Chapter Fourteen
"I'm sorry, you're what?" Cameron Mitchel exclaimed, somewhat outraged.
"Pregnant, Cameron," Vala reiterated calmly, "you know, having a baby."
"Bun in the oven," Daniel added.
"Expecting, with child," Sam quipped as well with a smile.
"Is preggers an acceptable term?" Daniel questioned, amused at Mitchel's shock and dismay.
"I don't know, sounds a little juvenile to me," Vala noted, sharing in Daniel's and Sam's amusement.
"Wait, wait! You all know?" Mitchel turned to Teal'c, "Did you know about this too?"
Teal'c hands rested together as he surveyed both Vala and Daniel. "I had begun to suspect but did not know anything for certain."
"So, I'm the only one in the dark?" Cam grumbled.
"I can assure you Colonel that I had no knowledge of this whatsoever," General Landry stated from his position at the end of the briefing table.
"Sorry, sir," Mitchel looked back at Vala, "Anything else I should know?" he asked.
Daniel raised his hand as he declared, "I'm the father." He said it without any trace of anger or reluctance; in fact, he sounded quite proud of it, happy even.
Mitchel and Landry gapped at the two of them.
"I'm being punked again, aren't I?" Mitchel almost begged.
"Not even a little," Daniel replied, "Dr. Lam can confirm the pregnancy." He pointed to the doctor sitting next to Mitchel, who just nodded in confirmation.
Mitchel lowered his head into his hands and rubbed the top of his head. Sighing, he asked, "And you told Carter before me, your CO?"
"Sam guessed after I wood chucked in her office," Vala corrected.
"Upchucked," Daniel corrected automatically.
"Yes, thank you, darling," Vala patted his hand, "If it makes you feel any better, I've known for only a little over a week, Daniel and Sam even less."
"I don't think anything at this point could make me feel better," at Vala's hurt expression, Mitchel amended his words, "I just meant that…well, Vala, you know what this means, right? You can't continue to be on SG-1 in your condition and it sucks that I'm losing you."
Vala's face softened. "It's not like I'm leaving Earth. We'll still see each other often."
"Won't be the same," he insisted.
"As touching as this is," Landry cut in, "there is a bigger issue. While it isn't against any regulations since you two are civilians, a romantic relationship between two teammates is generally frowned upon, and it's going to cause quite the stir upstairs."
The soon-to-be parents both grimaced at the General's stern tone.
"Who said anything about a romantic relationship!" Cam exclaimed, eyes shifting between the pair.
But before they could even attempt at defending themselves or respond to Mitchel, Sam stepped in. "Sir, if I may," Landry's attention shifted to her, "I don't think this is entirely Daniel and Vala's fault."
"Come again?" Landry frowned slightly, "You mean like aliens made them do it?" he joked but then caught the expression the Colonel's face, "You're joking."
"I'm afraid not."
"Carter, we haven't been to any worlds who have the technology to manipulate them in that way," Mitchel protested.
"They didn't use technology, I think it was an indigenous herb along with an unusual moon," Sam corrected.
"Come again?" Landry asked skeptically.
Sam looked at Vala and Daniel. "Do you guys wanna…" she trailed off, hinting.
The couple spared each other a glance before focusing on Sam. "No, go ahead," Daniel told him. He did not want to explain that night to anyone, especially in the briefing room in front of his two COs. While he no longer thought of that night as a mistake, he still didn't want to talk about him and Vala having sex.
Sam shot him a look but shared her theory on what could've possibly happened that night, while Daniel and Vala stared at the table with their hands intertwined, but out of sight.
"What could the Elgarians possibly hope to gain by doing this?" Landry questioned, still skeptical.
"That, I'm not sure about," Sam answered.
"I'm not even sure if I fully understand what you just explained," Landry confessed, "I mean, how does a moon drug someone?"
"Well, it would be the moon and the herb working together, if I understood correctly," Dr. Lam spoke up for the first time and all eyes went to her. "While I can't tell you for certain without analyzing this herb before and during the second moon's rising, it seems to cause a chemical reaction within a person."
"A chemical reaction?" Daniel repeated.
"Yes," Dr. Lam said simply, "It probably plays off the body's natural chemical reaction to something, like attraction and love. Love is a chemical reaction; the moon may have intensified those chemicals while the herb could've increases fertility with the moons helps. With both moon and herb doing their part, it is probably how Vala got pregnant; her birth control probably was counteracted by the combination. If Colonel Carter's theory is right, the herb and moon's particles or radiation messes with a person's body chemistry."
"So, if Vala and I were attracted to each at all that night, the drink we were given mixed with the moon intensified them?" Daniel tried to clarify.
"Based on what Colonel Carter is proposing, yes," Lam answered, "Did any of you experience anything unusual that night? Hazy moments, memory loss, dizziness, drunk like symptoms?"
Vala and Daniel spared each other another look. "The night wasn't entirely clear for both of us," Daniel confessed, "We remember a good portion, but moments are blurry for us."
"I see," Dr. Lam said, "and why did none of you report that to me during your post-op med eval?"
"We didn't really think much about it at the time and had no reason to suspect the Elgarians of doing such a thing," Daniel defended, "besides, we had other things on our mind to deal with that."
"Sir, with permission, I'd like to take my team back to P6Y-746 and figure what the hell they did to my team members and why," Mitchel requested, sitting up straighter.
"Granted," General Landry said instantly, "I'd like to know myself."
"Great!" Vala said cheerfully, "Now when do we leave?"
"Hold up there, Princess," Mitchel pointed at her, "you're not going anywhere!"
"Excuse me? Why not?"
"Vala," Daniel began cautiously, "remembered what we talked about Saturday."
"Yes, Daniel, but this isn't some ordinary mission," she argued, "You're going back to Elgara to see if they played a part in what happened, and I have just as much right to find out as you do."
"Vala…" he dragged out her name as a way of warning her.
"No Daniel!" Vala protested further and gave everyone in the room a look, "While I'll not deny that this impacts Daniel's life greatly, but it impacts my just as much if not more! I'm the one pregnant, I'm the one who has to leave SG-1, I'm the one spewing my guts out multiples times a day, I'm the one who's gonna get fat, stretch marks, swollen ankles, and gods know what else before I have to spend hours pushing this baby out of me! I need to find out if this was done to us intentionally so I'm going and that final!" Everyone stared at her in surprise, a little taken back. "Did I fail to mention that I'm also a little hormonal?"
General Landry gave a small chuckle. "Colonel, as soon as you and your team are ready, you have a go," he shifted his gaze onto Vala, "You all have a go."
Vala smiled. "Thank you," she said quietly.
"Dismissed," Landry said and went to his office.
Daniel motioned for the rest of his team to go ahead and stopped Vala from joining them. "Vala, are you sure about this?"
"I need to know too, Daniel," she told him, "you're not the only one who wants answers."
"I know that, but I could always fill you in when I get back."
"I know you could, but I need to be there," she tried to get him to understand, "Besides, this is probably the last time I'll be off world until after the baby is born."
Daniel sighed and lifted the hand he held to his lip, giving it a small kiss. "Just stay close to me, okay, please?" he requested and received a nod from her. "Alright, let's go get geared up."
o0o
They all received a warm welcome by the locals once they emerged onto Elgara. Several of the children they helped find new homes here had surrounded them as they got close to the village, including a little girl who was special to Daniel and Vala. The team paused in their mission to greet the children and ask how they were adjusting to their new lives. Each one seemed to be thriving on Elgara, including the one both Daniel and Vala had been worried about – Keysa.
Vala swung the little girl up on her hip. "And how are you, little Keysa? Do you like your new home?"
The girl nodded excitedly. "Theys nice," she told Vala.
"I'm very glad to hear it."
"Vala, should you be…" Daniel trailed off and motioned to her holding Keysa.
"Relax, darling," she smiled at his concern, "plenty of expecting mothers have other children and I'm sure they often pick them up as well."
Daniel didn't have the chance to offer a rebuttal since SG-1 spotted Chancellor Gornal walking towards them. Vala set Keysa down and told her she'd find her later before she joined her team as they headed to meet the Chancellor. The woman went right to Vala and enveloped her in a hug, surprising the whole team.
When Chancellor Gornal pulled away, she held onto Vala's arm, and as she looked Vala over, she also gave Vala a big smile. "My dear, it is good to see you," she greeted sincerely, "I am so happy to see that you've been blessed."
Daniel then remembered the last words she spoke to him and Vala at the festival, "Please, enjoy the rest of your night and may it be a blessed one." Is that what she had meant? Blessed with a child? "You mean blessed with a baby?" Daniel couldn't help but ask and drew Vala closer to him.
Chancellor Gornal gave him a confused look but still kept her smile. "Yes, of course. What else would I have meant?"
"Guess that answers our question," Mitchel stated.
"I do not understand," the Chancellor said, "Is there some amiss?"
"Would mind if we talked privately?" Daniel asked diplomatically.
"Of course, follow me," she led them to a small building that looked like a small court room on the inside. Once in the back office, she stood behind her desk. "Has something happened?"
"How'd you know Vala was pregnant?" Daniel demanded politely.
"She glows with new life. It is also a very likely outcome from our Damaka le Nore," she replied.
"The Festival of Life?"
Gornal tilted her head at his words. "While that translation is technically correct, it doesn't accurately describe what the festival actually is," she told him, "A more accurate translation would be…hmm, Fertility Festival is closest I can get. It's a very old language and hard to put into the common tongue."
"Fertility Festival?" Vala repeated. She huffed out a laugh bordering on hysterical. "No wonder I got pregnant, Daniel; we participated in a fertility festival!"
Daniel winced. "I'll admit, that was my bad," he shot Vala an apologetic look before focusing back on the Chancellor. "Why is it called a Fertility Festival?"
"Our ancestor generations ago discovered that if you ingested the mora herb on the nights the second moon rose, a couple would be able conceive when they had not been able to beforehand. It is how the festival began," she explained, "On the nights of the festival, the Mornal is given to the couples who wish for a child."
"It's generally not given to the public? Like say Colonel Mitchel or Teal'c?" Daniel questioned further.
"No, of course not," she confirmed, "It seems to only really work with those who share a bond. Something about the herb and moon increases that bond and only with that person."
"Like what Dr. Lam was saying," Sam interjected, "She said love and attraction is a chemical reaction and herb and moon messed with that reaction, making it stronger."
"I don't know about these chemical reactions you speak of; all I know it strengthens the bond two people have," the Chancellor said.
"Why'd you give me and Vala the Mornal?" Daniel asked, "What made you think we wanted a child together?"
"You did not?" she asked in surprise.
"Daniel and I weren't even in a relationship last time we were here," Vala spoke up, "so I don't understand why you thought we would want a baby."
"Oh dear, it appears I may have made a dreadful mistake," Gornal sigh dramatically, "If I understand correctly, you two are not bonded and you do not wish for the child you carry."
Daniel's hand went around Vala's waist and brought her against him in an almost protective gesture. "No we weren't bonded then and we weren't looking to have a baby," Daniel told her, "but this baby is wanted by the two of us."
Chancellor Gornal breathed out in relief. "I am glad to hear that; children are a blessing," she gave them a small smile, "But I apologize for my actions and for the mistake I have made. It was never my intentions to put you in this situation without knowing full well the expected outcome; I should have made sure you understood what the festival was really about."
"You still haven't answered my question," Vala reminded her, "Why did you think we wanted a child? Why did you think we were bonded?"
"There is a bond between the two of you. I can see it, almost feel it. It is special and rare. I do apologize if I misunderstood your relationship. The last thing I wanted to do was cause you pain," she explained, "You both expressed that you feared a child wasn't in your future. Our festival is known for helping those conceive when all hope has been lost. And I wanted to give you hope. You have fought long and hard in the war with not just the Ori but with the Goa'uld and countless others. I believed you two deserved happiness after all your sacrifices and troubles. I see now that I was mistaken, and I apologize once more."
Vala and Daniel shared a look. Had they said anything about wanting children, but it wasn't in the cards for them? Then Daniel remembered their conversation about Keysa when the Chancellor was worried that Keysa didn't belong on Elgara but with the two of them. It somehow spiraled into them mentioning that having children probably wasn't going to happen to them. Is that where she got her idea? Several people had mistook Daniel's and Vala's friendship as something more so he could see how she got there but having them participate in a festival almost guaranteed to get Vala pregnant was an entirely different issue, no matter what her intentions were.
But did it really matter now? Vala was already pregnant and as a result of that fact, Daniel had finally made himself take another chance at love; he and Vala were a thing now, and he was certain that one day, he'd marry her.
Daniel focused back on the remorseful Chancellor. "We accept your apology," he assured her, "We know it wasn't done in malice, but it wasn't your place to choose this for us and it could've resulted in something very different. Fortunately, Vala and I have already decided to raise the baby together, but you may not get as lucky next you decide you know what's best and mess with people's lives, well-meaning intentions or not."
"You are right, Dr. Jackson," the Chancellor agreed, "I will be sure not to overstep in the future. I can only hope this doesn't ruin the friendship our worlds have established."
"As Jackson said, you meant no harm, so I don't see why it has to," Mitchel chimed in.
The planet was rich with naquadah and they were willing trade partners so it would suck to lose them over a misunderstanding, and while it may have led to some major consequences, it was kindly meant. Some might even say that it was indeed a blessing to the couple, for more than one reason.
Because without this happening, whose to say that Daniel and Vala would've ever gotten their act together.
o0o
Author's Note: So, I hope all that made sense with the moon and the herb. My brain can understand and follow but it also made it up so yeah... I'm not good at the scientific stuff or even chemistry (English is more my things, despite my typos here and there) but I really hope I didn't screw it up too bad!
Thoughts and feedback are always appreciated!
