Chapter Eleven
"I'm so sorry."
Yet another metaphorical slap in the face from one Daniel Jackson. Mere seconds after Adria had dissolved into Vala's arms, Daniel had dissolved into thin air, the platitude echoing behind him. The rational part of her mind knew that the reappearance of Adria's memories was a concern and that Daniel felt, and probably was, responsible. However, the part of her that had been consistently abandoned combined with her aching body and hormone-addled brain made for a repetitive loop of alternating anger and sadness.
The Tok'ra version of an infirmary looked so austere and not at all inviting. It reminded her of the days following the removal of Qetesh—hardly an experience she wanted to relive. Her love for her daughter and that surprising part of herself that craved a little stability these days had encouraged her to stay on the home world, despite her deep discomfort and misgivings.
Intef had thankfully remained out of sight after he had sent for An'komara. Scans had not shown any changes to her physiology, the Tok'ra version of the anti-Prior device still in the corner for total reassurance. Adria had been asleep for four hours, exhausted by her experience.
Vala had spoken to the physician, recounting Ba'al's intrusion on the Orici. Vardohla, the host had spoken of the power of latent memories and repressed trauma. Vala didn't need to hear the speech—she had had plenty of experience with resurfacing past trauma. She worried about whether the memories would be permanent and if it Adria would change back.
Just as her son gave her a swift kick, Adria slowly opened her eyes. One hand rested on her stomach and the other went to give Adria's a squeeze. The son she shared and the daughter she created. She had come a very long way from a life of destitution and slavery and despite it all, felt very grateful in that moment.
"How are you feeling?"
Adria blinked a few times and looked around the room. "Like I have been sleeping for days," she frowned. "I thought…did Daniel…?"
Vala smiled sadly. "He was here but he had to go. Your memory may have triggered something. He is probably in the middle of a negotiation as we speak."
Adria nodded, looking briefly like the Orici that Vala had once deeply feared. Her strength and determination had survived her metamorphosis. "I am sorry, I truly am. I had just arrived and Intef greeted me after I docked the ship. We had just arrived at the gardens when all I could see was Ba'al. Which is impossible, because I don't remember him. Or anything else. And I saw you choking—"
"The memory was real," Vala said, hoping the truth might spare her daughter pain in the long run. "The Ba'al symbiote decided to seize your power for himself. We tried to have him removed, but he let out a deadly toxin which eventually…" she trailed off.
"Killed me."
The silence hung between the two women, until Vala finally spoke. "You have to let me know if this happens again," she said, her maternal instinct developing as each word tumbled out of her mouth. Sometimes it shocked her.
Adria even looked chastised. "I promise."
"I'm serious, Adria. The Tok'ra say you're fine, but…"
A gentle rap at the door interrupted Vala, which turned out to be a very welcome distraction.
"Hey, I'm sorry to interrupt. I was hoping Adria would be awake and that you'd be here."
Vala struggled to get up, but once she did, she practically jumped onto her dearest friend in the entire galaxy, Colonel Samantha Carter.
"And you're sure?"
Sam took another bite out of her sandwich and nodded. "I looked at the data myself. I know you've had a rocky relationship with the Tok'ra before, but there's no reason they'd lie to you about this. You trust me, don't you?"
Vala feigned silence and Sam only rolled her eyes and took another bite. "Well, it's nice to have two opinions, really. Daniel would have been my third but he took off again like a fart in the wind…"
Sam wasn't sure about the idiom, but she let it slide. "Vala, Grapefruit is not a common Earth name. I'm not sure it's a common name anywhere. It's unisex, I'll give you that."
Vala lit up. "Well, at least he won't be teased for having a girl's name. I mean Daniel sounds so much like Danielle and well, you know I prefer Samantha to Sam any day of the week."
"Maybe try Colonel when we're around the crew," Sam suggested, immediately laughing at Vala's horrified reaction.
"You sound like Cameron," Vala declared. "Maybe I had better pitch my Grapefruit idea to him."
Sam grinned. "I think that's a great idea. You and Adria actually timed your visit well. I have it on good authority that SG-1 and 5 are due here about a week after the Hammond ships out. We'll just miss them but if you've got nowhere else to be, I'm sure Mitchell and Teal'c would love to see you."
"Check up on me, you mean," Vala said pointedly through a mouthful of turkey. "Not that I'm complaining. I'm going to send a list of things I need anyway. I miss nail polish."
Sam tried to picture Teal'c painting Vala's toenails and shrugged it off. Stranger things had happened during her tenure with the Stargate program, that was for sure. She was sure the same was true for Vala. She didn't want to bring up the elephant in the room but seeing how Daniel hadn't reappeared on the Hammond, she was dying to know. Jack had made her make an official report to the SGC about his brief visit and then grilled her for another half an hour during their last communique. Luckily for her, Vala was in a sharing mood and she didn't have to press for information.
"Have you thought about what's going to happen when Grapefruit is finally here?"
Vala paused and sighed, rubbing her stomach in the way pregnant women did. "I was hoping Daniel would be back by now to help me make some sort of a decision. Adria has been a very quick learner—due in no small part to my aptitude for teaching and her can-do Mal Doran attitude. Somewhere stable would be nice. Living on Earth has really spoiled me—your healthcare is one thing but I'm going to go completely wonko without reality television to keep me entertained while Grapefruit is up at all hours. I miss my bed, Samantha."
Sam could relate. She missed her own bed too—and person who was in with her when she was planet-side. At least he was only a call away.
"Do you want some advice?" Sam offered gently. Vala nodded eagerly. "I think you should take General O'Neill's offer to renovate a room for the nursery. There's still enough time to do it."
"Does that mean I am choosing my son over my daughter?"
The blunt question left Sam feeling as if she had been punched in her gut. Vala's relationships with people had always been so complex, only finding some stability when joining the SGC. She had been abandoned too many times to count—most recently by Daniel. It was understandable that she didn't want to do the same to her daughter, not when she had been given a second change. Sam reached out and squeezed her friend's hand for reassurance.
"No, I don't think it is. Adria is an adult, Vala. And I know the Ori robbed you of so much with her. But soon, she will want to go out on her own. She'll need to. It's not selfish to want that experience you missed with your son. Even with the Goa'uld and the Ori gone, Earth is still one of the safest places to raise a child. You'll have access to healthcare for the birth and for post-natal care. Not to mention when he comes back, Daniel will want the chance to be the best father he can be. And you'll still be able to use the gate to visit Adria off-world."
Sam was happy with her piece and removed her hand from Vala's. "You did the right thing for Adria. It's not selfish to do the same for you and Grapefruit. And I bet, when it comes down to it, Adria will agree."
"Did anyone ever tell you that you were good at giving advice?"
Sam laughed. "You don't get the full bird for nothing."
Vala wolfed down the last of her turkey and stared at Sam as she stood and grabbed her tray. "So, am I making this call?"
Vala thought of her own childhood room. A house of love, until her mother had died, but small and cramped. She thought of drawing water from a well in the Ori galaxy and her neighbour's daughter dying of a common cold. She thought of Daniel and the spare room in his house, boxed trinkets and artefacts from all over the galaxy.
A kick from Grapefruit Jackson made her decision long before her conscious mind noticed.
"I think I would like that, Colonel."