FIC: Not Complaining, Part 3
Part 3
The Alternate Daniel’s Universe
“There’s nothing wrong with you,” Janet commented as she looked at her clipboard.
“I told you,” Daniel replied. He had the decency to look chastised when she shot him a look of annoyance.
“You are in exactly the same state that you left with, Daniel. Are you sure you didn’t get bumped in the head during your encounter?”
“No, no, I’m fine. Seriously, you have got to believe me. I’m not the same Daniel. Somehow my mind is in this,” he said, gesturing at his body, “body, which happens to be exactly the same, well, almost, as mine!”
Janet looked at him doubtfully.
Daniel started muttering to himself. “It’s the same thing as an Ancient Communication device. Except there are no stones that I’m aware of involved. And I’m in my own body.” He looked up, possibilities opening up in his mind. He didn’t notice that she had no idea what an Ancient Communication device was. This universe hadn’t found one yet. “Janet!”
“Yes?”
“I think I know what happened!”
“And what’s that?”
“I really did travel to another reality. But it was only my mind! There’s a way to break the connection!”
“Okay? How?”
Daniel drew a blank. “Oh. I haven’t quite figured that out yet.”
“Daniel, I think you need to go lay down.”
“No, Janet, I’m telling you, I’m fine.”
“Daniel,” she said with a strict tone. “Don’t make me give you an escort back to your quarters.”
“Fine,” he said like a petulant child. “I need to check on Vala anyway.”
“Who is this woman again?”
“We rescued her,” he lied. “She was a slave to the aliens who tried to steal the Prometheus.” Janet didn’t respond because Daniel had gotten up to comply with her request. He just grinned at her then walked out of the infirmary.
Vala was awake when he had returned. It looked like she had just woken up, in fact. She rubbed at her eyes before regarding him. He smiled at her, and she felt weary. The only time people were this nice was when they wanted something. He claimed that he only wanted information about his dead wife. And every time she tested him, he rebuffed her sexual advances. It was the strangest thing she’d ever seen. He didn’t even pretend to enjoy her flirtatious behavior. On any other world, one would begin to suspect if he even liked girls. Then he claimed he was trying to protect her from dangers unseen. Pfft. If he really knew what it was like out there, he wouldn’t step foot off his fair planet ever again.
Daniel pulled the chair out from the bureau and sat near her. She was still on the bed, looking at him strangely. He opened the drawer and pulled out a keycard. “Here. This is for you. I slipped it in here while you were sleeping. The room you’ve been given is just a couple doors down from this one.” He extended the keycard toward her, but she didn’t take it. His smile disappeared. “What’s wrong?”
“Why am I really here?”
“What do you mean? I told you.”
“You tell me I’m not your captive and yet I’ve been locked in rooms ever since I agreed to follow your lead. Go with the current.”
“Flow.”
“What?”
“It’s ‘go with the flow.’”
“Whatever. The point is, you haven’t shown me one ounce of trust. How is that supposed to make me trust you?”
“Whoa, whoa. You could have left this room anytime you wanted. The door was unlocked!”
Vala furrowed her brows. “Oh. Well, I didn’t know that. But that’s not the point! When are you going to tell me what’s really going on!?”
Daniel wasn’t quite sure how to answer. He stared at her for a moment before finally saying, “You remind me of someone.”
“Of your dead wife?” she accused.
“No. Not her. Someone else.”
“You’re keeping me here because I remind you of someone? What will you come up with next?”
“Look, there are a lot of reasons why I chose to vouch for you instead of turning you in. One, you were a host. That makes you special in that you’re still alive.” Vala’s mind hung on to the word “special.” “Two, you could be killed if you ventured out there right now.”
“I’ve lived this long without your doting protection.”
“Yes, I know, but soon enough your luck is going to run out.” Daniel had another thought. “Speaking of running. Aren’t you tired of it?”
“No.”
“You can’t be serious about that. Look, I know going home to where you grew up is not an option anymore…”
“And how do you know this?”
“Lucky guess. Anyway, wouldn’t it be nice to settle down and find some peace after all the things you’ve been through?”
“I like my life.”
Daniel considered her for a moment. “Honestly?”
“Yes!” she yelled. But a tiny part of her mind was beginning to question her resolve.
“Really, Vala?” He still hadn’t believed it. Damn her emotions for letting her lose control. She should be distracting this man with seduction. The only problem is, it doesn’t seem to work! All this talk made her uncomfortable. She was eager to move on to more familiar territory, like sex or profit. “Even if you don’t make your home here, which I’m not putting any pressure on you to do, you should think about making a home somewhere.”
He pushed the keycard at her again. “Think about what it must be like to have your own place. Somewhere permanent to go back to.”
She stared at the keycard, not completely convinced. “What if I don’t want one?”
Daniel dropped his head slightly, but didn’t waver. “That’s completely up to you. But before you decide to up and escape, I’ve got to warn you. The Lucian Alliance is growing in power. And the next swindle you make might cause you to cross paths with them again. Do you really want to take that risk every day?”
“Of course not. But I have no other options. Such is life.”
“Life doesn’t have to be that way, Vala. Your options are not as limited as you think.”
She squirmed under his intense look. This was just not her. She never shared this much with anyone. Ever. And especially not with a man like this one. He was only useful to satisfy a craving and should be nothing more. And she hadn’t even revealed anything out loud. It seemed as though he could read her like a book. She was unnerved by it.
“You said that you were not forcing me to stay here, right?”
He leaned back in his chair, suddenly uncertain. “Right.”
“Then let me go.”
Daniel couldn’t hide the hurt he felt. What had he been expecting? That she would fall head over heels for him within a few days and stay with him for the rest of her life? Unlikely. They barely knew each other. Rather, she barely knew him!
He knew he couldn’t let her come back. He’d probably be out of this body by then, and there was no telling if the original Daniel would remember anything that had transpired since his mental suppression. Vital details about this woman would be inaccessible, and then, how would he save her? She was just as likely to come back with some sort of new scheme that would start the whole Ori fiasco all over again. She’d be hurt all over again.
No, if she left it had to be for good. But Daniel couldn’t stand the thought of saying something terrible to make sure she wouldn’t come back. The fight just wasn’t in him anymore. This whole experience had made him reconsider who Vala really was and how she came to be. Even though she hadn’t shared much in the time he’d known this version of her, it told volumes about the one he had waiting for him back home. This side of Vala had been put away for safe-keeping. He rarely saw it anymore, unless he provoked it. Is that why he fought with her so much? Because he was trying to understand her? She truly was an enigma.
“Daniel?”
His thought pattern was broken up by her voice. “You’re not letting me go,” she realized, almost sounding defeated.
“If you leave, you can never come back.”
“Fine.”
“I’m serious. There’s no telling what’ll happen in the next few years. Things might,” he paused, “change. I might change. And then the Daniel you come looking for won’t be the one you remember.” He could only go that far to warn her. The truth was out of the question. He had changed this reality enough.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. But if you say I’m not welcome here after I leave, then I can handle that.”
He started to say that she would always be welcome, but stopped himself. That would only be the truth in his reality. His silence confirmed for Vala what she had just suggested. She stood up from the bed.
“You’re not leaving now, are you?” he said, suddenly scared.
Vala wasn’t blind. She saw the hurt in his eyes when she had mentioned getting out of here. He truly had a restless soul, going through all this trouble to keep her here for who knows what reason. His justifications were all so confusing and unorthodox to her. She pitied him in a way, and couldn’t help but placate him for the moment. “No, not yet.”
He seemed to release some tension in his body.
“You said you wanted to know about your wife.”
“Yes, but I’m not forcing you to tell me what you don’t know.”
“I get that. But there is something.” He looked up, daring not to hope. “Amonet was infamous among the Goa’uld for being unable to exert complete control over its hosts. I remember when the symbiote had a different host than your wife, decades ago, the host managed to take control and ridicule the entire System Lord council.”
“How do you know it wasn’t my wife’s body?”
“Because I saw her picture.” Vala pointed to the simple framed photo of Sha’re on his nightstand. It was the same one he usually kept in his office. “And I’ve kept memories from Qetesh.”
Daniel’s attention lingered on the picture of his wife. “Oh.”
“That’s all I remember. But it’s possible that your wife could have left something behind for you to find. Maybe in a place she once lived.”
“No, Abydos is gone.”
“Abydos?”
“It was destroyed.”
“No, it wasn’t.”
“Vala, I saw it. The planet was destroyed.”
“You must have been on the wrong planet. I was just on Abydos a few months ago.”
“What?” He didn’t want to believe it, lest he be disappointed.
“It’s a barren land. No one lives there anymore. Which is exactly why I went there. The people abandoned their homes and left them as they were. I sought refuge in one of those homes.”
“Are you sure we’re talking about the same planet!?”
“Dead sure. Go back there and find out. Maybe you’ll get lucky and find a piece of her there.” The painful smile he wore told Vala that he bore a lot of burdens. Those muscled arms weren’t just for show.
“Thank you.”
“You have nothing to thank me for, Daniel. We had an agreement. I honored it.”
Daniel just shook his head. “And now I suppose, you’d like to be let go.”
Vala didn’t disagree with him. He didn’t say anything for a little while. Finally, she reached out a hand to stroke his face. “I can tell you’re a good man. And that you didn’t deserve what happened to you. But you can’t keep living in the past.”
She didn’t know how true her words really were. Daniel was literally living in the past at this very moment. He wasn’t going to stay in this reality forever. And he wouldn’t be here to greet her if and when Vala tried to come back to Earth. Now that she was being completely honest with him, he had a strong feeling that she would try to come back. And then everything would get all messed up because the other him wouldn’t remember her or know what to do with her.
“I can promise that, if you can promise not to come looking for me again.”
“So, I’ll become a piece of your past, then?” She chuckled.
He smiled ruefully. “I guess so.”
000
The Original Daniel’s Universe
Sam was comparing the schematics of this stasis pod with the one in Antarctica. It was remarkably similar. The only problem was, she still didn’t know how to open it. The Asgard had freed O’Neill when he was in there. They didn’t exactly have time to explain how to open a stasis pod to her. She’d probably need Jack to fly out here and open it himself, if he could.
Vala just stood across the room staring at Sam, who was staring at the pod with Daniel in it. She had every confidence that the woman would figure it out, but she was almost hoping that she wouldn’t. At least, not for a while. She turned an icy glare on the sleeping form of Daniel Jackson. The man made her blood boil. Especially these past months. There were fleeting moments when she thought about Tomin and whether or not she should have gone with him. But she quickly dismissed those thoughts as soon as they came. It would never have worked between them.
It would never work with Daniel, either. That much was obvious. But that was why she was always so angry with him, wasn’t it? The realization that they could never be more than friends but weren’t satisfied as friends either. The thought of leaving never, ever crossed her mind. As much as she got frustrated with Daniel, Earth was now her home. There was more than just Daniel and gravity holding her there.
Cam walked in discreetly and stood next to Vala. “How’s she doin’?” he whispered.
Vala nodded. “Nothing yet.”
“Cam,” Samantha called. “Come here.”
“Uh oh.” He did as he was told.
Sam gestured toward the device. “Tell me what you did.”
“Aww Sam, do you have to rub it in? I messed up, I get it.”
“No, no. Just tell me what you pressed. I need to know to figure this out.”
“Oh. Well…” He gestured to the few random buttons he remembered pushing. Then he put on a sheepish grin when he admitted he didn’t remember the final combination.
Vala snorted in the background. “I’m gonna go see what Teal’c is doing.” She ventured out into the sun and frowned. “Damn, I forgot my sunblock.”
“You are always forgetting your sunblock, Vala Mal Doran.” Teal’c had stepped out from behind a tall ruin, P-90 at the ready.
She hadn’t been surprised by his appearance. Neither of them had a symbiote anymore, but she could sense him a mile away. She turned to her friend, the one she could never find reason to fight with. “Why can’t Daniel be more like you?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Does Daniel Jackson not comment on your forgetfulness often?”
“No, no, no, Muscles. I mean… quiet. Stoic. Nice.”
“I believe he is all three at the moment.”
Vala snorted again, then laughed. “You got that right.”
“Perhaps you would like him better if his attitude toward you improved.”
“Another correct comment, Teal’c. You know, sometimes I think you’re smarter than he is.”
“We each have our own talents and gifts. Mine are not comparable to Daniel Jackson’s.”
“Hmm. You’re right. He’s one of a kind,” she said in a not-so-complimentary tone.
“Perhaps you are too hard on him.” This was the first bit of original advice she’d heard from Teal’c about the matter. He had taken to pointing out the obvious lately, which was nice, but never helped.
She faced him. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am always serious.”
“Right.”
“I am merely trying to explain that you have yet to see the world through his eyes. Like you, he has lived a difficult life. Though his experiences were different, you are more alike than you realize.”
“I think you have it backwards, Muscles. I see his perspective perfectly. It’s mine that he doesn’t bother to understand. And that’s what irks me the most. He can’t respect my opinion if he doesn’t care to know how I come across it.”
“Point well taken.”
“Ay, you two. Sam figured something out!” Cam called from the room’s entrance.
000
The Alternate Daniel’s Universe
Jack never believed Daniel when he said he was from some other reality. He didn’t believe Sam, either, when she said it was possible on the phone. What he did think, however, was that this Vala character was trouble. He could smell it. Daniel was clearly enthralled with her, but was letting her go. He must have realized she was more trouble than she was worth, too.
He said he wanted to go back to Abydos. Jack dutifully reminded him that nothing was there. Just the houses that his family and old village left behind. Daniel stamped his foot and said he was going. Jack rolled his eyes and approved the trip. He sent SG-14 along for good measure. Apparently, the lady-friend was going with him. When Daniel and his friend were out of hearing range, he ordered SG-14 to make sure this woman actually did leave and not come back with them.
Dry, dusty air assaulted Daniel’s nose when he stepped through the stargate. He breathed in deeply, absolutely beside himself at being on Abydos again. His eyes scanned the immediate area, quickly finding the ruins of his old home. Vala started for it, seeming to know her way around already. Half of SG-14 stayed at the gate, while the other half followed them. She looked back at them suspiciously, wondering just what they were for.
Daniel ran through the sand to enter the village. He looked around in wonder, the sights reactivating his decaying memories. There was the tent where the finest cloth on Abydos was spun. Here had been the home of the village storyteller. And that one. On the far left. Used to be his and Sha’re’s. He rushed off to greet it like an old friend. Vala hung back, not comfortable at all. She didn’t know why she agreed to come with him here. She felt like she was invading someone’s privacy the way a symbiote invaded someone’s body. This felt wrong, and yet, Daniel had been grateful to her. She simply couldn’t understand the man.
She decided to distract herself with the impressionable young men of SG-14. She sent them a flirtatious smile.
Inside his old home, Daniel simply stood. The heavy tarps serving as a roof had been reduced to rags, yet he still spied hints of the colorful designs they once held. One of the support columns had tipped over, but he knew there used to be a large pot there. He knelt down and found a piece of a shoe. It had been his once but now was crumbling into dust. Looking up, he spied the place where Sha’re and he had shared a bed.
Tears began to flood his eyes. He knelt down on the once-soft coverlets. They were rough now, weathered by a lack of protection and the desert heat. He still brought them to his face, hoping for a latent smell that would remind him of her. No such luck, and he wasn’t surprised. He, the purveyor of countless ruins, knew all too well that there would be little to salvage here.
Something caught the sun and sparkled. He reached for it among the blankets. It was a jewel encased in a necklace. The design was terribly simple, having been put together with pieces of twine. Daniel didn’t recognize it. Someone like Vala must have taken refuge in his former home and left this behind. He put it back in its resting place, to be found by some other soul who would happen to want for such a jewel.
He wiped at stray tears with the back of his hand. He never thought he’d see this place again, ruined or not. The Abydos he knew was gone. Inaccessible. He could never have come back here… unless he was already dead. Vala was right. Sha’re left pieces of herself everywhere. He saw it in the rags that once made up the roof, in the pot she used to cook with, in the bed they used to sleep in. Daniel ran his hand over every surface, knowing this would be his one and only chance.
A huge weight lifted off his shoulders. It was a weight he had thought long gone. A relieving sense of closure washed over him as he looked over his ruined tent. If the need to fight had been slowly dissipating before, it was completely gone now. The Vala of this world was exactly correct. Living in the past was nothing compared to being in the present. It had taken traveling to another universe and meeting another her to show him that. Daniel didn’t think he was living in the past, but maybe part of him always was. Trying to regain a piece of what he had lost but could never get back.
His sad expression had transformed into a genuine smile. He whispered words of love to his dead wife and could almost swear the breeze brushing his cheek was her loving response.
000
The Original Daniel’s Universe
“There’s another pod in here.” Sam pointed to a wall near Daniel. She tapped a few commands into her tablet, which was connected to the control panel. “See?” Another holographic wall disappeared and a stasis pod took its place.
“And what do you suppose this will help us do?” Vala asked carefully. She eyed it with suspicion.
“According to what I’ve learned, the pods are connected. They’re not unlike the Ancient Communication stones.”
“You mean the ones that transported us to the Ori galaxy?” Vala shivered when Sam nodded. “We have to get him out of there! He could be in another evil galaxy right now, accidentally inciting another war.”
“Paranoid much?” Cam quipped. Vala glared at him.
“Ummm, no I don’t think that’s what this thing does.”
Teal’c clasped his hands behind his back. “Please explain, Colonel Carter.”
“It’s too early to come up with any working theories. I just have a hunch, that’s all.”
“Let me guess,” Cam said, “you don’t want to jinx it by telling us about it.”
Sam smiled and that told him he was right. Who said scientists couldn’t be superstitious? “All I know is, someone’s gonna have to get in that pod and see if they can make contact with Daniel.”
“I’ll go,” Cam volunteered. “I got him into this mess. It’s only right that I should be the one getting him out.”
“I have to warn you, Cam. I don’t know what kind of risks there are. This is all really sketchy right now.”
“S’kay. I can handle sketchy,” he said with confidence. “So what do I do?”
Sam tapped a few buttons on her tablet. “Stand over by the pod.” She looked up to Cam doing just that. “Now… just stay calm and wait.” She began to press buttons on the console itself.
“Wait for what?” The console lit up and a colorful display of lights filled the room. Vala and Teal’c were enamored with them. When they dissipated, Cameron was gone.
Light show gone, they both turned in surprise. Vala leaned onto the glass of the stasis pod. She tapped on the glass. “Hello? Can you hear me?” Cameron, who had been pulled inside somehow, did not respond. He looked just as sound asleep as Daniel. Vala turned back to Sam. “Is it working?”
She furrowed her brow. “I’m not sure. The system is giving me different readings, but I’m not sure what they mean.”
Vala glanced back at Cameron’s peaceful face. Then back at Samantha. “They’re not in trouble are they?”
“Vala Mal Doran,” Teal’c warned.
“What.” She glanced back at Cameron to find him awake and staring at her. “Ahhh!” She jumped back, running into Teal’c.
The door of the stasis pod opened automatically. Cameron stumbled out, but refused his team’s offers for help. He just held his head for a moment, then shook it. “Whoa,” he muttered.
“What did you see?” Sam asked.
It took him some time to respond. The team stared at him worriedly. “I was me. But I wasn’t me.” The trio looking after him shared looks. “It was like a time warp. I was in physical therapy, just like a few years back after my crash. I could feel how weak I was compared to now. It was surreal.”
“How did you get out of there so quickly?” Vala asked, gentleness in her tone this time. She had heard about the circumstances that brought Cameron into the SGC. It wasn’t the prettiest bedtime story.
“All I know is that I wanted out of there, quick. Next thing I know, I end up back here.”
Sam’s face screwed up as she thought. “Maybe that’s it. A person’s desire to be there or not.”
“Are you saying Daniel hasn’t come out yet because he likes it in there?” Vala questioned.
Cameron rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know, Princess. Maybe someone else should give it a whack.”
“I will try,” Teal’c said. He stood by the pod and waited for Sam to activate the system. Now that both Cameron and Vala had seen the light show, they focused on how the pod worked. It had a light show of its own that carefully snaked its next occupant in with ribbons of light. Teal’c remained calm and then quite easily fell asleep in there once the door closed.
Almost immediately, the door popped back open.
“Teal’c?” Sam asked.
“I did not see Daniel Jackson.”
“What did you see, buddy?”
“Many Jaffa. Rallying against the Goa’uld Camulus.”
“Camulus?” Sam called out, surprised. “He’s dead!”
“Indeed. It was surreal, as Mitchell said.”
“Okay, my turn.” Vala stepped in front of the pod. She looked at Daniel. “You better come out or I’ll chase you out!” He didn’t respond. Vala turned back to her blonde friend. “Hit it, Sam.”
Sam shrugged and started up the sequence again.
000
The Alternate Daniel’s Universe
Vala sucked in a breath of hot, dry air. It was a vast difference from the musty, damp air she had grown accustomed to in that chamber. She regained her vision and found herself face to face with a couple of flyboys from SG-14. They were grinning at her. She shook her head, feeling cobwebs.
She felt strange. She looked down. Why the hell was she wearing this terrible flight suit? She looked back up at the two men. “Where’s Daniel?”
Their smiles faded into confusion. One of them pointed. She turned around and walked in that direction. Well, it would be about damn time. The village was dilapidated to say the least. She’d seen a dozen copies of it on every desert world she ever visited. It looked abandoned. Daniel’s kind of place, she mused.
When she found him, Vala was struck by how calm he looked. He was whispering quietly into nothing, and she couldn’t understand what he was saying. No doubt it was one of the billion languages he knew. She cocked her head. Certainly by now he would have heard her coming. He usually knew when she was around because he had a big, fat comment ready to hurl at her.
Vala studied the tent. It was more a ruin, really. No one had lived here for years. And if she could pull Daniel away from here, it would stay that way. “Time to come home, Darling.” She said it in an even voice so as not to startle him as much.
“Vala,” he spoke, without turning around. “What took you so long?” It sounded as if he’d been expecting her.
“I should ask you the same thing.”
“I didn’t have a way to come back home.” He turned around and looked absolutely serene. Vala tilted her head, curious.
“You could have come back anytime you wanted. Apparently, you could just think it.”
“Really?”
“Yep.”
“What is this place, Daniel? A dream?”
“No, not a dream. I used to live here.”
Vala’s eyes widened. “When?”
“When Sha’re was still alive.” Vala gasped and looked around. This used to be Daniel’s village?
“How is this possible? I thought your village was destroyed.”
“In this reality, it wasn’t. Abydos lives on.”
“Is this why you didn’t come home to us? Because you were here?”
“Honestly, I didn’t know I could just think my way back home. I would have tried clicking my heels if it occurred to me.”
“Okay, Dorothy, maybe we should go now.”
Daniel nodded, looking completely at peace. “I’m not surprised that it’s you pulling me back.”
Vala smirked. “Why, because I’m always the one pulling your ass out of the fire?”
Daniel grinned back. “Yeah, in more ways than one.”
“Huh?”
He chuckled. “Go ahead. I’ll be right behind you.”
“You know, you said that once before and that backfired on you.”
“This time, I mean it. I just have one more thing to do.”
Vala sighed. “You are an enigma, Daniel Jackson.” A kooky grin crossed his face. “I will come after you if you don’t come home,” she warned, shaking a finger at him. He continued smiling. Now this was his Vala. She had no qualms about where her home was. She rolled her eyes.
The woman before him suddenly blinked. She breathed in, a little surprised to find herself here. She hadn’t dared to come near this tent. Wasn’t that why she was flirting with those two men over there?
“I want to say, thank you, again. If it weren’t for you, I never would have had the chance to see this place again.”
Vala took in the sight of the old, ratty tent. She didn’t want to tell him that this was the very same tent she had taken refuge in a few months ago. She wondered if that little necklace was still lying about. “You keep thanking me, but I still don’t understand why.”
“It’s okay. You don’t have to. Remember our agreement?”
“Not seeing you again? I still don’t get that part, either.”
“Because I won’t be here if you try to come back. I’ll be a different person.”
“Why?”
“It’s hard to explain. You can chalk it up to memory loss.”
“You know you’re going to lose your memory?” Vala didn’t believe it.
“Something like that. If you ever see me again, just be careful. I won’t trust you anymore.”
“Daniel, you’re not making any sense. But let’s face it, you were always a little, pfft, wonko.” He laughed out loud, recognizing the exact same gesture the other Vala had made in a video a couple years back. “You know what, I think you’re right. We should never, ever meet again. You’re a little too wonko for me. And believe me, I know wonko.”
“Good luck, Vala. And goodbye.”
She gave him a look, then left. That would be the last she’d ever see of him. She sidled up to the pair from SG-14 and whispered naughty things to them. They laughed and let her pass. Vala didn’t look back as she stepped through the gate. She never looked back.
Daniel didn’t watch her go. He simply took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
Moments later, when they opened again, the owner of those eyes was instantly confused. He scanned his surroundings and recognized them easily. Turning around quickly and looking in, he whispered, “Sha’re,” and he smiled.
000
Vala woke up and came out of the pod with little assistance required. “Well?” Cam asked expectantly.
“He said he’ll be right behind me.” They all stared at Daniel’s pod. He didn’t move. “Oh the lying son…” His eyes opened. The stasis pod door swung open slowly. “Oh.”
It took him more time to recover than the others, with his stasis being so long. Teal’c and Cameron helped him out of it and kept him on his feet. He was so disoriented that he couldn’t manage to stand on his own. So they sat him down against a real wall. His vision was blurred, which Vala fixed by replacing his glasses. When he looked up, both she and Sam were looking down on him.
“Are you okay, Daniel?” Sam asked.
He nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”
Vala, knowing where he had been, allowed a small ghost of a smile to raise the corner of her mouth. “He’ll be fine. He’s a trooper.”
“Hmm.”
Sam stood up fully and walked over to the console. She began to pack up her equipment.
“So does it do what you think?” Cam asked of the machine. He kneeled down to help her pull the modern cords out of the machine.
Sam stole a look at Daniel, who had Teal’c and Vala leaning over him. “I’m not sure yet. I’ll have to wait until he’s in better shape to tell us what happened.”
“It’s damn lucky he didn’t get hurt.” Mitchell crossed his arms and sighed. Sam patted his back with her hand. She knew the feeling.
“How about now, darling?”
“I can try,” Daniel said weakly. Teal’c and Vala each took an arm and gently raised him up. He felt a little dizzy, but the feeling soon passed. “Thanks, Teal’c.” The Jaffa nodded and released him. But Daniel wouldn’t release Vala. He leaned into her more, signaling he’d at least need her support. She didn’t protest.
Sam was finished packing up. Cam looked at the pair. “Shall we?”
Daniel replied, “Lead on.”
000
The SGC was quiet when the team came back. Sam stayed just long enough for Dr. Lam to give everyone a clean bill of health. Satisfied that everything was back to normal, she headed back for her post on the George Hammond. No doubt she’d have to wait ‘til later to hear from Daniel about his experience.
Cam gave him the biggest bear hug, apologizing profusely for pressing too many buttons. Daniel laughed with him and told him it was all okay. He couldn’t complain. Teal’c had offered him a respectful nod of the head, then mentioned he was behind on training the members of the SGC. Both of them left, leaving the so-called Obstruction (Daniel and Vala) in the infirmary. The nurses eyed them wearily.
Daniel tipped his head toward the door. “Let’s get out of here.” Vala shrugged and helped him up. As they slowly made for the elevator, he asked, “Can you drive?”
“Where are we going?”
“Home.” Vala wasn’t surprised by his request. She knew she could easily call for a driver from the base to pick her up later.
When they arrived at Daniel’s apartment, it was the usual mess. “Could you help me over to my room?”
“You can’t be serious,” she mumbled while she helped him. “You’ve been asleep for days and now you want more?”
“Not right away. But this is better than the couch.”
Vala had slept on his lumpy couch before. She couldn’t disagree. After dumping him on the bed, she sat next to him. He was staring at the ceiling quietly. “Well?”
“You were there.”
“Obviously.”
“I relived the day we met.” He turned to her to gauge her reaction.
“On the Prometheus? Where I beat you up?”
He slapped her arm playfully. “Whatever.”
“How’d you get there? That was years ago.”
“I know. I guess that universe was moving through time at its own pace. I really don’t know why I traveled back in time as well as across realities.”
“So that’s what happened to you?”
“Mmm hmm.”
Daniel went on to tell her about his time there. He told her about his decision to change their timeline on purpose. He explained his hope that the chain of events he had set in motion wouldn’t lead them to the Ori. Vala seemed to agree that it was a wise decision. She argued though about whether or not her counterpart would come back.
“Well, I told her not to.”
“And when have I ever listened to you, Darling?”
“You have a point.”
“I always do.”
He stuffed a pillow in her face. Vala just grabbed it and fluffed it behind her head. They were both lying on the bed now, staring up at the ceiling. “Did you really give her a speech about having a home and all that?”
“Yeah.”
“How’d she react?”
“She looked at me like I was nuts.” Vala turned her head and he did the same. “But hey, what’s new?”
She laughed. “I think she’ll come around. Eventually. It may take some work, but I’m sure you could do it again.”
“I had this crazy idea that I could start over with you.” Vala turned her body to face his. “You know, without the bickering and the, well, violence.” She grinned.
“But that’s what makes us the best of friends, Daniel.”
He gave her a sour look, but it was good-natured. “I’m gonna try to be better to you, Vala. Sometimes I forget what you’ve been through.”
She sighed, smiling gently at him. “And I forget what you’ve been through. So… I accept your apology.”
“Ah hell,” he grumbled.
“As long as you accept mine.”
Daniel chuckled. “Deal.” They gave each other a quick, platonic kiss to seal the deal. Yes, there was hope for them after all. He’d always been told that “what if?” was a useless question to ask because one would never know the answer. In this case, he already knew the answer. What if Vala had never escaped from the Prometheus and come back with a silly tablet that would change their lives? His life would have been just a little less interesting, that was for sure. He wouldn’t give up his own Vala for the world.
Back to Part 2
The Alternate Daniel’s Universe
“There’s nothing wrong with you,” Janet commented as she looked at her clipboard.
“I told you,” Daniel replied. He had the decency to look chastised when she shot him a look of annoyance.
“You are in exactly the same state that you left with, Daniel. Are you sure you didn’t get bumped in the head during your encounter?”
“No, no, I’m fine. Seriously, you have got to believe me. I’m not the same Daniel. Somehow my mind is in this,” he said, gesturing at his body, “body, which happens to be exactly the same, well, almost, as mine!”
Janet looked at him doubtfully.
Daniel started muttering to himself. “It’s the same thing as an Ancient Communication device. Except there are no stones that I’m aware of involved. And I’m in my own body.” He looked up, possibilities opening up in his mind. He didn’t notice that she had no idea what an Ancient Communication device was. This universe hadn’t found one yet. “Janet!”
“Yes?”
“I think I know what happened!”
“And what’s that?”
“I really did travel to another reality. But it was only my mind! There’s a way to break the connection!”
“Okay? How?”
Daniel drew a blank. “Oh. I haven’t quite figured that out yet.”
“Daniel, I think you need to go lay down.”
“No, Janet, I’m telling you, I’m fine.”
“Daniel,” she said with a strict tone. “Don’t make me give you an escort back to your quarters.”
“Fine,” he said like a petulant child. “I need to check on Vala anyway.”
“Who is this woman again?”
“We rescued her,” he lied. “She was a slave to the aliens who tried to steal the Prometheus.” Janet didn’t respond because Daniel had gotten up to comply with her request. He just grinned at her then walked out of the infirmary.
Vala was awake when he had returned. It looked like she had just woken up, in fact. She rubbed at her eyes before regarding him. He smiled at her, and she felt weary. The only time people were this nice was when they wanted something. He claimed that he only wanted information about his dead wife. And every time she tested him, he rebuffed her sexual advances. It was the strangest thing she’d ever seen. He didn’t even pretend to enjoy her flirtatious behavior. On any other world, one would begin to suspect if he even liked girls. Then he claimed he was trying to protect her from dangers unseen. Pfft. If he really knew what it was like out there, he wouldn’t step foot off his fair planet ever again.
Daniel pulled the chair out from the bureau and sat near her. She was still on the bed, looking at him strangely. He opened the drawer and pulled out a keycard. “Here. This is for you. I slipped it in here while you were sleeping. The room you’ve been given is just a couple doors down from this one.” He extended the keycard toward her, but she didn’t take it. His smile disappeared. “What’s wrong?”
“Why am I really here?”
“What do you mean? I told you.”
“You tell me I’m not your captive and yet I’ve been locked in rooms ever since I agreed to follow your lead. Go with the current.”
“Flow.”
“What?”
“It’s ‘go with the flow.’”
“Whatever. The point is, you haven’t shown me one ounce of trust. How is that supposed to make me trust you?”
“Whoa, whoa. You could have left this room anytime you wanted. The door was unlocked!”
Vala furrowed her brows. “Oh. Well, I didn’t know that. But that’s not the point! When are you going to tell me what’s really going on!?”
Daniel wasn’t quite sure how to answer. He stared at her for a moment before finally saying, “You remind me of someone.”
“Of your dead wife?” she accused.
“No. Not her. Someone else.”
“You’re keeping me here because I remind you of someone? What will you come up with next?”
“Look, there are a lot of reasons why I chose to vouch for you instead of turning you in. One, you were a host. That makes you special in that you’re still alive.” Vala’s mind hung on to the word “special.” “Two, you could be killed if you ventured out there right now.”
“I’ve lived this long without your doting protection.”
“Yes, I know, but soon enough your luck is going to run out.” Daniel had another thought. “Speaking of running. Aren’t you tired of it?”
“No.”
“You can’t be serious about that. Look, I know going home to where you grew up is not an option anymore…”
“And how do you know this?”
“Lucky guess. Anyway, wouldn’t it be nice to settle down and find some peace after all the things you’ve been through?”
“I like my life.”
Daniel considered her for a moment. “Honestly?”
“Yes!” she yelled. But a tiny part of her mind was beginning to question her resolve.
“Really, Vala?” He still hadn’t believed it. Damn her emotions for letting her lose control. She should be distracting this man with seduction. The only problem is, it doesn’t seem to work! All this talk made her uncomfortable. She was eager to move on to more familiar territory, like sex or profit. “Even if you don’t make your home here, which I’m not putting any pressure on you to do, you should think about making a home somewhere.”
He pushed the keycard at her again. “Think about what it must be like to have your own place. Somewhere permanent to go back to.”
She stared at the keycard, not completely convinced. “What if I don’t want one?”
Daniel dropped his head slightly, but didn’t waver. “That’s completely up to you. But before you decide to up and escape, I’ve got to warn you. The Lucian Alliance is growing in power. And the next swindle you make might cause you to cross paths with them again. Do you really want to take that risk every day?”
“Of course not. But I have no other options. Such is life.”
“Life doesn’t have to be that way, Vala. Your options are not as limited as you think.”
She squirmed under his intense look. This was just not her. She never shared this much with anyone. Ever. And especially not with a man like this one. He was only useful to satisfy a craving and should be nothing more. And she hadn’t even revealed anything out loud. It seemed as though he could read her like a book. She was unnerved by it.
“You said that you were not forcing me to stay here, right?”
He leaned back in his chair, suddenly uncertain. “Right.”
“Then let me go.”
Daniel couldn’t hide the hurt he felt. What had he been expecting? That she would fall head over heels for him within a few days and stay with him for the rest of her life? Unlikely. They barely knew each other. Rather, she barely knew him!
He knew he couldn’t let her come back. He’d probably be out of this body by then, and there was no telling if the original Daniel would remember anything that had transpired since his mental suppression. Vital details about this woman would be inaccessible, and then, how would he save her? She was just as likely to come back with some sort of new scheme that would start the whole Ori fiasco all over again. She’d be hurt all over again.
No, if she left it had to be for good. But Daniel couldn’t stand the thought of saying something terrible to make sure she wouldn’t come back. The fight just wasn’t in him anymore. This whole experience had made him reconsider who Vala really was and how she came to be. Even though she hadn’t shared much in the time he’d known this version of her, it told volumes about the one he had waiting for him back home. This side of Vala had been put away for safe-keeping. He rarely saw it anymore, unless he provoked it. Is that why he fought with her so much? Because he was trying to understand her? She truly was an enigma.
“Daniel?”
His thought pattern was broken up by her voice. “You’re not letting me go,” she realized, almost sounding defeated.
“If you leave, you can never come back.”
“Fine.”
“I’m serious. There’s no telling what’ll happen in the next few years. Things might,” he paused, “change. I might change. And then the Daniel you come looking for won’t be the one you remember.” He could only go that far to warn her. The truth was out of the question. He had changed this reality enough.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. But if you say I’m not welcome here after I leave, then I can handle that.”
He started to say that she would always be welcome, but stopped himself. That would only be the truth in his reality. His silence confirmed for Vala what she had just suggested. She stood up from the bed.
“You’re not leaving now, are you?” he said, suddenly scared.
Vala wasn’t blind. She saw the hurt in his eyes when she had mentioned getting out of here. He truly had a restless soul, going through all this trouble to keep her here for who knows what reason. His justifications were all so confusing and unorthodox to her. She pitied him in a way, and couldn’t help but placate him for the moment. “No, not yet.”
He seemed to release some tension in his body.
“You said you wanted to know about your wife.”
“Yes, but I’m not forcing you to tell me what you don’t know.”
“I get that. But there is something.” He looked up, daring not to hope. “Amonet was infamous among the Goa’uld for being unable to exert complete control over its hosts. I remember when the symbiote had a different host than your wife, decades ago, the host managed to take control and ridicule the entire System Lord council.”
“How do you know it wasn’t my wife’s body?”
“Because I saw her picture.” Vala pointed to the simple framed photo of Sha’re on his nightstand. It was the same one he usually kept in his office. “And I’ve kept memories from Qetesh.”
Daniel’s attention lingered on the picture of his wife. “Oh.”
“That’s all I remember. But it’s possible that your wife could have left something behind for you to find. Maybe in a place she once lived.”
“No, Abydos is gone.”
“Abydos?”
“It was destroyed.”
“No, it wasn’t.”
“Vala, I saw it. The planet was destroyed.”
“You must have been on the wrong planet. I was just on Abydos a few months ago.”
“What?” He didn’t want to believe it, lest he be disappointed.
“It’s a barren land. No one lives there anymore. Which is exactly why I went there. The people abandoned their homes and left them as they were. I sought refuge in one of those homes.”
“Are you sure we’re talking about the same planet!?”
“Dead sure. Go back there and find out. Maybe you’ll get lucky and find a piece of her there.” The painful smile he wore told Vala that he bore a lot of burdens. Those muscled arms weren’t just for show.
“Thank you.”
“You have nothing to thank me for, Daniel. We had an agreement. I honored it.”
Daniel just shook his head. “And now I suppose, you’d like to be let go.”
Vala didn’t disagree with him. He didn’t say anything for a little while. Finally, she reached out a hand to stroke his face. “I can tell you’re a good man. And that you didn’t deserve what happened to you. But you can’t keep living in the past.”
She didn’t know how true her words really were. Daniel was literally living in the past at this very moment. He wasn’t going to stay in this reality forever. And he wouldn’t be here to greet her if and when Vala tried to come back to Earth. Now that she was being completely honest with him, he had a strong feeling that she would try to come back. And then everything would get all messed up because the other him wouldn’t remember her or know what to do with her.
“I can promise that, if you can promise not to come looking for me again.”
“So, I’ll become a piece of your past, then?” She chuckled.
He smiled ruefully. “I guess so.”
000
The Original Daniel’s Universe
Sam was comparing the schematics of this stasis pod with the one in Antarctica. It was remarkably similar. The only problem was, she still didn’t know how to open it. The Asgard had freed O’Neill when he was in there. They didn’t exactly have time to explain how to open a stasis pod to her. She’d probably need Jack to fly out here and open it himself, if he could.
Vala just stood across the room staring at Sam, who was staring at the pod with Daniel in it. She had every confidence that the woman would figure it out, but she was almost hoping that she wouldn’t. At least, not for a while. She turned an icy glare on the sleeping form of Daniel Jackson. The man made her blood boil. Especially these past months. There were fleeting moments when she thought about Tomin and whether or not she should have gone with him. But she quickly dismissed those thoughts as soon as they came. It would never have worked between them.
It would never work with Daniel, either. That much was obvious. But that was why she was always so angry with him, wasn’t it? The realization that they could never be more than friends but weren’t satisfied as friends either. The thought of leaving never, ever crossed her mind. As much as she got frustrated with Daniel, Earth was now her home. There was more than just Daniel and gravity holding her there.
Cam walked in discreetly and stood next to Vala. “How’s she doin’?” he whispered.
Vala nodded. “Nothing yet.”
“Cam,” Samantha called. “Come here.”
“Uh oh.” He did as he was told.
Sam gestured toward the device. “Tell me what you did.”
“Aww Sam, do you have to rub it in? I messed up, I get it.”
“No, no. Just tell me what you pressed. I need to know to figure this out.”
“Oh. Well…” He gestured to the few random buttons he remembered pushing. Then he put on a sheepish grin when he admitted he didn’t remember the final combination.
Vala snorted in the background. “I’m gonna go see what Teal’c is doing.” She ventured out into the sun and frowned. “Damn, I forgot my sunblock.”
“You are always forgetting your sunblock, Vala Mal Doran.” Teal’c had stepped out from behind a tall ruin, P-90 at the ready.
She hadn’t been surprised by his appearance. Neither of them had a symbiote anymore, but she could sense him a mile away. She turned to her friend, the one she could never find reason to fight with. “Why can’t Daniel be more like you?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Does Daniel Jackson not comment on your forgetfulness often?”
“No, no, no, Muscles. I mean… quiet. Stoic. Nice.”
“I believe he is all three at the moment.”
Vala snorted again, then laughed. “You got that right.”
“Perhaps you would like him better if his attitude toward you improved.”
“Another correct comment, Teal’c. You know, sometimes I think you’re smarter than he is.”
“We each have our own talents and gifts. Mine are not comparable to Daniel Jackson’s.”
“Hmm. You’re right. He’s one of a kind,” she said in a not-so-complimentary tone.
“Perhaps you are too hard on him.” This was the first bit of original advice she’d heard from Teal’c about the matter. He had taken to pointing out the obvious lately, which was nice, but never helped.
She faced him. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am always serious.”
“Right.”
“I am merely trying to explain that you have yet to see the world through his eyes. Like you, he has lived a difficult life. Though his experiences were different, you are more alike than you realize.”
“I think you have it backwards, Muscles. I see his perspective perfectly. It’s mine that he doesn’t bother to understand. And that’s what irks me the most. He can’t respect my opinion if he doesn’t care to know how I come across it.”
“Point well taken.”
“Ay, you two. Sam figured something out!” Cam called from the room’s entrance.
000
The Alternate Daniel’s Universe
Jack never believed Daniel when he said he was from some other reality. He didn’t believe Sam, either, when she said it was possible on the phone. What he did think, however, was that this Vala character was trouble. He could smell it. Daniel was clearly enthralled with her, but was letting her go. He must have realized she was more trouble than she was worth, too.
He said he wanted to go back to Abydos. Jack dutifully reminded him that nothing was there. Just the houses that his family and old village left behind. Daniel stamped his foot and said he was going. Jack rolled his eyes and approved the trip. He sent SG-14 along for good measure. Apparently, the lady-friend was going with him. When Daniel and his friend were out of hearing range, he ordered SG-14 to make sure this woman actually did leave and not come back with them.
Dry, dusty air assaulted Daniel’s nose when he stepped through the stargate. He breathed in deeply, absolutely beside himself at being on Abydos again. His eyes scanned the immediate area, quickly finding the ruins of his old home. Vala started for it, seeming to know her way around already. Half of SG-14 stayed at the gate, while the other half followed them. She looked back at them suspiciously, wondering just what they were for.
Daniel ran through the sand to enter the village. He looked around in wonder, the sights reactivating his decaying memories. There was the tent where the finest cloth on Abydos was spun. Here had been the home of the village storyteller. And that one. On the far left. Used to be his and Sha’re’s. He rushed off to greet it like an old friend. Vala hung back, not comfortable at all. She didn’t know why she agreed to come with him here. She felt like she was invading someone’s privacy the way a symbiote invaded someone’s body. This felt wrong, and yet, Daniel had been grateful to her. She simply couldn’t understand the man.
She decided to distract herself with the impressionable young men of SG-14. She sent them a flirtatious smile.
Inside his old home, Daniel simply stood. The heavy tarps serving as a roof had been reduced to rags, yet he still spied hints of the colorful designs they once held. One of the support columns had tipped over, but he knew there used to be a large pot there. He knelt down and found a piece of a shoe. It had been his once but now was crumbling into dust. Looking up, he spied the place where Sha’re and he had shared a bed.
Tears began to flood his eyes. He knelt down on the once-soft coverlets. They were rough now, weathered by a lack of protection and the desert heat. He still brought them to his face, hoping for a latent smell that would remind him of her. No such luck, and he wasn’t surprised. He, the purveyor of countless ruins, knew all too well that there would be little to salvage here.
Something caught the sun and sparkled. He reached for it among the blankets. It was a jewel encased in a necklace. The design was terribly simple, having been put together with pieces of twine. Daniel didn’t recognize it. Someone like Vala must have taken refuge in his former home and left this behind. He put it back in its resting place, to be found by some other soul who would happen to want for such a jewel.
He wiped at stray tears with the back of his hand. He never thought he’d see this place again, ruined or not. The Abydos he knew was gone. Inaccessible. He could never have come back here… unless he was already dead. Vala was right. Sha’re left pieces of herself everywhere. He saw it in the rags that once made up the roof, in the pot she used to cook with, in the bed they used to sleep in. Daniel ran his hand over every surface, knowing this would be his one and only chance.
A huge weight lifted off his shoulders. It was a weight he had thought long gone. A relieving sense of closure washed over him as he looked over his ruined tent. If the need to fight had been slowly dissipating before, it was completely gone now. The Vala of this world was exactly correct. Living in the past was nothing compared to being in the present. It had taken traveling to another universe and meeting another her to show him that. Daniel didn’t think he was living in the past, but maybe part of him always was. Trying to regain a piece of what he had lost but could never get back.
His sad expression had transformed into a genuine smile. He whispered words of love to his dead wife and could almost swear the breeze brushing his cheek was her loving response.
000
The Original Daniel’s Universe
“There’s another pod in here.” Sam pointed to a wall near Daniel. She tapped a few commands into her tablet, which was connected to the control panel. “See?” Another holographic wall disappeared and a stasis pod took its place.
“And what do you suppose this will help us do?” Vala asked carefully. She eyed it with suspicion.
“According to what I’ve learned, the pods are connected. They’re not unlike the Ancient Communication stones.”
“You mean the ones that transported us to the Ori galaxy?” Vala shivered when Sam nodded. “We have to get him out of there! He could be in another evil galaxy right now, accidentally inciting another war.”
“Paranoid much?” Cam quipped. Vala glared at him.
“Ummm, no I don’t think that’s what this thing does.”
Teal’c clasped his hands behind his back. “Please explain, Colonel Carter.”
“It’s too early to come up with any working theories. I just have a hunch, that’s all.”
“Let me guess,” Cam said, “you don’t want to jinx it by telling us about it.”
Sam smiled and that told him he was right. Who said scientists couldn’t be superstitious? “All I know is, someone’s gonna have to get in that pod and see if they can make contact with Daniel.”
“I’ll go,” Cam volunteered. “I got him into this mess. It’s only right that I should be the one getting him out.”
“I have to warn you, Cam. I don’t know what kind of risks there are. This is all really sketchy right now.”
“S’kay. I can handle sketchy,” he said with confidence. “So what do I do?”
Sam tapped a few buttons on her tablet. “Stand over by the pod.” She looked up to Cam doing just that. “Now… just stay calm and wait.” She began to press buttons on the console itself.
“Wait for what?” The console lit up and a colorful display of lights filled the room. Vala and Teal’c were enamored with them. When they dissipated, Cameron was gone.
Light show gone, they both turned in surprise. Vala leaned onto the glass of the stasis pod. She tapped on the glass. “Hello? Can you hear me?” Cameron, who had been pulled inside somehow, did not respond. He looked just as sound asleep as Daniel. Vala turned back to Sam. “Is it working?”
She furrowed her brow. “I’m not sure. The system is giving me different readings, but I’m not sure what they mean.”
Vala glanced back at Cameron’s peaceful face. Then back at Samantha. “They’re not in trouble are they?”
“Vala Mal Doran,” Teal’c warned.
“What.” She glanced back at Cameron to find him awake and staring at her. “Ahhh!” She jumped back, running into Teal’c.
The door of the stasis pod opened automatically. Cameron stumbled out, but refused his team’s offers for help. He just held his head for a moment, then shook it. “Whoa,” he muttered.
“What did you see?” Sam asked.
It took him some time to respond. The team stared at him worriedly. “I was me. But I wasn’t me.” The trio looking after him shared looks. “It was like a time warp. I was in physical therapy, just like a few years back after my crash. I could feel how weak I was compared to now. It was surreal.”
“How did you get out of there so quickly?” Vala asked, gentleness in her tone this time. She had heard about the circumstances that brought Cameron into the SGC. It wasn’t the prettiest bedtime story.
“All I know is that I wanted out of there, quick. Next thing I know, I end up back here.”
Sam’s face screwed up as she thought. “Maybe that’s it. A person’s desire to be there or not.”
“Are you saying Daniel hasn’t come out yet because he likes it in there?” Vala questioned.
Cameron rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know, Princess. Maybe someone else should give it a whack.”
“I will try,” Teal’c said. He stood by the pod and waited for Sam to activate the system. Now that both Cameron and Vala had seen the light show, they focused on how the pod worked. It had a light show of its own that carefully snaked its next occupant in with ribbons of light. Teal’c remained calm and then quite easily fell asleep in there once the door closed.
Almost immediately, the door popped back open.
“Teal’c?” Sam asked.
“I did not see Daniel Jackson.”
“What did you see, buddy?”
“Many Jaffa. Rallying against the Goa’uld Camulus.”
“Camulus?” Sam called out, surprised. “He’s dead!”
“Indeed. It was surreal, as Mitchell said.”
“Okay, my turn.” Vala stepped in front of the pod. She looked at Daniel. “You better come out or I’ll chase you out!” He didn’t respond. Vala turned back to her blonde friend. “Hit it, Sam.”
Sam shrugged and started up the sequence again.
000
The Alternate Daniel’s Universe
Vala sucked in a breath of hot, dry air. It was a vast difference from the musty, damp air she had grown accustomed to in that chamber. She regained her vision and found herself face to face with a couple of flyboys from SG-14. They were grinning at her. She shook her head, feeling cobwebs.
She felt strange. She looked down. Why the hell was she wearing this terrible flight suit? She looked back up at the two men. “Where’s Daniel?”
Their smiles faded into confusion. One of them pointed. She turned around and walked in that direction. Well, it would be about damn time. The village was dilapidated to say the least. She’d seen a dozen copies of it on every desert world she ever visited. It looked abandoned. Daniel’s kind of place, she mused.
When she found him, Vala was struck by how calm he looked. He was whispering quietly into nothing, and she couldn’t understand what he was saying. No doubt it was one of the billion languages he knew. She cocked her head. Certainly by now he would have heard her coming. He usually knew when she was around because he had a big, fat comment ready to hurl at her.
Vala studied the tent. It was more a ruin, really. No one had lived here for years. And if she could pull Daniel away from here, it would stay that way. “Time to come home, Darling.” She said it in an even voice so as not to startle him as much.
“Vala,” he spoke, without turning around. “What took you so long?” It sounded as if he’d been expecting her.
“I should ask you the same thing.”
“I didn’t have a way to come back home.” He turned around and looked absolutely serene. Vala tilted her head, curious.
“You could have come back anytime you wanted. Apparently, you could just think it.”
“Really?”
“Yep.”
“What is this place, Daniel? A dream?”
“No, not a dream. I used to live here.”
Vala’s eyes widened. “When?”
“When Sha’re was still alive.” Vala gasped and looked around. This used to be Daniel’s village?
“How is this possible? I thought your village was destroyed.”
“In this reality, it wasn’t. Abydos lives on.”
“Is this why you didn’t come home to us? Because you were here?”
“Honestly, I didn’t know I could just think my way back home. I would have tried clicking my heels if it occurred to me.”
“Okay, Dorothy, maybe we should go now.”
Daniel nodded, looking completely at peace. “I’m not surprised that it’s you pulling me back.”
Vala smirked. “Why, because I’m always the one pulling your ass out of the fire?”
Daniel grinned back. “Yeah, in more ways than one.”
“Huh?”
He chuckled. “Go ahead. I’ll be right behind you.”
“You know, you said that once before and that backfired on you.”
“This time, I mean it. I just have one more thing to do.”
Vala sighed. “You are an enigma, Daniel Jackson.” A kooky grin crossed his face. “I will come after you if you don’t come home,” she warned, shaking a finger at him. He continued smiling. Now this was his Vala. She had no qualms about where her home was. She rolled her eyes.
The woman before him suddenly blinked. She breathed in, a little surprised to find herself here. She hadn’t dared to come near this tent. Wasn’t that why she was flirting with those two men over there?
“I want to say, thank you, again. If it weren’t for you, I never would have had the chance to see this place again.”
Vala took in the sight of the old, ratty tent. She didn’t want to tell him that this was the very same tent she had taken refuge in a few months ago. She wondered if that little necklace was still lying about. “You keep thanking me, but I still don’t understand why.”
“It’s okay. You don’t have to. Remember our agreement?”
“Not seeing you again? I still don’t get that part, either.”
“Because I won’t be here if you try to come back. I’ll be a different person.”
“Why?”
“It’s hard to explain. You can chalk it up to memory loss.”
“You know you’re going to lose your memory?” Vala didn’t believe it.
“Something like that. If you ever see me again, just be careful. I won’t trust you anymore.”
“Daniel, you’re not making any sense. But let’s face it, you were always a little, pfft, wonko.” He laughed out loud, recognizing the exact same gesture the other Vala had made in a video a couple years back. “You know what, I think you’re right. We should never, ever meet again. You’re a little too wonko for me. And believe me, I know wonko.”
“Good luck, Vala. And goodbye.”
She gave him a look, then left. That would be the last she’d ever see of him. She sidled up to the pair from SG-14 and whispered naughty things to them. They laughed and let her pass. Vala didn’t look back as she stepped through the gate. She never looked back.
Daniel didn’t watch her go. He simply took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
Moments later, when they opened again, the owner of those eyes was instantly confused. He scanned his surroundings and recognized them easily. Turning around quickly and looking in, he whispered, “Sha’re,” and he smiled.
000
Vala woke up and came out of the pod with little assistance required. “Well?” Cam asked expectantly.
“He said he’ll be right behind me.” They all stared at Daniel’s pod. He didn’t move. “Oh the lying son…” His eyes opened. The stasis pod door swung open slowly. “Oh.”
It took him more time to recover than the others, with his stasis being so long. Teal’c and Cameron helped him out of it and kept him on his feet. He was so disoriented that he couldn’t manage to stand on his own. So they sat him down against a real wall. His vision was blurred, which Vala fixed by replacing his glasses. When he looked up, both she and Sam were looking down on him.
“Are you okay, Daniel?” Sam asked.
He nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”
Vala, knowing where he had been, allowed a small ghost of a smile to raise the corner of her mouth. “He’ll be fine. He’s a trooper.”
“Hmm.”
Sam stood up fully and walked over to the console. She began to pack up her equipment.
“So does it do what you think?” Cam asked of the machine. He kneeled down to help her pull the modern cords out of the machine.
Sam stole a look at Daniel, who had Teal’c and Vala leaning over him. “I’m not sure yet. I’ll have to wait until he’s in better shape to tell us what happened.”
“It’s damn lucky he didn’t get hurt.” Mitchell crossed his arms and sighed. Sam patted his back with her hand. She knew the feeling.
“How about now, darling?”
“I can try,” Daniel said weakly. Teal’c and Vala each took an arm and gently raised him up. He felt a little dizzy, but the feeling soon passed. “Thanks, Teal’c.” The Jaffa nodded and released him. But Daniel wouldn’t release Vala. He leaned into her more, signaling he’d at least need her support. She didn’t protest.
Sam was finished packing up. Cam looked at the pair. “Shall we?”
Daniel replied, “Lead on.”
000
The SGC was quiet when the team came back. Sam stayed just long enough for Dr. Lam to give everyone a clean bill of health. Satisfied that everything was back to normal, she headed back for her post on the George Hammond. No doubt she’d have to wait ‘til later to hear from Daniel about his experience.
Cam gave him the biggest bear hug, apologizing profusely for pressing too many buttons. Daniel laughed with him and told him it was all okay. He couldn’t complain. Teal’c had offered him a respectful nod of the head, then mentioned he was behind on training the members of the SGC. Both of them left, leaving the so-called Obstruction (Daniel and Vala) in the infirmary. The nurses eyed them wearily.
Daniel tipped his head toward the door. “Let’s get out of here.” Vala shrugged and helped him up. As they slowly made for the elevator, he asked, “Can you drive?”
“Where are we going?”
“Home.” Vala wasn’t surprised by his request. She knew she could easily call for a driver from the base to pick her up later.
When they arrived at Daniel’s apartment, it was the usual mess. “Could you help me over to my room?”
“You can’t be serious,” she mumbled while she helped him. “You’ve been asleep for days and now you want more?”
“Not right away. But this is better than the couch.”
Vala had slept on his lumpy couch before. She couldn’t disagree. After dumping him on the bed, she sat next to him. He was staring at the ceiling quietly. “Well?”
“You were there.”
“Obviously.”
“I relived the day we met.” He turned to her to gauge her reaction.
“On the Prometheus? Where I beat you up?”
He slapped her arm playfully. “Whatever.”
“How’d you get there? That was years ago.”
“I know. I guess that universe was moving through time at its own pace. I really don’t know why I traveled back in time as well as across realities.”
“So that’s what happened to you?”
“Mmm hmm.”
Daniel went on to tell her about his time there. He told her about his decision to change their timeline on purpose. He explained his hope that the chain of events he had set in motion wouldn’t lead them to the Ori. Vala seemed to agree that it was a wise decision. She argued though about whether or not her counterpart would come back.
“Well, I told her not to.”
“And when have I ever listened to you, Darling?”
“You have a point.”
“I always do.”
He stuffed a pillow in her face. Vala just grabbed it and fluffed it behind her head. They were both lying on the bed now, staring up at the ceiling. “Did you really give her a speech about having a home and all that?”
“Yeah.”
“How’d she react?”
“She looked at me like I was nuts.” Vala turned her head and he did the same. “But hey, what’s new?”
She laughed. “I think she’ll come around. Eventually. It may take some work, but I’m sure you could do it again.”
“I had this crazy idea that I could start over with you.” Vala turned her body to face his. “You know, without the bickering and the, well, violence.” She grinned.
“But that’s what makes us the best of friends, Daniel.”
He gave her a sour look, but it was good-natured. “I’m gonna try to be better to you, Vala. Sometimes I forget what you’ve been through.”
She sighed, smiling gently at him. “And I forget what you’ve been through. So… I accept your apology.”
“Ah hell,” he grumbled.
“As long as you accept mine.”
Daniel chuckled. “Deal.” They gave each other a quick, platonic kiss to seal the deal. Yes, there was hope for them after all. He’d always been told that “what if?” was a useless question to ask because one would never know the answer. In this case, he already knew the answer. What if Vala had never escaped from the Prometheus and come back with a silly tablet that would change their lives? His life would have been just a little less interesting, that was for sure. He wouldn’t give up his own Vala for the world.
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