Lessons Never Learned –

Spacegypsy1

Lesson Nine – And You Expected Her to Be Quiet?

No Warnings

"Sam, what the hell just happened?" Cameron Mitchell looked around the deserted Gateroom.

Flabbergasted, Sam studied the covered equipment and the quiet, blinking alert light.

"Perhaps it was another solar flare; however, this seems to be the future rather than the past, ColonelMitchell."

"Man, that is just too cool! I've waited a long time for time-travel!"

A gray haired woman entered, and it took the three a moment to realize it was Vala.

"Well, isn't this interesting! Daniel will be amused."

Teal'c stepped forward, "ValaMalDoran, why…."

"It's Jackson, Muscles. Don't you all look well! The last time I saw YOU," she pointed to Cam, "you were living on PRQ-900. The silver haired Commander of the Alpha site – well, actually, more like playing with all the new ships. "And, YOU," she pointed to Sam, "Samantha, were living with Jack in Minnesota. And, YOU, Muscles, were running this facility. You'd just taken off for that wonko Hak'tyl celebration you and Ishta do every year. Daniel and I volunteered to hold the fort down while you were gone."

"What the…" An older, equally gray haired, Daniel rushed into the Gateroom. "Holy buckets! What the hell happened?" He faced Vala, looking none to happy. "You were playing with that device again. This is all your fault. You didn't say anything, did you?"

"I barely touched the thing! I was cleaning it. Very, very dusty, that thingie. And I may have said one or two tiny things. Nothing they won't know anyway. At some point."

For the first time in many years, Samantha Carter was completely speechless with surprise.

"We need to fix this, and fast." Daniel turned towards the door.

"Jackson?"

Daniel looked over his shoulder at Mitchell, who was staring at Vala with a pointed finger, while Sam stared open mouthed and blinking.

"Oh. That." He shrugged his shoulders with a grin. "What year is it?"

"I have no idea." Mitchell offered as the team followed Daniel and Vala out of the room.

"Your time, not mine."

"Oh. 2008." Rushing forward, Mitchell caught up with Jackson. "Hey, man what time is it in your world?"

"Time to get you home. No questions. Right Sam?"

She could only nod.

"2008! Really? Well, things have changed." Vala hooked her arm with Sam's and hugged the arm close. "I never get to see enough of you. As you know, well, not really, but Daniel's always dragging me off on some old dig on some distasteful planet. No treasures, no shoe stores, no Victoria's Secret."

"Vala, enough!"

"ValaJackson, you have cut your hair." Teal'c was rewarded with a 'stop encouraging her' glower from Daniel.

"Yes," Vala sighed. "Not much though. It was Sam's idea. Oops." She added at Daniel's threatening look. "It's so wiry now. I dyed it once, but I looked so much younger than Daniel, it was absurd. But you…" Another scowl had her fingers to her lips in a gesture of zipping it up.

The troop remained silent for a moment.

"I'm cooking dinner, care to join us?" Vala, unable to remain quiet, offered something safe.

"Cookin'?" Cam couldn't get his head around this situation.

"Yes. There's no cook on the base now, not really any…"

"Vala!"

"Daniel, we have that lovely machine Sam invented. We can wipe out this memory."

"Vala, please just shut up."

"He hasn't changed a bit!" Vala grinned. "And he has arthritis in his right hip, but I just keep healing it with that old Goa'uld device. By the way, where are we?"

"Jackson's out with SG-3. You're getting your annual physical."

Vala shivered. "So how is Carolyn?"

"Fine, I guess."

"Really, Cameron, you…"

The squeal of children's laughter and running feet stopped them in their tracts.

Three youngsters raced around the corner and came to a sudden halt. Two sets of blue eyes opened wide, and the little scamp with the dark eyes, frowned with a feral glint.

Vala pointed. "Grandkids. Mine, mine – well mine and Daniel's, and one of Muscles'."

Sam finally found her voice. "Holy Hannah!"