Chapter Six

"Daniel, Vala, time to wake up," a soft voice said.

It broke through Daniel's light sleep and he began to stir. Blinking his eyes, he noticed Sam in front of him, smiling softly. He looked down and saw Vala snuggled into his side, still fast asleep. It took him a moment to remember how she got there but it eventually came back to him the more he woke up. Vala had cried for a while after Tomin had left. He had led her to the bed, wanting to make her more comfortable, and she had eventually fell asleep against him. Since she seemed to need the sleep badly, he hadn't done anything to remove her, just laid back and waited for her to wake up when ready; he must've fallen asleep as well.

Focusing on Sam, he made a shushing noise. "What's going on?" he whispered.

"Thor's ready," Sam replied quietly and gave him a guilty look, "He needs Vala so it's time to wake her up."

"How long have we've been asleep?"

"'bout an hour."

"Sam, she needs more sleep, especially with what she's been through the past few days."

"Daniel, I understand that but the sooner we do this, the sooner she can rest easier, knowing her child won't be a threat anymore."

"But –"

"She's right," Vala mumbled sleepily, stirring, and burrowed further into Daniel, despite the fact she should be waking herself up and not getting more comfortable.

"Hey," Daniel said gently and gingerly, "How are you doing? Are you okay?"

Vala struggled to sit up and shot Daniel a grateful smile when he helped her. "I will be," she answered and looked at Sam, "Thor's ready?"

"Yeah," Sam confirmed, "Are you?"

Vala gave a rueful smile. "I don't have much of a choice, now do I?" she remarked, rubbing her belly, and sighed as she got up from the bed, Daniel hovering behind her. "Is Tomin still here?" she inquired hesitantly.

Sam gave her a sympathetic smile. "Yeah, he is," Sam confirmed, "He said he was waiting for you to give him something?"

"Right," Vala sighed, remembering she had to write a letter for him to take to end their marriage. "I should do that before we start. Does anyone have a paper and pen I can use?"

Vala was quickly provided with both and she hastily wrote the words Tomin needed to be free, signing her name at the bottom. And just like that, her marriage to one of the best men she'd ever met was essentially over. Funny how just a few months could change everything. She shoved the letter into Sam's hands, knowing that she'd get it to Tomin and quickly exited the room before she could give in to tears again. Damn hormones were determined to ruin the image she'd spent years perfecting and projecting, the image of a cool, collected, controlled, and strong woman.

As she made her way to the room in the medical bay that Thor was using last time, Daniel quickly fell into step with her. "I know I've already asked but I'll ask again." he began softly and grabbed her arm, halting anymore movements, "are you okay?"

"No," she confessed in a rare moment of vulnerability, "but I think I will be. I know it's for the best. We're too different and would've eventually made each other miserable. I know I couldn't be happy here and he wouldn't be happy in our galaxy. It's just harder than I had expected."

Daniel lightly squeezed her arm in an effort to comfort her. "I'm here," he told her softly, "I'm here for you, whatever you need."

"Thank you, Daniel," she said quietly, looking him straight in the eye.

The two of them stood there for several seconds in silence before it was broken. "Hey, what's the hold up?" Mitchell grumbled as he peeked out into the corridor.

Daniel released Vala's arm and glanced at Mitchell. "We're coming," he promised and ushered Vala into the room, prompting her to take a seat on the same bed thing Thor had in the middle of the room.

"Are you prepared for me to begin, Vala Mal Doran?" Thor inquired.

"Ready as I'll ever be," she responded and nervously bit her lip.

"It's gonna be okay," Daniel reassured her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze before stepping back.

"I shall begin," Thor stated, "It is a delicate procedure and may take time to complete," he warned before beginning.

While it had been possible for Thor to take the baby out of the womb and put it in some weird stasis pod designed for such a being, Thor hadn't felt comfortable removing and replacing the fetus from the mother, stating that it was unnecessary and could add strain onto both mother and child. Instead, he was using something that looked like a laser show to Daniel. Thor had assured the humans that it wouldn't cause mother or child and pain or harm but the process from an outsider's perspective could be quite unnerving. The hologram sonogram thing popped up several times, displaying intricate details of the baby. Everyone, with the exception of Daniel, decided to leave since the process would take some time.

Just over thirty minutes into it, Thor stopped, the devices he was using shut down. Daniel and Vala looked at the Asgard. "Is it done? Is my baby human? Is she okay?"

Thor looked grim. "I have removed much of the Ori's interference," he told her, "but there is some that I was unable to anticipate or see from the scans and data I collected. If I were to remove this particular strand, it would unravel the fetus' genetic structure and ultimately result in its death. There is no way to remove it permanently without killing the fetus. It essential for its survival."

"So, she's still going to be born with something of the Ori inside her?" Vala asked faintly, "This was all for nothing? She has to die?"

"I can see no way around it," Thor declared, "I am sorry, Vala Mal Doran, I have failed in my task."

Vala let out a broken sob, bringing her hands to cover her face. Try as she might, she couldn't stop the onslaught of tears and turned away from Thor, giving herself some semblance of privacy as she completely fell apart. Well, not complete privacy since she turned towards Daniel, who just stared off into nothing. He absently put an arm around her as his brain processed Thor's words.

"You said permanently remove," Daniel quietly said, "What if you didn't remove it permanently but replaced it instead?"

"Daniel?" Vala whimpered in confusion.

"I mean, removing all the other stuff, the stuff that's not natural and extra is one thing but removing the other genetic component needed to make a child is an entirely different matter. I mean, it's essential for every human being; needing different genetic materials from a man and woman."

"You are suggesting that I remove what the Ori had made essential for the child's development and put a human replacement in its stead?" Thor asked, wanting to clarify.

"Yes!"

"Is that possible?" Vala asked, hating how hopeful she sounded, "Is that something you could? Would she be okay if you did?"

"Theoretically, it is possible," maybe not for the Tau'ri but it definitely was for the Asgard. "As I have said, we have never attempted such a procedure and I would not know the full outcome for such a procedure. The genes I replace the Ori's with may not be compatible. I have no way of knowing until after I have removed and replaced it."

"But as we've been saying, this is the baby's only shot," Daniel pointed out, "we have to try."

"Very well," Thor agreed, "I will need to find a suitable replacement."

"Take mine," Daniel blurted out, earning surprised looks from each of them. "What?"

"Daniel," Vala said cautiously, "you essentially just agreed to make a baby with me."

"I know," he said nonchalantly, "I mean, it would've been more fun the old fashion way but that's not really an option right now."

Vala's mouth fell open in shock. She gapped at his for a few seconds. "Okay, who the hell are you and what've you done with my Daniel?" she looked over at Thor, "Are you sure this is the real Daniel Jackson? He has been acting peculiar today."

"It is indeed him," Thor confirmed, "Are you positive, Daniel Jackson?"

"First off, Vala, it's really me. And second, Thor, yes I am," Daniel assured both of them, "Thor, I know you already have my DNA so that shouldn't be a problem. Besides, I've been ascended twice so surely that makes me at least a little more compatible compared to anyone else."

"You've been ascended? Twice?" Vala squeaked out.

"Story for another time," he brushed off, looking at Thor and waiting for his answer.

"You make a valid point," Thor conceded, "If it is alright with Vala Mal Doran, I will utilize the genetic profile I have on you to replace the remaining Ori alternations, making the fetus fully human."

Vala glanced between the two of them before settling on Daniel. "Are you sure, Daniel?" she asked, concerned, "As I recall, you don't like me and barely tolerate me as it is. You'd be tying yourself to me permanently. Also, you're acting strangely, and I'm worried you'll regret this days, if not hours, after it's done."

He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Something happened to me last week and it made me rethink so much; it changed me and the way I see things and how I want to live my life," he tried to explain, "I'll tell you more about it later, but I do like you; I'm rather fond of you actually. Know one thing for certain, I'll never regret this decision and I'm more sure of this than I have ever been in my life."

The way he said it was so honest and earnest. Vala stared at him, examining him to make sure he wasn't lying or hesitant in any way. When she found none, she nodded slightly before looking to Thor. "Do it, please," she pleaded softly.

"Very well," Thor consented, "It will take me a moment to retrieve the necessary materials from Daniel Jackson's genetic profile. Once I have done so, I will begin."

"Thank you, Thor," Vala told him gratefully. The Asgard gave her what looked to be a slight nod. "Last chance to back out," she whispered to Daniel.

Daniel grinned and bent down so he was inches from her face, placing a hand on one of her cheeks. "Not a chance," he whispered back and lightly pressed their lips together. When he pulled back, he grinned amusingly at her stunned face and gently rubbed her cheek.

"I am ready," Thor announced.

"We're about to make a baby," Daniel said, trying to lighten the mood but was also excited about the process. He wondered if the baby, his potential daughter, would look anything like Clare, the daughter of Daniel and Vala from the other reality. Damn, that girl was adorable. He now kinda got why that Daniel had wanted a daughter. He had no explanation for this, but he was excited as the prospect of having a girl. Daniel briefly wondered is all the gene swapping would alter the sex of the baby. The thought of the baby suddenly being a boy didn't bother Daniel, but he had to admit to himself, he wanted a girl. Yes, he knew he should only care about it being healthy, hell human was the main concern, but he was starting to see why the other Daniel had wanted a girl and there was absolutely no reason for it. Guess they would find out soon enough.

"You're stuck now," she told him seriously.

"Wouldn't want it any other way," he assured her. He pressed another light kiss to her lip before backing away and letting Thor get back to it.


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Author's Note: So I told you a few chapters back that I was terrible at the science thing and completely made this all up! Hopefully it's believable in a way. I truly believe the Asgard would've had something that could've done this since they were trying to solve their cloning problem. Genetic manipulation was probably one of their biggest strongpoints... Hopefully you all didn't hate it..

Also, who saw Daniel becoming the baby daddy? Raise your hands!

Let me know your thoughts!