Chapter Twenty
Using the Ark was anticlimactic too.
They met with little to no resistance when they finally made it to the village. Part of that was due to the Anti-Prior device and the three SC teams, but it wasn't long before a Prior showed up, spouting out the usual propaganda. It didn't take long after using the Ark for him to learn the truth, and apparently once one of them knew, all the Priors in the galaxy knew – that would make things easier once they were back home.
All in all, their job here was done.
"Soo…" Mitchell dragged out, once the Priors seemed determined to spread the truth, "It's over, we're done, right, simple as that?"
Daniel was about to argue that there was nothing simple about it at all but caught himself as he really thought about the time they'd spent here. "Simple," he muttered.
Mitchell looked at him funnily. "Okay, maybe not simple," he acknowledged.
"No, you're right…in a way," Daniel told him and everyone else eyed him.
"Daniel?" Vala questioned.
He walked away from them, away from the village, the rest following, until they came they were clear of the village and a good ways into the woods.
"I knew something felt off," Daniel declared, staring into the sky, "I knew things didn't add up!"
"Uhh…Jackson," Mitchell interjected, "you feeling okay?"
"Daniel?" Sam pressed as well, concerned.
"Oh, I'm fine!" he replied to them, "Just a little sick of all the hypocrisy!"
"You do not appear to be fine, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c observed, "You are shouting at the sky."
"He's not shouting at the sky," Vala refuted, having seen this before. She walked over to Daniel, touching his arm to gain his attention and he gave her a questioning look, "You don't think…?" she trailed off, not sure if she believed it herself.
"Oh, I think," he answered, annoyed, and turned back to the sky, "and I don't appreciate the deception! The manipulation!" he yelled.
Vala felt the same annoyance and anger build up in her. "It was never Alora?" she asked rhetorically, "Never Merlin, but her the whole time?"
Daniel glanced at her. "You said it yourself in Merlin's lab – how did she know the cave's layout and the answers to the riddles? Alora didn't, but someone else did!" the last part he said to the air above him.
"Bitch!" Vala exclaimed.
"Excuse me?" Sam practically screeched and glared at the other woman.
"Not you, Samantha dearest," Vala informed distractedly, "I don't appreciate you forcing information through me!"
"We both don't!" Daniel agreed, "You can't use people like this!"
"Get your interfering ass down here now!" Vala added, stomping her foot and pointing to the ground.
"You guys have lost it!" Mitchell exclaimed at them, staring at them like they were insane.
"No, we're just tired of being used!" Daniel retorted, "What's it gonna be, Morgan Le Fey? You gonna show yourself or are we gonna shout until we draw the attention of the others?"
"Ganos Lal!" Vala shrieked in anger, "Come down here right now and take responsibility for your actions!"
"Damn, she really sounds like a mom there," Sam muttered to Mitchell and Teal'c.
"Yeah," Mitchell agreed, "it's kinda scary."
"Indeed," Teal'c concurred.
"You know, most people would appreciate the help," a new voice said, a figure appearing out of nowhere.
The three team members standing on the side all pointed their weapons at the newcomer as a reflex, but Daniel and Vala didn't bother, they just glared at the person.
"We're not most people," Vala stated, "and forcing someone to blurt out information against their will is wrong and you know it."
Morgan Le Fey shot her a scolding look. "Most would be grateful," she said defensively.
"Again, we're not most people," Daniel reiterated, "and you shouldn't have interfered like that. Using someone like that is wrong and you know it. Do you have any idea what you did to her!"
"Who?" both Colonels asked in unison.
Morgan continued to look unrepentant. "I gave you the answers, what more do you want from me?" she asked, and pinned Vala with a piercing stare, "You yourself begged for my help and now you act as if you hadn't."
Vala took a step towards her. "I didn't ask for you to take control of my body like that," she contradicted, "I didn't ask for you to mess with my brain and make me say things against my control."
"But you got your answers," Morgan argued, "so what, pray tell, is the problem?"
"The problem is the way you did it!" Daniel replied, "You can't use a person like that!" he reiterated. It was like he was talking to a child.
Morgan sighed in annoyance. "I will never understand your species," she muttered, "You asked for help, I gave it. You should be grateful that I interfered at all. What exactly was wrong with my method? Your own daughter shows you things, so where lies the problem with me?"
Vala shook her head in disbelief. "My daughter doesn't force me to say things against my will, she doesn't take away my control like that!"
The Ancient tilted her head. "And that's a problem, even when it gave you what you needed?"
Vala scoffed. "Yes, it's a problem," she responded, "especially for a host who has had her own body violated in a similar fashion. We former hosts strive for control over our own bodies after the atrocities we've been through. What you did was cruel in its own way – it may pale in comparison from what I went through as a host, but it still was cruel."
"The Ori forcibly impregnated but this is what offends you?" Morgan asked, not rudely, but more curiously.
Vala met the woman's eyes. "Yes."
Morgan hummed. "Interesting," she commented, "I did not mean to cause you harm, truly. In truth, I did not believe you would have ever suspected something amiss or even noticed for that matter, merely believing it was your daughter, but when you did, I had hoped you would have left it alone. I underestimated your intelligence and misjudged you."
There was a short pause.
"You've been watching us," Daniel stated, clearly bewildered, "Since Atlantis, right?"
Morgan turned to him. "Yes," she said simply.
He waited for her to elaborate but she didn't. "Because?" he asked, motioning for her to continue.
"Curiosity," she answered, "About the child mostly. When you said she was helping, that she had the ability to show you things, I was intrigued. I saw an opportunity when the Orici gave you the answers for the Sangraal's location and I took it. It was the only way I was able to help without the others knowing or suspecting."
"And they have no idea you're doing that right now?" Mitchell jumped in, his own curiosity getting the better of him.
Morgan glanced his way. "No," she said plainly, "Once the weapon left our galaxy, they seemed to have lost interest, already knowing the outcome."
Her answer triggered a question for Daniel. "Wait," he said, slightly confused, "how're you alive? We used the weapon and it's designed to kill all ascended beings, so how are you still here."
"Easy," she replied, "You set the timer before going through the Supergate. I simply waited it out before making my way over."
"You can travel that far that fast?" Sam asked, chiming in for the first time.
Morgan gave her a patronizing smile. "I can do a lot of things your species cannot even begin to comprehend."
Daniel frowned at her. He always did hate how they viewed themselves as superior beings but were more cowardly and hypocritical than most humans he had met. "You better go," he told her, bringing their encounter to a close, "before they find out. They may check in on this galaxy to see if we really did destroy the Ori and I don't want you to be punished for interfering, despite your distasteful methods."
"I didn't know you cared, Daniel Jackson," Morgan quipped.
"I care about people being punished for doing the right thing," he corrected, "for doing what they should've done in the first place and not let it come to this, but there's nothing we can do about that now, is there?"
Morgan's face slipped and showed a glimpse of remorse. "I did not mean to hurt anyone," she said as her way of apology.
"I know," Vala responded, "Next time…if there is a next time, perhaps think about it before you act."
Morgan nodded to Vala. "I will," she promised before glancing back at Daniel, "but I have a feeling this is the last time we shall meet Daniel Jackson, so this is goodbye. Try not to start any more galactic wars," she told him before disappearing.
There was a prolonged pause.
"She really is a bit of a bitch," Sam mused aloud.
The humans chuckled and Teal'c grinned in amusement.
"Honestly, I don't know how you survived among them, Daniel," Sam told him, "I would've gotten tired of that self-righteousness after five minutes."
Daniel spared her a smile. "It wasn't all bad," he admitted and paused, "I think..."
"Hmm," Mitchell hummed, "So, now are we done here? Can we go home now?"
"Yeah," Daniel replied, "we can go home."
"Finally!" Mitchell exclaimed, throwing his hands up in excitement, "Let's go collect SG-3, SG-7, and the Ark and get the hell out of here."
"Let's!" Vala agreed wholeheartedly, leading the way back to the village.
"Hey Princess!" Mitchell called after her and jogged to catch up, "What did you and Jackson mean back there? You know, about the whole control and forcing thing. You okay?"
She smiled at his concern. "It doesn't matter now," she told him, "and I'm fine."
"If it upset a member of my team then it matters," he retorted seriously, and smiled at her surprised look, "Don't act surprised – you saw it coming."
"I didn't, actually," she said.
"Well, the cat's out of the bag now," he said, not the least bit worried, "We'll talk more when we get back to the SGC, alright?"
Vala felt like she was in a daze or a dream. Was this actually happening? "Okay," she agreed.
As they walked back in relative silence, she had one question swimming around in her brain: what was she going to do?
o0o
When they got back to the Milky Way and the SGC, the mission wasn't over.
No, there was one final thing remaining, they explained to Landry, and that was to go find themselves a Prior to use the Ark on. The Ark wasn't going anywhere, it was firmly staying on Earth, meaning they had to bring one back to Earth, but it was easier to do now that they had the Anti Prior device.
They went from being beamed down to the SGC, a short briefing on what happened in the Ori galaxy, to going through the Stargate to a planet where an SG team had spotted a Prior on. It was hard to believe that they hadn't even been gone for a full eight hours since they had set out.
Cameron offered Vala an out as they waited for the 'gate to dial. "We can take care of this part," he told her in a low tone only she heard, "you can go be with Alora. You've done your fair share and we can take it from here."
She knew he offered it out of concern, especially when he and the others learned that Morgan Le Fey had manipulated her mind in order for them to find the Ark and how it affected her, but she wasn't going to let that stop her. "I'm seeing this through," she told him, "and it shouldn't take long. Alora will be fine for another hour."
Cam looked like he wanted to say more but didn't and just nodded his acceptance. "Carter," he switched gears, "these things on?" he asked, referring to the Anti Prior devices.
"Yep," she replied, "All ready to go."
The Stargate opened.
"Alright, let's move out!" Mitchell commanded and marched forward.
Daniel and Vala followed the rest, hanging back a little once they were through the 'gate. It was quiet as they headed to the settlement where the Prior had been spotted. They were all eager for this to be done with and were all focused on the mission at hand...for the most part.
"How are you doing?" Daniel asked Vala quietly.
She glanced at him and smiled. "I'm fine," she assured, "just ready for this to be over."
"You and me both," he retorted, "it's been a hell of a year."
"You're telling me," she said, "Never did I think that in the span of a year I'd be stranded in enemy territory, pregnant with the enemy's offspring, end up loving and caring for that child once she was born, and end up having to deal with her peculiar powers. It's certainly not the direction I saw my life going in. I never thought I'd be a mother, but I'm glad that it did happen, I couldn't imagine my life without her."
"Yeah, life's funny that way sometimes," he noted before gingerly saying, "You could've sat this one out, you know, we all would've understood."
"I know and I appreciate the concern, but as I told Cameron, I need to see this through."
"So that's what you two were talking about," he muttered to himself.
Vala gave him a peculiar look but didn't comment on it. "If anything, I feel a little guilty," she confessed.
"Why would you feel guilty?" he asked, baffled.
"For blaming Alora for the things Morgan Le Fey did."
"You felt used," he told her gently, "you had every reason to be upset, whether it was the work of Alora, Morgan Le Fey or even the Goa'uld."
"It wasn't the first time since my release from Qetesh where I've been in situations like that…with Morgan, and I shouldn't have let it get to me," she admitted, "I know they weren't the same, but I've learned to not dwell on it. I can't if I'm ever going to get past it – it's how I survived being a host. The Goa'uld stole four years of my life and I'll be damned if I ever let them steal another minute of it. I know you don't think I deal with things like that properly, but it works for me and enables me to move on. It's what allowed me to survive in a universe that wasn't welcoming to former hosts and it's what allows me to survive being used by the Ori. I'll always do what I need to to survive."
Daniel didn't speak, instead, he stared at her as they walked. Would he ever stop misjudging her? He had already thought she was pretty incredible but the more she opened up about her past and the length she had to go through just to survive, the more he realized just how much he had misjudged her. But he took it as a good sign that she opened up to him and he even felt a little honored. She was allowing him into her world, her life more than anyone he suspected, and he decided he would let her question the trust she placed in him.
"What?" she asked when he had been too silent but kept looking over at her.
He hesitated but eventually told her, "You have us now, Earth, and you're safe now. You don't need to do those things anymore – you can live, and not merely just survive."
Vala smiled softly at him. "I rather like that sentiment," she told him.
As they approached the village, they became all business again, preparing for whatever lied ahead for them.
o0o
Author's Note: Wrapping up now...only a few chapters left.
Anyone guess it was Morgan Le Fey?