Chapter Sixteen
It didn't take long for Jack to get his way and Vala was allowed to move in with Daniel barely a week after her arrival back on Earth. While they had waited for Jack to work his magic, Daniel had stayed close to Vala, the two of them sharing his quarters since they were bigger and nicer than the ones she would've been provided with. He had kept the line of communication open like he did while they were aboard the Daniel Jackson and he didn't want to lose that. They were getting to know each other better and he wanted to keep it that way. A whole new side of Vala was revealed to him and he was never so relived that he heeded the other Daniel's advice when he told Daniel that if he opened up to her, she would reciprocate. The other him had never been so right.
They moved Vala into Daniel's small house two days after Jack secured permission, wasting no time. They needed to purchase some additional items for the house and for Vala, so she had gone shopping with Sam and he spent the entire afternoon trying not to think about the damage she was doing to his bank account, but it had to be done. He didn't even want to think about all the stuff they'd have to get for the baby, but that would have to happen sooner rather than later. Moving her in wasn't a hard or long process since she didn't have much stuff and only took a weekend, if that.
It was nice to be settled and in a somewhat normal relationship for once. They established a pace, a routine. Vala helped him out frequently in his office with translations and multiple artifacts he was assigned to study, and Vala, with her vast knowledge from her time as Qetesh and her former occupation, knew a lot more than Daniel would've given her credit for. What he wasn't crazy about was the fact she also often worked with Sam and/ or Dr. Lee in the science labs. While he knew she was a huge asset in the field, he didn't like the fact that she was around strange devices that no one knew what the hell they did; he was constantly worried that she would end up hurt or exposed to lethal radiation or particles or something like that. It caused more than one fight. In fact, it was the cause of their current one.
"It's like you don't trust me or my discernment," Vala accused loudly, "Do you honestly believe I would ever allow myself to stay be in a situation where I could endanger the baby?"
"It's not like that!" he protested, "Yes, I trust you to know a situation is dangerous, but sometimes there's no warning! It has happened multiples times and I don't want to see you or our daughter hurt!"
"You're being ridiculous!" Vala sighed in frustration, "You're being a mother chicken and it's smothering me!"
"Mother hen," he corrected automatically.
"I don't care!" she retorted, "I just want to be helpful and I like working in the science labs, Daniel, it's fun! I have a pretty good idea what most of those devices do and can guess pretty accurately on the unfamiliar ones. I also have a pretty good sense about when things are about to go wrong; I think Jack called it a gut instinct?" she waited for his confirmation on her phrasing before continuing, "and you need to trust that I'll back off if or when I get one. Why can't you trust me?"
"It's not about trust, Vala," he sighed, "I do trust you. I'm just worried that something will happen too fast, before you even know something was wrong, and…" he trailed off, his thoughts going to a dark place that he didn't want to voice.
Vala softened as she realized what he was worried about, what he was afraid of. "As Muscles likes to say, 'Domestic equines could not remove me.' I'm not going anywhere, Daniel. You won't be able to get rid of me that easily, not when you've made me care for you like I do."
While he still wasn't fully there on the love front, he was falling in love with her, and he had a feeling he'd be there soon. Knowing she felt in a similar way gave him huge relief. "If something happened to you…I, I couldn't...Vala, I don't think I could survive that again, and it wouldn't just be you but our daughter as well."
"You can't get rid of me that easily, Daniel Jackson," she repeated forcefully. "Besides, I'm pretty sure it's you we have to be worried about. Based on the stories Jack has told me, I should be the one insisting that you stay here in your office, safe on Earth, and not going through the 'gate on routine missions."
Daniel groaned. "I'm gonna kill Jack."
"Were you ever gonna tell me about your multiple deaths?"
"Yes," she arched an eyebrow challengingly, "Maybe, I don't know, eventually," he said reluctantly.
"I want to work with Sam and Bill in the labs," she told him, "I like, it's fun, and I feel useful there."
"You're useful here in my lab."
"Daniel, it's not the same," she argued, "Do you know how many people know Goa'uld, Ancient, and other languages that you know? So many can help with that, but not many of the scientists have a knack for alien technology, and let's not forget that I made a living off of stealing and utilizing all different types of technologies out there."
"I know, I know," he reluctantly agreed, "It's just…I like having you here, in my office. I like working with someone. I never realized how lonely it was before you."
"Why Daniel Jackson, are you jealous of me spending time in Sam's lab?" she asked incredulously.
"Of course not!" he instantly denied, "Don't be ridiculous."
"Good gods, you are!" she laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing a kiss to his lips, "You know they can never replace you, right? They'll never be as special to me as you are."
Daniel rolled his eyes. "I'm not jealous," he reiterated firmly.
"Whatever you say, darling," she smirked, "But let's compromise; that's what couples do, isn't it?"
"What do you have in mind?" he asked skeptically.
"I can split my time evenly throughout the week between the science labs and your lab," she proposed, "Maybe do every other day in one?"
"There's five days in the work week," he pointed out, "Someone would get an extra day."
Ever since moving in together, they had tried to make sure they spent the weekends off base. Daniel wanted her to adapt to Earth as quick as possible, so they spent the weekends doing just that; he was teaching her how to drive, showing her different places to shop for certain things, helping her get familiar with the area and town, and even was teaching her about the world and its different continents, countries, climates, the works. He also wanted her to know more about the country she was currently living in and the country they had told the world she was from.
"Okay, good point," Vala conceded, "Since you're so possessive, I'll start the work week in your lab and end it in yours – happy?"
"Wouldn't necessarily say happy but I'll accept your compromise."
"Thank you," she untangled her arms from him, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I promised Sam I'd help with a peculiar Goa'uld device SG-8 brought back."
Daniel grabbed her arm before she could fully exit his lab. "Please be safe," he begged quietly.
"I will," she promised him seriously. "I'll come find you when it's time to go home."
He nodded and let her go. He loved it whenever she referred to his small house as home. It was something he'd never get used to, or at least relish her saying it.
o0o
"Hey, there you are," Sam said in the way of a greeting, not looking away from the device in front of her, "I was wondering if you'd show."
Vala sighed dramatically and took a seat. "Sorry, Daniel and I were having another fight," she divulged and got to work.
Sam winced. "How bad?"
"Not as bad as it used to be last time I was here," Vala answered.
"What was it about this time?"
"He doesn't want me working with you and all the alien devices the SG teams bring back," she answered as she examined the odd Goa'uld device in front of her. "He's worried about me being potentially exposed to radiation and harmful particles and anything that could harm me or the baby, which I told him was utter nonsense. Like I would ever put myself or the baby in a position like that."
"You never know," Sam commented.
Vala looked away from the device and focused on her new friend. "Do you think I would?" she asked, somewhat offended.
"Not on purpose," Sam amended, still tinkering with the device, "What I mean was that you never know with alien technology. We've brought back seemingly harmless devices and artifacts only for them to suddenly become dangerous. I don't blame him for his concern, especially given his history with radiation."
Vala's brows furrowed. "What do you mean by that, his history with radiation, I mean?"
Sam's eyes shot to her briefly but then realized Vala didn't actually know, so Sam put down the tool she was using. "You don't know already?" she asked, baffled, "I thought Jack had told you about the times Daniel had died and ascended."
Vala shook her head. "He only told me one story about Daniel's ascension, along with a few other stories of Daniel dying and coming back to life. The ascension story I know was when he died aboard a Replicator ship," she explained before asking warily, "There was a time that involved radiation?"
Sam grew somber as the memories from that time came forth. "Yeah," she confirmed quietly, "He was exposed to a lethal dose, the equivalent of over eight to nine grays of neutron radiation resulting from direct contact to be more specific." Sam wasn't sure if Vala understood the severity of what Daniel's exposure had been but the way Vala's face changed, Sam believed she did.
Vala, herself, was shocked to say the least. "And he died from this? I mean, doesn't one have to die before they can ascend?"
"Yeah," Sam answered both questions, "It was awful."
"I can only imagine," her poor Daniel, the amount of pain must've been unbearable. "I've seen people die from a lethal dose of radiation but never that high of exposure, and those people's deaths were horrendous. I shudder to think how much worse it was for him."
"He still remembers it," Sam told her quietly, "he remembers what it was like and how it felt. I think that's why he may be so paranoid with you in the science labs; that and the thought of losing you and the baby. I don't know how or even if he could survive such a loss."
Vala bit her lip as she considered and contemplated Sam's words carefully. Should she stay out of the science labs until the baby was born? But would he just keep fearing that something still would happen to her with an alien device? She didn't want to cause Daniel any distress, but she couldn't make decisions based on his fears of losing her. "Do you think I should stay and help Daniel for the remainder of my pregnancy?" she asked Sam, wanting her honest opinion.
"I don't know; it's a decision you have to make, but I think Daniel needs to learn how to deal with his fears of losing someone," Sam answered, "I mean, he doesn't have the same fear for me, but whenever it comes to you, he's always going to worry, no matter what, I think he needs to let go of the reigns a bit and you being here might help with that."
"So what you're saying is that I should continue to work with you in order to help him?"
"I'm not saying you should but I'm also not saying you shouldn't. What I am saying is that it might, might, be beneficial to him."
"Well, I want to work in here, where I'm useful and I enjoy it," Vala said, "I feel in my element here, like I know what I'm doing and can be helpful. If I'm going to stay on Earth, I need to be helpful and have something to offer. I can do that best here. I'll be careful, more than I was planning for Daniel's sake, but I want to be here."
"Well, I for one, am glad you're here. You know a lot more than I do about various types of alien technology and that's saying something," Sam gave her a smile, "But just so you know, you are helpful and have something to offer and not just here in my lab, but in Daniel's and in the SGC itself. You have value. Vala, others just may not see it yet – give them time."
"Thank you, Samantha."
"No problem" she brushed off and grab the tool she had abandoned moments ago, "Now, we should probably get to work. Can you help me figure out how to open this thing?"
Instead of answering, Vala merely pressed something that looked nothing like a button and it opened with a small hiss.
Sam shot Vala a mock glare before the two of them dived into work.
Author's Note: I literally wrote this about two days after I posted the first chapter. I thought the story was missing something and needed to be added, so hence this chapter (and the next). Otherwise, it would've been choppy and would've lacked something. Between the last chapter and the ending chapter, I took a break from writing to focus on family and when I came back, I hadn't realized how one chapter didnt flow nicely to the next so I wrote two more to fill the void. Hopefully they turned out alright.
Thoughts?
