Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate and it's bloody maddening!

Mother

Vala knelt slowly beside the stone marker, nervously fingering the flowers in her hand. She could feel the gazes of SG-1 on her from where they stood at the edge of the field, giving her the space she needed to do what she'd come here for. She just wasn't sure where to start. She'd never done anything like this before, had never been afforded the opportunity. She let out a watery laugh as she read the engraving on the stone again.

HERE LIES SIAN MAL DORAN
LOVING DAUGHTER, WIFE, AND MOTHER

The epitaph said everything and nothing. Sian Mal Doran was all of those things but she was so much more. Much more than could every fit on a gravestone. A tear made its way down Vala's cheek as she ran her fingers over the cold stone.

"Hello, Mother." Vala started, feeling a lump in her throat, which she determinedly swallowed before continuing. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to visit before now, but...well, I wasn't certain of the reception I'd receive. Our people are not my biggest fans and I can't say I entirely blame them."

Vala trailed off as she thought of her arrival to her home planet. She hadn't been back since just after her extraction, not wanting a replay of her stoning. When she'd stepped through the Stargate, she'd been met with suspicion. But her team had circled around her, keeping her safe from any angry villagers. She couldn't say how grateful she was for them. Thankfully they'd made it to her mother's grave without incident.

"I have friends, Mother. You'd like them, I think." Vala smiled at that thought. "Samantha, my best friend, is amazing and so smart. She's fierce and loyal but sweet, too. In fact, she reminds me quite a lot of you, except, you know, she's blonde. Then there's Cameron. He's a bit wonko but lovable. He's been like a brother to me, which is annoying sometimes. Especially when he gets overprotective. Like the time he punched that guy in the bar for getting handsy with me. I could have handled it but it was a lovely gesture. I haven't had anyone to help me fight my battles for so long but I'm learning. And Teal'c, he's a Jaffa. I know what you're thinking; Jaffa are dangerous. But not this one, not to me. He's a great, big teddy bear. Oh, a teddy bear is a cuddly toy on Earth, the Tau'ri homeworld, which is where I'm living now. Anyway, Teal'c is the one I turn to whenever I don't understand something about my new home. And, believe me, there are many strange things on Earth. You'd love it, though. There is just so much to see and do. Daniel's been very obliging about taking me to different places on his, our planet. We just got back from a trip to a place known as Paris. It's absolutely beautiful! They call it the City of Lights. I've been to many planets in my travels but this...I've never seen it's like before. Kind of like Daniel. He's the reason I came to Earth, the reason I stayed. I love him, Mother. I've never met anyone so kind and noble. He makes me want to be the best version of myself. He makes me want to be the person you always told me I could be."

Vala halted once more as she remembered the talks she'd had with her mother growing up. Sian had always told Vala that she could be more than what she was born into, that she didn't have to be like her father. As a child, Vala had striven to do just that but when her mother died, so had that small hope. It had taken many years but she finally felt she could be that person again. A woman her mother could be proud of.

"I wish you could be here to see how everything turned out. I'm happy, Mother, happier than I've been in a very long time. I want to thank you for being the first person to believe in me. I don't think I could have survived...everything without that knowledge. No matter how bad things got, you were always my strength. I've done some truly horrible things to survive, but it was your memory that kept me from going too far. It was your spirit that kept me sane. I miss you, Mother."

Vala bowed her head, tears falling freely now as her mother's final words to her played in her head...

"I don't want you to die." Young Vala cried into her mother's chest as she clung to the frail woman. "I don't want to be alone."

"My darling, Vala." Sian lifted the girl's face and wiped away her tears with a small smile. She pressed a hand to the her chest. "You will never be alone. I am with you always."

Vala smiled at the memory and placed her own hand over her heart. She hadn't understood her mother's words at the time, but now she got it. As long as she carried her memory, her mother would always be alive. She had never been alone. Taking a deep breath, Vala stood.

"I love you, Mother." she whispered one last time before turning to walk away. She smiled, feeling a weight lift from her and for the first time in too long she was at peace. She wasn't turning her back on her past, nor was she wallowing in it. She would hold onto her mother's memory as she moved forward, she thought as she stopped in front of her friends, her family.

"All set, Princess?" Cameron asked, a gentle smile on his face.

"Yup, let's go home." she said, taking hold of the arm Daniel offered and leaning into his warm embrace. Nothing else was said as they made their way to the Stargate, as they made their way home.

The End