Daniel put down the stone tablet he had been looking at, stood up and stretched. "Vala, before I start checking out the runes on the walls I'm going to take the radio outside and check in with Mitchell. It's coming up on three hours since they left."
Vala looked over with a puzzled look on her face. Thinking to herself, since when does Daniel keep track of time while he's working, she replied "Sure Daniel. That's a good idea."
Once he was out of sight Vala crossed her arms on the table and laid her head down thinking to herself 'this is a fine kettle of fish'. Once again she had found the Earth phrase that was a perfect fit for her situation. All the while she had worked with Thomas, on what she thought of as her transformation, her hope and motivation was to please Daniel. And now that she was seeing results instead of making her happy it was depressing her. Recently Daniel had begun to treat her differently; it might appear to be a subtle change to others, but she knew him too well. He was more relaxed, he was teasing her and not getting as flustered by her flirting. Though she still wasn't sure what was going on with the whole color of her underwear conversation. It seemed to her as if he was actually interested, that he wasn't just trying to 'turn the tables' on her by making overtly sexual overtures. But that was something she would think about later. Vala hadn't expected to be upset because Daniel so clearly welcomed the changes, she hadn't expected to want him to regret those changes, to want him to miss the 'real' Vala. Thomas had been very clear why he wanted her to change, or at least appear to change. He had also warned her that she wasn't going to be able to make fundamental changes to her inner self by simply changing the clothes she wore, etc. That she should consider that if it took the appearance of changes for Daniel to fall in love with her then perhaps he wasn't the man she had fallen in love with. Vala didn't think that was exactly how Thomas had phrased it but that was pretty much the gist of the idea.
While they started their original studies Vala began to read and think and discuss a wide variety of topics and to enjoy these pursuits, Thomas had explained that developing her intellectual curiosity and learning the skills required for critical thinking was not making a change. He was simply helping her explore her potential, something that had always been a part of her but had been pushed to the side by her basic survival needs. She had always been highly intelligent exhibited by her success in surviving. Vala knew that Daniel valued learning, the desire to learn and dedication to learning, and she had begun to realize that she also valued those things and that she had discovered them in herself. Vala had hoped that pleased Daniel but was delighted to find that it pleased her. Boredom had faded as she threw herself into exploring the world of ideas. She now appreciated how Daniel had been able to use submersing himself in his work to ignore his pain and suffering and to avoid thinking about his emotional problems. Vala had developed a respect for this coping mechanism and started to embrace it for herself.
Later, as Thomas schooled her in how to 'behave', dressed her in different clothes, toned down the expressions of her natural exuberance for life; he explained that such changes were only a façade, a façade that he was developing for his own ends. If she felt this would help her with Daniel then Thomas would have no qualms about taking advantage of it.
Deciding that her current failure with Daniel was a continuation of the screw ups that were her life Vala lifted her head up off of her arms and put on her 'happy' face. She had gotten what she thought she wanted and shouldn't be surprised that it hadn't turned out as well as she expected. But she consoled herself with the knowledge that if they had ended up happy it might have prevented her from taking the risks involved in Thomas's project. If she had a reason to remain whole and sane then she wouldn't have agreed to participate in such a potentially dangerous undertaking. An undertaking that had the potential of helping people who could then help damaged children to recover. Vala could never forgive herself for her previous actions but she may have found a way to make up for it, and any possible sacrifices on her part would have little consequences, and any consequences would only affect her. Loneliness could be a benefit when it meant that you were the only one who had to be considered when serious decisions had to be made.
Vala told herself to stop whining and 'suck it up', nobody likes a crybaby. She would simply enjoy whatever happened between her and Daniel. She could hold on to the memories and ignore the fact that it had been Daniel and Vala, just not the 'real Vala.'
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"Sam, Teal'c, Daniel's on the radio."
Teal'c looked puzzled. Sam asked Mitchell. 'Are you saying that he contacted us? What's going on? Ask him what's wrong?"
"Jackson, what's the problem?" Through the static they could hear Daniel speaking quietly to Mitchell.
"He says there's no problem. He just realized that it was close to three hours since we split up so he figured he would contact us. Don't look at me! I don't know what's going on. Maybe the stuff in the temple isn't very interesting."
"It is highly unlikely that Daniel Jackson hasn't found anything of interest. He can spend a large amount of time on the most insignificant of items." Teal'c, seeing Sam's astonished look, said. "I tell only the truth. His obsessions can be quite boring to other people, surely you do not disagree Samantha?"
"No, I'm just sort of surprised to hear you say it Teal'c."
"I am not sure why you think that. I may be an 'alien' but I am a warrior not a 'geek."
Mitchell almost lost it; he hadn't laughed that hard in a long time. Sam looked at Teal'c, unsure if he was serious or actually trying to be funny. Teal'c gave her one of his inscrutable looks and then smiled at her. At that point Sam was unable to stop laughing. Sam and Cameron were almost in tears.
Later they were sitting on a hill overlooking a village. They hadn't seen many inhabitants but it appeared to be an unsophisticated, peaceful, charming small town. The river ran through the town and was crossed by numerous bridges. There were small parks and flower beds everywhere.
Mitchell commented "It reminds me of a miniature Amsterdam. Those may not be tulips but I wouldn't be surprised to see wooden shoes or windmills."
"It does not look like a society that could easily defy the Priors" said Teal'c. "Perhaps we are on the wrong planet. How should we proceed?"
"Let's set up camp and have lunch. We can talk about our options after we eat."
"Sounds good" said Sam.
Teal'c added "I concur."
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Daniel quietly made his way towards the back of the room. He saw Vala busily entering her hand written notes into the laptop and stopped. Daniel smiled to see how focused she was on her, or actually their, work. Whatever else he might think about Thomas, he was grateful how he had worked with Vala on what Daniel thought of as her education. Vala had so much practical knowledge, knowledge that had saved SG-1 more than once, but she hadn't had the luxury of acquiring knowledge and learning for its own sake. She had such a fascinating mind, it was always racing along at top speed, and if he was jealous of anything it was that he hadn't been the one to accompany her on the first steps of her journey.
Daniel was glad to see Vala's hair back in pigtails. He thought the hair styles she had been wearing lately looked too artificial. He had only recently realized that not only did he notice her hair but that he had an opinion about how she wore it. Vala wasn't wearing any makeup and as she concentrated on her work her forehead wrinkled in thought. She wasn't smiling, not her fake 'happy face' smile or her natural huge infectious grin. Vala's expression didn't look unhappy, just engaged with her work.
Vala or Sam would have laughed if they could hear what he was thinking. It took a lot more work to keep her "naturally" curly hair looking barely controlled by her pigtails whereas the sophisticated look was easy. And that "no makeup" look was difficult to both achieve and maintain. Sam had taught Vala some of her own "no makeup" tricks. Jack liked how unspoiled and natural Sam always looked. The important thing was that Daniel noticed how she looked and preferred that she look the way he thought was the 'real Vala'. There would be plenty of time down the road for Daniel to discover the truths about hair and makeup. Jack was just starting down that road with Sam.
Daniel must have made a noise which caught Vala's attention. He saw her put on her 'happy face' before she called out to him.
"There you are darling. I was beginning to worry that something had happened to you, that you had been dragged off by the phantom of the ruins. How is the rest of our merry band? Did they find anything exciting?" Vala knew that she was babbling but she couldn't help herself. When she first looked up and saw Daniel he seemed to be looking at her, really looking at 'her', with what appeared to be affection. This was a scary thought. Vala had finally given up on true love with Daniel and was hoping for friendship "with benefits". If he slept with her because he wanted her that would be enough. Later when she thought back on it she could imagine there had been love and affection. But gaining his affection now didn't fit her plan, it was too late.
"They are fine. In fact they are getting ready to make camp and eat lunch. They aren't sure how to proceed; they want to observe the village for a little longer before they approach the people.'
"That sounds fantastic! The eating part, I mean. Come on Daniel lets clear a space on the table and bulk up." As she spoke she started moving the items she had been cataloging to one end of the table. The she started rummaging through her pack for food. They weren't planning on a long stay so in addition to the standard MRE rations Vala had brought fresh fruit and chocolate. Daniel walked over to the table and sat on one of the stools. Vala jumped up and sat cross legged on the table in front of her stool. She had laid a scarf on the table and piled the fruit on it. Picking up an apple she grinned at him and took a huge bite. Daniel reached for a piece of fruit but stopped in mid-reach to watch her devour the apple. It made her nervous and she asked him what he was looking at. He looked away and picked up an orange.
"I like to watch you eat, Vala. I don't know if Thomas was giving you lessons on polite eating but I hope you never lose that look."
"What look are you talking about Daniel? The one that you used to describe as 'acting like you don't know where your next meal is coming from'?" And what are you grinning at Dr. Jackson?"
"So I like to watch you eat, get over it."
Vala wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh, cry or scream. Of course her plan to change for Daniel would start to work now. Just another example of her terrible timing. Vala had discovered early in her life that timing was everything, and once again she was proven right. Though hearing Daniel say that he hoped Thomas hadn't changed how she ate was a little odd. Daniel liked everything that Thomas had taught her that made her different from the 'old' Vala. She would have to add that to the growing list of odd things Daniel had said and done recently. A list she would, for now, postpone thinking about.