Although I don't plan on getting into all of SG-1's season 9, I have to introduce Vala Mal Doran, a favorite of mine. I will be taking great liberties with episodes 9.1-9.4. The characters are more important to me than the storyline from the show (even though I LOVED the Val-centered storyline). Dialogue is NOT taken from the show.

I am a bit confused by Ronon's history. Was he discovered on his home planet or was he running from planet to planet? I'm going with the latter because it fits my vision better. I hope if it's way off no one gets too upset about it. Thanks!

Chapter 3: Links

*****SGC*****

Daniel led Willow, Tara, and Dawn into the gate room so that they could view the stargate at work.

"We're lucky that there's a visitor the first time you come," he said. "Not everyone gets to see this."

"Dr. Jackson," Walter said. "We've got a transmission marked for you."

"Patch it through," Daniel said, frowning as General Landry and Mitchell arrived into the gate room.

"Hello? Is the very cute Daniel Jackson there? I have something that I know he'll be interested in," a female voice said.

Daniel groaned as he recognized the voice. "I think I know who it is. Remember, when Prometheus was hijacked? I was taken hostage by the Kull, but it wasn't really a Kull. It was—"

"Vala Mal Doran," the voice said. "I know Daniel will be happy to see me!"

Willow grinned as Dawn's eyes widened. "You were kidnapped? She kidnapped you? Why is she acting like you're old friends?" Dawn asked.

"She's a fruitcake," Daniel said.

"A deadly one?" Mitchell asked.

Daniel shook her head. "She's a con artist and a thief, but she's not evil," he said. "Just an opportunist."

"Open the iris," General Landry ordered.

Daniel went down to meet her. She greeted him like an old friend, ignoring his stand-offish air.

"Vala, what brings you here?" he asked.

"I have discovered the most fascinating old tablet that I just knew you'd love, and since it's in Ancient, I thought of you," she announced as if she was doing him a favor by being there.

"Dr. Jackson, are you going to introduce us?" Mitchell asked, smiling at Vala. The woman was very attractive with a head full of dark hair. She held herself with a confidence that was very appealing.

Vala gave him a warm smile. "Who is this hottie? I don't think we've met. I'm sure I would've remembered if we had because I do love a man in uniform!" she said, holding out her hand.

"This is Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell, my team leader with SG-1, and that's General Landry, the base commander," Daniel introduced. "Guys, this is Vala Mal Doran."

"A pleasure," Mitchell said, shaking her hand.

"The pleasure is all mine," she said with a flirtatious smile.

"Okay, Val, knock it off. Tell us why you are here?" Daniel asked, annoyed that she was interrupting his tour.

"I have this tablet I won in a card game," she said, pulling it out of her knapsack. "I think it will prove highly lucrative for both of us."

Daniel glanced at it and sighed. He looked at his boss. "It's in Ancient," he said.

General Landry nodded. "Well, take it to your lab and work on a translation," he said.

"Sir, I have my family here," he said, pointing to the girls who were practically glued to the glass in fascination at Daniel's interaction with Vala.

"Is she an alien?" Dawn was whispering to Willow.

"I don't know," Willow said. "She looks human. She's very sexy."

Dawn frowned at the way the woman was looking at her dad. "Do you think she likes Dad? How does he know her?" she asked.

Walter spoke up. "She is technically an alien since she wasn't born on Earth. But she is human like most aliens we encounter. The Ancients spread humanity throughout the galaxy," he explained.

Daniel came to the gate room. "Girls, this is Vala. She needs me to look at this tablet. Will you mind hanging out in my office for a bit?" he asked.

"Of course not," Willow assured him. "Hi." She smiled at Vala.

"Well, hello," Vala said. "Daniel, did you acquire a harem while we've been apart? I'm quite shocked. I didn't realize that the Tauri followed the old ways still."

Dawn's mouth fell open in shock as she absorbed Vala's words

"No, we do not," Daniel said sternly. "This is my daughter Dawn and two of our close friends, Willow and Tara."

"Nice to meet you," Willow said.

"Hello," Tara said, giving her a shy smile. The woman's aura blazed a bright purple with tinges of yellow in the edge. She'd been touched by darkness, but it had not broken her. Interesting.

Vala considered the daughter as she followed Daniel to his office. "Daniel, are you married?" she asked.

"No, Val. Dawn's mother passed away very recently," he said, not explaining.

Guilt filled Vala. "I'm sorry," she said, giving Dawn a look of compassion. "My parents died when I was young also. It's hard."

"Yes," Dawn said. She wanted to dislike the brazen flirt on principle, but she was very charismatic with an engaging smile.

When they got to his office, he turned on a desk lamp so that he could examine the tablet more closely. The girls wandered around the room, picking up objects. "Be careful. Everything in here is priceless and very old," he said over his shoulder.

The next thing he knew, Vala was putting a golden bracelet on his arm. "Sorry, Daniel, but I need something more from you," she said.

"Vala, what the hell is this?" he asked.

"It's a kor mak bracelet," she said, grinning.

"Why did you put one on my wrist?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"So you won't run away from me," she said with a grin.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, trying to take it off. He could not.

"What's going on?" Dawn asked, not liking what she was seeing.

"Ask the fruitcake," Daniel said, glaring a Vala.

"I didn't want you to run off with my share of the loot," Vala said.

"Loot? What loot?" Daniel asked.

"Fine. I'll tell you," Vala said, throwing up her hands. "Rumor has it that this tablet will lead to a huge cache of wealth in Avalon that is supposedly hidden here on Earth!"

She flashed an excited grin at the room.

"So the tablet is like a real treasure map?" Dawn asked, her eyes wide.

"That's it exactly!" Vala said excitedly, happy to sense an ally in the young girl.

"An ancient treasure map?" Willow asked.

"She's a con artist, guys. It's probably a scam," Daniel said.

"It's not!" Vala insisted. "Translate it and you'll see."

"What could it hurt, Dad?" Dawn asked, excited at the thought of a treasure hunt.

Daniel groaned, seeing the excited looks on all his girls. "Why do I have the feeling that I'm going to regret this?" he asked.

Dawn cheered and hugged him. "It'll be fun!" she exclaimed.

Vala beamed. "So much fun!"

For some reason, Daniel didn't quite believe her.

Tara looked at the bracelet on Daniel's wrist. Why did she think Daniel needed a bracelet to keep him from running away? She had a feeling that there was more to this than they knew. She hoped the fall-out from the woman's brazen actions wouldn't be too terrible.

*****Atlantis*****

"Oh, come on!" exclaimed Rodney. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! It's obvious that O'Neill is pranking you. He is known for that."

"I don't think so, Rodney," Elizabeth Weir said. "It came in official orders and then a personal note was added by Jack."

"You expect me to believe in magic now? That's basically what you're saying," Rodney said with a scoff.

"What about the Nox?" John reminded him. "You read SG-1's report about their encounter with them. They were able to bring the team back to life. There was no noticeable technology involved."

"That doesn't mean that magic or the mystical is real," Rodney said.

"Maybe not. Maybe this Buffy has achieved super powers on her own using her superior brain. Who knows? Either way, we have to look for her," John said, not wanting to argue with Rodney anymore. "We've lost Lieutenant Ford. Looking for him and Buffy will keep us busy."

"If we do find Dr. Jackson's daughter, Rodney, think of her like another Teyla—blessed with superior fighting skills," Elizabeth said.

"That's assuming this is real and not a bunch of hogwash!" Rodney replied.

"Assuming," Elizabeth agreed.

"Let's get to the gate, Rodney, if you're coming," John said.

"I'm coming," Rodney said. "I wanna be there in case this magical creature tries to cast a spell on you!"

"No one said she was a witch, Rodney," John said, rolling his eyes.

Elizabeth could still hear them bickering as they walked out of her office. Let's hope they found Daniel's daughter in one piece.

*****Sedan******

Buffy found her monosyllabic new friend an enigma. For the past three days, she had followed him from planet to planet. He led her through something called a stargate that looked like a portal. When he told her it connected to wormholes, her brain shut down. Willow and Xander would be very excited to know where she was and what she was doing. The first time or so gave her the wiggins, but she got used to it easily enough. She didn't notice it affecting her slayerness any, so she didn't give it much thought after the first few times.

However, she was finding Ronon and his non-verbalness frustrating. She chatted like a magpie, and he mostly grunted. She got him to share how he was captured and made a runner—the things he'd learn. The past few years, he decided he was done simply running. He defended himself and became very good at killing Wraith. They had gotten ambushed on his home planet Sedan. He saved her life when he knocked her out of the way of a beam—the life suckers actually beamed people up to their ships. Of course, Ronon didn't even crack a smile when she made the inevitable Star Trek joke.

Buffy believed that he always found a way to circle back to Sedan. It would be too heartbreaking for her if she was him. She couldn't imagine losing not just your family, but your entire planet to one enemy. The main reason Buffy was handling being away from home so well was that she knew that her family and friends were just fine without her. Her dad would take care of all of them, and she knew that her mom was either watching out for them or had returned to them. Plus, she kind of liked not having to worry about everyone all the time. Here it was just herself and Ronon to worry about—it was a nice change of pace.

It was strange how easily Buffy and Ronon learned to fight together. Back-to-back, they both were ferocious and tireless when the Wraith found them. It took a year of fighting together before she achieved such synchrony with either Angel or Spike. However, she and Ronon gelled together within a few days.

Before the sun set, both were weary and injured in more than one spot.

"We so need a break," Buffy said, feeling exhausted. "My aches have aches!"

"Let's go to another planet and rest," he said, moving fast toward the gate. Ronon never wanted to stay on a planet that he knew for certainty the Wraith were orbiting. He wasn't surprised when his new friend followed him, easily keeping pace. She may look like a pretty butterfly, but she was as deadly as a viper and as tough as a boar. Ronon never thought he'd want anyone fighting with him again after losing everyone, but she was different. Although she never ceased her prattling, he found it soothing more than annoying. He'd been alone for so long that he'd nearly forgotten what it was like to have someone to talk to. Even though he rarely talked to her, it was nice knowing that she was there if he wanted to unburden himself. The sound of her voice was comforting.

The new planet was like all the others—they looked like Earth. The gate was just outside of a forest. Naturally, Ronon started trekking toward the woods. With a sigh, Buffy followed him, grumbling. "I'm so sick of nature! Just once, I'd like to see a skyline—a beautiful city. Electricity and a hot shower would be even better," she mumbled.

"We can go to a place with showers," Ronon told her.

She was surprised—not realizing that he was even listening to her grumblings. "Showers? There's showers in this galaxy?" she asked excitedly.

"There's spaceships, so, of course, there's showers and indoor plumbing," he said dryly.

A smile broke out on Buffy's face. "Next planet we go to will have both, right?" she asked. "Or a hot bath." A dreamy expression came over her as she thought of a very hot bubble bath.

Ronon didn't fight the smile that broke out. "You are so odd," he said.

"Am not! I'm perfectly normal for a girl. Being able to clean oneself is the mark of a civilized individual!" she protested, causing him to snort.

Then he paused as he sensed that there were others tramping through the woods. "We're not alone," Ronon said.

They moved to two trees on each side of the area the visitors should appear from. Ronon stepped out to confront the intruder. The man attacked.

Buffy came from behind and knocked him down, hitting him on the back of his head with her weapon. When the man collapsed, they looked down at him. "What is he? He looks like a Wraith but not," Buffy said in confusion.

"I'm not sure," Ronon said, frowning. He could hear more steps coming toward them.

"Let's jet and see who it is," Buffy said, gesturing.

Ronon gave her a puzzled look at her verb usage but shrugged. He often could not comprehend everything she said. However, he—like now—normally got her intent. They moved to opposite sides of the trees that bordered where the noise was coming from. Ronon gave one glance at the first intruder to make sure that he was still knocked out, waiting for the next to come.

From the sound of it, there was more than one. They weren't Wraith because they were anything but quiet. One voice was complaining loudly.

He glanced at his friend, who gave him an amused one.

She mouthed, So easy! A small smile graced his lips as he nodded, agreeing with her assessment.

The new intruders would pose very little challenge for him and Buffy.

******To Be Continued******

I decided it was easier to continue with the Ford-Wraith storyline. Review and make my day! Thanks!