One week later (two days before Thanksgiving):
"Thanks for your help, Vala." Sam said, seriously.
She sat up in her bed, her laptop, crossword and sudoku puzzles as well as several books lay around her.
"You're very welcome, Samantha." She said, handing her the sweater she'd requested.
"Have a seat." Sam said, patting the bed beside her. "How are things going?"
"Things? What things?"
"Anything, really." Sam said with a shrug.
Vala sighed. "I don't know...I'm going on missions through the Gate, Adria's gone once and for all...the Ori are gone, and the Priors are back to being their non-brainwashed selves. What's there to tell?"
"Well, Adria's probably a sore spot." Sam said, softly.
"Adria was a power-hungry being that the Ori placed in my body." Vala said, seriously. "She is not, and never was, my daughter."
"Still...it must have hurt to have her die like that..."
"No...." Vala said, avoiding Sam's gaze. "No, it didn't hurt..."
Sam raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
"It's not like with you," Vala said, catching her friend's glance. "Your child was conceived in love and union. She will forever embody the love that you share with Jack." She sighed. "Adria...she was a vehicle for pain and suffering. For power and dominion." Vala's eyes looked past the room she was in toward the expanse of space. "No, Adria was never my daughter. She was the child I bore. Nothing more."
"I'm sorry." Sam said, gently.
Vala managed a small smile. "It's all right. Someday, I'll have a daughter. Just not...not right now."
Daniel walked into the room. "Hey, Sam, you okay?"
"I'm fine, Daniel." She said with a grateful smile as Vala hid her face as a handful of tears slipped past her defenses.
"Vala, the timer's gonna ring in a little while." He said, looking over at her. "You gonna come get the pie out of the oven?"
Vala opened her mouth as she wiped at her face.
"She'll be there in a little while. You might want to get it..." Sam suggested.
He gave her a strange look. "What's going on?"
"Nothing." Vala said, using her hair to block his view of her face as she walked out of the room.
He looked at Sam, and she sighed. "I, uh...asked her how things were going...specifically about Adria..."
"Ah." He said, nodding. "I think I'll go see how she's doing."
Sam nodded as she wondered internally whether or not Daniel would clue into how deep Vala had become since her involvement with the Program. She wondered if Daniel would ever see anything past the surface of her friend's skin. "Good idea." She said, softly.