Chapter Twenty-Eight

The party from then on did tripled duty as a housewarming, going away, and engagement party. After twenty minutes of excitement and congratulations, they all went back to what they previously had been doing; Daniel and Vala finished the unpacking while the rest finished building the swing set. The couple finished first and started the prep on dinner and by the time the meat was ready to be put on the grill, the rest of them were done. Jack quickly assumed control of the grill, promising not to add his secret ingredient, while the rest watch the five-year-old explore his new toy.

With nothing left to do, Vala took a seat between Sam and Carolyn.

"Hey," Sam greeted with a large smile.

"Thank you for this," Vala said, gesturing to the swing set, "It really was too much and you all spoil him rotten, but thank you."

"Not mad anymore?" Carolyn asked.

"Look at Elam," she said, smiling at the sight of her giggling son, "Hard to stay mad when it does that to my son."

"He has a great imagination," Sam noted, staring at the child, "and he could spend hours out here playing on that thing; I know I did as a kid."

"Me too," Carolyn said.

"It was just as much as a gift to you and Daniel as it was to Elam," Sam continued and at Vala's confused expression, she continued, "This will give Elam something to do when the baby comes and when you guys are exhausted. It'll help distract him when you're unable to give him your undivided attention. I had planned to be here for you guys once you had the baby but plans change and this is my way of trying to help even when I can't be here physically."

"Oh Sam," Vala whispered and put her arm around her friend's shoulder, pulling her into a side hug. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too," Sam said sadly, "but I'll be here for the wedding, just name the date and I'll make sure I'm there. I'll try to come as soon as the baby is born too."

"The next time you're back in this galaxy, whether it's business or pleasure, that will be when Daniel and I get married," she declared, "unless if it's been over a year then forget about it."

Sam chuckled and pulled away. "You know, we're going to be sisters," she said, "You're marrying the man who became my brother a decade ago, so do me a favor?"

"Anything," Vala quickly agreed.

"Take care of him for me," Sam said, "You kind of have for the last few years, but still, take care of him for me."

"Never fear, I will always take care of him," Vala promised and gingerly added, "I'll look after Jack as well, Daniel and I both will."

"Thank you," Sam whispered and quickly shook off the sadness before leaning forward so she could see Carolyn, "At least we know Cam is well looked after," she said teasingly.

Carolyn turned her head, staring at the guys playing with Elam on the swing set. "I'm not sure what you referring to, Colonel."

Vala snorted. "Please, it's so obvious."

Carolyn turned back to then, slightly worried. "It is?" she asked, admitting to the truth.

"It is to us," Sam said, gesturing between her and Vala, "Well, and Jack."

"And Daniel," Vala added, "and possibly Muscles, but he's always so perceptive."

"Oh my God," the doctor moaned.

"If it makes you feel better, I'm fairly sure General Landry hasn't a clue," Sam offered sympathetically.

"If you guys know, he knows," Lam corrected.

Vala patted her shoulder. "It'll be alright," she assured her friend, "Don't let something like that worry you or ruin anything. I like you two together."

"I do too," Sam agreed, "You're good for him."

"You think so?" Carolyn asked, uncharacteristically unsure.

"Definitely," Vala chimed in.

"Mama! Come play!" Elam begged from the swing set and Daniel leaned in to whispered something. "Please?" he added.

Vala slapped her knees. "Well, if you ladies will excuse me, I've been summoned," she said as she stood, "Sam, do make sure Jack doesn't burn all our food to a crisp; the baby's not fond of that."

"On it," Sam mock saluted.

o0o

Once dinner was finished, they ate outside since it was a lovely out and Vala didn't think she could've dragged Elam from the swing set, as it was, he was eating his dinner inside the little fort it had. Dinner was filled with laughter and reminiscing over stories spanning over the last decade, stories that hadn't been added to reports were also told, blowing Mitchell's mind when he realized he didn't know SG-1 as well as he thought.

And when dinner was wrapping up, Elam sweetly came up to them and asked for them to play with him. Sam took one look at his face and immediately agreed and gave everyone a look that said they were all going to play. She felt guilty as hell for leaving and for the fact that she would miss her godson grow up; she was determined to make the best of this night for him. Everyone, after seeing her stare, immediately agreed, but instead of playing on the swing set, Jack suggested they play baseball, and everyone was in agreement; the General had even brought enough mitts for everyone 'just in case.'

It was twenty minutes into their game when it happened and when she noticed. Daniel was guarding the third base and seemed to freeze, ignoring the ball that sailed his way and let Carolyn run right past him. Vala straightened from her crouched position as catcher. She had seen that look before.

"Daniel!" Jack snapped, frustrated, "Get your head in the game!"

Vala looked in the direction that he was staring in but saw nothing. She quickly went to his side and grabbed his hand, breaking him out of his trance. "Daniel, what do you see?" she asked quietly.

"Daniel, Vala?" Sam asked in concern, alerting the others that something wasn't right,

"It's not possible," Daniel muttered and squinted.

"What're you seeing?" Vala asked again, staring in the same direction, and then, without warning, she saw what he was seeing. "Oh my gods, Daniel, is that…?" she trailed off.

"Yeah," he confirmed.

The others looked in the same direction.

"Carter," Jack said slowly, "who is that?"

"I think that's Morgan Le Fey," Sam responded.

"Isn't she currently fighting the Orici?" Mitchell asked the obvious question.

"Indeed," Teal'c concurred, "Yet she is here…and seems to be approaching us."

Daniel started to walk towards her, letting go of Vala's hand.

"What's wrong?" Elam asked, looking around at the adults, still oblivious to what was happening.

"Someone take Elam inside, please," Vala begged and followed Daniel.

"Water break!" Carolyn declared cheerfully and grabbed Elam's hand, "We also brought some popsicles so why don't we go grab one from the house."

Once Elam was in the house and away from whatever craziness was about to go down, Daniel stopped in front of Morgan. "What are you doing here?" he asked, wary of her presence, "What happened with Adria?"

"It is good to see you too, Daniel Jackson," she remarked with a hint sarcasm.

Daniel felt Vala take his hand again. "Morgan," he warned.

"She's gone, isn't she?" Vala asked quietly.

Morgan's gaze shifted to Vala. "She is," she confirmed, sympathetic, "I am sorry it had to come to this, Vala Mal Doran."

Vala laughed bitterly. "How else would it have ended?"

Daniel wrapped an arm around her. "Oma interfered?" he guessed.

"She did," Morgan nodded, "I would've never been able to defeat the Orici on my own but keeping her locked in an eternal battle where she could no longer hurt anyone else was preferable. As powerful as she was, she was unable to defend herself from three other ascended beings, powerful ones at that."

"Three?" Daniel's brows scrunched momentarily before smoothing out, "Shifu."

"Yes," Morgan nodded.

"Thank them for me," he requested, "It's nice to know that it truly is over."

"I will," Morgan promised, "This will be the last time the three of us will interfere, so try not to get yourself into any more trouble."

"Oma giving up her rebel side?" Daniel teased lightly.

"You have many friends among the ascended," Morgan told him, "but you have also caused much strife among us. In order for the rift to heal, this action must be taken; never in your lifetime will you see us again."

Daniel nodded in understanding. "Thank you," he said earnestly, "thank you for doing what was right and helping us."

"You have saved the Ancients and without you, we would no longer exist," she pointed out, "so it is only right that the same courtesy be extended to you. Goodbye, Daniel Jackson."

"Goodbye. Tell Oma and Shifu bye as well," he requested once more.

Morgan Le Fey tilted her in acknowledgement before disappearing altogether.

"She's gone," Vala whispered, "She's really gone."

Daniel gathered her into his arms, hugging her fiercely to him. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart."

She buried her face in his shoulder, forcing the tears away. "There was ever only one way it would end with her and I accepted that a long time ago," she whispered, "so why does it still hurt?"

"She was your daughter," he stated plainly, kissing the side of her head, "and nothing can change that fact."

"So, it's really over?" Mitchell asked as he and the rest of them surrounded the couple, "Adria is dead, not fighting a battle forever, but actually dead?"

"Cam," Sam chastised for his insensitivity.

"It's alright, Sam," Vala reassured and turned in Daniel's arms, leaning her back against him with his hands resting on her midsection. "Yes, Adria is really gone; we don't ever have to worry about her or the Ori or their followers. We won."

Mitchell thought for a minute. "She always felt like a loose thread," he commented, "but now, it's been tied up. It's gonna be weird not having a bad guy to fight."

"We felt the same when we finally defeated Anubis, the rest of the Goa'uld, and the Replicators, the first time," Sam told him, "It takes getting used to, at least until the next bad guy comes around."

"So what do we do in the mean time?" Mitchell asked, "Saving the galaxy was kind of our thing."

Vala's eyes caught sight of her son coming out of the house with Carolyn and she smiled. She caught Sam's gaze before turning to Cameron, repeating the words Sam told her not long ago, "We live, not merely survive, but truly live."

o0o

Daniel watched her for the rest of the night, concern evident in his eyes. Vala had told him repeatedly that Adria wasn't her daughter and tried to convince him she didn't care for the demonic child, but today, she had finally admitted to him that Adria's death hurt; he was now just waiting for her to crack. With her hormones and dramatic mood swings, he had a bad feeling it wouldn't be pretty, that she wouldn't be prepared for it, and that it would happen soon, whether she wanted it to or not.

It was only after their friends had left where she had begun to crack. She became silent and somber, getting ready for bed quickly. She wanted to avoid him, he saw that she did, and gave her as much space as he could. He took his time as he got ready for bed, but when he could stall no more, he exited the bathroom and frowned when she was nowhere in their room.

It didn't take a genius to figure out where she went or that long to go to her. He sneakily walked into his son's room, not wanting to wake the child up, and kneeled behind Vala. When he heard her sniff, he hugged her from behind. "Talk to me," he all but pleaded softly.

"She was about this size when I first saw her," she whispered, brushing her hand across Elam's head, "When she uttered the words, 'Hallowed are the Ori,' I knew in that moment we were screwed and that she'd never be my daughter, no matter how hard I tried," her words broke at the end.

She shrugged out of his hold and left the room. Daniel sighed and gently kissed his son's forehead before following Vala out. He found her outside, sitting on the deck stairs, staring at the stars as she silently cried. He sat besides her, trying this again.

"You're allowed to feel pain, you're allowed to mourn for her, if not for her death, for the life you never got together, and you're allowed to love her," he stated firmly, "No one would ever think any less of you."

Vala rested her head on his shoulder and let out a broken sob. "It's not fair."

"No, it's not," he agreed, "Losing a child is one thing, but losing it in this way is beyond cruel."

She didn't reply, instead, she cried and mourned.

o0o

"Did I ever tell you why I named her Adria?" Vala asked once she finally settled down.

"No," he murmured softly, "Just that it was after you witch of a woman stepmother."

"My stepmother may have been a bitch, but she wasn't all bad."

"Tell me about it," he encouraged.

Vala shifted in his arms and continued to gaze at the stars. "When my mother and brother died, Jacek couldn't stomach the thought of raising me on his own, so he somehow convinced Adria to marry him, never once telling her about me. He was a philanderer and had many women on his list but she was the first one he saw after mother's death and that's the only reason he asked her. He brought her home, introduced us, and left.

"Adria was pissed as hell. She let that resentment and bitterness take over what little relationship we had. She never wanted to be a mother, something she told me often, and never tried to be a good one. She was a hard woman, not cruel, and never made much of an effort; at least not until Qetesh's guards came to the village."

When she didn't continued, Daniel nudged her. "What happened?"

"She tried to hide me from them," she whispered, "She knew I would be taken for the choosing and despite her demeanor, she never wanted that for me."

"But she didn't succeed," Daniel noted, "and you were chosen as host."

"No, she didn't. Two Jaffa caught her in her attempt to hide me. She fought one of them off as best she could, but he was a Jaffa and she had no chance; it was the first and only time she called me her daughter. I clearly remember her yell at the Jaffa 'Leave my daughter alone' as the other on dragged me away. But it didn't do any good; just before he shot her, she told me she was sorry and pleaded with me to forgive her for not protecting me.

"So you see, while everyone saw a mean and hard woman, there was good in her. Her trying to save me from a life as a host showed me what kind of woman she truly was. I had never been fair to either; I had hated her from the moment she stepped foot in my home and I never gave her a chance. Despite that all, she gave up her life for me. She was a good woman; people just couldn't see it.

"When my Adria said Hallowed are the Ori, I was reminded of my stepmother and how looks and behavior could be deceiving. I hoped she was like her namesake, that there was good inside of her and I could reach it. I wanted her to redeem herself like my stepmother had. I wanted her to be my child."

"You did reach her in a way," Daniel told her quietly.

Vala scoffed. "How, pray tell, did I do that?"

"Why do you think they never attacked Earth while she was the Orici?" he questioned, "The only time they came after us was with that plague and it was before she was born. After everything we did to hinder them, they never once came after us while she was in charge."

Vala paused before asking, "And you think that's because of me?"

"I know it is," he stated confidently, "In her own way, she did love you, Vala. You got it right the day she was born; some part of her couldn't help but feel tied to you and wanted your approval. I spent a lot of time with her, and her main goal was always to save you. As misguided as she was, she still cared; she just couldn't overcome the Ori programming."

She hummed. "I wish I could have saved her," she whispered, "I wish I could've gotten through to her."

"I know," he mumbled, "and for your sake, I wish that too."

She was silent for a few minutes and Daniel didn't push her. She was finally processing and dealing with this, so it didn't matter how long it to, just as long as it happened.

"I think a part of me will always love her, despite myself," she confessed and twisted her head to look at him, "Is that wrong?"

Daniel leaned down and pressed a light kiss on her forehead. "No," he told her, "Though she was intended never to be yours, you still carried her and loved her during that time. It's normal and no one is going to think less of you or judge you for that."

The moonlight shined on his face as she studied him. Vala could tell by his expression that he meant every word and knew if there had been some way to save Adria, he would've done whatever it took to do it – all for her. "You are an extraordinary man, Daniel Jackson," she murmured, "I don't know what I did to deserve you, but I no longer care about that because you're mine now, forever."

"You've got it backwards," he corrected softly, "but I agree wholeheartedly. Thank you for never giving up on me."

"Thank you for doing the one thing you're most terrified of," she caressed his cheek, "thank you for taking a chance on love again – with me."

"I love you," he told her fervently.

"I love you too."

o0o

Author's Note: One more chapter and then it's finished!

Thoughts on this one? I think we all know that Vala cared for Adria, despite herself - she was her mother, how could she not? I know I could never be a surrogate or give my baby up for adoption and while Vala's character is stronger than me, she's not that strong. She's been on her own for over ten years and I truly believe she wanted a family or someone to love and be loved. Despite Adria's evil status, Vala cared for her.