Okay, I only got one review on the first chapter (Thank you HAZMOT!) Please review!
Chapter Two
Daniel woke up first and noticed that the wind had picked up. He ducked outside and saw that a storm was on the horizon and the waves were rolling in giant swells, crashing onto the beach and spraying white foam. He could hear distant thunder and decided that they had better pack up the camp and move up into one of the limestone caves on the cliff face. He went back inside and gently called Vala to wake up. After explaining things to her, she rose and helped him pack things up. The tents came down quickly and were wrapped up and placed in their carrying sacks. Daniel took down the hammock and rolled it up, placing it with the tents. They stored the food stuffs away in the coolers and plastic bins and Daniel grabbed one and started up the path to the caves. Vala followed with their back packs and watched as he made it to the top of the first tier where the Stargate was located and looked around. He checked out different caves and decided on one that had a large entrance with a second room off to the side that would protect them from the wind and rain. They dropped their belongings inside and went back down to get the rest of their things, including a good supply of firewood. It took a few trips and they had everything stored inside well before the storm hit. From the ledge outside, they could watch the storm approach in relative safety.
They sat there for a while, watching the giant waves roll in and the palm trees whipping about in the strengthening wind. It was a surfer's wet dream played out in full Technicolor. Far off in the distance, you could see rain coming down and the lightning forking across the sky. The clouds were quickly turning dark blue and it looked like it was going to be a memorable storm when it finally hit. Vala kept flinching when lightning would streak across the sky and he noticed her shaking a bit. Big, fat raindrops landed on and around them so he said, "Let's head inside before it gets bad."
He turned on a battery powered lamp and he and Vala took turns using the foot pump to get the air bed inflated. After throwing the pillows, sheets and blankets across the bed, they stacked the tents, food and water along one wall and settled in to wait.
"I have an idea. Read to me from that romance novel. Let's see what Vanessa's been doing?" Daniel laid back on the bed and listened to the storm, waiting for her to start.
She nervously looked at the doorway and then said, "Okay, let me update you first. It starts out when he waited until her ship left port and then he followed it. While out on the high seas, he attacked her ship, stole all the goods, and took her and her friend prisoner."
She moved ahead to where her book mark was placed and started to read. Then she stopped and said, "Daniel, this is embarrassing. I can't read this out loud."
He grinned and said, "Giving you ideas?"
"No! Heavens, no! Besides, I'm a willing participant."
He chuckled, "So, I've noticed."
"Look, I'm not a prude but this stuff is really explicit."
In a teasing tone, he said, "Really? I don't know anyone who would call you a prude."
"And they would be right." She turned to him and grinned and then turned back to her book.
Daniel found her reaction interesting. She was a blatant flirt and innuendo was her favorite weapon to tease with. But, she couldn't read a romance novel out loud without blushing?
Her cheeks flamed red as she slammed the book closed. "I don't feel like reading this right now."
He grinned and said, "That's okay. We should probably save the batteries anyway." He lit a candle and then reached over to switch off the light, leaving them in the dark.
Vala said, "Would you tell me a story? I love it when you tell stories."
"You do?" He was completely confused and wondered if she was messing with him again like she used to. Nobody liked it when he started in on something he thought was fascinating. He used to put Jack to sleep when he got going during the briefings.
"Are you serious?"
"Yes, tell me about one of the countries you've traveled to. Or one of the planets you went to before I met you."
He settled back against the pillows and said, "Well then… let me think. Okay… one of the first missions we went on was to a planet where we all turned into cave men and cave women. Except Teal'c, of course. We didn't understand what was happening at first. The chaos started when we returned with one of the marines who challenged Teal'c to a fight…"
Just then, an extremely loud thunderclap shook the little cave they were in and they both jumped. He went over to the entrance to the outer room and took a look around the wall. While it should be sunny, it was almost pitch black outside and the rain was coming down in a torrent. He couldn't see anything past the cave entrance and luckily the floor sloped outward so the rain water was draining towards the outside. The rain was still flying in though, mostly sideways, and the mist was causing Daniel's eyeglasses to get wet. He turned around and went over to sit next to Vala.
He shouted to her, "Good thing we moved inside! The tents would have blown over and everything would have gotten wet!"
They saw a bright flash and almost immediately another loud clap of thunder nearly deafened them. Vala dove for his chest and he found that she was shaking like a leaf.
"Hey, it's okay. We're safe in here," he said as he rubbed her back. She buried her face in his shoulder as another flash of lightning lit up the small room. The almost immediate resounding clap of thunder seemed to shake the walls around them.
He felt her trembling and said, "Wow, you really are terrified, aren't you?"
She could only nod and squeak when the next flash came.
'The storm must be right on top of us,' he thought. 'I hope it doesn't last long.' He never knew she was afraid of thunderstorms! She wasn't afraid of anything! But then, this was a particularly horrific one. He'd seen some pretty bad ones when he was on a dig in Mexico. He'd experienced some hurricanes, too. 'Maybe that's what this is. It's sure fierce, like one. Hopefully, it's not and it'll blow itself out soon and we can get back to enjoying our honeymoon.'
He pulled Vala closer to him and tried telling her more about the 'Land of Light,' but he had to shout to be heard. Finally, he gave up and they snuggled together under the covers. She seemed to calm down a bit as he rubbed her back and he noticed that the storm seemed to be moving away.
When it grew quieter, he kissed her forehead and said, "Want to tell me about it?"
She buried her face in his neck and nodded. "After Qetesh was removed and I went back home, I was shunned. The villagers didn't understand that it wasn't me who had done those horrible things to them. You remember my telling you this?"
"Yes, go on." He continued to rub her back soothingly.
"I never told you that they punished me. I was tied to a pole in the village square and beaten. People threw things at me. Mostly rotten food but mud and rocks, too. I didn't get any water or food. The second night I was there, a storm blew in. I remember screaming. A lot."
"Oh, Vala! That's horrible! Obviously, you survived, but how?" He pulled her even closer in an attempt to reassure her.
"The storm lasted all night and into the next day. I was never so scared in my life. The lightning was hitting nearby and the sound was unbelievable! By the time it was done, I'd passed out. I don't know much about what happened, after that. I know I woke up in a bed in a hut outside of town. It was many miles away from the village. An old woman was taking care of me. I had pneumonia and she told me that I almost died. As soon as I was well again, I left that planet and never returned. I wanted to repay the old woman for her kindness but I had nothing. She said she didn't want anything. When I asked her why she helped me, she said that nobody deserved to be treated that way."
"She's right. Those were the people you grew up with? Your friends and neighbors?"
"Yes, but they didn't see me. They only saw Qetesh. I know that now but at the time I was really angry and hurt."
Daniel sighed and then said, "I never can understand how people can be so cruel. I've seen it over and over again. I still think that most people are good, deep down inside, and that circumstance changes them. They're hurt by one thing or another and they lash out. But, it still sickens me when they turn evil."
"These people weren't evil, Daniel. It took a long time for me to realize that. They had been treated horribly by the Goa'uld I was host to and they were victims. If you had known them before, like I did when I was a child, you'd understand."
"Maybe." He noticed that she was shivering so he got up and started a fire at the end of the room in a depression near the doorway. The high ceiling sloped upwards and made a natural draft so they didn't have to worry about smoke inhalation. Once he got a decent fire burning, he set the tea pot near the fire.
The warm mug felt good in her hands and the tea did a lot to calm her nerves. He went outside to look around and saw that there were some trees down, on the beach, and branches were scattered everywhere. Their camp site took a direct hit by a large coconut palm. There were more storm clouds on the horizon so he figured they would have to spend the night in the cave.
She looked up when he came back inside and said, "Thanks for listening, Daniel. You've been wonderful."
"Hey, I love you." He sat on the end of the bed and said, "Another storm is coming in. Hopefully it won't be as bad as the last one. There's a lot of damage out there."
They heard the rumble of thunder off in the distance and he noticed her look towards the entrance.
He took her hand and smiled at her. "I can think of something to do that will take your mind off the storm."
Her eyes widened and she said, "You surprise me! You're as randy as an old goat!"
He laughed and said, "Yeah, well I was almost completely celibate for years. I'm making up for lost time. Besides, it's our honeymoon. It's perfectly normal."
She grinned and pulled back the covers. "In that case, hop in. Let's see if you can distract me."
"I'm sure I'll manage something." He climbed in and before long, she was thinking of nothing but him, despite the storm.