Chapter 4

Daniel was numb. The police station was bustling and he had been set in a room with one way glass and a cup of coffee sat steaming in front of him. He could only think of Vala right about now. The only good thing he had. She was probably going frantic about now. His mind drifted back to the night before. When the team had left them, they had spent a long time making out on the couch. With Sarah gone, Vala kept kissing him in such a way that reminded him he was still alive and that she wasn't going anywhere. Kisses that were normally slow and languid were heated and intense. They felt like they needed each other and that was enough to keep him whole. They had gotten so used to having time to be themselves. Sarah's disruption into their lives meant that they would have to face the old reality of the SGC and being soldiers, airmen, warriors – WHATEVER!

They'd fallen asleep on the sofa and he woke feeling very at ease with her in his arms. Daniel had to go to work that morning but he was so tempted to call in sick and make a day of it just the two of them. When the police came and arrested him in his office, He couldn't believe it was happening. When they told him the charges he was in shock. He had time comprehending that he was being arrested for something he didn't do. 'Wait, no scratch that, I'm SG-1 – course I've been arrested for something I didn't do – just not on earth before or recently' he thought bleakly.

There were voices at the door but Daniel didn't lift his head. He was past caring anymore. He just wanted Vala and somewhere to be alone with her. This relationship was something they'd both been marvelling at for the past month. Now the world had broken in. This was just another in the string of 'anothers' and that was one too much. He'd had enough. The detective that walked in the door was heavyset and just a few inches shy of being 6 foot. His short dark brown hair and blue eyes were in contrast to the jowls he's accumulated over time. He pulled out the metal chair making the legs scrape along the floor. It was an intimidation tactic to set suspects on edge or irritate them. Daniel recognised the technique because Jack had taught it to him. He took a deep breath and focussed on staying reasonably quiet. He just wanted out of here. To do that he needed to say as minimum as possible and wait for the cavalry.

Detective Bryan Wade was an old time cop who had little patience for people on a good day. He often wished he had chosen another career but the chase between cop and suspect was too much of an addiction for him. He looked at the man in front of him and grimaced. This guy did not look like much of anything. In fact he looked terribly like one of the kids he beat up on in high school but the fact he beat on a woman meant that he had even less respect for him. When he had run a check on the guy he found that there was very little information on him except that he was an archaeologist who had published next to nothing in the last few years. This guy had fallen off the face of the earth within the last 12 years and that made him more suspect in Bryan's eyes. The only other information was that he worked for NORAD. For an archaeologist, the detective couldn't fathom why he worked that part of the government. To be honest he felt nosy but other than that he didn't care. He just wanted to finish this and go home. This guy had been sitting here for over 7 hours now. Time to get some answers.

"So Doctor Jackson, Where were you last night around 10 am?" He watched as his suspect shifted slightly in his chair and blushed.

"I was in my apartment with my girlfriend Vala. We, uh, just cleaned up after dinner and had a quiet night in after having a friend round." Daniel felt awkward. He needed to get Jack or Cameron here soon. This situation was way above the detectives pay grade plus he was uncomfortable talking about his private life.

"Who was this 'friend'?" Bryan was suspicious of this guy. He was hiding something that much his instincts were telling him. He was too clean, too neat.

"Sarah Gardiner. She used to know me when I worked at the university. She showed up at the apartment. She had dinner with my girlfriend and I, then she left. Now that's all I can tell you. I want you to call my boss and get him down here." Daniel knew that the detective was out to poke holes. He had a job to do. Daniel knew that his job no matter what he was doing at the university, his long standing role at the SGC meant he couldn't say more. Especially since Cameron and the rest of SG's one and three were doing surveillance on his apartment last night and technically they didn't exist here. They were essentially black op's. At least the little job they were doing last night was.

"So you admit that you were with Ms Gardiner last night. Did you have a little dispute that you felt you had to chase her down and slap her about?" The detective opened up a manila folder full of pictures of Sarah. She was horribly bruised. Her right eye was swollen and blackening. Her lip was swollen and split. Detective Wade pulled out another to show her arms which were again horribly beaten. Daniel's face was horrified. He wanted to be sick.

"Detective, I want you to call my boss. I won't speak to you any more on this matter. I will however ask if you have spoken with Vala Mal Doran, my girlfriend. She was at our apartment this morning." Daniel lay back in his chair and crossed his arms. Detective Wade gave him a look that told Daniel he didn't believe him.

"See, now this is the part that I don't get. We've asked around your building and no one seems to know anything about this Vala Mal Doran. People report you leaving for work on your own and returning the same way. We looked in your apartment and found no trace of anyone besides yourself living there. So tell me DOCTOR Jackson, how can I believe you? You seem to have just appeared from nowhere Doctor. So would you like to tell me again the events of yesterday evening?" Bryan watched his suspect's face fall. He had him he knew it! However, it was what happened next that he didn't expect.

"Vala, Vala's missing? Detective you need to call a General Jack O'Neill NOW!" Daniel launched himself at the man and grabbed the Detectives Jacket and found the detectives pad and pen from his coat pocket. He needed to get this guy to listen and fast!

Bryan struggled against the man – he was stronger than he looked! He pushed him back and waited for the guy to make another aggressive move before he called in the uniforms. He watched incredulously as the guy made no other move than to write a number down. "Call this number and talk to the General please!" The guys tone was desperate. Bryan felt that if the guy was frantic enough to man handle him for the pad he carried - who knew what else he could do? He then watched as the man shut down right in front of him. He stared at the wall and the detective was convinced that the guy was nuts enough to attack this woman. He stared at his suspect a moment longer with disgust and left the room carrying his notepad. He was just about getting to his desk to write up the charge when a thought struck him. Why ask for this call? 'Aww – what the heck why not?' he thought. He reached his desk and lifted his phone.

Daniel sat in the room the detective just left. He was past feeling numb. He just wanted to drink in oblivion. Vala was missing. He knew it as certainly as he knew her. She hadn't run off that much he knew. She had gotten comfortable with the SGC as her home and earth had become her planet. Daniel knew that. Vala had gotten her passport given to her by Jack the first week she arrived in Chicago. He'd said that he'd dropped in for a quick visit on his way back to Washington. Daniel knew that he was just checking up on him but was touched by the gesture. Jack had long since been more than a friend and father figure to him. They both had watched Vala unwrap the package in Princess wrapping paper and her smile that came with it. Daniel wanted to stay in that memory. He'd never seen her so touched by Jack's kindness and he'd told her that she was officially a member of earth. She could where she wanted now. Daniel had kissed her and Jack told them both to 'get a room' all the while laughing. Now she was missing. Daniel went and sat on the floor next to the wall and pulled his knees up to his chest in a similar fashion to Vala. He felt like this was all he could do. The uniformed officer in the room watched him do this. His face looked like Daniel had lost the plot. Frankly Daniel didn't care.

Sarah looked at herself in the mirror in her bedroom. The people she worked for had dropped her back at her apartment. They had what they wanted now – they'd told her. She only knew that Daniel had been arrested. She knew that the pain was necessary but she couldn't help but feel her anger towards Daniel and his friends. When she was a host, it was not by her choice. Daniel's friends could have got her at any time but her anger at Daniel for leaving her as a host. She had been angry for 5 years afterwards. She blamed him for coming back to Chicago all those years ago even though she was a host at the time. Sarah blamed him for not getting to her sooner especially at the conference of system lords. He had every opportunity to come and visit. She was angry because he carried on with his life and she forgotten about. She was angry as well because he had found someone other than her. Sarah felt the bitterness of her whole time in that other world and she shuddered. Daniel deserved to be blamed for this. She kept trying to tell herself that over and over again.

Sarah dropped onto her floor and wept bitterly. Daniel had been the kindest man she had ever known - a brilliant man at that. He had tried to keep in touch with her after Osiris had been taken from her and she had shut him out. Now he was at a police station because of her. What had she done? She covered her head and kept grieving.

Jack's phone went. It was his direct line and very few people had the number. Only two people used it recently. One was Carter because he had plenty to say to her and the other was Daniel. More recently Vala had been calling him to quietly let him know how Daniel had been recovering. Often that was when Daniel was in a lecture and couldn't tell her off for keeping him in the loop. He looked at the caller ID. It was an unknown number. He was just to nosy not to answer. "General Jack O'Neill? Who is this?"

Bryan drew himself in his seat with a start. Okay so he thought this was just another suspect trying to pull a fast one. 'Whattya know he was telling the truth on this one!' He thought.

"Uh, General. This is Detective Bryan Wade."

"Yeah and…." Bryan was brought up short with the generals tone. No one had ever spoken to him like he was a time waster and got away with it!

"I believe you know a Doctor Jackson."

"Yeeah?"

"He gave me this number and asked me to call. Said that some high toffee nosed general was his boss. He has been arrested for assault." Bryan heard the general scowl and he shrank further into his chair. He looked around him to see if the other detectives in the room noticed. None of them appeared to.

"First Detective, let me ask you a question. What kind of idiot are you? This is a direct line to one of the most senior offices in the Pentagon. You should watch who you talk to like that. Secondly, Daniel Jacksons work is highly sensitive and therefore you are hereby ordered to stop speaking to him. I will be there shortly. His Commanding Officer Colonel Mitchell will be with you in an hour and thirdly I want you to know how you got my direct line." Jacks tone was gruff and dangerous. Bryan was angry but he was chicken enough to not to try and cross this man. He swallowed quietly.

"Doctor Jackson gave me the number saying something about a Vala Mal Doran being missing." The detective sounded smug. It was time to do something about this blockhead.

"Vala's missing?" Jacks whole body slumped. He was suddenly scared. He was scared because Vala still had a number of people looking for her including Athena and the harcessis Karis. His other reason for fear was that Daniel could fall apart again should anything happen to her. He was just starting to come round after the last attack. Vala had a way with him as he did with her. They held each other in check and balanced out each other's failings and joys. "Detective, my assistant Laura is going to send you a photograph which needs to be distributed to all precincts. If this has not been done within the next hour you will be speaking both to me and your commissioner. When I get there you and I will be speaking to your captain. Ya got all that? When I get there you won't have a prayer of making it out of this day a detective. Oh and go near Daniel again and I'll be the least of your worries."

Vala woke and she felt very cold. She couldn't move – why couldn't she move? Where was Daniel? She wanted to see his face so badly right now. Vala opened her eyes. All she could see was the floor and heard footsteps around her.

"My lady, she is awake." It was a male voice. A set of light footsteps followed and her panel seemed to move upwards. What was going on here? Vala saw the very familiar corn silk coloured wavy hair and petite pale features stand in front of her. About a second later one very distinct difference showed its ugly flash. The glowing eyes appeared. "I believe you remember Karis my host. However, I Pallas have managed to move on". Pallas grinned sweetly. "Now Qetesh, it's time to bring you back into the fold. You have been absent for too long and we have work to do." Vala's eyes widened as she began to process the possibility of what that would mean. The pain in her neck a few moments later confirmed her worst nightmare and all she could do was scream.