Chapter Six

Daniel stepped into the circle and waited for Vala's signal before he transported up. He waited for a moment and then, swallowing down a wave of panic, he tried his radio. "Vala?"

He was greatly relieved when Vala responded a second later. She could obviously hear the concern in his voice because she was quick to reassure him.

"I'm all right, Daniel, just hit a teeny weeny problem."

"What problem?"

"As I feared, the ring control up here's been damaged so I can't ring you up or ring myself down."

Daniel swore under his breath before he responded. "Where's the other way you mentioned? Shall I come up and then we can both find our way down via your alternate route?"

"Well, yes, there's a servant's stairway at the far end of the building but honestly, Daniel, I'll only be a minute and then you can ring me back down."

"I'm not happy about you being up there on your own but if you'll really only be a minute…?"

"Sit tight. I'll get the data crystal and let you know when to ring me back."

"Okay…be careful, Vala."

"I will…Don't worry, darling."

Daniel waited impatiently for what seemed like twenty minutes but was probably only half that and was very relieved when his radio crackled.

"Uh, Daniel. I may have another teeny weeny problem…"

Daniel went to question her but realised that Vala was holding down the call button and that he could hear a disembodied male voice speaking. After a second or two, he realised with horror that it was Ba'al.

"Aaah! Vala Mal Doran! I must admit I expected you to return much sooner…but it was worth the wait."

He heard Vala respond, saying, "Ba'al. Delightful as it always is to see you, even if it is only by a communication globe, I hope you'll forgive me if I don't ask how you are but rather what the hell you think you're going to achieve by trapping me here?"

"Always the veneer of bravado! You never change. What do I hope to achieve?...Satisfaction...You betrayed your true queen by allowing her to be captured and for that you will pay...preferably slowly and painfully."

"And you're always so dramatic, Ba'al. It won't take me long to figure a way out of here. I have a knack for getting out of tricky situations. Sorry to disappoint you."

"We shall see. I have dispatched a squad of my best Jaffa. They are on their way to collect you and round up any members of SG-1 you may have with you."

"Sorry to disappoint you again but I'm here alone…Just taking what I now see was an ill-advised trip down memory lane."

"Yes, yes. Of course, you'll deny anyone is there with you but my men will determine the veracity of that statement. And if you really are alone, no matter. No doubt you will have somehow contacted your Tau'ri friends and a rescue is undoubtedly on the way. My men shall be waiting for them. When you activated the panel to reveal Qetesh's secrets, which sadly for you are not secret anymore, you set in motion your own demise."

"Blaagh, blaagh, blaagh. I forgot how much you love the sound of your own voice."

"And I have not forgotten how you and your Tau'ri friends have ruined my plans one too many times."

"So you're angry and your Jaffa are going to come and drag me away so you can torture me before I die. Heard it all before and I'm getting bored with this conversation so goodbye!"

Daniel heard the sound of zat fire, a short silence and then Vala spoke, "Did you catch all of that, Daniel?"

"Yes, want me to ring you down so we can get out of here?"

"Uh, yes, that would be good except that I'm trapped up here…"

Daniel didn't wait to hear any more, he pressed the buttons Vala had shown him and dashed into the circle before the rings appeared to whisk him away. He was deposited in Qetesh's private chambers and shone his torch round in an arc to get a good look at the place. It was huge room, furnished with a throne and ornately decorated pillars, and around the edge were a series of adjoining alcoves. Silk curtains hung down, cutting off each alcove from prying eyes.

"Vala? Where are you?"

"This way," Vala called.

Daniel followed the sound of her voice. He pushed through the green silk curtains and found himself in the most opulent bedroom he had ever seen. It was furnished with huge fur rugs, tapestries in loud colours depicting various debauched scenes and at the centre was an enormous bed covered with gold silk sheets and red and gold satin pillows. Everything smelled musty from lack of use.

"Vala?"

"Through here!" Her voice came from a narrow doorway at the back of the bed chamber.

Daniel hurried through the opening and found himself in a room that was utilitarian in its nature and austere by comparison with the preceding room: a single chair, albeit covered with soft fabrics, a table and two tapestries on the walls. One of the tapestries was pushed aside and Vala was standing in front of an opening in the wall which was obviously where Qetesh had kept her personal treasures. A force-field ran across the middle of the room and Daniel could see the blasted communication globe on the floor to one side of the chair.

"You okay?"

Vala stamped one foot. "Just feeling stupid…and sorry…that I've put us in danger."

"Well, Ba'al's Jaffa aren't here yet. We've got time to get you out of there and get away before they arrive."

Daniel walked up to the one edge of the force-field and began looking for some sort of control panel that he could use to deactivate it. While he looked, he chattered to Vala: "That room next door is plush even for a Goa'uld. Qetesh liked her luxury…and diamonds!...and I couldn't help noticing the pictures of semi-naked cavorting slaves."

Vala muttered, "That's what she was like, Daniel. Obsessed with surrounding herself with beautiful things to cover up the fact she was cold and hard…it's no wonder I'm…" She shook herself and sighed.

Daniel shot her a concerned glance. "You all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine…Any luck?"

"Not yet." Daniel walked over to the other side of the chamber and began methodically searching the walls for anything that would indicate a control panel or a weakness he could exploit. "So did Ba'al completely clean out Qetesh's private stash of trinkets?"

Vala turned to the open hatch. "Not completely…A few baubles, a healing device and he kindly left this." Vala pulled out a hand device and fingered it thoughtfully. "Might come in handy if his Jaffa get here before we can escape."

Daniel stood still, alarm bells ringing in his head. "Vala?"

She stood staring at the device and he could see her thinking about putting it on.

"Vala? Look at me!"

She turned blank eyes towards him then shuddered. He could see she was trembling all over. He said her name gently a couple of times and after a moment, she returned to the present and looked at him with horror in her eyes.

"Memory flash?"

"Yes…a bad one…I feel sick, Daniel."

"Sit down," he suggested. "And for goodness sake, throw that thing away…You're not going to use it again ever."

Vala looked at the device in her hands and dropped it as if it were hot. She kicked it away from her and it slid across the shiny marble floor, coming to a crackling halt at the edge of the force-field. Daniel and Vala looked at each other, both thinking the same thing.

"If you zatted that thing, what do you think would happen?"

Vala said uncertainly, "It might explode…maybe it would weaken the force-field?"

"That's what I was thinking."

"I'll give it a try."

"Drag the table back and turn it over first," Daniel suggested. "Give yourself some protection."

Vala did as he suggested while he moved away a little way from the force-field. She raised her zat above the table frame and said, "Here goes."

As the zat blast hit, there was a loud metallic scream and a flash of white light. The force-field wavered, blinked in and out a few times and then was gone. Daniel crossed the room in a few quick steps and pulled Vala into his arms. He could feel she was still trembling. Her hands clutched his jacket and she hid her face in his shoulder, rubbing her forehead against him as if she wished she could rub away the memories.

"Qetesh was at her worst here," she whispered. "She used to have slaves brought here so she could…use them…make them pleasure her…and then she'd torture them…and finally kill them…if they were lucky."

Daniel couldn't think of a thing to say but just continued to hold her until she stopped trembling. He took a step back and said, "We'd better think about getting out of here. Where was that staircase you mentioned?"

"This way."

Vala was silent as she led him back through the bedroom and into another alcove, containing a dining table and chairs, to a door secreted in one wall. She turned a small decoration in the shape of a beetle ninety degrees to the left and the door hidden in the wall swung open.

"I'll go first," Daniel insisted and led the way down the narrow staircase. It went down one level to what appeared to be kitchens.

"That way," Vala said and pointed to a dark archway where another staircase started.

Daniel noticed the strain in her voice and the trembling in her hands: reaction to her memories and Ba'al's threats was setting in. He led the way down again, senses alert for any kind of noise. They had just reached the next level, which appeared to be a long, empty hall presumably used for training purposes, when they heard the sound of booted feet coming up the stairs from the ground floor.

"This way," Vala hissed as she darted into the huge hall and slipped along the left hand wall towards racks of staff weapons, just visible in the pinprick light of their torches. Vala quietly slid behind the first rack and inched her way along so Daniel could follow her. It was a bit of a squeeze but they just managed to fit.

Booted feet marched along the corridor and paused outside the training hall. Orders were given for two Jaffa to make a search of the hall and rooms beyond then the rest of the squad moved on towards the stairs leading up to the next floor. Daniel and Vala held their breath as the Jaffa walked slowly down the centre of the room, shining their torches around the walls to see if anyone was hiding. They seemed to be intent on reaching the rooms at the end of the hall and then making their way back.

As they strode through the door at the end of the hall, Daniel and Vala slipped silently out from behind the racks and along the edge of the room, trying to move as silently as possible. They made it into the corridor and headed cautiously towards the flight of stairs leading down, hoping that the Jaffa leader hadn't posted a guard at the bottom. Luck was on their side and they made it down to the munitions level.

"There's a door leading to the outside over there," Vala whispered as she pointed her gun in the direction they needed to go. Daniel nodded and followed as she quietly led the way through the empty rows of shelving and chests to a small door, half hidden in the grey wall.

Vala pressed the control button and the door slid open with a slight rumbling sound. In the silence, the noise seemed immense. Daniel and Vala tensed to see if anyone had noticed but again luck was on their side and they scurried out of the building, darting between any cover they could find until they were on the correct side of the compound to reach their hidden ship. It was with a huge sense of relief that they made it inside and closed the door behind them.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

It was freezing on board the Dart. Leaving all the power off to remain hidden was a good idea but it didn't make for a very comfortable wait. Daniel shivered and shoved his hands under his armpits to try to warm them up. He decided to take a break from staring out of the window into the darkness and went to see how Vala was feeling. She was sat on the floor in the tiny hold, wrapped in a blanket.

"How are you doing?" he asked gently.

"I can't seem to get warm," Vala stammered through clenched teeth.

Daniel walked over and pulled her to her feet. He took her over to the narrow bunk at the back of the ship. "Let's both snuggle up on here. If we share body heat, hopefully we'll both get warm."

Vala lay down on her side and Daniel squeezed in next to her before wrapping them both in the blanket. He wrapped an arm around her.

"That better?"

"Mmm, cosy."

Vala covered his hand with hers and shifted position slightly to get comfortable. Daniel closed his eyes and tried to sleep even though he was pretty sure it was going to be impossible when Vala was so close and he could smell the light scent of jasmine in her hair from the shampoo she usually used.

"Daniel?"

"Mmm."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Mmm."

"What was Sha're like?"

Daniel opened his eyes. He wondered where the question was leading before he responded with: "Beautiful...Sweet…Kind."

"Did she make you laugh?"

"Sometimes…mostly she used to laugh at me…not in a nasty way." Daniel smiled as he remembered. "She just couldn't believe how useless I was at things she could do so easily. Like grinding corn, gutting robnack for dinner, cooking…but she enjoyed teaching me."

Vala hesitated before asking her next question and he could feel the tension radiating from her body. "Was she…was she a strong person?...Do you think if the Tok'ra had rescued her…do you think she'd have been the same? Do you think she'd have been able to stay…sweet?"

Daniel lifted himself on to one elbow and tried to see Vala's expression in the semi-darkness but her eyes were closed and he couldn't see what she was thinking. He chose his words carefully. "I guess nobody could go through that, being a host I mean, and not be changed by it…I hope, if she had been freed…well, I hope I could have helped her get through the aftermath of the experience."

Vala whispered, "I'm sorry you didn't get the chance."

Daniel saw her face crease with anguish and, when she mumbled something, he placed his hand on her cheek and felt a teardrop under his thumb which he gently wiped away. He hesitated: should he try to get Vala to open up, confide her feelings. Would it help her? He moved his thumb down to her chin and, with gentle pressure, lifted her face just enough to be able to see her eyes which she had opened at his touch.

"What did you say?"

Vala swallowed a few times. Her voice, when she finally spoke, was a whisper filled with regrets. "I wish I'd had someone like you waiting for me."

Daniel searched for the right words. "I'm sorry there was no-one to help you work through the pain and horror of being a host…but I'm here now…If you'll let me, I can help you, be there for you now if you need to talk about what you've been through."

Vala shook her head. "I did terrible things, Daniel…I couldn't burden you with those memories...and I…I wouldn't want you to know how weak I was…She used me to hurt people…I did try to fight her but I couldn't stop her."

"It wasn't you who did those things, Vala. It was Qetesh. Never forget that you are not her and no-one could have stopped her…You weren't weak, you were human…and I think you're the strongest person I know…To have been through what you've been through and survived…"

Vala half choked, half laughed as she said, "I survived by becoming…unconnected from it all…by becoming hard…I'm not sure I know how to be anything else, Daniel, even for you…and if I tell you even the smallest part…" She shook her head. "You'll be…shocked, disgusted…I don't think I could bear that."

Daniel turned her to face him pulled her into a close embrace. "First of all, you're not hard, Vala. You've shown me tenderness, affection and caring in the last few weeks. Being with you is so special. You've opened up your heart to me and there's such softness there, don't close yourself up again….I love you, Vala. I will always love you…whatever you tell me…Trust me…please."

Vala slowly raised her eyes to his and searched his face. Fear and trust fought to get the upper hand over her. "…I do trust you, Daniel…it's myself I don't trust…If you're sure you can handle it, I'll tell you what I went through."

Daniel's blue eyes turned a shade darker and his voice was rough with emotion when he spoke: "Tell me anything you need to...I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."

Vala nodded then dropped her eyes and began to speak. Hesitantly at first, but with gradually increasing speed, she told him her darkest memories and shared the agony of what she had gone through for years at the hands of Qetesh. Minutes passed then hours until she finally stopped talking and took several deeps breaths.

Afraid of what she would see on Daniel's face, it took several moments before she had the courage to look at him again. She was amazed to see tears in his eyes and even more astounded when he said, "Thank you for trusting me…I'm so sorry for everything you've had to go through…and I know you don't believe it yet but you're a good person, Vala. I know it and I love you for it."

Vala looked at him with wide eyes and he found himself falling into them. He leaned forward and kissed her. Then he pulled away.

"What do you say to us getting out of here to somewhere warmer? The Jaffa must be searching for us light years away by now. We could head to Trenellin and see Mykah and Pameena."

Vala caressed his face. "I love you, Daniel…If I am a good person, it's only because you've changed me and made me that way…Thank you."

Daniel flushed and hopped off the bed as he said, "You're welcome…Come on, let's go see your friends."