Daniel/Vala
Title: Children of the Gods
Author: odette_river/RedFive
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Angst.
Pairings: Daniel/Vala
Spoilers: Season ten. I've read spoilers. Therefore some things snuck in here.
Summary: Vala returns, minus her baby.
Daniel brings her back without her child. She isn’t sure she can ever forgive him for that.
“I won’t go without Adria,” she says, looking over his shoulder at the girl’s form lying crumpled on the floor.
Daniel sighs. Next she’ll be wanting Tomin, too. “We can’t take her.”
“You can’t take her and me,” she corrects. “So don’t take me. Take her and get out of here. I’ll make it out in a bit.” She narrows her eyes. “You owe me.”
She’s right. She did just save his life, after all. But he doesn’t point out that she isn’t in any position to make demands, but his eyes drift to her torn and bloody dress. The girl hadn’t finished healing the staff blast before he zatted her.
She looks at him, pain in her eyes. She’s barely holding into consciousness, staying with him out of some instinct to protect her child that he just cannot understand. “Please, Daniel,” she says.
“No. I don’t have time to argue about this.” He moves to grasp her hand, but she pulls it away. Then she finally passes out. Hating himself for it, and feeling like a coward, he gathers her into his arms and stands. She is lighter than he expects. He wonders how much she had been eating.
She struggles back slowly to consciousness, pulled by a feeling that there is something she should be doing. She wakes in his arms, tries to move, but fails. She doesn’t care. It feels good to be held in his arms, it feels safe, and she hates that, because she should be fighting him, making him leave her, take Adria. But she doesn’t care
*~*~*
They do not have a med team waiting when he finally stumbles through the gate. It is the middle of the night, and only Walter is watching the gate tonight. Everyone has been overworked, lately.
He moves down the ramp, nearly tripping and falling flat on his face a few feet from the end. He looks up at Walter, even as he moves to the door. The man is already calling down to the infirmary. That’s good. He’ll meet them halfway.
*~*~*
Jack, for some reason, is in the infirmary, too. Apparently the only bed he could find was in there. Dr. Lam is there, too, for which Daniel is grateful. She’s already throwing orders around, not looking at all like she just woke up. Daniel relinquishes Vala to her, then turns to Jack.
“What are you doing here?” he asks quietly.
Jack shrugs. “I heard things were getting pretty exciting out there.”
Daniel nods. “Exciting.”
Dr. Lam comes over to them, then, frowning at Daniel. “You need sleep,” she says.
He nods again. “How is she?” he asks, not moving to go.
“Stable,” Dr. Lam says. “Go.”
He turns to the door, then looks back at Jack. “How’s Sam?” he asks. Jack’s eyes cloud, and Daniel understands. She hasn’t come back.
*~*~*
The first thing she says is “Daniel.” The next is “Adria.”
*~*~*
When she is well enough, Jack takes them all out to dinner. The battle is over, and it’s back to waiting, planning. Somehow everyone survived. That’s what this dinner is about. They might not survive the next one.
Sam and Jack sit together, which everyone notices in their own way, except Mitchell. He’s not figured that out yet. And, of course, Daniel and Vala sit together. Mitchell saw to that.
Daniel knew this was coming, and he dreaded it. Thus far, Vala hasn’t spoken to him at all, even though he’s tried. In truth, she’s hardly spoken to anyone, except, strangely enough, Sam. The two women have been spending a lot of time together lately, talking. Daniel tries to see this as a good thing.
She sits beside him stiffly, back straight, not looking at him. He pretends that he doesn’t notice. She pretends, too, and turns to talk to Teal’c, slipping into an easy act of nonchalance. The atmosphere is anything but that, of course. No one notices, but subconsciously it wears on them all.
They go home early.
*~*~*
Mitchell finally figures out that there’s something going on when he tells them to do something together, then comes back to find Vala working on it and Daniel standing there looking exasperated.
“I don’t know what’s going on with you two,” he says, “But you need to figure it out before you go off-world again.”
They all go back through the gate tired and angry.
*~*~*
“You said we would go back,” she says as he opens the door. Her back is toward him and she does not turn.
“We will.”
“When?” The question is torn from her with more anguish than she intended. She turns, now, and looks at him, sitting on her bed. If she hadn’t changed, she would make some scathing remark. She says nothing. They both sit there in silence, because they both now that they might see the child tomorrow or years from now. They both know that they know nothing. “How old do you think she is now?” she whispers finally.
It isn’t a question meant for him, but he answers it anyway, just to say something. “She isn’t even a year old.”
She glares at him, hinting at the Vala he thought he knew. “You know what I mean. I’ve missed half of my daughter’s childhood.” And then she starts crying.
He stands and moves toward her, taking her into his arms. She clings to him, sobbing into his chest as he quietly rubs her back, closing his eyes and resting his face in her hair. Finally, she takes a deep, shuddering breath and relaxes in his arms. They stand there like that for a time, just breathing and letting go of weeks of tension.
“I’m sorry,” he says, and he’s sorry for so many things that he doesn’t even try to mention any of them.
“I know,” she says, and that’s as close as she’ll come to apologizing herself.
“We’ll find her,” he says.
She hopes he’s right.
But somehow she doubts it will be how she would like it.
Author: odette_river/RedFive
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Angst.
Pairings: Daniel/Vala
Spoilers: Season ten. I've read spoilers. Therefore some things snuck in here.
Summary: Vala returns, minus her baby.
Daniel brings her back without her child. She isn’t sure she can ever forgive him for that.
“I won’t go without Adria,” she says, looking over his shoulder at the girl’s form lying crumpled on the floor.
Daniel sighs. Next she’ll be wanting Tomin, too. “We can’t take her.”
“You can’t take her and me,” she corrects. “So don’t take me. Take her and get out of here. I’ll make it out in a bit.” She narrows her eyes. “You owe me.”
She’s right. She did just save his life, after all. But he doesn’t point out that she isn’t in any position to make demands, but his eyes drift to her torn and bloody dress. The girl hadn’t finished healing the staff blast before he zatted her.
She looks at him, pain in her eyes. She’s barely holding into consciousness, staying with him out of some instinct to protect her child that he just cannot understand. “Please, Daniel,” she says.
“No. I don’t have time to argue about this.” He moves to grasp her hand, but she pulls it away. Then she finally passes out. Hating himself for it, and feeling like a coward, he gathers her into his arms and stands. She is lighter than he expects. He wonders how much she had been eating.
She struggles back slowly to consciousness, pulled by a feeling that there is something she should be doing. She wakes in his arms, tries to move, but fails. She doesn’t care. It feels good to be held in his arms, it feels safe, and she hates that, because she should be fighting him, making him leave her, take Adria. But she doesn’t care
*~*~*
They do not have a med team waiting when he finally stumbles through the gate. It is the middle of the night, and only Walter is watching the gate tonight. Everyone has been overworked, lately.
He moves down the ramp, nearly tripping and falling flat on his face a few feet from the end. He looks up at Walter, even as he moves to the door. The man is already calling down to the infirmary. That’s good. He’ll meet them halfway.
*~*~*
Jack, for some reason, is in the infirmary, too. Apparently the only bed he could find was in there. Dr. Lam is there, too, for which Daniel is grateful. She’s already throwing orders around, not looking at all like she just woke up. Daniel relinquishes Vala to her, then turns to Jack.
“What are you doing here?” he asks quietly.
Jack shrugs. “I heard things were getting pretty exciting out there.”
Daniel nods. “Exciting.”
Dr. Lam comes over to them, then, frowning at Daniel. “You need sleep,” she says.
He nods again. “How is she?” he asks, not moving to go.
“Stable,” Dr. Lam says. “Go.”
He turns to the door, then looks back at Jack. “How’s Sam?” he asks. Jack’s eyes cloud, and Daniel understands. She hasn’t come back.
*~*~*
The first thing she says is “Daniel.” The next is “Adria.”
*~*~*
When she is well enough, Jack takes them all out to dinner. The battle is over, and it’s back to waiting, planning. Somehow everyone survived. That’s what this dinner is about. They might not survive the next one.
Sam and Jack sit together, which everyone notices in their own way, except Mitchell. He’s not figured that out yet. And, of course, Daniel and Vala sit together. Mitchell saw to that.
Daniel knew this was coming, and he dreaded it. Thus far, Vala hasn’t spoken to him at all, even though he’s tried. In truth, she’s hardly spoken to anyone, except, strangely enough, Sam. The two women have been spending a lot of time together lately, talking. Daniel tries to see this as a good thing.
She sits beside him stiffly, back straight, not looking at him. He pretends that he doesn’t notice. She pretends, too, and turns to talk to Teal’c, slipping into an easy act of nonchalance. The atmosphere is anything but that, of course. No one notices, but subconsciously it wears on them all.
They go home early.
*~*~*
Mitchell finally figures out that there’s something going on when he tells them to do something together, then comes back to find Vala working on it and Daniel standing there looking exasperated.
“I don’t know what’s going on with you two,” he says, “But you need to figure it out before you go off-world again.”
They all go back through the gate tired and angry.
*~*~*
“You said we would go back,” she says as he opens the door. Her back is toward him and she does not turn.
“We will.”
“When?” The question is torn from her with more anguish than she intended. She turns, now, and looks at him, sitting on her bed. If she hadn’t changed, she would make some scathing remark. She says nothing. They both sit there in silence, because they both now that they might see the child tomorrow or years from now. They both know that they know nothing. “How old do you think she is now?” she whispers finally.
It isn’t a question meant for him, but he answers it anyway, just to say something. “She isn’t even a year old.”
She glares at him, hinting at the Vala he thought he knew. “You know what I mean. I’ve missed half of my daughter’s childhood.” And then she starts crying.
He stands and moves toward her, taking her into his arms. She clings to him, sobbing into his chest as he quietly rubs her back, closing his eyes and resting his face in her hair. Finally, she takes a deep, shuddering breath and relaxes in his arms. They stand there like that for a time, just breathing and letting go of weeks of tension.
“I’m sorry,” he says, and he’s sorry for so many things that he doesn’t even try to mention any of them.
“I know,” she says, and that’s as close as she’ll come to apologizing herself.
“We’ll find her,” he says.
She hopes he’s right.
But somehow she doubts it will be how she would like it.