Author's Note: Heyo! I'm back with another one and it's a lonnng one...

I thought of this story when I was re-watching Avalon and thought that Daniel and Vala had way too good a rapport when she came to Earth - also, why would he let her through the 'gate after their first and last encounter? So, this story is based on the assumption they met somewhere in between. Let me know what you think!

As always, this is finished and I will try to post a chapter a day, but I got a lot going on with work so bear with me on that! I'm also editing as I go so...be kind.

Feedback and constructive criticism is appreciated but please only that - this world has so much hate already, but if you have thoughts on how I can improve my writing, I'm all ears!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own Stargate SG-1, it's characters, or anything associated with it. I'm just letting my imagination run wild with their creation.

Enjoy and let me know what you think!

o0o

Chapter One

It has been an honest mistake, it really had. If they didn't want outsiders, or anyone for that matter, to trespass in that particular area, why not post signs? Then there was that one local who had told him about the temple – he never once said anything about it being forbidden to visit. The Goa'uld who had formally inhabited this planet left quite the scar on the people and anyone caught visiting the temple was deemed a worshiper and thrown into jail without question.

Daniel had tried to explain who he was (who hasn't heard of SG-1 and how they had played a significant part in bringing down the Goa'uld) and when that hadn't worked, he tried to explain that he was an archeologist, a historian, a scholar, and it was his job to study the past and other cultures, including abandoned temples. They hadn't cared and tossed him into a jail cell anyways. He was just glad that SG-3, the team he had accompanied today because of the temple, hadn't been with him and hopefully, they would soon mount a rescue mission. Worst case scenario, the Prometheus would come and fetch him, but that would take a few days to arrive. Guess he was sitting tight for at least a full day and night.

"Please, let me explain!" he tried again as he was led to the underground cells, "I meant no harm; I merely wanted to study the temple. I wasn't aware it was off limits."

"Everyone knows the temple is off limits," his jailer told him.

"I've already told you that I'm not from this planet," he repeated, exasperated, "My name is Daniel Jackson and I'm from Earth, the Tau'ri."

"Never heard of you or your planet," the man said as he tossed Daniel into the cell.

"Let me talk to your leader, please."

"Gorinth doesn't talk to worshipers of the false goddess!" the man spat out.

"I have never and will never worship the Goa'uld!" Daniel stated emphatically, "I have spent the better part of eight years bringing down the Goa'uld!"

"Save it!" the man walked away.

"Wait! Just listen to me!"

"You're wasting your breath," a smoky, yet tired voice came from the cell next to him.

Daniel turned to it but couldn't see the person in the dark. At least the jailer let him keep his glasses this time, among a few other things that might prove to be useful. "I have to try something," he told the mysterious person. "It was an honest mistake. I've never been here and didn't know the temple was forbidden."

The person laughed, a woman, he concluded. "That was your first mistake," she told him.

"Going to the temple?"

"Yes," she confirmed, "It was built by the Goa'uld that once ruled here. She was a cruel goddess, merciless and evil. She chose her new host from this world and when the Goa'uld was finally overthrown four years later, the people turned on the host's family, killing the mother and brother as revenge for what the Goa'uld did to them."

"But it wasn't the host's fault," Daniel argued, horrified for the woman.

"They're either too stupid to see that or blinded by anger and hatred for what the Goa'uld did to them. The host was eventually free by the Tok'ra and when she came back home, she was almost stoned to death; she barely escaped with her life," the woman finished, her voice sounding dead, "They have a deep hatred for anyone who serves the gods, even if it's innocent historians coming to take a look at old temples."

"But most of the Goa'uld are dead and the very few that remain have little to no worshipers," he pointed out, "very few people out there believe that they're gods."

"This is a primitive planet," she told him, "very ingrained in their ways. They will always chose hatred over enlightenment. The Goa'uld who once ruled here has only been gone for ten or so years. Most of these people remember that time and scars run deep."

"Surely they can be reasoned with."

"Always trying to change people for the better, Dr. Jackson."

He walked to the bars that separated their cells. He still couldn't see her in the dark, but he could make out a figured curled in the corner of the cell. "I never told them I was a doctor."

"I should be insulted, people almost always remember me," she quipped.

"We've met?" he asked in surprise.

"Of course we have, darling," her tone turned flirtatious, "It's not every day you get your ass kicked by a woman, or do you make a habit of stripping women of their clothes only to put them into a ugly garb?"

It couldn't be... "Vala?" he exclaimed, shocked.

"Oh, you do remember me," her voice sugary sweet, "how sweet."

"What the hell did you steal this time to land yourself in here?" he asked warily.

"Nothing, darling. I simply had the audacity to be chosen as Qetesh's host," she said bitterly, "I had the audacity to think my home planet was a safe haven after four years of torment, and I was stupid enough to think the person who was like a second mother to me was honest and sincere when I ran into her on another world."

"You were the Goa'uld that who ruled here," he stated the obvious, all the pieces now coming together.

"I was the host, yes," she corrected. "I can't believe how stupid I was," she whispered hoarsely.

"What happened?" he inquired gently.

She let out a humorless, watery chuckle. "I was minding my own business on another world when I ran into a woman who was second mother to me. She somehow tricked me to believe that not everyone from our world felt the same way anymore. I let myself get played and she invited me to grab a meal with her but it was a trap; when we arrived, I was surrounded by men Qetesh had…used and they weren't too happy with me. I couldn't fight them all off and they were able render me unconscious and brought me back here."

"For what purpose?" dread filled him as he waited for her answer.

"Whatever else for, darling?" she said with false cheerfulness, "To kill me, of course."

"Damn it," he sighed. He may not like the woman, but she didn't deserve to die for what some parasite did to this world; she just as much the victim as these people. "Look, my people will come for me and when they do, we can try to get you out of here too."

"Your people are shit out of luck," she chuckled bitterly at him, "They won't negotiate with anyone, no matter what you say."

"Okay, once my people know that, they'll send the Prometheus, you know, the ship you tried to steal?" he reminded her, "They'll beam me aboard; we have Asgard beaming technology. If you're holding onto me, it'll beam you up too. We just need to wait a few days for it to arrive."

"Daniel, I don't have days," she told him, "I'm to be executed tomorrow morning."

He sucked in a deep breath. "Then why the hell are you just sitting there?" he asked angrily, "Figure a way out of that cell!"

"Daniel, I'm lucky to be wearing any clothes at all," she said quietly, "they made sure I had nothing I could use to escape; not again."

"So you're just giving up?" he asked incredulously.

"Know when you've been beaten, darling," she reluctantly said.

"So that's it, just accept defeat?"

"What else can I do?" she asked rhetorically, "I have no resources or tools to use and without them, I'm not getting out of this cell. And I'm tired, Daniel, I'm so tired of running, of just surviving."

He never thought he would ever hear the day that Vala…whatever her last name was, would admit defeat. Though he'd only known her for mere hours, she never gave up. She'd fight tooth and nail, she'd even fight dirty, to win and never gave up. He only gained the upper hand by zatting her. She was tough, resilient, and resourceful and seeing her like this did something strange to Daniel and he wasn't sure what it was. It was like he ached for her.

He patted himself down, checking his multiple pockets for something of use. He tossed her a power bar. "Eat," he ordered since he didn't know the last time she had eaten; based on the backstory she told (if it had indeed been true), she probably hadn't had anything to eat or drink since entering that cell.

"Thank you," she said meekly.

He found nothing useful in his pockets and sighed, trying to think of something else. Then it came to him and he swore once he got back, he'd thank Jack for his intense training of Daniel. Jack had insisted they all keep a Swiss army knife on them, usually hidden in their boots – one of the few places bad guys didn't check. It had become such a habit to hide one there, that he had almost forgotten it entirely. It was a small one but hopefully it could do the trick.

"Vala, c'mere," he ordered as he grabbed the knife and once she was in front of the bars, he held it out to her, "Can you use this to escape?"

When she was up this close, he could see her face and it was scrunched in confusion. "What is this?"

Daniel plucked it from her fingers and demonstrated its' features. "It's called a pocketknife," he explained and held it back out, everything out of their hiding places.

She turned it around, taking in all the details. "I should be able to pick the lock with it," she whispered in disbelief and look at him, eyes shining, "Thank you, Daniel."

He smiled softly at her. "You don't deserve to die over something that was out of your control," he stated emphatically. She smiled back but didn't make a move for the cell door. "Well, aren't you gonna make a run for it?"

She shook her head. "Need to wait until after dark," she reasoned, "It should be dark soon, but we should wait until most of the village is asleep before we make our move."

"We?" he repeated.

"If I leave you, they'll probably think you helped me escape, which you did, and they'll kill you instantly. If you want to live, you need to come with me."

He sighed. "Damn it," well, it was better than letting her die.

She huffed. "So glad to know that you'd only leave with me under threat of death."

"I didn't mean it like that," he protested.

"Whatever, I don't care," she tried to brush off, "We should be able to make it to the 'gate in twenty minutes if we push ourselves and then you'll never have to see me again."

"Vala –"

"Get some sleep, Daniel," she interrupted, "you'll need to make good time," she walked back to the corner of her cell, crumbling back into a ball.

He sighed, wanting to apologize, but ultimately decided to do as she suggested. As he settled down for the next few hours, he remembered that they had taken his GDO, meaning he wouldn't be able to dial Earth. He'd have to go to the Alpha or Beta sight first. Hopefully he'd make it there and contact Earth before they mounted a rescue mission. He wondered what Vala would do and if she had anywhere to go, a safe haven. A person's home world should be a safe haven, but instead for her, it was the complete opposite. Her people went as far to trapped her off world and bring her back for execution. What kind of people did that? How ignorant were they? Or were they really just blinded by rage and revenge as she suggested? Despite all her flaws, she didn't deserve to die for this, not for something that was completely out of her control.

Either way, it didn't matter; he had to help her get out of here.

o0o

Author's Note: So...thoughts?