Month of Love, Day 25 - Our Present for the Past (Fic)
Title: Our Present for the Past
Summary: Why must their lives be sacrificed for the good of others?
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers/Warnings: Spoilers for '2010'. Also, it's heavy on the angst (I just can't help it sometimes!)
A/N: This is a headcanon I've had for a while now. A post on Tumblr the other day encouraged me to finally act on it. There's a lot more I want to it, but seeing as I'm short on time, this is the best it's going to be right now. If it would be liked, I'll work on a sequel/elaborating more down the line. Anywho, enjoy!
Daniel quietly closed the front door behind him, hyper-aware of those who would be sleeping in the house. His mind had been on nothing but them since he’d left Janet, Sam, and Teal’c at the restaurant.
He slid down the door, the weight of the decision made over dinner finally hitting him full force. He’d talked big and brave in the moment, but now he was double thinking it. How could they simply change things? Janet had been right to question all the lives that would be affected by their insane heroics. Daniel hadn’t even stopped to think of how his own life would be affected.
“Daniel?” A barely awake voice broke through the darkened house. He looked up to see her making her way towards him, her fingers scratching in her sleep-messy black hair.
She plopped herself down on the floor in front of him. He pulled her into his lap, taking her lips in a sweet kiss just as she was about to ask what he was doing.
“I love you.” Daniel told her quietly as they separated; now running his fingers through her hair.
“Yeah, I know…” She grinned impishly, but it faded fast at the desperate look in his blue eyes. “Daniel, what’s wrong?” She placed a hand on his cheek. “Did something happen at your dinner?”
Daniel stared at his fingers toying with a strand of her hair. How had he been so eager to erase all that had happened?
Vala lightly tapped his face. “Daniel.”
Sighing, he looked at her sadly. “We need to talk.”
-----
“I don’t like this.” Vala pouted, crossing her arms childishly for added effect.
Daniel looked up at her from where he was making the guest bed up. “I know you don’t, Vala. But there’s nothing that can be done about it.”
She looked at him disbelievingly even though he was focused back on adjusting the blankets. “There’s plenty that can be done about it. He can easily stay with one of the others who equally don’t like me.”
Leaving the blankets for a moment, Daniel stepped over to her and gently placed his hands on her upper arms. “He can’t stay with Sam because of Joe, Teal’c doesn’t have his own place here… Him staying here is the most inconspicuous.”
He leaned in to give her a soft kiss. “And they don’t hate you.”
Vala scoffed at that part. “Yeah, right. They’ve been such good friends since the war ended, what with the not calling or anything.” Her grey eyes looked up into his pleadingly. “Can’t he stay with Janet?”
Daniel rolled his eyes and pushed past her out of the room. “Janet’s gotten a lot of heat for blatant remarks against the Ashen.” He moved into the kitchen, Vala following right behind him.
“Jack’s staying here.” He looked at her pointedly. “It’s a done deal.”
“Nothing,” Vala looked up from where she’d stopped at the kitchen table. Her fingers were running affectionately over the hair of the toddler seated there. She had been busy coloring throughout all of her parents’ bickering.
“…is ever a done deal, darling.” Vala finished, now looking at Daniel pointedly. “Our current circumstances are proof of that.”
-----
Jack watched from the other room as Vala and her daughter giggled together. They were playing and rolling around on the floor together, a little girl and her mother caught up in a moment of love. It made his heart ache.
“They’re quite a pair, aren’t they?” Daniel said softly from beside Jack. He was also watching them, his girls, having fun.
The older man nodded. “Makes me wonder why you’re so willing to give all of it up.”
Daniel turned his head to look into eyes that had grown unfamiliar to him. Unfamiliar due to time and the rift that had put a major wrench into their friendship. Jack had not only been against the Ashen from the get go, but Vala as well. Daniel knew it had come from a good place. But it hadn’t made it any easier to handle - being forced to choose between his best friend and the fierce woman who had captured his heart during the war.
“Because it’s the right thing to do.”
Jack tilted his head curiously. “Is it?” At Daniel’s frown, he elaborated. “This sterilization problem clearly hasn’t affected the two of you.” He indicated with his hand to the little girl being chased around by her mother. “You’ve got a kid - one you need to think about in all of this.”
“You think I haven’t?” Daniel responded on a shocked whisper. “She is the biggest reason this has to be done. She’s already been given the vaccine, Jack. They do it at birth.” He could feel the tears starting to build in his eyes. “We might’ve escaped unscathed, but there’s no telling if she did. The Ashen have taken my daughter’s future away.”
“You’re definitely taking it away by doing this.” Jack countered. “Are you and Vala really okay with throwing away this life you’ve made, one that you fought like hell and burned bridges to keep, simply because it’s the right thing to do?”
Closing his eyes, Daniel pulled in a deep breath. No. He wasn’t okay. And he knew Vala wasn’t either. But there was no other way around it. “We’re gonna have to be.”
-----
“What if…” Vala murmured softly as she rested against Daniel’s side in their bed. “When you change things tomorrow, it means that we never actually meet…ever.”
She looked up at him, slight terror in her eyes. “It was the war that brought us together, Daniel. As horrible as the Ashen have turned out to be, which I’ve suspected for a long time anyways as you know…” Vala threw in there with a hint of smugness. But it faded fast. “They were what brought us together.”
Daniel tightened his hold on her. “Just because the past gets changed doesn’t mean the end result will be different.” He watched her frown. “There’s no telling if us sending this note will change anything. And if it does, the differences made could mean we ended up being brought together in other ways.”
“But you know things will change.” Vala sighed, closing her eyes. The tears spilled out regardless as she placed a kiss to his bare chest.
“I don’t want to lose us, Daniel.” She whispered. “Me and you and our daughter. I can’t lose it.”
Pulling her on top of him, Daniel kissed her fiercely. She returned it with equal fervor, holding the sides of his face in a near-death grip.
“You’re not going to lose me.” Daniel told her as they broke for air. “I promise. No matter what happens, I will find my way to you, okay?”
Vala didn’t bother to respond with words. Instead, she returned her lips to his. Despite his words, she couldn’t believe in anything other than what was right in front of her. This was her last night with him. Tomorrow things were going to change. She knew it. He knew it. And they were determined to spend this time they were certain they had left trying to make his promise as real as possible. Vala could believe in this moment, as they set into their rhythm of love.
-----
She sat with the child clutched to her chest, wishing she could stop the horrible sobs wracking the small frame of her little girl. But it wasn’t possible - not when the girl’s tears matched those of her mother’s.
Through her blurred vision, Vala continued to watch the TV that was pouring in news of the terrorist attack by the very team the world had honored some days before. Dead. All of them. Gone were the heroes that had helped the Ashen save earth. In their place were the lifeless bodies of traitors.
As her daughter sobbed at the loss of her father, Vala felt as if she had died right along with them. She had known this was coming - this loss, this change. She and Daniel had known how their lives were going to be affected by his heroics.
This was a done deal. The past may have been saved, but her present was gone forever. And there would be no promises to bring it back.
Comments and feedback are definitely appreciated.
~Pip
Summary: Why must their lives be sacrificed for the good of others?
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers/Warnings: Spoilers for '2010'. Also, it's heavy on the angst (I just can't help it sometimes!)
A/N: This is a headcanon I've had for a while now. A post on Tumblr the other day encouraged me to finally act on it. There's a lot more I want to it, but seeing as I'm short on time, this is the best it's going to be right now. If it would be liked, I'll work on a sequel/elaborating more down the line. Anywho, enjoy!
Daniel quietly closed the front door behind him, hyper-aware of those who would be sleeping in the house. His mind had been on nothing but them since he’d left Janet, Sam, and Teal’c at the restaurant.
He slid down the door, the weight of the decision made over dinner finally hitting him full force. He’d talked big and brave in the moment, but now he was double thinking it. How could they simply change things? Janet had been right to question all the lives that would be affected by their insane heroics. Daniel hadn’t even stopped to think of how his own life would be affected.
“Daniel?” A barely awake voice broke through the darkened house. He looked up to see her making her way towards him, her fingers scratching in her sleep-messy black hair.
She plopped herself down on the floor in front of him. He pulled her into his lap, taking her lips in a sweet kiss just as she was about to ask what he was doing.
“I love you.” Daniel told her quietly as they separated; now running his fingers through her hair.
“Yeah, I know…” She grinned impishly, but it faded fast at the desperate look in his blue eyes. “Daniel, what’s wrong?” She placed a hand on his cheek. “Did something happen at your dinner?”
Daniel stared at his fingers toying with a strand of her hair. How had he been so eager to erase all that had happened?
Vala lightly tapped his face. “Daniel.”
Sighing, he looked at her sadly. “We need to talk.”
-----
“I don’t like this.” Vala pouted, crossing her arms childishly for added effect.
Daniel looked up at her from where he was making the guest bed up. “I know you don’t, Vala. But there’s nothing that can be done about it.”
She looked at him disbelievingly even though he was focused back on adjusting the blankets. “There’s plenty that can be done about it. He can easily stay with one of the others who equally don’t like me.”
Leaving the blankets for a moment, Daniel stepped over to her and gently placed his hands on her upper arms. “He can’t stay with Sam because of Joe, Teal’c doesn’t have his own place here… Him staying here is the most inconspicuous.”
He leaned in to give her a soft kiss. “And they don’t hate you.”
Vala scoffed at that part. “Yeah, right. They’ve been such good friends since the war ended, what with the not calling or anything.” Her grey eyes looked up into his pleadingly. “Can’t he stay with Janet?”
Daniel rolled his eyes and pushed past her out of the room. “Janet’s gotten a lot of heat for blatant remarks against the Ashen.” He moved into the kitchen, Vala following right behind him.
“Jack’s staying here.” He looked at her pointedly. “It’s a done deal.”
“Nothing,” Vala looked up from where she’d stopped at the kitchen table. Her fingers were running affectionately over the hair of the toddler seated there. She had been busy coloring throughout all of her parents’ bickering.
“…is ever a done deal, darling.” Vala finished, now looking at Daniel pointedly. “Our current circumstances are proof of that.”
-----
Jack watched from the other room as Vala and her daughter giggled together. They were playing and rolling around on the floor together, a little girl and her mother caught up in a moment of love. It made his heart ache.
“They’re quite a pair, aren’t they?” Daniel said softly from beside Jack. He was also watching them, his girls, having fun.
The older man nodded. “Makes me wonder why you’re so willing to give all of it up.”
Daniel turned his head to look into eyes that had grown unfamiliar to him. Unfamiliar due to time and the rift that had put a major wrench into their friendship. Jack had not only been against the Ashen from the get go, but Vala as well. Daniel knew it had come from a good place. But it hadn’t made it any easier to handle - being forced to choose between his best friend and the fierce woman who had captured his heart during the war.
“Because it’s the right thing to do.”
Jack tilted his head curiously. “Is it?” At Daniel’s frown, he elaborated. “This sterilization problem clearly hasn’t affected the two of you.” He indicated with his hand to the little girl being chased around by her mother. “You’ve got a kid - one you need to think about in all of this.”
“You think I haven’t?” Daniel responded on a shocked whisper. “She is the biggest reason this has to be done. She’s already been given the vaccine, Jack. They do it at birth.” He could feel the tears starting to build in his eyes. “We might’ve escaped unscathed, but there’s no telling if she did. The Ashen have taken my daughter’s future away.”
“You’re definitely taking it away by doing this.” Jack countered. “Are you and Vala really okay with throwing away this life you’ve made, one that you fought like hell and burned bridges to keep, simply because it’s the right thing to do?”
Closing his eyes, Daniel pulled in a deep breath. No. He wasn’t okay. And he knew Vala wasn’t either. But there was no other way around it. “We’re gonna have to be.”
-----
“What if…” Vala murmured softly as she rested against Daniel’s side in their bed. “When you change things tomorrow, it means that we never actually meet…ever.”
She looked up at him, slight terror in her eyes. “It was the war that brought us together, Daniel. As horrible as the Ashen have turned out to be, which I’ve suspected for a long time anyways as you know…” Vala threw in there with a hint of smugness. But it faded fast. “They were what brought us together.”
Daniel tightened his hold on her. “Just because the past gets changed doesn’t mean the end result will be different.” He watched her frown. “There’s no telling if us sending this note will change anything. And if it does, the differences made could mean we ended up being brought together in other ways.”
“But you know things will change.” Vala sighed, closing her eyes. The tears spilled out regardless as she placed a kiss to his bare chest.
“I don’t want to lose us, Daniel.” She whispered. “Me and you and our daughter. I can’t lose it.”
Pulling her on top of him, Daniel kissed her fiercely. She returned it with equal fervor, holding the sides of his face in a near-death grip.
“You’re not going to lose me.” Daniel told her as they broke for air. “I promise. No matter what happens, I will find my way to you, okay?”
Vala didn’t bother to respond with words. Instead, she returned her lips to his. Despite his words, she couldn’t believe in anything other than what was right in front of her. This was her last night with him. Tomorrow things were going to change. She knew it. He knew it. And they were determined to spend this time they were certain they had left trying to make his promise as real as possible. Vala could believe in this moment, as they set into their rhythm of love.
-----
She sat with the child clutched to her chest, wishing she could stop the horrible sobs wracking the small frame of her little girl. But it wasn’t possible - not when the girl’s tears matched those of her mother’s.
Through her blurred vision, Vala continued to watch the TV that was pouring in news of the terrorist attack by the very team the world had honored some days before. Dead. All of them. Gone were the heroes that had helped the Ashen save earth. In their place were the lifeless bodies of traitors.
As her daughter sobbed at the loss of her father, Vala felt as if she had died right along with them. She had known this was coming - this loss, this change. She and Daniel had known how their lives were going to be affected by his heroics.
This was a done deal. The past may have been saved, but her present was gone forever. And there would be no promises to bring it back.
Comments and feedback are definitely appreciated.
~Pip