This is my sixth Alphabet Soup piece, this time for the letter R for Vala Mal Doran hosted by fignewton as part of Gen Fic Day on her LJ in January 2010. This takes place immediately after "Stargate: Continuum".

Title: R is for Royal Treatment
Author: samantilles
Rating: PG
Fandom: Stargate: SG-1
Spoilers: Stargate: Continuum
Category: Angst, Family/Friendship
Prompt: The Letter R
Word Count: 307
Beta: Thanks to eilidh17 for once again getting a piece up to par for me!

Daniel watched as Vala stepped through the Stargate, her hand swiping at her eye. The wormhole quickly disengaged and the blaring sirens came to an abrupt stop before she made it to the bottom of the ramp.

"So, how is he?" Daniel's voice echoed slightly in the embarkation room.

Vala shook her head. "He didn't survive. It was silly to hope…"

Daniel extended his arm around her shoulder and directed her to the door. "It is never silly to hope. Hope is how we survive day to day."

Vala welcome the friendly embrace, nodding to Daniel's wisdom. The walk to the locker room was silent.

Daniel stared at his watch. Though late in the evening, he had fully expected Vala to come find him by now. The silence in his office suddenly became unsettling, and before he knew it, he was walking towards her quarters.

He rapped softly on her door and waited a moment for some acknowledgement she was inside. He turned to leave when the door opened. Vala stood there, her face flushed and her eyes puffy. She smiled when she realized who it was.

"I figured you might want to talk."

"I could think of some other things to do, Daniel." She smirked and winked at him.

He rolled his eyes and shifted his weight. "Vala!"

"Can you blame a girl for trying?" She batted her lashes and smiled widely.

"Yes, I can. If you want to talk, you know where to find me." Annoyed, Daniel turned to leave, but Vala stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"Actually, since you're here?" Her demeanor turned serious, the raw emotion Daniel witnessed when she entered the door took her over again. He nodded and followed her inside.

"How are you handling Ba'al's extraction?" Daniel took the chair from the desk and moved it a bit closer to the bed where Vala sat.

"You'd think with as many as I've seen, I wouldn't be as emotional anymore. It's still hard to believe that Ba'al is gone for good." She wiped a tear from her cheek. "I didn't even like him, but the host inevitably feels some of the same feelings as the Goa'uld inside them."

"It must be difficult living with those memories."

"It could be worse. Qetesh told me right after we blended that she chose me as her host from among the entire population of a hundred worlds. She tormented me with the thought that I was fit to be a queen, and as such I was now a goddess. I don't know if it was only my natural beauty that caught her eye…" Vala pulled on her charm, fluffing her black locks, "…or my wit and poise, but I couldn't help but relish the royal treatment I received, even if just vicariously as a host. Otherwise I hated every single minute of it," Vala defended herself, though she saw no look of disgust or disappointment in Daniel's face. "I still prefer being free. Of course, if people still want to treat me like royalty, who am I to deny them that pleasure?" She gave a shrug of the shoulders and an innocent look.

"Sha're was royalty, well, as royal as the culture allowed. She was the daughter of the village leader, and a leader among the women of the tribe. I imagine Teal'c and Apophis saw in Sha're what Qetesh saw in you." Daniel's eyes were unfocused, obvious that he was caught up in a thought or a memory.

His gaze turned back to her, voice thick with emotion. "How do you live with it all?"

"Me? I made the best of it. I took the skills my father taught me and the knowledge I kept as host, and I made do. Even before becoming host, I enjoyed living the good life, with servants and jewels and all the accoutrements of the royal lifestyle. Material wealth aided in my comfort, and as one of the best liberators of priceless treasure in the galaxy, naturally I was comforted greatly. Qetesh's remaining memory helped me immensely. She was devious even for a Goa'uld, a natural con-artist. Of course, I do remember her using some of my signature moves against Ba'al at the battle of Selenis."

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Of course." He smiled at the thought of Goa'uld needing a human to become even more devious, if the statement was true. "I know you don't get the royal treatment here at the SGC-"

"I don't need that anymore, Daniel. I have you and Sam, and Muscles and Mitchell. Having people who believe in me and being a part of a team is a much more powerful feeling than all the riches in the world."

Daniel raised his eyebrows in suspicious surprise at her declaration.

"Seriously, all I need is you guys and a credit card that someone else pays. Maybe a tiara. But really, that's all."

Daniel smiled through a groan.

"I can't help but be a little jealous of Sha're. If I had the support I know you would have given her after her extraction, everything would have been very different. I never expected Qetesh to be removed, not a glimmer of hope. I'm sure Sha're knew you were searching for her. I also know if something should happen to me, I'd have the glimmer of hope now too."

Daniel dropped his head and sighed. He breathed in deeply. "I will always regret that she was taken and we couldn't save her, but you're right, I'm sure she fought as hard as she could and took comfort knowing I was out there looking for her. She deserved better in life."

"We all deserved better, you included, Daniel. But fate plays its hand and we must make do with what is dealt to us. I survived being taken as host. I survived the extraction and subsequent abandonment by the Tok'ra, to live in a galaxy where my face was associated with evil and domination. I gave birth to the Orici and repeatedly tried to kill her. You had to survive your wife being taken as host and suffer through her death. I don't know all of your past, but I know you've survived a whole lot more. Sam, Mitchell, and Muscles all survived too. There is something to be said for that."

Daniel sat there in silence, letting Vala's words wash over him for a moment. "You know, when I came to talk, I thought I'd be the one consoling you, not the other way around." He shook his head in disbelief.

Vala moved closer to him and sat on his lap like she had done many times before. She gave him a firm embrace and welcomed the return gesture. She wouldn't give up this friendship for all the riches in the galaxy.