Truth & Lies

Briar Elwood

21: Love

"One day she met up with a man who…who caught her eye."

"Hey, how's it goin'? Guess it's just you and me, huh? It's a little strange isn't it? You see, that weapon I shot you with should have killed you. What's even stranger is you guys usually don't take prisoners, either. I mean, it's kinda kill first and…no, that's generally just about it. Just the killing. I'm just gonna talk to myself here for a while, 'cause you're not gonna talk to me. Not that you guys are very talkative, but uh…"

Finally I turned to face the man.

"You may prove useful."

He looked surprised. "Okay, now we're gettin' somewhere. Where's everybody else?"

"I transported them onto the Al'kesh," I replied easily.

"Well, you kept the wrong guy, 'cause I don't know anything about the ship."

I paused and sauntered closer to him. "But you are very attractive."

He coughed. "What?"

I moved closer, not answering. I stepped on the platform, slightly amused by the terrified look on the man's face.

"Hey, you know, big guy. I'm flattered, really I am, it's just that, uh, you're not my type. And I'm more than a little disturbed that I might be yours."

I began to remove the uncomfortable helmet from my head, even more amused when he turned his head away, closing his eyes in anticipated disgust.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you don't have to do that! Don't, don't, don't! No."

I held the helmet at my side, smiling as I waited for him to open his eyes and see I really wasn't all that bad. When he did so, he stared at me in utter surprise.

"Don't worry. I'm not gonna hurt you," I assured him.

"Thank God," he said, sounding truly relieved. My smile widened.

"Much. I hope."

"It was a very brief meeting and she ran off as soon as the opportunity showed itself, but she couldn't stay away. She found a tablet that had her native language on it, telling of a city she had visited as a child and a treasure it supposedly contained. Somehow she knew this man would be interested, found him, feigned naivety and tagged along."

I spun around to take in the vast, yet horribly grey room and all the security. "Well. Don't you all have me surrounded."

"Welcome to the SGC. I'm General Landry."

Huh. Kinda an old guy.

"Vala. Vala Mal Doran." I strode down the ramp. "Thank you so much for the lovely greeting party. We all had a wonderful time searching each other, didn't we, boys." I paused and looked hard at the man beside…General Landry, was that it? "I know we haven't met. That I'm sure I would remember." Good lookin' guy like him? Oh, yeah!

"Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell," General Landry introduced for him.

Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell (heavens, what a name) cocked his head at me. "Nice outfit."

"Thanks! While I would normally be thrilled to have so much testosterone at my disposal…Where's my Daniel?"

"She learned he knew more about her race than she knew herself and secretly decided to stay. Maybe, through him, she'd be able to figure out what had happened to them.

"Soon they met up with a race that she had heard stories about when she was growing up. It was the race that had forced her race out of their home galaxy long before she had been born."

A large group was gathering in the square and along a large staircase. Still arm-in-arm, Daniel and I followed curiously. At the top of the staircase, a man lit some torches.

"All hallow the Ori," he declared.

…Ori…That sounded familiar…

"All hallow the Ori," the villagers intoned.

"On their great power, we shall meditate herein this day," the man said. The villagers began kneeling on the staircase and throughout the square. Daniel noted this and tugged on my arm as he knelt down as well.

"Prostration it is," he muttered. I knelt down beside him, racking my memory for why "Ori" sounded so familiar…

And then I remembered.

I only prayed Daniel wouldn't see my horror.

"Now she realized she couldn't leave. It had become too personal. Besides…"

My eyes fluttered open, finding myself no longer shackled to the bench and in Daniel's arms. The flames licking my skin were gone but I could still hear them, I could still smell them…feel them…

"Daniel?"

His hand touched the bottom of my chin gently. "You okay?"

I nodded, tears overflowing my eyes. I clutched his body desperately.

"I've got tingles all over," I chocked. "And don't flatter yourself—I'm pretty sure it's not you." At least…not all of it…

Daniel glanced over his shoulder to look back at someone. "Thank you."

"…She had fallen in love."

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