Grief Counseling Good Grief!

by spacegypsy1

When Daniel is missing and presumed dead Cam takes Vala home to his mom in hopes his mother can help her deal with the loss. But things are not what they seem. D/V romance and fluff. Sorta Short... as is my style.

Grief Counseling. Good Grief!

spacegypsy1

When Daniel is missing and presumed dead Cam takes Vala home to his mom in hopes his mother can help her deal with the loss. But things are not what they seem. D/V romance and fluff.

Warning: Way too much fluff.

~0~~0~~0~~0~~0~

Cam stood in the doorway of Daniel's office face to face with Vala. "How you doin'?" His voice was low, full of regret, worry, and compassion.

"Sad. Very sad. And empty. I feel so empty." Tears rolled across her cheeks.

Blinking against the sting in his eyes Cam nodded. "Come on, Vala, it's been ages since you've left the base other then missions." He pleaded. "Mom wants to see you."

"I can't. I can't. I can't leave."

Reaching, the colonel pulled her into his arms and Vala buried her face in the crook of his neck, sobbing. "Please." He stroked her hair. "Please, I can't go home for a visit without you. Mom'll shoot me. And Dad'll hide my body. They're both anxious to see you. Come on, princess, we'll only be a few days."

Vala, still in his arms, shrugged noncommittally.

"They won't release you for active duty until you deal with this. We're all grieving. And we all need someone to talk to. You can't even get through a day without a breakdown. You won't talk to Hutchinson. The least you can do is talk to Mom. You know she thinks of you as a daughter. You need her. And honestly, she doesn't understand what I'm goin' through, so she needs you too."

Vala nodded against his shoulder with a whispered, "okay."

"Right. You go pack. We'll leave in an hour."

~0~~0~~0~~0~~0~

"Carter, I swear if you don't stop crying, I'm going to start crying myself!" Jack O'Neill, ducked his head to try and make eye contact with Sam who, with head down, wiped at her tears.

"Sor...sorry. The one mission I tagged along on in two years and this happens. He's not coming back this time, Jack."

"He's coming back. He always comes back." With a crooked finger under her chin Jack attempted to raise her face, but she resisted.

Finally, Sam's eyes rose, then her face lifted to his. "I'm worried that he's really gone. That he's not coming home."

Jack hooked his arm around her neck, drawing her close. "Sure, he will. Wait and see."

"It's been two weeks." She spoke sadly against his shirt, her words muffled.

"Once, it was a whole year. Remember? So what's a few days?" Kissing the part in her hair, Jack tried hard to sound convincing.

"Jack, have you felt his presence at all?"

"Well, maybe. Once I thought I saw something out of the corner of my eye. It might've been a mouse, but I'm not sure. Besides, he always comes back."

~0~~0~~0~~0~~0~

Teal'c exited the Stargate and with a curt nod for Ishta took off across the field towards the Hak'tyl yurts in the distance.

"Are you well, beloved?" Ishta hurried to walk beside her husband.

"I am."

"Still no word of DanielJackson?" She tried again to engage him in conversation.

"None." He marched forward, eyes narrowed, mouth turned down and jaw twitching.

Taking a firm grip on his forearm, Ishta insisted, "Stop, Teal'c. It is not like you to brood. I fear you are truly unwell. Perhaps there is something else you can do?"

Teal'c immediately stopped but didn't turn. He felt her hand move to the center of his back. "I am well, Ishta. There is nothing more to do but wait and see."

"You do not sound convinced."

He looked off across the field squinting against the glare of the sun. "I am not. Perhaps I will deal with the loss, yet again. Or perhaps I will follow O'Neill's example and assume he will return...yet again. Now, we have little time to visit, let us speak of other things."

~0~~0~~0~~0~~0~

They'd shared a few laughs on the drive up to the Mitchell's farm making Cam feel confident that Vala would be able to handle her grief, and that this little getaway was just what they both needed. That was until he pulled up at the house, Vala got out, took one look at his mother and burst into tears.

Once Wendy Mitchell had her arms around Vala, the tears became racking sobs and Wendy led her into the house.

Cam took a deep breath and headed towards the old barn, hands in pockets, head down and toe kicking at the dust. Looking up he spotted his father standing just inside the barn. "Dad," was all Cam could manage as he nodded, walked past his father, and headed for a bale of hay where he sat, elbows on knees and face in hands.

~0~~0~~0~~0~~0~

"You cooked?" Jack took a seat at the table and Sam placed a plate of food in front of him.

"Yes, breakfast and my last attempt at cooking for a while. You lucky devil." Sam shot him a crooked smile.

Hand on her back, Jack rubbed up and down. "You gonna be okay?"

"I have a ship to run. It'll be good for me. I can miss him up there as easily as here."

His hand moved to her waist and pulled her closer for a sideways hug. "So. Now you're missing him and I'm just another piece of dry toast?" Toast in hand Jack flapped it around in front of her face.

She laughed, slapping his hand away. "Yes. But I do love dry toast!"

~0~~0~~0~~0~~0~

At three in the morning Wendy Mitchell peeped into living room where Vala had insisted on sleeping.

Vala had been adamant about Cam having his old room. Unlike the last time she was here apparently things in her life had changed. She had changed.

Eyes full of unshed tears, Vala sat up ramrod straight and stared at the muted TV set. She looked thinner, drawn. Wendy's heart ached for her.

"Vala?" The whisper was meant to be unobtrusive, but Vala jumped, head swinging around, eyes wide. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"Did I wake you?" Looking concerned, Vala wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Heavens no. I sleep like a rock. But sometimes I just wander around with things on my mind." Wendy settled on the couch beside Vala. "Want to talk?"

"No. I...I can't because...because I can't live without him. And if they knew they won't let me go back off...somewhere, because they'll, they'll think I'd be reckless... and so they'd ground me from...from..."

"Accounting?"

"Right." Running her wrist under her nose, Vala sniffed loudly and accepted a tissue that Wendy seemed to have magically manifested.

"What else is new in accounting?"

Vala looked out the window. "Mitchell...I mean Cameron, has a new girlfriend. Well actually he's not in accounting is he?"

"No, he's not. He mentioned he's dating someone. And she's a doctor?"

"The best. We've sort of bonded together. Me and Sam and Caro. You know, like Charlie's Angels."

"And you? You have a boyfriend?"

Vala turned away trying to hold back the tears that filled her eyes without warning.

Wendy had only meant to get the subject off the death of her friend and co-worker, but obviously, something else was going on. "What happened?"

"He was standing right in front of me, and we were on a cliff, a waterfall, and something happened. Some natives with arrows...no, it was spears. Women with spears. With face tattoos and spears. They were angry, but Daniel was trying to explain we were just explorers, you know how he is with that speech, and...spears were flying through the air. I heard him yell something, like he was hit, then there was a flash of light kinda like the flash bombs that...well...and his blue eyes went completely wide, he looked at me...and then his eyes lost that little twinklie glow of his and his skin paled, and he went all white light and over the cliff. And then Tea...Murray was waking Mitchell and me and Sam up. We'd all been knocked unconscious." Vala's breath caught in rapid jerks like a baby who'd been crying too long and too hard.

Slowly, Wendy placed a hand atop Vala's and patted gently, totally confounded by Vala's odd story.

Vala cut her eyes towards her friend who remained silent, waiting. "Anyway...we really don't know if he's dead or if he went all glowy and if he did...why? Why would he go and not come back right away? Why would he leave me, now? What if he's a toy to some alien chick?" Vala fished for the tissue Wendy had given her and blew her nose. "Oh, of course by alien I mean not American or Canadian. Have you met Rodney from Atlantis? Well not from Atlantis. He's Canadian. I can't help but think – I mean knowing his history – Daniel's not Rodney's I hardly know him at all - that he, that is to say, Daniel's gone Ancient white light and multi-armed on us so even if he's not 'really'," Vala used air quotes, "dead he just up and left me. Plain and simple! Whatever, so, there were no life signs on the entire planet...er area...here on planet Earth. And after days of searching with Em. A. El. Pees. and U. A. Vees. we came home. I wasn't supposed to tell you that so don't repeat anything about strange letters, aliens...or, ahm...bright lights. The, ah, accounting department sent some people back but he didn't have a life sign at all."

"Oh! They found the...his body? Cameron said..."

"No. Not that kind of life sign. They use another way to detect for life that I can't tell you about, because it's...you know...?

"Accounting secrets?" This time Wendy grinned.

"Um hmm." Vala's lips twitch with a smidgeon of humor before her eyes went blank and she looked away.

"We left him there on that plan...place...and no one is supposed to be left behind. No one. But he was. It's possible he did it on purpose. Going all glowy. But I can't think of that now. I've had a lot of losses in my life, Wendy. A lot. And I'm strong and resilient. I have amazing coping skills. You have no idea what sort of creepy thingies I've lived with inside and out. But...but..." Vala began to sob, her body shaking. "I don't...I can't seem to...somehow this is...is...is...different. I don't think I'll make it without him. I've never actually been in love before this. I don't know how to survive this one."

"I know, sweetie. But you can. You will survive. Now, get some rest. I'm going to turn the TV off and sit right over there to knit a little. I just started learning, so I'll be here if you need me." Moving across the room Cam's mom settled in an oversized chair and picked up a tangled mass of yarn – if Vala had any knowledge of knitting she would have noted it had to be years and years in that basket without being touched.

"You know," Vala yawned, voice filled with exhaustion as she slipped down under the sheet, "how when things all of a sudden start going fabulously, just like you dreamed of, just like you knew would be wonderful? And you're happy but there's this little niggling thought that something might go wrong and ruin it? Because that's how your life always goes? You...know..." Eyes closed and a heavy sigh escaped her as she fell asleep.

Hand over her mouth and eyes stinging with tears, Wendy watched until she was convinced Vala slept. Laying the yarn aside she tiptoed over to pull the blanket up, virtually tucking the young women in. Wendy felt overwhelmed and amazed by the revelation that Vala had been in love with their young friend, Dr. Jackson, and she'd witnessed his death. How or why Vala would have been with Cameron and his team on some covert mission she couldn't fathom.

Apparently no one knew Vala was in love with Dr. Jackson, because Cameron would have told her something like that. Wendy sadly wondered if Dr. Jackson had loved Vala as much as she loved him. Surely he did...at least she suspected he did since Vala had mentioned that she'd been happy. Such a tragedy.

~0~~0~~0~~0~~0~

Vala's eyes popped open at the odd sound and she sat up quickly. There it was again. She attempted to make some sense of her mangled hair as she stood, listening intently. "For heaven's sake, what is that?" she asked herself but the answer came from Wendy Mitchell.

"It's a rooster. He crows every morning."

"A what?" Vala stretched, scratched her tummy, and tried to locate the beast out the window.

"Male chicken." Laughter peppered Wendy's response.

"Oh, well, it's quite annoying isn't it? No wonder so many Tau'ri eat chicken." Still finger combing her tangles, Vala made a face indicating her distaste.

"Tarrie?"

Hand still buried under the mass of hair, Vala stalled, thinking. Finally she answered. "Yep. Tarrie, that's what I call people who eat too much chicken. Daniel always says..." Vala hung her head, closed her eyes and sighed deeply. Another day without him.

"It's okay, honey. Let's go fix breakfast." Wendy indicated the direction of the kitchen.

"I'm not hungry. Actually I think I caught some buggie thingie, I feel sick at my stomach."

"Sit down." Worried, Wendy rushed closer.

"No, it's gone now. Probably got up too fast with that rooter crowing. But really, I'm not hungry."

"Rooster, Vala. It's a rooster. You don't have to eat breakfast, we just need to cook it. I could use the help if you're up to it."

~0~~0~~0~~0~~0~

"Cam? Phone."

Cam glanced at his father in the mirror, wiped the saving cream off his face and grabbed the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Cam, sorry but I tried the radio and your cell. How's it going?"

"Slow, you?"

"About to leave orbit." Sam paused and the silence became awkward.

"Carter? Somethin' up?"

"I don't know."

"Come on Sam, you've got somethin' What is it?"

"Don't you feel like things went too quick and too..."

"Staged?" Cam wiped his face again with the towel and walked across the hall to his bedroom.

"Yeah, you noticed that?"

"I didn't think about it until I got here." He shut the door and sat on the bed. "Remember that mission when y'all thought Jackson had died in a fire? And you kept seein' bubbles. And Jackson was actually a prisoner of that water-lizard guy lookin' for his wife?"

Sam laughed. "You amaze me."

"Yeah, well, it was a false memory."

"We've been tested for that."

"Alright what about an Urgo kinda thing?"

"Nope."

"Damn it Sam, what then?"

"Not sure. Why'd we all escape without a scratch after conveniently being knocked out? And when backup arrived they didn't find a trace of the natives within a hundred miles. Something isn't right, Cam."

"Vala insists he went white light."

"So maybe she didn't imagine it."

"Damn it, Sam, I did it again. Discounted her input when I know better."

"Listen, Cam. I have to go. I can be back in a few days. Keep me posted."

"Right, see ya then."

~0~~0~~0~~0~~0~

The minute Cam took his seat his Dad eyed him across the breakfast table. "So, son, how long are you going to be around this time?"

Cam took a quick look at Vala then back to his dad. "Not sure, why, you sick of me already?"

Laughing, Frank winked at Vala and took on a teasing tone with his son. "Well, maybe, but we like having Vala around so I guess you can stay a while."

Wendy sat staring across the table, amazed by how much food Vala was eating. "Another pancake, Vala?"

Rubbing her hands together in glee Vala nodded, pigtails bouncing. "I'd love more. I'm starving. These are as good as your pie. Oh! Is there pie left over?"

"No, you ate it while we cooked breakfast, remember?" Wendy watched with interest as Vala – who'd insisted she wasn't hungry - licked the syrup off the plate.

~0~~0~~0~~0~~0~

Wendy headed for the barn where she was sure Cam would be tinkering with that old Chevy his father had recently given him. She chuckled, knowing her husband well. Frank had bought it at an auction to entice his son home more often. It seemed to be working.

In the dim light of the barn interior she could see Cam was half buried under the hood of the old car. "How's it going?"

"Fine. How's Vala?"

"Napping."

Something clanked and Cam cursed under his breath. Without looking up, he called out. "Hey, mom, can you hand me that other wrench on the top of the tool box?"

She nudged him with the wrench and he reached out for it. "Cameron." she said in a voice that had Cam stalling to wait for the bomb to drop.

"Hmm?" He finally hummed out when she didn't continue.

"I know you can't tell me certain things."

"Right." He leaned further under the hood.

"Cameron Mitchell, stop hiding down in the engine of that damned car. I want to talk to you!"

"Yes, ma'am." He popped straight up, yanked the rag out of his back pocket and wiped his hands. "What'd she say?"

"Mostly nonsense."

"Good. Mom, you know Vala. She's different..."

Wendy reached into the engine, and pulled a spark plug wire free. "What did she mean by 'he may not be dead – he may have gone all glowy'?"

Cam took the plug from her and put it back in place. "It means Vala's taking this harder than the rest of us."

"I guess so since she was in love with him."

Stuffing the rag back into his pocket, Cam shook his head. "They're close friends, mom. That's all."

"I don't think so. They were more than friends, Cameron."

Cam closed his eyes. "She talks like that about him. She always has. She teases him, and flirts with him, and insinuates...things with him."

Wendy pulled Cam's rag out of his pocket and wiped at the grease on his check. "She loves him, desperately, she told me. And I think he had feelings for her too, by the way she spoke of her recent happiness."

"I don't need this kind of fly in my soup."

"Well, it's in there. So now let's get back to the original question."

"Let's not and chalk it up to classified." Cam once again leaned in under the hood.

"Where'd you say Vala's from?"

"Mom!"

"She doesn't work in accounting, does she?"

"No. But still classified." He busied himself with loosening bolts, grunting with the effort.

Placing her elbow on the car, Wendy leaned under the hood. "Well she's either Nikita the Tomb Raiding Cat Woman or...she's on your team. She's part of your mysterious and classified 'missions'. And who is Rodney from Atlantis, Canada?"

Coming out from under the hood, Cam spun around, propped his butt on the car, folded his arms across his chest and stared at the bale of hay on the other side of the barn. "Damn, that's trouble."

~0~~0~~0~~0~~0~

Completely confused, Daniel perused his surroundings. Last thing he remembered was standing at the top of the small waterfall and Mitchell challenging him to do a back flip into the pool below. Sam had joined them for the mission and she and Vala teased him mercilessly. They'd been on PXP-875 for two days without so much as a bug bite when all of a sudden they were surrounded by tribal women with tattooed faces and very sharp looking spears.

That's all he remembered clearly.

Patting his chest and then his hips he found first of all he had no weapons, vest or jacket, and secondly he wasn't wet. Didn't he fall into the water at some point? Daniel shook his head to clear it. The MALP and subsequent UAVs had shown that none of the indigenous people lived within a hundred miles of the Stargate and the ancient temple. Vala and Sam had done a sweep of the area that morning...so where'd the women come from?

Looking around again he noted the decor, or lack thereof and knew for certain he was no longer on the planet. And the lines of writing on all the walls surrounding him appeared to be Ancient. Or more correctly, Altaran.

He swung around at the sound of soft material. "Who are you?" Daniel demanded.

The small dark haired woman smiled. "You do not remember me?"

Glaring, Daniel answered with more bite then bark. "No!"

The woman stared, still smiling.

"Look, obviously you're an ascended Altaran. However, I need to leave here. People will be worried." He placed his hands on his hips, bent one knee, and pursing his lips he hardened his features into an intimidating glower. "Now!"

Unfazed she didn't so much as blink. "I require something from you."

"Ha! I don't remember dying. So just put me right back where you got me from."

"I cannot. There is a great need. And only you have what we need."

He sighed long and loudly. "Of course I do. Fine. Take it and go...er...I mean send me back."

The woman had yet to move from her position at the arched doorway. "I cannot. You must be willing to give it."

"How does that fit in with kidnapping? Wouldn't that be a conflict of interest?" Sneering, Daniel waggled his head, hands still clamped on his hips.

She waved a dismissive hand, her smile firmly in place. "I only have need of a word of Myrddin's or Merlin's if you prefer. I believe you would refer to it as a password."

He scoffed. "Long gone. Not an iota, thread, not the teeniest, tiniest spec is left up here." Daniel pointed to his head. "All gone."

The small woman moved, seemingly floating into the room. "It is there. I can assist you in retrieving it."

"Not likely. Ever heard of Replicator Carter? Last person in my head uninvited. Last one."

"I am unaware of that which you speak of." The Altaran waited, her gaze transfixed on his.

He turned away. "I'm going to sit right over here for about a zillion years until you realize what's in here..." he pointed again at his head, "...stays in here. I'm not about to participate in any of your nonsense. What's happened to the non-interference rules? Or are you another Oma? How many other interfering Altarans are milling around? Are some of you resurrecting the Ori?" Daniel plopped down on an object that looked remarkably like the Ark he'd pulled out of the ruins of the Ancient Altaran Homeworld. Head down he studied the Ark. "Were there more than one of..."

"Dr. Jackson, I only need to unlock the repository where Merlin would have gone."

"Uh. Merlin's dead."

"Yes, of course. But he used the last of his being to reach a certain repository. We wish only to attend to him until such a time, long after your corporal self no longer exists, that he will be able to rejoin us."

"Why didn't you just come to me and ask?"

"We cannot interfere."

"You're interfering now."

"You are one of us!"

"What!" He shot to his feet. "Are you saying I died. AGAIN! Holy buckets! This is crazy! How?"

"You were pierced with a spear."

"In the foot!" Daniel pointed to his bare - and apparently unscathed - foot.

"And you fell over a cliff." The Altaran noted matter-of-factly.

"Did I drown? Hit my head? Git bit by a poisonous water reptile? Because it was only a five foot high waterfall into a deep pool! Both Sam and Vala dived off of it and Teal'c, well, Teal'c watched. Mitchell had already jumped off it three times! Backwards!" He tossed his hands in the air, completely incredulous.

The woman shrugged, her smile widening. "Will you agree?"

Running a hand through his hair Daniel once again sunk to the Ark. "I want something in return."

"And that is?"

"A way to block any further snatching of my mind, spirit or body without my consent."

~0~~0~~0~~0~~0~

"Mom, Vala's pukin' her guts out!"

"Cameron! Get out." Wendy frowned at her son as she entered the bathroom. "You're acting like a twelve year old. She is certainly not puking her guts out." Wendy laid a cool hand to Vala's forehead.

"I didn't puke up anything. I'm just gagging. I feel sick. Maybe I should go see Carolyn." Vala sat on the side of the tub. "I've been like this for almost a week now. And not getting any better."

Wetting a washcloth with cool water, Wendy eyed Cam and tilted her head to the side indicating he should leave.

Cam rolled his eyes and took off.

"Vala, sweetie, I'm not meaning to pry. But could you be pregnant?"

"Certainly not!" Vala huffed with indignation.

"So you and your young man were not...intimate?"

"Of course we were!"

"So. Morning sickness. Followed by a big appetite. Are your breasts sore?"

"Oh my god!" Vala shot to her feet cupping her breasts with her hands. "I thought it was just P and S!"

Wendy refrained from clarifying.

"Oh my god! No, really? I can't be. I'm due for...you know...soon, and I had those new pills Caro gave me...to start after I stopped... But I'm not, pre...preg...I'm just not! Because... See we just, I mean recently, I mean not that I didn't want to before, it's just that it was one time, before we left for PXP... that place. One time. I mean at one time, not just one time, but one day. One day, many times but only one day. And one night. One!"

~0~~0~~0~~0~~0~

Jack O'Neill's ass had barely touched the leather of Landry's chair when a flash of light half blinded him. He blinked, finally focusing on Daniel standing in the doorway.

"Jack?" Daniel sounded unsure as he scanned Landry's office to confirm he really did arrive back at the SGC as requested.

"Daniel." Jack blinked again and clasping his hands on the desk, intertwined his fingers as he quickly recovered from the momentary shock.

Daniel's face held a look of confusion and concern. "This is the SGC, right?"

"Yep."

"What year is it? Are you in charge?"

Jack looked him over from top to bottom, relieved that Daniel was fully clothed except for bare feet. "Are you Dr. Daniel Jackson or a spawn of the devil himself?"

"Oh, it's me, alright."

"Okay then, no I'm not in charge. Just stopping by." Jack started rummaging through General Landry's desk drawers. "You know, Daniel, you're a liability, what with the Ancients love for ascending you at the drop of a shoe, hat, jacket, axe, bookcase, nuke, whatever."

"Not anymore." Daniel leaned against the door jam, grinning.

"Ya don't say...and that's why?"

"I had something of Merlin's they needed so I traded it for a way to block any of them from taking me without my expressed consent."

Jack smiled and stood. "Good. So how does that work?"

Burying his hands deep in his pockets, Daniel shrugged. "I don't really know."

With a groan, Jack sat back down. "How do you know they gave you special powers of blockage if you don't know how it works?"

Hands come out of his pockets, his head waggled and he snorted. "Really, Jack? It's not like they'd lie about it!"

"Daniel! Enough with the incredulity! Did they happen to remove that part of your brain that houses common sense?"

"Incredulity? Did Sam give you a dictionary for your birthday?" Turning towards the hall, Daniel looked back over his shoulder. "I need to get to the infirmary."

Concerned, Jack stood again. "What's wrong?"

"Not for me. I think that's where Vala is."

"Ah," Jack started to sit again, but decided to keep standing. "the lovely once upon a time pirate princess. It's true then?"

"What?" Daniel turned back towards Jack.

"That you...her...you know?"

"No."

"No, not true?" Jack sat down looking disappointed.

"I don't know!"

Popping up quickly Jack's voice rose. "You don't know if it's true!"

"If WHAT'S true?"

"You, Dr. Jackson and her, Vala Mal Doran are an us."

"Oh. That. Sure. I mean...well...why are you asking about that?"

"No reason. Go on. We'll debrief later."

"You're gonna debrief me?"

"Yeah, Landry's packing for a trip to Washington. I just happened to stop by."

"Why?"

"You."

"Thanks, Jack."

"Don't mention it. Really, don't mention it. That's an order."

Turning back into the hall Daniel mumbled to himself, "Yeah, order, shmorder. I've been hanging out with The Ascended, like I'm gonna take orders from you."

"I heard that!"

"Oops!"

~0~~0~~0~~0~~0~

Sam beamed directly into the infirmary. "What's going on?"

Teal'c only nodded in greeting while Cam tried to read Vala's chart. "We don't know yet." The colonel told her, "Docs out checkin' on the gallon of blood she pulled out of the princess." He tossed the chart on the foot of the bed where Vala sat cross legged.

"Hello, Sam! Thanks for coming. I'm sick and tired. Really. I mean I'm very tired and I threw up, or tried to."

"ColonelCarter, it is good to see you again so soon. We are attempting to reconstruct the events on PXP-875 while at the same time we were discussing ValaMalDoran's symptoms and trying to ascertain whether or not she could have contracted something while on our mission."

Sam nodded in understanding as Vala rolled her eyes and mumbled, "not likely."

"Okay, let's hear your version, Carter." Cam took a seat on the end of Vala's bed while Sam opted for a rolling stool. Teal'c remained standing.

"Well." Sam began. "We were on the planet maybe three hours."

"Yeah, and the second sun rose." Cam scratched his head.

"Oddly enough, the temple in the midst of the ruins became unusually dark."

"And we left the temple."

"Oh, we went to the waterfall. I remember, it was hot outside!" Vala plumped the pillow up and stuck it behind her back.

"There was absolutely no indication that anyone was around."

"Correct ColonelCarter. ColonelMitchell was attempting to coerce DanielJackson to jump backwards while somersaulting into the pool below the falls."

Vala slammed her hands over her ears and stared at the bed. Hopping up from her bed, Cam paced and the others quickly moved away.

"Then the women showed up. A whole bunch of 'em. With spears."

"And tattooed faces." Sam added. "Nearly fifty of them."

"Damn, the MALP didn't exactly get that one right. No life signs my ass." Cam looked back at Vala before continuing. "They didn't seem threatening at first."

"Until DanielJackson began his rhetoric explaining the nature of our visit, that we are explorers and the..."

"We get it Teal'c." Sam laughed. "And Vala was doing the talking hand thing, mouthing 'we come in peace' and we were all laughing."

They grew quiet trying to recall anything they might have missed.

"Then the spears flew through the air from every direction." Teal'c clamped his jaw tight.

"Jackson yelped and went over the falls."

"Cam yelled 'fall back'."

"I grabbed ValaMalDoran's vest as she remained transfixed and unable to move."

Again, silence settled amongst the beeps and hisses of medical equipment.

Cam pulled a chair away from the wall and sat. "That's it. That's all I remember."

"Me too, until Teal'c woke us. I don't remember anything."

"Nor do I."

After a moment, Sam returned to Vala's bedside, pulling up the stool and gently taking her hand. "Vala, I know this is difficult, but we need your input. Can you tell us what happened?"

Vala stretched her legs out on the bed. "I know what I saw. I'm an expert on recognizing that light. Adria did it, remember? Anyway, Daniel turned translucent and he didn't look all that happy about it. He tried to reach for me. Then he went way too bright light and over the cliff."

"Anything else, princess?" Cam squeezed her toes.

"Squiggly snake arms. He had squiggly snake arms."

Cam turned to Sam and Teal'c. "The Altarans or some other glowing white, squiggly snake armed entity has him."

"He's alive!" Vala asked excitedly.

"Maybe, or maybe just not dead-dead. Seems like they sure do snatch him up on a whim." The colonel frowned.

"I hate to throw salt on a wound, but...they don't do it randomly. They only assist him if he's...

"Dead-dead?" Teal'c asked.

"He wasn't dead!" Vala cried out. "They took him for sulfurous purposes!"

Teal'c cocked his head to one side. "Nefarious?"

She came up on her knees. "Yes, that too! Oh, gods, this makes me sick. I think I might throw up. Or at the very least gag."

"Lie down. Doc'll be back soon with the test results." Cam poured a glass of water and tried to get Vala to take it.

She shook her head and flopped back on her elbows.

Cam drank the water and perched his rear end up on the bed.

"Vala?" Sam called gently, "Carolyn will figure this out. You'll be well in no time."

Once again Vala came up on her knees in the middle of the bed. "What if I made myself completely wonko with grief? What if I made myself sick because I miss him so much? What if I can't live without Daniel?"

"I'm sure you can, Vala." Dr. Lam said entering the room with computer pad in hand. Her gaze scanned the visitors before coming to rest on Vala's worried face. "You have a good reason to live with or without him. You're pregnant."

Cam jumped up from the bed. "Holy jumpin' jack rabbits!"

Sam shot off the stool. "Ah, boy."

And Teal'c raised a brow. "Indeed. That explains things quite well. I am much relieved."

"Carolyn!" Vala yelled above the din. "Did you have to announce that in front of everyone!"

"I told them to leave earlier and you said you have no secrets."

"Well, that's more true now than then!" Vala sat back cross legged on the bed and smiled. "A baby. Wendy knew. A baby. I always wanted a real baby. Not an Adria, Ori induced baby. A sweet little Daniel baby..." She hung her head and cried softly. "This isn't fair."

"No one said life is fair, ValaMalDoran." Teal'c ran a curled finger across her cheek.

Carolyn dimmed the light over her bed bringing the room comfortably darker. "You should rest, Vala." When Carolyn looked up she gasped.

Daniel stood in the door, backlit by the corridors bright lights. Concerned he asked. "What happened? What's wrong with Vala?"

~0~~0~~0~~0~~0~

They all stared in stunned silence, grinning, but speechless.

All except Vala who assumed him to be an ascended being. "Well! Look at you. Just as I suspected. All glowy. I can't believe you got me pregnant and then ran off to be some highly evolved godlike being!"

Shocked, and completely missing the important part of her accusations, Daniel stuttered a moment before he got his words out... "I did no such thing!"

"Huh?" Cam balked. "Well that's a relief, but whose is it then?"

Teal'c locked his hands behind his back. "Perhaps it is another mysterious impregnation as before."

Vala began to cry earnestly at the same time she got off the bed and approached Daniel.

Daniel grinned, happy to see her. "Vala why are you crying? I'm fine. Maybe a bit pissed off."

But instead of a loving greeting, Vala poked him with a sharp fingernail in the middle of his chest. "Hmph, you are real." Then she pinched him.

"OW!" Daniel shouted, "What the hell was that for!"

"Because you didn't really die so that means you just didn't think it important enough to leave your fancy glowy friends and come home!" Vala did a precision turn and left the room.

"Does anybody wanna tell me what's going on?"

"Déjà vu is going on DanielJackson."

"Yeah, like when the bubbly water-lizard man was lookin' for his wife, déjà vu."

"Not really, Cam. More like died and left without a word of goodbye." Sam glared at Daniel.

"Huh? Like I had control over that! You all thought I drowned?"

"It took some figurin' but no, nothing simple like drownin'."

"You were speared." Teal'c offered in explanation.

"In the foot!" Daniel insisted.

Sam snapped out. "And don't forget he fell off the cliff."

"You should all remember it was a five foot waterfall into a deep pool as I've had to point out more than once today!"

"Nothing was found. Not a trace of you or the funky tattooed ladies with spears."

"All of you witnessed it then? Vala?"

"Oh yeah, the princess had a front row seat. She's been a basket case. Whereas before she was only a bit eccentric. So I'm thinkin' she thinks you put her through hell when you coulda come back. We know better, but really, she's got a real thing for you buddy. And now..."

"And now," Carolyn interrupted, "you can all clear out so I can examine Dr. Jackson."

Daniel immediately protested. "But, I need to..."

"Sit." The doctor demanded.

"Doc, he's..." Cam tried to intervene.

Carolyn pointed at the colonel. "You can go get Vala and bring her back. Hog tie her if you have to."

"DoctorLam, I would like more time to..."

Putting her fingers to her lips, Carolyn quieted Teal'c. With the other hand she pointed emphatically out the door.

Teal'c bowed and exited.

"No problem, Carolyn." Sam held her hands up like a criminal caught in an old west movie. "I'm outta here."

With the room cleared out, Dr. Lam turned back to her new patient.

"I'm fine." Daniel told her.

"Yes, I'm aware of that."

Confused, Daniel's brows dove downward. "Then why'd you..."

"You'll know soon enough since you're one of those men that only hears what he wants too!" Carolyn crossed her arms and glared silently at Daniel.

"You know, Carolyn, if she really cared she'd..."

Carolyn crammed a thermometer in his mouth and walked away.

"Wise ebbybaldy maf at me?"

~0~~0~~0~~0~~0~

Jack peeked his head in the infirmary door. "Coast clear?"

Removing the thermometer Daniel answered tiredly. "They all left."

"Not the homecoming you were expecting?" Double checking to be sure no one was around, Jack slowly approached Daniel.

"Hardly." He put the thermometer back in his mouth.

It wasn't thirty seconds before Cam peeked in the door. "Sam's bringin' Vala. Where's the doc?"

Both Jack and Daniel shrugged and Cam tiptoed in.

Once again Daniel removed the thermometer. "Doesn't anybody care that I'm alive since previously every one thought I wasn't?" Daniel rolled his eyes, quirked his mouth in to a lopsided frown and tossed the thermometer on the bedside table. "Nobody cares."

"I care, DanielJackson." Teal'c entered, his eyes shifting side to side as if searching for some enemy.

"You do know, Jackson, that the general here is a richer man today?"

Daniel's head snapped around towards Jack. "You bet on whether or not I'd be back?"

"Of course I did."

"Of course you did." Picking up his glasses Daniel put them on and jumped off the bed. "I don't understand what's been going on; why everyone is edgy; why Vala's mad at me; and Carolyn..."

Cam cleared his throat in warning and the four men watched as Sam, then Vala, and finally Carolyn entered the infirmary.

Apparently Vala was being coaxed forward by Carolyn's hand gently pushing on her back.

"Damn, that's more trouble than necessary." The colonel mumbled and moved to a safer location...slightly behind General O'Neill.

"I thought," the doctor said with irritation, "that I ordered you three to leave."

Taking another step back, Cam attempted one of his charming, boyish grins on the doctor. "We did, Doc. Now we're back.

Dr. Lam wasn't falling for it. "Vala, you go over there." She pointed towards Daniel. "The rest of you need to leave."

"Hmph!" Vala remained rooted to the floor while staring as if completely interested in the ceiling.

"We're stayin', Doc. That's the way we do things." One more step back brought him against the wall where he was unable to avoid the glare from Carolyn - one that had lethal components!

"Cam," Sam whispered joining him for safety's sake, "Remember, Vala's pregnant...it's his." She jerked her head in Daniel's direction.

With a look of utter surprise Daniel looked at Jack. "Did she say pregnant? Who's pregnant?"

Everyone except Daniel and Vala started talking at once. Vala remained reticent. While Daniel tried to glean something from the conversations that continued to revolve around someone's pregnancy.

"Will someone please tell me who the hell is pregnant?" Daniel shouted bringing the conversations to an immediate halt.

Carolyn nudged Vala to the forefront.

Daniel, mouth falling open, shifted his eyes to Sam.

"Yep. She's pregnant." Sam answered his unspoken question with a huge smile.

"Uh, uh. No way."

Nodding, while trying not to grin, Sam insisted. "Oh, yeah, way." She held up a thumb as if to say good job.

"Holy buckets!" Daniel forced himself the few steps to stand closer behind Vala. Lips pursed, and eyes mere slits, he stared at her stomach while he spoke low and controlled. "I thought we discussed birth control."

Hissing through clinched teeth, Vala responded. "This is all your fault."

Teal'c smiled and slapped Daniel on the back. "I believe this to be the most interesting day since joining SG-1."

After a slow twist of his neck to give Teal'c a curious, quizzical look, Daniel took a quick sideways glace at Jack and Cam, who apparently were enjoying this more than the rest. Carolyn had begun to busy herself with straightening the room as if she had no hand in bringing this issue into a circus arena. Sam had finally opted for a hand over her mouth. Intended as a sign of support due to the fact she tried to hide her enormous grin, but those large blue eyes of hers were wide and dancing with mischief.

"How about everybody clear out?" Daniel barked out. But the only person heading for the door was Vala. "Hold up!" He grabbed her the back of her shirt and held on tight. "Not you."

While each of the others, including Dr. Lam, did move, unfortunately they moved deeper into the room and banded together.

"This is not a side show!" Daniel insisted, hands on hips and gaze cockeyed at the merry band.

"Debatable, Danny boy, debatable." Jack was in the process of accepting a wad of cash from Teal'c.

Things grew increasingly and awkwardly quiet. Daniel sighed, took Vala by the arm and led her the opposite side of the room. When the rustle of movement reached him, he stopped the herd with a death ray glare.

"This is not my fault. You started this with that kiss on the Prometheus!" Hand still on Vala's arm, Daniel pulled her forward so his mouth rested at her ear and his words sizzled across her hair.

Though neither was aware of it, the sound carried rather clearly and the others shifted their focus to Vala.

"Ha! You started this by stripping me naked while I was unconscious!"

Their audience's heads moved as one back to Daniel.

"That, my lovely little thief, was done with my eyes shut out of respect!"

Cam cocked his head, and muttered. "I think the big guy's right, this is mighty interestin'."

"Oh, really, Daniel? That's classically, classy," Vala's voice rose. "Then explain why you said...and I quote, "I always dreamed of doing this," when you kissed the tattoo on my..."

"Okay!" Daniel yelled. "Maybe I peeked!"

Sam ducked her head and grabbed Mitchell's sleeve tugging him towards the exit.

"Carter?"

Looking up at Jack Sam blinked momentarily confused. "Oops, sorry, wrong guy." She shoved Cam towards Carolyn and asked Jack, "Don't you think we should leave?"

"Now! Right when it's getting interesting?"

Lifting her eyes to him, Sam batted her lashes. "I could be persuaded to make it interesting to leave."

Without another word, Jack grabbed Sam's hand and hurried her out the door.

Carolyn scribbled something on a chart and tossed it on the bed. "Vala, Daniel you're free to go. Let me know if you have any questions. Vala I need to see you in two weeks." Carolyn took a quick look at Cam, smiled, and started for the door knowing he was right behind her.

"I am exceptionally happy. I will leave you two alone." Teal'c bowed and left.

"A baby." Daniel said in awe, his hand on her cheek.

"Um, hmm. And a real one. Flesh and blood and I did all the necessary bits."

His fingers combed through her hair and wrapped around the back of her head. Daniel pulled her face closer. His lips brushed hers. "A baby." he said once more with awe. "You wanna get married?" he was intermittently nibbling, licking and sucking on her bottom lip. "I'd like to, but it's up to you. I'm happy with the way things turned out..."

Vala's arms slowly snaked around his neck. "Yes. I'd like that. But darling, we don't have to live in a house with a pickled fence do we?"

"Absolutely, not. I hate pickled fences."

~END