Title: Another Look
Author: Milena D.
Rating: PG for now
Genre: Romance/Action/Adventure, etc. Daniel/Vala all the way ;)
SPOILERS: Up to Memento Mori, and for all those who saw it, completely forget anything you remember from episode 1018, it was tacky anyway :P
Summary: A normal mission turns out to be a look into a surprising side of Vala when SG-1 travel to a planet she used to call 'home'.
They stepped onto the alien ground and paused to take in the sights and shake off the turbulent side-effects of gate travel. The stargate of this planet was ensconced deep in a lush forest on the top of a slight hill. There was a well trodden path leading away from the gate towards the nearest town.
Looking into the forest, Vala paused as the scene seemed all too familiar to her. She knew that big rock on the left, she knew that the birds singing were blue without seeing them and she knew from the delicious aroma that the pink flowers littering the surroundings were responsible. She'd been here before.
She'd been here before, she knew that much, the question was why, when and on what terms did she leave these people? The memory device had recovered all her natural memories which meant this place had either been repressed naturally or dated from much earlier times and considering her childhood, neither possibility inspired much confidence.
Cameron picked up on her unease.
"Something wrong?" he asked warily "We're not gonna find any more people you have unfinished business with, are we?"
Teal'c, Sam and Daniel looked over curiously.
"Honestly, Colonel, you always think the worst of me!" Vala protested.
He shared a glance with Daniel and stared pointedly at her. She grinned shamelessly.
"Oh alright, there might be some tiny, miniscule merit in your mistrust of my past but you really should work on that cynicism."
A roll of Daniel's eyes answered her as she continued.
"To be honest, I've no idea. I mean, I've been to so many worlds, met so many people, executed so many flawless…transactions…you can't expect a girl to remember ever single insignificant little planet, can you? Besides, my memories have been so tampered with, you're lucky I remember my own name."
Daniel winced slightly as he was reminded of the disastrous non-date and the agonizing weeks that followed until Vala's safe return. Picking up on his friend's distress, Teal'c sought to lighten the mood.
"Was your memory not slightly selective, even before tampering, Vala Mal Doran?" he questioned with a tilt of his head and a twinkle in his eye.
Wide, innocent eyes blinked in rapid succession.
"I have no idea what you mean."
By this time Daniel had recovered and interjected.
"Like that time my credit card went missing and you were so surprised to find it in your pocket, a week and three boxes of clothes later?" he glared.
"What!? When? Oh see!? See!? There is goes again, darned memory." She shrugged helplessly. "Well I'm sure it's nothing. My memory might be shot but my instincts are as finely honed as ever and I'm not getting any inexplicable urges to flee so I wager it's safe." She finished with a wide grin.
Sam and Cam shared a worried glance.
"Well I'm reassure." Cam droned.
"SG-3's already made contact with the nearest to the Stargate and reported a peaceful Medieval society. I'm sure we'll be fine." Sam added.
"Alright people, let's get a move on. We'll never know standing around here like daisies. You keep an eye out for anything else that jogs that 'selective' memory of yours." Cam ordered.
Vala grinned wide and snapped into a cheeky salute.
"Yes, sir!" she winked at Daniel. Cam sighed and took point.
SG-3 had made first-contact with the people of this planet last week. They reported a population of about 4 000 people whose technological progress seemed to have stalled at Medieval. The village, Creona, was supposed to be about a half hour walk just east of the gate. SG-1 walked at a comfortable pace, Sam explaining, well trying to explain, the scientific purpose of the mission to a befuddled Cameron. Teal'c was keeping a vigilant eye on their forest surroundings from the rear. Daniel was slightly more on edge than the situation probably merited but Vala was being quiet and he'd come to trust that as a sign of something amiss. Her silence, actually, was not a product of anxiety but rather an intense focus on the scenery, her cobalt blue eyes picking up every leaf, twig and animal in their path to try to rekindle the feeling of déjà vu she got stepping foot on the planet.
It was infuriating to recognize everything without being able to attach any names or personal recollections to the sensation. It wasn't until they'd almost reached the town that something struck her.
She stopped suddenly with a small gasp. Four pairs of eyes quickly scanned around before swinging to settle on their comrade. It was a well used trail leading from the path deeper into the forest that had caught her attention.
"Vala?" Daniel approached her but before his hand could touch her arm, a small smile graced her lips and she set off confidently onto the trail.
"Vala?" Sam echoed. Still no answer as Daniel followed hesitantly.
"Jackson." Cam intoned concerned but Daniel didn't stop.
Vala had heard the exchange but kept trudging onward. She wasn't looking for anything in particular but she knew something would find her. Eight more steps, around a slight bend and there they were. She looked down at the ugliest flowers she'd ever seen and was entranced. They weren't pretty, not decorative in the least.
"But they aren't meant to be, are they." She mumbled aloud.
They were a dull orange with skinny brown pieces shooting from the center. The only piece of beauty was a bluish-purple stain grazing the edge of each petal but it was too small to add to the overall aesthetic of the plant.
Vala crouched down to pick one and held it reverently as if it held the key to the universe.
Suddenly finding her earlier musing odd, she began to wonder what purpose this flower could serve. She brought it closer and inhaled deeply. As the aroma assaulted her, she fell to her knees letting the pictures, voices and emotions whirling around her mind tell their story. She recalled morning walks to pick this hideous plant, the sirlan flower it was called. It was used medicinally: poultices, smelling salts, teas. She knew this flower intimately, she'd needed it for such a long time. Why? A woman was smiling at her, changing her bandage. Najas! Mother Najas and her daughters, all beautiful in her mind but nameless for now. She knew this planet, had spent many many months here.
As the few flashbacks ended, the real world stepped back in. She became aware of two beautiful azure eyes looking down at her in concern.
"Vala! Are you alright?" Daniel's voice cut through the voices and sounds in her head.
She glanced past his shoulder to see that her other teammates had followed them down the trail with their weapons at the ready.
"I'm alright, darling." She soothed placing a delicate hand on his jaw, noting her position on the ground and Daniel's arms supporting her back.
"Though had I known this was all it took to be in your arms.." She never finished the sentence as Daniel dropped her with a shake of his head and moved away.
"What happened?" Cameron piped up.
She grinned and shot up with a renewed zeal for their mission, the sirlan flower still clutched firmly in her hand.
"No need to worry, my dear Colonel, this planet is completely harmless."
She sauntered past him, patting him on the shoulder.
"That memory suddenly cleared up, did it?" he questioned sardonically.
"As a matter of fact, it did!" Vala was practically skipping down the trail back to the main path.
"Care to clue us in?" he persisted as the team made their way out of the thick forest.
She smiled beatifically.
"Certainly, I'll tell you all about it on the way. Come on, come on!" she urged.
The others hesitated as they faced an overexcited former space pirate. She sighed.
"Oh fine, this town? Creonas? I lived here for quite a while some years back. I can't quite seem to recall the specific details but I do know I have many friends here." She finished with a grin and turned back toward the town.
"Hold up there princess, what kind of friends are these exactly? Cuz I recall some of your other 'associates' not being the friendliest bunch." Cameron pressed.
"I told you, they're harmless." She bit her lip in concentration. "I know I've never traded with these people. I never had any deals on this planet. Whenever I lived here, it was before my days of more questionable dealings. I needed help, they took me in. I lived with a woman named Najas and her daughters for months. They're good people." She answered with an uncommon air of serious sincerity.
Cameron seemed satisfied and SG-1 resumed their trek toward Creonas. Silence fell over them for barely a minute before Sam piped up with a question.
"Help with what?"
"Hm?"
"You said this woman, Najas? She took you in when you needed help? I was just wondering what you needed help from." Sam elaborated cautiously.
Vala pursed her lips in thought.
"I'm not sure actually. There are still some fuzzy spots." Vala started and Daniel's cough sounded suspiciously like a snort. She ignored him and continued as they started down the last hill leading to the town.
"I remember being here for at least two winters but only actually being out in one. I think I was injured for the first one. Really, I'm not sure. And I feel as if I'm not remembering the whole story behind Najas and her daughters, she had so many."
She frowned at that but as she heard the suspicious words coming out of her mouth, she hurried to reassure them.
"Nothing sinister, I'm sure, it feels more like a …comical discomfort."
In the face of puzzled glances and raised eyebrows she could do nothing but shrug and trudge on. Their curiosity more than peaked, they followed their newest member into the town.
There's chapter 1. I have two huge exams coming up but I should have chapter 2 up in about a week.
This is my first fic in a long time. My muse was hyper with new ideas but I wasn't too confident in my writing style for some reason. So please let me know what you think. Thanks.