Oh, good God in heaven help me... I know, you probably all hate me now because I waited almost a month to post this... Truth is, I started back to school before I realized it, and had more work than I planned for, so I got swamped. Then I was out of town for a week, then the wording for this chapter seemed impossible...
But it's finally here! Yay!
I wrote and re-wrote scenes of this chapter, but somehow, it always managed to come out a bit on the sappy side, so I'm sorry for that.
Also, with the addition of this chapter, this story has now passed the 35,000 word mark! Hooray!
Expression
Vala awoke again to the sounds of the infirmary, and with a faint headache throbbing on a spot far up and on the left side of her forehead. She sighed contentedly and pressed her head firmly into her pillow before she remembered what had gone on before she passed out. As the image of Marla standing against the Prior flashed through her mind in every bit of its glory, her eyes flew wide open and she sat bolt upright.
Doctor Lam was almost immediately at her side, coming over from where she had apparently been writing down some information in a file.
"Where is Marla?" Vala demanded forcefully. Without waiting for the doctor to answer, Vala's eyes scanned the infirmary, and other than Daniel beside her, none of the other beds she could see were occupied. Her heart sank. She instantly buried her face in her hands, fearing the worst. "Oh, God," she breathed. "It's my fault."
"Vala!" Lam snapped, grabbing her hands and pulling them away from her face. "Colonel Jameson is fine. She's simply been moved into one of the quarantine rooms down the hall so she rest peacefully. She deserves it."
Giving a greatly relieved sigh, Vala murmured, "Yes. Yes, she does." She looked briefly over at Daniel—who, she noted, had a rather large, bruised bump on his forehead—then back to Doctor Lam. "Can I go and see her?"
"Well, you'll have to wait for Doctor Jackson to wake up," the physician replied, likewise glancing at the unconscious archeologist. "And you'll also have to wait for Colonel Jameson. She hasn't woken up yet."
"Woken up?" Vala asked.
Lam nodded. "SG-6 apparently found her unconscious, laying against the wall of the Gateroom. Lieutenant Oliander said it appeared as though she struck the wall and was knocked unconscious that way, not by the Prior."
"Oh. Well that's… good. How long ago…?"
The doctor glanced briefly at her watch. "You've all been out about two hours."
"And Marla hasn't woken up yet?" Vala asked worriedly.
Biting her lip slightly, Lam nodded. "I gave her a mild sedative to help her rest. I don't think she's been sleeping very well for the past couple of weeks, then coupled with this entire ordeal… She really just needs some down time. She should only be out for another hour or so, though. The general is very eager to debrief her on what went on in that Gateroom."
"I'll bet," Vala murmured. To herself, she mentally added, I'd like to know myself. It figured that she had to pass out right in the middle of things, and then wake up not knowing what had happened.
From the infirmary bed beside hers, there was a faint groan and she turned to see Daniel slowly waking. He wriggled around a moment before slowly opening his eyes. One of his hands drifted up to where the knot had formed on his forehead. His fingers brushed across it and he muttered a sharp, "Owww." Then, slowly he turned to face her.
When he did, Vala offered a light smile. Daniel returned it.
"Y'know, this bump on my head is your fault," he said after a moment.
She tilted her head to one side. "Funny, I don't remember that."
"Well, I fell down and hit my head chasing after you," he responded.
"And I'm paying for it right now," she said. She rubbed at the throbbing spot on her forehead and made a face as though she were in deep pain. "I can feel your headache, Daniel."
"Well, that's not my fault," he responded.
Vala was extremely tempted to tell Daniel that it was indeed his fault, since he was the one who touched that pillar on P32-1161, and re-awakened the bond. But she decided that it was probably better to just bite her tongue. Why spark any more argument than there already was.
So for a moment, Daniel and Vala just sat there in silence.
Finally, he said, "So... We're…?"
She knew what he was thinking though, and answered the question before he even finished it. "Yes. We're completely safe… Well, as far as I know, that is. Nobody's told me anything about what happened yet. But, yes, as far as I know, we're safe. Thanks to Marla."
"Where's…?" he started again.
Again, though, Vala interrupted his question with the answer. "She's resting in a room down the hall. Doctor Lam says she's fine."
Daniel smiled lightly. "But you want to go and see her anyway."
Nodding briefly, Vala's bottom lip jutted out in a perfect puppy-dog pout. "Please?" She knew that Daniel didn't want to give in to her, but that he would anyway. After all, didn't she more or less have him wrapped around her finger? And wasn't she a master manipulator?
Finally, Daniel sighed. "Fine. Let's go see Marla."
---
Twenty minutes later, the two of them sat quietly against the wall in the quarantine room, watching Marla across the room where she was sleeping soundly in an infirmary bed. Neither Daniel nor Vala had said anything in the five minutes they'd been sitting there, both blaming it on having nothing to say. Both actually had something to say. But neither knew how to say it. Finally, though, Vala worked up the courage and opened her mouth.
"Daniel, I'm sorry," she said quietly.
He frowned at her. "For what?"
She looked down, apparently finding something fascinating about the folded hands in her lap. "For running after Marla. It was very stupid, and I didn't realize what I was doing. I honestly didn't mean to put anyone else in danger. I just—"
"—wanted to help," he finished for her. He paused for a moment, then looked towards her, and gently turned her face towards him. "Don't apologize for that."
It was then that Daniel realized how close their faces were. He could faintly feel the whisper of her breath on his lips, and, as his eyes drifted closed, he couldn't deny that he wanted to move forward and kiss her. But Vala beat him to it, and their lips met in a slow kiss.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, Daniel compared it to their first kiss on board the Prometheus, almost a year ago. This kiss was the exact opposite of the first one. Where as their first had been hurried and fairly sloppy, this one was slow and caring.
When finally they parted, Daniel whispered, "Y'know, I'd been waiting for this…"
"…for a long time," Vala finished for him.
From across the room, there came the distinct sound of someone loudly clearing their throat.
Instantly breaking apart, and separating by several inches, both Daniel and Vala's gazes turned to the woman lying on the bed, her face turned ever so slightly in their direction. Vala immediately grinned and opened her mouth, and Daniel could practically see the sexual comment forming on her lips, as well as hear it echoing in his head.
But before anything came from Vala's mouth, Marla firmly interrupted her. "I don't want to hear it," she said, an unmistakable hint of sorrow in her voice. "Please." Her eyes were begging with Vala. "Just… don't."
Using just her good arm, Vala pushed her wheelchair over to the bedside and took the colonel's hand in hers. Daniel was not only surprised at Vala's actions, but also that Marla didn't shake Vala's hand off, or pull her own away.
"What's wrong?" Vala asked softly.
Marla opened her mouth to reply once, probably to deny that anything was, in fact, wrong, but closed it again before she said anything. She hesitated for a lengthy moment, then sighed. "I saw him," she said, voice surprisingly on the verge of breaking. "Chris, that is. When I was fighting the Prior, he just appeared. Out of nowhere. And for a moment, I thought it was real."
A deep, caring frown creased Vala's face. "Let me guess. It tore your heart out when you realized it wasn't?"
Lip beginning to tremble, the colonel actually looked like she was on the verge of tears, and Daniel realized how hurt she really had to be. The appearance of the tough Colonel Jameson was quickly crumbling away as her real feelings came to the surface, and she took in a couple of shaking breaths. Her emerald eyes closed, and a thin line of tears appeared under both lash-lines. Both rolled down her cheeks before she managed to pull herself together enough to stop the waterworks.
"I…" she started quietly. Her voice broke, and she struggled to regain it for a moment. "I loved him," she finally said. "And I never told him."
"You would've lost your job," Daniel reminded her gently.
She didn't seem to hear him. "Six years and I never told him. He never knew."
Patting the colonel's hand reassuringly, Vala offered a light smile. "Marla, I'm sure he knew."
Jameson nodded briefly. "Yeah." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was obviously composing herself, and shoving the pain back into a dark corner of her mind. The firm mask of tough-all-over Marla Jameson slid quickly back into place, and she wiped away not only the tears from her eyes and face, but all indicators she'd even cried at all. "Look at me," she said, shaking her head as she moved to sit up more. "I'm pitiful."
"No," Daniel disagreed. "You're not. You have to let things like that out eventually. And the longer you wait, the worse it gets. And, Marla, you waited quite a while."
The colonel opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by Doctor Lam entering the room. "Nice to see you're up, Colonel Jameson," she said with a smile. "Though a little earlier than I expected." She came around the bed, and took Marla's wrist in her hand, detaching the IV tube.
And Marla apparently noticed the IV for the first time. Her eyes traveled up to the bag of medications that had been traveling down the tube and into her bloodstream. She indicated it with a jerk of her head. "Lam, what's that?"
"Several nutrients," the doctor answered simply. Her eyes narrowed briefly at the colonel. "Vitamins, minerals… The sort of things you normally get in a healthy diet." She paused and raised an indicting eyebrow at her patient. "You were severely malnourished. In fact, it's quite a miracle that you hadn't passed out before from overworking yourself." She folded her arms tightly over her chest. "So I guess you really hadn't been eating?"
"Not as well as I should have," Marla admitted. "But I'm over that. You don't have to worry about my eating habits anymore, Doctor."
"Really?" she asked.
"Really," Marla assured with a nod.
"I'll make sure she eats," Vala spoke up. When all eyes turned to her, she added, "Well, Marla won't be any fun if she kills herself, now will she?"
Marla raised an eyebrow. "I'd rather not find out."
"Well, Colonel Jameson, if you're up to it, you have another visitor," Doctor Lam said. "Actually, I think he's going to speak to you whether you feel up to it or not," she corrected herself. "He's been waiting since you were found unconscious two hours ago."
"Ah, the good general's dying to find out what happened with the Prior," Marla observed with a faint smile.
She nodded once, and the doctor walked out the door. A moment later, General Landry walked in the room in his daughter's place. Immediately, Jameson sat up straighter, and her hand came to her head in salute.
"At ease," Landry said, causing Marla to drop the salute. He offered a faint smile to Daniel and Vala, and said, "I know she just woke up, but could you two please step outside for a moment? I'd like to speak with Jameson alone for a few moments."
"Sure, General," Daniel said, grabbing a hold of the back of Vala's wheelchair and pushing her out. As they left, he thought he saw the General wink mischievously and very quickly. But, as he left the room with Vala, he wasn't sure one way or the other.
-----
Marla watched Daniel and Vala go, wondering why they were being sent out at all. Didn't they have a right to hear what had gone on after they both passed out? Finally, after the door closed, Marla turned her attention to General Landry. For a long moment, he said nothing, and Marla was wondering what took him so long.
"So, Marla, I'll bet you're wondering why I just did that," he finally said.
The colonel's eyes grew wider. Did he just call me Marla? she thought. Trying to cover her extreme surprise, she managed to get out, "Um… Yes, sir, I am."
The faintest shadow of a smirk quirked at the edges of General Landry's mouth, but he quickly tampered it out so that Marla was left wondering if she'd even seen it at all. "I wanted to be able to tell you this in private," he said. "Marla."
This time, Marla's eyes were positively huge. And she was absolutely astounded by the general's strange behavior. "Sir?" she asked hesitantly.
"Oh, no need for such formalities," he responded.
She didn't think it possible for her eyes to go any wider, but they most definitely did. And she was beginning to feel more than a little afraid of what was making the general act this way… "Sir, what do you mean?" she tried again.
"Well, in my experience, formalities aren't generally used between generals that have known each other for any length of time…" Then the smile returned to his face.
At that moment, Marla's heart felt like it was about to burst, as did her eyes. For a moment, she couldn't find words, and her mouth soundlessly opened and closed. But when she finally regained her voice, she asked incredulously, "General? Sir, you're serious?"
"As a heart attack," he answered. "Congratulations, General Jameson."
Her face immediately broke into a grin. "General Jameson. I like the sound of that."
OH, also, there will be one more wrapping up chapter after this, then it'll be done. Like I said, I plan to write a sequel, though not right away. Before I get to the sequel, I have a Dark Angel fic I want to write.
Anyway, please review!