Fic: Probation

[welfycat]

 

Title: Probation (approx 25,000 words)

Author: 

welfycat  

 

Artist: cleothemuse cleothemuse.livejournal.com/

Vidder: purple_dolphin9 purple_dolphin9.livejournal.com/

Rating: (PG-13)

Characters: Vala Mal Doran, Daniel Jackson, Samantha Carter, Teal'c, Richard Woolsey, General Landry

Pairing: Gen. (Can be read as pre Vala/Daniel)


Warnings: sexual harassment, minor violence, evil!Woolsey

Spoilers: Through Season 10, episode 15


Summary:
 Vala struggles to fit into Stargate Command and learn to trust SG-1 but faces unexpected threats from within the SGC and the government. In the meantime, Daniel and the rest of SG-1 try to accept Vala onto their team while searching for Merlin’s weapon.

Notes: Written for stargate_summer. Thank you to my beta 

kityye  . Also thank you to cleothemuse for the beautiful art (the banner, the inside art, and the wallpapers) and to purple_dolphin9 for the fantastic video.

Also posted at AO3, where it can be downloaded as an ebook: Probation on AO3 

Video: purple-dolphin9.livejournal.com/30141.html
Wallpaper: 

Wide screen: www.cleothemuse.net/media/wallpaper/Probation_1280x800.jpg
Standard screen: www.cleothemuse.net/media/wallpaper/Probation_1280x960.jpg

 

Vala grinned to herself as she walked through the corridors of the SGC. She sashayed and swung her head from side to side, barely seeing the bemused glances of other personnel that she passed. It felt good to be part of something, even if it was only temporary. It felt good to be thought of as capable. As sane, if that’s really what they were trying to get out of her from the evaluations General Landry had insisted on before allowing her to join missions.

 

The memory of the scene in the embarkation room burned slightly as she thought of it. Shouting at the soldiers to let her go through the ‘gate and having all of SG1 walk in on her tantrum was less than ideal if she hoped for any of them to ever respect her in any tangible way. Oh well, it didn’t really matter now. She was grateful to not be off on her own at the particular moment. Not that she couldn’t take care of herself, she’d been doing that for most of her life, but knowing that someone would actually try to rescue her if she was recaptured by the followers of the Ori was relief in more ways than she could think to count. Even if Daniel had only rescued her by coincidence of time and place, it was better than having been left there or even simply shot on sight. There was more than one person in the galaxy who would have done just that upon finding her helpless in the Ori ship. She swiped her card in the reader next to the elevator door and flashed a bright smile at the guard who colored slightly but didn’t drop his gaze. Entering into the elevator Vala pressed the button that led to the level where most of the staff quarters were housed. It was still disconcerting to live so far under the ground but after months shuffling around the primitive village of the Ori she wasn’t picky. Not too picky at least.

 

Vala forcefully pushed her spiraling thoughts from her mind and continued on her way to her quarters as soon as the elevator doors opened. Daniel was already packing for Atlantis; she had left him neck deep behind a pile of books from Merlin’s library only after she was convinced that he was too deep in his research to be a source of entertainment, only rising his head to tell her to get ready because they were leaving as soon as the Odyssey was finished being supplied. He seemed more thrilled at getting to go to Atlantis than she had ever imagined and Vala felt a small twinge of guilt knowing that it was because of her that he didn’t have something that he clearly wanted so badly.

Her quarters were fairly spartan, but again, after the Ori she didn’t mind overly much. She shrugged out of her jacket and rummaged in the wardrobe for a sweater she had stashed there earlier. Post-pregnancy had left her more sensitive to the cold.

 

“I suppose you thought that was funny.”

 

Vala turned, keeping her movements even despite the racing of her heart. It was Woolsey, pulling the door shut behind him. “Strangely, not as funny as you’d think,” Vala said.

 

“You’re lucky the General didn’t fall for you little stunt. Here on Earth we take false accusations like that very seriously.” Woolsey stood stiffly, his narrowed eyes focused firmly on Vala.

 

“Ah, good thing they aren’t false accusations then.” Vala shrugged and shut the wardrobe. The sweater she was looking for was clenched tightly in her grip but she turned her back on Woolsey anyway, determined to show exactly how unafraid she was.

Woolsey moved to the side, just out of Vala’s field of vision. “Keep in mind for the future exactly how well you came across out there. I’m sure that any further accusations would be similarly received. Let me make one thing perfectly clear; your freedom of moment on Earth and within the SGC are entirely at my discretion. If for any reason I am not satisfied with your performance I will have you reassigned. Do you understand me?”

 

Vala bit back the expletives and other derogatory sentiments that bubbled toward the surface and turned to face the loathsome man. “I think you’ve made yourself quite clear.”

 

Woolsey nodded. “Good. I’ll be dropping by in the near future to monitor your situation. Good day.”

 

“Good day,” Vala sneered back as soon as the door closed. She dropped down onto her bed and closed her eyes. It wasn’t that she was afraid of the man, she knew without a doubt that she could kill him with just her bare hands without breaking a sweat, but when her freedom hung in the balance she was more than a little nervous.

 

She’d known as soon as she’d spoken to the General in the embarkation room that no one would believe her if she told them what Woolsey had actually said to her that night. No. She’d known before, which was why she’d done it. Even though no one would ever know what had happened in her quarters at least she’d gotten so see that delicious look of horrified disbelief on Woolsey’s face for the brief moment that he’d thought she might be believed.

 

So she had to play along, walk the delicate balance of staying free and safe while letting Woolsey believe that she would eventually go along with his disgustingly explicit suggestions. Not that she’d ever had a problem with using sex to secure her position but she didn’t react particularly well to being threatened and having her choices taken away. Woolsey had been very clear at the time that what he wanted was not optional and from his repeat appearance it seemed that he wasn’t going to back down from his demands. And knowing that SG1 would come to her rescue if she was captured by the Ori or the Lucian Alliance but wouldn’t lift a finger if she was taken into custody by the IOA wasn’t particularly reassuring either. She sat up and pulled her sweater over her head. Even Daniel. Daniel had seen her lie too many times, watched her accuse other people falsely in order to gain an advantage, to believe her if she made an honest attempt to tell them about Woolsey’s advances.

 

Vala’s best, and only, option was to play it close the chest, stay offworld as much as possible and be prepared to abandon ship as soon as it became necessary. She wasn’t going to sit back and let Woolsey do whatever he wanted, she wasn’t that easy. She’d survived the Goa’uld, angry villagers, the Lucian Alliance and several months in the hands of the Ori. She could weather a single Earth politician.

*****

 

The mess hall in the Odyssey was crowded, most of the tables packed with soldiers as they ate and playfully talked amongst themselves. The F-302 pilots were gathered in the middle, having pushed smaller tables together so that all 16 of them could sit together. In one corner several engineers were huddled together, laptops and notebooks taking up more of their table than the trays of food that were barely acknowledged. Towards the front a couple of officers sat together over coffee. The two SG teams that were on rotation on the Odyssey sat together as well, the CO of one dramatically recounting a mission to the amusement of both teams and the embarrassment of one of the young scientists.

 

Normally Vala didn’t have any problem navigating crowds, she could fit in just about anywhere thanks to plenty of practice as a young adult, always moving, sometimes running, from world to world. Vala looked into her nearly empty cup of coffee and swirled the cold dregs in the bottom. She had left her quarters in hope of finding company and had eventually wandered to the mess hall, thinking that the rest of SG1 had to take a break at some point, and none of them were likely to leave her to her own devices for long on their spaceship.

 

Since they’d left Atlantis, Daniel had withdrawn; hiding out in one of the labs with Sam and basically ignoring anyone who attempted to interrupt him reading the materials that he had downloaded from the Atlantis database. Mitchell kept to the bridge, chatting with Colonel Emerson and avoiding the F-302 pilots as much as possible. Daniel had explained to her about Cameron’s crash during a battle on Earth and Vala had nodded through his explanation, quickly getting that she wasn’t supposed to remark to Cameron about his avoidant behavior. Teal’c remained his stoic self, barely responding to Vala when she talking to him. And really, where was the fun in that? It was one of the nice things about Daniel, how he responded to her, always ready to get pulled into a debate, no matter how frustrated he became with her.

 

Vala sighed and shoved her cup across the table and pulled her feet up onto the edge of the chair she was sitting in. She couldn’t think about Daniel. Not like that. She had to remember that this situation was temporary, that she’d be on her way as soon as she’d worn out her welcome. And considering the exasperated looks that she’d seen Cameron and General Landry exchange, or even the looks that Sam sometimes gave Cameron, her welcome would already long be worn out if it wasn’t for the interference she knew Daniel was running. And maybe it was for the best. The round trip to and from Atlantis had taken seven weeks and while no one had bothered her the entire time she was under no illusions to the kind of welcome she’d get as soon as Woolsey dropped by the SGC to check up on their progress. She sighed again and dropped her feet to the floor. She’d promised herself that she wouldn’t even think about the obnoxious little man on this trip. It was bad enough that she had to stay on her guard in the SGC. While she was away from Earth she wouldn’t let him worry her. She was good at pushing that kind of thought away, back with the memories of being a host to a Goa’uld that surfaced only when she was dreaming.

 

A shout rose up from the pilot’s table and Vala watched with a small amused smile as two of the pilots clapped a third on the back in some kind of celebration, the sight distracting her from all the things that she couldn’t let herself think about. At least on Atlantis, there had been things to do; holograms to expose, research to do, and Daniel keeping half an eye on her to make sure she wasn’t dismantling something or liberating forgotten technology. She almost laughed at herself; contemplating getting into trouble just to get a man’s attention wasn’t something she’d had to do since she was an adolescent, the last time she’d been at home while her father was there. On Atlantis, standing on a balcony with Daniel, or walking through the luminous halls with him, things had seemed easier. Simpler. She understood Daniel’s wish to stay in that beautiful city, even though they wanted to stay for different reasons. She would have tried to arrange for them to stay if it hadn’t been for the threat of the Ori. They couldn’t abandon their galaxy, no matter how tempting Atlantis had been. Not that Atlantis was exactly a safe haven either. Colonel Sheppard and Elizabeth Weir had regaled them with enough tales of the Wraith and the Genie to banish any illusions of a safe home in the Pegasus galaxy.

 

“You’re out of coffee,” a voice spoke as a tray was set down on her table.

  

Vala smiled broadly as Daniel took the seat across from her. “Just thinking.”

 

Daniel raised his eyebrows. “Should I be worried about the contents of the mess hall going missing?”

 

Vala grinned and wrinkled her nose, “Maybe. Want to check my quarters?”

 

Daniel laughed at her ploy and dug into his tray, talking between mouthfuls about the research he was doing on the Ancients. Vala half-listened, occasionally offering suggestions as the mess hall slowly began to clear out from the lunch rush. She didn’t need to get along with the rest of crew, or even have them notice her, nor the rest of SG1 either. As long as Daniel was trying to bore her to death with Ancient biographies she’d be fine.

*****

 

Sweating heavily, Vala walked back to her quarters in the SGC in her workout clothes, very aware of the appraising looks she was receiving from many male, and a couple of female, soldiers. Her looks were something that had attracted attention ever since she hit puberty, something that she’d learned quickly to turn to her advantage. “Use them before they use you, baby,” her mother had told her, sad eyes looking to the doorway where her father had left moments before.

 

They had been back on base for three days and all of SG1 had been eager to be active again after being cooped up for the long journey to and from the Pegasus galaxy. Between basketball and sparring, in which even Daniel had joined in, they had been working off their excess energy while waiting for Daniel to figure out where the Ancient weapon is located. He’d been spending as much time as possible looking over the information and Vala made it a point to drag him away from his books as often as she could manage. She’d gotten an approving nod from Sam when she had dragged Daniel into their basketball game today, which Vala took as a sign that she was doing the right thing.

 

The debriefing itself had been surprisingly painless and the SGC quiet since their return. Or as quiet as a place could be where the ‘unscheduled activation’ alarm went off every couple of hours. Vala rolled her eyes as the little red lights flashed from the corners of the hallway. The alarm was barely audible from the level where the staff quarters were, but it was enough to cause heads to raise and usually sent two or three people jogging towards the elevators. Vala moved to the side to allow a pair of marines to dash through the hallway before continuing on her way. First she wanted to get a change of clothes and hit the showers, and then maybe go sit in Daniel’s office until it was time for dinner. She’d slowly been picking up Ancient, at least in its written form, as a way to be helpful to the team. Well, mostly to have an excuse to work with Daniel but being helpful was an appropriate side effect in any case.

 

Vala paused as she looked at the door handle to her quarters. She had tampered with it after she got back to the SGC, the DNA locks on Atlantis having given her an idea. She had loosened the handle so that when it was released naturally it would be parallel to the ground but if she pulled on it when she left it would droop slightly towards the floor. The handle was currently parallel with the ground, which meant that someone had been inside her room within the last hour, or was possibly still inside her room even now. Vala steeled herself as she decided what to do. She could go to security and explain to them what she knew, have them check the camera footage or look in her room. Of course whoever it was, even though she knew without a doubt it was Woolsey, could have easily already come and gone without leaving a trace and have deleted and replaced any recordings. It all came down to her word against his and she knew very well that her word was not worth very much here. Or anywhere, really.

 

There was, as always, only one course of action: directly into the danger, all guns firing. The guns would have to be metaphorical as they didn’t let her keep her weapons on base, but she was done playing games with Woolsey and wasn’t afraid to show it.

She opened the door forcefully and pushed it all the way against the wall so that Woolsey couldn’t remain hidden behind it without giving away his position. The door opened smoothly and she turned on the lights and went inside, leaving her door open so that she could retreat if it became necessary. There was a manila envelope on her bed but Vala ignored it in favor of looking over the rest of her room, checking in the wardrobe and under the bed before deciding that he hadn’t remained in her room. She shut the door and picked up the unmarked envelope, examining it before opening it and pulling out a sheet of paper. She read the first couple of lines and froze. It was the conversation she’d had with Daniel on the balcony of Atlantis the night before they’d returned to the Odyssey, word for word. Vala swallowed hard and stuffed the papers back into the envelope and tucked the envelope into one of the drawers, underneath her uniform pants.

 

Vala knew that the people of Earth were fond of surveillance; cameras were everywhere in the SGC and on the Odyssey. It stood to reason that they had implemented a surveillance system on Atlantis as well. But, as far as she understood, most of the cameras didn’t have audio recording capabilities, and why would an out of the way balcony on Atlantis merit such consideration? She knew that it was Woolsey who had left the papers here and the message was obvious. He was watching her. He was watching her from an entire galaxy away. The thought made her stomach churn and she got back to her feet and left her room, pulling the handle of her door back down so that she would know if he returned while she was away. She got back in the elevator and returned to the level with the gym and began running on the track, ignoring everyone she passed as she tried desperately to clear her thoughts well enough to figure out how she was being watched.

 

*****
 

*****

 

Daniel knocked impatiently on Vala’s door, shifting from foot to foot as he waited for an answer. She had borrowed a book from his office, wanting to work on translating a section that night. Of course it was that book that Daniel had discovered that he needed to cross-reference, even though he had the vague feeling that he was being led in circles by Merlin’s books. “Vala, I know you’re in there.”

 

There was a muffled call from inside Vala’s room and Daniel took this as for consent to open the door. He stepped inside and was surprised by a sharp pain to his upper thigh, dropping to the floor and instinctively reaching for the weapon that was strapped to his thigh when they went off world, even though he wasn’t wearing his holster.

 

“Daniel!” Vala shouted, hurrying over to him. “I said not to come in yet.”

 

As soon as he recovered from the shock he looked up at Vala, rubbing his thigh firmly. “What was that?” He looked to the wall and found what he vaguely recognized as an airsoft gun mounted to the wall and the remains of a trip line on the floor. He turned back to Vala his eyebrows raised in a combination of disbelief and outrage. “What were you thinking?”

 

Vala looked appropriately apologetic. “Are you hurt?”

 

“No, I’m not hurt. I’ll have a lovely bruise, thank you very much, but I’m fine. Now, why did you booby trap your door?” Daniel let Vala help him to his feet, one of his hands still putting pressure over the pain in his thigh.

 

“I was practicing. A few of the marines have been teaching me some new techniques for trapping a door and I wanted to try them out, see if they were effective.” Vala shrugged and looked at the door. “I think it’s safe to say that is fairly effective, even if it won’t incapacitate an intruder.”

 

Daniel stared. “And you figured you’d just try these traps out on random passersby?”

 

“I did tell you not to come in,” Vala pointed out.

 

“I couldn’t hear what you said and came in…” Daniel trailed off, realizing that he was at least partially in the wrong. “And I came in without checking for verification. I’m sorry.”

 

“Apology accepted.”

 

“But you still have to take it down. It’s a safety hazard. The General is not going to let you leave your door trapped when there could be an emergency on base.” Daniel frowned as he glanced around Vala’s room, noticing the large supply of materials that she had been experimenting with.

 

Vala nodded. “I’ll take it down. It wasn’t particularly practical anyway.”

 

Daniel rolled his eyes, thoroughly disgruntled but willing to let the subject drop. “I came by because I need to see one of the books I loaned you. One of Merlin’s texts makes a reference I recognized in one of the sections.”

 

“Over there, on the desk.” Vala pointed to the stacks of papers and books that covered her desk and knelt down next to the door, dismantling her trip line before working on detaching the gun from the wall.

 

He refrained from commenting on the state of Vala’s desk, well aware that his own desk had been buried under stacks of books months ago and hadn’t been seen since. He’d been working at the big table in his office and even that was slowly starting to disappear under the mass of texts. After a few minutes of searching he found the text he was looking for. “If you’re still interested in this one you can pick it back up from my office tomorrow.” He tucked the book under his arm and made for the door, carefully stepping around rolls of wire and tool kits.

 

“No more traps, I mean it.” He nodded firmly, hoping that Vala would take him seriously for once.

 

“No more traps.” Vala agreed, moving back so that Daniel could leave unimpeded.

*****

 

Daniel shuffled the stack of papers in front of him, hoping in vain that something, anything, would float to the surface and suddenly he’d have some idea of where to go to find Merlin’s weapon. At this point he’d settle for just about anything, a solar system, a section of the Milky Way, a premonition in a dream. Of course he’d actually have to be getting more than a couple of hours a sleep a night in order to get premonitory dreams. He took off his glasses and dropped them onto the table along with the papers. They had a team meeting in ten minutes, he could afford to take a quick break. Closing his eyes, Daniel nested his head in his arms and tried to plan out the rest of his day. Meeting, translating, lunch, continue searching through texts for clues, dinner, more translating, and eventually finding his way back to his quarters before starting the whole thing over again the next day. Gate symbols and Ancient writing swirled behind his eyelids and Daniel moaned.

 

“Jackson, you okay?” Cameron Mitchell’s voice cut through Daniel’s pained line of thought.

 

Daniel raised his head and turned to find Sam, Teal’c and Cameron entering his office. “Yeah, fine.”

 

“You look pretty bad.” Sam held out a cup of coffee which Daniel accepted gratefully before rubbing his temples and putting his glasses back on.

 

“I take it that you have not found what you were hoping for among the texts you retrieved from Camelot?” Teal’c asked.

 

Daniel shook his head and took another swallow of the coffee, letting the hot liquid slowly bring his brain back to where he could actually communicate effectively. “Not yet. There’s a lot of stuff here. Morgan le Fay was not as helpful as she might have been, and since both the planets have been searched as thoroughly as possible and do not contain the weapon, I’m not really sure where to go from here.”

 

Sam put her hand on Daniel’s should in sympathy. “I’m sure you’ll find something.”

 

Daniel nodded, not really in agreement but in acknowledgment. “Where’s Vala? I haven’t seen her much the past couple of days and she was supposed to be helping me with some translations. She was told about the meeting, right?”

 

“I told her,” Cameron said. “She said she’d be here.”

 

“She was running on the track when I saw her earlier today.” Teal’c frowned. “She may have simply lost track of time.”

 

Daniel frowned and set his coffee down. “Whenever I see her she’s been running or just come from the gym.”

 

“She might still be restless from being cooped up on the Odyssey. I know that I’ve been doing extra PT, trying to get all the jitters out.” Cameron shrugged and glanced through the papers that Daniel had been working on.

 

 

Vala breathlessly entered Daniel’s office; still in sweatpants and a tank top and her hair messy. “Sorry. Sorry.”

 

“It’s alright.” Daniel motioned Vala over to the table that the rest of SG1 was gathered around. “Anything so far on the translations I gave you to work on?”

 

Vala shook her head, still out of breath.

 

Cameron nodded grimly. “Well keep at it. Something has to come up eventually. Morgan le Fay wouldn’t have told us what she did if it wouldn’t help somehow.”

 

“I just wish I knew what she was trying to tell us.” Daniel sighed and glared at the Ancient texts that covered his work table.

 

“You will prevail, Daniel Jackson,” Teal’c said firmly.

 

“You’ll figure it out. Maybe get some sleep?” Sam suggested, well aware that Daniel was just like her and would work at the problem until he dropped from exhaustion.

 

“We’re playing basketball later, come join us. Give your brain a chance to simmer.” Cameron got to his feet. “If there isn’t anything else?”

He looked around as everyone shook their heads and left, leaving Sam and Teal’c to follow him out.

 

Vala sighed and dropped onto the stool next to Daniel. “Sorry I was late.”

 

Daniel gave her an assessing look, trying to read her as if she was an Ancient text or an artifact. “Are you doing alright?”

 

Vala looked startled and briefly uncomfortable before she managed to control her expression. “Me, Daniel? I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be fine? No, I’m wonderful. Great. Fantastic. Now, if you’ll excuse me I am going to the gym. Sergeant Wilkes is waiting to spar with me.”

 

Stunned, Daniel stared as Vala fled the room, leaving the door open behind her. Daniel got up and shut the door of his office before turning back to the work table and his cup of coffee. “That was strange. Even for Vala,” he mused out loud. “And now I’m talking to myself, which makes me strange as well. Good job, Jackson.”

 

He laced his fingers around the still warm cup and shut his eyes. There were too many other pressing problems, such as finding Merlin’s weapon in order to save the entire galaxy from the Ori, to be trying to figure out why Vala was suddenly bounding around the SGC. If she wanted to come to him and tell him what was going on, that was fine. But he just didn’t have time to go chasing after her and investigating her private life. She would, for once, have to behave like a grown up and figure out her own problems or ask for help.

 

Daniel nodded to himself and turned his attention back to the text he was halfway through, trying to push Vala’s brief expression of pain and anxiety from his mind.

*****

 

Vala shouted her victory as she wrestled the airman to the ground, having successfully disarmed the man and knocked his feet out from under him. She pinned him down, her grip tightening on his forearms and her ankles pressing down on his thighs with as much force as she could manage. She could feel the man’s muscles moving beneath her, trying to roll his weight over on top of her or catch one of her ankles with his leg to dislodge her position.

 

“Time!” The presiding Lieutenant shouted and the group that had gathered to watch either groaned or cheered, based on who they had been betting on winning the match.

 

Vala immediately released her hold on the airman and leapt to her feet before offering her hand to the young man that she had rather ruthlessly pinned to the ground. The man accepted her help up with a small grimace but shook hands with her once he’d gotten to his feet.

 

“Good match.” It was possible that he was blushing slightly but it was rather difficult to tell as his face was already fairly red from exertion.

 

“Back at you.” Vala smiled broadly before stretching her hands toward the ceiling. “Anyone else feel up to testing your strength and your skill against the great Vala Mal Doran?” She called out eagerly. Teal’c had shown her a video of a wrestling match a few days ago and Vala had decided that she quite liked the sport. The costumes were a little silly and she thought that it was something that the Goa’uld might have enjoyed hosting in their courts if they had ever taken the time to watch Tau’ri television. Of course, the Goa’uld would have ensured that all fights would have been to the death and Daniel had reassured her that all the fighting on the television was fake.

 

“Me,” a marine who had been standing towards the back of the group for nearly the entire time the sparring had been going on moved forward into the area that had been taped off on the floor.

 

Vala offered the man a bright grin and brushed her hair out of her eyes. He responded by tossing his jacket to the side and flexing his muscles, only glancing over her briefly before turning to look out over the crowd, who were now exchanging bets with renewed vigor.

 

“Alright, clear the arena, move back,” The Lieutenant motioned the crowd back a little ways so that there was a clear margin of space all around the borders. “In this corner defending champion, Vala Mal Doran.”

 

She spun around and waved to the crowd, many of whom had become a lot more friendly to her when they discovered that she was rather vicious in the sparring ring and could be counted on to win against most of the personnel on the base.

 

“And in the other corner, Corporal Brad Lane,” the Lieutenant continued to the calls of support from the crowd.

 

Vala took the moment to size up her opponent. He was taller than her and looked as if he outweighed her by a good deal, all of it muscle. This was the case in most of the men she fought, and didn’t really bother her. But the way that he assessed her, looking her up and down and then away as if completely dismissing her despite having just watched her defeat five men without breaking a sweat. Well, not too much of a sweat.

 

The Lieutenant hit the buzzer to start the match and Vala dropped into her fighting stance, making herself smaller so that Lane would have a more difficult time catching her.

 

Vala moved in carefully and mirrored the Corporal’s body language, all sounds of the crowd completely blocked from her perception. That was the nice thing about sparring as opposed to real fighting; she didn’t have to pay attention in case another attacker joined the fray. It was just her against Lane and she knew that she was the superior fighter.

 

The Corporal’s lunge was so fast that she nearly missed the movement, completely at odds with the man’s previous stiff and stoic posture. Vala danced backwards, barely avoiding his grasp and nearly stumbling in the process. She refocused, swinging around and landing a glancing blow to Lane’s shoulder. The failure of his first attack had caught him by surprise; she could tell that he was not someone who was used to losing. Neither was Vala.

 

Lane approached again, his steps appearing casual but Vala recognized the stance and stepped forward to counter it. As his broad and muscled arms came down over her Vala recognized her mistake. He had meant for her to have interpreted his stance and leave herself open when she moved to block his predicted move.

 

He pulled Vala’s body off balance, her feet dangling in the air for moments before she pulled back to kick him. “Stop embarrassing yourself. Jackson doesn’t sleep with whores.” The words were whispered in her ear, too quiet to be heard by anyone but her.

 

Vala went limp for a brief moment, horror and shock warring for her attention. She tried to push the words from her mind and took advantage of the fact that Lane’s grip had slackened slightly when she had stopped moving. Twisting her torso while landing a kick just above Lane’s right knee freed her from his grasp and Vala tumbled to the floor, rolling to the side just in time to avoid his kick.

 

She moved as far back as she could and still be in the makeshift arena. Lane had an odd, predatory expression on his face as he watched Vala recover her breath. This fight was suddenly entirely different from the one she’d been fighting moments ago. This wasn’t practice, or sparing. This was real.

 

The spectators seemed to sense the change in mood and the room grew quiet. Vala struck as quickly as she could; there was nothing else in her world as she hit and blocked, the sounds of their breathing and impacts filling the space. Their choreography was almost perfect, one of the smoothest she had ever found and Vala would have been intrigued if she hadn’t seen the look in his eyes.

 

Vala knocked Lane’s feet from under him, the same move she’d used on the Airman in the previous match, and felt a brief moment of satisfaction before she was pulled down with him.  He used his momentum to push her to the ground and roll his weight on top of her, pinning Vala’s arms above her head and using his legs to hold her knees against the floor.

 

“Slut.” The word was spoken so quietly that Vala wasn’t even sure she’d heard it. Lane stared her down, his facial expression nearly blank but his eyes full of contempt.

 

“Time!” The Lieutenant called, breaking the silence.

 

Lane climbed off of her without hesitation and Vala got to her feet as quickly as she could manage. She was surprised to find her legs slightly unsteady. Brad Lane’s team came forward to congratulate him and Vala accepted the condolences and encouragement from many of the soldiers, including some of those she’d defeated earlier. The room cleared out slowly and Vala walked to the locker rooms, her thoughts too scattered to make any sense of.

 

“Good match. No one else around here has provided that much of a challenge in a long time,” Lane said as he approached Vala. “No hard feelings, right?”

 

Vala blinked as she assessed Lane. He was smiling, his gaze soft and his posture relaxed. “Sure. Good match.”

 

He laughed as though her response had been far more enthusiastic. “So, dinner, my place, tonight? I cook pretty well, at least better than what you’ll get in the mess hall.”

 

“I’m not allowed off base without clearance from the General.” She tried and failed to keep bitterness from coloring her voice.

 

“My quarters here on base then. I can’t cook there, but I’m sure we can find something else to do.” His smile had returned but so had the look in his eyes from the gym.

 

Vala blinked. “What is it with you Earth men, really? Sorry, but you’re not my type.”

 

Lane’s laugh was shorter this time, harsh and grating. “Jackson’s your type? You’re in for a long wait then. Might as well find someone who cares a little less about your history.”

 

“Like you? Not likely.” Vala turned quickly, trying to hide how much his words had hurt. For as long as she could really remember Daniel was the only one who seemed willing to let her past be in the past. The thought that the reason he’d rejected her advances, both subtle and blatant, was because he thought she was willing to have sex with anyone was painfully unfathomable. Vala started walking, determined to ignore Lane.

 

“Hey, we weren’t finished,” Lane said as he grabbed Vala’s shoulder.

 

Vala pulled against his grip, her body automatically resuming a fighting stance.  “Yes we are. Release me right now.”

 

“Or what?”

 

Lane’s leering smirk pushed Vala over her edge of tolerance, which was really never that far to go to begin with. She wrenched her arm free and punched him in the face in one smooth motion. Lane stumbled away screaming and clutching his face, blood gushing from between his fingers.

 

Vala kept her fists clenched as the hall filled with people, all summoned by the sound of Lane’s shout. Soldiers still in their workout clothes came out of the locker rooms and the gym, security and medical personnel hurried in from the main corridor. Someone must have activated an alarm somewhere. Vala watched numbly as the commotion swept over her.

 

“Shut up!” A voice rose above the din and the crowd parted to let Cameron Mitchell through. “Thank you. Now what happened here?”

 

“Cameron,” Vala started forward, relieved that someone from SG1 was there.

 

“Not now, Vala,” Cameron said, turning to where the medics were examining Lane.

 

“She hit me, sir.” Lane’s voice was muffled as he carefully held gauze to his still bleeding nose. “No provocation, no warning; she just hit me!”

Cameron’s gaze turned to Vala briefly before looking out over the hallway. “Clear this hall. You all have jobs to do.”

 

The hall emptied even more quickly than it had filled and soon only Cameron and Vala were left, the medics escorting Lane to the infirmary.

 

“He’s lying,” Vala began.

 

“Later, Vala.” Cameron sighed and turned away. “Your hand is bleeding. You should report to the infirmary.”

 

Vala stood for a moment before allowing her hands to unclench and discovered that her hand really did hurt. She was aware of Cameron’s gaze following her all the way down the hall. If Daniel had been there…Vala stopped that line of thought firmly. She was no longer entirely certain that Daniel would have done anything differently than Cameron had.

 

*****

 

The infirmary was surprisingly quiet. Brad Lane was tucked away in a private room leaving Vala sitting cross legged on an infirmary bed, her hand bandaged and iced. A pair of security guards watched her from the doorway and Vala ignored them, wondering when she would be allowed to return to her quarters. All she really wanted to do was lay down and not think.

 

Cameron Mitchell entered from the side room, sat down across from Vala and ran his hand through his short hair. “You broke his nose.”

Vala bit her lip for a moment and then decided to speak her mind. Very little could typically cause Vala to censor herself, and she was really not in the mood to play word games. “Good.”

 

Cameron blinked. “So, what did he do? I have to assume you had a good reason for attacking a member of the SGC.”

 

Vala pursed her lips as she thought of the best way to present her case. “He was behaving highly inappropriately towards me. He sexually propositioned me, and when I declined he grabbed my shoulder. When he refused to remove his hand, I removed it for him.”

 

“And broke his nose.” Cameron added. “He needed surgery.”

 

Shrugging, Vala turned away from Cameron. “Not really my problem.”

 

Cameron got to his feet. “I get that you’re pissed and I don’t deny that you were within your rights to defend yourself if you felt you were in danger from him, but you need to adjust your attitude about this.”

 

“I need to adjust my attitude?” Vala hopped down off the bed, only the thickness of the bandages reminding her not to reflexively pull her hand into a fist. “He called me all sorts of names that I’ve been assured are most impolite and I’m the one who is in the wrong here?”

 

“Vala. There’s a little thing called politics on Earth. It means that you can’t just go off hitting someone just because they insult you or say something you don’t like. Believe me, I would have never made it to where I am now if I’d simply reacted when someone said something

impolite about me. You have to learn to control your temper,” Cameron said.

 

Vala turned away from Cameron. She was quite adept at knowing when she wasn’t going to be listened to. “Am I under arrest?”

 

Cameron shook his head. “No. I already spoke to the General and assured him that Corporal Lane was out of line and that you were justifiably provoked. As soon as you’re released from the infirmary you can go back to doing whatever it is you’ve been doing during the day.”

 

She turned and stared incredulously. “But you hadn’t even talked to me.”

 

“I know. I watched the security camera footage and put together the pieces. Still, if you have that type of problem in the future, come to me or Sam. We’ll take care of it through the proper channels,” Cameron nodded. “Oh, and Daniel’s been looking for you. He wants to know why you’ve stopped helping him translate.”

 

Vala grinned and leapt forward to give Cameron a hug, startling him in the process. “Thank you.” She fled from the infirmary before anyone could stop her.

 

First she would go wash and change her clothes and wash up, and then go find Daniel and bother him for a couple of hours. The fact that Daniel had noticed her absence meant that he had noticed her presence to begin with. “Take that, Lane.” Vala grinned to herself and hurried down the hallway. That Cameron had stood up for her even before he had listened to her side of the story had eased her worries some and for the first time in a while she felt that she might be alright staying at the SGC, at the very least until the Ori were defeated.

 

*****

 

Vala sat in her room on her bed, lounging in a tank top and pajama bottoms. She was reading one of the books that Daniel had let her borrow. Her right hand lay next to her on the bed, an ice pack resting on her fingers. Her hand was still a little swollen, but better than it had been earlier in the day. It was nearly time to sleep but Vala still felt too restless to really settle in. The days events replayed in her mind over and over; losing the fight, Corporal Lane in the hallway, punching him, the chaos afterward.

 

She stood up, abandoning the ice pack and started to stretch, feeling the tension slowly drain from her muscles as she moved.

 

Her door opened and Vala mused that she really had to do something about people entering her bedroom unannounced. Woolsey stepped inside, closing the door and staring at Vala.

 

“Can I help you?” Vala asked, too worked up over the events of the day to bother being polite, even to Woolsey.

 

“Yes, you can. I’d like to know what you were thinking today, striking a member of the US military.” Woolsey raised his chin and folded his arms.

 

“I’ve already given my statement. Corporal Lane was behaving in a manner that was inappropriate towards me and refused to alter his behavior when I asked him to.” Vala struggled to keep her voice calm, her hand aching as she reflexively tried to clench her fingers.

Woolsey frowned as he moved forward. “Yes, I’ve seen your statement. It sounds highly similar to the accusations you made about me, a fact I reminded the General about.”

 

Vala barely managed to stop herself from reminding Woolsey that her accusations against him had been entirely true.

 

He reached out and placed his hands on Vala’s shoulders, holding her in place.

 

Vala froze, the feel of his hands on her bare shoulders triggering a flood of memories. The most recent was Lane, his fingers digging into her shoulder. Then the hands of the Ori as they dragged her to the bench where she’d been chained down and burned alive. The hands of the villagers who had taken revenge on her after she’d been freed of the Goa’uld symbiote. She shivered slightly as she stared at Woolsey, not really seeing him anymore.

 

“I am aware that you are more than capable of physically removing me from your presence, but what you need to understand is that I am authorized by the IOA to remove you from the SGC if there are any more reports of physical altercations. I’m sure that if you assaulted a member of the IOA they would be particularly willing to place you in a jail cell for the rest of your life. I have all the power here. I hold all the cards.” Woolsey spoke softly, his words almost whispered. “So, be my guest.”

 

Vala stared, almost unwilling to believe that she was really being threatened by this miserable, disgusting man.

 

“No response? You’re not going to hit me like you did the Corporal?” Woolsey asked, taunting her in his own, reserved way.

 

“No.” Vala whispered. Even if she had decided to disregard his threats, she didn’t particularly feel like hitting him at the moment anyway. She was certain that would pass as soon as Woolsey was out of her sight.

 

They stood awkwardly for what seemed like an eternity, Woolsey not moving his hands from Vala’s shoulders and Vala standing still, not really in the same room as the rest of herself.

 

Woolsey let go but took a step forward, entirely in Vala’s space, his chin inches away from Vala’s temple. “I will come by the SGC in the next week or so, check up on you. Make sure you’re behaving yourself.”

 

Vala closed her eyes and waited until she heard the click of the door shut and then waited a few minutes longer, not wanting to know if he had really left or not. Finally she gathered her courage and opened her eyes, finding herself entirely alone.

 

She started breathing deeply and managed to grab the blanket from the end of her bed before dropping down onto the carpeted floor. She wrapped herself up tightly, barely noticing the pain from her hand as she held the blanket tight against her chest. It took a long time for the shaking to subside and Vala climbed into bed and turned off her lamp, staring blankly out into the dark.

 

*****

 

A knock on Vala’s door roused her from the reading that she was currently doing in one of the texts that Daniel had asked her to look through for clues to the location of Merlin’s weapon. She called for whoever it was to go ahead and open the door; if it was Woolsey he wouldn’t have knocked.

 

Daniel poked his head in and cautiously entered the room, dressed in clothing that Vala had come to recognize as casual wear for people outside of the military.

 

“Hey, if you aren’t busy I wondered if you wanted to get off the base for a little while?” Daniel asked.

 

Vala shook her head. “Can’t. I need the General’s permission to leave, and he probably doesn’t trust me too much right now.”

 

“I took the liberty of getting you a day pass. Meet me up top when you’ve changed,” Daniel flashed her a brief smile and retreated, pulling Vala’s door shut behind him.

 

Vala enthusiastically slammed the book shut and leapt to her feet, eagerly stripping out of her blue fatigues and pulling a dress out from her wardrobe. She spent an extra few minutes pulling her hair up and hurried to the elevator. Taking the elevator all the way up to the surface was something she’d only done a couple of times and she was looking forward to getting outside on a planet where they weren’t going to get captured or having anyone shooting at them. She’d been cooped up in the SGC for longer than she wanted to think about and the concrete walls and floors were starting to make her feel a little bit claustrophobic.

 

Daniel was waiting for her as Vala stepped out of the elevator. “Ready?”

 

“Ready,” Vala confirmed, flashing Daniel a bright, thankful smile.

 

They signed out and Vala followed Daniel to his car, getting in the passenger side as Daniel settled into the driver’s seat.

 

“Seat belts.” He motioned to the strap that he affixed around his waist.

 

Vala turned in her seat and found her own, buckling it in without any problems. She reached forward eagerly to the stereo controls and wasn’t surprised to find her hand smacked away.

 

They left the parking lot and Vala leaned back and took in the trees and the blue sky. Earth wasn’t really different from most of the planets she had been on. More people, absolutely, and some strange social customs that Vala was only just starting to understand. But the planet itself; the trees and the sky and the mountains looked just about the same as almost anywhere she’d been.

 

She glanced over and caught Daniel looking at her and smiling. “What?”

 

“I’d forgotten how long you’ve been in the SGC. Teal’c gets that same look, sometimes, when he hasn’t been out in a while.” Daniel sounded a little sad.

 

“I have a hard time imagining Teal’c expressing himself like I do.” Vala smiled back at Daniel.

 

Daniel paused as they reached a stop light. “Well, that’s true. But his look means the same thing. Humans, and Jaffa, weren’t meant to live underground, never seeing the sky. I’ll try and make sure you get out more often. I know it’s been a big change for you, moving to Earth.”

 

Vala nodded noncommittally and returned to gazing out the window as they drove into town. She watched the people on the sidewalks as they hurried around their business, all of them oblivious to the dangers of the Goa’uld and the Ori that lurked beyond their field of vision. “Your entire planet really has no idea?” She had intended the thought to be a statement but it came out with an unintended tone of disbelief.

 

“Kind of amazing, really. There’s maybe three thousand people on Earth who know about the Stargate and even less who have a real idea of how much danger we’re all in.” Daniel shrugged. “There’s been talk of going public, but the idea of six billion people suddenly panicking over just the idea that there are aliens out there has the government leery of letting anyone know until after the war is over. At the earliest.”

 

“Assuming the Ori don’t destroy us all first.” She blinked as Daniel pulled into a parking lot and stopped the car.

 

“Yes, assuming that.” Daniel turned off the car and pulled his keys out of the ignition. “Come on, I didn’t take you out of the SGC to talk about how we’re all doomed. And remember, that means no talking about the Stargate, or aliens, or anything else that’s classified.”

 

Vala grinned at Daniel before getting out of the car. “You know I’d never do that.”

 

“Right.” Daniel sounded fairly certain that given the opportunity she would do exactly that.

 

“What did we come here for?” Vala looked around the parking lot. They were just outside a group of shops towards the center of the town. “You want to shop?”

 

Daniel shook his head. “Not exactly. Come on.” He motioned her towards one of the stores and Vala followed, eager to see what Daniel had wanted to show her. Daniel had taken Vala to a few of the museums in the city, wanting to show her the background of Earth culture and help her understand the planet a little better. At the time Vala hadn’t really paid much attention, just happy that Daniel was wanting to spend time with her, but now that Vala was starting to think that she’d be on Earth at least until the Ori were driven back to their galaxy she wanted to know more about the people that she was living among.

 

The shop they entered was a little cold compared to the mild heat of the summer afternoon and Vala shivered slightly at the change in temperature. “Ice cream?” Vala asked, looking at the signs and pictures on the walls. “Isn’t there ice cream in the mess hall sometimes?”

 

“Yes, but come look at the flavors.” Daniel motioned her forward to the glass counter.

 

Vala blinked in amazement at all the different colors and mixtures that were under the glass, each with a little tag saying what the flavor was called. She laughed a little and turned to Daniel who was smiling as he watched her.

 

“Decide what you want to try. If you want a small sample of something you can ask the person behind the counter.” Daniel laughed a little as he remembered the first time Vala had been in the SGC mess hall. She had eagerly tried some of everything that she could get her hands on, wanting to taste as many different dishes as possible. Daniel had made it a point to bring in take-out from different Earth cultures on occasion, letting Vala try some of each dish. He’d noted that no matter what food the culture came from Vala was always enamored with the dessert.

Vala started at one end of the counter and began looking her way through the different flavors, ignoring those that she’d tasted before (chocolate, vanilla and strawberry) and requesting tastes of some of the things she at least recognized the names of. “Cotton candy?” She turned to Daniel curiously.

 

“Ah, it’s sugar that’s flavored and spun into a fluffy mass.” Daniel paused. “Wait, seriously? Cotton candy flavored ice cream?” He made a face indicating his feelings about the flavor.

 

Vala grinned and asked the employee for a sample, making a similar face to Daniel’s after trying it. “Very, very sweet.”

 

Daniel laughed. “Yes, I’d imagine so.”

 

Vala continued to work her way down the counter, pausing to try banana nut, lemon custard, and mint chocolate chip.

 

“Know what you want?” Daniel asked when Vala had reached the end of the counter.

 

“Yes. Mint chocolate chip,” Vala said.

 

Daniel stepped forward to the counter and motioned to the employee. “Two cones, one mint chocolate chip and one chocolate mocha.” He paid for the ice cream and took their cones, handing Vala hers before grabbing some napkins and stuffing them in his pocket.

 

Vala followed Daniel out of the shop and back out into the street. “Where are we going?” She asked, licking around the edges of the ice cream. She’d learned the first time she’d had ice cream that biting into it was painful and led to headaches.

 

“The park.” Daniel walked with Vala to the intersection, pausing to point out the walk signs and the buttons that allowed them to cross the street without getting run over by cars.

 

They crossed the street and walked into the park, the trees and shrubs obscuring their view of the traffic within a few minutes. They walked companionably as they ate their ice cream, Daniel briefly explaining to Vala that she could eat the cone too, much to her delight. They paused briefly at a water fountain and cleaned up.

 

“Here?” Vala asked, wiping at her mouth with the damp napkin.

 

“No, down some, to the side.” Daniel touched the spot on his own face, trying to get Vala to mirror his actions.

 

“Now?” She asked again after wiping her face once more.

 

“No.” Daniel took the napkin from her and wiped the spot of ice cream off Vala’s chin. “Here.”

 

“Thanks.” Vala accepted the napkin back from Daniel and was surprised to find herself blushing a little. She turned away for a moment under the pretense of throwing her napkin in the garbage can until she felt the heat in her face recede. “Really, thank you. It was nice of you to bring me out here.”

 

Daniel nodded, his expression suddenly serious. “Yeah, well I had a bit of an ulterior motive. Why don’t we sit down.” He motioned to a nearby picnic table.

 

They sat down and Vala scuffed at the dirt with the toes of her slip on shoes. Sam had taken her shopping a week after she’d arrived on Earth for all the little things you couldn’t get out of catalogs, assuring her that none of the men on SG1 knew enough about “girl shopping” to pull it off properly. As a result Vala had a pair of shoes that wasn’t some type of boot that was suitable for running for her life through all sorts of terrain. In a way the civilian clothes that she’d bought, the dresses, skirts, and girly shoes reminded her of the months she spent with the Ori in a dress. Sure, they were a bit more easy on the eyes, but they were still dresses for housework or sitting around, not for fighting or running.

 

“I wanted to make sure you were alright,” Daniel started uncertainly.

 

“Now why wouldn’t I be alright, Daniel?” Vala smiled disarmingly.

 

“Cam told me about what happened with the marine. How’s your hand?” Daniel motioned to Vala’s hand.

 

She held it out. Vala, amazingly enough, hadn’t broken or sprained anything and the ice had taken down the swelling. The only signs left over were small bruises and a few scrapes on her knuckles. “My hand is very good, actually. Much better than Corporal Lane’s nose, I’d imagine.”

 

“I hope so.”

 

Vala turned sharply, shocked by Daniel’s words. “You really mean that?”

 

Daniel nodded, entirely serious. “I do. Like Cam, I know that you wouldn’t have done it if he hadn’t deserved it.”

 

She shook her head. “I’m not so sure that Cameron thinks that.”

 

“He does. He just doesn’t show it because he didn’t want to you running around beating up all the marines and airmen on base.” Daniel reached out and took Vala’s hand gently in his, lightly touching the bruises and scrapes.

 

“Too late. Already beat most of them up in the gym.” Vala grinned but her smile faded at Daniel’s expression.

 

“Lane’s claiming that you attacked him because you lost a sparring match. Now, I know that’s not true because if you were pissed about that you would have made a show of rendering him helpless and leaving him somewhere to be humiliated.” Daniel raised his eyebrows thoughtfully.

 

Vala nodded. “True. Very true. Probably without certain pieces of his clothing as well.”

 

Their conversation paused, Vala looking out over the park and raising her face so that she could feel the sun on her skin. Daniel shifted and turned so that he was straddling the bench of the picnic table.

 

“Okay, so I’m going to tell you a story,” he started after hesitating for a moment.

 

She turned her attention back to Daniel, both confused and curious as to where Daniel was going with this.

 

“When I first started at the SGC I’d just come back from a year on Abydos. I didn’t have a home or a family, my wife had just been taken host by the Goa’uld Amaunet and I was suddenly part of a military team and living on a military base.” Daniel paused as he gathered his thoughts.

 

Vala blinked and she looked at Daniel. She had known about Daniel’s wife, but she’d never really heard him talk about his past this way before. She could see that it still was painful for him to remember this time in his life, but that he had it under control. There was a quiet strength to Daniel. He didn’t have the need to go around pushing himself into things to prove that he could, he just stated things as he saw them. It was one of the things that had both taken Vala by surprise and drawn her to him when she had taken the Prometheus.

 

“The first couple of weeks were an adjustment, making a life on Earth and knowing that I had to be out there, trying to find Sha’re and get that thing out of her. I was still at odds with Jack and Teal’c, and I didn’t really know Sam that well yet. I was very alone.” Daniel looked up briefly, meeting Vala’s eyes. “A few weeks in, one of the airmen started to harass me. Nothing big; name calling, a few shoves in the hall, calls in the night with heavy breathing on the receiver. I thought that I should be able to handle it by myself. I had three advanced degrees and I would be damned if I was going to run to Jack or the General. I thought, surely it would only show them that I was weak, that I wasn’t capable of being on a ‘gate team. I couldn’t let that happen. I had to rescue Sha’re.”

 

Vala dropped her gaze, she had a pretty good idea of where this conversation was heading. “Daniel…”

 

“Let me finish.” His tone made the words more gentle than they otherwise would have been.

 

Vala realized that Daniel was waiting for her agreement and she nodded.

 

“This went on for a couple of months. I spent as much time off-world or off base as possible, rearranging my schedule and running myself ragged trying to balance everything and avoid the airman. One day, the airman caught me in the hallways by myself and was proceeding to give a thoroughly scathing dressing down on what he thought of my field abilities when Jack came up and gave him an equally scathing dressing down and dismissing him, telling the airman to get out of his sight before he did something he might regret.” Daniel smiled, clearly caught up in the memory.

 

“And then he turned to me and said: ‘You’re not alone here. I know you think you are, but you’re part of a team now. And we watch each others backs. No questions asked.’ Then he took me back to his place and made me watch hockey with him.” He shrugged. “I never said Jack was perfect. But the same thing applies here. You’re part of SG1 and we look out for each other.”

 

Shaking her head, Vala glanced at Daniel. “I’m not really a member of SG1. And, I can take care of myself.”

 

“You are. You go through the ‘gate with us and nearly get killed at every turn. That makes you part of the team. And I know that you can take care of yourself, that’s not my point.” Daniel was beginning to get the exasperated edge to his voice, the one that he used when someone was being deliberately obtuse.

 

“What is the point then, Daniel?” Vala couldn’t keep snap from her words, the conversation putting her on edge more than she would have liked.

 

“The point is that you don’t have to do this alone. If someone, like Corporal Lane, is bothering you, then you can tell us and we’ll take care of it.” Daniel glanced up as the breeze ruffled his hair.

 

Vala swallowed hard. She wanted to tell Daniel about Woolsey, trust that he would be able to take care of it and Woolsey would go away. But it was one thing for him to believe her about Corporal Lane saying inappropriate things. If she hadn’t been there herself she wouldn’t believe that a proper little man like Woolsey would be capable of cornering someone in their quarters and threatening them. And besides, she couldn’t even really tell Daniel what Lane had said. Everyone on the base knowing about her affection for Daniel was bad enough, without having to say those words to Daniel’s face.

 

“Vala, you can talk to me. Whenever you’re ready.” Daniel offered.

 

“What happened to the airman? The one that was bothering you?” Vala asked, her voice unsteady.

 

“He didn’t bother me after that day and after he finished his tour at the base he transfered to Area 51, ironically citing something about a less threatening work environment. Somehow I don’t think he was talking about the Goa’uld. Besides, after that Jack started teaching me hand to hand combat and weapons skills beyond the basics they’d shown me before I was allowed to go through the ‘gate.” The amusement in Daniel’s voice spoke to how far this was in the past for him. He hadn’t worried about someone bothering him on base for years, even after Jack had left.

 

Vala considered this for a moment before deciding that it didn’t really apply. There wasn’t anyone at the SGC who was in a position to do something about Woolsey. Glancing across the park, Vala got to her feet. “Can we go see the birds by the water?”

 

Daniel sighed but stood up as well. “Sure. The ducks around here are pretty tame. You should be able to walk right up to them.”

 

They spent a little longer in the park before driving back to the base. Daniel seemed to recognize that the subject matter, for Vala at least, was closed. At the entrance to Cheyenne Mountain Vala paused and looked out over the sky, wondering how long it would be before she was allowed out on Earth again. Daniel stood back and let her take her time, recognizing the reluctance of someone who was nearly in captivity. The elevator ride back down into the SGC was long and quiet and Vala bid Daniel farewell at the level where his office was. If nothing else had been accomplished that day, Vala mused, at least Daniel had surfaced from his books long enough to see the sun. She figured that he saw about as much of the sunlight as she did.

*****

 

Vala sighed as she wandered around her bedroom, starting to recognized some of the items. Doctor Lam had reassured her that her memories of the SGC would return fully within the next week or so, probably along with some memories from her time as a host to Qetesh.

After the few flashes that she recalled from being a host she would rather not remember as much of that as possible.

 

The man who she was beginning to connect with her scattered memories of Daniel had left her for a little while to gather her bearings, whatever that meant, and had assured her that he would come collect her for dinner. She found him to be particularly kind to her, even though all of the members of SG1 had been gentle around her. Even Cameron had been remarkably tolerant, considering that she had left him handcuffed to a bed in a hotel. Vala smiled suddenly, realizing that she remembered enough about the behavior of her teammates to compare their current behavior with how they had acted towards her in the past. It was something, at least.

 

She looked through her wardrobe, confused when she found a packet of papers that she didn’t recognize buried under a pile of her clothing.

She opened the envelope and read the conversation, clearly something that someone had transcribed. It was between her and Daniel, discussing someone called the Ascended Ancients. She turned the envelope over in her hands, trying to figure out why should would have something like this to begin with, let along keep it in a drawer of clothing.

 

Vala sat down on the foot of the bed, still holding the envelope, reading the conversation one more time when the memory hit. Finding the envelope on her bed, reading the conversation as she remembered having it, knowing who must have recorded it and not knowing how.

Woolsey. The name brought back a whole new set of memories, being threatened, his hands on her shoulders. Vala shivered and tucked the papers back into the envelope, closed it and tucked it back under the pile of clothes.

 

When she had finally believed Daniel about where she was from and who she was she’d been so relieved. She belonged somewhere. She had a life, and a purpose. Now, she didn’t feel nearly as relieved and almost wished to be back at Sal’s diner, knowing that he would at the very least have some advice, maybe even keep her from wanting to run. Vala straightened her shoulders. Daniel had told her that she had stopped running away and she had believed him. That meant that she had to stay here now and work through whatever had happened here. She just hoped there wasn’t any more nasty surprises lurking in her memory.

 

*****

 

Vala sat in the mess hall of the Odyssey, clinging to a cup of coffee and trying not to think of the last time she’d been taking a trip back to the SGC on this ship. Seeing everyone subdued over the loss of their commander, Colonel Emerson, was painful. In comparison to the lively memories that she recalled from the mess hall before, the ship was quiet and still, as though something crucial in the ship itself had died along with Emerson. Sam, in particular, seemed lost every time she emerged from the engine room. She was pulling double shifts trying to get everything functioning again, even though most of the major systems were at least back online and working with minimal functionality.

Cameron had told them later that Sam had told him how she had seen Emerson executed and then was forced to work on the ship for Anateo. Vala could empathize, having seen executions of people she knew before, and having been witness to some of the executions the Goa’uld Qetesh had ordered while she had been a host. She was familiar with the feelings of helplessness and guilt that came with seeing something like that, but she didn’t know what to do to make things better for Sam. So Vala hung around in engineering and helped as much as possible, bringing coffee and sandwiches to Sam when she couldn’t be of use in any other way.

 

Cameron and Teal’c entered the mess hall, getting coffee and food before coming and sitting with Vala.

 

“How’s she doing?” Cameron asked before he even set his tray down.

 

“As well as can be expected. She’s working too much, but she’ll be alright.” Vala reached out and took Cameron’s coffee cup, sipping from it while daring him with her eyes to do something about it.

 

Cameron nodded and let Vala have his coffee. He, like everyone in the SGC, understood losing people in particularly horrific ways and knew that in many cases, their enemy, be it the Goa’uld or the Ori, would just as soon kill them as be in the same room with them. The fact that most of the Lucian Alliance was human only reminded them how close to home the war really was. “She’ll manage.”

 

*****

 

Daniel walked through the SGC, half asleep. He’d been planning on going home earlier in the evening, but had gotten caught up in a particularly difficult dialect of Ancient shortly after dinner and the next time he looked at the clock it was past two in the morning and too late to drive safely. He’d worked another thirty minutes before giving up as words began to blur in front of him, acknowledging that he wasn’t a college student anymore and all nighters were becoming a thing of the past, except for in emergency situations.

 

He yawned, covering his mouth with his hand and nearly knocked someone over. Reaching out, he steadied the person and finished yawning. “Sorry about that.” He spoke before he realized whose arm he was holding.

 

“It’s fine. I didn’t expect to see you at this hour,” Vala said, looking about as tired as Daniel felt.

 

Daniel yawned again unable to help himself. “That makes two of us. What are you doing wandering around so late?” He started walking towards the base quarters, motioning Vala to join him.

 

“Couldn’t sleep, thought I’d go for a walk and get a change of scenery. Unfortunately, the scenery doesn’t seem to change much down here.” Vala shrugged and fought back a yawn of her own.

 

He turned to Vala as they walked, unable to tell if she was making a joke. It seemed like something she would say if she was playing around but her tone sounded entirely serious. “How about we go out next weekend, drive into Denver and go see a play or something?” He suggested.

 

It was Vala’s turn to stare. “Really? You’d take me out after what happened last time?”

 

“Sure. It’s not like the Trust is going to follow you everywhere. Besides, you took out several of their operatives last time and managed to escape without too much trouble at all. I think if they were going to make another attempt they wouldn’t want to do it in Denver, where you’d undoubtably cause a huge scene,” Daniel reasoned.

 

Vala considered this for a moment. “I’m not sure whether or not that is a complement. But I’m going to take it as one. Thank you. And yes, I would love to go see a play with you in Denver.”

 

Daniel smiled, this was sounding a little more like Vala. “Great. Are you going to be able to sleep tonight? You can get some sleeping pills from the infirmary if you need them.”

 

She shrugged her shoulders but wasn’t able to prevent herself from reaching up and rubbing her eyes. “It seemed like the rest of SG1 has gone on a sleep strike, so I figured I’d join the fun. Maybe after a few more days we’ll start having group hallucinations.”

 

Daniel shuddered. “Been there, done that. Not recommended, even if the hallucinations weren’t sleep deprivation induced.” He had never been able to think of the song ‘Row, row, row your boat’ the same since Urgo had messed with them. And it was true about the rest of SG1 having equal problems with sleeping on a normal schedule. He’d caught each of his teammates wondering around the SGC after midnight at least once this week, Sam being the chronic offender.

 

Vala smiled weakly. “Well, in that case I’ll scratch it off my list of team bonding activities.”

 

“Great.” Daniel yawned again and stretched. “I think that’s my cue to go to bed. Sleep if you can. And if you see Sam wandering around, send her to bed too.”

 

“Will do. Goodnight, Daniel.” Vala stood outside Daniel’s quarters and watched him drift inside.

 

“Goodnight, Vala,” he responded, almost absentmindedly.

 

*****

 

Vala stared at the door to her room. Woolsey had just left, walking away from her with an air of distaste, as if simply being near Vala or touching her skin left him feeling tainted. Or maybe that’s just how Vala felt, herself. She wasn’t really sure anymore. She got up and pulled on her jacket, feeling strangely cold. Vala left her room without a backwards glance, pulling the door shut but not bothering to lock it. It wasn’t like the lock did any good to keep anyone out. She briefly considered slipping a weapon from the armory, but doubted that she could kill Woolsey inside the SGC without being caught at some point. Being imprisoned by the IOA with Woolsey around would be one thing, but to be imprisoned there without his interest in her, and his potential protection from other members of the IOA and maybe the Trust was simply not something she was going to let happen.

 

She laughed out loud, startling a nearby scientist. She was walking through the SGC while plotting how to best murder one of their governing officials. Clearly, at some point in the past few years she had gone completely crazy. She thought about this for a moment, wondering at which point exactly she had lost her mind. Possibly at some point while living in the Ori village, pregnant with a child that she had not conceived. Or maybe when her child grew to a full grown adult within days and proceeded to nearly kill Vala. Or, maybe, when Woolsey had somehow managed to convince her not to bash his skull in with something particularly hard and blunt. That was probably it.

 

She shook her head and looked around, trying to figure out where exactly in the SGC she had wound up. Her wanderings had started to take her further and further off the trodden path lately. Sparing in the gym had lost its appeal some time ago, shortly after she realized that she could take out almost every man on the base without too much effort. The exceptions were always the best of the best, usually members of SG teams who were just as used to fighting rough and dirty just to survive as she was. Now she just walked through the SGC, getting off the elevator on random levels and walking through the corridors, only stopping when she had to try and find her way back.

 

The hallways had been empty for some distance and Vala guessed that she’d found another one of the storage areas, nothing but room upon vast room of artifacts, or technical equipment or, in one particularly strange set of rooms, plants. Daniel had later informed her that this was part of the botany department and the plants were all samples from various planets.

 

Vala sighed and sat down on the floor, leaning against the cool, concrete wall. She had to leave. There were no other options. She couldn’t stay on Earth any longer, no matter how much she appreciated the protection from the Ori and Lucian Alliance that they offered. She’d be dead several times over if it hadn’t been for timely rescues by other members of SG1. She fingered the patches on her jacket, her chest squeezing tightly as she thought about leaving them behind.

 

She thought of what it would mean to be back on her own again, watching her own back, sleeping curled up in corners with her hands wrapped around the handle of a weapon. Of course, she hadn’t been sleeping much at the SGC either. The more times that Woolsey visited the less able she was to stay in her room at night. Even on the nights that she knew Woolsey was not on the base she couldn’t stay there; pacing or tossing and turning until she gave up and started walking the halls.

 

She looked at her hands and noticed that they were shaking. She pressed them hard against her knees and realized that it wasn’t just her hands that were shaking, it was all of her. Vala wrapped her arms around her knees and pulled them up to her chest, remembering nights that she’d sat in the halls of her childhood home in the same position listening to fights or trade deals or other sundry chores that her mother had taken on trying to keep their family fed.

 

There was no more excuses, not even Daniel could change what was happening. Either Woolsey had to go or she did, and since Woolsey was a rather permanent fixture in the Earth government it would have to be her. She thought back over the conversation that she’d had with Daniel in the park, about how they were a team that protected and defended each other. They were supposed to come to each others rescue, arriving just in time to save the day. Vala laughed again, this time accompanied by tears. She may have worked her way onto SG1, but there was nothing her team could do for her.

 

They had a mission the next day, a visit to a planet that had been contacted by an Ori Prior and ordered to convert. They were to go and try to explain their understanding of Origin to the village leaders and see what they could do to protect them if they chose to deny the Ori. She would go after the mission.

 

Leave Daniel a note and explain that she couldn’t stay, that she had to go to Adria and try to fix things. That would be enough to throw them off her trail long enough for her to disappear completely. She’d leave the next night, while everyone but Teal’c was off base, tucked into their houses and their beds. No one would be the wiser.

 

Convinced that this was the only course of action, Vala rose to her feet and was pleased to find that the shaking had stopped. She walked calmly back to her quarters, planning what she could manage to pack, what she could take to trade, and where she might go to find at least a temporary sanctuary.

 

*****

 

“SG1, you have a go.” General Landry’s voice sounded over the intercom and they walked as a group up the ramp and into the event horizon.

Vala took a deep breath of chilled air as they stepped onto the planet on the other side and took in her surroundings. The area appeared fairly primitive; a small village within sight of the ‘gate, a dense forest surrounding them on the other three sides. She could hear the sound of birds in the trees and in the distant background the sound of water running.

 

Sam and Cameron lowered their weapons, apparently convinced of the relative safety of the area around the ‘gate.

 

Daniel held up his binoculars and peered at the village. “They seem to have noticed our arrival. There’s a group of five people headed our way, none of them appear to be carrying weapons.” He handed to binoculars to Cameron for a second verification.

 

Teal’c motioned them forward and they began to walk as a group.

 

Vala let her hand drift over the Zat gun in her thigh holster, comforted by its presence. She wanted to take one with her when she left Earth, pleased with how easily she adapted to using the Zat and had found that she was more comfortable with it than she was with any of the revolvers or the P-90.

 

They came to a halt a dozen paces away from the group from the village.

 

“Hello. We’re explorers from-” Daniel started, taking a step forward with his hands held out to show that he wasn’t holding a weapon.

 

“We know who you are. The Prior told us that you would arrive sometime soon to offer a critique of Origin.” The man in the most voluminous robes spoke, his hands also held out.

 

SG1 exchanged glances among themselves. It appeared that the Ori had figured out their strategy of tracking them from world to world, trying to undo the damage that the Prior’s were causing.

 

“That’s right.” Cameron said, stepping up so that he was standing next to Daniel. “Are you willing to listen to what we have to say or should we just turn around and go home.”

 

Vala noticed Daniel giving Cameron a particularly disapproving look.

 

“We are willing to hear your claims against Origin. Come with us back to the village where we may speak in the great hall.” The same man spoke, turning and beginning walking without waiting for a response.

 

“To the great hall.” Cameron said with a shrug, starting after the villagers.

 

“Could you try to be a little bit more welcoming? We might get more people to listen that way,” Daniel said, hurrying to walk alongside Cameron.

 

“They are willing to listen,” Cameron pointed out.

 

Vala exchanged an amused and exasperated glance with Sam, who responded with rolled eyes, and they followed behind Daniel and Cameron, Teal’c bringing up the rear.

 

*****

 

The talks hadn’t gone as well as they had hoped and after a few hours they broke for a recess, the council wishing to convene in private to discuss the matters that SG1 had brought up.

 

“How hard is it?” Cameron snapped. “The Ori are evil. They want to suck power from you by making you chant for hours every day. You don’t want to worship them. End of story.”

 

Daniel frowned. “They actually bring up some good points, even if we know that the points themselves are wrong. But it’s clear that they’re intelligent and that they’ve examined the book of Origin pretty closely.

 

“If they were intelligent we would have been done with the debate hours ago and working on a way to defend their village.” Cameron pointed out.

 

“What about all the other villages? Their leader said there were several more in the vicinity.” Sam pointed out.

 

“They also said that the Prior didn’t visit them, just this village. If they don’t deny Origin and we successfully protect them, the other villages shouldn’t be bothered by the Priors at all.” Cameron sat down on the steps of the fountain that sat in the middle of the town. “We have more important things to be doing than arguing with people who clearly don’t want to listen to us, despite what they may claim about having open minds.”

 

Daniel folded his arms and looked away. “I’m going for a walk. Call me on the radio when they’re ready reconvene.” He walked away without another word, leaving Vala to glance at Sam before hurrying after him before he could get out of sight.

 

He turned when he heard her approaching but smiled slightly when he saw that it was Vala and not Cameron. “He’s a good person; intelligent, caring, a good sense of humor. But sometimes he’s so much like Jack in his problem solving that it makes me want to scream.”

 

Vala returned the smile. “I think he feels the same about you. Well, not about the Jack part, but about the way you approach things. It’s different than his, or even Teal’c or Sam’s. It confuses him sometimes.”

 

“Yeah, I’m sure it does.” Daniel stretched his arms. “Well, he’s right about one thing. One more hour trapped in that stuffy room and I might just let the Ori have them.”

 

Vala laughed. “You’re lucky that I know that you don’t mean that.”

 

“Oh, I mean it. Really, I get that the planet is cold, but having four fires stoked all the way up is overkill. I was more comfortable on Abydos than I was in that room.” Daniel shook his arms out. “I’m all sweaty, and if I have to patiently refute one more fable from the book of Origin I will probably toss the thing into the fire, even if it does make it hotter in there.”

 

Their lively conversation covered the sounds of six men approaching from behind them, using the cover of the forest to stay out of sight until the last possible moment.

 

Daniel and Vala struggled valiantly as they were restrained and hoods came down over their heads, blinding them so that fighting became impossible.

*****

 

Daniel grunted as he hit the stone ground of the cell, his hands not released soon enough to be able to catch himself. He heard a similar cry as Vala was unceremoniously shoved into the jail cell next to his, the doors both shutting with a clang.

 

“Hey, wait!” Daniel shouted as the men who had captured them left the room. They hadn’t taken off the hoods off until they’d reached this room. He had absolutely no idea where they were or why they’d been captured, although he’d seen a man wearing the uniform that was associated with the Lucian Alliance.

 

“You alright?” He called, getting to his feet so he could examine their confines.

 

When Vala didn’t answer he immediately moved to the side of his cell, the bars separating them easy enough to reach through, though she wasn’t quite in his grasp. The cells were narrow enough that he could nearly brush his fingers against Vala’s shirt and she was nearly against the far side of her cell. Vala had rolled onto her back and was staring blankly up at the ceiling. “Vala? Did you hit your head? Vala, answer me.”

 

“I’m fine, Daniel,” she said. Her voice was thick as though she were speaking through the effects of sedation.

 

“Okay.” He clearly didn’t believe that Vala was fine. “Are you going to get up and try to see if there’s a way out of your cell, or are you just going to lay there?”

 

“Just going to lay here.” Vala rolled onto her side so that she wasn’t facing Daniel.

 

Daniel stared in disbelief. He would never think that Vala would take being captive lying down. He did a quick assessment of their circumstances. The bars on the cells were thick and on three sides, the fourth wall was entirely stone. All of the bars were well set in both the floor and the ceiling and the doors to the cells were locked and solid, the hinges thick. They had been stripped of their vests, jackets, watches, and weapons as soon as they’d been caught. They were stuck until someone came for them.

 

He walked back over to the side of the cell that bordered Vala’s. “Get up and go check your door, maybe you can pick the lock or something?”

 

Vala lay on the floor, her hands up covering her eyes, completely unresponsive to Daniel’s command. Her hair, which had been gathered in pony tail before they were captured was loose and spread out behind her on the floor, light from the oil lamps hanging in the hallway reflecting in the strands.

 

“Vala, I know that the situation doesn’t look good, but we’ve got to do our best to look for a way out and be ready if we get a chance to escape. We’ve been in lots of worse situations, the Lucian Alliance is a small fish comparatively.” Daniel was startled into silence at Vala’s semi-hysterical laughter.

 

“Daniel. Someone doesn’t have to be powerful to hurt you. They don’t have to be Goa’uld, or Ori, or have space ships and really big guns. They just have to want to.” Vala rolled so that she was looking at Daniel. She got to her feet and began to pace. “There’s no point. It’s just trading one jail cell for another.”

 

Daniel blinked. He had never seen Vala seem so desolated, even after discovering how dangerous Adria was or after being trapped with the Ori and being burned alive. “They’ll come for us. As soon as Cam realizes that we’re missing, he’ll come for us. If they can’t find us while they’re here, they’ll go get the Odyssey and use our subcutaneous transmitters to beam us out.”

 

“I’m not going back.” Vala’s statement was as emotionally blank as the rest of her statements. She turned away from Daniel again, her teeth worrying at her lower lip.

 

He leaned against the bars of the cell. “What do you mean?”

 

“I’m not going back to Earth.” Vala repeated. She stood still, starting to breathe a little more rapidly.

 

“Why not? I thought you liked being part of SG1. And if you go off on your own there’s pretty much no chance that you’re going to evade the Ori. They’ll kill you if they can’t convert you. Where would you go?” Daniel didn’t both to try and keep the incredulity out of his voice.

 

“It doesn’t matter. If we get out of this jail cell, I’m packing and I’m leaving.” Vala folded arms, frustrated with Daniel’s resistance to the idea.

 

“It does matter. Why would you leave? There’s still so much to do; we’ve still got to find the Sangraal.” Daniel paused and decided to take a chance. “I thought you’d changed. I thought you’d stopped running.”

 

Vala’s eyes flashed. “I have changed. If I hadn’t I would have smashed his face in months ago. But I haven’t changed that much. I’m not going back to be some pet to the IOA.”

 

Daniel felt the air leave his lungs in particularly confused beat. “What? Do you mean the Trust? We’ll do everything in our power to make sure they don’t take you again. I know Athena is still out there, but-”

 

“No, I mean the IOA. You know, the people that tell the SGC what it can and can’t do. Them.” She interrupted Daniel, too worked up to let him attempt to reassure her.

 

“What are you talking about?” Daniel’s voice was serious and hard. “Vala, what does the IOA have to do with this?”

 

She shook her head, moving erratically in her cell.

 

“Vala!” Daniel reached through the bars with both hands and captured Vala, pulling her tight against him and holding her arms and her torso. “Tell me.”

 

“No!” Vala’s shout echos in the small space. “You won’t believe me. You don’t trust me.”

 

“I think I know you well enough by now to know when you’re lying to me.” Daniel kept his voice even, his grasp changing more to offer comfort than to restrain when Vala sunk to the floor. Daniel went with her, keeping his arms around her in as best of a hug as he could manage through the metal bars.

 

He rocked her gently, waiting for her to regain her equilibrium. “Whatever it is, whatever is wrong, we’ll fix it. I promise.”

 

Vala sniffed and wiped her face on her shirt sleeve. “You can’t promise that.”

 

“Yes, I can. If I need to I’ll call in Jack to go headhunting for politicians, I will. Jack has no compunctions about taking out people who need it. It’s one of his better qualities, though it took me a while to realize that.” Daniel brushed a strand of Vala’s hair off her face and tucked it behind her ear. “I’m sure he’d be happy to take care of any corrupt members of the IOA for us. But let’s see if we can handle this without upping Jack’s body count.” He kept his voice gentle, as if they weren’t really sitting in a jail cell talking about having Jack O’Neill kill someone.

 

Vala nodded and struggled not to either lash out or start crying. Either felt like a possibility. “Richard Woolsey has been threatening me. He comes in my quarters, says that if I don’t do what he says that he’ll take me into custody. I’ll be put in a secret jail somewhere and no one will ever know where I’ve gone.” She felt her hands trembling. “If I had fought him off, it would have just led to the same thing, and no one would believe me if I told them. He was spying on me too. He had transcripts of a conversation that I had with you on Atlantis. No one should have been able to hear it, let alone record it word for word.”

 

Daniel tightened his arms around Vala, absolutely furious. “I might not let Jack take this one. I don’t even think I need a gun.”

 

Vala blinked and turned so that she could see Daniel. She’d expected him to either not believe her, or to say that they would talk to Woolsey and have him leave her alone. Daniel was clearly very angry, the muscles in his arms tight and firm as he fought against losing his temper. “What are we going to do?”

 

He grimaced. “Well, assuming I don’t just shove him through the Stargate onto an Ori occupied planet, we’ll make it so that he doesn’t have any access to the SCG, and if possible remove him from the IOA.”

 

“Even if you believe me-” Vala started.

 

“I do. You don’t have to worry about that. I never liked the man, especially after Khalek. He killed two airmen because Woolsey didn’t want to lose the opportunity to study the man.” Daniel made a bitter face at the word 'study'.

 

“Even though you believe me,” Vala restated, relaxing a little at Daniel’s nod of approval. “No one else is going to. If Cameron hadn’t seen the film from the security cameras he wouldn’t have listened to me about Corporal Lane.”

 

Daniel nodded. “Then we’ll just have to catch him in the act. Irrefutable proof.”

 

“And if that doesn’t work?” The uncertainty in Vala’s voice was clear, even though she was trying to hide it.

 

“Then we’ll figure out some other way. Worse comes to worse I’ll take care of it. People go missing all the time on Earth. No one will take much notice; they’ll just think the Trust or the NID took him out and leave it at that.” Daniel paused thoughtfully. “And if he comes by before we have the chance to deal with him then go to my office or my quarters. If you can’t find me, go to Sam, or Cameron or Teal’c. You don’t have to tell them why you’re there.”

 

Vala swallowed hard but nodded. “Alright. But if we’re killing him, I get to do it.”

 

Daniel blinked. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

 

“I’ve put up with his threats and disturbing advances for months now. I at least deserve the pleasure of ending his life.” Vala raised her chin and kept herself completely composed. “I need to do this.”

 

Daniel took a long look at her before slowly nodding. “Okay. But let’s try something that doesn’t involve killing first. Hiding a body is much easier when you have access to the Stargate, but it’s still a lot of work.”

 

Vala wasn’t the slightest bit disturbed that Daniel seemed to have a pretty good idea of what he was doing when it came to the removal of bodies without getting caught. In fact, it was a rather attractive quality. She smiled a little and was relieved to find Daniel smiling back, his eyes still sad and angry.

 

“Ready to try the lock on your cell?” Daniel asked, more gently than he had the first time.

 

“Let’s get out of here,” Vala agreed. She got to her feet and headed to the door with newfound determination.

 

*****

 

Vala jerked awake when she heard footsteps coming down the hallway.

 

They had been in the holding cells for what had seemed like a long time, until they had dropped off to sleep, still sitting together with only the bars separating them. Vala had tried to get the lock of her cell door open, using a pin from her hair to work inside what should have been a fairly easy lock to open. After an hour she was forced to concede defeat before passing the hair pin to Daniel and instructing him to try on his lock. When neither of them were able to make any progress whatsoever on escaping they sat back down, using each others body warmth as a source of comfort. Vala had mused that the Lucian Alliance might just leave them in there to die from dehydration. Daniel had countered that this was a good thing; no guards made it easier for the rest of SG1 to rescue them. But SG1 hadn’t found them yet either.

 

Vala reached through the bars and shook Daniel’s shoulder.

 

“What?” His voice was groggy at first until he came fully awake, remembering where they were.

 

“Someone’s coming,” Vala whispered. She got to her feet and watched Daniel do the same, rubbing at his eyes under his glasses.

 

A group of four men entered the hall in front of the cells and stood back, forming a disorganized line. Another man entered, this one in the uniform of the Lucian Alliance. He glanced over Daniel and Vala and motioned for one of the men to open the door to Daniel’s cell.

 

“Hello,” Daniel began. “I think we’ve had a little bit of a misunderstanding. We’re not here to interfere with your operations. We were just traveling through, trying to talk with the native people of this planet about the threat of the Ori when we were taken by these people. Now, if you’ll just release us, we’ll be happy to get out of your hair.”

 

Vala was slightly impressed that the man actually let Daniel finish speaking. Usually when they were captured, Daniel offering his 'friendly explorers' speech was cut off before he got to the “peaceful explorers” part.

 

The man in the uniform glanced to the other men. “It’s them. You will collect the reward on them when they are delivered to Kiva. Transfer them to my ship.” He walked back out without a backwards glance.

 

Two of the non-uniformed men stepped into Daniel’s cell and Daniel took a step back, ready to fight if he had to. “Now that he’s out of the way, maybe we can strike a deal. Whatever they’re offering you as a bounty is not worth getting on the Earth Stargate Command’s bad side, which you will if you hand us over to them. On the other hand, if you return us safely to the Stargate, I’m sure that we could work out some kind of trade that would be very beneficial to you.” He smiled as disarmingly as he could.

 

The men simply frowned, one of them pulling out what appeared to be a crude, but effective, set of handcuffs. “Come with us peacefully. We’re not allowed to kill you but Kiva did not specify the condition of his marks other than alive.”

 

Daniel sighed. “I’m guessing that peace talks are over.”

 

The same man as before nodded. “That’s right.”

 

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Daniel glanced at Vala, who was looking anxious in her cell. The other two men were standing outside her door but hadn’t opened it yet. She was trapped until they opened the door, unable to help Daniel defend himself.

 

The two men in Daniel’s cell started forward at the same time, hands outstretched to grab Daniel’s arms. Daniel reacted faster than he would have thought possible. After ten years on SG1 he had gotten remarkably used to being taken captive and had more combat time and training than most of the marines and airmen who were stationed at the SGC. He hadn’t been just a meek archeologist, well, ever really. But he’d become well versed in many fighting techniques both with and without weapons. And while he regretted the necessity of having to know such things he was eternally grateful to Jack for making him learn every time he was held captive and outnumbered.

 

He dodged the first man’s hands and caught the second’s arm, wrestling him to the ground. The first man recovered faster than Daniel expected and kicked Daniel, sending him sprawling over the second man. The fight was fast and rough, all three bleeding before long. Vala watched helplessly, wanting more than anything to get in there and help Daniel, but she was stuck until the guards opened her door.

Daniel was pulled to his feet, still struggling but one of the men had his arm around Daniel’s throat, effectively nearly immobilizing him. Daniel kicked with his feet and pulled his arms away from the man who was trying to place the cuffs around his wrists. The man holding Daniel around his neck was forced to step back as Daniel fought and Vala saw her opportunity.

 

Using the upper rail that held the cell bars together Vala hoisted herself up, thankful that the bars were big enough to fit her boots through. She braced herself with one foot and swung the other through the gap, slamming into the back of the man’s exposed neck. He was forced to release Daniel as all three stumbled forward. Before the man was all the way outside of her grasp, Vala reached forward and pulled him back against the bars, twisting his neck the best she could without the leverage that was necessary.

 

“Stop her!” He shouted, clawing at Vala’s arms as the other man and Daniel scuffled on the floor of the cell.

 

The door made a loud squeak as it was forced open and Vala held onto the man in Daniel’s cell as long as she could before she was forced to defend herself. Being trapped in the cell all night and discussing their plans for Woolsey had left Vala with a lot of pent up aggression and she was nearly relieved at being allowed to release some of it. The first man fell quickly, stunned by a forceful blow to the face followed by her boot in his groin. The second man landed a punch to the back of her head that took out her vision for a moment, the ground seeming unsteady beneath her feet. She allowed herself to fall to her knees, forcing the man to bend down to attempt to grab her. Vala shoved her weight back and they tumbled backwards, Vala on top and ready to strike.

 

As they fell she got a glance into Daniel’s cell. One of the guards was laying in a crumpled heap and he was currently gaining the upper hand on the second.

 

She returned her attention to the man beneath her and landed two vicious punches to his face, the spurting blood briefly reminding her of Corporal Lane. The guard was hardier than the other and rolled Vala off of him, using his knees to try and trap her beneath him. She slid back from him and kicked him, first in the chest and then in the back of the head as soon as she gained her footing. He fell to the floor, not moving.

Vala sensed movement behind her, her hearing and other senses highly aware from the adrenaline of combat. Daniel stood in the doorway, leaning slightly on the frame of the cell.

 

“I was coming to help, but it looks like you took care of it. Thanks for that.” Daniel blinked fuzzily. His glasses had been knocked away in the struggle and the broken frames were dangling from his pocket.

 

“No problem.” Vala was pleased to note that she wasn’t out of breath and that the trembling in her hands was mostly from resisting the urge to go back and land a few more punches.

 

“Shall we get out of here before they come back? I’m not sure I can take another couple of them.” Daniel raised his hand to touch his temple and winced when it came away wet with his blood.

 

Vala smiled. “No worries. I’ve got dibs on whoever we find.” 'Dibs' was one of the first Earth expressions that Cameron had taught her. She stepped out of the cell and shoved the door shut, locking it with the key that had been left in the lock. She did the same to Daniel’s cell before pocketing the key, leaving the dead and unconscious guards locked inside.

 

Daniel smiled back and they started down the hallway, walking as silently as possible. They paused at each intersection, checking around the corners to make sure they could pass without being taken captive again. There were a few close calls, but they made it out a side door and into the tree line without anyone being the wiser. The only downside was they weren’t able to find the things that the guards had taken from them.

 

“Great. Now we just have to figure out where the ‘gate is. And then find another team who has a GDO. I think that SG4 is still on P4X-982. We might be able to intercept them there. If worse comes to worse we’ll go to the Jaffa and find Bra’tac.” Daniel sighed and looked around. It was early morning on the planet, the sun slowly filtering down through the treetops.

 

“What happened to waiting for SG1 to come for us in the Odyssey?” Vala asked, shivering slightly in the chilled air. She looked around the forest, and although she could tell which direction they had just come from, she had no idea where the ‘gate was.

 

Daniel sighed. “No. They’ll probably still be another day at the very least. If we don’t want to be recaptured and then moved to another planet, our best bet is to try and get back to the SGC as soon as possible. Besides, it looks like this planet gets pretty cold at night and we’re in no condition to go camping without tents or jackets.” He finished looking around and started walking, a little unsteady on his feet. “This way.”

 

“Are you sure? How do you know?” Vala asked, following Daniel instinctively even as she questioned him.

 

“I can hear water in that direction. The village was alongside a stream and when they captured us it was only about a two hour walk. If we follow the stream we should be able to find the village,” Daniel explained.

 

“And when we find the village, we know where the ‘gate is.” Vala added.

 

“Exactly.” Daniel glanced back at Vala briefly and kept walking.

 

They walked for a ways before they reached the stream, much wider and faster than the water had been where it ran along the village. Daniel paused at the edge, dropping down to his knees and cupping his hands in the frigid water to drink and to wash the dried blood from his face.

Vala knelt down beside him and drank deeply, only now realizing how thirsty she had been. They hadn’t ate or drank since they’d been taken from the village. She, too, used the water to wash blood and sweat from her hands, arms, and face, wincing as she gingerly touched the lump on the back of her head. She thought about complaining that they hadn’t done enough damage to the guards and should go back and deliver proper retribution, but stopped when she saw how weak Daniel looked. The bruising around his eyes and jaw was being to grow darker and one of his eyes was completely swollen shut. There were four deep scratches on his arms that had started bleeding again when he had gotten them wet in the water and the cut across his forehead that disappeared into his hair was slowly seeping blood.

 

She sat and folded her arms around her to conserve her body heat, more than willing to wait for Daniel to rest before they tried to move on.

Eventually Daniel raised his head and looked around before pointing downstream. “That way. The village should be that.”

 

Reaching out, Vala helped Daniel to his feet, acknowledging his nod of appreciation with a nod of her own but not making a big deal of Daniel needing her help. If she let him lean a little on her as they walked, it wasn’t a big deal, but if she said something about it, she knew that Daniel would try to walk on his own. It seemed to be a male thing; that was her best guess, though she’d seen more of it among the Tau’ri than nearly any other culture she’d come across.

 

They slowly walked along the stream, more slowly than their usual jaunt across planets, but at a quick enough pace to hopefully outrun their captors. If they hadn’t been injured and running for their lives it would have made a nice date, she thought. Vala was making sure to cover their tracks the best she could. There was little hope that they could make an outright run for the ‘gate and make it and if the people planning on handing them over to the Lucian Alliance realized that they were following the river, it would be over before it began. Daniel was hunching over further and further as they walked, one of his hands wrapped tightly around his chest.

 

“Stop,” Vala said, when she couldn’t stand to watch Daniel struggle any longer. She helped him to the ground and began to push up his tee shirt.

 

“Vala, I hardly think this is the time,” he protested, grimacing as she gently touched his side.

 

“I think your ribs are bruised, maybe cracked.” She pressed her hands against the bruised flesh, pushing as hard as she dared. “Nothing feels broken.”

 

Daniel sighed and gently lowered his head to the dirt. “That’s great. Just let me rest for a minute and we’ll keep going.”

 

Vala stood next to Daniel and looked back the way that they’d came. There had been no sign of pursuit, no sounds of anyone in the forest but them and the various woodland critters that seemed to inhabit forests on any world. “Daniel, don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m not sure we’re going in the right direction.”

 

He opened his good eye and looked up at Vala. “What makes you say that?”

 

“We’ve been walking for longer than two hours.” She looked up to where the sun was now overhead. “Even if we’re going slower now and even if the days are much shorter on this planet we should have come across some sign of the village by now. A trail, a road, a villager. Either we’ve got the wrong stream, or we passed the village somehow without realizing it.”

 

“The stream was right along the village. There was a building with a water wheel. If we’d passed it we would know.” Daniel sighed and closed his eyes again. “Maybe there was another stream. One on the other side of the complex? We don’t know how big it was. We didn’t see any roads or trails anywhere.”

 

Vala frowned. “So, we’re lost?”

 

“Yeah, we’re lost. Help me up.” Daniel waved his arm about and Vala reached down and carefully helped Daniel to his feet.

 

“Where to?” Vala asked. Each direction looked pretty much exactly the same; trees, bushes and dirt, with long grasses surrounding the trunks of the trees. The stream was the only obvious marker in the area.

 

“We keep walking down stream and hope we come across another village, or someone willing to help us. We just have to hang on until the Odyssey gets here, or until we find-” Daniel’s words were cut off as a transporter beam came down around them, taking them from the forest.

 

Vala blinked as they rematerialized on the bridge of the Odyssey and managed to grab Daniel before he stumbled.

 

“Medical team to the bridge,” Sam’s voice cut through the exclamations of the bridge crew as Cameron and Teal’c rushed forward to help Daniel.

 

“Good to see you both back in one piece. Mostly, at least.” Cameron carefully looked over Daniel’s face, the bruising and the swelling clearly worrying him.

 

Daniel sighed as a stretcher was rolled onto the bridge and sat down without a word. “I’d like to say ‘nice timing’, but really, your timing sucks.”

 

“Sorry, we got here as soon as we could.” Sam frowned as she looked at Daniel and Vala.

 

“Why don’t you both go get checked out in the infirmary. We’ll set a course for Earth,” Colonel Davidson said. He was clearly eager to have SG1 off of his bridge now that the mission had been completed.

 

Daniel didn’t have much say in the matter as he was wheeled away, Cameron and Teal’c following without much prompting.

 

Sam joined Vala in the hall and as they walked toward the infirmary. “What happened down there?”

 

“Oh, the usual. We were captured, nearly sold to the Lucian Alliance and managed a very daring and complex escape plot that required our utmost skills and bravery,” Vala waved her hands in the air to illustrate the scene.

 

“So you walked out of there without anyone in sight?” Sam asked, correctly reading between the lines on Vala’s take of the situation.

 

“Pretty much. We did have to fight four guards to get out of our cells though.” Vala shrugged.

 

“Wow, four human guards. That’s pretty impressive,” Sam joked.

 

Vala would have been offended if she hadn’t know that the joking was Sam’s way of reassuring herself that they really had arrived before too much damage had been done.

 

*****

 

It took the Odyssey three days to return to Earth. Cameron and Sam had explained while they were in the infirmary that the Odyssey had been on another mission when the SGC had contacted them. The Odyssey had picked most of SG1 up on a nearby planet before continuing back to pick up Daniel and Vala. The villagers had denied any knowledge of the people that had taken Vala and Daniel, but hadn’t seemed particularly inclined to refuse Origin either.

 

“We were really lucky that the Odyssey was close by, it could have taken much longer to come and get you,” Sam had explained.

 

Daniel and Vala exchanged glances at this, knowing what could have happened if they’d been left on the planet with mild concussions and the Lucian Alliance after them, they really were very lucky.

 

“Indeed,” Teal’c had said. Although he had done little other than stand near both Daniel and Vala while they were in the infirmary it was clearly to anyone who knew him that he was very glad that they had been found.

 

Daniel had bruised ribs, a mild concussion, and rather spectacular bruising over his face, neck, and torso. He was slowly recovering, laying in the infirmary much to his frustration. Vala, who had escaped with only a mild concussion and some bruising, snuck in as often as she could, sneaking Daniel coffee and a laptop as often as she could. She’d seen Sam sneak out of the infirmary more than once with an empty cup of coffee and a computer, so Vala didn’t feel too guilty about it.

 

SG1 sat in the SGC infirmary after being transported down to Earth, Daniel well enough to walk himself from the designated beaming site on the surface of the planet to the infirmary but accompanied by pained expressions as he moved. At the moment, Daniel was laying on one of the beds, his hand holding his bruised ribs, while the others sat, waiting to be released for the debriefing.

 

Doctor Lam walked back into the main room, files tucked under her arm. “Your results are all fine and you’re free to go. Daniel, you’re on light duty for the next week.”

 

“I’m not complaining. Really,” Daniel said. He sat up, looking particularly unhappy.

 

The doctor smiled and handed him a piece of paper. “I’m sure. Pain reliever prescription, and try to go easy on the ribs. The bruising should fade in a week or so.”

 

Daniel took the prescription with a wry smile. “Thanks, Carolyn.”

 

They left the infirmary and moved towards the briefing room, eager to get the meeting over with and take some down time.

 

Daniel dropped back so that he was walking next to Vala, the rest of SG1 a few steps ahead of them in the hall. “Just remember what I said about staying around me or another member of SG1. I have a plan, but it’s going to take a day or two to set up.”

 

Vala glanced at Daniel. He hadn’t said anything about it during their trip on the Odyssey and she’d nearly thought that he’d forgotten about her problem with Woolsey in the commotion of escaping from the Lucian Alliance. “What’s the plan?”

 

“Later. Not where anyone can hear us.” Daniel sped up slightly to join Cameron so that no one would notice their brief conversation.

Vala looked around the SGC as she walked through the halls with SG1. They didn’t feel nearly as threatening and claustrophobic with the rest of her team walking by her side.

 

*****

 

“Vala!” Daniel called, pushing his way through the crowd in the hall and narrowly avoiding bumping into various SGC personnel.

 

She turned, hearing her name. They’d been back in the SGC for nearly a week, each day Daniel promising that he had something in the

works and to just hang tight. She’d had to go to Teal’c to get an explanation for that particular expression and had been relieved to find that when Teal’c was first on Earth he found the expressions and idioms equally confounding.

 

“Come with me, we’re all set up.” Daniel motioned Vala to the elevator and joined her inside.

 

“Your ribs are all better?” Vala asked as they waited.

 

Daniel nodded. “A twinge here and there, but mostly better. I don’t intend to spar with Teal’c or Mitchell for the next week or two, if that’s what you mean.”

 

Vala grinned. “You can spar with me any time you like.” She winked and exited the elevator when the doors opened, completely ignoring Daniel’s look of fond exasperation. At least, she was choosing to interpret it as fond exasperation. If asked to describe it, Daniel would probably mention something more along the lines of complete and utter exasperation.

 

Daniel led the way into Sam’s lab, pulling the door shut behind them and locking it.

 

“Daniel? You told Sam?” Vala asked, suddenly a little uncertain.

 

“Not exactly. I told her that Woolsey is under suspicion and our instructions were to gather evidence to bring to the General and that you were helping in an undercover sting operation.” Daniel motioned her over to a computer set up.

 

“And she bought that?” Vala asked skeptically.

 

Daniel bobbed his head from side to side. “More or less. She knew that there was something I wasn’t telling her, but she agreed to help with the set up without informing anyone else. First, we figured out how Woolsey was spying on you. Sam postulated that there had to be some kind of listening device and recorder planted on you somewhere, since none of the sensors on Atlantis would have been able to record our conversation without someone there setting up the recording. She looked through the equipment and jewelry that you brought with you when we went to Atlantis and found a microphone and recording chip in your watch.”

 

Vala blinked. “He put a microphone in my watch?”

 

“Yes, which raises a whole bunch of security concerns that Sam is working on. Now check this out. I’ve had your room set up with discrete audio recorders and set the cameras to record when they’re activated by motion sensors. Usually the cameras are off in the living quarters when they’re occupied. Well, Sam did all that. Then, we have an internal monitoring system set up for Woolsey. As soon as he’s on base the monitor will activate, using his subcutaneous transmitter to track his movements. He’s scheduled to be on base for meetings all tomorrow.”

Vala nodded, not quite getting where Daniel was going with all this.

“So, when he goes into your quarters, the recordings will start and I have a portable alarm with me that will let me know. I’ll come here and monitor the situation, and as soon as things get out of hand I’ll dispatch a security team to come and get Woolsey. Piece of cake.” Daniel smiled expectantly.

 

Vala blinked briefly before recalling that piece of cake was just another odd expression and dismissed it. “I don’t get it. How does this help? Unless there’s flame throwers that are also triggered by Woolsey showing up in my quarters, I don’t see the point.”

 

Daniel sighed. “I’d like to do this legally, if we can. Well, semi-legally, discounting the unsanctioned surveillance. If this doesn’t work, we’ll move on to more permanent solution. In the meantime, this will record Woolsey harassing you and will be at least enough to get him banned from this facility, if not removed from the IOA completely.”

 

“Sometimes I worry that you have too much faith in your legal system.” Vala admitted as she examined the monitors, noting where the cameras covered in her quarters.

 

“That’s why I have Jack on my speed dial as our back up plan.” Daniel touched Vala’s shoulder. “I know that this is scary and a little risky, but I won’t leave the base while he’s here. And I do think that this is our best chance to get Woolsey legally.”

 

Vala nodded. “Alright, Daniel. We try it your way.” The part where she said “I trust you” was unspoken but heard nonetheless.

 

*****

 

Vala walked towards her quarters, wanting to go back to the gym and run, or spend another hour lifting weights. Woolsey had been at the SGC the entire day, passing her in the mess hall with a meaningful nod at lunch. Daniel had frozen, forcing himself to keep from looking at Woolsey in case he gave away is newly kindled rage for the man. Sam and Cameron had missed the entire exchange, Sam busily explaining the newly theorized applications that she had postulated for the Ancient phase machine while Cameron listened with a slightly glazed look in his eyes. Teal’c, ever observant, had witnessed both Vala and Daniel’s expressions and had arched an eyebrow in Daniel’s direction. Daniel had shaken his head, not wanting to clue Teal’c in before he and Vala had an opportunity to test their plan. So here Vala was, only slightly comforted by the fact that Daniel had said that he would be in Sam’s lab, watching the live video feed.

 

She opened the door to her room and looked around. Woolsey wasn’t inside, but he had clearly been in there at some point of the day. An unmarked box, flat and slim, sat on her bed and Vala moved to it, pulling the lid off. Underneath a few sheets of tissue paper a piece of what Sam had called lingerie when they had gone shopping was inside; clothing far from what Vala would consider tasteful. She moved to the side, letting the camera get a good view of what was in the box before putting the lid back on. It would seem that Daniel was right in his guess that Woolsey was planning on showing up tonight.

 

The door to her quarters opened without a knock and Vala thought fondly of the trap that she had set up for Woolsey, before Daniel had unwittingly stumbled into it. Woolsey gave a smile that was somewhere between disarming and lustful and Vala fought the urge to either punch him or throw up.

 

“You’re not wearing my gift. I was hoping that you would try it on for me,” Woolsey said, pulling the door shut firmly.

 

Vala drew a breath and tried to remember what Daniel had said about appropriate ways to respond. “I find your continued attentions and your gifts distasteful and wish that you would stop.” She fought the urge to look at the camera, hoping that she was saying the right things.

 

“Now that’s no way to talk to me. I believe we’ve had all the variants of this discussion that I can stand. Now, we had an agreement. Are you choosing not to honor it?” Woolsey asked, stepping forward as Vala edged away from him.

 

“Just to clarify, our agreement was that I’d do whatever depraved things you dreamed up or you’d have me imprisoned and do them anyway?” Vala asked, spelling things out as clearly as she could.

 

Woolsey blinked, briefly stunned, before he laughed. “Well, I would hardly call them depraved, and I wouldn’t think that you would either. But, yes. If you want to take a trip with me to the IOA headquarters, on account of you being an untrustworthy alien who is clearly working with the Ori, that can be arranged.”

 

Vala bristled slightly at the term alien but kept her cool. With any luck that would be enough for Daniel’s recording and he would have a security team on the way any minute now.

 

“So, you’ve decided to stay? Good. Now, why don’t you change into something a little nicer.” Woolsey moved forward again, reaching to touch Vala’s face.

 

Vala took another step back and bumped up against the wall. In a minute Daniel would come and get her, and hopefully punch Woolsey in his smug face. She kept repeating this to herself as Woolsey moved closer.

 

*****

 

Daniel frowned as he sat at a counter in Sam’s lab, watching Vala move about her room, stopping to examine the box that Woolsey had left a few hours earlier. He had already copied the footage of Woolsey leaving the package in Vala’s quarters; it wasn’t enough on its own, but it was evidence that Woolsey had left the box. At the very least, he wouldn’t be able to pin that on anyone else.

 

The door to Vala’s quarters swung open and Daniel reached to the speakers and turned up the sound, his stomach churning as Woolsey spoke. He was half ready to call Jack, whatever the outcome of this, and have him give Woolsey a good scare, if not worse. There was definite advantages to having a friend in Washington.

 

Daniel hurried to turn down the sound as the lab door opened to admit the rest of SG1. Cameron and Teal’c were following Sam as she talked rapidly, zeroing in on the Ancient device on her main work bench before seeing Daniel.

 

“What are you doing in here?” Cameron asked. He walked over to the monitor to see what Daniel was watching, eager to escape Sam’s continued explanations about energy production. Sam and Teal’c followed him over, both equally curious.

 

Daniel glanced back at the screen before coming up with an explanation that was pretty much truthful. “Spying on Woolsey. We’re attempting to expose him for being the dangerous, power hungry egotist that he is.”

 

“Expose him doing what, exactly?” Cameron asked as he looked at the screen. “He’s just talking with Vala.”

 

Sam’s eyebrows went up as she looked at Daniel, clearly hoping that he had a good explanation as to why she had implicated herself by setting up the surveillance equipment. Or at least a better explanation than the one he had given her.

 

“Well, it’s kind of complicated-” Daniel started.

 

Teal’c frowned as a shout came up from the speakers, clearly audible even though the speakers were turned low. Vala was calling for Daniel. “Should we not render assistance to Vala?”

 

The rest of SG1 turned back quickly to look at the monitor, Daniel leaping to his feet when he saw Vala struggling to push Woolsey away from her.

 

“Call security!” He shouted as he took off running, vaguely aware that they were all following him at a run.

 

The sight of SG1 running through the halls of the SGC was not one that was unusual, it was almost expected. They were, after all, the ones that repeated saved the world time and time again. It was, however, a sight that alarmed most anyone who saw it as they jumped out of the way. They reached Vala’s quarters in record time, Teal’c trying the knob once before kicking the door in.

 

The sound of an angry Jaffa kicking in a door was not one that could be ignored, and Woolsey stumbled away from Vala as SG1 stormed into the room. Daniel didn’t miss the look of relief and then surprise on Vala’s face as she moved herself further away from Woolsey.

Both Cameron and Sam were on Woolsey before he could do much more than stare in shock, each holding onto one of his arms with more force than was strictly necessary and shoving him against the wall. Teal’c stood in the doorway, his muscles very apparent in his folded arms as he glared at Woolsey.

 

Daniel went immediately to Vala and helped her to sit on the bed, noticing that she was trembling. “Are you okay?”

 

“I’m fine. I’m just surprised that you brought the whole team.” Vala clenched her hands to try and stop them from shaking.

 

“We’re a team, Vala. We take care of our own,” Sam snapped, shoving Woolsey again when he moved a little.

 

A security detail showed up at the door with their weapons drawn and looking a little winded. They paused in the hallway, clearly not wanting to challenge Teal’c for passage.

 

“Let them in, T.” Cameron called.

 

Teal’c moved out of the way and focused his attention on where Cameron and Sam were still holding Woolsey.

 

“Take him to a holding cell and keep him there. He is not to be released without a direct order from myself or the General.” Cameron waited until the handcuffs had been locked around Woolsey’s wrists before relinquishing him to the security guards.

 

Sam glared for a moment longer before releasing Woolsey’s arm.

 

Woolsey chose that moment to regain use of his voice. “This is outrageous. Unhand me right now. I’ll have all of your commissions, you see if I don’t.”

 

Sam moved in front of Woolsey, drawing herself to her full height and placing her hands on her hips. “You’ll be lucky if you aren’t in a cell for the rest of your natural life.” She turned to the guards. “Get him out of here.”

 

The guards pulled Woolsey out of the room, his protests fading as they moved further away.

 

Cameron slumped against the wall and ran his fingers through his hair. “That was not what I was planning to do tonight. Go home, order a pizza, watch a movie. Nothing in there about running to the rescue. And I do literally mean running.”

 

Vala smiled a little bit when she realized that Cameron was teasing.

 

Sam sat down on the bed next to Vala, upsetting the box from Woolsey. She took a peek inside and pushed it away with disgust. “We should have punched him for you. I’m surprised that you didn’t.”

 

“I’ve been working on learning to control my temper. Besides, my hand is still sore from taking on the Lucian Alliance.” Vala shrugged.

 

“The next time you require someone to dissuade an unwanted suitor I would recommend myself. I have some experience in the field from when I was living off base,” Teal’c said. “I am told I can be quite intimidating.”

 

Vala laughed a little and was happy to see small smiles on the faces of the other members of SG1. “I’ll be sure to do that.”

 

“How did the security team know to come to Vala’s quarters? None of us called them,” Cameron said.

 

Sam laughed. “I think we’ve conditioned the entire SGC to send a security team after us whenever they see SG1 run through the halls. We’re lucky they didn’t show up in full combat gear with P-90’s.”

 

The phone rang and Cameron reached over to answer it. He listened for a moment. “Yes, sir. We’ll be there with all the information you need in ten minutes.” He hung up and turned to his team. “General Landry wants to know why the organizational representative to the IOA is currently in the holding cells. I suggest we go inform him.” Cameron gave Vala a nod before hurrying from the room.

 

“I’ll go transfer the recording to a DVD. Meet you all in the conference room.” Sam touched Vala’s hand briefly before leaving the room.

 

“I, too, will meet you there.” Teal’c bowed his head slightly in Vala’s direct before following Sam.

 

Daniel turned his attention to Vala. “Do you need to go to the infirmary?”

 

“No, I’m fine, Daniel. Really.” Vala smiled. “Thank you for coming when you did. If you’d taken much longer I would have actually had to punch him.”

 

“Why didn’t you?” Daniel asked, more than a little curious.

 

Vala looked away, her hair dropping in her face. “I couldn’t. I guess I got so used to not being able to that when it was time, I froze up. It doesn’t make any sense, but it’s what happened.”

 

Daniel sat down next to Vala, hesitating a little. “I think that makes perfect sense. He conditioned you not to respond to him violently. Not your fault.”

 

Vala sighed. “I know. Now let’s go make sure that the General doesn’t release him back into the SGC.”

 

Daniel and Vala left the room, walking past the broken door. “I’ll call maintenance to come replace the door. Teal’c tends to have that affect on locked doors.”

*****

 

SG1 sat around the conference room table with General Landry as the video footage ended, the sounds of Vala’s recorded shouting echoing in their minds. Sam stood up and turned off the television before sitting back down. They all waited in silence for General Landry to speak.

“I’ll be making a call to the head of the IOA, along with the Homeworld Security. We’ll make sure that Mr. Woolsey is removed from his position, and placed in a secure holding facility until he can be brought to trial.” General Landry rose and turned to Vala. “I apologize for the actions of Mr. Woolsey. I would like to assure you that most of our government is not corrupt in such a manner-”

 

The General was interrupted by Cameron coughing and trying to clear his throat, receiving amused glances from the other native Earth members of SG1.

 

“Most of our government is not corrupt in this manner,” General Landry continued, shooting Cameron a moderately annoyed glance before continuing. “And I assure you that appropriate actions will be taken to rectify the situation.”

 

Vala nodded, suspecting that would be the best she would get from the so-called “civilized” Earth culture. “Thank you. I assume that I won’t be receiving further threats of imprisonment from the IOA.”

 

General Landry nodded. “If you have any more problems with one of their representatives-”

 

“Or anyone here on the base,” Cameron added quickly, this time receiving a nod for his interruption.

 

“Please let me or one of your team members know, and it will be addressed,” the General finished. “Now if there’s nothing else, I have a prisoner transfer to arrange and few phone calls to make.”

 

Cameron and Sam jumped to their feet as the General stood up and left the room, his clipped footsteps expressing the anger that he could not with words.

 

Daniel sighed and put his head back against the chair. Seeing the video of Woolsey harassing Vala with full sound had been difficult, and watching Vala watch the video had been particularly painful. From the expressions of the rest of SG1, even Teal’c, Daniel could tell that they felt the same way.

 

Vala was eyeing the door anxiously, clearly ready to be finished with the situation. “I’m going to go down to the gym.”

 

“Do you mind if we join you?” Cameron asked, aware that Vala might want to be alone.

 

Vala shook her head. “Not at all.”

 

“Basketball?” Teal’c asked.

 

“Sounds like fun,” Vala said. She got to her feet and was relieved when the rest of the team followed her without comment.

 

*****

 

Daniel knocked on Vala’s door. It had been replaced that night after Daniel had a rather strongly worded conversation with the maintenance department. It usually took nearly a week for something to get to the top of the maintenance roster, but Daniel had pulled Sergeant Siler aside and gave a brief explanation. When Daniel had walked Vala back to her quarters that night the door had already been replaced and Woolsey’s offensive present had been removed from the room.

 

“Come in!” Vala called out.

 

Daniel opened the door, fairly certain that she wasn’t rigging traps anymore but not willing to risk stepping inside until he knew for sure. He stepped inside after checking the entryway and looked to where Vala was laying on the bed, flipping through a magazine. “Woolsey is being transferred to a detention center in Washington D.C. today.”

 

Vala stiffened and Woolsey’s name before forcing her casual air back on and resuming looking through her magazine. “And?”

 

“I was wondering if you wanted to see him before you left. Say anything? I’m not a psychologist, but I know that sometimes confronting people who have hurt you can be cathartic.” Daniel suggested, keeping his voice casual.

 

Vala considered this for a moment. “I don't want to see him. And to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure how much damage I would do to him before your guards could stop me.”

 

Daniel sat down in the chair next to Vala's bed. “You think you'd hurt him?”

 

She blinked and turned another page, not really looking at the magazine or anything in particular. “I'm not sure. I know I want to.” Vala took a quick glance over at Daniel. “You think it's wrong; vengeance, revenge?”

 

He shook his head. “I don't pretend to not understand the impulse, or even to be able to resist it all the time. We all like to think we're better than that, but sometimes it feels like the only possible response.”

 

“Did it make you feel better, whatever it is that you did?” Vala asked.

 

Daniel frowned as he considered Vala's question. “It felt good, but it didn't make me feel better.”

 

Vala nodded and scooted so that she was sitting next to Daniel, her foot nudging his leg. “I think I understand. Besides, me thrashing him a few times really doesn't begin to cover it. If I could, I'd want to do to him what he did to me. Minus the disturbing clothing, of course.”

 

“Of course.” Daniel replied, mostly succeeding in keeping his tone neutral.

 

“They're not letting him come back here, right? Even after he's released from where they're putting him?” Vala asked, her fingers absently tracing the stitching on the bedspread.

 

“No. They removed him from his position in the IOA. Considering his security clearance and how much he knows about the Stargate program, he'll be on a very short leash for the rest of his life. They won't let him back in Cheyenne Mountain without a very good reason and a security escort.” Daniel reached out and patted Vala's knee in an attempt to offer comfort. “Besides, given the way that Teal'c and Sam were looking at him, I don't think Woolsey will want to risk coming back into the mountain.”

 

Vala smiled. “Thanks.”

 

“Always. We're a team. That's what we do.” Daniel motioned Vala to her feet and headed towards the door. “I think I found something in a text, want to come help me take a look?”

 

“Sure. Sooner we find the thing, sooner we can take care of the Ori problem.” Vala followed him from her room.

 

“That's the spirit,” Daniel said.

 

“So, you owe me a date.” Vala grinned brightly at Daniel as they walked down the hallway.

 

“I do?” Daniel asked, amused despite himself.

 

“Yes. And I want to go back to that nice restaurant and have a real meal this time. Steak, and wine, and dessert. Something chocolate.” Vala dropped her head to one side and gave him a particularly winsome look.

 

“Alright. But it wasn’t a date.” Daniel gave in. It was easier in the long run.

 

“It was and it is,” Vala insisted.

 

“You’re incorrigible. You know that, right?” Daniel asked.

 

The only answer was Vala’s vibrant laughter.

*****

 

Epilogue

 

They’d been driving through Kansas for two hours and still had another hour before they reached Cameron’s hometown of Auburn. Vala was sprawled in the passenger seat, her bare feet resting on the top of the dashboard, a magazine spread out over her legs as Cameron drove through the flat plains, the horizon visible in every direction.

 

It felt good to take a break, to be out of the SGC and out of the line of fire, at least temporarily. Daniel had taken Cameron aside when Vala had first asked to be allowed to accompany Cameron and had simultaneously pleaded her case while reminding him that he absolutely had to keep two eyes on her to keep her out of trouble. Cameron had given in without much argument, mostly disagreeing because he knew that was what was expected of him. He, like the rest of SG1, still felt a little uneasy about how long Vala had hid Woolsey’s threats from them.

Vala had taken to being out of the SGC with a passion that amused Cameron to no end. She was enthralled with the everyday lives of the people of Earth and Cameron knew that Sam had adopted Vala as her mall-buddy. She occasionally pointed out the window and asked questions about things they passed, or how gas stations worked, exactly. Cameron answered to the best of his ability and was surprised to find out how much he still didn’t know about his planet of origin.

 

“Vala?” Cameron asked.

 

“Mmm?” Vala responded, only half paying attention.

 

Cameron paused as he formulated his thoughts. “Things are alright now? You aren’t still thinking of leaving Earth?”

 

Vala looked up from her magazine, caught off guard by Cameron’s question. “No, everything is fine. Better than fine. It’s great.”

 

“Good.” Cameron nodded as he glanced at the passing signs. They were still 54 miles outside of Auburn.

 

“To answer the question that you’re not asking, no one’s bothered me. I think they’re all a little afraid of what the rest of SG1 would do. Word of Teal’c kicking in my door was all over the base after it happened.” Vala shrugged and looked out the front window.

 

“Good,” Cameron said again. “When did you get to be so perceptive?”

 

Vala grinned. “Daniel’s been teaching me, alongside Earth manners and how to drive.”

 

Cameron’s eyebrows shot up. “He’s been teaching you to drive?”

 

“Yes, in one of the base vehicles.” Vala looked around thoughtfully. “Can I practice while we’re out here? I haven’t gotten to drive on the highway yet.”

 

“Absolutely not,” Cameron made his voice as firm as possible and silently vowed to hide his car keys.

 

“Please. There’s hardly any other cars out here, and it’s all flat and straight,” Vala wheedled.

 

“No,” Cameron said, taking his eyes from the road for a moment to glare at Vala.

 

“But-”

 

“No. End of discussion.” Cameron looked straight ahead and fixed his eyes on the road. It was going to be a long trip.

 

The End