your husband?" Daniel asked.
Was he jealous? She wanted to believe that he was and he
was asking her for that reason and that reason only. "It's a long
story, Daniel."
"I'm sure it is," he replied.
"I. . .I'll tell you, but not now." She couldn't do it. She was
scared of what Daniel would say. "You go off to your meeting
with the president. I'm not going anywhere. I'll tell you tomorrow,"
she promised.
"Okay, but I'm going to hold you to that." He turned to go,
but stopped at the door. "I'm glad you're okay."
The next day, Vala was given quarters and she was told to
stay there, preferably in bed due to the fact that the baby could
come at any time.
She was nervous. Daniel hadn't come by to see her yet. Perhaps
he was busy with Stargating things. Or he was reading. Again.
Why did she like such a boring man?
She'd just tell the truth. What could they do? Throw her off
the base? Not in her condition.
This was ridiculous. Waiting around for a man.
Vala decided to lie down and take a nap. She dreamt of the
baby. A boy. A boy who looked like Daniel and even wore glasses.
The three of them were very happy together. The boy was about
ten years old and they were all together in a room. Daniel was
reading to him. Vala was sitting on a couch with her legs tucked
underneath her, watching them and smiling. Everything was
wonderful until a Prior came and stole the child. Vala woke up
screaming.
Daniel was in her room asking her if she was okay. How did
he get in her room? It took her a moment to remember where she
was. "I think so. It was just a nightmare," she replied, embarrassed
at the way she was reacting to a silly dream. She saw two soldiers
in the doorway.
Daniel turned and nodded to them. One of them closed the
door, leaving them alone.
"I heard you screaming," he said, sitting down on the bed
next to her. "I was worried it might be the baby coming."
Vala looked down and shifted her dress around; it had gotten
tangled while she slept. She hated the dress, but was too big to
fit anything else right now. Tomin had given it to her and she
knew it had come from the Ori. It almost looked like something
a queen would wear, as if she was giving birth to an heir. The Ori
probably felt that was the case. She only wore it out of necessity,
not to appease her husband.
"What's wrong?" Daniel asked.
"Nothing. I was just thinking about how much I hate this
dress," she said.
"I wish I could help you out, but we really don't have maternity
outfits here," he replied. "I could see if I could find-"
"No, that's okay." She smiled, happy he was trying to
help her.
"I guess now is a good time to tell you how I got here." She shifted
in bed and piled the pillows higher behind her head. Daniel was
about to help her, but she waved him away.
Vala told him of her plan and the letter to Tomin as well as
how they smuggled her off the Ori ship.
"Is Tomin going to come here looking for you?" Daniel asked
after she finished her story.
"No, I don't think so." She was so sure she broke his heart and
he'd probably never want to see her again.
"He's still your husband," Daniel pointed out.
"But I don't love him like a wife should love her husband,"
she replied.
After that comment, silence hung in the air for a couple of
minutes. "Well, now you know," Vala said, breaking the silence
and shifting in the bed.
"Vala, I-" Daniel began.
"No, Daniel, don't say it. I know I lied, but I didn't have a
choice. Please don't be angry with me," she said.
Daniel got up from the bed without saying anything to her.
He must be tired of all her lies. Perhaps she shouldn't have come
back, but she had nowhere else to go. "Daniel?" Vala said tearfully.
He turned around.
"I'm scared."
Daniel walked back to the bed and sat down next to her. He
put his arm around her. "We'll figure something out."
Vala closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest.
She liked that he used the word we.
****
END (1/1)