Here's the second of three Memento Mori pieces I was prompted to write.
Rating: Again shouldn't be more than a G, I would say
Disclaimer: Not Mine. MGM gets to play for real, I get to play in my head.
Summary: Vala's POV leading up to, during and after the warehouse scene in memento mori.
Thanks SO much to Erin and Cat for beta-ing. Amazingness. ( you didn't beta this one too did you Stef? let me know cause I forget!)
Hope you all enjoy it! Let me know what you think! reviews are love after all.
Wandering Soul: Love Will Find You
Vala sat on the concrete floor, her back resting on the cool metal shelving behind her. She looked at the door to the warehouse, fear and adrenaline flashing in her eyes. She had been here a long time now, though she had no watch to be sure how long. It remained quiet; she didn't believe the police had followed her. Her breathing slowed, but suddenly her pulse began to pound again when she saw someone enter the warehouse. Not the police, but Cameron and some others she couldn't quite make out from the shadows near the open doorway.
"Vala? Vala, it's me, Daniel!"
That voice. It was familiar somehow, had she dreamt about it? Daniel? That name seemed to trigger something inside her. For a moment she felt like everything might be ok, but then fear gripped her heart again. She was so confused. So lost. Her head was swimming, something about the worried tone of his voice compelled her to run to him, but her panic and indecision held her in place. She didn't know who was on her side anymore.
"We know you're in here, there's nowhere else you could have gone."
That was the problem! She didn't know where to go to, whom to turn to, but his voice continued to call to her, pulling on her heart, his tone laced with worry.
"Vala? I know you're scared, but we're not here to hurt you. We can help you remember."
She wanted that so badly. To remember. To know. To be found. She moved to stand but her worries about who these people might really be, who she might really be, fed into her survival instinct. Instead of moving towards the voice, she moved away from it, towards the open door, crouching again behind a pile of wooden pallets. She waited for her opportunity.
Around her the fighting had begun. Someone else had been in the warehouse after all. She paid little attention to the firefight raging around her, seeing it as a distraction to those looking for her – and her chance to escape. Vala peeked around the corner and saw the path to the doorway was clear, the sun streaming in through the opening. She took the small gun – taken from Cameron's pants – out of her pocket and cocked it. She then stood to make her move for the door.
She stopped behind a large, red shipping container, checking again that her escape route was unobstructed. She had almost reached it, the sunlight warming her face, when someone moved out from behind another row of shelving. Her reaction was automatic; she lifted the gun and tried to take on an intimidating stance. "Get out of my way."
Suddenly she was frozen in place. Even if he had moved she wasn't sure she would have, but she repeated herself nonetheless, "Get out of my way or I will shoot you," she held the gun in shaking hands, but she was focused only on his face. It was him. The blurry picture she carried in her mind stood before her now crystal clear, in flesh and blood.
He slowly bent to put down the strange-looking gun, then stood up straight again, his hands raised. Vala continued to point the gun at his chest, she was still unsure; so many emotions clouded her thoughts. The impulse to run was still strong. She would figure this out later, she told herself, for the moment her curiosity and emotions were overridden by the instinct to escape as quickly as possible. He spoke to her then, his eyes seemed desperate as he tried to catch her gaze, but his voice was steady, and her focus returned from her jumbled thoughts to him.
"You don't remember who you are but I do. You won't shoot." He was so calm. So certain, and though she was not – her disbelief and anxiety showing in her expression – she began to relax a little, her weapon dropping, her grip loosening slightly.
Vala heard the fighting, firing, and shouting come to an abrupt halt behind her. She turned to look and then she whirled around again panicked, raising her gun at him once more. They would come for her now, she had to go. Vala opened her mouth to try to warn him off again. However Daniel spoke first and his voice, his words, made her pause.
"If I let you go, I know you're going to make yourself disappear." Her heart continued to pound in her chest as he held her in place with his gaze. "You've been running so long it's almost second nature to you." How could he know her so well? These were things she barely knew herself. Despite the urge to escape, another part of her was desperate to stay – and this part was now winning out. She prayed he would be able to tell her more – who she was, where she belonged. Vala's eyes began to well up as he continued.
"You don't remember it, but you made a decision to stop running. It's over. Now it's time to come home."
Home. Vala's head dropped and her eyes closed as she was struck by a flash of memories. Daniel, Cameron and others all around a large, black table. Another flash and then Daniel again, in an elevator, smiling at her. With these memories came feelings of belonging and security – feelings she had longed for these past weeks. She looked up at him again.
Daniel. This was him. The man she had dreamt of every night, the face she had tried so hard to picture. Her Daniel. Tears began to cloud her vision, mirrored by a slight shining in his eyes. The gun she had trained on him now hung limp from her hand. "Daniel?" she whispered, her voice heavy with emotions – weariness, uncertainty, but also relief.
Slowly, tentatively, Daniel approached her and once he had taken the gun from her, he pulled her to him, holding her tightly to his chest. Vala returned the embrace with everything she had left, her energy beginning to drain away with her adrenaline. She shut her eyes in an effort to prevent the tears from falling. He had found her.
She didn't know how long she spent wrapped in the safety of his strong arms. Minutes? Hours? It wasn't important to her anymore. Vala looked up at Daniel, the tears that had been threatening to fall earlier now lay as glimmering streaks on her pale face. "Home?" she asked, her voice still quivering but hopeful. She still didn't know where home was, but she hoped it wasn't far from where she stood now. In Daniel's arms she felt comfortable. Finally. Leaning against him, she experienced something she couldn't remember truly feeling anywhere else. Contentment. Safety.
"Home," he replied with a warm smile. "With me – er…with us," he added quickly, nodding his head towards the rest of SG-1 who stood behind Vala. They were unsuccessfully attempting to blend into the concrete floor of the warehouse in an effort to give their two friends some privacy. She nodded slowly.
It was then that the fatigue which Vala had been fighting throughout the day finally caught up to her. She was weak in his arms, as if she might collapse without his support. She put her head back onto Daniel's shoulder, her nose brushing softly against his neck, and she sighed lightly.
"Ready to go?" he whispered quietly, his breath tickling her ear. She didn't answer but it was at this point that her knees finally gave out. Without a second thought Daniel scooped her gently into his arms. Vala sighed again, a sigh of complete and utter contentment, then drifted into a calm sleep with her head resting on Daniel's shoulder.
Without another word Daniel headed for the car. After exchanging knowing glances, the other three members of the team quietly followed.
The ride back to the base was a silent one. Vala rode the whole way in Daniel's arms. He held her as if he thought she might disappear again if he let her go for a single moment. Sam and Cameron sat up front, Cameron driving the SUV. They were unsure what to say about what they had just witnessed. As much as they teased Daniel about Vala, the rest of the team had thought perhaps something had been developing between the two. After that scene in the warehouse, they were sure of it, but what they weren't sure of was how Daniel would react if they tried to talk to him about it. He had been frantic when Vala was missing but now that she was back they weren't sure if he would revert back to he regular behaviour or not. Teal'c for his part remained his usual silent self, sitting stoically in the back seat next to Daniel and Vala. Vala was warm and peaceful, settled comfortably across Daniel's lap with her head still resting on his shoulder. For the first time in weeks, she fell into a deep and restful sleep.
When they arrived back at the base Cameron parked the car and the others moved to exit the vehicle. Daniel took in the scent of her hair as he placed a light kiss to the top of her head, trying to wake her without frightening her. He whispered softly, "Vala, you need to wake up."
Vala felt an odd sensation against her ear, but she was warm and content, so she turned her head away and buried herself into the embrace that held her. Someone shook her shoulder gently and she forced herself to open her eyes, starting a little at the unfamiliar surroundings of the car. In spite of this shock, she was easily calmed in the safe embrace the enveloped her. She looked up into bright, blue eyes. Daniel. This was him. His face. She had found him. He had found her – finally. His lips spread into a wide smile as he noticed her recognising his face. Daniel motioned for her to move off of his lap and towards the door.
"Can you walk?" he asked as they stepped down from the car. His tone brought her back to another day, another memory, when he had softly asked her the very same thing. Flames flew up before her eyes, then a blackness which cleared to show the same eyes looking down at her, with the same expression of compassion and concern that graced his features now. She shook her head to clear her mind and then focused once more on his eyes, which looked into hers with an unexpected intensity – with emotions she wasn't prepared for. She nodded groggily and they moved to enter the base, Daniel's hand firmly in hers, still her anchor as she tried to settle back into her place.
Dr. Lam was waiting at the door and informed them that Vala needed to be taken to the infirmary for a full examination – alone. Vala's hand tightened in Daniel's and she looked at him quickly, her eyes wild with worry. An exclamation of 'No Doctors!' was on the tip of her tongue when he lifted a hand to her face, placing it against her cheek to calm her.
"You're okay here, Vala, I promise you. I won't be far and I'll be there when you've finished." He squeezed her hand once more and pushed her softly in Dr. Lam's direction.
Vala looked back at him, uncertainly. After taking in the expression on his face, she knew she would be all right. That face, the details she had tried so hard to recall for weeks, gave her the strength she needed – his eyes confident and his mouth softly smiling in reassurance. She turned and followed Dr. Lam, knowing for certain now that she really did have someone waiting for her. She was not alone. Not lost. Not anymore.