Carolyn heard the footsteps but didn't look up. Someone plodded slowly toward her and stopped at the desk. A second later, her father's elbows plunked down on it, and she bit the inside of her cheek to stifle a laugh. His face was about an inch from hers when she looked up, his thick brows furrowed in mock-anger.

"I thought you were going mini-golfing tonight," he chided.

"Yeah," she pressed a hand to the back of her neck. "Decided it wasn't a good idea."

"Carolyn--"

"Dad, they're my patients. I watch them come back through the 'Gate with staff wounds, alien diseases, and God knows what else." She pushed back her chair and stood, taking the stack of forms she had been working to the filing cabinet.

"They go through the Gate together," he pointed out.

"They're also not medically responsible for each other," she replied, shrugging. "Look, let it go, okay?"

"All right," he sighed. "So, how's Vala doing?"

"Except for the memory loss, better than I'd expected after an accident like that. It's been a month since she came to. I really can't justify keeping her here much longer. The burns look good, and I don't need to have her here in order to monitor her recovery at this point. Physically, she's fine; there's no medical reason for her not to be released," Carolyn told him.

"What about the headaches she's having?" Landry asked. "I thought you said those were caused by a skull fracture."

"A hairline fracture, and that's healing too," she replied. "She's going to have a few headaches; I'm more concerned about the fact that Daniel's still having them, honestly. His CT scans don't show anything that should be causing that much discomfort."

"You're saying I need to order him to make that counseling appointment," Landry frowned, sliding onto the edge of the desk.

"Might help," Carolyn shrugged. "All I'm saying is that I can't find a physical explanation.

"Okay," he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Tell me something. In your professional opinion, given Vala's past, could her loss of memory pose a threat to her personal safety if she left Earth?"

"That's really stretching," Carolyn's eyebrows shot up.

"I asked you for a professional opinion, Doctor," Landry grinned.

"Well, technically yes, " Carolyn said, "but there's a really easy way to fix that."

"Oh?" he asked.

"We have a file on everything she's done since she showed up here, don't we?" Carolyn pointed out.

"Well sure," he nodded. "But we know Vala; there must be plenty of lies and half-truths buried in there. I'd hate to be responsible for her inadvertently coming into contact with someone who's still holding a grudge. I'll bet even Daniel doesn't know everything she'd need to know."

"Her sisters?" she asked pointedly.

"Aren't exactly known for giving reliable information," he winked.

She closed her eyes, giving her head a slight shake as he got up and started for the door. "Dad," she called when he reached it.

He turned back, still smiling. "Yeah?"

"If you thought you were fooling anyone before, you really won't be now," she said casually.

"Excuse me?"

"You've got a soft spot for her," she told him. "You have since the Beachhead."

"Well," his smile became slightly secretive. "Whether she meant to be so selfless or not, she did stop the Ori. And I guess I always figured that if Daniel could believe in her after everything she'd put him through, there had to be something there. But don't let it get around."

------

Sam had been standing utterly still for five minutes. Daniel watched, frowning, his hands shoved deeply into his pockets, and finally cleared his throat. The only reply he got, however, was a rather sharp

"Shh!"

Jack glanced at his watch, then looked pointedly at her. "Whaddaya doing?" he demanded.

"Lining…up…my shot," Sam replied slowly, still watching the tiny trap door open and close.

"C'mon, Sam, you been lining up that shot for five minutes," Cam prompted. "This is mini-golf, not wormhole physics."

"Perhaps this is not wormhole physics, ColonelMitchell, but the ball must still be struck at precisely the right interval," Teal'c spoke up.

"Thank you, Teal'c," Sam smiled.

"You are welcome, ColonelCarter," the Jaffa replied with a half bow.

"Fer cryin' out loud, you two!" Jack complained. "Can we finish this hole and go eat before the turn of the century?"

"No kidding," agreed Cam. "I'm in the mood for somethin' batter dipped and bad for you."

"Sounds fantastic," agreed Jack.

"How 'bout you, Jackson?" Cam asked, turning to Daniel.

"Actually," Daniel frowned, "if you guys don't mind, I think when we're done, I'm going to head back to the base."

"No, Daniel!" Sam protested disappointedly, the game now forgotten as she turned to look at him.

"What are you gonna do there?" Jack asked. "She already told you she doesn't wanna see you. You've been doing nothing but hiding in your office!"

"I'm not--" Daniel started to protest, then sighed and stared down at his feet. "Look, I understand what you guys were trying to do tonight, and I appreciate it, " he said when he looked up again. "I just feel like I should be…there…whether she wants to see me or not."

"All right," Jack raised his hands and let them slap down against his sides in defeat. "You win. We'll all go sit around the SGC."

"Can we at least pick up some French fries?" Cam asked.

------

Vala folded her arms and angrily narrowed her eyes at the general. He looked back with an unconcerned smile, as if he had every right to require her to commit the contents his file folders to memory before she would be allowed to leave.

"Is this your idea or Daniel's?" she demanded.

"Daniel isn't even here tonight," Landry replied. "This is between you and me."

"I see," she glanced down for a moment and tried to ignore the sting she felt at the knowledge that he had, in fact, gone with his friends. She hadn't actually seen him since the day after he brought the vacation photos to her. Not, she admitted, because she really didn't want to, but because no matter how often she looked at them, no spark of familiarity came. He hadn't said anything about them when he arrived the day after that fiasco, and she knew instinctively that he wouldn't, but whenever his eyes strayed to the picture box beside her bed, she could feel the question hanging heavily between them.

Danira had relayed a message from him that his teammates were planning an evening out. He'd said emphatically that he wouldn't go unless it was all right with her, and she had replied that of course it was. How could she reasonably expect him to wait around when she'd made it clear that she wasn't going to see him? The fact that he'd actually gone, though, hurt her more than she cared to admit.

"So much for my constitutional rights," she muttered, having heard already about Daniel's recent argument with the Tok'ra on her behalf.

"Excuse me?" Landry raised his eyebrows.

"It was all well and good to tell the Tok'ra they couldn't demand my being held here," Vala glared. "But when I decide to leave with Danira and Meagain, you manufacture reasons to keep me against my will?"

"It might interest you to know," Landry said, stepping closer as he spoke, "that in the beginning of that little dispute with the Tok'ra, they had asked to have you taken before their Council for trial. Jacob Carter and I managed to convince them not to do that, but I imagine it wouldn't be hard to make them change their minds again."

"You wouldn't dare," Vala challenged, moving toward him as well, until they both halted nose to nose.

"Try me," the general replied.

------

The words began to run together again. Daniel blinked several times, shaking his head in an attempt to bring them back into focus, but it only stepped the throb in his forehead up another notch. His ears started to ring as well, and finally he let the book slip from his fingers. It landed with a loud thump on the desk, and he groaned in pain.

Vala found him a few minutes later, hunched over the desk with his face in his hands. She stopped short in the office door, eyes widening. "Daniel?" she asked hesitantly. "What's wrong?"

"My head hurts," he replied, so focused on the pain that it didn't even occur to him that she shouldn't have been there.

"So does mine," she replied, making her way slowly inside. She stopped behind his chair and smoothed her hand over his tense shoulders, then drew him back against her. One hand slid slowly up his neck, exerting careful pressure on the vertebrae while the other reached around to massage his forehead.

"I keep seeing the explosion," he confessed without opening his eyes. "It just plays itself over and over in my head. Vala, I can't help thinking that if I hadn't tried to grab you, this wouldn't be happening to us."

"From what I heard," she said, "if you hadn't grabbed me, Daniel, I would very likely be dead."

He allowed a slight nod and didn't say anything, letting her touch and closeness soothe the pain, until finally realization dawned and his hand shot up to pull hers away. His eyes flew open, and he twisted in the chair to glare up at her.

"What are you doing in here?" he demanded.

"I missed you," she grinned back, and he tensed all over again.

"You did not!" he snapped.

"I did!" she insisted, now glaring herself. "How dare you presume to know whether or not I missed you! I haven't seen you in weeks--why shouldn't I miss you?"

"Right," Daniel rolled his eyes, barely restraining the urge to point out whose fault it was that she hadn't seen him in so long.

"Well, darling," Vala continued, trailing her finger playfully over his shoulders while she walked around to the side of the desk. "I've been thinking…"

"Oh?" Daniel arched an eyebrow.

"Yes," she nodded, her hand slipping lightly onto his cheek. "I've decided that I want to go home with you."

"You what?" Daniel's mouth went dry and he felt his stomach drop with the shock of her casual declaration. He couldn't quite keep the hope from his voice, and wasn't sure he wanted to.

"That's allowed, isn't it?" Vala frowned.

"Of--of course it is," Daniel stammered, gawking up at her. "I just--I thought--"

"Well," she smiled, tracing his lower lip gently with a fingertip, "Where would I be more likely to remember something?"

Daniel bobbed his head, forgetting for a moment to pull away from her teasing touch. "Sure. I'll clear it with Dr. Lam right now," he said, getting to his feet. He started toward the door and she caught his hand, her fingers tightening plaintively on his.

"I really would like to remember," she told him with a troubled frown.

"I know, Vala," Daniel assured her, squeezing her hand briefly before he turned to go.

------

"So…no Goa'uld?" Vala asked, reaching awkwardly forward for a handful of popcorn.

"Well, there are a few still around," Daniel replied as he hooked a finger around the rim of the bowl. He pulled it closer, then lifted it from the table to hand it to her. "Ba'al…multiple Ba'al's actually…"

"Um. Multiple Ba'al's?" Vala repeated.

"Clones," Daniel explained.

"Oh…" she nodded with a doubtful expression. "Of course. Clones. What else would they be, right? That makes perfect sense."

Daniel smiled, reaching out to touch her cheek, but thought better of it and diverted his hand into the popcorn bowl. "The, um, Lucian Alliance is a group of mercenary types…smugglers, bounty hunters…"

"My kind of people," Vala winked.

"Right," he shook his head slightly. "Anyway, after the Goa'uld were defeated, they became a major power. You have several key contacts with them, but you've never been on good terms with the leadership."

"That doesn't surprise me," Vala commented, digging down deeper in the bowl now. Finding more dead kernels than actual popcorn, she cleared her throat. "Daniel, we're running out of popcorn."

"Yeah…" he let his voice trail off as he rose from the couch. He walked silently off into the kitchen, but as soon as he'd gotten through the door, he added, "…doesn't really surprise me either."

"What was that?" Vala called after him.

"Nothing," he replied, glancing curiously at the table where Nick and Meagain were working on a jigsaw puzzle. When he and Vala had left them earlier, they'd still been sorting pieces; now they already had about half of the border put together.

"So, tell me about the leadership that loves me so much," Vala said while he unwrapped another bag of popcorn and tossed it in the microwave.

"Well, it was originally a guy by the name of Lutan. Remember him?" Daniel asked. Meagain caught his eye warningly, and he bit his lip. He'd hoped not to have to discuss Brannen's whereabouts with Vala before she regained her memory, but there would be no avoiding it now.

"Oooh, boy, do I…" Vala replied. "Where is he now?"

"Well, we hadn't heard from him in about a year," Daniel replied. "No one was quite sure what had happened, since if he'd been killed, word would have gotten out rather quickly."

"Right," Vala replied. "But I'm assuming that since you said originally, a new leader did eventually emerge."

Daniel didn't reply until the noise of the popcorn had slowed enough that he knew it was done. Then he gingerly took the steaming bag out and walked toward the doorway, where he found Vala frowning intently at him from the couch. He wet his lips nervously but held her gaze. "Apparently, Brannen Daegar's been blackmailing most of the key players. He's gone now, too, though, thanks to you and Alek Tarkin."

"Gone…where?" Vala asked, narrowing her eyes.

"In the SGC for the moment," Daniel told her, crossing the room to sit beside her again. He dropped the popcorn on the coffee table in front of them and reached for her hand.

"He was downstairs in the holding area the whole time and you didn't tell me?" she pulled back, but his hand closed determinedly on her wrist.

"He was part of the deal we made with Tarkin when he sold the symbiote poison back to the Tok'ra," he said calmly. "Vala, listen…"

The bracelet slapped down onto Daniel's wrist, locking in place, and he looked up, wide-eyed.

"Ow," he complained. "What are you doing?"

He tried to pull the bracelet off, but of course it wouldn't come. Vala hid a smirk of satisfaction as he called for security. The airmen aimed their weapons at her and he continued, "Ok. That was fun. Now take it off."

"Not until we find the treasure," Vala replied.

"What?" Daniel demanded.

"These bracelets," Vala explained as the second one locked onto her own wrist, "link us together. The tablet is mine, and I want my fair share of what it leads to…

"Vala, you all right?" Daniel frowned worriedly, peering into her suddenly vacant eyes. "Hey…"

"Bracelets?" she asked shakily. "Goa'uld bracelets?"

"Kor Mac," Daniel nodded slowly, his fingers rising to her cheek. "What about them?"

Vala frowned in concentration, and she tensed visibly, struggling to hold the fading images. "I--put them on you?" she asked doubtfully, falling back against the couch in frustration. "It's all just there…just images…no connection."

"It's okay," Daniel assured her, reaching to take both hands in his. "It was like that for me after I Descended--"

"After you what?" her eyes widened.

"Long story," Daniel shook his head. "It's not really important right now. I lost my memory too once. "

"You got it back," Vala said, only half a question.

"Eventually, yes. My friends helped me…my family," he replied softly.

Vala smiled wanly at that and pulled her hand free to touch his cheek. A moment later, she pushed herself to her feet. "I'm going to find Danira if you don't mind," she said.

"Sure," Daniel sighed disappointedly. "I'll just…stay here with the popcorn."

------

Sam shivered, lightly rubbing her arms with her flattened palms. She leaned against the side of the porch railing, silently watching the oncoming thunderstorm. A bluish-purple streak of lightning flashed toward the ground, followed by the crash of thunder, and she felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise in anticipation.

"When are we going to go on a real date?" Jack asked ironically behind her.

Her mouth moved upward in a smile, but she didn't turn around yet. "You want to go have a picnic in a thunderstorm?" she asked jokingly.

"Nah, guess not," he agreed. "But y'know, sitting around on the porch doing crossword puzzles isn't exactly my idea of a romantic alternative."

"Yeah," she grinned, finally turning away from the storm. "So where were we?"

"Sixty-two across. Five letters. The clue is 'talent,'" Jack replied, tapping his pen lightly on the folded page of the puzzle book.

"Flair," Sam shrugged.

"Flare?" Jack raised an eyebrow. "How do you get flare?"

"Not flare, Jack," Sam laughed, automatically understanding the source of his confusion. "F-L-A-I-R. Flair. Like, a flair for the dramatic."

"Oh, right. Flair," Jack nodded. "Isn't that what I said?"

Sam laughed again, pushing herself away from the porch railing. She walked back over to him and took his face in her hands, grinning widely as she kissed him.

"Hey, now, that's much more like it," Jack said. Sam's expression turned suddenly pensive, and he sighed loudly. "Sam, it's not wrong for us to have lives separate from Daniel and Vala."

"I know," she nodded, pulling back, "but I wouldn't even be here today if he wasn't on leave…"

"So?" Jack asked pointedly.

"Come on, Jack," she protested.

"Why did we drag Daniel out mini-golfing the other night?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Because it's not healthy for him to spend every minute focused on what's going on with Vala…" she broke off, sighing herself. "Okay. I see the point."

------

He'd avoided the bedroom for as long as he could, but when he stepped out of the bathroom after his shower, he could see the light on up the hall. Briefly rubbing his forehead, Daniel sighed and tied his robe, then started toward the room.

Vala was standing on her side of the bed, examining the bracelet and earrings she'd left on the nightstand. She turned at the sound of his approach, smiling suggestively, "So this is the bedroom."

"Yep," Daniel leaned on the doorframe, running his fingers through his wet hair. "Bedroom."

"And here's the bed," her smile widened into a grin.

Daniel rolled his eyes, maintaining a carefully unimpressed expression. "There it is."

Still grinning, Vala walked over to it and sat down. "What are you doing standing out there, darling?" she asked, tilting her head.

Daniel sighed heavily and looked at the ground, moving reluctantly into the room. When he looked up, however, Vala's playful demeanor had evaporated, her eyes fixed steadily on the line of jagged scar tissue that was visible through the opening in his bathrobe…

"How bad is it?" Jack asked quietly.

"Bad," Vala replied, her voice cracking as Daniel's eyes slid open. He smiled a little, but whatever he would have said was lost in a gurgling cough that brought tears to her eyes as she moved to support his head.

"Simone's done just about all she can with the hand device, Sir," Sam spoke up quietly. "If we don't get Daniel to a doctor soon…"

Vala drew a breath and sat back, reluctantly letting her fingers trail off Daniel's cheeks. One hand drifted to his arm, and slowly traced its way down to his hand as she stood up. Their fingers clasped briefly and she turned to face Brannen, who still stood at the cell door.

"Let them take him to the Stargate," she said stiffly.

"Why would I do that?" Brannen smiled. "I think it would be so much more meaningful for you to watch him die."

"If he dies, I guarantee you, man, you won't be far behind," Cam spoke up.

"Shut up, Mitchell," Vala sighed. "You'll do it because it's the only way you'll ever be sure I'll stay."

"Oh?" Brannen's eyebrow rose with sardonic interest.

Vala drew a heavy breath and reached slowly into the bodice of her dress to pull out the Kor Mac. Brannen's eyes widened with recognition, and Daniel let out a groan of protest.

"Don't…don't let her…" he managed, but by the time Jack had jumped back to his feet and moved to grab her wrist, the first bracelet clicked into place.

"Take him home, Jack," she said without looking back…

"Vala, it's okay," Daniel murmured, feeling himself go cold when he realized what she was looking at. Her eyes flooded with tears, but she didn't stop staring. He hurriedly closed the distance between them, cupping her face in his hands.

"He tried to kill you," she whispered. "You idiot, Daniel, he--"

"Didn't," Daniel said firmly, allowing a momentary smile at her remark.

"Why didn't you just tell him where I was?" she demanded.

"He already knew where you were," Daniel said softly. He pulled her gently to her feet and let his arms slip around her, cradling her head against his chest. "And even if he hadn't, Vala, I wouldn't have have told him."

For a moment, she actually stayed there, her cheek pressed against his beating heart. Then she looked slowly up at him, and as her lips moved toward his, Daniel's eyes slid closed. His hands slipped up to her shoulders as he felt her breath, and he whispered, "You don't have to do this."

"Do what, darling?" her lips curved in a smile against his mouth, and the last of his resistance broke.

Her lips were soft and slick and tasted of candy apples. The same lip gloss she'd worn that day on the beach, and before he could even wonder where she'd found it, they were there again, hot sun and cold surf beating over them where they lay in the wet sand.

"Don't," he forced out, barely managing to pull away again.

Vala's arms coiled around his neck, trying to coax him back toward her, and she looked invitingly up at him. "You don't want me, Daniel?"

He sighed and rested his forehead against hers, suddenly desperate for contact after so long. "I love you, Vala," he replied hoarsely.

"You have a strange way of showing it," she said, her fingers teasing his neck.

"Too much for this," he finished, gently but firmly disentangling himself from her arms.

"Where are you going?" she asked as he walked off.

"To sleep in the baby's room," he replied without turning.

"I should think my husband would want to share my bed," she said, and he winced at the genuine hurt in her tone.

"You don't have to seduce me," he said, turning to face her again. "You did that a long time ago."

Vala's eyes widened, and she didn't speak for a second. Then she smiled again, tilting her head. "I've no idea what you mean, darling," she smiled.

Daniel closed his eyes. "Vala, you're--you're my wife, not my property," he promised. "You can leave whenever you want."

"Not according to General Landry," she snapped without thinking, then let out a hiss when she realized what she'd said.

"What?" Daniel asked.

"Nothing," she replied quickly, turning away to avoid his searching look. He strode back to her, crossing the room with heavy, determined steps, and grasped her firmly by the shoulders.

"Tell me what's going on," he said, spinning her around.

------

"Okay," Sam said, frowning. She planted her chin in her hand and looked across the kitchen to where Jack was scrambling eggs for breakfast. "I'm stumped this time."

"What's the clue again?" Jack asked.

"Four letter word for 'bond'" she replied.

"Marriage," he said without hesitation.

"Four letters, Jack," Sam shook her head.

Jack smiled and turned to face her, reaching into the front pocket of his shirt. "Ring?" he suggested, pulling out the gold band with its gleaming diamond.

"Um…"

Sam sat stunned for a minute, feeling her face flush. Jack smiled again and walked over to the table. He looked down at her silently, his free hand moving to touch her cheek. Then he slowly went down on one knee.

"Marry me, Carter," he said with a wink.

"Is--that an order?" Sam managed, though her eyes were already filling up with tears.

"Does it have to be?" Jack asked, leaning forward to kiss her trembling lips.

"No," she whispered, shaking her head. "I mean, yes…I mean…"

-----

"General, do you have a minute?" Daniel asked as he stuck his head into Landry's office.

The general looked up, startled, but set down his pen. "Of course. I expected you'd be home with Vala all day," he added, frowning slightly. "How's it going?"

"Well, sir, that's…the thing," Daniel replied, stepping inside. He closed the door behind him and pressed his lips together pensively. Turning to face Landry again, he explained reluctantly, "Vala says that you…told her she wouldn't be allowed to leave earth until she'd memorized the contents of her personnel file to your satisfaction. Something about not wanting her to run afoul of anyone she'd offended, deceived or otherwise…bothered…since she's been here.

"Now, I know, it sounds ridiculous--and--and--and I'm certainly not implying that you would have done something like that. But, I guess I just have no idea why she'd make something like that up. And honestly, I usually know when she's not being…honest," he paused, raising his eyebrow at his own awkward wording, then shook his head. "Anyway, I'm sorry to bother you with it…"

Landry shook his head, holding up a hand for silence. "Daniel," he interrupted. "She's telling the truth."

Daniel blinked in surprise and his mouth dropped open. "I beg your pardon, sir?"

"I thought it might buy you more time," Landry sighed.

Daniel stood for a moment, unsure whether to be angry or grateful. "Well," he scratched his head. "Well, I, um…I appreciate that, sir. I do. But, if Vala's going to stay, it has to be because she wants to, not--not because someone threatened or manipulated her into it."

Landry said nothing for a moment. He opened his mouth and paused, eyeing Daniel as if to say that he might not get another chance. "Are you sure about that?" he asked.

"Yes, I am," Daniel nodded firmly.

Landry looked down at the desk again and nodded. "All right. The question is, what do we do about it now?"

"I think my wife deserves an apology, General," Daniel replied.

Landry's eyebrows rose. "You gotta be kidding me."

"No, sir, I'm not," Daniel said, reaching back to pull open the door. "She's right out here."

Landry got up slowly and walked to the door, peering out into the empty hall for a second. "Where?" he asked.