You Have Your Answer, Chapter 2 and 3
Title: You Have Your Answer
Author: HeddaMac
Pairing: Daniel/Vala
Rating/Category: T to be safe
Spoilers: Stargate SG-1-Pegasus Project, Unending, Ark of Truth
Stargate Atlantis-First Contact, The Lost Tribe
Hints of the early planning of the Icarus Project from Stargate Universe
Chapter 2
“Daniel.”
“Jack.” Daniel replied to the blur at the end of the bed. He needed to ask the nurse where she put his glasses.
“Daniel.” Jack walked up to the bed.
“I guess I should have taken you up on the armed escort.” Daniel said as he squinted at his friend’s face.
“You think?” Jack replied as he rocked back and forth on his heels.
“Jack, where are they? If you are here then something is wrong. When I asked for Vala, Lam just told me to wait for you.”
“Hey, don’t I always pop by when you almost get yourself killed?”
“What’s wrong, Jack?”
“And I do have to give Siler money since I had Wraith Queen in the death pool.”
“JACK!”
“Daniel, calm down. It’s like this-”
Daniel snapped as he pinched his nose. “Where the hell are my glasses? I can’t argue without being able to look you in the eyes.”
“Calm down Space Monkey before Lam channels Frasier and kicks me out of here for making your vitals go wonko.”
“Speaking of ‘wonko,’ where is Vala? Why are Mitchell and Sam nowhere to be seen?”
“Well, you see, it’s like this,” Jack began as he rambled around looking for Daniel’s glasses. “They went on a mission a couple weeks ago, and we lost contact with them. But don’t worry. Reynolds is out there with SG-3. You know they have an excellent retrieval record when it comes to members of SG-1-well you. And, if someone can extract you from trouble, then they can handle Carter, Mitchell, and T. Vala might be slightly more of a problem since she has seen more trouble in the last couple years than you have in more than a decade. Don’t you dare tell Reynolds I said that about him saving SG-1’s asses, by the way. I will deny…”
“Jack, get to the point. How long have they been out of contact? What was the mission? How long before the IOA steps it and brings the search to a halt?”
“Slow down Danny Boy. I am getting to that.”
Daniel threw a pillow at Jack as he had at Vala years ago. “Does this involve the Lucian Alliance? Some Baal clone? Does it have something to do with that Icarus project going on out there? Why did you send them without me?”
Jack held up his finger as he raised his voice a bit at his younger friend laying in the infirmary bed. “Daniel, when you convinced me to send you to Atlantis without the team, you didn’t expect them to sit around waiting for you to get back from Daniel Disneyland, did you? They have work we need them to do that is just as important as your dive into Ancient history.”
Daniel opened his mouth to interrupt Jack, but it was to no avail.
“This mission was critical. We needed SG-1 to use Vala’s contacts to get some intel on the Lucian Alliance. One of the scientists at Area 51 was caught leaking information to the Lucian Alliance related to some research on Ancient power sources and the Stargate system. I can assure you though that nothing like this will ever happen again because you will never be allowed out without SG-1. If it involves Atlantis you will also be with SG-5. And If I feel like it Sheppard’s team will be back up to the backup.”
“Jack! The Lucian Alliance wants Vala’s head on the end of a staff weapon. Not to mention Cam, Teal’c, and Sam,” Daniel yelled as his heart rate jumped dangerously high.
Lam rushed in, and her nurse tried to remove Jack. As the sedative began to kick in the last thing Daniel heard was the curtain being pulled and Jack saying, “Dixon is out there with SG-13. When SG-2 gets back from that training thingie, we’ll send them out too. We will find them Daniel. Don’t worry about the Princess.”
Lam marched out to yell at Jack, “Sir, I told you he had to remain calm and that telling him SG-1 was missing was NOT an option yet.”
“Dr. Lam, he knew something was wrong. Stalling would make things worse. At least I didn’t have to tell him Vala said asked to be transferred to the Alpha Site as soon as the mission is over.”
“Out of my infirmary. Go bother my father.”
“I’ll be back to check on Daniel later. After cake. Perhaps I’ll bring him some jello.”
Chapter 3
Title: You Have Your Answer
Author: HeddaMac
Pairing: Daniel/Vala
Rating/Category: T to be safe
Spoilers: Stargate SG-1-Pegasus Project, Unending, Ark of Truth
Stargate Atlantis-First Contact, The Lost Tribe
Thanks to Spacegypsy1 for volunteering to beta and for reigning in my overuse of proper nouns! Any mistakes are mine.
Chapter 3
Vala looked around the small cell she and Sam currently resided in. Three of the red stone walls had no windows. The fourth wall had a wooden door with a small window covered by black metal bars. Moving to the door she began to examine the locking mechanism. Once she established that there was no chance of picking the lock she tried to work the bars in the window.
She heard groaning behind her and immediately stopped pulling on the bars. She turned to prod the colonel awake, “Samantha, can you hear me?”
Sam rolled to her side as Vala chatted to her, “Well, they seem to have moved us during the night. They must have put something in our dinner otherwise there is no way they could have moved such intelligent and strong women as ourselves without us escaping. Can you sit up?”
Struggling to a sitting position Sam leaned against the stone wall of the cell. “Cam and Teal’c…where are they?”
Vala replied, “I heard some banging coming from down the hall. I believe I heard the phrase ‘bag of hammers.’ So clearly our dear Cameron is at the very least coherent. Whether or not he retains possession of his pants remains to be seen.”
Despite their situation, Sam had to laugh. “Fantastic. Let’s hope maybe we’ll at least get a good Cam story out of this fiasco. I wonder how long we were out.”
Sam moved toward the door as Vala continued her a status report. “I’ve already checked the lock and the bars. No chance at the lock without something smaller than my hair pin. The bars are a bit loose, perhaps one of us could get through. I haven’t seen or heard a guard, and I didn’t hear anyone respond to Cameron.”
“Well, we lost contact with the SGC days ago, so we know they’ll be looking for us. However, the fact that we are no longer on P2X-886 makes it rather difficult. I think the only thing we have going for us at the moment is that I don’t think we were taken by the Lucian Alliance.”
“We also have your general. I doubt he will give up on us even if the I.O.A. demands it.”
Sam sighed. “Not my general, Vala. But your Daniel will surely hound Landry until they find us, or he’ll find us himself as soon as he gets back from Atlantis.”
“If not for you and the boys being trapped here along with me, I am sure Daniel would prefer that I stay a prisoner on the other side of the galaxy.”
“That’s not true. Why would you think that?”
“It’s simply a fact, Samantha. I have finally come to accept that.”
“What’s going on? I don’t want to pry, but I don’t like seeing you upset. Not when I know how much you and Daniel care about each other.”
The normally verbose Vala simply stared at Sam without responding, which was troubling.
“Daniel does care about you. What happened before he left for Atlantis? What did you fight about that was so horrible that you didn’t even tell him good-bye?” Sam asked as she settled down beside her.
“It wasn’t the fight. It was no worse than any of our other differences of opinion. I realized how determined he is to neither need nor want my help. No matter how much I change, to Daniel I remain the same. To him I am a selfish liar who must constantly make sport of him.”
“Vala, he doesn’t think that anymore. I promise you that. Even though he doesn’t often show it, he does need you. He wants you around. He holds on to who you were to protect himself.”
“All I wanted to do was go with him to help him search for Janus’s lab-just like I help him at the SGC. He needs someone to make sure he and McKay stay out of trouble. The way he yelled at me, you would think I had gone for his pants.”
“You do realize he had a huge fight with Jack that last day, don’t you? Did you say anything about him needing someone to take care of him or keep him out of trouble? If so, he blew up at you in part because Jack already had him on the edge. Daniel fought to go on his own without SG-1 not because he feels like he doesn’t need us but because he felt like it would be a waste of resources.”
“Whatever.” Vala dismissed as she changed the subject. “I do believe I have had enough of our invisible captors. Time to see what we are up against. Mitchell! Muscles! Can you hear me?”