Chapter Nine

"I told you, she'll be here tomorrow," Vala sighed, exasperated out of her mind. Her trek to visit the Tokra had been uneventful but long and she was in no mood to deal with Intef. He had grown his hair and shaved his beard and was beginning to look a lot more like his own person. He meant well, truly, but the fascination with Adria was wearing thin.

"You will tell me?" he implored and if she wasn't longing to sit down, soak her feet and eat something, she might've had a bit of fun with the lovesick idiot. She waved in agreement. "As soon as I see her, I'll let her know you're looking for you. Now unless you plan on rubbing my feet—" the poor man looked terrified, "you need to go. Goodbye Intef."

She closed the door on the wide-eyed Ba'al lookalike and sighed deeply. She loved her daughter deeply, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't looking forward to some peace and quiet. Adria's quest for independence was very exciting and she was struggling to keep up. It was nothing compared to her post-Qetesh lifestyle and she had suffered worse with her first pregnancy but Adria's curious wonderment and Vala's strict schedule of 'How to survive the galaxy' lessons were taking their toll.

Her room was small but sufficient and she didn't have much on her person anyway, bar a small health kit Dr Lam had insisted she carry at all times. She and Adria had passed through the Beta site a while back and the doctor there didn't indicate there was any cause for concern. She was as healthy as a horse and she supposed her son's father was of pretty fine breeding stock himself.

She and Adria hadn't spoken about what would happen once the baby was born. The date was looming—about two months away at the latest. The last piece of the puzzle was securing the ship, which Adria had done with the finesse becoming of a Mal Doran. Settling down somewhere had crossed her mind, but it didn't seem right without Daniel. And she wasn't sure her daughter was going to be ready for that. She still had adventure in her bones and Vala knew she was eager to find a way to communicate with Tomin.

Not to mention her daughter's own interests in the ever-curious Intef.

She groaned loudly as she sank into the small bed. Someone out there would probably pay handsomely to see the former Orici and former System Lord meditating at the front of a pyramid, eyes closed and hands clasped together. Her experiences with Qetesh made it easier to see past errors and judgement and separate them from the two souls. She understood their connection, she really did. It just made her a little sick was all.

It was another ten minutes before she allowed herself to close her eyes. The softness of her bed was soothing and the small flutters coming from beneath her palm reassured her. Just before the Sandman (silly little myth that was, the Tau'ri had a lot to answer for) came to take her, she heard a firm rapping at the door.

Intef wasn't going to make it to tomorrow, she was sure. With the grace of a writhing Goa'uld she stumbled out of the bed. "I'm not sure how you expect me to summon her, Intef! Maybe if the Tok'ra procured the rights to some of the Tau'ri technology, I could introduce you to the concept of the cell phone, but until then—"

She swung the door open, face stern and hair wild.

It wasn't Intef.

Two seconds wasn't long enough to decide on a reaction. She was damn well surprised, but not quite enough. She was very, very angry, that much was true. But she was also very tired. And her feet hurt and she felt sick and maybe she should cry, but Daniel usually hated that, and he had accused her on more than one occasion of lying about it, so maybe she should throw herself at him instead, which he hated even more.

Her two seconds were up, and Daniel was looking at her like she had grown a second head, which was technically true. She settled for what she was good at. "The next time you decide to show up six months late to a date, you might want to bring flowers. Or chocolates. Or a valid explanation."

She moved to let him through and he did so wordlessly. She closed the door carefully behind her, almost as if a sound might spook him back into ascension. She tried to look as menacing as possible, but as usual, Daniel saw right through it. Before she could open her mouth, his arms were around her. "I'm so sorry, Vala," he whispered and placed a light kiss on her forehead. She was determined not to be too angry or sad, but a mix of the pair.

She pulled away. "How far along are you?"

She huffed and made her way back to her comfortable bed. Usually it was Vala begging for forgiveness and she was going to make Daniel Jackson suffer every minute he was here. "About thirty two weeks. It's a boy. Congratulations."

Daniel kept his face unreadable. She wondered if that was an ascension thing. He looked around her room. "You're not staying here permanently are you? We have room at home," he said quietly, looking over her single bag of supplies.

"Oh, so now its home, is it?" she snapped. "My daughter isn't allowed to stay on the planet and you disappeared into the abyss. I haven't been there since."

"Vala, I know you're used to this type of lifestyle but—"

She waved him off, trying to get herself back to her comfortable position on the bed. "Her memories are gone, Daniel. What would your suggestion be? Send her out on her own, let the galaxy rip apart the former Orici? Trade my daughter in for my son? At least this way, I have both of them."

Daniel remained silent. "I'm coming back, Vala. This whole thing…it's complicated. And hard. Being away from you has been—well, if I'd known—but the point is, it's temporary. I'm coming home."

She was quiet for a moment and made room for him on the bed. He took the hint and curled up next to her. She supposed she should feel grateful—the Goa'uld thought themselves gods but the Ancients were said to be like angels. She was clearly the devil in that analogy—pregnant for a second time out of wedlock. She wanted to see Daniel beg for her forgiveness, to reassure her that he wouldn't be gone when she woke up. She thought about ravishing him on the bed. His presence would have been useful in her second trimester but he had missed it along with morning sickness, doctor's appointments and teaching Adria how to seduce her way onto an al-kesh.

But she was tired.

"How much longer?" she asked, her voice calm and measured, despite the raging feelings inside her. Daniel placed his hand on her stomach and she his action rewarded with a swift kick. "I'm not sure," he answered. "The Ancients are a very stubborn people. They still haven't forgiven Oma, unsurprisingly. And you'd think they would be grateful for our defeat of the Ori, but their traditions run deep still. My presence there is making a lot of people angry."

Vala couldn't help but smirk. "You seem to have that effect on people, Daniel. Now shut up. You interrupted my nap. And if you disappear before I wake up, I am taking all naming rights of current and future children. So unless you want to come home to little Santa Julius Grapefruit Sholvah Mal Doran Jackson, I suggest you sit there and be comfortable."

His only response was a kiss to her temple and less than ten seconds later, her gentle snores filled the room.

o0o

The al'kesh hummed and the schematics were up on the screen. "Our intelligence suggests the Tau'ri are near the planet. Our ships are not equipped to deal with them at this time but we could easily take the Tok'ra homeworld once they have left the area."

"We will strike when necessary," a second voice commanded. "I have been waiting to get my hands on one of theirs. It bears a striking resemblance to some of the Asgard technology."

"Tell your contacts to keep an eye on the Tau'ri ship. We want that planet."