Update - A Gift From Above - Final Chapter
Title: A Gift From Above
Author: Milena D.
Rating: T/PG-13
Genre: Romance/Action/Adventure, Angst, Fluff
Pairing/Characters: Daniel/Vala, SG-1, SGC personnel, OFCs
SPOILERS: Huge Spoilers for Dominion!!
Summary: Something went wrong and they’ve paid for it.
Author’s Note #1: I’m sorry this is about 6 hours late from what I told you all in the replies to your reviews! I was doing my final check-over when I decided I hated 70% of the entire thing and had to rewrite it... Good news is I now believe in it and feel good about it as the epilogue to this story. :) I do apologize for any glaring typos, it's 5am here and my eyes/brain are shot. :P
Author’s Note #2: This is the end of “A Gift From Above”, possibly one of my favourite fics (so I’m glad I finally got back to it too!) and I want to thank everyone who’s read it, who’s reviewed it, who’s waited so patiently for updates, and who’s encouraged me along the way, especially my long-suffering friends who have had to bear the brunt of my angst-fests in writing. I hope this ending and this fic in its whole has been satisfying to all of you, I tried my best! :)
Chapter 1: Emptiness
Chapter 2: Friendship
Chapter 3: Turbulence
Chapter 4: An Accomplice
Chapter 5: Daring
Chapter 6: Precipice
Chapter 7: Nosedive
ooooooooooooooooooooo
Epilogue: Resurfacing
ooooooooooooooooooooo
“Over here!” Cam yelled, prompting his team to come running across the field to his position.
“What is it?” Sam asked, crouching down for a look.
“I don’t know, check it out.” He replied slowly, motioning towards his find.
“It’s definitely not one we’ve seen before.” Sam bent down closer to get a better look.
“That’s a bell, Uncle Cam!” The youngest of the group cried out excitedly, setting her basket down.
“It’s a ‘bell’?” Cam asked suspiciously.
“I believe it it known as a ‘harbell’, ColonelMitchell.” Teal’c supplied, the book of Minnesota flowers in his hands.
“It’s really pretty.” Sam remarked, reaching out to stroke a delicate blue petal. “I bet it would look really pretty in your hair, don’t you think?”
“No.” Nejaya replied simply, pulling at one of the stems as delicately as she could with her uncoordinated fingers to give it to her aunt. “This one’s for you.”
“Oh,” Sam said, flustered but smiling, “thank you. Don’t forget one for your Aunt Siremi.”
“I know.” Nejaya affirmed, quickly returning to the patch to take more samples for her quickly filling basket. “And one for Daddy!”
“I’m not sure your dad is that into flowers, pumpkin.” Cam pointed out.
“But Uncle J- ...Uncle -”
“Uncle Jack?” Sam prompted.
“Uncle Jack - he said Daddy likes lots ‘n lots of flowers. He likes to smell them because they tickle his nose!” Nejaya protested, looking at her new extended family with confusion.
A snicker was heard and three mischievous grins were dutifully locked away behind serious visages.
“Well if Uncle Jack said so it must be true. My mistake, princess. You keep doing your thing.” Cam apologized, guiding her along the edge of the trees to the more pollen-heavy plants as the girl’s parents relaxed on the porch some distance away, blissfully ignorant as to the shenanigans going on. Then again, it had been Vala’s idea to go flower-picking... Yeah, there was no way she wasn’t in on it with General O’Neill.
It had been almost five months since SG-1 had stumbled upon their lost teammate on Tarkan. After Vala’s memories had been returned, SG-1 had stayed a few days, all of their upcoming missions having been discretely rescheduled or reassigned by a certain General and his always trusty sidekick. Daniel, however, chose to remain on Tarkan for as long as Vala would. If she decided Tarkan would be their home, Daniel would put in for an intergalactic change of address form. That was just common knowledge to anyone involved.
It had been just over four months since the idea of a father had been broken to Nejaya. Daniel and Vala had decided they needed some time for themselves and once the other members of SG-1 left, Nejaya had an extended sleepover with her cousins. It was selfish but it was necessary. So much had been done but too little had been said that night, five years ago. And now they not only had a relationship to consider but also a daughter. They took five days, camping at a lakeside not far from the village, and rediscovered each other in every way possible. On the sixth day, they returned to the village but only to pick up their daughter and go back to that lake, finally taking the family trip Vala had been promising Nejaya for weeks. It was on the morning of the next day, when the sun was rising to dispel the dew hovering over the lake, that Nejaya was told she wasn’t all that different from her cousins after all. She had a Mama and a Daddy, and their family had just gotten separated a long time ago by accident. The concept of accidents was very vivid to the young girl as it is to most children. And the concept of a Father wasn’t unfamiliar as she knew Chief Elom to be one as well as many other men in the village. So now that the undercurrent of distrust regarding SG-1 had been dispelled and her mother seemed happy with the people who once made her sad, it wasn’t an insurmountable problem to make the final connection. When the trio returned to the village the next week, it was as a true, if new, family.
It had been three months - give or take a few days - since Nejaya had taken her first steps on Earth, stomping excitedly on the metal under her feet as her mother laid eyes on a home she’d thought she’d lost forever. They had come a long way in a short time, so much so that the team really only recognized the little girl who walked through the wormhole. Vala was easy enough to spot as the woman who very closely resembled the one on the recording they used to watch. But Daniel - it could be said that the man who returned to Earth that day had been missing in action for roughly five years. His eyes were brighter, smiles came easily to his lips and were almost guaranteed if either Vala or Nejaya were in the room.
Two hectic months had passed since the issue of homesickness wormed its way into their lives. The SGC base had fascinated Nejaya for all of two weeks before her young legs were itching to run in fields. She had been raised in a nearly limitless physical environment and didn’t take well to concrete being above, below and around her at all times. Even Vala had started to get antsy from confinement but she had been through the process once before. Daniel’s apartment had seen better results but not by much. Nejaya began to miss her aunt, her uncle, her cousins, her friends; Vala missed what was arguably her longest lasting friendship. The question of permanent residence was still being debated a week later when Landry had offered to assign Vala (at least temporarily) as a relay between the SGC and Tarkan, allowing her and her daughter to make at least bi-monthly trips back to their old home. The good General could find no way to justify sending Daniel along but he went anyway, every time.
It had been one month to the day since the papers legalizing Vala and Nejaya as American citizens had come in. First was a back-dated birth certificate with both Vala and Daniel’s signatures displayed prominently at the bottom. They had it framed. Next was the return of Vala’s forged birth certificate and social security number, both of which had been kept sealed but secure during her absence. And, although it wasn’t anything that had enormous impact, Daniel was most thrilled simply to see Vala’s name appearing on mail addressed to his - their - apartment. It was ridiculous, maybe, but it felt like something wholly concrete he could look at to reassure himself that she was here and she was staying.
Finally, it had been nearly a week since one General Jack O’Neill had made a special call to General Landry to respectfully request that SG-1 (and a certain close friend) have a least a week’s downtime for special, top secret business to be conducted somewhere around a lake up in Minnesota and would he mind terribly throwing a game of chess if the kid was watching? The Generals, both suffering from a severe case of responsibilities, had been delayed in reaching the cabin but were due the next day. Some felt that the Generals had timed it that way purposefully - it meant they’d be arriving after Nejaya had expanded her first bouts of crazed childhood energy and settled down - but they also happened to be the same people now being subjected to a five year old’s flower power.
“Alright look, lil’ princess,” Cam sighed, admitting defeat an hour after his plan backfired in a major way. “I don’t think we’re gonna find every single flower in that book. It’s a big book and we’ve got plenty already. Don’t you think we could call it quits?”
“But I want to show Talika all of them!” Nejaya threw back, holding up her now heavy basket.
“Kid, you know she’s gonna be jealous of you even if you only got one flower. You’ve got a ton now.” Cam replied. He felt like a heel but he was starting to get the feeling that he’d still have errant flower petals in his hair when they got back to the SGC in a few days and wouldn’t that just be peachy?
“Uncle Caaaam, you said you’d help!” The little girl whined, her features crumpling. “You promised!”
“Alright, alright,” he groaned, “quit it with those puppy eyes. At least start decorating Uncle Teal’c hair, the stems’ll stay better in his anyway.”
“K!” The little girl replied happily, not noticing the glare passing from her new victim to her former one. As the group moved on to another smattering of flowers, Sam surreptitiously broke off and head back to the patio.
“Hey guys,” she greeted Daniel and Vala, taking in the sight of the couple relaxing on the long patio chairs.
“Had enough of the girl scout adventures?” Daniel grinned as Sam leaned against the patio table.
“Yeah, I figured I should leave that up to the men.” She grinned back, shooting a look back at the guys she left. Purple geraniums kind of suited Teal’c.
“We should feel bad.” Vala said, her eyes closed as she soaked up the sun’s rays. “But we don’t.” What was the point of such a close-knit family if you didn’t use them once in a while?
Sam chuckled before pulling a printed piece of paper out of her back pocket.
“So, I know you guys have been looking for something a little more spacious and kid-friendly lately.” She started, handing Daniel the paper. Vala’s interest was piqued as well and she opened her eyes, leaning over the very short distance into Daniel’s personal space. He didn’t seem to mind one bit. On the page was a picture of a good-sized bungalow and all the relevant real estate details. “I just saw this listing online and thought you guys might like to check it out. It’s a good neighbourhood, good school nearby, not too far from the base, plenty of room to run around.”
“This looks familiar.” Vala remarked, her eyebrows reaching for each other as she tried to jog her memory.
“Incredibly familiar.” Daniel drawled, his eyes finding Sam’s.
“Well, I think it might be somewhat...near...my house.” She offered sheepishly.
“Might be?” Vala echoed, her lips quirking up.
“Definitely is, it’s five doors down.” Sam nodded with an embarrassed smile.
“You realize this would make you the prime target for any babysitting needs, don’t you?” Daniel asked her dubiously.
“I...had thought of that, yes.” She said slowly.
“Brave woman.” Vala complimented her with a wink that spoke of possibly dangerous times ahead.
“Yeah well...I’ll let you guys look that over.” Their friend said, pushing herself off the table. “I should probably go save the guys now anyway.”
They watched Sam make her way back to the group and fall into peels of laughter when she caught sight of Teal’c. Daniel then folded up the paper and put it away.
“That was mean.” Vala said, pushing up her chair’s arm and molding herself to Daniel’s side.
“Nah,” Daniel reassured her, dropping a kiss on her head and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. “If we’d told her and they ended up rejecting our offer, she’d have gotten her hopes up for nothing.”
“True.” She replied sleepily. “How many rooms does it have again?” She asked, knowing the answer.
“Three.” He indulged her.
“Right, perfect for when Cassandra comes to visit for the holidays.” Vala nodded into his t-shirt clad chest.
“Right.” He agreed automatically. “Then again, that is what fold-out living room couches are for too.”
Vala didn’t answer but he felt her smile through the material of his shirt and knew it matched his.
What the next week or month or year might hold, they didn’t know. Milestones, no doubt, plenty of milestones. But they’d recently reached an important one that had been seven years in the making, there wasn’t anything left in the world they couldn’t tackle.
ooooooooooooooooooooo
ooooooooooooooooooooo
The end. :) Thank you, everyone, from the bottom of my heart!
Author: Milena D.
Rating: T/PG-13
Genre: Romance/Action/Adventure, Angst, Fluff
Pairing/Characters: Daniel/Vala, SG-1, SGC personnel, OFCs
SPOILERS: Huge Spoilers for Dominion!!
Summary: Something went wrong and they’ve paid for it.
Author’s Note #1: I’m sorry this is about 6 hours late from what I told you all in the replies to your reviews! I was doing my final check-over when I decided I hated 70% of the entire thing and had to rewrite it... Good news is I now believe in it and feel good about it as the epilogue to this story. :) I do apologize for any glaring typos, it's 5am here and my eyes/brain are shot. :P
Author’s Note #2: This is the end of “A Gift From Above”, possibly one of my favourite fics (so I’m glad I finally got back to it too!) and I want to thank everyone who’s read it, who’s reviewed it, who’s waited so patiently for updates, and who’s encouraged me along the way, especially my long-suffering friends who have had to bear the brunt of my angst-fests in writing. I hope this ending and this fic in its whole has been satisfying to all of you, I tried my best! :)
Chapter 1: Emptiness
Chapter 2: Friendship
Chapter 3: Turbulence
Chapter 4: An Accomplice
Chapter 5: Daring
Chapter 6: Precipice
Chapter 7: Nosedive
ooooooooooooooooooooo
Epilogue: Resurfacing
ooooooooooooooooooooo
“Over here!” Cam yelled, prompting his team to come running across the field to his position.
“What is it?” Sam asked, crouching down for a look.
“I don’t know, check it out.” He replied slowly, motioning towards his find.
“It’s definitely not one we’ve seen before.” Sam bent down closer to get a better look.
“That’s a bell, Uncle Cam!” The youngest of the group cried out excitedly, setting her basket down.
“It’s a ‘bell’?” Cam asked suspiciously.
“I believe it it known as a ‘harbell’, ColonelMitchell.” Teal’c supplied, the book of Minnesota flowers in his hands.
“It’s really pretty.” Sam remarked, reaching out to stroke a delicate blue petal. “I bet it would look really pretty in your hair, don’t you think?”
“No.” Nejaya replied simply, pulling at one of the stems as delicately as she could with her uncoordinated fingers to give it to her aunt. “This one’s for you.”
“Oh,” Sam said, flustered but smiling, “thank you. Don’t forget one for your Aunt Siremi.”
“I know.” Nejaya affirmed, quickly returning to the patch to take more samples for her quickly filling basket. “And one for Daddy!”
“I’m not sure your dad is that into flowers, pumpkin.” Cam pointed out.
“But Uncle J- ...Uncle -”
“Uncle Jack?” Sam prompted.
“Uncle Jack - he said Daddy likes lots ‘n lots of flowers. He likes to smell them because they tickle his nose!” Nejaya protested, looking at her new extended family with confusion.
A snicker was heard and three mischievous grins were dutifully locked away behind serious visages.
“Well if Uncle Jack said so it must be true. My mistake, princess. You keep doing your thing.” Cam apologized, guiding her along the edge of the trees to the more pollen-heavy plants as the girl’s parents relaxed on the porch some distance away, blissfully ignorant as to the shenanigans going on. Then again, it had been Vala’s idea to go flower-picking... Yeah, there was no way she wasn’t in on it with General O’Neill.
It had been almost five months since SG-1 had stumbled upon their lost teammate on Tarkan. After Vala’s memories had been returned, SG-1 had stayed a few days, all of their upcoming missions having been discretely rescheduled or reassigned by a certain General and his always trusty sidekick. Daniel, however, chose to remain on Tarkan for as long as Vala would. If she decided Tarkan would be their home, Daniel would put in for an intergalactic change of address form. That was just common knowledge to anyone involved.
It had been just over four months since the idea of a father had been broken to Nejaya. Daniel and Vala had decided they needed some time for themselves and once the other members of SG-1 left, Nejaya had an extended sleepover with her cousins. It was selfish but it was necessary. So much had been done but too little had been said that night, five years ago. And now they not only had a relationship to consider but also a daughter. They took five days, camping at a lakeside not far from the village, and rediscovered each other in every way possible. On the sixth day, they returned to the village but only to pick up their daughter and go back to that lake, finally taking the family trip Vala had been promising Nejaya for weeks. It was on the morning of the next day, when the sun was rising to dispel the dew hovering over the lake, that Nejaya was told she wasn’t all that different from her cousins after all. She had a Mama and a Daddy, and their family had just gotten separated a long time ago by accident. The concept of accidents was very vivid to the young girl as it is to most children. And the concept of a Father wasn’t unfamiliar as she knew Chief Elom to be one as well as many other men in the village. So now that the undercurrent of distrust regarding SG-1 had been dispelled and her mother seemed happy with the people who once made her sad, it wasn’t an insurmountable problem to make the final connection. When the trio returned to the village the next week, it was as a true, if new, family.
It had been three months - give or take a few days - since Nejaya had taken her first steps on Earth, stomping excitedly on the metal under her feet as her mother laid eyes on a home she’d thought she’d lost forever. They had come a long way in a short time, so much so that the team really only recognized the little girl who walked through the wormhole. Vala was easy enough to spot as the woman who very closely resembled the one on the recording they used to watch. But Daniel - it could be said that the man who returned to Earth that day had been missing in action for roughly five years. His eyes were brighter, smiles came easily to his lips and were almost guaranteed if either Vala or Nejaya were in the room.
Two hectic months had passed since the issue of homesickness wormed its way into their lives. The SGC base had fascinated Nejaya for all of two weeks before her young legs were itching to run in fields. She had been raised in a nearly limitless physical environment and didn’t take well to concrete being above, below and around her at all times. Even Vala had started to get antsy from confinement but she had been through the process once before. Daniel’s apartment had seen better results but not by much. Nejaya began to miss her aunt, her uncle, her cousins, her friends; Vala missed what was arguably her longest lasting friendship. The question of permanent residence was still being debated a week later when Landry had offered to assign Vala (at least temporarily) as a relay between the SGC and Tarkan, allowing her and her daughter to make at least bi-monthly trips back to their old home. The good General could find no way to justify sending Daniel along but he went anyway, every time.
It had been one month to the day since the papers legalizing Vala and Nejaya as American citizens had come in. First was a back-dated birth certificate with both Vala and Daniel’s signatures displayed prominently at the bottom. They had it framed. Next was the return of Vala’s forged birth certificate and social security number, both of which had been kept sealed but secure during her absence. And, although it wasn’t anything that had enormous impact, Daniel was most thrilled simply to see Vala’s name appearing on mail addressed to his - their - apartment. It was ridiculous, maybe, but it felt like something wholly concrete he could look at to reassure himself that she was here and she was staying.
Finally, it had been nearly a week since one General Jack O’Neill had made a special call to General Landry to respectfully request that SG-1 (and a certain close friend) have a least a week’s downtime for special, top secret business to be conducted somewhere around a lake up in Minnesota and would he mind terribly throwing a game of chess if the kid was watching? The Generals, both suffering from a severe case of responsibilities, had been delayed in reaching the cabin but were due the next day. Some felt that the Generals had timed it that way purposefully - it meant they’d be arriving after Nejaya had expanded her first bouts of crazed childhood energy and settled down - but they also happened to be the same people now being subjected to a five year old’s flower power.
“Alright look, lil’ princess,” Cam sighed, admitting defeat an hour after his plan backfired in a major way. “I don’t think we’re gonna find every single flower in that book. It’s a big book and we’ve got plenty already. Don’t you think we could call it quits?”
“But I want to show Talika all of them!” Nejaya threw back, holding up her now heavy basket.
“Kid, you know she’s gonna be jealous of you even if you only got one flower. You’ve got a ton now.” Cam replied. He felt like a heel but he was starting to get the feeling that he’d still have errant flower petals in his hair when they got back to the SGC in a few days and wouldn’t that just be peachy?
“Uncle Caaaam, you said you’d help!” The little girl whined, her features crumpling. “You promised!”
“Alright, alright,” he groaned, “quit it with those puppy eyes. At least start decorating Uncle Teal’c hair, the stems’ll stay better in his anyway.”
“K!” The little girl replied happily, not noticing the glare passing from her new victim to her former one. As the group moved on to another smattering of flowers, Sam surreptitiously broke off and head back to the patio.
“Hey guys,” she greeted Daniel and Vala, taking in the sight of the couple relaxing on the long patio chairs.
“Had enough of the girl scout adventures?” Daniel grinned as Sam leaned against the patio table.
“Yeah, I figured I should leave that up to the men.” She grinned back, shooting a look back at the guys she left. Purple geraniums kind of suited Teal’c.
“We should feel bad.” Vala said, her eyes closed as she soaked up the sun’s rays. “But we don’t.” What was the point of such a close-knit family if you didn’t use them once in a while?
Sam chuckled before pulling a printed piece of paper out of her back pocket.
“So, I know you guys have been looking for something a little more spacious and kid-friendly lately.” She started, handing Daniel the paper. Vala’s interest was piqued as well and she opened her eyes, leaning over the very short distance into Daniel’s personal space. He didn’t seem to mind one bit. On the page was a picture of a good-sized bungalow and all the relevant real estate details. “I just saw this listing online and thought you guys might like to check it out. It’s a good neighbourhood, good school nearby, not too far from the base, plenty of room to run around.”
“This looks familiar.” Vala remarked, her eyebrows reaching for each other as she tried to jog her memory.
“Incredibly familiar.” Daniel drawled, his eyes finding Sam’s.
“Well, I think it might be somewhat...near...my house.” She offered sheepishly.
“Might be?” Vala echoed, her lips quirking up.
“Definitely is, it’s five doors down.” Sam nodded with an embarrassed smile.
“You realize this would make you the prime target for any babysitting needs, don’t you?” Daniel asked her dubiously.
“I...had thought of that, yes.” She said slowly.
“Brave woman.” Vala complimented her with a wink that spoke of possibly dangerous times ahead.
“Yeah well...I’ll let you guys look that over.” Their friend said, pushing herself off the table. “I should probably go save the guys now anyway.”
They watched Sam make her way back to the group and fall into peels of laughter when she caught sight of Teal’c. Daniel then folded up the paper and put it away.
“That was mean.” Vala said, pushing up her chair’s arm and molding herself to Daniel’s side.
“Nah,” Daniel reassured her, dropping a kiss on her head and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. “If we’d told her and they ended up rejecting our offer, she’d have gotten her hopes up for nothing.”
“True.” She replied sleepily. “How many rooms does it have again?” She asked, knowing the answer.
“Three.” He indulged her.
“Right, perfect for when Cassandra comes to visit for the holidays.” Vala nodded into his t-shirt clad chest.
“Right.” He agreed automatically. “Then again, that is what fold-out living room couches are for too.”
Vala didn’t answer but he felt her smile through the material of his shirt and knew it matched his.
What the next week or month or year might hold, they didn’t know. Milestones, no doubt, plenty of milestones. But they’d recently reached an important one that had been seven years in the making, there wasn’t anything left in the world they couldn’t tackle.
ooooooooooooooooooooo
ooooooooooooooooooooo
The end. :) Thank you, everyone, from the bottom of my heart!