BF Update - Chapter 16: Intrusions and Reunions

[milena_d]

Title: Being Found
Author: Milena D.
Rating: T for now
Genre: Romance/Action/Adventure, etc. Daniel/Vala all the way ;)
SPOILERS: Up to Prometheus Unbound which is the 12th episode of Season 8, I believe. And although I’m not using any parts of Seasons 9 or 10 yet, I am taking the creative liberty of bringing the team together to include Daniel, Teal’c, Sam, Cameron, Dr. Lam and General Landry. Jack will be making an appearance too! ^_~

Summary: What if Daniel and Vala had been reunited soon after Prometheus Unbound, before any of Season 9? D/V, miniscule hints of C/C.
Author’s Note #1:First of all, I’ve been completely remiss in my acknowledgements! I want to profusely apologize and thank both Cat from the GW Daniel/Vala thread and Shichimaru for beta’ing the last chapter! Thank so much you two!

Author’s Note #2: Huge thanks to Aeryn B from FF.net (aka. Erin B. from the GW D/V thread)!! Amazing beta job!

Author’s Note #3: This chapter is dedicated to Nat and LC from the GW D/V thread for their patience and encouragement. 14 pages, just for you! And, my hand to whatever deities I choose to believe in while I write it, the next chapter WILL be NC-17, there’s no more room to escape now! --sheepish grin--

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13
  Chapter 14  Chapter 15

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Chapter 16: Intrusions and Reunions
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Vala pulled herself out of the access hatch on the surface with ease and more than a little bit of satisfaction at her cunning. The armed men standing before her didn’t seem to share or appreciate her enthusiasm though, they stood firm on the forest floor with their weapons at the ready.

“What’s wrong boys?” Vala asked with a sweet grin as she closed the metal door behind her. “Not happy to see me?”

“Ms. Mal Doran, you were supposed to contact us by radio and inform us as to when we could expect your exit. You could have been shot on sight.” Woolsey admonished from her right. He held a clipboard and a timer.

“You’re worried about me now, well that’s quite a change in attitude.” Vala remarked dryly. Woolsey frowned in displeasure.

“It has been made quite clear to me by the President, despite my recommendations, that you are now an employee of the SGC and as such I am to oversee your progress as a superior, not as a captor.” Woolsey replied formally. Vala began to smirk but he continued.

“And as a member of the SGC, you are to follow proper procedures and conduct yourself in accordance with our regulations, that includes following the orders of superiors such as myself.” he said with the slightest hint of a smirk on his lips “I gave you orders to keep in contact with us at all times during your escapades. If you fail to comply-”

“Oh come on, Woolly-” Vala griped but was interrupted.

“It’s Woolsey.” the man ground out, trying to keep his composure.

“Right, sorry.” she replied without much sincerity “Listen, real enemies wouldn’t be contacting you on the radio now would they?”

She didn’t let him answer.

“No, they wouldn’t. Not only because of the obvious stupidity of the move but one who is trying to evade their captors does not generally like to make much noise while doing so. Chatting with you would have given away my position to the guards inside the base and I would have been caught thereby keeping me from providing you with the weaknesses in your defense system vulnerable to quiet people and subsequently leaving you to be to taken over by hostile mute aliens.” Vala reported logically, winking to the airman who was trying not to grin before adopting a serious look to face Woolsey’s protests.

Amazingly, the man kept quiet though it was obvious that he wasn’t happy, especially as his jaw was shifting slightly as he ground his teeth together.

“If it’s not too much to ask, Ms. Mal Doran,” he began, keeping a tight reign on his temper “I’d very much appreciate it if you took these exercises more seriously. This might be just a game to you but there are billions of people on this planet whose safety may depend on these security modifications.”

At this Vala frowned. She pulled the tiny camera that recorded her escape off of her vest and handed it to the nearest airman before doing the same with her radio.

“You might disapprove of my methods Mr. Woolsey but you don’t need to question my motivation. I might not belong to your backwater little planet but I’ve grown quite fond of it, I’m not about to let it get taken over by any aliens…well, any aliens I don’t have connections with anyway.” With that, she smiled pleasantly and reached for the access hatch again.

“Where are you going?” Woolsey demanded.

Vala paused, one foot already on the ladder rung, and pointed at her watch.

“It’s five o’clock, I’ve been told that’s when your day shift ends. I’m going to enjoy my time off, I suggest you do the same, you could do with some unwinding.” Vala remarked with a final wink before disappearing down the dark tunnel. Woolsey closed his eyes and let out a bedraggled sigh before reaching for the camera the woman had given them and marching back to the front entrance of the mountain complex.  He had his orders from the President but it didn’t make this situation any easier.

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“Hey, Jackson.” Cameron said, knocking on the open door to Daniel’s lab.

“Mitchell, hi.” replied the archeologist, firmly captivated by the parchment on his desk.

“We’re going for a late lunch, you in?” Cam asked.

“Ahh…no. Vala and I had a...late breakfast, I’m good for a while.” Daniel replied, remembering the feeling of utter serenity that he’d felt that morning - actually, every morning at the cabin - waking up with Vala in his arms.

“Where is your girlfriend?” the team leader asked, finding it strange to see one without the other after a week of rare separation.

“Woolsey put her to work looking for the base’s weak spots.” Daniel said, holding in a sigh. It had been hours since he’d seen her and he was more than irked with the annoying man taking up her time. He knew he would be more than pathetic if he admitted to missing Vala after only a few hours apart but, in his defense, they’d spent a week by each others’ side. This was a sharp and lonely contrast to the blissful week at the cabin.

“Well that sucks, we only just got back today.” Cameron noted.

“I know, she hasn’t even seen Dr. Lam yet, but the IOA is very anxious to see this project completed quickly.” Daniel griped, tapping his pen against his desk.

“Well I wouldn’t worry about that, I just ran into one of Carolyn’s nurse, she was looking for Vala so I’m guessin’ she’ll be paying her a visit soon.” Cam assured him. Daniel nodded but froze with a smirk.

“…’Carolyn’?” he questioned. Cam’s face froze and he shifted his feet.

“Well - Dr. Lam…that’s-that’s her name…Listen, I have some paperwork to do. I’ll catch ya later.” he said with uncharacteristic discomfort before backing into the hallway.

Daniel watched the Lieutenant Colonel run away with a smile, hoping fervently that he didn’t look like that whenever Vala was brought up.

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“Carolyn?”

Dr. Lam raised her eyes from the requisition forms she’d been filling out to greet Vala who was bouncing slightly on her feet in her doorway.

“Vala, hi.” she said with a smile before gesturing to the chair in front of her desk “Come in.”

“How are you feeling?” Carolyn asked, trying to sound more like a friend than a doctor. By Vala’s raised eyebrow, she got the feeling she didn’t quite succeed.

“I feel fantastic!” Vala enthused, sitting down with a bright smile “Every wound has been healed and every piece of evidence has been erased. I’m as good as new.”

“I’m happy to hear that.” Carolyn replied sincerely “I’m still going to give you a full check-up though.” Vala’s face fell and her lip came out in a slight pout but Carolyn wouldn’t budge. “If I’d been alerted to your return, this would have happened before you went running around the base for hours.” she chastised her patient, leading her to a bed in the infirmary.

“But shouldn’t the fact that I have been running around the base for hours without any problem or pain be a sign that I’m perfectly healthy?” Vala asked with hope.

“And I’m supposed to take your word on that?” Carolyn asked pointedly, remembering the many times Vala had fooled her into thinking she was better when she wasn’t.

Vala huffed and sat on the bed with resignation as Carolyn went to find her some scrubs.

“There’s another thing I wanted to talk to you about.” the doctor mentioned as she gave her the infirmary clothes and pulled the curtain shut around the bed.

“What’s that?” Vala asked through the curtain as she changed.

“Well, I think it’s more than obvious that you’ve recovered very well,” she began and turned as Vala pulled back the curtain, “but I’m worried about your psychological recovery.”

Vala looked puzzled. “What’s worrying you about my…psychological recovery?” she asked slowly.

“Mostly that I haven’t seen one.” Dr. Lam said bluntly “Vala you were tortured for days, nobody just walks away from that with nothing but bruises.”

“I had some lashes too…and broken bones!” Vala quipped humourlessly. Carolyn gave her a look and Vala sighed.

“Look, torture isn’t exactly a rarity in my life. The first time, I broke down, the second time too. The third time? Not so much. Now I’ve lost count but I’ve learned that I can’t waste time crying over my troubles or my life will be reduced to pain and its aftermath with no time for anything else.” Vala said rationally, if not a bit numbly.

“Just because you ignore the aftermath doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.” Carolyn said softly “I’d like you to meet with our psychiatrist.”

“What’s that?” Vala asked as Carolyn took her blood pressure.

“It’s a doctor for the mind. You could talk to him about things you’d rather not have me or SG-1 know about. He’s bound by doctor-patient confidentiality so he couldn’t repeat anything you told him in confidence.” she explained but Vala shook her head.

“No, I don’t think so. Besides, I don’t even need to because I’m fine, Carolyn.” she pressed.

Carolyn drew her vials of blood for analysis as she replied.

“You need to talk to someone, Vala. If not Dr. Hutchison, then me or one of your friends.” she continued when Vala moved to protest “If you’re going to stay here and be a part of the SGC then they’re going to administer a psychological test to determine whether or not you can cope with what we do here and they will take what’s happened to you into account. The fact that you’ve bottled things up, as it will look like on paper, will not give them a good impression of you.”

Vala stayed quiet then.

“Just think about it.” Carolyn said as she listened to Vala’s heart, noting her slightly rapid pulse but knowing it was probably anxiety-related.

“Did you have fun at the cabin?” Carolyn changed the topic, breaking the slightly awkward silence. Vala lost her somber look and brightened significantly, her eyes drifting away in good memories.

“You have no idea.” she said with a twinkle in her eye.

“And you kept to the rules I laid down with the General? No hiking or swimming or anything of the sort?” Carolyn asked, keeping her eyes on Vala’s face for any signs of half-truths.

“Well, Daniel suggested something that would have required the healing device but I simply put my foot down!” Vala said strongly.

“You did, did you?” Carolyn asked with amusement, replacing her stethoscope around her neck.

“I did, I did. I told Daniel that we’d have to wait until Carolyn gave us the go ahead to have wild passionate sex.” Vala stated matter-of-factly, not breaking her innocent façade despite Carolyn’s shocked face.

“So, do I have it?” Vala asked.

“What?” asked Carolyn, calling on her professionalism to overcome her discomfort.

“Your approval, your peace of mind? I have plans for tonight.” Vala continued ever the angel, trying to contain her delight at Carolyn’s pinched expression.

Dr. Lam shook herself out of her block and finally nodded.

“You’re…physically up for it but,” she paused, looking into Vala’s face seriously “areyou ready for it?”

Vala shook her head in confusion.

“What do you mean? I’ve been waiting for this since the day I beat him up.” she grinned saucily.

“What I mean, Vala, is that bruises, lashes and broken bones were not the only things the people on Plitis did to you.” she replied meaningfully, her heart breaking a bit as Vala’s eyes lost their joyful glow.

“I’ve lost count for that too, Carolyn, and its another aftermath I won’t let ruin my life.” Vala said quietly before closing the curtain to change back into her clothes.

There was a tense awkwardness between them now and both women hoped it would dissipate but saw no means by which to make it happen. Carolyn busied herself with replacing odd pieces of equipment back in the storage cabinet when she spotted something on the shelf. Vala reopened the curtain and Carolyn turned around, the treasure hidden in her hand.

“Are you sure you’re ready?” she asked her friend once more. Vala didn’t roll her eyes or scoff; despite being annoyed by the questioning, she was more touched that Carolyn actually cared enough to make sure.

“I’m sure.” she replied sincerely.

A smirk grew on Carolyn’s lips before she uncovered her hand and threw a package over to Vala.

“Then have fun.” she endorsed, “I’m sure Dr. Jackson will know what to do with those.”

Puzzled but intrigued, Vala pocketed the slim packages and left the infirmary with a cheerful wave.

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“Well hello there, Dr. Jackson.” a smoky voice purred from the doorway to his office. Daniel lifted his head from his study of the Ancient book and smiled at the sight of a perky looking Vala leaning against his doorframe. She was in green BDU’s but she somehow managed to turn even the drab and shapeless outfit into a beacon of sensuality. Or maybe that was just him...

“Hey.” he replied warmly, sitting back on his stool. She crossed her arms over her chest where she stood and raised an eyebrow.

“Have you been avoiding me?” she asked him. Daniel’s eyes widened though his brow furrowed.

“Avoidi-I haven’t been avoiding you.” Daniel insisted. Vala narrowed her eyes but she was having a hard time concealing her grin.

“Then explain to me how it is that I haven’t seen you all day.” she demanded, hoping he couldn’t see the laughter in her eyes. She doubted he could since he blustered about for an answer.

“Wha-You’ve been running around base all day, I’ve been here waiting for you to finish with the IOA.” Daniel claimed, distressed at the thought of Vala thinking he was deliberately avoiding her.

“Is that right?” she asked, her smirk finally breaking through. Daniel let out a relieved breath and gave her an unimpressed glare.

“Yes, it is.” he returned.

“Well then…” she smiled mischievously. She pushed herself off the frame and closed the door behind her, twisting the lock at her back into place before sashaying her way to her archeologist. Daniel watched her move towards him with equal amounts of apprehension and anticipation. She rounded his desk and pushed the heavy tome he’d been reading away, jumping onto the desk in front of him with the grace of a seasoned thief.

“Hi.” she said softly, leaning down to capture his lips. Daniel slowly nudged his stool back with his heel and stood to meet her halfway, one hand cupping her cheek while the other wove itself into her soft hair. He let himself enjoy the taste of her mouth and the heat of her tongue for a while before his mind took over and he leaned back. Vala followed his departing mouth with closed eyes and Daniel, smiling, granted her a few small kisses before pushing her shoulders back gently.

“What now?” she sighed.

“My office really isn’t the place for this.” he said with great reluctance, unconsciously licking his lips as he eyed her pouting ones.

“But that’s why I locked your door, no one will interrupt!” she reminded him brilliantly, pointing back at the closed door. Daniel smiled again and took her outreaching hand, kissing the soft skin on the back before bringing it down to her lap before resting his hands on her hips.

“We have a room now and we’ll make full use of it after work, I promise.” Daniel swore, the full meaning of his words turning Vala’s pout into a luminous smile.

“But darling, work is already over. It’s almost an hour past the end of work, see?” she asked, pointing to the clock on his wall.

“Oh,” he said with surprise “I hadn’t noticed, I was kind of wrapped up in that text.” he said, reaching for the dusty book she’d shoved aside.

“And what’s so important about this ancient book that made you lose track of time?” Vala asked, not so much interested in his findings as the excited look in his eyes.

“Well, that’s exactly it, it’s an Ancient book, well they call themselves the Alterrans here but I’m almost positive it’s the same people.” he said, absent-mindedly thumbing through the old pages with his left hand and stroking the exposed skin under Vala’s t-shirt with his right.

“The gate builders?” she asked, trying to focus on his book.

“Yes!” he smiled “SG-3 was given a tablet written in an Ancient code while we were away. One of the other linguists finally figured out that it spoke of a treasure buried on Earth, specifically under Glastonbury Mound in England.” he explained animatedly. “Apparently there were trials and a holographic representation of Merlin along with a semi-holographic knight they had to fight.”

“How exciting. Sorry you missed it, darling?” she asked, grazing her fingers against his short evening stubble. The focus in Daniel’s eyes wavered for a moment before he grinned.

“Near-death experience in a cave or a week of peace with you? I think I took the right path.” he said sweetly and she laughed softly.

“You’re good at this.” she praised his smooth recovery before nudging the book. “You were saying?”

“Ah, right.” Daniel picked up the heavy book and rested it across Vala’s lap in front of him as he continued his story. “Well, obviously, they successfully completed the riddles and defeated the knight, and when they did the cave was filled with rematerialized artifacts including this book.” he said, tapping the open pages resting on her thighs “Now as far as I’ve gotten, it seems to be the history of the Ancients or ‘Alterrans’ in a fairytale format. It’s really very fascinating because this postulates that the Alterrans weren’t the first evolution of humans on this planet but rather that they came from an entirely different galaxy and sparked civilization here!”

Vala grinned at the excitement in his face and couldn’t resist pulling him in for a slow, languid, warm kiss.

“You are so adorable.” she said once they parted. Daniel ducked his head in embarrassment and quickly removed the book from her lap.

“There are still so many artifacts to look at…” he began but amended himself at Vala’s raised eyebrow “…tomorrow.”

Glancing again at the clock, a questioning look formed on Daniel’s face.

“You were late.” he remarked as she pulled him into the space between her legs and placed her arms on his shoulders.

“Hm?”

“You said you’d come see me right after work but you came in 45 minutes past, did you get lost?” he asked with concern.

“Oh! No. Carolyn sent one of her henchmen after me for my check-up.” she replied with disdain “but she did give me something for you.”

“For me?” he asked with puzzlement.

“Uh huh!” she nodded enthusiastically, reaching into her back pocket and unfurling the long chain of plastic squares. Daniel choked on his surprise and his face turned a very interesting shade of red warranting a worried look from Vala.

“Daniel what’s wrong? Are these bad for you?” she asked, tearing a square off to better examine it.

“No!” Daniel said quickly, grabbing the wrapped object from Vala’s hand and stuffing it and the rest of its kind in his back pocket. He’d kissed this woman, he’d held her as they slept, he’d seen her beautiful body devoid of any clothing, but having her hold a condom up to his face had given him a mild heart attack he was positive.

“Did…Dr. Lam…tell you what those are?” he asked hoping against hope that he wouldn’t be forced to explain the concept to her.

“No,” she said simply “but I’ve got a pretty good idea by your reaction alone.” she smirked. Vala leaned in and grazed his cheek lightly with her lips until she reached his ear.

“Shall we put them to good use?” she asked seductively.

Daniel swallowed thickly and gave his brain a moment to catch up to the meaning behind her words because the warm breath against his ear had sent his mind into a temporary pause.

“It…it’s suppertime.” he said, cursing himself the moment the words were past his lips. He wanted this, he wanted Vala with every fiber of his being but it had been a very long time since he’d ventured into this side of personal relationships and the idea made him a little nervous, ergo the spastic stuttering of nonsensical sentences. Fortunately, Vala didn’t seem deterred in the least.

“So we’ll build up an appetite,” she whispered, pressing a kiss to his lobe as her hand wandered lightly over the expanse of his chest “and eat later.”

“Okay.” he whispered back, the room suddenly filled with an invisible mix of solemnity and fiery desire. She pressed her lips to his briefly and grinned.

“Let’s go.” she murmured, slipping off the desk, torturing Daniel with the feel of her body pressing against his before she reached the floor. Daniel swallowed thickly and nodded jerkily.

“Yeah, we should…go.” he said as his blood pumped furiously through his veins creating a steady drumline in his ears.

The brisk walk through the corridors was done on autopilot, both of them eager to get to their destination but both worried their activities would take place in the hallway if they slowed their pace. Vala could feel Daniel’s palm getting more moist as they neared his room but it only served to endear him to her even more. Carolyn had been close to something when she brought up the darkest sides of her time on Plitis but Vala had never been one to linger in self-pity and the best way to forget the bad memories was to create new ones.

She hadn’t been to Daniel’s room yet the door to her own room came into sight so they couldn’t be far now, the thought was complemented by a strong but gentle squeeze of his hand and a shy smile that sparked a beautiful one in return.

“Ms. Mal Doran!”

The nasally voice of the seldom-liked bureaucrat should have doused their hormones like a cold shower but really only served to heighten the crazed anticipation. They’d spent an entire week cultivating these emotions and Vala felt confident that a stuffy man in a tight suit was not going to be what ruined it for them. On the other hand, Daniel dropped her hand like it burned him the moment Woolsey caught up to them…maybe she’d been wrong. She sent him a quick look but he was shaking his head imperceptibly and taking a small step away from her.

Woolsey reached them and let his eyes roam over the picture they presented, he didn’t like what he saw.

“Was I interrupting something?” he asked pointedly.

“Not at all.” Daniel said smoothly “I was just showing Vala the way back to her quarters, the base is still pretty new to her.”

Vala winced internally at the poorly chosen fib.

“You’d like me to believe that Ms. Mal Doran, who has spent the entire day familiarizing herself with this base, couldn’t find her way back to her quarters?” Woolsey asked flatly.

“Can I help you with something?” Vala cut in, eager for this man to depart from their company.

Woolsey sent Daniel another skeptical look but nodded back at Vala.

“You can, in fact. Could you explain why we found Airman Truswell unconscious on Level 15?” he asked her with the air of someone who already knew the answer.

“I really couldn’t. Horrible thing though, he must not be well liked among his peers.” Vala replied innocently, fighting the urge to cross her arms defensively.

“Would you care to reconsider your answer?” Woolsey asked, holding up the camera she’d handed them earlier.

“Oh…then yes. I might have…zatted Airman Truswell.” she admitted sheepishly.

“Airman Truswell? Isn’t he the one who shot you?” Daniel asked her with a frown.

“Is he?” she asked with wide eyes. “What a coincidence.”

Daniel swallowed his smirk but crowed with delight on the inside at knowing the man had paid for having hurt her, even if only minimally.

“Coincidences, Ms. Mal Doran, rarely happen in my opinion. Especially not in dead-end hallways, a far cry away from any exit strategy.” Woolsey remarked lowly.

“What can I say? I must have gotten lost.” she replied nonchalantly “Besides, you’re the one who wanted to arm me to make it all the more realistic and he was realistically in my way, I had to take care of him.”

“I’m sure.” Woolsey all but sneered “Well you can be sure the General and the President will be hearing about this in my reports.”

“And you think that will sway either of them in your favour?” Daniel asked him point-blank.

“I suppose she’s already swayed you in her favour without much effort, hasn’t she?” the IOA watchdog pointed out “I find it curious, Dr. Jackson, that you’ve become so close to the woman who assaulted you, held you captive, and endangered not only your life but that of your friends.”

Vala, for the first time since the event in question, felt her stomach churn slightly at the thought of having put her new friends in danger. They hadn’t actually been there but others from this place had been…it might just as well have been them. It just took a little longer to remember that it was everyone for themselves out there, that’s all. How was she supposed to have known the Tau’ri didn’t adhere to the principles the rest of the galaxy lived and conned by?

“I have to wonder what she could possibly have done to deserve this blank slate you’ve all deemed fit to accord her.” Woolsey continued scathingly.

“I don’t think I like what you’re insinuating, Mr. Woolsey.” Daniel bit back.

“You don’t have to, Dr. Jackson, but that doesn’t change the facts, or at least what the facts look like.”

UNAUTHORIZED OFF-WORLD ACTIVATION.

The interruption was a godsend and Daniel quickly motioned Vala to follow him.

“Where are you going?” Woolsey piped up.

“SG-1 is required to be present for all unauthorized off-world gate activation.” Daniel said slowly.

“Yes, Dr. Jackson, I’m well aware of that, thank you. However, Ms. Mal Doran isn’t a member of SG-1, is she?” Woolsey countered, wanting the woman to stay for his investigation into Truswell’s shooting.

As soon as Daniel’s glare reached the little man, the intercom burst with life once more.

VALA MAL DORAN TO THE CONTROL ROOM, VALA MAL DORAN TO THE CONTROL ROOM IMMEDIATELY.

Vala sent Woolsey a smug grin and followed Daniel into the elevator at the end of the hall, sending the thorn in her side a sarcastic wave as the doors closed between them.

“What’s wrong with that little gnome knowing we’re...together?” Vala asked him after moments of silence in the elevator. Her hesitation with the word but her resolve in using it made Daniel smile.

“It’s just not a good idea. Woolsey is suspicious of you as it is, if he knew we were together…it would just overly complicate the entire situation.” Daniel replied “He’d get involved, probably do everything in his power to keep us apart.”

That was enough to convince Vala to keep quiet around the bureaucrat but something niggled at her mind.

“But didn’t you get permission from your General Landry? Isn’t he rather high up in terms of power over this base?” she asked. Daniel turned in the elevator to face her with shock.

“Vala, I didn’t ask General Landry for permission to be with you.” he made clear, “I simply let him know of our intentions to see each other. He has no right to interfere as long as you’re not a threat to anyone.”

“Oh.” Vala returned, a little stunned by the strength of his words.

Before she could continue, the elevator doors separated and they walked quickly to the control room overlooking the active gate.

“Dr. Jackson, Ms. Mal Doran.” General Landry greeted them “There’s someone who’d like to say hello.”

The General pointed to the screen and motioned Vala forward. She stepped closer and noticed a very familiar face.

“Jeim!”

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Many thousand apologies for the delay, now I finally know what the other ficcers were talking about when they said RL got in the way. Apparently, developing good study habits eats up a LOT of your time…I should have thought of that beforehand…

Next - Chapter 17, part 1