Atonement 2/14
Spoilers: none happens after the show.
Category: Het, Hurt/Comfort
Summary:A routine mission brings up memories that Vala would rather forget.
Disclaimer: Not mine and I'll put them back when the Muse runs out, maybe.
Warnings: none
Beta: Thanks to Spacegypsy1 for looking this one over.
Challenge: Stargatedrabbles and Stargate Legends Yahoo groups. Screen Cap Challenge. The pic is now on my profile if you want to have a look.
Author's Note: Here we are again and thank you for all the reviews and the alerts. The next update will be Friday or Saturday if all goes well.
Thanks to Spacegyspy1 for looking this story and helping make it better and the encouragement.
Daniel's gaze flew to Vala to find her face serious and full of pain. He'd never seen her emotions so blatantly open, it shocked and disturbed him. For some reason she couldn't hide it right now and he longed to understand what she was feeling and why.
Part of him wanted to pull her into his arms and comfort her and make her tell him what was wrong, but he held back waiting for her to let him in, knowing that day might never come.
He knew he needed more information; he needed her to explain. "What do you mean Vala? Are you saying that this was Qetesh's work? I know you, Vala, there's no way you did this."
~0o0o0~
A heavy silence filled the air as everyone continued to stare at the ruins not moving or speaking.
Finally Daniel shook her gently. "Vala you have to talk to me." She turned and blinked as though waking from a dream, but still didn't speak. "If Qetesh did this, it wasn't your fault, you were the host and had no control over her actions-"
Vala looked away shaking her head. "No, Daniel I am responsible. It was after Qetesh, about two years after the Tok'ra freed me. I was running this scam and I swindled the wrong person, who he was doesn't matter, but he turned me over to Ba'al. There was a price on my head, as there was for all former hosts at the time. We have the ability to use Gao'uld technology and they didn't like us out there; we undermined their power. They wanted to kill as many of us as they could. That's why the Tok'ra wanted to re-implant us. It offered a measure of security and protection. Life of an ex-host was usually short and painful."
She drew a deep breath, ignoring the tears flowing down her cheeks. "So when I was turned over to Ba'al, he brought me here and destroyed the village to punish them for their rebellion. He made me watch and listen as they burned. Then when it was all over he laid the bodies out for me to see. Those the Jaffa could find." She closed her eyes as the smell of burning flesh stung her nostrils once more and the screams echoed in her ears. " I was supposed to die too but he underestimated me and I escaped. It was too late to help any of them, my people. See Daniel, this is what really happened to my people, the people of Helena, Ba'al killed them all. I had to watch, unable to save them. So when I escaped, I never looked back or at least I tried not to."
Daniel reached out to touch her only to drop his hand.. "This wasn't your fault. None it of it was. There was nothing you could have done."
Vala turned away. "No Daniel, there were many things I could have done; that I should have done." Slowly she walked down the hill. "Come, I will show you Qetesh's temple and then we're getting the hell out of here."
Behind her she heard Cam mutter. "This just keeps getting weirder and weirder."
~0o0o0~
Daniel and Vala wandered through the temple complex while Cam set up camp and then walked the perimeter. The walls of the temple were covered with Qetesh's exploits. Daniel could tell immediately which instances Vala was involved in. She refused to look at them and moved quickly on while at other scenes she spoke in length of the other battles and conquests.
As they walked through the various chambers, Daniel watched Vala become more and more agitated the longer they stayed. He could see that the flashes of memories from Qetesh were draining her and she became quieter each passing moment. .
He wondered how much of that life she remembered. Although there wasn't a shared bond as the To'kra and host have, there had to be some shared memories and awareness. He and Vala had never talked about her time trapped in Qetesh, but then again they had never really spoken about anything personal. Any time he tried, she'd go vamp, and Daniel knew he'd lost.
Finally, he grabbed her arm, pulling her out into the sunshine, deciding a break was in order but the two were shocked at what they found.
Cam lay on the ground bound hand and foot and from the bruises forming on his forehead and the abrasions on his knuckles, he'd fought hard. Four guards had weapons aimed at his head and the Colonel didn't look very happy. Especially, Daniel guessed, when the captures were little more than children.
Daniel pushed Vala behind him and confronted the leader, raising his arms. "We're peaceful travelers. We only want to study this temple and then we'll leave. Let my friend go and we'll not harm you."
Vala fought to get around Daniel but he continued to block her way, shielding her from the other's weapons.
The leader pointed at Vala. "You have Qetesh. Where she goes, death follows. Look around, what do you see?" She motioned to the ruins. "This is her doing and she must pay."
"No, this wasn't Vala's fault. Don't you understand! She's not Qetesh, she never was. Qetesh used her body, possessing it."
The leader stood taller and looked a little unsure. "I don't know any Vala, never did. I only see Qetesh. Who can not deny our claims."
Vala shoved her way around Daniel blocking him with her own body just as he hand done for her. "Yes, you do Jia. You know me, but you called me Anni Ala, your father was my brother."
The girl raised her weapon higher once more. "You lie. My aunt died when I was two summers old. Qetesh killed her, that's what my Ma told me and she never told a lie."
Tears filled Vala's eyes. "I asked her to tell you that. I didn't want you to know who I was I-" She closed her eyes. "You were so very special to me, Jia and I never wanted you to be hurt. You were supposed to be safe here, you all were. I left so she would be safe and protected."
There was a rustling of bushes and another figure stepped out of the forest. "I remember you, Vala Mal Doran, daughter of Jacek." An old woman spoke pointing her bony finger at Vala. She stepped closer to Jia, pushing the girl's arm down, lowering the weapon. "She is who she says; she won't harm you. The poor girl has suffered long enough." Then to the rest of the armed children she said, "They mean us no harm."
Everyone looked from Jia to the older woman wondering who to obey. Jai looked over. "Are you sure, Granny Adie? Is she really?"
The woman said nothing as she turned and headed off into the woods. Just before she disappeared she called, "Vala, come to the new village and leave this sorrow behind. I'll tell you how I saved these children and why."Vala watched her go and then calmly said, "Jaden and Galen, you heard Adria, cut him loose."
TBC