Title: The Old and the New
Author: JennyLD
Rating: T
Notes: For those of you waiting for on chapter 3 of Aftermath, I'm sorry…I've had writer's block for over a week now. While trying to figure out where exactly to go with that story I came up with the idea for this one and wrote chapter one in two hours. I hope you like it. Please review!
The Old and the NewChapter 1: Scared
The house was deathly silent; the only discernable sound in the tiny room was the steady breathing of the man sleeping next to her. This was the time she treasured most during her otherwise dismal existence. The steady din of the soldiers preparing for war had been silenced and the pitiful harmony of the devout no longer droned through her mind. This time was the only amount of peace allowed her anymore.
She turned to face the shadowy form of her husband, so close to her and yet so very far away. A sigh escaped her lips. If only their lives had been different, if only they had not met under such heinous circumstances. He was a good man, a kind man. She really felt she could have fallen for him, could have loved him, could have spent a lifetime in his arms…unfortunately things rarely worked out the way they should.
She swung her legs over the side of the bed and slowly heaved her aching body out of the nest of comforters. The air was crisp and the wooden floor cold beneath her bare feet, but she barely noticed. Her errand, most likely the last she would ever carry out, was far too important to worry about trivial matters like cold feet. In fact, she was so intent on moving quietly across the creaky floor, she never saw the phantom standing silently in the corner, watching her.
After a quick glance behind her to make sure her husband had not awoken, she shut the door and descended the stairs, continuing on through the kitchen and then into the sanctity of the cellar beneath. It was dark, but she knew the place intimately and had no need to wait for her eyes to adjust to the dim light – she had, after all, spent much time down here hiding from the villagers' incessant attempts at converting her.
Maneuvering between the numerous stacks of boxes that had been down here so long they had acquired a disturbingly thick layer of dust, she removed the device from a long-forgotten pile of old, musty blankets hidden in the farthest corner of the room. She had changed the hiding spot many times out of fear that someone would find it, though so far it seemed her secret was safe.
Perching on a nearby crate that was just about the height of a dining room chair, she studied the small, jeweled ring winking in the palm of her hand. There was nothing unusual about it, nothing that would indicate it was anything more then a simple trinket, but she knew well how deceiving looks could be.
In fact, she herself had thought nothing of the ring the day she happened upon it while rifling through one of the storage rooms hidden throughout the village. After absent-mindedly placing it on her finger and trying to polish-up the stones, she had found herself suddenly face-to-face with her father. His sudden appearance was such a fright she had ripped the ring off and almost put it back in the box she had found it in.
Something stopped her.
The vision of dear old dad had not remained for more then a few seconds, but something in his eyes…she had been certain it wasn't just some sort of image device. Though it had sounded absolutely ridiculous at the time and she had passed it off as wishful thinking, she wondered if maybe, just maybe, he had actually been there with her…
Now, she was glad she hadn't discarded it for it was her only link to him.
For what she was certain would be the very last time, she placed the ring on her finger, closed her eyes, and let his image fill her mind.
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He could not sleep.
It had been almost a month since the last contact and he was worried. There had been dreams – nightmares, really – about her on almost a nightly basis, but waking up drenched in sweat, screaming in horror had not been the worst part. The worst part was the memory of what he saw in his dreams: her dying over and over again, each time more painful, more horrendous then the last. Trying to suppress the images had been futile, for they always slowly resurfaced to torment his waking hours as well.
If something had really happened to her he would never forgive himself.
A stranger among strangers, possibly in the worst danger of her entire life, and there was nothing he could do about it! And it was not as though he had not been trying. He would not, no, he could not give up…but he felt so helpless.
For the last six months, he had researched nothing except ways in which to organize a rescue mission. He had spent hours pouring over notes, interviewing informants, and running scenario after scenario through the computers, all to no avail. Even when it became an official mandate that the retrieval was no longer highest priority, he continued relentlessly trying to find some way to get to her.
He could tell his obsession had started to concern the others, but did not care. It astonished him how easily they had given up on her; what ever happened to the mandate "no man left behind?"
Sure, this was definitely one of the stickier situations one of their team had gotten into, but she was such an integral part of that team. Even so, no amount of pleading had changed anyone's mind. Yes, she was important and they wanted her found, but there were other things that had to take precedence.
Sighing, he put down the book he had been reading. After an hour and half trying to comprehend one lousy paragraph it was obvious he wasn't going to get any work done tonight. Besides, it was really quite late, and with the next scheduled mission just a few hours away he really needed to try and get some rest.
Flipping off the small light on his desk he headed out the door. There should have been plenty of light in the hall beyond, but as soon as he stepped outside the confines of his office everything went dark.
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"Daniel," she whispered, relief washing over her pale face.
No matter how many times they had done this, it still took him completely off-guard. Suddenly finding yourself galaxies away from where you were supposed to be was so disconcerting he did not think he could ever get used to it...but for her sake he would gladly suffer through.
He scrambled towards the sound of her voice without waiting for his optic nerve to make the adjustment to the dim light. Upon reaching her, he wrapped his arms around her ever-expanding figure and squeezed as tightly as he dared.
She melted into him, relying on his very being to sustain her. It was amazing to her how safe she could feel whenever she was in his presence, even now in the midst of the enemy she felt no fear as long as he was here with her.
They remained locked in each other's arms until he finally managed to untangle himself from her. His eyes had adjusted to the dim cellar lighting and he could see now that she looked awful, though considering her current condition that was to be expected. Still, something was different about her this time. Her body was tense and she looked as if she was physically suffering, but there were no outward signs of any sort of maltreatment.
"Vala, are you ok?"
She nodded and gave him a weak but mesmerizing smile, "I'm fine, Daniel. Just a little tired is all."
He nodded but did not believe her; they had been in some awful situations together in the past and he could tell by now when something was truly bothering her.
"She's coming tomorrow," she whispered, dark eyes downcast.
"Already? Are you sure?"
"Yes, Daniel," she said with a sigh of reservation, "a mother just knows these things."
He looked down at her pregnant belly and saw a quick flash of motion; the baby inside of her was obviously kicking up a storm tonight. Under normal circumstances he would have felt awe at the miracle of it all: carrying a new life inside your own body, sustaining it and watching it grow within the womb. But this wasn't your typical baby; most children were not conceived for the sole purpose of bringing death and destruction to millions.
He quickly looked away, "I'm sorry we haven't been able to find a way to bring you back yet."
"It's alright, Daniel, I know you tried your best."
"Still trying, Vala," he couldn't emphasize it enough.
"Yes, still trying," she tried to hold back the tears that threatened to break through the floodgates. He could not know the truth. She simply could not bring herself to tell him what she already knew, the fate awaiting her when she was deemed no longer useful to them.
"Daniel, in case something were to happen to me…"
"Hush now, don't talk like that," he said, stroking her cheek. "Childbirth is a completely safe and natural…"
"…I know, I know. Just hear me out ok?" she interjected, wiping a rebel tear from her eye.
Something in her demeanor shifted. She had not exactly been herself lately – being held prisoner and forced to carry a child you did not want could change a person that way – but this was something wholly different, something darker and more ominous. Of course it could also just be the hormones running rampant throughout her body, but…
He decided it was best just to let her get it, whatever it was, off her chest, "I'm listening."
"In case something were to happen to me I just wanted to tell you that I…" she hesitated studying her fidgeting hands before whispering almost too softly, "I love you Daniel."
Finally, after all this time, she had said it, the one thing she feared telling him the most, the one really important secret she had kept from him all this time. Knowing her time was coming to an end she finally let her guard down and let herself be vulnerable to him.
He almost trivialized her admission, almost made some sort of excuse as to why she might only think she felt that way, but he stopped himself as it dawned on him…all the little flirtations, the way she tried so hard to please him, to stay by his side all the time. It hadn't been just an act, just a ploy for attention.
He could have smacked himself for not realizing it sooner, but he had never been very good at reading women.
"Vala, I…" he hesitated unsure of what to say, unsure even of what he felt in return. He did feel a connection to her, but was that merely a remnant of the power of the bracelets? He was not sure and did not have the time to figure it out as a muffled thump like feet hitting the floor above intruded on their conversation.
Before he could say anything Vala's head jerked upward and she gasped, "Tomin!" she said, standing up, her finger hovering over the button that would end the transmission, "You have to go now!"
"Ok, but contact me again as soon as you can Vala. We'll find a way to get you out of here, I promise."
"I would, Daniel, but I'm afraid this will be the last time you will ever hear from me," she wept, and before he could ask her what that was supposed to mean, she cut the transmission and her image faded away.
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Vala quickly hid the device again under the musty blankets, then started up the stairs hoping Tomin would not find her here. Despite the fact that he obviously had intense feelings for her, he was also very suspicious of everything she did. If he found her lurking about in the cellar there was no telling what he might think or do.
She reached the landing and made it halfway through the kitchen before colliding with him in the near-dark. But he did not even have a chance to ask what she was doing, as she suddenly doubled over in pain and fell to her knees with a gasp, a sticky wet feeling uncomfortably permeating her nightshirt. Everything went dark.
She never saw the robed man coming towards her, a smile expanding across his typically stoic face.
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The severing of the connection was never as bad as when it was established because at least he knew what was about to happen. Nonetheless, it always left him feeling completely out of sorts. Luckily there had been no one there when he came back tonight, no one to witness him seem to talk to himself once again.
He returned to his office and flipped on the light on his desk again. He couldn't go to bed now, he had to find a way to get her out of there and soon. No matter how ridiculous it might seem, he believed she truly meant what she had said to him. And he was convinced she was, even at that very moment, in the utmost danger.
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When she came-to something felt different, but she couldn't quite place her finger on it. She tried to open her eyes, but the light seeping through her bedroom window sliced right through her head and she moaned in pain at its glaring intrusion.
The last thing she could remember was lying in bed with Tomin watching the baby move inside of her…the baby! Oh God, what if something was wrong with the baby! She hurriedly placed her hand on her belly, only to find it deflated of the life it had once carried. It was then that it all came rushing back to her, her meeting with Daniel, Tomin waking unexpectedly and the intense pain that had washed over her before she passed out on the kitchen floor.
So it was done. They had somehow yanked the child from her womb while she was unconscious. Probably spirited it away someplace far from her and those who would only wish to bring it harm.
For a moment it saddened her to think she would never know the tiny creature she had carried for those eight long months. She had not even had a chance to hear her first cry or hold the tiny bundle in her arms just once. She would never know if the child looked like her or what color hair and eyes she had. She must be beautiful she thought to herself.
Then the horror overwhelmed her. What was she thinking? The child she had called her own and felt move within her was no baby but a monster, a monster born to destroy any world that would dare stand in the way of her false religion.
Yet she really did not believe that, could not believe that. How could one small, innocent little being be the bringer of such atrocities? Could her daughter's life somehow be saved? Could she somehow be stopped from achieving what the Ori had brought her forth for? Couldn't her own mother save her from such an awful destiny?
There was no use in speculating though, for the end had finally come.
Just a few short weeks ago she had heard them talking, Tomin and the Prior. They thought she was asleep, but she had gained the best information to give Daniel very early in the morning, so she rose before dawn almost everyday hoping for that one tidbit that would turn the tide. Their voices were muffled, quieter then usual that day, but she had managed to hear enough to know that once she was no longer the vessel for their Orici that she would be "disposed of."
She had made peace with herself and what was to come, though not at first. Initially, she had racked her brain for a way, some way, to get away from them, and spent hours making plans and mapping different escape routes. It was all for naught as, without some sort of outside help, there was no way a lone woman would be able to escape a planet filled with Origin's followers. No matter what she did, no matter what she tried, the outcome would end up the same.
Her only regret was that she would never again she see her friends from the SGC, never enjoy their companionship, never gaze at the beauty of their planet Earth. There were so many things left unfinished, so many things she still wanted to accomplish. Her one solace was that at least she had finally told Daniel exactly how she felt about him.
"Vala, it is time."
She opened her eyes and found Tomin standing in the doorway, a grim expression on his face. He came around to the side of the bed and helped her up. It was then that she noticed that someone had changed her clothing. She was no longer wearing the plain nightgown Tomin had given her as a wedding gift, but was instead dressed fully in her SGC uniform. She felt a grim foreboding in the pit of her stomach…how appropriate that they would kill her in this, the clothing of their enemy.
Neither of them spoke as he led her out of the small cottage they had called home and headed towards the center of the village where the Prior was waiting for her. Everyone was there, even the children, and they were all watching her and waiting in anticipation. They would be glad when it was over, when their community had finally been scoured of this abomination.
Not wanting to give them any more pleasure in her death than they would already have, she tried to hide her fear when they arrived at their destination.
The Prior stood next to the ring of fire, the same place she had died a death once before and she prayed that would not also be the method of her execution this time. At first there was silence then slowly the robed man raised his head and looked her straight in the eyes.
"Vala, your time here has come to an end. You are no longer needed or wanted here, with us, the true believers. Your corruption would only bring doubt and the evilness of false Gods into our midst," he accused.
She considered making a witty retort, but decided against it. There was no point in fighting anymore. There was no way out and no hope for rescue. She could only hope what little information she had been able to pass on to Daniel would be enough for Earth to find a way to stop the forthcoming invasion.
Vala turned to look one last time upon the face of her husband, but his expression was blank. There was no sadness in it, no regret. Maybe she had not meant as much to him as she had thought?
"Face now, Vala Mal Doran, your fate!"
She turned back and stared at the Prior calmly; she refused to allow him to see even an ounce of fear in her eyes.
He raised his staff above his head as if imploring the heavens to rid him of her sight. As he brought it back down again she braced herself for the searing pain that she knew would come next…
Then everything went dark again.